Living in Suffolk Coastal - Issue 49

Page 1


LIVING IN

SUFFOLK

Gainsborough’s House ... prints and paintings Mary Poppins ... my famous dad!

Party on ... festivals in Suffolk

GET INVOLVED:

If you’ve got a topical story, an inspiring home, business, event, craft or talent to show off, do get in touch. Perhaps you’d like to offer us a million pounds; we are all ears. The deadline for our next issue - our July/August edition - out in early July is 10th June.

l For advertising information or if you’d like to submit any collaboration ideas, email us at, info@livinginsuffolk.com

ON OUR COVER:

We adore these sumptuous organic flowers depicted in this stunning painterly inking by artist and printmaker Katherine Jones, RA, called Dust To Pigment. It’s part of Katherine’s first solo museum show this summer at Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury. You can read all about it on page 21.

l For more information visit, gainsborough.org

LIVING IN

Editor: Angela Hagan 07930 184773, info@livinginsuffolk.com

Designer: Lewis Webb

Writer: Charity Crewe charity@livinginsuffolk.com

Media Sales: Ellie Rickard ellie@livinginsuffolk.com livinginsuffolk.com

Due East Media Ltd: Soane House, 4 Soane Street, Ipswich, IP4 2BG,. Registered in England number 10242873

Disclaimer: Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor the editor, nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party for omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. All artwork is accepted on the strict condition that permission has been given for use in this publication. Living In … Suffolk does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, without prior permission of Due East Media Ltd.

ON THE MARKET

The latest homes and property news from around

Suffolk ...

You may well have walked past it many times as this delightful property enjoys a highly prominent position on Woodbridge’s bustling Market Hill.

Listed as Grade II, Hatherley House, with its classically handsome and balanced parapeted Georgian facade, boasts views of the iconic Shire Hall and magnificent St

Mary’s Church in the town. It offers an abundance of well-proportioned accommodation extending to some 3,874 sq ft, including five bedrooms and three bath/shower rooms, two principal reception rooms, two entrance and reception halls, a cellar, a self-contained annexe, secure courtyard

garden and parking.

We love the high ceilings as well as the well laid out, elegantly-presented, flexible use accommodation. It benefits from improvements made by the present vendor. Set within the courtyard is an independent 740 sq ft, flexible use, two storey guest annexe/studio/at home office/games room, which offers a spacious ground floor living room, with kitchenette and an equally sizeable first floor bedroom with en suite bathroom.

This won’t be on the market for long!

Guide Price: £1,750,000

l On the market with Jackson-stops, Ipswich. Call 01473 218218. Visit, jackson-stops.co.uk

MY DAD, THE REAL MR BANKS!

Suffolk director Henry Tomlinson talks about life with his charismatic father ...

As Father’s Day approaches, TV director Henry Tomlinson admits it doesn’t take much to revel in the memories of his legendary dad David Tomlinson.

“The older I get I think about him more and more,” says Henry, as we enjoy a cuppa in the sunny back garden of the Dunwich home he shares with antique textiles expert Molly.

He won’t admit it but he shares some of his father’s characteristics. That same twinkle in the eye, the sing-song baritone voice, a somewhat perplexed expression... He thinks his father resembled a disappointed spaniel. Noël Coward reckoned David looked more like “a very old baby.”

But it’s the mischievous sense of humour – refusing to take life too seriously – which seems to be their greatest bond.

“The thing I remember the most is his assault on pomposity; on anybody that he felt needed to be put in their place,” smiles Henry. “He was very funny and a straight talker. He was a member of this terribly posh private

“All he wanted for all of his kids was for us to be happy”

members club called Boodles in London. I remember him once saying, ‘watch this!’ and he stopped the secretary of the club and said; ‘‘I do admire the way you are always so pleased with yourself. How do you manage it? Do you go to evening classes?’“ Henry chuckles. “He could be so cutting. He wouldn’t let anyone get away with pomposity. And he hated bullying too, particularly if a director was picking on a young inexperienced actor on set. Or if an actor was behaving badly, no matter how famous, he’d say, ‘Darling, I do hope you are not beginning to believe your own publicity.’ “

One of his father’s great friends, Suffolk resident Griff Rhys Jones, who once described David as “an anarchist in patrician clothing,” recalled many a toe-curling incident when they enjoyed an evening out together. “After a performance in Farnham, he greeted the distinguished actor and playwright who had invited us to see the play with a sympathetic, ‘So brave.’ “

Born in Henley-on-Thames in 1917, David was the son of Clarence Tomlinson, a well respected London solicitor - or so it seemed. “My grandfather actually had a family in Chiswick, then another family in Folkstone with my dad and his brothers, he had these two wives and two families which he ran parallel for something like 30 years! It only came to light when my uncle was sitting on the top deck of a double decker bus and glanced through a bedroom window to see his father sitting up in bed drinking a cup of tea with a woman.”

After school David, who managed to overcome a debilitating stammer, joined the Grenadier Guards. He disappointed his father, who had other plans for him, by announcing his intentions to become an actor. “Good God, you can’t even speak!” was his father’s withering reply. David made his debut in the 1941 British romantic comedy, Quiet Wedding, starring Margaret Lockwood. During the second world war he served in the RAF as a flight lieutenant, later becoming a flight instructor.

Tragedy struck in 1943, just months after their whirlwind wedding, when David’s new wife Mary Lindsay Hiddingh, jumped from a New York hotel window holding her two young sons from her first marriage. All three perished. Unbeknownst to David, Mary had suffered from depression since the death of her first husband during the second world war. “He never spoke about it,” recalls Henry.

“He was that generation of people who just got on with it.”

Despite this heartbreak he rebuilt his life. In 1953, David married stunning actress Audrey Freeman after they met on the set of a British comedy film starring Diana Dors and Sid James. The devoted couple had four sons –David, James, William and Henry. Born with many behavioural issues, William was one of the first people in the country to be diagnosed with autism.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The Lovebug.

As the youngest of the four boys, Henry admits he got away with murder.

“We’d drive around the countryside in his Rolls and as we passed weddings Dad would shout, ‘Don’t’ do it! Don’t do it!’

“The word autism wasn’t even invented at the time,” says Henry, “you can’t imagine how hard a time it was for my parents. Will was impossible, I once saw him try to kick the windscreen out of a car whilst my mum was driving. When he was diagnosed, the options in those days for parents were to either institutionalise their kids or walk away.

“Considering the stiff upper lip world Dad came from, where it was much easier to put someone in a home and never have to deal with them again, he was quite the opposite. Dad helped to set up Somerset Court for the Autistic Society, for kids leaving school and he often enlisted the help of his famous friends. “Will, by the way, is a wonderful man nowadays. I think this shows what sort of a father we had; quite incredible really.”

It was when Henry was just two that David landed his most famous role in what he described as the “upper class twit” George Banks in the hit Disney film, Mary Poppins. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t remember him singing, Let’s Go Fly A Kite!

“It was such an important film to people,” says Henry, “and Dad was always happy to give autographs to anyone who asked. I loved watching how people reacted to him.”

The film scooped five Academy Awards, two Baftas, a Grammy and a Golden Globe. David won an Eddy for his performance. More Disney roles followed for him including

“I would tear around our Buckinghamshire village on my bike completely out of control, I was feral,” he says, “Dad would come back from jobs and try to discipline me, but I don’t think he had the energy by then, I was quite spoilt! By the time I was 16, he had given up on any ambitions for me, I was so bad. I mean, all he really wanted for his kids was for us to be happy, but I think he thought it’d be lucky if I ended up pushing a wheelbarrow for a living. It was mum who was the disciplinarian! One day she marched me to London, knocked on the stage door of the Cambridge Theatre and spoke to the master carpenter asking if there were any jobs. I became a stagehand on the first production of Chicago. Later I became a stage manager in the theatre, then went on to the BBC, working as a third assistant director (AD), then first AD and onto associate producing. Dad was so proud when I ended up producing on London’s Burning.”

Three years ago, Henry landed an unexpected acting role on ITV’s Hotel Portofino whilst working as the assistant director on the period drama starring Natascha McElhone. Ironically, his part as the aristocratic Lord Heddon, is not a million miles from the many roles made famous by his beloved father, who sadly passed away aged 83 following a series of strokes in 2000.

“Even at the very end Dad was so brave, he told me not to worry,” Henry says. “He wasn’t

fearful about death. If that had been me lying in that hospital bed, it would have been like the first two acts of Hamlet; everybody would know!”

His father’s final wish was to be buried in their back garden in Buckinghamshire with the tribute inscribed on his headstone: ‘David Tomlinson, an actor of genius, irresistible to women.’

“Obviously, our mum had her own thoughts about that, and it didn’t quite happen,” says Henry whose mother now lives in Woodbridge.

An unexpected, though not entirely surprising, resurgence in interest in David’s colourful life saw a biographical west end hit play, The Life I Lead in 2019. Then there’s the biography, Disney’s British Gentleman: The Life and Career of David Tomlinson, by Nathan Morley. And more recently, a reprint of David’s own autobiography, Luckier Than Most.

“It’s so lovely that people still hold him so dear to their hearts,” adds Henry. “It’s like a whole new generation are discovering him.” l Now Henry is enjoying the limelight again with a hard hitting new short film he directed, The Dog That Couldn’t Bark, shot entirely in Suffolk, and starring Maureen Lipman. Read all about it on page 5.

Jetset: Henry with mum Audrey and dad David
The Tomlinson clan - Henry, mum Audrey, Jamie, David, David Snr and William
Gottle o’ gear!
David Larking around with good pal Peter Sellers

THE PARENT PACT

Co-founder and activist Daisy Greenwell, who set up Smartphone Free Childhood, talks to Charity Crewe

The recent Netflix series, Adolescence, seems to have woken us up from our collective amnesia about the dangers of smartphones for children. However, a couple from Suffolk, Daisy Greenwell and her husband Joe Ryrie - along with their friend Clare Fernyhough - have been successfully campaigning to encourage parents to hold off getting their children smartphones until at least the end of Year 9 (ages 13 and 14), and they are making a phenomenal difference.

The campaign, Smartphone Free Childhood, happened quite by accident when Daisy and Clare started a WhatsApp group for friends in February 2024 to discuss how to delay buying smartphones for their children. “My daughter was only eight at the time but the kids in her class were starting to get a smartphone,” Daisy remembers. She posted about her dilemma on Instagram and “thousands of people joined the WhatsApp group, so we set up another one and thousands of people joined that! We then suggested people start WhatsApp groups in their own areas, because what you really want is someone in your school starting a group - you don’t really care if someone in Cornwall is doing it if you’re not there.” The support group turned into a campaign, which has now inspired dozens of global groups around the world from Kenya to Costa Rica.

You only need to look at the shocking Ofcom figures to see how many young people have smartphones. One fifth of three and four-year-olds in the UK have one, 25% of five to seven year-olds have one. The average age to get a smartphone is nine.

This is not helping our children. American

psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book, The Anxious Generation, explains that the shift from free play to phones has disrupted children’s development. Haidt is adamant that the current mental health crisis among children can be firmly laid at the door of smartphones. He recently told The Times that, “There were no sign of a mental health

“When something is threatening your kid’s happiness and mental health then you’re going to take action” Daisy Greenwell

crisis among children in the early 2000s, the lines for mental illness are flat for more than a decade until 2012, then they go haywire.” Haidt, who has become an official ambassador for Daisy and Joe’s campaign, attributes this to the rise of smartphones and social media.

The campaign has been so successful that the couple have given up their jobs. Daisy, a journalist and former commissioning editor at The Times, was editing the Positive News magazine when the campaign blew up. “It was a huge viral moment. It felt like a tornado had entered our kitchen, so we decided to do it full time,” she explains. “There was a need there and a moment when we could leave our jobs, so we did.” They were soon getting funding from philanthropists – who want to remain anonymous. “There isn’t much out there like us, i.e. a grassroots movement of parents coming together to delay smartphones. People who have some money to spare and are worried about young people and smartphones - maybe because they are grandparents or parents themselves - have chosen to fund us.”

Daisy, who is from a Suffolk farming family and Joe, who used to run the branding agency, Onwards, have set up an office in their garage at home in Sutton - near Sutton Hoo. They employ two full time staff and are looking to hire a campaign and community assistant. The last year has been crazy. “It has been the most exciting year of our lives,” she says, “and the most stressful as well, but it’s felt like we are really creating change and helping people.”

Daisy believes the success is down to people realising how dangerous

@ Mary Turner

A HOME FOR YOUR PASSIONS!

Vibrant new arts, food and gallery space, New Street Market, is fast becoming the cultural centre of Woodbridge ...

It’s been voted Britain’s happiest town and Woodbridge has just got a whole lot happier thanks to an exciting new concept.

New Street Market opened its doors recently, welcoming back locals and visitors into its beautifully restored 19th-century stables.

This architect-designed gem now features a carefully curated shop, a gallery hosting exhibitions and spaces for events, workshops, and clubs.

High profile creative minds Tim Wilson and Sam Walker, both from London, have pooled

“It’s a place where people can gather, discover and be inspired,” co-founder Tim Wilson

their talent and energy for this project. Tim, a cultural producer, says, “We wanted to create something that reflects the spirit of Woodbridge and Suffolk - a place where people can gather, discover and be inspired. From breakfast through to evening drinks, from art exhibitions to supper clubs, New Street Market is a space designed to bring people together.”

The menu at New Street Market showcases the best of local produce with a global influence thanks, in part, to legendary baker and food consultant David Wright - AKA

Instagram’s The Breaducator. David developed the opening café menu using ingredients sourced from celebrated local producers such as Fen Farm Dairy, Bruha Brewery, Acre Bakery, and the world-famous Pump Street Chocolatiers. The kitchen serves a hearty and healthy selection of breakfasts and lunches. Despite launching his new book Breaking Bread on the very same day, Wright was instrumental in crafting a menu that immediately won over guests.

The venue also boasts an expertly curated selection of artisan products, featuring handmade goods from Suffolk and Norfolk, alongside carefully chosen pieces from as far afield as Mexico and Morocco. The décor itself tells a story, incorporating stained glass windows from a historic rectory in neighbouring Melton, which creates a truly unique environment.

Beyond food and retail, New Street Market is set to become a dynamic cultural destination. The gallery hosts works from renowned local artists, including prints from the esteemed Sudbourne Park Print Studio. The event space is open for community

groups, from knitting circles to book clubs, and will soon offer a programme of yoga, singing, and language classes.

“Nothing is more important to us than community,” adds co-founder Sam, whose thriving background as an artist and gallerist has helped to give New Street Market its unique aesthetic. “We want this to be a space where people feel at home - whether they’re grabbing a morning coffee, exploring an exhibition, or attending a supper club.”

VISIT NEW STREET MARKET:

Café: Monday–Sunday, 8.45am-5pm (Sunday opens 9.30am)

Bar: Thursday–Saturday, 5pm-11pm

l For more information, bookings and event enquiries visit, newstreetmarket.com or email, tim@newstreetprojects.com

GARDENING SAVED MY LIFE!

Jane Bastow says the garden she started with her late husband helped her through the toughest of times ...

It was just an acre of grass, weeds and abandoned sheds, but to newlyweds Byron and Jane Bastow it was a magical project to share in their new life together.

The couple, who married in 1991, originally planned to move to Shropshire but discovered their new home, a bungalow with its wild, unkempt garden, during a honeymoon drive and fell instantly in love.

After retiring from Essex Police (Jane was medically retired following a debilitating work accident), they moved into their home at St James South Elmham, between Halesworth and Harleston. But tragedy struck just months later when Byron, who had been diagnosed with cancer, died. It was November 1993.

“It was a very dark and challenging time,” recalls Jane. “November on its own is grey and dark enough. Even at this end of the year

there are things to be done in the garden and the bird feeders to be filled and I decided to carry out the plans we had both made, namely the sunken garden being dug out.”

“My garden helps both mentally and physically. I have been able to lose myself in the loveliness of the plants and wildlifewatching flower buds break, new shoots pushing through, the coming and going of the baby birds, visits from hares etc. The simple tasks of weeding, dead heading, having the robin or blackbird following for an easy meal, soon pushes the ugliness of life into the background.”

Jane says that through her shock and grief

she worked outside every day drawing great comfort from continuing with this shared dream.

“Also from her circle of dear friends new and old. “Gardening made me physically tired so it enabled some decent sleep.”

Her work accident had left her in constant pain requiring numerous operations, which only added to her mental anguish.

“Without a doubt, gardening saved my life,” she says. “It is the most wonderful time filler and distraction. I have a sign in the greenhouse that says, ‘I live in the garden but I

sleep in the house!’ ”

Jane opened her garden for the first time in 1994 as a way of meeting people locally –she’s since opened it annually to the public twice a year in February and May.

“With help from my friends I have raised over £20,000 for charities ranging from the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Suffolk Heavy Horses, Help for Heroes, the air ambulance and our village hall, amongst others. This year the main charity will be Suffolk Heavy Horse Society.

As her knowledge deepened and her garden blossomed, Jane says she experienced some unexpectedly happy moments.

After enrolling on a horticultural course, she and her fellow students scooped a gold medal in 2002 for best courtyard garden at Chelsea Flower Show.

“I could never in my wildest dreams have imagined any of that happening,” she says.

“Simple garden tasks soon push the ugliness of life into the background”

Jane, who this month (May) will be opening her lovely garden again, says she often feels Byron close by whilst working outside.

“I have two real favourite areas,” she says. “One is next to the pond. This is the last project we did before Byron fell ill and died. I have a table and chairs next to it where I can watch the fish, and on a still day it completely reflects the sky and the trees so I can get lost in its depths. The other is the sunken garden, now with its very own microclimate. It’s so secluded; a place to read and relax. And at the May open garden, the

Waveney Valley Brass Ensemble play and remind me of the many happy hours of listening to Byron playing the tuba in a brass band in Essex.”

After three decades of love and hard work, this beautiful garden is now home to many interesting plants as well as two glass houses, a conservatory and three ponds.

“I know that Byron would love the oasis of calm that I have created with all the attendant wildlife, a place of privacy and calm,” she adds.

l Open garden on Saturday 10th May, 10am-5pm, at The Laburnums, St James South Elmham, Halesworth, IP19 OHM –follow local red signs saying, ‘Jane’s Garden.’ Tickets, in aid of Suffolk Heavy Horse Society, cost £4 for adults, 50p for children. Plant stall and refreshments available plus Waveney Brass Band will be playing.

Clianthus punicens Rubra

LATE SPRING WITH CAROLINE FOOKS

May and June are two of my favourite months. This is the perfect time of year to refresh a room and accentuate the natural light streaming in through the windows. The Pantone Colour of the Year 2025 is Mocha Mousse, a warm, soft shade, which can be used for furniture, curtains or rugs to create an attractive accent colour. Pops of bright colour also really lift a space. This year, trends are around bright yellow, warm white, terracotta and burgundy. I always work with my clients to make sure the colours they live with are the ones they love.

“I like to colour drench a room with a beautiful paint shade” “

my Cedarwood, Lime and Orange Blossom room spray is long lasting and delightful for visitors and owners alike.

At this time of year, we put our winter clothes away and turn to the lighter summer wardrobe. We live differently, and our rooms need to reflect that. With bifold doors, windows and French doors flung open, light illuminates every corner and I like to colour drench a room with a beautiful paint shade, then dress the furniture with throws and cushions to give

vibrant pops of colour.

Highly scented stocks, sweet peas and early roses are in season and their evocative fragrance and bright colours add beauty to a room, especially when placed in a nice vase. I always love to have a glass vase filled with roses on my bedroom dressing table. I make my own range of room fragrance sprays, hand washes and hand lotions which are very popular with my clients. A spritz of

I love working with local companies. Gainsborough Silk Weaving in Sudbury produces beautiful, luxurious fabric which makes eye-catching cushion covers, curtains and pelmets. This alluring material looks particularly striking in the warm May and June sunlight.

Give your coffee table a springtime refresh with new books and magazines, sparkling glass or crystal and even a dish full of delicious nuts to nibble at, or a tray of champagne glasses.”

l Caroline Fooks Design, The Barn, Dock Lane, Melton, IP12 1PE and Sullivan Enterprise Centre, Sulivan Road, Fulham, London, SW6 3DJ. By appointment. Call, 07710 037591. Landline, 01394 303826. Visit, carolinefooksdesign.com

FINE LADIES AND GENTLE MEN

This summer, Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury will display brand new works by artist and printmaker Katherine Jones, RA in her first solo museum show.

Fine Ladies and Gentle Men features a varied selection of prints and small panel paintings, including new prints which respond to one of Britain’s most innovative painters, Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788).

The works inhibit a particular floral focus as she depicts plants and flowers, including the incredible 400-year-old black mulberry tree situated in the gardens of Gainsborough’s House.

Our fabulous front cover image of this issue features Katherine’s magnificent Dust To Pigment piece, depicting flowers from Chelsea Physic Garden through a painterly inking process.

This exhibition follows her recent election to the Royal Academy, one of the youngest ever artists to be selected in modern times, acknowledging her innovative approach to printmaking.

Brixton-based Katherine’s prints are included in major international collections, from UK institutions such as the V&A and Ashmolean Museum, to Yale University in the US and the Guangdong Museum in China.

Katherine says, “I look forward to working in the house and garden during the exhibition as well as in the GH print studio alongside fellow artists and visitors to the space.”

l Katherine Jones RA: Fine Ladies and Gentle Men runs from 3rd May – 19th October at Gainsborough’s House, 46 Gainsborough Street, Sudbury, CO10 2EU. Visit, gainsborough.org

THE SINGH TWINS Award-winning contemporary British artists, The Singh Twins, are exhibiting at Snape Maltings for the first time.

Curated by Devi Singh, the Singh Twins: An Exhibition of Selected Collector Edition Prints and two Original Light Box Artworks, featuring their Slaves of Fashion series, will be on display from 10th May to 20th July.

Inspired by their own identity and experience as British Asians, they are especially interested in dialogues around empire, colonialism and the legacies of colonialism. In 2011 they each received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II for ‘services to the Indian miniature tradition of contemporary art.’

l Find them online at, singhtwins.co.uk Instagram and Facebook. Visit, brittenpearsarts.org

AS ONE CHAPTER CLOSES ... Gavin and Stacey star Larry Lamb has been announced as the first headline speaker at Ipswich Book Festival

Aimed at celebrating the town’s rich literary and cultural heritage, while fostering a love of storytelling, this fabulous new festival promises more exciting speaker announcements soon.

Larry, who appeared as Mick Shipman in the hit Essex/Barry comedy, will be speaking with some authority having spent his time away from TV to write his first novel, All Wrapped Up.

Founded by local business owners Tony Felgate, Cathy Frost, Andrew Marsh and Emma Lightfoot (pictured above), the Ipswich Book Festival which takes place 3rd - 5th October, will bring literature to life across multiple venues in the town.

It promises a diverse programme of speakers, workshops, panel discussions and community-driven storytelling throughout the weekend and beyond.

Emma Lightfoot says, “Books can help us change perspective, transport us to new worlds and ignite the imagination.”

l Tickets are expected to go on sale in July. Visit, ipswichbookfestival.co.uk

© Josephine Dixon
© Christopher Doyle

AND BREATHE ...

A round-up of all your local health and wellbeing news in Suffolk ...

DO LOOK UP!

Walking is a well-known antidote to the stresses and strains of everyday life so why not take a tour of Ipswich’s colourful history into the bargain?

You’ll be surprised by the long history, culture and variety of beautiful buiIdings on offer. Guided walks take place every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon through the summer months from the heart of Ipswich to Christchurch Park and along the waterfront. The walks are led by trained, enthusiastic and knowledgeable local guides.

Ipswich Tourist Guides will walk you through the Ipswich Charter granted by King John in 1200 or the beautifully embroidered Charter Hangings created 25 years ago to celebrate its 800th anniversary. You will learn about the town’s famous cartoonist Carl Giles and great authors, as well as local industries past and present and many wonderful buildings. This year, they celebrate the 50th birthday of Lord Foster’s iconic Willis building. Advance booking is welcome but not essential. Walks start at 2pm from Admiral’s House in Tower Street. Groups and coach catered for by arrangement. l Email enquires to, ipswichtouristsguides@gmail.com To book, visit Ipswichinstitute.org.uk

SOUNDS GOOD...

Vida Haus in Petistree has a restorative programme of sound therapy to soothe and relax this summer. Owner Bilyana Dawson says sound is instrumental when it comes to healing and transformation. “Alchemy crystal bowls emit pure, high-frequency tones that can balance energy centres and promote deep cellular healing,” she says. “Shamanic drumming grounds the body, induces trance-like states and reconnects us with ancestral rhythms and the heartbeat of the earth. Mantras, through sacred repetition, help to focus the mind and elevate consciousness, creating inner harmony.”

Vida Haus also welcomes Lisa Pauley (pictured) as guest teacher, sharing her unique AromaSounds sessions which blend sound and scent to “awaken the senses and harmonise the soul.”

The sessions are held on Friday evening and a workshop on Saturday afternoon. The next dates are 9th and 10th May and also 21st June.

In July, Vida Haus welcomes a very special guest Senior Jivamukti and Ashtanga teacher, Tina Pashumati, all the way from Canada, bringing her powerful medicine and deep wisdom to the circle. Her session dedicated to sound, Mantra & Magic, starts at 6.30pm on 12th July.

Bilyana adds, “Come as you are, bring an open heart and be part of this growing community of sound, spirit, and transformation.”

l Visit, vida.haus

ANNOUNCING MBST IN WOODBRIDGE: EASE JOINT PAIN, RESTORE MOBILITY

MBST is a new and exciting technology that is helping people heal from a range of musculoskeletal problems.

If you have a worn joint, with loss of cartilage, or bony pain from an osteoarthritic joint, or a tendon that just won’t heal, it is easy to feel at a loss. One may give up, feel dependant on painkillers or resign oneself to surgery. There is now another option you need to consider; MBST®.

At Albany Health, experienced Osteopath Ned Wombwell is proud to introduce this new and exciting technology that is helping people heal from a range of musculoskeletal problems.

Originally developed from MRI technology, MBST is scientifically-backed, German engineered, non-invasive method. It is without

the unwanted negative side-effects that deter people from getting help. It involves simply relaxing on a couch for an hour while the Magnetic Resonance Therapy targets the impaired cells associated with injury. The process is repeated over 7-9 days depending, and has lasting effects for months after. It uses electromagnetic fields to support your body’s natural healing process, increasing the regeneration process.

In a recent patient survey, 90% of people reported high satisfaction with their result six months after treatment.

MBST® has been trusted across Europe for over 20 years, and is now available at Albany Health, Melton Rd., Woodbridge.

“I no longer have back pain, and I get out of bed excited to face the day instead of fearing it... I’m able to stand and bake with my granddaughters and go out for walks, which just wasn’t possible before.... I can never be grateful enough to MBST”

Fran Mungovin, 75, Spinal Arthrosis patient.

l Contact 01394 382866 or email wosteopathy@gmail.com to find out MBST is right for you.

l Visit, www.wosteopathy.com to find a range of natural health and wellness services offered at the Albany Health Clinic.

FESTIVAL BEST!

Charity Crewe shines a spotlight on the top festivals happening in and around Suffolk this summer ...

THE BLACK SHUCK FESTIVAL

VARIOUS VENUES AROUND BUNGAY, INCLUDING FISHER THEATRE, ST. MARY’S CHURCH AND THE THREE TUNS

FRIDAY 2ND - SUNDAY 4TH AUGUST

The Black Shuck Festival was inspired by the legend of a murderous dog that terrorised Bungay’s parishioners on 4 August 1577. The festival of theatre, music, art and literature was launched in 2022 to reclaim the Black Shuck for Bungay, and is bigger than ever this year. The central event is composer Roger Eno’s Strange & Terrible Wunder, which puts music to James Mayhew’s poem. There will also be ghost tours of the town, talks by experts on all things mythological, Daisy Black’s Feral Circus and a colourful parade through the town.

l For details go to, blackshuckfestival.com; to take part in the festival as a performer or volunteer, email: info@blackshuckfestival.com

FELIXSTOWE BOOK FESTIVAL

HARVEST HOUSE AND FELIXSTOWE LIBRARY

WEDNESDAY 25TH- SUNDAY 29TH JUNE

The Felixstowe Book Festival returns for its 13th year with an impressive line-up of speakers. The writer, broadcaster, vicar and ex-member of The Communards, Rev Richard Coles will discuss his thriller, while The Infinite Monkey Cage presenter, Robin Ince (pictured), returns to talk about his book, Normally WeirdandWeirdlyNormal:MyAdventuresinNeurodiversity

Other speakers include Tracy Chevalier, Esther Freud, Lucy Hughes-Hallett and Sir Terry Waite. Founder Meg Reid says tickets are selling fast, “Two of the events sold out within the first week! However, there are plenty of best-selling authors, local ones and writing workshops to attend.”  l Tickets cost from £10 to £15. Details, felixstowebookfestival.co.uk.

MAVERICK FESTIVAL

EASTON FARM PARK, EASTON FRIDAY 4TH SUNDAY 6TH JULY

Maverick Festival, the UK’s first Americana music festival, is back at Easton Farm Park, bringing a mix of bluegrass, country, rock and zydeco to the fields of Suffolk. This year’s headliners include Missouri native, Todd Day Wait, Californian Honky Tonk queen, Sara Petite and Glitterfox, the indie rock Portland four-piece. Artists closer to home include Prinz Grizzley, with his Austrian alpine Americana, alt-Country Swedish sister trio, Baskery (pictured), Brixton-born Errol Linton and singer-songwriter, Holly Carter, one of the UK’s foremost female pedal steel players.

l Weekend adult ticket £165; Saturday day, £65; Sunday day, £30; weekend with or without camping for 16–18-year-olds £50; 10-15 yrs, £30; Under 10s free. Details, maverickfestival.co.uk

LEISTON BOOK FESTIVAL

LEISTON FILM THEATRE, HIGH STREET, LEISTON

SATURDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER

The Leiston Book Festival returns for a second year and sees six renowned nature writers explore our changing environment. The speakers include Partrick Barkham (pictured), The Guardian’s natural history writer and author of The Swimmer:The Wild Life of RogerDeaken , and Melissa Harrison, novelist and nature writer, who will be talking about her new book Homecoming, a wonderfully accessible nature journal.

l Tickets cost £30 and include full day access to all talks. Booking, leistonbookfestival.co.uk

RED ROOSTER

EUSTON HALL, NEAR THETFORD FOREST

THURSDAY 29TH – SATURDAY 31ST MAY

Set in the majestic grounds of Euston Hall, the seat of the Duke of Grafton, this Americana festival manages to be both rock ‘n’ roll and family friendly. On stage will be some of the best country, blues, rock & roll and Americana acts from both sides of the Atlantic – many of which have been sourced by the duke himself. Headliners include JD McPherson, Samantha Fish, Jerron Paxton and Twinnie, from York via Nashville, who is not to be missed! l Weekend tickets cost £149.50, teens, £50. Ages 12 and under are free. Details, redrooster.org.uk

© Trent BurtonThe Cosmic Shambles Network
© @ChiaraObscura
© Marcus Garrett

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