In Touch News with Manningtree February 2019

In Touch

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with Brantham, Lawford Manningtree & Mistley Volume 9 • Issue No. 4 • February 2019

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR My husband believes there are two kinds of people; those who see the positives in almost everything, and those who always see the negatives.

If opposites attract, we must be the perfect couple, so when Daniel played this song by Kacey Musgraves I’m pretty sure he was making a point.

It’s called Miserable.

Your heart’s as heavy as the stones you throw Can’t see the flowers for the weeds you grow You blow your bubbles just to watch ‘em burst For you it’s always bad to worse And you can’t win unless you lose You try to tell me you want happiness But you ain’t happy unless You’re miserable Your neighbor’s dirty laundry’s cleaner And the wolf at your door’s always meaner The sky’s still grey when the sun’s around But you can’t set sail if your anchor’s down And you can’t win unless you lose You try to tell me you want happiness But you ain’t happy unless You’re miserable I’m miserable Can’t liven up for the both of us We have enough for the whole of us If misery loves company Then I can’t keep you company no more He got me good! I don’t think I’m this miserable, but when life is going well, I live in dread of what’s bound to come, and it’s bound to be bad! I think it’s an inherited trait, but it’s not one I want to pass on. Is it possible to change?

I sure hope so because my New Year’s resolution is to prove Daniel wrong!

InTouch

with Brantham, Lawford, Manningtree & Mistley

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Disclaimer: The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every effort is taken to ensure that the contents of this magazine are accurate but the publisher cannot assume any responsibility for errors or omissions. While reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements or editorial, the publisher/editor will not accept responsibility for any unsatisfactory transactions and also reserves the right to refuse to include advertising or editorial. They will, however immediately investigate any written complaints. © Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, either wholly or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. © In Touch with Brantham, Lawford, Manningtree, & Mistley is published by Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd as part of the “In Touch with. . . ” series of magazines.

We also publish In Touch with...

•B eyton, Drinkstone, Elmswell, Haughley, Hessett, Norton, Tostock, Wetherden & Woolpit •B ramford, Offton, Somersham & Willisham •C apel St Mary •B arham, Claydon, Henley & Whitton •B elstead, Bentley, Copdock, Tattingstone & Washbrook •D edham, East Bergholt, Flatford & Stratford St Mary •B aylham, Gt & Lt Blakenham & Nettlestead • I pswich East •K esgrave & Rushmere St Andrew •M artlesham Heath & Old Martlesham •N eedham Market & The Creetings •C helmondiston, Erwarton, Harkstead, Holbrook, Pin Mill, Shotley, Stutton & Woolverstone •B urstall & Sproughton •S towmarket & Stowupland • Ashbocking, Tuddenham St Martin, Westerfield & Witnesham •C hattisham, Hadleigh, Hintlesham, Holton St Mary, Layham & Raydon •M elton & Woodbridge

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March DEADLINE

10 February 2019

is the final date for both advertising and editorial copy

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NEWS PLANS FOR AN ALL-WEATHER FOOTBALL PITCH IN LAWFORD Every year as winter starts, Lawford teams disperse to various locations in the surrounding area in order to train on all weather pitches. Many teams that train on Saturday morning play at East Bergholt, while others use the facilities at the university or at Colchester United. Some teams choose to train inside at Manningtree Sports Centre. All of this comes at a cost, not only in terms of hiring space but also as parents and carers juggle logistics.

Imagine for a moment if all winter training – for senior, youth and junior teams – could happen at a single location. With fantastic pitches and a great clubhouse we already have some first class facilities at School Lane. Imagine if these were complemented by an on-site all-weather playing surface.

For a number of years, the tennis courts at School Lane have been derelict. Occasionally, someone will venture into the courts to retrieve a football that’s gone over the fence, but otherwise the space is something of a no-go area.

Working with the parish council, the club has started to explore the potential to replace the tennis courts with an all-weather football pitch, for use by both the club and the local community.

The initial technical advice is that the existing base is largely sound and that a 3G surface could be constructed on top of this. While this would clearly be positive from an environmental perspective, the financial cost to establish an all-weather football facility will be substantial. The club has established a working group to lead this project, but to realise the potential of the School Lane site will require support from across the whole club and the local community.

While the club is in a solid financial position, raising the funds to develop all-weather facilities at School Lane will be a substantial undertaking and will require some major fundraising over the months ahead. Do you or do you know of someone who might be interested in being the lead ‘named’ sponsor for the new facility? Do you work for a private company that has community funding capacity or have other suggestions for fundraising? If you can help, please contact Corrina Dolso, the club’s fundraising officer: corrina.dolso@btopenworld.com

RIGBY AND BERRY CHARITY GRANTS Small grants are available to children and young persons in the Mistley area for educational and self-development purposes.

Small grants will normally be up to a maximum of £150 and will have to be approved by the trustees of the Rigby and Berry Charity.

For further details, please contact Susan Clements, the clerk to the trustees by February 4: 01473 827791 / mistleyparishclerk@gmail.com

WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER This year’s service, created by the women of Slovenia, will be held at 10.30am on Friday, March 1 at the Church of St Mary & St Michael, New Road, Mistley, led by the ladies of the Roman Catholic congregation who meet there. All are welcome, both ladies and gentlemen!

DEMENTIA Together Call Free 08081 688 000 3

NEWS ALLOTMENT VACANCIES IN TRINITY ROAD, MISTLEY Open to residents of Manningtree, Mistley and Lawford only.

If you are interested in getting more fresh air, improving your lifestyle, socialising with like-minded people, enjoying home grown produce and burning off at least 150 calories in 30 minutes, then taking on an allotment is just for you!

Yes, renting an allotment really does provide you with all those benefits.

Remember the TV programme The Good Life and all the fun (and traumas) that Tom and Barbara had. Well you can recreate that right here in Mistley.

So, if you are interested in taking on an allotment, there are a number of vacancies in Trinity Road. The cost is £23 per year for a full plot and £11.50 for half a plot.

There will be an opportunity to come and have a look around the plots, speak to current tenants and also to find out what it’s really like to be in charge of an allotment.

Still interested? Then please contact Steve Vickers on 07740 283377 for a chat.

MANNINGTREE TOWN COUNCIL The minutes of Manningtree Town Council meetings are available on their website, on the two town noticeboards (one at the Co-op Fiveways store and one beside the library) and at the clerk's office by appointment: 01206 390285 www.manningtreetowncouncil.org.uk

SHINE A LIGHT CAROLS AT CHRISTMAS A huge thank you to all our local friends, neighbours and businesses who made the Shine a Light Carols at Christmas event on December 22 such a success. We raised around £750 for SHINE, a chairty which supports people (such as our daughter) living with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. That is an amazing amount in one night, and we’re eternally grateful.

Particular mention goes to the following people for their support: Geoff at the Bradfield Post Office and Shop Tanya at The Bakehouse, Manningtree Bradfield Primary School Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church Choir Members Nick (supplier and deliverer of hay bales) Maureen at Bradfield Methodist Church Keiron at the Venture Centre Lawford We couldn’t have done it without you! See you all for more Christmas fun later this year.

Love from the Lord family at Pond Cottage

LAWFORD SURGERY Currently accepting new patients from Brantham and East Bergholt; please pick up a registration form from reception.

Our Practice We strive to the highest quality in medical care. We have a diabetic nurse specialist and doctors with a special interest in heart disease and diabetes.

We also offer heart tracing (ECGs) blood tests and warfarin monitoring and we offer minor surgery.

Credit Union from 10am-noon

Doctor’s Appointments Two thirds of our doctor’s appointments can be booked in advance and one third can be booked on the day if a more urgent appointment is necessary.

Every day we offer an evening surgery and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays we offer late appointments with the last appointment at 7pm.

Fridays@TheHub are always open. Even over the Christmas holidays we didn’t miss a single session. On those quieter Fridays we particularly enjoyed meeting a newcomer to the area and others who can only come when not at work.

Appointments can be booked by ringing the surgery on 01206 392617 or you can speak to reception to organise patient access which allows you to book appointments online. Please note that this is only for patients aged over 17 years.

We want to encourage visitors of all ages for companionship or a quiet talk in confidence; and for the very young, we have some toys available.

If for any reason you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know as soon as possible so that another patient is able to take the slot.

The Credit Union offers a simple banking service for local people; just come in to find out more.

Nurse’s Appointments Nurse’s appointments are for 15 minutes and we have a nurse in surgery Monday to Friday from approximately 9am until 6pm.

THE HUB IN THE LANE All-age drop-in every Friday morning from 10am-12.30pm

Lawford Parish Council You can read council minutes on the parish council noticeboards and at: www.essexinfo.net/lawford-parish-council Minutes can be collected from the parish office by prior arrangement as the offices are not open to the public.

LAWFORD LIFE Due to unforeseen circumstances Lawford Parish Council has had to change the date and venue for the Lawford Life event.

It will now take place on Thursday, March 14 at the Ogilvie Hall.

Formal meeting at 6.30pm, stalls from 7pm.

Find out about clubs, crafts and small businesses in the village of Lawford.

It’s a chance to meet your parish council and find out what they have been doing during the 2018/19 financial year.

For more information and an application form, contact the parish clerk: 01206 395898 / lawfordpc@btconnect.com

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Staff Chris Tuck, our health care assistant, retired last month and will be greatly missed by all staff and patients alike. We welcome our new HCA, Louise, who has clinics Monday to Friday mornings inclusive. We also welcome Katie, our new practice nurse, who has clinics on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays alongside Nurse Gina.

Dispensary We have a dispensary which dispenses for patients who live over a mile away from a pharmacy. If not applicable to this category, prescriptions can be sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. In the dispensary we have a pharmacy technician who runs medication usage clinics, so if you have any queries regarding your medication an appointment can be made to discuss.

Fundraising Over Christmas, Lawford Surgery participated in Elf Day to help raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society, a foundation close to most people’s hearts. Thanks to generous donations from our patients we raised a total of £61.

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NEWS REPORT TO PARISHES, ALTON WARD: FEBRUARY 2019 BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCILLOR ALASTAIR MCCRAW STOCKTAKING 2018 It’s time to have a look back at 2018. There’s been more change at Babergh than might be obvious. We started 2018 facing ‘Options for Change’ as a planned merger with Mid Suffolk was presented to us. Without going into detail, it’s fair to say that opinion was split, particularly on having a local poll to make the decision. The opposition rallied, with support from other members. The result was that the leader resigned and the new leader committed to no further moves in this direction until 2019.

I fully expect this to be revived in the run-up to the May elections. Expect presentation in election leaflets as a ‘manifesto’ commitment. My own opinion of manifestos is not high. In local government you’re electing councillors, people capable of doing the work, and not just parties to form a quasi-government. There may be merits of such a merger. There are synergies, financial considerations, and we already work together though as separate sovereign councils. There are also differences and the actual effect would be (how can I put this nicely?) to reduce the variety of thought and representation in Babergh. I personally value that variety and I hope that you do too. You were asked in 2011 if you wanted to merge. You should be directly asked again in the same way.

Other associated changes came about through the leadership change.

The tone of the council has changed a little. After three years, we know each other better with more of a sense of cooperation. The opposition were brought into the Cabinet with the appointment of another Independent, Derek Davis to the organisational delivery role. That deals with our direct services to the public, computer systems and improving performance across the board. Out of this Derek has launched the popup services at Shotley and Hadleigh and there will be more to follow. A more constructive dialogue within the council is a further bonus.

I was genuinely surprised to be voted in as chairman of the overview and scrutiny committee. We’ve always felt that this is a role best suited for an opposition member. In our Cabinet model this is a crucial bridge between the power of the Cabinet and the responsibilities of the members. We report and recommend to both Cabinet and council, work with the officers and staff and act as a ‘critical friend’ to all. Our brief is wide.

A third of our constitution relates to overview and scrutiny activity. By

examining decisions and areas of concern before, during and after they are discussed elsewhere, we have aimed to amend, to improve and to inform. My annual scrutiny report to the council in March will contain more detail, but there have been some very successful projects in voids (vacant council properties), investments and in just making Babergh work better.

PLANNING One principle change in the year was regaining our ability to demonstrate a five-year land supply. After some pushing from scrutiny, we got out of the trap where we were limited in resisting some very speculative planning applications (Mid Suffolk still lacks this!). In Babergh, we’re now able to apply our own local policies with their full weight. Our emerging Joint Local Plan will probably progress after May, so that the newly elected councils can be fully involved. Locally, the largest focus in Alton right now is on Brantham. The 288-house application in the Regeneration Area/Green Field will be submitted shortly. There has been a recent flurry of applications in the Brantham Church Lane area.

One of these, Brantham Place, is a major application to be heard by the planning committee. Documents and public responses are still coming in.

I understand these will be accepted until the end of January. Another, on the corner of Ipswich Road and Gravel Pit Lane is a partnership between Babergh and Iceni Homes to provide affordable housing only. That too will go to committee. On any of these and all others, I’m always happy to discuss the situation and provide any information I can. Just ask, phone or email me.

The blue Claud Butler has been whimpering about neglect recently, so I’ll be out and about as the days lengthen. I do like to be able to keep you in touch as much as possible, so you could consider joining the Facebook group. It has the huge advantage of being immediate. With the Ward change for the May election, I’ll have to rename it shortly. Meanwhile, I wish you a belated happy New Year.

Alastair McCraw 07812 564188 / alastair.mccraw@babergh.gov.uk Facebook: Alton, Alastair McCraw & Harriet Steer (a joint open group)

BRANTHAM PARISH COUNCIL The next meeting of Brantham Parish Council will take place on March 6.

Come along to find out what your parish council is up to and to raise any questions/concerns.

Because of the kind generosity of those in our community who helped to fill the Co-op container and the schools, churches, groups and individuals who made donations, Manningtree and District Foodbank were able to help individuals and families who were going through a tough time throughout 2018. We were also able to deliver Christmas filled bags to around 100 families in Manningtree, Mistley, Lawford and surrounding areas We would like to give a huge thank you to you all as even the smallest of gestures can make a huge difference and put a smile on someone’s face. May your year be a safe, healthy and happy one that brings many smiley moments!

Find out more about Brantham Parish Council at: www.brantham.onesuffolk.net The site includes copies of recent parish council meeting minutes, details of upcoming events and other items of local interest.

The parish council meets on the first Wednesday of every month (except August) in Brantham Village Hall at 7.30pm. The public are welcome to attend.

You can contact Brantham Parish Clerk at: 07702 490212 / clerk@branthamparishcouncil.co.uk You can also follow Brantham Parish Council on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BranthamParishCouncil Parish Clerk Surgeries Brantham Parish Clerk holds monthly surgery sessions at Bake and Blossoms café so that parishioners and others can meet her, ask questions, raise concerns or even just have a chat and a cake. This is the perfect opportunity for you to get to know your parish clerk and chat through all those local issues that have been bothering you! The next surgeries are on Tuesdays, February 12 and March 5, 11am-12.30pm.

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NEWS / OUT & ABOUT CONSTABLE COUNTRY MEDICAL PRACTICE

DEATH CAFÉ

Missed Appointments The high number of missed GP and nurse appointments nationally has recently been highlighted by the press. Unfortunately, our practice also suffers from this problem. Through December 2018 the number of missed appointments and the time wasted was as follows:

The next peninsula Death Café will be on Sunday, March 3 in The Compasses, Main Road, Holbrook. We meet for an hour and a half from 10.30am. We are very grateful to The Compasses for allowing us to use their lounge where we are made very welcome with tea, coffee, fresh scones and muffins.

Doctors: 12 missed appointments, 2.5 hours wasted Nurse Practitioners: 3 missed appointments, 40 minutes wasted Practice Nurses: 24 missed appointments, 6.5 hours wasted Health Care Assistants: 7 missed appointments, 1 hour wasted Phlebotomists: 10 missed appointments, 75 minutes wasted When an appointment is booked, patients receive a text message confirmation, so please ensure we have an up-to-date mobile number recorded for you. Patients will also generally receive a reminder text message the day before their appointment, though not in every case.

If you cannot make an appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so it can be made available to other patients. There is nothing more frustrating than our clinicians preparing for a patient consultation or procedure only for them not to turn up. If you are going to be late then let us know and we will try to accommodate you, though it may not be possible if it will result in other patients being delayed.

Community Connector Bus If you sometimes you wake up and think ‘more of the same’ and wish for something different and interesting to happen in your life, or if one of life’s many challenges has been thrown at you recently and you don’t know where to turn for advice, or if you need to take greater care of your health and wellbeing or be more active physically or socially, or if you find yourself alone because of bereavement or other circumstances… then the Community Connector scheme could be for you!

The Community Connector Bus will be visiting the practice at East Bergholt between 10am and 2pm on Wednesday, February 6, Tuesday, March 5 and Wednesday, March 27.

The scheme will connect you to others for support and advice on matters such as debt, benefits, housing, health and fitness, walking, cycling, dance, volunteering, social activities, clubs, arts and much more. This initiative is supported by Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Family Carers. No appointment is necessary, just turn up!

National GP Patient Survey Questionnaires You may receive a survey from Ipsos MORI over the next couple of months requesting feedback on the how the practice has performed. If you receive one, please complete and return it. Feedback is really important to us. We have been working hard over the last couple of years to improve the service we offer and patient feedback is vital in understanding the progress we have made and which areas we need to focus on.

Training Days A reminder that the practice will be closed from 1pm on the following dates for staff training: Wednesday, February 13 and Thursday, March 14. On these afternoons the Capel St Mary building will be open to enable access to the pharmacy but the practice reception will be closed. East Bergholt reception will be open. Please note that there will be no clinicians at either building after 1pm as they will be attending training off-site. If you phone the practice the recorded message will ask you to ring 111 for medical assistance if your problem cannot wait until the next day.

Practice Manager Pete Keeble

BUMPER BOOK SALE AT MANNINGTREE METHODIST CHURCH Saturday, March 23, 10am-3pm / Free admission Refreshments to include bacon butties and homemade cakes

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For more information about the Death Cafe please contact Jane Gould: 01473 780777 / jane.gould@btinternet.com

ACORN VILLAGE CHALLENGE Take on the WitchFinder 5k or 10k Challenge on April 14 and raise vital funds to help adults with learning disabilities. Everyone is welcome to join in this charity run/walk which is heavily supported by wonderful volunteers of Acorn Village.

Visit some of the historic sites that Manningtree and Mistley have to offer as well as enjoying the beautiful scenery as you walk or run. Who knows who you may bump in to on the way!

All finishers will receive a medal with trophies for first male and first female runner as well as a special medal for the first four-legged friend.

Don’t forget you can also now set up a fundraising page or download a sponsorship form for everyone, including your furry family friend, and raise over £50 and get a free t-shirt: https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/acornvillagesltd To sign up go to www.witchfindertrail.uk or find it on the Acorn Village Facebook page. Thank you for your incredible support.

ST MICHAEL’S MONTHLY MARKET The next market at St Michael’s, The Church on the Park, Woolverstone is on Saturday, February 9, 9am-12.30pm.

Pick up a Valentine’s present for that special person and visit all your favourite market stalls selling fruit, vegetables, cakes, bread, meat and an interesting range of handcrafted items.

East End Butchers are pleased to be the market’s resident meat supplier.

If you would like to place on order with them it can be collected at the market each month. Their number for orders is 01206 392190.

Come along to mingle with your friends, have a cup of coffee and a bacon buttie and enjoy the lovely venue.

New stalls welcome. Contact Jane Gould: 01473 780777

MURDER MYSTERY THE CASE OF THE NAKED GARDENER An entertaining murder mystery is brought to the Venture Centre, Bromley Road, Lawford CO11 2JE by The Rotary Club of Manningtree Stour Valley Radio Broadcasting. This is the team that, a few years ago, brought you 50 Shades of Grain (a cereal killing). You can be assured of laughs and mystery.

The event takes place at 7.30pm on Saturday, March 9 and costs £18 which includes a fish and chip supper. A cash bar is available (own drinks prohibited). Tickets can be obtained from David Willis at rotarydemon@sky.com or Sue Clark at petersueclark@btinternet.com.

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OUT & ABOUT A NEW WAY OF LOOKING ROUND HARKSTEAD CHURCH If you visit St Mary’s Church, Harkstead, you will now find a new sort of church guide on the table just inside the door, the Arts Society Children’s Trail.

Part of a national initiative by the Arts Society, Harkstead’s trail is an illustrated sheet of 13 questions for children about the interior of the church which guides them round the building looking at the architecture, history and furnishings. Accompanying adults use a corresponding answer sheet to share with the children.

At the launch, parents and grandparents brought children along to try out the trail. They spent some time going round the church carefully examining fixtures such as the font, the pulpit and the altar, studying the graffiti in the church porch, or trying to decide what a fragment of a medieval wall painting represented.

The trail was devised by Ipswich based Orwell Decorative and Fine Arts Society (ODFAS), with the help of the Rev Canon Liesbeth Oosterhof and members and friends of the church.

Typically these trails are aimed at children aged between eight and twelve to encourage them to explore churches, but they can be enjoyed by all ages.

The Harkstead trail will now be added to the Arts Society national register, which includes a number of other churches in Suffolk.

FUNDRAISING QUIZ NIGHT Saturday, March 30, 7.30pm Brantham Village Hall, New Village, Brantham CO11 1RL Tickets £10 per person to include a licensed bar and a fish and chip supper.

Max six per team. No team, no problem. We’ll find one for you.

For tickets contact Sarah Keys: 07702 490212 / clerk@branthamparishcouncil.co.uk

YO HO! HEAVE TO MY HEARTIES Get your tickets for BATS Pantomime 2019 Off to Treasure Island by Lisa Butler will be presented at Brantham Village Hall from February 20-23 at 7.30pm, with a matinee at 2.30pm on Saturday 23.

This swashbuckling tale of two opposing crews is an original script especially written for BATS, which suits their long-established traditional style.

A mixed age cast of idle deckhands, glamorous principal boys and girls and two beautiful Dames, with singing, dancing, live music and typical jokes.

Come along and have some fun at half-term with all the family. Tickets (adults £9, children £6) are available from Bakes & Blossoms, Acacia Court, Brantham, and online at: www.ticketsource.co.uk

To find out more about Children’s Trails, email: info@orwelldfas.org.uk

EAST BERGHOLT HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION INDOOR CAR BOOT SALE East Bergholt High School Sunday, February 24, 10am-noon Admission 50p / Refreshments Available Free Car Park Tables £5 in advance, £7.50 on the day Doors open 9am to set up ( 07776 291445

BRANTHAM BOX OFFICE

Film Night Wednesdays at Brantham Village Hall Doors open at 7, film starts at 7.30pm Wednesday, March 29 - CRAZY RICH ASIANS (12A) This contemporary romantic comedy, based on a global bestseller, follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family.

Wednesday, April 17 - LADY BIRD (15) An American coming-of-age story about a high-school senior and her turbulent relationship with her mother.

Wednesday, May 15 - THE CHILDREN ACT (12) As her marriage crumbles, a judge must decide a case involving a teenage boy who is refusing a blood transfusion on religious principle.

Starring Emma Thompson.

Tickets cost £5 in advance from Bakes and Blossoms café, £5.50 on the door, £3 for under-16s Refreshments available on the night Facebook.com/BranthamBoxOffice

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Here we see Brantham Amateur Theatrical Society’s Sister Act cast celebrating with their trophy for ‘Best Musical’ awarded by North Essex Theatre Guild in 2018. This was produced by Tina Burns, directed by Pippa Revell and the musical director was John Hoskyns.

MANNINGTREE LIBRARY Free IT Support & Computer Coaching • General hints and tips on using computers, iPads, tablets, mobile phones and laptops • Need help accessing online services, online banking, setting up an email account, creating a CV and much more?

• Family History; research your family history with free access to Ancestry and Findmypast Tuesday Mornings from 11am and Thursday afternoons from 2.30pm; booking is essential.

Further information from Manningtree Library or from Essex Libraries at: 0345 603 7628 HALF-TERM ACTIVITY OUT OF THIS WORLD SPACE THEMED CRAFT EVENT Tuesday, February 19, 10.30-11.45am Space themed stories, crafts and trail Suitable for children aged 4-9 years Booking is essential. Contact Essex Libraries on 0345 603 7628 and ask for Manningtree Library to book.

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OUT & ABOUT MANIFEST THEATRE Ladies Day, a comedy by Amanda Whittington Tuesday 19 to Saturday 23 February Work, love and life are just one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. But their fortunes are set to change when they go to Ladies Day at Royal Ascot the year it relocated to York.

Out go the hairnets, overalls and wellies as the four ditch the fish, get dolled up to the nines and head off to the races for a drink, a flirt and a flutter! Will their luck hold and their dreams come true or are they backing losers? Come along for the gallop and find out.

Box Office: www.manifesttheatre.co.uk / 07444 724271

STOUR VALLEY ARTS & MUSIC Embraceable Ella featuring Joanna Eden & Chris Ingham Trio Saturday, February 23, 7.30pm at Constable Hall, East Bergholt CO7 6TP Joanna Eden presents a ‘labour of love’ celebrating the music of her vocal hero Ella Fitzgerald. She is ccompanied by Chris Ingham on piano, Arnie Somogyi on bass and George Double on drums.

Tickets (£15 including light refreshments) are available from 01206 298426, from Grier & Partners, or using CC payment from TicketSource via: www.svam.org.uk

STOUR VALLEY U3A

TEA & SUPPORT IN 2019

On Wednesday, January 9 Sally Dearman presented Woman Can Fly, the story of one women’s journey from jumping out of a landing window, then out of planes, to becoming a civil pilot and the first women through the RAF’s fast-jet flying trains system.

Tea and Support, the friendly, practical support group for those recently bereaved or left living alone, meets on the third Wednesday of each month at Mistley Church Hall, New Road, Mistley (just opposite The Towers) between 2 and 4pm. Transport is available on request.

An Afternoon with Joyce Grenfell by Gillain Grinham is the subject for our meeting on February 13. Gillian is an author, former teacher and a director of plays and musicals. She will perform a series of monologues and songs from Joyce’s repertoire, interspersed with details of her much loved entertainer’s life.

Some months we have a speaker, sometimes just a get-together with a game or entertainment, and we normally have three outings a year in spring, summer and autumn, to a garden centre or somewhere similar for afternoon tea in spring and autumn and to the coast for a fish and chip lunch in aummer At our December meeting we gather with others from the local community for a traditional Christmas Lunch.

Family historians and authors Toni Neobard and Kate Broad will present For Better or For Worse on March 13. This will be a lighthearted look at marriage and relationships through the eyes of Victorians. What happened if they didn’t marry and what if you did but weren’t happy with your choice? It will be a glimpse at bizarre goings-on showing wedded bliss wasn’t always so!

On April 10 the popular speaker Mark Mitchels will talk to us on The Genius of Charles Dickens. Dickens rose to become a great novelist by sheer talent and determination. He worked a self-imposed schedule that never relaxed and in the end he probably brought about his early death. But the novels survive, to be rediscovered by each generation.

What sort of man was he? His genius is astonishing and this talk uses biography and extracts from his books to re-create the man and his achievements.

Each month The Coffee Grinders meet at The Lambe School, Gaston Street, East Bergholt CO7 6SD from 10am to noon. This meeting especially welcomes new members and gives all members the opportunity to meet the activity group leaders and the committee while enjoying a cup of coffee. The next meeting is on Friday, February 22.

Our main purpose is to encourage lifelong learning for those who are no longer in full time employment and emphasis is always placed on making learning active and fun as well as helping in developing friendships. We have a wide range of groups including language study, country walking and computer studies and groups that visit gardens, churches and historic buildings. In the main, membership is drawn from communities in the lower Stour Valley and adjacent areas including Brantham, Capel St Mary, Dedham, East Bergholt, Holbrook, Lawford, Manningtree, Raydon and Stratford St Mary. We are affiliated to the ThirdAge Trust, have over 260 members and 21 groups. For further information please visit www.stourvalleyu3a.org. uk where membership secretary Gillian Gibbs may be contacted.

We meet at Constable Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt CO7 6TP at 2.15pm. Annual membership is £12 which entitles members to attend meetings on the second Wednesday of each month, except in December.

We offer a warm and safe place to spend time with others, to make new friends, or to get some practical support. Understanding that Sunday lunchtime is often difficult, some of our members meet at the Environmental Centre Cafe in New Road for a roast lunch on the first Sunday of each month.

On February 20 we will be looking back to past times and on March 20 we will gather for lunch – both at Mistley Church Hall.

For anyone left alone life can become difficult and often lonely. Please come along and join us at Tea & Support or ring Joy or John Baker on 01206 391918 or Sue Orriss on 01206 395355 for further information. Programmes can be found in St Mary’s & St Michael’s Church, New Road, Mistley, at St Lawrence Church, Bradfield or from Paskell’s of Manningtree.

Tea & Support is run by members of St Mary’s & St Michael’s Church, New Road, Mistley and supported by Paskells of Manningtree.

MANNINGTREE POETRY GROUP The next meeting of Poetry Plus will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday, February 12 at the Red Lion, South Street, Manningtree.

All those interested in poetry are invited to attend either to listen to the spoken word or to read poetry themselves. Some people will be reading their own poetry and some will choose to read the work of other poets. There is no admission charge.

To keep up-to-date please visit: www.poetryplus.org.uk

DEDHAM FOOTPATH GROUP Enjoy walking, meeting new people?

Then why not come along to walks organised by the Dedham Footpath Group?

We walk four to five miles on the first Sunday morning of each month from various locations. On Sunday, February 3 we will meet at 10.30am at Wivenhoe village centre car park, CO7 9AZ for a morning walk.

The group welcomes all walkers and those with well-behaved dogs, kept on leads at all times, are welcome to join us.

For more information email: DedhamFG@gmail.com

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OUT & ABOUT STOUR VALLEY MEN’S PROBUS CLUB John Hammond explained the skill of will writing at our meeting on January 16, a most interesting subject for all those retired!

We hold our New Year Lunch at the popular Haywain in Little Bromley on February 6 when our spouses and Probus widows will join us.

Brian Wilcox will introduce New Ways of Working on February 20 and Brian Wills will present a lecture of particular local interest when he speaks about Constable and his Paintings on March 6. Our Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 20.

Our club endeavours to be simple in structure, free of the constraints and obligations of service clubs and involve members at minimal cost. The club is directed primarily to providing fellowship between members who are compatible with each other and the opportunity for development of acquaintances. New members are welcomed.

We meet on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at St John Ambulance HQ, Manningtree CO11 1EB at 10.30am. For further details please contact speaker secretary Dave Carman: 01255 880202

MANNINGTREE & DISTRICT PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY The subject of our competition on December 6 was Dereliction and Decay which produced some very interesting images, one of which, Natural Reclamation by Harold Mousley, is pictured. Our last get together of 2018 was the annual Christmas social which was enjoyed by a good number of members and their partners. Winning competition images can be viewed on our website.

The next competition is Open Mono and will be held on January 31. Our February meetings are talks on Lightroom and Photoshop with Kenneth Payne on February 14, and Underwater and other Wildlife Photography with Dave Smith on February 28.

Meetings are held twice monthly (on the second and fourth Thursdays) at 7.30pm at the St Johns Ambulance Centre, Station Road, Manningtree CO11 1EB. A number of informal ‘Rookie Club’ evenings are also arranged where members can refresh their skills and share experiences.

EMBROIDERY GUILD, COLCHESTER BRANCH Great news for creative youngsters aged 6-16 The Young Embroiderers (known as YETS) are moving to Colchester and will be meeting at the Friends Meeting House, 6 Church Street, Colchester CO1 1NF. Our meetings are on the third Saturday of each month from 10am12.30pm.

Come and join us and have fun learning about the numerous techniques of textile art and embroidery. You will have opportunity to make beautiful pieces of work which you will always treasure.

All of our volunteer helpers have been DBS checked and get a lot of pleasure in passing on their knowledge, skills and techniques to you, the next generation, who will enliven the future art scene.

For more information about YETS or the Colchester Branch please contact Linda Watts: 01206 392348 / lindawatts1@sky.com We look forward to hearing from you or your parents.

ORWELL DECORATIVE & FINE ARTS SOCIETY Our first next lecture of the new year will be on Wednesday, February 6 when Andrew Spira will deliver what we are sure will be a fascinating talk entitled The Art and Architecture of St Petersburg.

On Wednesday, March 6, Doug Gillen will give a talk entitled Hidden Canvasses: Street Art and the City.

So why not join us and enjoy good company and interesting talks? We meet at Tower Hall, Broadlands Way, Rushmere St Andrew IP4 5SU on the first Wednesday of most months. Talks last about an hour, commencing promptly at 2.15pm, with tea and coffee served from 1.30-2pm. Guests and non-members are welcome provided we have enough space. Exceptionally popular lectures will have a visitor limit of 20 spaces. Please contact Wendy Robbins before the day on 01394 823807 to check if there is available space.

For the latest events and news please visit: www.orwelldfas.org.uk

STOUR VALLEY LADIES PROBUS CLUB Stour Valley Ladies Probus Club meets at The Haywain, Bentley Road, Little Bromley at 10am on the first and third Thursday in each month, except August. The first meeting in the month includes lunch and the second is a coffee morning. At each meeting there is a general interest speaker.

New members are welcome to join us or may attend initially as a visitor. Please contact our secretary for details on 01206 393751 / madps@post.co

The aim of our club is to encourage interest and fellowship among our members, all of whom are retired and have a lively and informed outlook on life.

www.manningtreeanddistrictphotographicsociety.co.uk

New members are welcome and anyone interested in attending a coffee morning should contact our president, Jill Nicholls: 01206 393680

VILLAGE LINK Wednesday, February 13, 10am in Tattingstone Village Hall: Acorn Village – History to Present Day The club aims are to bring communities together and we have over the years attracted members from many villages, men and women of various ages. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month 10am to noon. I would like to welcome back any former members and to see new members from all local villages at our meetings, either as visitors or members in readiness for our 25th celebration.

MANNINGTREE FIT CLUB Open to anyone looking to lead a healthy active lifestyle.

Every Wednesday evening from 7-8pm at Mistley Village Hall.

Contact: Bridie 07403 316735 / Tanya 07920 76245 Follow us on Facebook at: Manningtree Fit Club

Chairman Linda Evans: 01473 311262

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SPORT LAWFORD & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY We are all looking forward to a new year of interesting talks. The first for 2019 takes place on Thursday, February 21 at 7.30pm in the Ogilvie Hall when Chris Honeyman (how appropriate) will be talking about bee keeping. We will be taking subscriptions for the year and hopefully meeting some prospective new members. You are welcome to try before you buy if you are unsure, although buying a raffle ticket always helps. Please contact a committee member if you cannot make this date.

The annual quiz night this year is booked for March 9 so this is an early reminder to get your friends organised into a team of up to eight.

The spring show will be on Saturday, April 6, and I am including here the changes made from last year’s schedule in case you want to get snapping or practising.

CLASS 19 A Case of Small Spring Flowers (own vase) 21 A Nursery Rhyme 22 Spring Farm 23 An Easter Table Arrangement 24 A Miniature Arrangement 38 5 Pieces of Cheese Traybake 39 A Victoria Sandwich 40 A Savoury Quiche 41 5 Apple Flapjacks 60 Springtime x 2 61 All Creatures Great and Small x 2 62 A Black and White Photograph x 1 63 Antiques x 2 Hope to see you there, Liz

MISTLEY CRICKET CLUB Men’s & Ladies Cricket The club is delighted to announce that it has secured the services of Khalipha Cele from Kwazulu Natal as their overseas player coach for 2019. Khalipha will (subject to successful Visa application) arrive at the club in April and will be actively involved in playing for the club and coaching at all levels.

At the AGM the club captains for 2019, Bruce Leeke and Matt Bibby, were appointed.

Saturdays 1st Team: Graeme Butcher 2nd Team: Gareth Stevens 3rd Team: Andrew Butcher The club is very appreciative of the great job that the retiring Danny Goff and Richard Mills have done for the 1st and 3rd Teams respectively.

Sundays NECL: Tim Scott Two Counties: George Hutton Ladies: Candy Cornelius Our winter training starts as follows: Juniors for eight weeks at Manningtree Sports Centre, starting on Friday, February 15, 7.30- 8.30pm.

Seniors start on Wednesday, February 27 at Royal Hospital School, 8-15-9.30pm.

For more information contact us.

December 100 Club Winners 1: Carole Mills (64) £115 2: Hubert Ward (29) £55 3: Paul Lawrence (16) £50 New players are always welcome; for more information please email: mistleycc@btinternet.com

The Saturday First team had a mixed December with two wins and two defeats and at the time of writing these notes are fifth in the senior division of the Suffolk and Ipswich league. A 5-2 defeat against Haughley United with Danny Garrard getting both our goals was followed by a 1-0 win against Trimley Red Devils with Garrard on the score sheet again.

A 2-0 loss against Coplestonians was followed by a 3-1 win at Bramford United thanks to goals from Daniel Alderson, Shaun Webb and a superb free kick in the last minute from Garrard. The club hopes for a top six finish in what is our 21st consecutive year in the senior division. We have always given teenagers from the Reserves a chance in the First team with Harry Golding the latest player to pull on a First team shirt and he looks a good prospect.

No games for our Reserves in December who suffered from a couple of call-offs while our Sunday morning team beat Ipswich Rangers 2-1 thanks to goals from Charlie Reid and Richard Farnham with Adam Rawthorn having an excellent game up front.

Our Over-35 team known as the Veterans drew 2-2 with Achilles with goals from Robin Wain and Glen Crisp with Patrick Tynan playing well in defence and Archie Arnold controlling the mid-field.

Finally, plans for a new clubhouse that were recently put on display have certainly got people talking and it remains to be seen if it goes ahead.

With 19 teams the club has got a lot bigger in recent seasons and villages a lot smaller than Capel St Mary have better facilities than we have. An all-weather five-a-side pitch is part of the plans which would make a nice change from the muddy conditions that we are use to. Watch this space!

Bob the Ploughman

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MANNINGTREE AND DISTRICT IPSWICH TOWN SUPPORTERS BRANCH The branch was founded in 2000 or thereabouts and has seen a successful number of years. But the last seven or eight years have been very difficult with some unattractive football at Portman Road and lots of other external factors leading to a decline of branch membership. There is no doubt that the fortunes of our football club are at the lowest point most of us have experienced.

So now it’s an important time to get behind the club again. The appointment of Paul Lambert has brought renewed hope. It is impossible to listen to him speak without considerable optimism. During the summer, the branch lost Rita (chairman) and Frank MacKenzie in a hands-on day to day sense and left a big void to fill. I have taken over the chairmanship of the branch with a loyal group of branch members. However, we really need to grow the branch if we are to become effective.

The branch meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm at the Cattawade Crown Suffolk. Each year we arrange a social event, such as a river cruise or a meal, an away trip which involves a stopover and a Christmas dinner.

If you are passionate about Ipswich Town and would like to be involved please come along and join us. Let’s hope that the fortunes on the pitch improve dramatically too because there is no doubting the correlation between a successful team which inspires supports to take part and come along.

Calvin Chamberlin chamberlincalvin@gmail.com Facebook: Manningtree Ipswich Town Supporters branch

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SPORT / ON THE GRAPEVINE EAST BERGHOLT UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB LAWFORD CARPET BOWLS CLUB December 2018 was not a good month for the 1st Team. There were some decent performances, but a combination of poor finishing and sloppy goals conceded meant that they went through the month with only three points from one win. However, 2019 started well with a 3-0 home victory over Bramford Utd.

We meet at Ogilvie Hall in Lawford on Wednesdays from 2-4.30pm and on Friday evenings from 7.30-9.30pm. New members are always welcome.

THE SECRET ART FAIR

Just two matches in the month for the Reserves. They won the League game to keep them in a very solid mid-table position, but unfortunately exited the Travel Plus Tours Cup. They began the new year with a high scoring 4-4 draw.

The Secret Art Fair comes to the Minories in Colchester for the weekend of March 1-3, offering curious people a chance to discover unique contemporary art.

A clean sweep of three victories in December has left the A Team well placed in Intermediate C where just one point separates the top five sides in the table. A home victory in the opening match of 2019 kept the team well in the promotion mix.

This intriguing and exciting art fair will be the go-to event for discovering a refined selection of professional contemporary artists showing work including original paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewellery and fine art prints. The curator, Iona Hodgson, is working hard to make sure all participating artists show work that is both striking and beautiful.

UPCOMING FIXTURES 1st Team: Senior Division Sat, Jan 26: Henley Athletic (A) Sat, Feb 2: Crane Sports (H) Sat, Feb 16: Wenhaston Utd (H) Sat, Feb 23: Bramford Utd (A) Sat, Mar 2: Westerfield Utd (H) Reserves: League A Sat, Jan 26: Sporting 87 Res (H) Sat, Feb 2: Henley Athletic Res (A) Sat, Feb 9: Trimley Red Devils Res (H) Sat, Feb 23: Bramford Utd Res (H) Sat, Mar 2: Framlingham Town Res (A) A Team: League C Sat, Feb 2: Ransomes Sports Res (H) Sat, Feb 16: Grundisburgh Res (H) Sat, Mar 2: Kesgarve Kestrels Res (A) Fixtures are subject to change. To confirm please refer to the fixtures website: http://fulltime.thefa.com/Index.do?league=4358069 Ladies and Juniors We are looking for new teams, boys or girls, of any age group to join us as we look for the club to grow. If you are interested please contact David George: davidgeorge5000@hotmail.com Steve Butcher (Secretary): stevebutcher55@btinternet.com

The Secret Art Fair gives local residents and businesses in Colchester a chance to access otherwise unseen high calibre visual art. Some artists so far confirmed include Abi Fawcus, Alison Wagstaffe, Bev Howe, Elise Clitheroe, Evelyn Polk, Gillian Plummer and Val Bright Jones.

All work displayed will be available to buy directly from the artists and there promises to be something for everyone’s taste and purse. If you are interested in discovering art or are looking for something special for your home, then don’t miss this opportunity and make sure you get to The Secret Art Fair early.

The organisers chose The Minories as it is a renowned art gallery and cultural space with a 60-year history in delivering art exhibitions and events as well as having an established and loyal following and being located in Colchester’s established Cultural Quarter next to First Site Gallery and the newly opened Curzon Cinema.

The Secret Art Fair offers selected artists from across the UK exhibition space to promote and sell their work directly. As well as access to the established venue and a curious and keen audience, artists will benefit from the promotion associated with the fair and associated marketing and press campaign.

Artists call-out is open until Sunday, February 3 and any interested artists must pre-register at: www.wecreateprojects.co.uk/the-secret-art-fair-colchester Minories Art Gallery, 74 High Street, Colchester CO1 1UE

HORIZON THEATRE PRESENTS SURGE BY JAYNE LINDILL Horizon Theatre presents an evening of local entertainment with welcome drinks, acoustic music and original drama Surge, a play written to mark the 65th anniversary of the East Coast Floods.

East Coast, January 31, 2018. A huge storm is brewing. Forecasters are predicting conditions not seen since the catastrophic night of January 31, 1953, when a storm surge and floods killed more than 300 people and made thousands homeless.

Steve Drury, born in the middle of that tempestuous night 65 years ago, is facing his own crisis. As his wife, Annie, organises a party to celebrate his milestone birthday and his retirement, he’s trying to come to terms with a future without the job that he loves and which has defined his very existence.

But the real cause of his anxiety is his older sister, Maggie. Rendered mute by the trauma of that terrible night in 1953, she’s deeply disturbed by the arrival of this new storm. It arouses memories and emotions that have been submerged for a lifetime, and threatens to split open the past, revealing long held secrets and unleashing feelings of guilt, grief and loss with devastating consequences.

Jayne Lindill, who was born and brought up in Suffolk and now lives in

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Felixstowe, wrote the play as an original piece of drama for Horizon to perform at Ferry Fest Felixstowe 2018. It received great acclaim, and the company is now touring the play to towns and villages in February, at the time of year when the floods devastated the Suffolk coast.

The evening starts at 7.15pm with welcome drinks and acoustic music performed by cast members, and an exhibition about the floods compiled

by Jean Macpherson and Bev Boyce, Felixstowe residents who are writing a book to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the floods. Jean and Bev are interested to hear from people who have memories and information about the floods. The play starts at 7.45pm and lasts approximately 80 minutes.

Performance Schedule February 7: Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club February 8: Shotley Village Hall February 13: Ansell Centre, Hadleigh February 14: Waldringfield Village Hall February 15: Church Hall, Lower Road, Sproughton Tickets £5 on the door or contact: 07864 084423 / jaynelindill2@btinternet.com

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A warm welcome guaranteed Bentley Road, Little Bromley, CO11 2PL www.thehaywain.co.uk | 01206 390004

BREAKFAST |LUNCH | DINNER | FUNCTION ROOM HIRE Enjoy a meal in front of our fire in the pub, in our private dining room or our large function room - Perfect for parties and corporate events

February Events...

Breakfast & Brunch

8th - pub quiz

Saturdays and Sundays

14th - Valentines Pudding night

Join us for coffee, breakfast waffles or a full English

22nd - Curry Night

Try our vegan breakfast!

Every Friday - Flat iron Friday

Book now for mothers day

2 Flat iron steaks and 2 house drinks £20.00

Open Wed - Fri - 12.00pm - 3.00pm - 6.00pm - 11.00pm Saturday - 9.30am - 11.00pm | Sunday - 9.30am - 6.00pm

10% off lunch menu - Wednesday - Saturday Just show this promotion when you arrive

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CHURCH NEWS

BRANTHAM & CAPEL METHODIST CHURCHES A HOPE AND PEACE FILLED YEAR How was 2018, and how was Christmas for you? I hope many of you will have had a good time with family and friends. For some of you, there may have been difficulties, loved ones or yourself seriously ill – normal Christmas plans didn’t work out. For some there was family tension being together longer than you normally are. For some there would have been an empty space at the table, through death or ill health or breakdown in relationships.

Living together is often not easy. Before we moved into Suffolk, we lived in a community house in Norfolk with six to ten other people.

We learnt much about ourselves as we reacted well and badly with other community members. Relationships had to be worked at, not necessarily to bring unity, but to live peaceably with one another.

Our nation and local communities are also places where disagreements are bound to happen. The Brexit debate has divided families, communities, political parties, churches. Sometimes that results in offensive language and name calling of people who think differently from us. There are many other things that cause division among people, including priorities, theology, lifestyle, language, etc.

Think of the situations in which you have been in conflict with others.

What language did you use? What attitude did you have to the other person(s)? Did you get aggressive? Did you call (offensive) names, face to face or behind their backs? Did you listen to the other point of view?

There was an interesting series of programs on Radio 4 last year trying to help people understand other points of view better. One side would listen to their opponent’s argument and then feed it back to them in their own words. Then they would reverse roles. Trying to argue the opposite case to the one you hold. You have to listen and understand, rather than just marshaling your own arguments.

The Archbishop of Canterbury invited us to approach this new year in a “spirit of openness towards each other” choosing to see ourselves “as neighbours, as fellow citizens, as communities each with something to contribute”. With the struggles and divisions of recent years it won’t be easy. It will involve commitment to one another in the variety of communities that we are part of. May we play our part in having a hope and peace filled year.

The Rev Andrew Sankey, Minister at Capel Methodist Church 8 Roundridge Road, Capel St Mary IP9 2UG apsankey@gmail.com / 01473 311178 / 07966 187216 FEBRUARY SERVICES AT BRANTHAM The Rev Ian Gardner, Minister at Brantham Methodist 34 Medway Road, Ipswich IP3 0QH ian.gardner@methodist.org.uk / 01473 411507 Sunday 3 Sunday 10 Sunday 17 Sunday 24

ST MARY’S CHURCH, LAWFORD Priest-in-Charge: The Rev Simon Heron, 01206 392659

SERVICES FOR FEBRUARY Sunday 3 8am Holy Communion BCP

10.30am Holy Communion Sunday 10 8am Holy Communion BCP

10.30am Family Service & Confirmation with Bishop Roger Sunday 17 8am Holy Communion BCP

10.30am Holy Communion

6.30pm Café Church Sunday 24 8am Holy Communion BCP

10.30am Morning Worship SOME OF OUR REGULAR GROUPS Art Club: Fortnightly on Thursday afternoons Choir: Friday Practise Coffee & Cake: Fourth Tuesday of the month Edward Bear: Parents, grandparents, carers with babies and toddlers, Monday mornings from 9.30am in term time Handbells: Every Monday House Groups: Daytime and evening Ladies in Friendship Together: Fourth Monday of the month Messy Church: Every half term, parents and children together Pastoral Care: Upon request Solo Club: Third Wednesday of the month Support in Loss: Second Tuesday of the month Sunday School and Extreme: Sunday mornings during service Details from the rectory (01206 392659) or at: www.lawfordchurch.co.uk

CATHOLIC MASSES Saturday at 6.30pm, St Mary & St Michael’s (Anglican) Church, Mistley Sunday at 8.50am in St Mary’s (Anglican) Church, Ardleigh Wednesday at 9.45am in St Mary and St Michael’s, preceded by Morning Prayer Manningtree, Mistley, Lawford & Ardleigh is served by the Parish of St John Payne, Greenstead, Colchester.

The Parish Priest is Father Jon Ravensdale: 01206 870460 / sjpchurch@btinternet.com Also resident in the parish are Father Michael Rear (01206 392695) and Father Mathias Odigbo.

11am Communion with Rev Ian Gardner 11am Worship with Mrs Maggie Finbow 10.30am East Bergholt Congregational Church 11pm Worship with Mr Bryan Nichols

FEBRUARY SERVICES AT CAPEL Home Groups on various days and times – contact the Minister Sunday 3

Sunday 10 Sunday 17 Saturday 23 Sunday 24

10.30am Worship with Rev Andrew Docherty 6.30pm Prayer 10.30am Worship with Mr Matthew Forsyth 10.30am Communion with Rev Pauline Bailey 3.30pm Messy Church 10.30am Worship with Rev Andrew Sankey 6.30pm United Prayer at the Community Church

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CHURCH NEWS

BENEFICE OF EAST BERGHOLT AND BRANTHAM Rector: The Rev Canon Stephne van der Toorn 01206 392646 / revstephvdt@googlemail.com www.constablecountrychurches.co.uk RAMBLING RECTOR As I write, Andy Murray is contemplating his future without competitive tennis because of severe pain brought about by his dedication to the game he loves. Members of Parliament (both men and women) have been subjected to horrific abuse, not only online, but in their faces as they exercise their democratic right to express their opinions and represent the people who elected them. Family discussions on Brexit have become battlefields. People in the villages I serve are feeling extremely unsettled by rumours of housing developments threatening to overwhelm us all, and are unhappily watching our glorious countryside change into cement blocks and lorry race tracks as the rumours become reality.

Change has always produced reactions ranging from joy, or mild irritation to spitting fury and violence. No one likes change. It is much more comfortable to stay the way we are. We know what to expect then.

Even the residents of the women’s refuge I used to help at in SA very often went back to their abusive partners because they couldn’t face the uncertainty of change. Better the devil you know, they said.

I deplore the steady disempowerment of parish councils and the way local views are ridden over roughshod by district and country councils, not to mention the government, and the way big business seems to be able to buy anything and find loopholes in the law to force through what they want. I also deplore the unsettling way in which we now disagree with one another. The cackling and howling in parliament debates reminds me of midnight activity in a SA game reserve. Radio discussions have become a test of who can shout the loudest. A conflict long ago between two small people in our household produced the immortal explanation, “It all started when he hit me back”.

I have always maintained that we can disagree fundamentally and still be friends. That we can disagree fundamentally without needing to call one another names, or snipe in closed Facebook groups behind someone’s back without bothering to take the more difficult route and have a face to face conversation to get the proper facts before doubting someone’s motives. SA taught me that even the most painful disagreement can be resolved provided we are willing to admit that we can be wrong, and be willing to see the face of God in the other.

Instead of biting holes in one another, let’s join together in urging the powers that be to provide the sort of housing we do need, starter homes, scaling down homes and genuinely affordable homes. And what about

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a care home so that our elderly parishioners don’t have to move out of the village they have lived in all their lives to find the residential care that they need?

Rev Steph FEBRUARY 2019 Sunday 3 8am 10am 4pm

Candlemas BCP Communion, East Bergholt Benefice Communion with Procession, East Bergholt Family@Church, East Bergholt

Wednesday 6 9.30am

BCP Communion, East Bergholt

Sunday 10 8am 10am Bergholt

4th Sunday Before Lent BCP Communion, East Bergholt Benefice Communion with Bishop Mike Harrison, East

Sunday 17 8am 10am 11am

3rd Sunday Before Lent BCP Communion, East Bergholt Communion, East Bergholt Informal Service, Brantham

Sunday 24 8am 10am 11am

2nd Sunday Before Lent BCP Communion, East Bergholt Choral Matins, East Bergholt Communion, Brantham

Friday, March 1 3pm:

Women’s World Day of Prayer Ecumenical Service, Brantham Everyone is welcome. The service this year has been prepared by the women of Slovenia.

Sunday 5 8am 11am 4pm

Sunday Next Before Lent BCP Communion, East Bergholt Benefice Communion, Brantham Family@Church, East Bergholt

LENT During Lent each person in the congregation will be given a pottery shell to carry with them as they journey towards Easter. This is the traditional sign of the pilgrim. A shell is used by many priests to scoop up the water during the sacrament of baptism. When our small group of pilgrims walks the Camino in May we will find the route is marked by shells.

Check the website for details. There is a BCP Communion every Sunday in East Bergholt at 8am. Choral Matins is on the fourth Sunday in East Bergholt.

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In Touch online:

CHURCH NEWS LINK LINE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES For the truth of God’s Word and the Light of The Gospel Welcome to Manningtree Benefice, an all-age Anglican Church, meeting in St Lawrence Church, Bradfield, and St Mary & St Michael’s Church, Mistley

Un-denominational/meeting at Ogilvie Hall, Wignall Street, Lawford CO11 2JE (unless otherwise stated)

I wonder if you made any New Year’s resolutions this year! Many of us do, and if you’re anything like me you probably get to the end of a year thinking “I shan’t bother this time”, but you can’t resist when the moment comes.

Our Worship Services are held on the second Saturday monthly in addition to other events.

I made three resolutions this year, which I think there’s a fairly good chance I’ll keep: to write more for pleasure, to finish making a series of models which I’ve been working on and to pass my motorcycle test. I’ve already completed the latter two, so this year I’m doing well.

I wonder how you’re doing! I’m not going to ask what your resolutions might be, but I know there’ll be some who want to lose weight, or become fitter, or be healthier or happier. At New Year we often look back on the year we’ve had, and think about the time ahead, and wish we could be just a little bit better than we are, somehow.

And, of course, we all know that even if we manage to succeed in our resolutions it won’t fundamentally change who we are. All of us, no matter who we are, have to live with the knowledge that we are less able, less good, less of everything than we’d like to be. Being a human being is all about learning to live within our limitations, while (it seems) hiding those same limitations from those around us.

The Bible says that although people look on the outward appearance, God doesn’t. He’s not really interested in what we look like: he’s interested in who we are. Jesus came and met with us, and died and rose again so that we could come into relationship with God. Our relationship with him had been broken and Jesus repaired it through his death. This is the path to true happiness, to true fulfilment, and to true change: to follow after Jesus is the best resolution you could ever make.

Saturday, February 9 From 9.30am: Cafe/Oasis Coffee Morning & Sales Event 11.15am: Praise & Worship Service & Ministries Up-date Transport is available from Colchester & Maningtree District Friday, February 15 at The Venture Centre, Bromley Road 10am: New Prayer, Praise & Meeting Point Transport available from Colchester & Manningtree District Sunday, February 17: Supportive Outreach Fingringhoe Methodist Chapel, 3pm Songs of Praise Thursday, February 21: Community Support Great Horkesley Friendship Club Ministry News We thank all the many friends and supporters throughout the area who sent Christmas greetings during the Christmas and New Year celebrations. It’s a great encouragement to be aware of such widespread support. There was a large gathering for our annual Carol Service on December 8. Our guest speaker was Mr Stephen Spurgeon of Ipswich. This event also incorporated our annual Vehicle Support Gift Day and we thank all who supported this to the extent of £593.90. During the Over the christmas period we carried out a door-to-door leaflet distribution in parts of Lawford, and maintained our regular visits to patients in hospital or care homes in the area,

It will probably be March by the time you read this and the New Year will feel like a long time ago. But there’s always time for a new beginning, and my prayer for you this year is that you might find that new start with God.

Tours & Holidays Our new schedule of mini bus day excursions will be published shortly. Our new group catering schedule will also be available from February 1.

Revd Dom Turner

CONTACT DETAILS

SERVICES FOR FEBRUARY

Group Catering Services: 07812 582754 (office hours only)

Sunday, February 3 10.30am Joint Worship with Communion & Treasure Seekers* at Mistley 6pm Evening Prayer at Bradfield

Mini Bus Fellowship Tours: 01206 272064 (Monday-Friday)

Sunday, February 10 10.30am Holy Communion (Common Worship) at Bradfield 10.30am Family Worship with Treasure Seekers* at Mistley 6pm Evening Prayer at Mistley

Special Pastoral Measures (including hospital transport and home visitation): 01206 272064

Sunday, February 17 10.30am Holy Communion (Common Worship) at Mistley 10.30am Family Worship with Treasure Seekers* at Bradfield 6pm Quiet Communion at Bradfield Sunday, February 24 8am Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) at Mistley 10.30am Morning Prayer at Bradfield 10.30am Café Church with Treasure Seekers* at Mistley *Treasure Seekers is our children’s programme for ages 3+ CONTACT INFORMATION Priest-in-Charge: The Rev Dom Turner 01206 391218 / 07934 717535 / dom@manningtreebenefice.co.uk Associate Minister: The Rev John Brien 01206 397549 / brienfamily@btinternet.com Associate Minister: The Rev Claire Scargill 01206 395417 / revclairescargill@gmail.com

Soldiers & Airmen’s Scripture Readers Association Representative: 01255 504050

KEY TO LOVE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Where Jesus is Love and Love is Jesus COME AND WORSHIP THE LORD JESUS WITH US – ALL ARE WELCOME Hear the teaching of our saviour and King, lively praise and worship every Sunday at 11am at the Ivell Suite at The Venture Centre 2000, Bromley Road, Lawford CO11 1AH. Do you need someone to listen or in need of prayer?

Please contact David and Rosie: 01206 615228 / 07787 572977 info@thekeytoloveministries.co.uk www.keytoloveministries.com

Church Office: Normally available at least 10am-1pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. 07436 398801 / info@manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.facebook.com/ManningtreeBenefice

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CHURCH NEWS

HOLY FAMILY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Ipswich Road, Brantham CO11 1TB

Parish Priest: Fr Peter Raj 180 Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich IP2 0QQ / 01473 684963 www.stmarksparish.org.uk SERVICES FOR FEBRUARY Sunday 3 9am

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass

Tuesday 5 9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass Sunday 10 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9am Mass Tuesday 12 9.20am Eucharistic Adoration 10am Mass Sunday 17 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9am Mass Tuesday 19 9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass Sunday 24 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9am Mass Tuesday 26 9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass The weekly newsletter, with weekly mass times, is always displayed in the cabinet by the front door.

Catholic Commentary In a recent address the Pope said: “The service of fraternal voluntary work is a choice that makes one free and open to the needs of the other; to the demands of justice, to the defence of life, and to the protection of creation, with a tender and special attention to the sick and especially the elderly, who are a treasure of wisdom!” He emphasized: “I encourage you to continue your mission with passion, seeking all the possible and

constructive forms for reawakening public opinion to the need to commit oneself to the common good, in support of the weak and the poor. There is a need for people who persevere, who face difficulties with a spirit of unity and always place the ultimate goal, service to others, at the basis of everything. Doing so, you will continue to be a point of reference and an example for all.”

Events & Diary Dates The 100 Club draw took place on Sunday, January 27 at Holy Family when three lucky winners shared a £159 prize pot. The next draw takes place on Sunday, February 24 at Holy Family, Brantham. The club, set up to support the life and mission of our parish, has grown from strength to strength since its launch. New members are always very welcome and the newsletter, that includes an application form, can be found at the rear of the church or online at: www.stmarksparish.org.uk Every last Thursday of the month a Bring & Buy Coffee Morning takes place at Viv & Wyn’s home, Paddock Gate, Whitehorse Road, East Bergholt CO7 6TR from 10.30am-noon. We are raising funds for a new carpet for the parish room and all are very welcome to join us. There will be no December event and the next one will be on Thursday, February 28.

Supporting our Local Hospice All parishioners are asked to collect used postage stamps, all year, not just at Christmas, and place them in the box at the rear of the church to help support the outstanding work of our local hospice.

The Sick & Homebound Please let Fr Peter know of anyone who is ill at home or homebound so that they can receive appropriate pastoral care. If you or someone you know is going into Ipswich Hospital and would like the ministrations of the church while there please inform Fr Peter or leave a message on Deacon Clive’s answerphone on 01206 396319.

All are very welcome to attend Holy Family services; it’s not necessary to be a Catholic and enquiries about the Catholic faith are always welcome.

Please contact the presbytery, as above, or a local person whom you know is a Catholic.

MANNINGTREE METHODIST CHURCH Sunday Services at 10.15am; we welcome visiting and external preachers

ALSO MEETING ON OUR PREMISES

February 3: 10.15am, Rev Tom Osborne with Holy Communion.

Monday Workers Education Association, nine lectures in autumn and spring, 2.30pm Stour Choral Society (Sept-June), 7.30pm

February 10: 10.15am, Rev Derek Lang.

February 17: 10.15am, to be arranged February 24: 10.45am, Ardleigh Methodist Church (no service at Manningtree) Holy Communion Services: please check date and times on the noticeboard outside the church.

Welcome Wednesdays: 2.30pm in the Church Foyer February 6: Defibs in the Community (at Mistley) February 13: Bible Study February 20: Daily Bread Tasting February 27: Holy Communion Christmas was celebrated with friends and visitors joining the services which were enhanced with drama, carols and musical contributions. The church supported Open Doors and Action for Children.

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Tuesday: Women’s Guild, 7.15pm Wednesday Gentle Fitness Class, 9.15am Art Painting Group, 10am-noon Manningtree & District Chess Club, 7.30pm Museum & History Group (bi-monthly), 7.30pm Treasurer: Mr John Holmes Church Bookings: David Shearmur, 01206 395263 Friday, March at 7pm: By popular request, it’s Folk Night at Manningtree Methodist Hall. No charge, but donations for East Anglian Children’s Hospice.

Please feel free to bring your own non-alcoholic drinks and snacks for a great fun evening.

South Street, Manningtree CO11 2JB Minister: The Rev Tom Osborne, 01206 396654

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To advertise in this section, which appears in 18 magazines in areas across Suffolk and Essex, please contact a member of our sales team on 01473 400380

New Year’s Resolutions are going well here at Concord.

2019 says farewell to the well known name Rollo Estates and welcomes in Concord Property with a brand new item on our list:

We’re going hybrid!

We now, in addition to our traditional packages to choose from. So why not get in touch, we’re confident we’ll have the perfect option for you.

Wivenhoe 01206 825403 Mistley 01206 393213 concordproperty.co.uk