In Touch with Needham May 2020 by steve@intouchnews.co.uk

In Touch

™©©© ™ ™ ™ ™© ©

with Creeting St Mary, Creeting St Peter & Needham Market Volume 7 • Issue No. 7 • MAY 2020

Image by David Mayhew

Skiphire www.collins-skiphire.co.uk

For a fast, efficient & price friendly local service

01473 327596

orders@collins-skiphire.co.uk

In Touch online:

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR KEEPING IN TOUCH Until it’s safe for our delivery teams to work again we have decided to publish online and have worked quickly to create a dedicated area on the website for each publication area. We’re constantly adding new content and engaging with local, regional and national organisations to share often critical information and to support the local groups established in response to the COVID-19 crisis. We’ve also added a directory to make it easier to find the businesses which are still operating and available to take your call. www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk You may well be reading this online and if it’s your first visit to our website, you are very welcome. If you have a printer and know someone who can’t access the online edition, you can download and print a PDF from the website. We have also left a small number of printed copies at key locations in the area, though I suspect they will disappear rather quickly. Of course, we’re also using the Mansion House Publishing Facebook Twitter and Instagram accounts to ensure information is shared quickly and widely. Do join or follow us if you can. Instagram: mansionhousepublishing Twitter: @InTouchEast Facebook: Mansion House Publishing We’re also responding to increased demand for online advertising as companies seek out new ways to promote their business and to let customers know they are there for them now and always. If you want to know more about the advertising and e-marketing opportunities on offer, please contact our sales team on 01473 400380.

Published by: Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd, 20 Wharfedale Road, Ipswich IP1 4JP EDITOR: Sharon Jenkins T: 01473 400380 Send editorial copy to: sharon@intouchnews.co.uk Readers are invited to submit articles, illustrations and photographs for publication. The publishers reserve the right to amend such submissions and cannot accept responsibility for any loss.

ADVERTISING

T: 01473 400380 E: advertising@intouchnews.co.uk DISTRIBUTION

Tree Martin: 01473 400380 E: tree@intouchnews.co.uk PRINTING

ColourPlan Print: 01473 400379 E: steve@colourplan.co.uk 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 Stowmarket & Stowupland is published by Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd

Printed on gloss paper from FSC certified sources

Please recycle.

In Touch Titles • Stowmarket & Stowupland • Kesgrave & Rushmere St Andrew • Melton & Woodbridge • Manningtree, Brantham, Lawford & Mistley • Hadleigh, Chattisham, Hintlesham, Holton St Mary, Layham & Raydon • Ipswich East, Ravenswood, Broke Hall & Warren Heath • Elmswell, Beyton, Drinkstone, Haughley, Hessett, Norton, Tostock, Wetherden & Woolpit • Needham Market & The Creetings •S hotley, Chelmondiston, Erwarton, Harkstead, Holbrook, Pin Mill, Stutton & Woolverstone • Martlesham • Claydon, Barham, Henley & Whitton • East Bergholt, Dedham, Flatford & Stratford St Mary • Bramford, Offton, Somersham & Willisham • Capel St Mary (Capel Capers) • Copdock, Belstead, Bentley, Tattingstone & Washbrook • Gt & Lt Blakenham, Baylham & Nettlestead •W esterfield, Ashbocking, Tuddenham St Martin & Witnesham • Sproughton & Burstall We also publish Spotlight on Felixstowe

Wednesday 20 May is the advertising and editorial deadline for the June edition

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

Every aspect of life as we know it has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s impossible to know when we can expect ‘normal’ life to resume. Tragically many lives have been lost, including far too many NHS and healthcare staff to whom we owe an enormous debt, as we do to everyone who continues to work, in any capacity, on what is now referred to as the ‘front line’. Many of us are working from home, fortunate to still have jobs while many others have lost theirs. Many local businesses have been forced to shut down temporarily (we hope) while others have adapted to meet a growing need for home deliveries or alternative services and products. Through all this we have seen the emergence of an extraordinary sense of community responsibility with support networks or hubs forming almost overnight to ensure those is most need or self-isolating have access to essential supplies. In traditional Irish farming communities, a gathering such as this was known as a ‘meitheal’. Modern technology has enabled digital ‘meitheals’ to form and the sense of common good has never been as powerful as it is right now. If you haven’t already signed up, you will probably find the following quite useful right now:

Creeting St Mary Corona Virus Support Group Needham Market Town Noticeboard linking to Needham Market Coronavirus Support Group Mid Suffolk District Council Suffolk County Council COVID-19 Information Centre

@MidSuffolk @suffolkcc @DHSCgovuk

They say participating in meaningful activities is a major contributor to our sense of wellbeing and Sew Scrubs must be the perfect example. Sewers, pattern printers, fabric cutters, fundraisers, sponsors, delivery volunteers and co-ordinators have come together to meet an indentified need and it looks like they are having a lot of fun in the process. Others, including schools and businesses with the right skills and materials, have been making masks and face shields, sending food, posting messages and videos, helping with childcare and shopping, paying for parking... Even standing outside to applaud our key-workers at 8pm on Thursday evenings is a shared activity which certainly lifts the mood in our house, though I’m not sure Flip (our pet rabbit) would agree. If you are looking for ways to help or donate, a quick visit to Facebook will provide plenty of opportunity but the one essential thing most of us must do is to stay at home and to maintain distance when you do go out. It’s not a lot to ask, particularly as we know it’s having the required effect. Of course it’s also important to do some activity you enjoy and to keep life as normal as possible. I’ve been spending as much time as possible in the garden with Jack. It’s a small space but we’ve created a great number of, mostly football themed, challenges. Four weeks in and I still haven’t managed to get the ball in the bucket (‘top bins’) once. We also created our own crazy golf course using ‘stuff’ from the recycling bin and a chair leg as a putter. We’ve only broken one window so far! Staying informed is important too but I hope you’re not checking your phone every five minutes. I did this for the first two weeks or so and was so overwhelmed by anxiety and sadness I found myself crying uncontrollably (in a cupboard) at least once a day. Jack did wonder why my hay fever seemed to be worse than usual! We must be hopeful. Knowledge of the virus and its effects improves day by day and the race is on to find a vaccine. Stay strong. Take care of yourselves and of others. Our very best wishes from everyone here at Mansion House Publishing

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

RECOGNISING THE VOLUNTEERS AT THE HEART OF MID SUFFOLK’S CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE Mid Suffolk District Council is saluting the unwavering community spirit within its neighbourhoods, as selfless heroes prove an incredible force in the fight against Covid-19. We want to recognise and support the invaluable work of community champions rallying together to help vulnerable residents in these unprecedented times. Volunteers have stepped forward to provide urgent supplies such as food and medication, despite facing their own challenges as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The BOB Foodbank has been set up by new Rector, Carl Melville, for the villages of Bacton, Wyverstone, Cotton, Wickham Skeith, Old Newton and Gipping. This is a temporary scheme to help both individuals and families who may be struggling at this time. Revd Carl Melville said: “Providing food to families who might be struggling is just one way our villages have come together to help others. The Neighbourhood Schemes and other initiatives have been lifesavers to many. Households can contact me directly on 01449 781650 to ask for a food parcel containing the basics and essentials. We have no criteria as we realise people may need help for different things. All contact is confidential.” Another lifeline for many is the Needham Market Coronavirus Support Group, which has co-ordinated a staggering 400 volunteers, as well as funding and delivering 5,000 leaflets to local residents containing a helpline number for those in need. Calls received so far have included requests to carry out food shopping, pick up prescriptions and send out letters on behalf of those who are self-isolating, in Needham Market and the surrounding villages. It’s not only essential needs which are being met, the group has gone above and beyond to make life in lockdown more bearable, with one member donating a tablet to help a child’s home learning and another providing a cake to cheer up residents of a local care home. Founder Tanya Alexanda said: “The volunteers are incredible. They are picking up much needed local care for their neighbours and I know friendships are being made. We recently received a handwritten note from the High Sheriff of Suffolk thanking us for the huge difference we are making. It was lovely to have acknowledgement for all our efforts but I’m a bit embarrassed about

the attention. This isn’t an ego trip but a genuine desire to help and bring people together.” This just a small snapshot of the desire to help in our district - over 1,600 volunteers have already signed up to the Home But Not Alone scheme, which was launched last month by the Suffolk Collaborative Communities Covid-19 Board. The initiative matches volunteers to callers of a helpline for our county’s most vulnerable, which is free to call on 0800 876 6926 and is staffed seven days a week, from 09:00 to 17:00. This hotline is for people without family or a friendship network to support them, and who require emergency assistance with care needs (including food), loneliness, or connecting with community volunteers. Although still in its early stages, the scheme has already received more than 1,300 calls, resulting in vulnerable residents receiving delivery of shopping and prescriptions from volunteers. Mid Suffolk District Council is offering grants of up to £2,500 to support groups with increased costs incurred as a cost of coronavirus (COVID-19), including general running costs, ongoing staff costs, volunteer expenses, utility bills and purchasing of food or other consumables. Larger requests for funding will be considered under exceptional circumstances. Now, in addition to offering financial support, and with so many different groups to recognise, the council is launching a #communitychampions social media campaign to encourage community groups to highlight what they are doing – making residents aware of what local help is available as well as generating further support and offers of volunteering. Taking part in the campaign couldn’t be easier, simply tag @MidSuffolk in your social media posts so that these can be shared. Cllr Julie Flatman, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing for Mid Suffolk District Council said: “Our communities are a shining light in what is a very dark time for many, and I hope that this community spirit is one of the legacies of the pandemic. Although we are experiencing a crisis that affects us all, the desire to help others remains, as shown by the vital work of volunteers in Mid Suffolk. “To enable this good work to continue, we want to ensure support is in place for all volunteers. I’d encourage any existing community groups, as well as anyone wishing to help, to register on the Tribe Volunteer app, which is available on both Apple and Android.”

EMERGENCY FUNDING POT AVAILABLE TO HELP COMMUNITY GROUPS Community groups and organisations can now apply for immediate grants of up to £2,500 as part of Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils’ response to COVID-19. Over £80,000 is being made available to both new and existing groups in Babergh and Mid Suffolk who are playing a key role in protecting vulnerable residents and helping our communities remain resilient during the COVID-19 outbreak. Grants of up to £2,500 can be applied for to cover increased costs incurred by groups as a result of the Coronavirus (Covid-19), including general running costs, ongoing staff costs, volunteer expenses, utility bills and the purchasing of food or other consumables. Larger requests for funding will be considered under exceptional circumstances. The Emerging Needs Grant has a straightforward application process, enabling our councils to respond quickly to help ease the challenges our residents are facing during the crisis. Community officers will continue to work closely with district councillors, towns and parishes and community groups to ensure financial support is available and directed to meet needs as they emerge within communities.

Cllr Derek Davis, Cabinet Member for Communities for Babergh District Council said: “We recognise that it’s more important than ever before to provide support to our residents who are experiencing difficulties. In response to this we have simplified our grants process, to make financial help available quickly and easily for those who need it most.” Cllr Julie Flatman, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing for Mid Suffolk District Council said: “I am delighted that groups and organisations are pulling together to relieve the financial hardship of residents, or to assist the vulnerable who are self-isolating at home. This grant scheme will allow for their hard work to continue, providing comfort at this uncertain time.” The Babergh and Mid Suffolk Communities Team, bolstered by the redeployment of other council officers, are currently identifying groups and organisations that could benefit from this funding. For more information visit: https://tinyurl.com/taqacw7

In Touch online:

Caring is at the heart of everything we do... Together we respect, with compassion we care, through commitment we achieve

Barking Hall

Hillcroft House

Uvedale Hall

Part of the Healthcare Homes Group

Barking Hall, Barking, Near Needham Market, Suffolk IP6 8HJ

Hillcroft House, Finborough Road, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 1PW

Uvedale Hall, Coddenham Road, Needham Market, Suffolk IP6 8AX

Tel: 01449 720793

Tel: 01449 774633

Tel: 01449 722250

Specialising in general nursing, dementia and end of life care.

Specialising in dementia care.

Providing residential care.

 HealthcareHomes

Barking Hall, Hillcroft House and Uvedale Hall have been rated Good in all areas by CQC (2019)

healthcarehomes.co.uk IPSWICH MR MISTY.pdf

06/04/2019

Good

09:08

WE SPECIALISE IN DOUBLE GLAZING REPAIRS, CALL FOR YOUR FREE CHECK UP

IPSWICH

Mr Misty ‘The Window Doctor’ is a family run business that prides itself in exceptional customer care. W e p r o m i s e e a s y s e r v i c e f r o m s t a r t t o fi n i s h . DOES YOUR DOUBLE GLAZING STEAM UP? WE REPLACE JUST THE GLASS AND NOT THE FRAMES AT A FRACTION OFTHE COST FOR NEW WINDOWS

PROBLEMS WE SOLVE

CMY

ELIMINATE WINDOW CONDESATION

SECONDARY GLAZING TO BLOCK OUT NOISE

BROKEN WINDOW PARTS

LOCKS

BROKEN GLASS

FAULTY HINGES

COMMON SUMMER TIME PROBLEM

LAWN MOWER STONE CHIPS & BROKEN GLASS

FREE PHONE : 0800 25 45 111 FOR YOUR FREE CHECKUP WWW.MRMISTY.CO.UK

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS SUFFOLK ENERGY-FROM-WASTE Spring 2020 shutdown In view of the recent advice from the UK Government regarding COVID-19, we have made the decision to postpone our major planned maintenance shutdown until October 2020. The facility will instead undergo a minor maintenance shutdown this spring. Shutdowns are a normal part of operational life at the Suffolk energy-fromwaste facility to ensure that it continues to work efficiently. We normally have two shutdowns a year: a major four-week shutdown in spring, and a minor two-week shutdown in autumn. The maintenance of each of our two furnaces is staggered so that we can continue to accept waste throughout the shutdown period.

#SaveLives

MUSEUM CONNECTS COMMUNITIES WITH REMOTE VOLUNTEERING The Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket may have closed its doors due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn’t mean that work has stopped. With their remote volunteering project Search for the Stars truly shining during this time, the museum is providing an outlet for those looking for a project to get involved with from the safety of their own homes.

The maintenance of one of our furnaces was carried out in early April, and the maintenance of the second will be carried out in late May. The repainting of the stacks scheduled for the Spring shutdown will be carried out in October. During this period there should be no impact on the local community. However, if you have any concerns about the shutdown period, please contact us via the details provided below. Tours at the facility Any public tours cancelled at the facility due to restrictions as a result of COVID-19 will be rescheduled, once tours have resumed. We regret that we cannot take any more bookings for tours at this time, but please contact us if you would like to be added to our waiting list. We’re on Twitter Did you know that Suffolk’s energy-from-waste facility is on social media? For more frequent facility updates, fun facts and handy tips about rubbish, recycling and food waste, follow us on Twitter.@suffolkefw Any questions? If you have any queries about our operations, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01473 839149 or email at: suffolkefw.uk@suez.co OTHER USEFUL CONTACTS Environment Agency: 0800 807 060 SUEZ Communities Trust: 01934 524013

GIPPING WOMEN’S CLUB This article is being written in the hope, but not really the expectation, that we will be able to restart our meetings soon. Once it is safe to hold meetings again, we will contact members to inform everyone about the start date. As there may be only a few weeks before our usual summer break, we would try to complete our interrupted spring term programme by holding our annual meeting and possibly a very late St Patrick’s Day party. Then there might be a games evening, an evening stroll (although not finishing at a local pub) and possibly a take-away fish and chip supper

The Search for the Stars project, generously funded by Esmée Fairbairn and the Headley Trust, aims to transfer all of their 40,000 paper-based object records over to the museum’s online collections management system. The project will make the museum collection accessible to everyone with some records already searchable through their website. Along the way the star searching team have also been identifying ‘star objects’ to be researched for an upcoming travelling exhibition Fake News in the Age of the Horse. All volunteers need to take part is a laptop, so when social distancing began the museum started to get more requests from people wanting to take part. Over 40 people reached out about getting involved, in addition to over 200 who have already taken part. Volunteer Elza Zeneli explains: “During such a difficult time I thought that volunteering to help people in a small way would be the best use of my time, especially giving back to my community. I am very proud to given an opportunity to represent my voice within this exciting project that focuses on making history and culture accessible to all particularly to those who are more vulnerable/in rural areas. It’s a truly inspiring project to be a part of.” Search for the Stars has been running since the end of 2017 and recently hit the 14,000 record mark thanks to the efforts of volunteers both onsite and remotely, across the country and worldwide with volunteers taking part in countries such as Australia, the USA and Canada.

We meet on Tuesday evenings at 7.45pm during school term time at Needham Market Bowls Club, Crowley Park, Barretts Lane, Needham Market IP6 8BX.

Jin Lu, another volunteer, said: ‘I’m volunteering because this is a great opportunity to convert any anxiety or uncertainty into satisfaction and fulfilment. You don’t need to go out but you are still making contributions and developing yourself.”

We are a friendly club and always welcome new members to our meetings and events. You can phone beforehand or just turn up one Tuesday evening.

The project is headed up by museum curator Kate Knowlden who has been tirelessly co-ordinating the work being done.

We hope that all our members and their loved ones are keeping safe and well.

“I’ve been overwhelmed with the amount of interest we’ve had in this project from people who have had to give up other volunteering roles or have been unable to work or continue their studying. It’s really moving to see how people are still so giving during such a difficult time, and it’s going to make a massive difference to the accessibility of our collection.”

For information, please call Stephanie Wiggins: 01449 723440

STOWMARKET & DISTRICT CAMERA CLUB In accordance with the latest government guidance and for the health and safety of our members, speakers and judges, that there will be no meetings until further notice. We send our very best wishes to all our members, their family and friends. For more information visit: www.stowmarketanddistrictcameraclub.onesuffolk.net

Volunteers are given copies of object records which they then transfer into an online collections management system, each object is a fascinating look at a different part of East Anglian history. Though the project is suited to adults and older teenagers, the museum has also developed a family resource to accompany the project. Be a Historian is available free to download from their website. For more information visit: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk

In Touch online:

Photo courtesy: www.suffolkyoga.com

We all know physical activity is essential for both our physical and mental wellbeing and never has this been more important than during these difficult times of social distancing and isolation. Here at In Touch, we are delighted to have joined forces with Public Health Suffolk and the Most Active County Partnership as a partner for the recently launched, Keep Moving Suffolk campaign. Over the coming weeks and months there will be information, advice and useful links on the Keep Moving Suffolk website www.keepmovingsuffolk.com to help you, your family and local community to get active and stay active during these challenging times. The website, has a range of resources, tips, tutorials and information to support you to exercise outside and inside the home, as well as resources specifically for older people and for children. It also includes information on taking care of mental health and where to get advice if people have long-term health conditions. We would love to hear how you’re keeping active so why not film and post a 10-15 second clip of you and/or your family being active with the message – “Keep Moving Suffolk” on social media and use the hashtags #keepmovingsuffolk and #StayInWorkOut.

Dr Craig Sheridan, a practising doctor and sport and exercise medicine specialist working on the frontline at Ipswich Hospital in the fight against the pandemic, has been involved in helping to get the Keep Moving Suffolk resource off the ground: “During this difficult time it is important for us all to stay mentally and physically healthy. “Exercise is an important way to improve mental wellbeing and is recognised to be positive in managing depression in older adults as well as improving sleep, feelings of fatigue and quality of life. Improvements in our cardiorespiratory health can happen within a few weeks of commencing regular, moderate intensity exercise and regular physical activity reduces the risks and complications of many diseases and infection.” Dr Sheridan added: “for those who are currently free from Covid-19 symptoms, there are clear benefits to starting or continuing to exercise whilst in social isolation. “It is important to note that strenuous exercise is not advisable for those with symptoms of infection, particularly with a fever.”

www.keepmovingsuffolk.com @keepmovingsuffolk www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

@keepmovingsuffolk

@Most_Active 7

Coronavirus in Suffolk Update

#Covid19Suffolk

For more information, visit www.suffolk.gov.uk/coronavirus 8

In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

CHERNOBYL CHILDREN’S LIFELINE AND CHARITY SHOP We apologise for having to cancel the Chocolate Bingo which I know so many were looking forward to. The Christmas version is already booked for November 21 so save the date! I think it will come as no surprise to you all that I have had to cancel the summer visit for the group. There is a possibility of our bringing a smaller group in the autumn and/or December, however I do feel that we must take each day as it comes and just look to a time when we can return to what we have always thought of as ‘normal’, whatever that may be Whilst the charity shop remains closed and our presence in the community is at an extremely low level, I do hope that you will not forget us altogether and that we can regroup in the future. Please do not deposit donations outside the shop – there are notices giving numbers to call and where possible we will arrange collections. Not only do goods get ruined when left exposed to the weather, but there are residents at the rear of the shop and it makes access very difficult and unpleasant for them to negotiate

The second picture shows the young lady she is today, now 21 years old. She credits her success to the support she received from the charity. The second set of photos shows Masha who came to us when she was seven years old. Without going into a lot of details, she had a very poor start in life, living in very bad conditions and first watching her mother, then her grandmother pass away right in front of her.

Please do keep in touch and if anyone is in need of anything, feel free to contact me. If we can help we will do our best to do so. The president of Belarus is known to have said, “The Coronavirus will not be a problem (probably because he has not given permission for it to be so). Just drive it out by getting on your tractor and ploughing!” The other piece of advice, which we obviously cannot condone, is, “take a drink of Vodka each day”. Belarus possibly does not face the same problem as we do as although the country is the same size as the UK the total population is less than that of London City. People in the villages rarely see a stranger and tend to just go to work, come home and then repeat the cycle. We can just hope the children and families we support remain safe and healthy and, of course, our thoughts have also to be with the hundreds of children in the Cancer Hospitals throughout Belarus and hope that the virus does not reach them. I recently put this on Facebook but in case you do not subscribe, this is the little girl who started it all for us in 2007. When she went home she kept saying the ‘knitted hat’ (under the charity hat in the photo) did not belong to her. It was only years later when she could speak English well did we find out that she hated the hat so much she had pretended it wasn’t hers so she didn’t have to take it home!

We had lost touch with her but then managed to find her as a teenager living in a hostel. We have kept in touch with her since then and are really pleased to be able to tell you she now has everything she wished for in life – a family of her own. She is married to a very kind and caring young man and has two beautiful children. These are just two of our success stories and these plus many others have only been achievable with the support of you all. Thank you are just two little words but with such a big meaning! Stay home stay well and stay safe. Best wishes to all. Elizabeth Parker: 01449 760343 FB: @Ccllmidsuffolk

PRIVACY AND THE TATE VIEWING GALLERY You might recall from a year or so ago, a case was brought by some people who own luxury flats near to the Tate Gallery in London. In this case, the owners of the flats applied to the court for an injunction to stop members of the public looking directly into their flats from a viewing gallery which had been constructed at the Tate Gallery. (An injunction is a court order which stops one person from doing something.) The claim here was that because members of the public using the viewing gallery were able to see into the adjoining flats, this constituted either a nuisance or this somehow infringed their rights to privacy under the Human Rights Act 1998. (A ‘nuisance’ is a legal term, where some harm has been caused by one person to another, as a result of the use of a property in some way.) When this case first came to court last year, it was dismissed, and following an appeal by the owners to a higher court – the Court of Appeal – it has been rejected again.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

The Court of Appeal said that the owners of the flats should take remedial steps themselves – as “expected of owners in this context”. This would include practical things such as installing blinds, privacy film, net curtains and that sort of thing. The Court of Appeal was not prepared to extend the law to protect privacy rights from overlooking. It said that mere overlooking should not enable an owner to bring a case to court. The Court of Appeal observed that “even in modern times the law doesn’t always provide a remedy for every annoyance to a neighbour, however considerable that annoyance may be”.

Buttermarket, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 1ED Telephone: 01449 613101 • Fax: 01449 615087 Email: info@gudgeons-prentice.co.uk

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

UPDATE FROM THE REGAL

LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY In these difficult times in which we find ourselves, Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) are a useful legal document which enables a person (called the Donor) to choose a person or people (called the Attorney(s)) who they would like to make decisions on their behalf. Below are some frequently asked questions relating to Powers of Attorney:

Once The Regal closed for the refurbishment/expansion project on 23 February we began work on the launch of Regal on the Road at the John Peel Centre. We were very excited to be opening with the new James Bond film No Time to Die on 2 April, but on 4 March Universal Pictures moved the release date to 12 November, citing ‘a challenging global theatrical market place’. We replaced it with Trolls: World Tour and Military Wives, but seeing the news that was coming from China and Italy at the time, we were beginning to realise that our 2 April launch date was very unlikely. On 12 March we decided that we should postpone opening at the John Peel Centre and a week later Boris Johnson announced that all cinemas would close to combat COVID-19. Work on The Regal site continued until 27 March, but has now paused ready to commence once it’s safe to do so. The Mayor of Stowmarket Paul Ekpenyong is pictured at the official handover of the site to Mixbrow Construction. We hope we are soon able to welcome you to Regal on the Road at the JPC, but in the meantime, please keep safe and visit our Facebook page for a daily ‘TV Movie of the Day’ recommendation.

What is Lasting Power of Attorney? A LPA is the legal document which gives authority to the Attorney to make decisions on behalf of the Donor. The Attorney(s) must be trustworthy and have the ability to make property & financial and/or health & care decisions in the best interests of the Donor. When would a LPA be used? LPAs are equally as important as making a Will as they relate to decisions which need to be made during your lifetime. Types of Lasting Power of Attorney There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney: • Property & Financial Affairs: This allows the Attorney(s) to make decisions about and help the Donor in matters relating to their finances and property. Decisions covered could include selling the Donor’s home; operating and managing bank accounts; dealing with the Donor’s incomeand tax affairs. This type of LPA can be used before and after the onset of mental incapacity. • Health & Welfare: This allows the Attorney(s) to make decisions about the Donor in matters relating to their health and care. Decisions covered could include medical and healthcare treatments; where the Donor lives and day to day living such as the Donor’s diet and daily routine. This type of LPA can only be used if the Donor lacks mental capacity to make a decision. Lasting Powers of Attorney must be registered at the Office of the Public Guardian before they can be used. This process takes a few weeks.

STOWMARKET & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have changed the way everybody is working, including the Chamber. This means that for the foreseeable future we will be holding virtual networking meetings via Zoom. So you’ll have to provide your own refreshments on Friday 1 May from 10am to noon, and for breakfast on Friday 15 May, starting at 9am. But we would love to see you! We are also sending out weekly e-newsletters with tips, advice and the latest information for businesses. To sign up for newsletters and receive all the latest info and booking links go to https://stowmarketchamber.co.uk and fill in the form at the foot of the homepage.

As the OPG processes take a few weeks, during these difficult times, I offer clients a General Power of Attorney (which can be used immediately after signing) and not need to wait for the registration process to be completed before they can be used. What will happen if I don’t have an LPA and I am unable to manage my own affairs? A person can only make an LPA if they understand the legal process. If someone is unable to make their own decisions, their family or friends will need to make an application to the Court of Protection for a Deputyship Order. This process is more complicated; time consuming and expensive than making a Lasting Power of Attorney. If you have any questions relating to Lasting Powers of Attorney or Wills, please get in touch. Helen Algar

helen@suffolkwillservices.co.uk 07415 135449 / 01473 808499

WWW.SUFFOLKWILLSERVICES.CO.UK

In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS WOOLPIT AND DISTRICT MUSEUM As the museum is closed at the moment and we are unable to welcome visitors to see our displays, we thought we would give a ‘taster’ via In Touch of some of the things you will be able to see once we are able to reopen.

#SaveLives

CRISIS? BUT WHICH CRISIS? So here we are in the middle of a crisis. But do we actually know which ‘crisis’ we are in the middle of? Sure, there is the health tragedy of (to date) about 11,000 deaths of people of all ages dying unpleasantly of (or with) the COVID-19 virus. These are all very painful individual losses for family and friends, and in no way be belittled. The companion crisis is economic. This has been brewing for a much longer time than the virus crisis. Arguably decades, and given my business interests it is the more worrying of the two crisis.

This photograph, originally a postcard, is of the village centre looking across towards the church. The Woolpit Institute is the building on the corner with two men standing outside and next to it is the cottage which now houses the museum and Teacups. We know the photograph was taken before 1920 as the cottage is faced with Woolpit white bricks and these were removed in 1920 when it was incorporated into the Institute and dedicated to the 25 Woolpit men who gave their lives in the First World War. The upstairs windows were reconfigured at the same time. The Post Office is shown next to the cottage and stayed in this location probably until the early 1930s. It then moved next to Addison’s and is now ‘The Old Post Office’.

NETTLE LIFE AT ORCHARD BARN Springtime young nettles are the best! Yes, when it comes to using nature to enhance our health and enjoying some delicious taste, there’s nothing better than nettle soup. Just pick the tips of the nettles and add stock/vegetables and simmer until all are tender; anything goes. Drinking nettle tea is another fabulous way to partake – recommended max of four cups per day. Just steep the leaves in hot water, drain and drink. What other ways might you think to use nettles? At Orchard Barn we have lots of nettles and if they don’t end up in our soups or tea, they certainly help nourish our compost heaps. Sarah makes nettle liquid feed for the plants at OBee by steeping nettles in rainwater for thelonger-the-better, then draining the content to produce the liquid. Urtica Dioica (stinging nettles) literally means ‘to burn’, and haven’t we all been stung by a nettle at some point? To which we grab a nearby dock leaf and rub like mad over the sting. Once cooked, however, they are safe to devour.

This crisis, in my opinion, is one of bad money and bad government. Essentially we have been mortgaging our future for our comfort today. All Governments in all nations that are generally considered developed have, since certainly 1945 or thereabouts, been welded to a sort of punk Keynesian economic policy settlement which encourages credit expansion and consumption over thrift and production, all financed by gigantic quantities of Government and other debt (of course there is no such thing as ‘Government debt’ – it is our debt – the tax payers debt), and monetary expansion. For various reasons we have got away with these bad policies for some time. Maybe until now. The forces of economics are unavoidable and bad policies will eventually fail. Most often the failure is triggered by some unforeseen event. An event that triggers a return to reality. Bad banking (including very bad central banking and financial regulatory bureaucracy) failed in 2008 and we have been kicking the can down the road since then. There has been no meaningful banking reform and government debt, certain classes of private debt and money have continued to expand, but it will not, cannot, do so for ever. Economics will not allow it, and as I said most commonly an event triggers the end game. Is the COVID-19 pandemic this event? Our core business is advising on and administering client investment and pension portfolios. Do not let any ‘expert’ tell you that this activity requires at least one degree in the science of rocketry. It does not. What it does require are common sense and a very cynical world view. It’s not hugely difficult to provide a successful client investment experience. But what we - no one - can defend you from is ongoing Government and bureaucratic failure and their universal companion, the failure of bad money. There are things that can be done to mitigate those third party failures and we have had some modest success. So, if you would like a no obligation, no holds barred chat please feel free to contact us; on Zoom, by email – advice@wfw.co.uk, and telephone 01473 231644 or if you call us first we can arrange Facetime or WhatsApp video calls. Our office is manned daily and our staff are working remotely.

What do nettles offer? They contain nutrients for a start – A, B, C and K. They contain minerals – calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorous and sodium. And they contain fats, amino acids, polyphenols, and pigments like beta-carotene and carotenoids. So, what are the benefits of these fiery plants? They may treat hay fever, may lower blood pressure by shedding excess salt, may aide blood sugar control, may protect your liver against toxins, and they may support wound/burn healing by applying a nettle cream (note I say ‘may’). You do need to look out for potential side effects which come from handling nettles. You could inject yourself with histamine, serotonin or formic acid from the ‘hair’ of the nettle. These can cause rashes, hives or itchiness. (NB: pregnant women should avoid eating nettles as they may stimulate contractions.) Always speak with your doctor if you are on medication before partaking of nettle glory. Of course any ideas in this article on the benefits of nettles are taken at your own risk!

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

BUSINESSES URGED TO ACCESS FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE Businesses in Babergh and Mid Suffolk are being urged to find out what financial support is available to them as well as seeking advice and guidance in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the government has announced a package of measures to help small and large businesses as well as the selfemployed who have been impacted by COVID-19. The full range of financial packages and support measures can be found on the government’s business support website which includes FAQs and links to wider business support. There are also specialist funding opportunities available for organisations and individuals including from the Arts Council and Sport England. Coronavirus Financial Support Both large and small businesses and the self-employed can access a range of support measures to help them through these unprecedented times caused by COVID-19. These schemes include: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Business Rate Holiday for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Cash Grant for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Small Business Grant Funding Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Support for Businesses Paying Tax COVID-19 Corporate Financing Facility Business Rates Holiday for Nurseries VAT Deferral Deferral of Self-Assessment Payment

More information about who is eligible, how to apply and when the support schemes are open for applications is available at: www.businesssupport.gov. uk/coronavirus-business-support Business Advice and FAQs The government has created a series of FAQs for businesses impacted by COVID-19. These are broken down into three main areas: • General Business Issues • Business Closures and Stay at Home Guidance • Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS)

In Babergh and Mid Suffolk, there is help and guidance available from trained advisers at the New Anglia Growth Hub: www.newangliagrowthhub.co.uk More information about the range of business support available can be found at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-advice For businesses looking for opportunities to innovate within their business, the government has outlined the support and grants available to help businesses grow, strengthen leadership and talent and adopt new technologies. Find out more on the Wider Business Support website: www.businesssupport.gov.uk/wider-business-support-from-government Small Business Grant Funding This week many small business owners will be receiving letters from Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils about how to access the COVID-19 Business Grant Fund. This is a cash grant of either £10,000 or £25,000 for businesses who are eligible for Small Business Rate Relief as well as businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. Eligible businesses will be asked to submit their details through an online form for the grant to be processed. More information can be found on our COVID-19 Business Grant Fund webpage: www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/business/business-rates/grant-funding-schemes Arts Council: Emergency Response Package The Arts Council is making £160m of funding available for both organisations and individuals during the coronavirus crisis. This is available to organisations who already receive Arts Council funding as well as those who are outside the regular funding streams. Freelancers and individuals can also apply for financial support. More information is available at: www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19 Sport England: COVID-19 funding To help Sport England’s partners, clubs and community organisations cope with the short and long-term impact of the pandemic, an emergency fund of £195m has been made available to help organisations get through the crisis as well as for the recovery of sport and physical activity in the longer term. More information is available on the Sport England website: www.sportengland.org/news/195-million-package-help-sport-and-physicalactivity-through-coronavirus For more information about Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils’ response to COVID-19, please visit: www.babergh.gov.uk / www.midsuffolk.gov.uk

In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

HENLEY PRE-SCHOOL Even though Henley Pre-School is currently closed to Coronavirus (COVID-19) we are providing lots of activities and ideas to support parents via their child’s online journal which is called Tapestry. It has been so well supported; we love seeing all of the things you have been doing and hope you are enjoying the activities as well. Staff are also keeping busy doing online courses so we are upskilled and ready for when we will be able to open. If anyone would like more ideas of things to do with your children, you can also go to our Facebook page. We are a small, rural and friendly setting based at Henley Community Centre. We pride ourselves on having a high ratio of staff to children and therefore providing maximum care and learning for the children. All staff are highly trained and continue with regular training to build their knowledge further. We provide an extensive range of resources and activities to suit all ages and abilities, ensuring all levels of development and play within the EYFS are explored. We have a waiting list for September so please fill an application form

and return it via email as soon as possible so we can accommodate the sessions you require. Applications for September can be downloaded from our website or you can email the pre-school for further information. Please feel welcome to visit the pre-school during opening hours so you can see the children play. We accept eligible 30-hour funded children (the codes must be in place the term before they are needed) and also Tax Free Childcare. Children can join us from the age of two and we accept government funded and fee paying children. We are open term time only from 9am to 3pm. We have a well-supported Facebook page that provides lots of information and you can see what the children have been doing. It is also another way to contact the setting directly. For further information please call 07979 468467 or email manager, Bridget Wyatt at: enquiries@henleypreschool.com Bridget, Sarah and Kerry

NEEDHAM MARKET BOWLS CLUB Because of Coronavirus this is not the article I thought I would be writing.

SPECIALISTS IN THE BUSINESS FOR OVER 40 YEARS One of the things in life people value the most is having a roof over their head, and here at Next Generation Roofing we never underestimate the need that people have to feel safe and protected. This is why we put so much hard work into ensuring that we provide the most comprehensive roofing services Ipswich wide, as well as the surrounding areas of Bury St Edmunds and Colchester. As a team of expert roofers, we only use the best quality materials in our work, but it isn’t only this that gives us such as excellent reputation, it’s our work ethic. No matter what amount of work is needed, we approach every job with the same care and attention to detail. All of our work is completed to the highest standard and we know that you’ll be happy with the result.

As most of you are aware, the indoor season at the Meadlands was cut short and the Stowmarket League have cancelled all league and cup matches. If you have paid your 2020 membership fee the options are to apply for a refund or take them forward for 2021. The green is looking really good and the new grass is growing nicely round the raised edges. It is being cut weekly to its winter length and will be ready for bowling when we are given the official all clear and the green team have completed all the preparation work which is being delayed by the virus. A newsletter will be circulated when the green is ready for rollups. When we are given official permission to resume bowling we hope there will be time to run the club competitions, triples, pairs and singles and hopefully arrange friendlies against other clubs. We would also like to arrange as many social events as possible in whatever timeframe we are given. To any of our bowlers who want to stay in touch with fellow members, there is now a NMBC WhatsApp group. Phone Alistair Bailie for details. In the meantime the message to all our bowlers and to the bowlers at all the clubs is STAY SAFE and we will see you sometime this summer. Anyone wishing to discuss any aspect of NMBC can contact either Alistair Bailie on 01449 720759 or Pat Hadden on 01473 831308.

We quote for each job individually, based on your requirements, and offer a wide range of roofing products and services from minor repairs to replacements. We know that roofing doesn’t just stop at the actual roof, which is why we can provide fascias and guttering as well, all of the best quality, and we can help you chose something that will match the rest of your home. Here at Next Generation Roofing Specialists our team of roofers are proud of our strong reputation for quality and reliable roofing services and take our work as seriously as you take your home. We enjoy seeing our work finished to a high standard and look forward to your call. Find out more by visiting: www.nextgeneration-roofing.co.uk Suffolk Office: 01473 833446 / Essex Office: 01206 827454 Mobile: 07896 787424 / enquiries@nextgeneration-roofing.co.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

NEEDHAM MARKET EVANGELICAL CHURCH

CHRISTCHURCH, NEEDHAM MARKET Two words keep cropping up as I journey through these days of isolation. One is ‘structure’ and the other is ‘resourceful’. Let me explain… Our Methodist Minister, Rev Rita Carr, has been sending out a Sunday service to all members of our congregation both by email and by post. A huge task to undertake and we are very grateful for this while we are unable to meet together in church. One of Rita’s accompanying emails explained how she tried to find a pattern for her day, rather like a timetable. She divided her day into three parts – one part for church related work, one for household jobs and one for herself, doing something she specifically enjoys. That seemed like an excellent idea because, with all this extra time many of us have now, it would be very easy to drift along and get nothing done. A structured day can help us achieve. My daughter is home schooling her five year old son and insists that, on weekdays, they get up and dressed as they would on a school day and the day is divided into different aspects of school work with time for exercise and creative play. Snack time, playtime and lunch time are roughly how they would be on a school day. Tasks need to be completed before starting something else. They are both enjoying working and playing within this framework. Structure like this can help us to have a purposeful and enjoyable day. I am learning to be resourceful. I’m not always able to get what I want when I shop for food so I have to adapt some of the meals I was going to cook. This has been quite an adventure and I have been surprised at some of my tasty inventions! It isn’t just with food either; we are learning to do a lot of things differently because of the unusual situation we are in. Most of all it has been great to read about resourceful people and businesses who can adapt what they usually do in order to make masks and scrubs and even parts for breathing apparatus so much in demand by the NHS. Resourceful restaurant owners are changing to delivering meals to the vulnerable, nurseries are taking orders and delivering plants so that they don’t all go to waste… and so many more examples of people being resourceful, kind and helpful. It should give us hope for the future to see so many good things coming out of a very frightening situation. www.christchurchneedhammarket.co.uk

#SaveLives

A THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH For generations, we in the British Isles have increasingly turned our backs on God and ignored his words to us. For evidence, we only have to think of the steep decline in church attendance and the rise in legislation having come, and still coming, onto the Statute Book which is clearly contrary to the revealed will of God for his creation. It is testimony to the longsuffering of God that he does not give up on us as easily as we give up on him. When we refuse to listen to his words, he “speaks” through providence. Thus we now find ourselves in a time of great uncertainty, distress, and perhaps fear. Nevertheless, there is comfort and hope to be found in God, but only on his terms. He commands all people everywhere to repent. The response of all people begins with me and with you. Who of us will take any notice? Peter Kinley REGULAR MEETINGS In view of the coronavirus pandemic, we regret that all services and meetings normally held in our meeting place in Ipswich Road are cancelled until further notice. However, our Sunday Services and Tuesday Prayer Meetings can be accessed by means of modern technology at the usual times of 10.30am and 6.30pm on Sundays and 7pm on Tuesdays. For those with access to the internet, please go to: www.needhamchurch.org.uk On the home page you will see this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6780273322 Please click on the link a few minutes before the start time of the meeting you wish to join and you should be connected. For those without internet, you can still listen to the services on your telephone. Dial 0330 088 5830. You will hear a recorded message asking you to enter a meeting ID which is 678 027 3322. Then press the hash key on your phone (#). You will then be asked to enter a participant code, but you don’t need to do this. Just press the hash key again (#). You should then be connected to the meeting. If you have a ‘speaker key’ on your phone, you can press this so that you don’t have to hold the phone to your ear throughout the service. For further information, please contact Peter: 01394 271645 / 07570 558072 / peterkinley60@gmail.com www.needhamchurch.org.uk

In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD THING DOWN! What do you do when the one thing you promote, the one thing you live for, disappears overnight?

between friends watching the performance and using messaging apps. I even had someone drink a virtual pint I’d left unattended.”

The team at Grapevine magazine live for live music, theatre and dance. When we all went into lockdown, not only did our raison d’être vanish, but along with it the livelihood of the musicians, lighting engineers, sound engineers, roadies, front of house staff, box office assistants and ushers, not to mention the future of the venues themselves.

More organised musicians have arranged regular slots to ensure a regular audience. Some are even doing online collaborations with their fellow band members. Some decide to go online when the mood takes them, which makes it a little difficult to add to a forward looking calendar. How these gigs make it to the internet varies depending on the tools available and the strength of the broadband link but some are available to watch afterwards so you can catch up.

Generally speaking musicians are tech savvy – you’d be surprised how many sound engineers moonlight as web designers. It wasn’t long before they invented the virtual gig, and Grapevine became the home of the Virtual Gig Guide. In no way are these virtual gigs a substitute for the real thing but they help us keep in touch with the artists we would normally see each weekend. Such is the abundance of these live virtual gigs that choosing who to watch and when is bordering on an art form. Grapevine’s Tony Bell says: “It became very obvious that everyone wanted to gig at 8pm on Saturday night so I’ve advised performers to spread their gigs out if they want to get seen. What I found particularly surreal at one gig, which was ‘attended’ by many friends, was the banter that took place

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

Musicians all across the country have been spring cleaning their living rooms, kitchens and sheds so that their homes look neat and tidy when you tune in. Although one musician, who will remain nameless, broadcast from his loo… perhaps he was after the reverb effect from the tiling. Who knows! Ingenious as we humans are, none of what we are doing in the virtual world can hold a candle to a live gig. We can’t do that so for now check out GrapevineLIVE, the home of The Virtual Gig Guide. www.grapevinelive.co.uk/virtual-gig-guide

#LoveNHS #ColourForOurCarers @milliemarotta 16

Â© Millie Marotta Ltd In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

LOVE NHS INITIATIVE FROM BESTSELLING UNLIMITED TITLES AVAILABLE FOR ILLUSTRATOR MILLIE MAROTTA VIRTUAL BOOK GROUPS Suffolk Libraries is promoting its collections of unlimited use eBooks which would be ideal for anyone thinking of setting up virtual book groups. Most library eBooks work like physical books in that individual copies can only be borrowed one at a time. Suffolk Libraries now has two new collections of 25 eBook titles with unlimited copies available for loan via the Overdrive service. This means they can be borrowed by anyone with no waiting times and are ideal for book groups. There is a collection for adults and one for children and young adults. Photo by Gareth Davies Photography

Bestselling colouring book illustrator Millie Marotta, author of Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom, has launched an initiative to get the nation colouring in to show appreciation for our NHS. Colouring has surged in popularity in recent years and many health professionals and organisations, including the NHS, have promoted colouring as a way to beat stress and anxiety. In this time of crisis, many of us are feeling anxious. The Love NHS initiative offers a way to de-stress through the mindful activity of colouring in while celebrating our heroes working in the National Health Service. Millie has kindly allowed us to provide the Love NHS illustration here but it’s also available as a download that can be printed at home: bit.ly/mmlovenhs Once coloured, the illustration can be posted on social media, put up in the window, used as a flag or be sent to a loved one. Millie Marotta is a freelance illustrator working in her studio by the sea in a little corner of West Wales.

The adult collection includes a Tale for the Time being by Ruth Ozeki, How not to Be a Boy by Robert Webb and Life of Pi by Yann Martel. The collection for younger readers includes The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson, A Dog’s Life by Ann M Martin and It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is also currently available as an unlimited eBook and eAudiobook and there is also a collection of eBook classics with multiple copies available. There are also some unlimited use eAudiobooks available via the Borrowbox service. These include Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald and Wed Wabbit by Lissa Evans. Some of our libraries are already setting up their own online book groups or discussions via their Facebook pages. The Reading Agency also provides lots of tips and information for anyone of thinking of setting up their own: www. readingagency.org.uk/resources/4327

A pioneer in the global colouring movement, Millie had been an illustrator long before she inked her first book. Millie’s intricate illustrations are inspired by a love of wildlife and fascination with the natural world. In 2015, Millie’s debut title Animal Kingdom (published by Batsford) spent a record 22 weeks as the official paperback non-fiction No.1. Since then she has published several colouring books and stationery products, which have been translated into over 30 languages. #LoveNHS

#ColourForOurCarers

@milliemarotta

IMAGINE THAT BOOK DROP Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity are thrilled to announce that Imagine That, a leading independent children’s publisher based in Woodbridge, have chosen us as their 2020 charity of the year. They are specifically fundraising for The Children’s Appeal at Ipswich Hospital. Their programme of events for the year include book drops, wear yellow to work day and, when safe to do so, they will continue storytelling on the wards and have a bucket collection at Ipswich Town Football Club. Recently the children’s department received many boxes of books for children of all ages who are isolating on the ward to read and enjoy.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

HOME, BUT NOT ALONE A new Suffolk-focused community service has been set up to support people who need help during the COVID-19 pandemic. Called Home, But Not Alone, the service has been launched to help connect people who want to volunteer in their communities with neighbours who are most in need.

AN UPDATE FROM EAST ANGLIA’S CHILDREN’S HOSPICES (EACH) As of Tuesday 7 April What we are all facing is unprecedented. We know this is a very challenging and uncertain time for everyone. For EACH the financial impact is overwhelming. With our shops closed and the vast majority of our supporters’ fundraising activities and our own events cancelled or postponed, our loss of income is expected to be around £1,800,000 in any 12-week block. At the time of writing, we are hopeful there will be additional funding support from the government, but this alone will not be enough and we will still need help to bridge our income gap. It is essential we all work together to slow down the spread of the coronavirus and shield the most vulnerable, which includes the children and young people who use our services. This has meant we have suspended our planned care activities in the hospices, such as short breaks and wellbeing therapies, wellbeing groups and events, face-to-face counselling, care of the child’s body after they have died as well as our Help at Home volunteering service. At the moment our focus is on providing end-of-life care and bereavement support, working closely with the NHS to provide capacity to care for the sickest children and responding to urgent requests for care and support as best we can. However, we need to be able to start offering our services in full as soon as it is safe to do so. We need the help of the public to make that happen. We are not alone. Nearly every children’s hospice in the UK is in the same position. Unlike hospitals, we all rely on the generosity of our donors to fund our services. Last year just 13 percent of our income came from statutory sources. Some good news we have had during this period is that all three of our hospices were rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission following inspections in January. We are only able to provide outstanding care because of outstanding backing from the public and we are calling on our supporters to continue helping us where they can.

The service will mean willing volunteers, charities, town and parish councils, community and religious groups can all log their details and offers of support on an app, while people who need help can phone to request support. As the number of offers and requests grows, they will be matched so that the right help can be given where it’s most needed. This support could include delivering groceries, medication or essential household goods, in line with government social distancing guidelines. Download the free app, called Tribe Volunteer, from Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The telephone number for those in genuine need of help is Freephone 0800 876 6926 and will be staffed from 9am to 5pm, seven days a week. The Home, But Not Alone service was created by partners from Suffolk’s councils, police, health bodies and charitable organisations which come together as the Collaborative Communities Board. Chrissie Geeson, the board chair, said: “In these challenging times, it has been incredibly heartening to have so many people volunteer to help others. In villages and towns across Suffolk, people have taken it upon themselves to mobilise a small army of volunteers to do what they can for people in need. “The support service will encompass this work but will bring structure and routine to these offers of help. This is just the start of this new service, so we expect the number of offers and requests to grow. People who want to help, or need help, should let us know and we will do the rest. “It is testament to the hard work of all Suffolk organisations and sectors that we are able to offer this invaluable help.” The telephone line is not a general information line for COVID-19 queries, but those in need can seek information on support with care needs, loneliness and to connect with community support. This is a new service and will adapte to demand over the coming weeks. People are still being urged to check www.gov.uk for the latest guidance on a wide range of issues and changes caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

We were delighted our emergency fundraising appeal received over £40,000 in the first six days. It has been heart-warming to see what people have been doing to help us at a time of such great challenge and difficulty for all, and we have been really impressed with people’s creativity to get fundraising activities done at home. Examples include a family riding from Land’s End to John o’ Groats on a cycling machine, a brother and sister running a marathon in their garden and a couple growing sunflowers for 12 weeks. Together we can make sure that vital care and support is still available for the children, young people and their families who need us, during and beyond this challenging and uncertain time. You can support us now by donating to our emergency appeal at: www. justgiving.com/campaign/each-covid19 Or visit www.each.org.uk/get-involved for more ideas about how to do your own fundraising. Our fundraising teams are working hard from home and would love to hear from you. Thank you.

In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

DEMENTIA TOGETHER FREE HELPLINE: 08081 688 000 The helpline will continue to be available seven days a week for continuous support throughout this difficult time. Dementia Together Navigators will also be able to complete a detailed assessment over the phone offering support, education and a listening ear to you throughout this difficult time.

Dementia Together was commissioned in 2017 by both Suffolk County Council and the East and West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Groups. The service was set up as a single point of contact for people living with dementia and their families. The service aims to ensure that people receive the right information and support at the right time. People do not need to have a diagnosis to access the service. Anyone concerned about their memory or their relatives, friends or neighbours can contact the Dementia Together helpline. The helpline operates Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and also weekends and bank holidays from 10am to 4pm. Dementia Together is continuing to offer as full a service as possible at this very difficult time. The helpline remains operational seven days a week from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. The service also consists of navigators who work in communities across Suffolk. During normal service navigators visit people in their own homes and help them to access support in their local communities. During the coronavirus crisis home visits are no longer taking place. Navigators are working from home and telephone and/or online video calls are offered instead. Navigators continue to keep in contact with service users, providing information and offering extensive emotional support at this time. Service users are being linked to local community networks which are offering help with shopping, collecting prescriptions and welfare calls. The current lockdown is having a huge impact on people living with dementia and their family carers. Community groups and day services which had provided an invaluable lifeline are now closed. The helpline is also receiving lots of calls from families who live far away and are concerned about elderly relatives. Dementia Together will continue to deliver as much support as possible to people living with dementia and their families throughout this time of unprecedented crisis. There are very particular difficulties that are being experienced by people living with dementia and their families at this time. For example, people living with dementia may not be able to retain new information and thus forget they have been told that we are in the midst of this crisis. Constantly trying to explain the current situation to someone living with dementia can cause stress not only for the person living with dementia, but also their family carers. Service users are encouraged to take steps to look after their own health and well-being at this time. Keeping in contact with friends and families

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

through telephone, FaceTime or Skype is important. Many calls into the Dementia Together helpline are for information on ways in which families can ensure that the person living with dementia is kept active mentally stimulated. The Dementia Together helpline and navigators are giving lots of information on meaningful and creative activities such as reminiscence, music, dance, exercise, games, baking and many other activities that people can try. Watching films together can help too and trying to maintain a routine can be reassuring for someone living with dementia. Current government guidelines are that people can go out for one walk a day as long as they keep a safe distance from others. Great for those fortunate to live in the countryside, however even in towns people can still get out into their gardens, perhaps for a walk around the garden, gardening, planting seeds, bird watching or simply enjoying the outdoors. We had a caller into the helpline who the navigator talked to as they were having a picnic in their garden summerhouse. The helpline have lots of information and ideas about activities that people can try at home. Age is the biggest risk factor for dementia, however many younger people under 65 also develop dementia. In Suffolk we have a Younger Person’s Dementia Network specifically for people under 65 and their families. This group normally meets around the county monthly on Sundays. Up until recently they have enjoyed taking part in various activities including foot golf, ceramic painting, visits to Museum of East Anglian Life and a visit from Bert’s Amazing Creatures. New and innovative and fun ways are being sought to continue with the network. Members will be taking part in a quiz through zoom. For further information and support please contact the Dementia Together helpline on 08081 688 000 or email: SRYC.DementiaTogether@ nhs.net USEFUL LINKS Pathways Care Farm: https://tinyurl.com/rzcmsg3 BBC Reminiscence: https://tinyurl.com/s53xdgt Bird Watching: https://tinyurl.com/qr3bazv Exercises to do at home: https://tinyurl.com/vwqgf6x https://tinyurl.com/tmw87k8 Music in Our Bones: https://tinyurl.com/u3tj9kg Lead Navigator Judith Goldsmith

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

HELPFUL LINKS FOR FAMILIES AND VOLUNTEERS The team at Home-Start in Suffolk are dedicated to supporting the families and volunteers they work with and alongside other local charities working across the county they have been looking at a variety of ways to help us all navigate through this difficult and uncertain time following the outbreak of COVID-19. This is just a small selection of their ideas, including ways to stay in touch and prevent loneliness, ideas to help you stay calm, educational links for children, creative ideas for keeping occupied, ways to keep fit whilst in isolation, simple recipes and much more. You’ll find much at www.homestartinsuffolk.org/supportforfamilies which is updated daily. COMMUNICATION Physical social distancing during COVID-19 is recommended but we all need human contact and here are some ways we can work together to support each other – preventing your family, friends, neighbours and communities feeling the effects of loneliness and total isolation from human interaction. Whether you are tech savvy or not communication is key. From a simple telephone conversation to a video chat we can all stay in touch to avoid that feeling of being alone and isolated. It’s Good To Talk You could post notes through to your neighbours. You may have spoken to each other over years or acknowledged each other in passing but telephone number exchange may not have been a priority at the time. Here’s a sample postcard you could use that several charities are sharing at the moment to exchange contact numbers.

Hello!

If you are self-isolating, I can help.

My name is I live locally at

Facebook Messenger also has the facility for you to video call your friends and family. You’ll even find instructional videos on YouTube. Write a letter! Try writing letters or sending handmade cards. Those family members you cannot see or visit will be delighted to receive a special note from you. ACTIVITIES FOR YOU Look out for fun ways to get together with other people and do things, you could even start something yourself. It could be as simple as starting a book club with a handful of neighbours which meets online or over the phone (there are free online resources available: Project Gutenberg has a library of over 60,000 free eBooks, Kindle have an app you can use on any device and there are a few free titles available along with the option of Kindle Unlimited giving you access to 1000s of titles for a monthly fee. Audible offers a free 30-day trial for audio-books and have a variety of titles available for free including some children’s books too), join a singing group or take exercise classes online that are being organised for free. Learn a new skill and complete an online course There are a huge number of free online courses that you could take on the Open University, a great way to broaden your horizons and keep busy during your time at home. Why not take up a new hobby? Try your hand at something new… knitting, art, photography, sign language, learn a new language… Search the internet if you have something in mind. There are many options available. HEALTH AND WELLBEING Keep fit and active indoors even though the gym is closed or your walking or running group has had to suspend activities. If you have a Smart TV and Broadband you can access apps on there to practise a new daily exercise. How about a form of yoga that suits you? Think about ways to keep fit during isolation. Try the home fitness workout videos from NHS Fitness Studio: www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio

My phone number is If you are self-isolating due to COVID-19 I can help with: Picking up shopping

Posting mail

A friendly phone call

Urgent supplies

Just call or text me and I’ll do my best to help you (for free!) Coronavirus is contagious. Please take every precaution to ensure you are spreading only kindness. Avoid physical contact (2m distance). Wash your hands regularly. Items should be left on your doorstep. # V i r a l K i n d n e s s

Sharing Information Consider setting up a community or friends phone tree to communicate via landline. Coordinate phone treeself-isolating, which includes a handful of your friends If ayou are I can help. and neighbours. These are a useful way of passing messages around small social networks but could be vital social contact for those stuck at home in My name is the weeks ahead.

Hello!

I live locally at A 10-minute check-in or friendly chat can make all the difference to help people feel less isolated. You’ll find a downloadable version here: My phone number is https://tinyurl.com/tqmh6fb If you are self-isolating due to COVID-19 I can help with: Virtual Visiting If you love the idea of video calls there are a number Picking up shopping Posting mail of options available to you for this, the easiest being WhatsApp. A free app you can use on your A friendly phone call to your Wi-FiUrgent supplies mobile phone which connects or mobile data to communicate. Alternatively you could use ZOOM, there are a number offree!) options available Just call or text me and I’ll do my best to help you (for including FaceTime and Skype and a new app called HouseParty which allows you to group chat andPlease play games together too. to ensure you are Coronavirus is contagious. take every precaution spreading only kindness. Avoid physical contact (2m distance). Wash your

20 hands regularly. Items should be left on your doorstep.

#ViralKindness

Take your pick from 24 instructor-led videos across aerobics exercise, strength and resistance, and Pilates and yoga categories. The Body Coach Joe Wicks has been hosting daily PE classes for children but adults can join in too! Check out his YouTube channel. Alternatively there are number of fitness videos online that can accessed through social media, YouTube and other online services. Tips on staying calm Stress and anxiety can stop the immune system from working so well, meaning we are more susceptible to catching any bugs or viruses, so it is essential now to be doing as much as possible to release stress. By remaining calm, we are more able to respond to developing situations more objectively rather than getting lost in a spiral of panic, fear and catastrophising thoughts. Helen Wyre of Advance Hypnotherapy has uploaded some helpful videos to her Facebook page: Helen Wyer Advance Hypnotherapy The 30 day Coping Calendar on page 21 suggests 30 actions to look after ourselves as we face this global crisis together. Action for Happiness helps people take action for a happier and more caring world and their website offers ideas for taking care of ourselves and others: www.actionforhappiness.org Self-isolation posters could be useful to display to potential visitors and couriers of how exposure to Covid-19 could be detrimental to your health, and advising where to leave deliveries at your property. Chronically Awesome Tribe has produced a set of free downloads which you can access at: www.chronicallyawesome.org.uk

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

SMALL BUSINESSES IN SUFFOLK URGED TO ACCESS £200M POT OF COVID-19 AID Eligible businesses across Suffolk are being urged to access grants of £10,000 or £25,000 to help them through COVID-19 crisis. The government has allocated over £213m to support qualifying businesses in Suffolk who are struggling because of restrictions in place to combat the Coronavirus. There are over 15,000 eligible businesses across the county who can access one of two grants of either £10,000 or £25,000 to help with their ongoing business costs. The Small Business Grant Fund is available to businesses that pay little or no business rates and currently receive small business rate relief (SBRR) and/or rural rate relief (RRR). In addition, there is a cash grant available to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses that have a property with a rateable value up to £51,000. Businesses who meet the eligibility criteria are being contacted by their local authority to confirm eligibility and payment details and staff are working to get this information out to firms as quickly as they can. Businesses must follow the process outlined by their Local Authority for the payment to be made. Business owners who have not yet been contacted and believe they are eligible for either of the grants should check their local council’s website for further details. The grants will be administered by local authorities; Babergh District Council, East Suffolk Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Mid Suffolk

District Council and West Suffolk Council. Karen Chapman, from the Suffolk Growth Board representing all local authorities, commented; “The Small Business Grant Fund and Cash Grant for retail, leisure and hospitality businesses could provide an important lifeline during these unprecedented times. We urge all eligible businesses to take advantage of the financial support, advice and guidance that is available during this difficult period.” Further information, on these two grants and all support available for businesses and the self-employed can be found on the Government business support website: www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirusbusiness-support To contact your local council please visit: Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils: www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/business/business-rates/grant-funding-schemes East Suffolk Council: www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/business/covid-19-business-grant-funding Ipswich Borough Council: www.ipswich.gov.uk/businessratesgrant West Suffolk Council: www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/c19business Additional support is available at from trained advisers at the New Anglia Growth Hub: www.newangliagrowthhub.co.uk

DON'T QUIT

by John Greenleaf Whittier When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all up hill, When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don't you quit. Life is strange with its twists and turns As every one of us sometimes learns And many a failure comes about When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don't give up though the pace seems slow You may succeed with another blow. Success is failure turned inside out The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell just how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far; So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

RADIO TIMES

A short story by Derek Curry “Fantastic,” Ginger said, staring enviously at my radio, “can I hold it?” I held it tighter against my chest. “No you can’t,” I said, “you’ll only drop it, or move the dial and lose the station.” “No I won’t,” he insisted. “Go on, I just want a closer look. Is it brand new?” “Of course it’s new.” I sighed and handed my beloved radio over as if it were a precious jewel - which of course it was, to me. Prostate Cancer Awareness & Screening With Coronavirus swirling about us, all of a sudden there is an opportunity forced upon us to stop and think about what CHAPS has been doing and what the charity should be doing when this crisis abates. Over the last few years CHAPS has continued to stage men’s health events across Essex and Suffolk, screening particularly for undiagnosed heart disease, diabetes, aortic aneurysms, skin cancer and prostate cancer (PCa). We always detect unsuspected disease and our efforts are much appreciated by our attendees. CHAPS could of course carry on exactly the same once things return to normal but would this still represent the best use of our resources? We think not. The area of clinical activity that has increased most for the charity has been screening for prostate cancer. This increase has been seen by other charities working in the same field and most likely reflects publicity given to stars such as Messrs Fry, Turnbull, and Stewart reporting their personal experiences, together with reports on the increasing prevalence of the disease – over 12,000 UK PCa deaths per year which now exceeds deaths from breast cancer. Consequently we are running bespoke PCa screening events for an increasing number of organisations such as the Freemasons, Rotary and the Lions as well as major commercial infrastructure companies right across the UK. Whilst increased publicity is certainly helpful, there remains an alarming lack of knowledge amongst many, if not most, UK men about their prostate gland in general and awareness of PCa in particular. This is compounded by lack of a medical consensus on screening and only patchy provision of the simple PSA screening blood test by GPs. In many other western counties evidence built up over the last 30 years is now clearly demonstrating the benefit of properly organised PCa screening programmes that can halve a man’s risk of dying from this most unpleasant cancer. A consensus of international experts recommends that all men should start screening with PSA in their 40s especially men at high risk. These are: Men in their 40s with an initial PSA >1.0ng/ml or in their 50’s with a PSA > 2.0ng/ml. Black men or mixed race men of African or Caribbean descent who carry a one in four lifetime risk of developing PCa. Men with a family history of PCa or breast cancer on the mother’s side where the risk rises rapidly with every affected family member.

Ginger slipped it into his shirt pocket, trying it for size. “So how do you turn it on then?” he asked, pulling it back out and fiddling with the dial. “That’s it,” I said furiously, “now you’ve lost the station.” I snatched it back. “It took me nearly two months to save up for it and you treat it like a toy! It’s a Dansette RT66 for goodness sake, not some Hong Kong rubbish.” We glared at each other but I couldn’t stay angry with Ginger for long. We’d been friends since our secondary school days and now, in 1962, we were teenagers and, at sixteen, we’d been holding down jobs for nearly a year. “Look,” I said, “this is the on/off switch and volume, and this,” I turned the larger dial carefully until a voice sounded from the little speaker, “is where you tune it in.” But something wasn’t quite right. It was only four o’clock and Alan Freeman should have been introducing Pick of the Pops after Movie Go-Round had ended, like on every Sunday. I was looking forward to listening to Ray Charles singing I Can’t Stop Loving You again. What was coming out of the radio was some sort of news, which shouldn’t have been on until ten thirty. And the news didn’t sound right either; it was normally read by some posh man, but the voice was a woman’s and she didn’t sound particularly posh, just sort of normal. Ginger and I glanced at each other in puzzlement and concentrated on what was being said: “Here is a summary of the news on Sunday June the 14th 2020. The Health Secretary announced earlier today that there would be a further easing of the self-isolating restrictions next week. In his statement he thanked the public for following government guidelines and staying at least two metres from other people for the last several weeks, saying that the self-discipline exhibited by U.K. citizens was what was defeating Covid-19, but that the discipline must continue. “With the end of panic buying, retail outlets are now able to open at preCoronavirus times, with the usual restrictions on supermarkets’ Sunday opening. It is anticipated that there will continue to be a high demand for ‘click and collect’ in the future. “The government expects continuing flare ups of the epidemic in some regions of the U.K., but the Health Secretary has assured the public that the NHS is ready and able to cope with any further emergencies while work on a vaccine continues.”

Remember, the NHS’s Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme entitles men over 50 to a PSA test. All GPs have been sent the programme so don’t be put off; it is your entitlement. Early detection of PCa leads almost always to cure whereas late detection once the cancer has spread ends eventually in death. Currently 51 percent of UK men diagnosed with PCa are diagnosed with advanced disease and in nearly one in five it has already spread widely to other parts of the body.

The radio reception was fading so I turned the Dansette in various directions to try to improve it. As the volume dropped I turned it up and made tiny changes to the tuning but eventually the woman’s voice evaporated completely into the rushing sound of static.

The future role of CHAPS Charity will be determined by where we judge the greatest need to be. At present it is to achieve a substantial reduction in our unacceptable death rate from prostate cancer.

“I dunno,” I said. “Perhaps it was some sort of radio play. Anyway, it didn’t make any sense. What’s ‘self-isolating’ and who is Covid-19 when he’s at home? Perhaps it’s science fiction like in The Eagle or a Captain Marvel film.”

Whilst future screening events are postponed due to Coronavirus, keep in touch via our website or contact us directly by email to info@chaps.uk.com or phone 07873 541505, particularly if you would like more information on prostate cancer.

“Nah,” Ginger said, “I reckon there’s something wrong with that cheap old radio you bought.”

www.chaps.uk.com

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

One more small adjustment and suddenly there was Alan Freeman introducing Pick of the Pops. “What was that all about?” Ginger demanded.

I punched him playfully on the arm. “Jealously will get you no-where,” I said. “Come on, never mind Coronavirus, let’s go and see if my mum’s got any Corona Dandelion and Burdock pop in the cupboard.”

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

FIVE KEY AREAS FOR YOUR BUSINESS TO FOCUS ON RIGHT NOW TO SURVIVE THE CRISIS? These are unprecedented times and things are changing quickly with a lot of people suffering. One thing’s for sure, there will be an end to this. As part of the ActionCOACH community I am in contact with 1300 Business Coaches globally and 220 in the UK. Which allows us to help businesses with the best strategies quickly. For a fuller list of the steps your business needs to take now register for one of our webinars. See www.actioncoach.co.uk/nikgray under events for details. Leadership Whether you have hundreds of employees or you are working solo you need to be the leader. You need to be clear on the vision for the business to create that direction. Communicate regularly – with your team daily whether they are working or not, let them know what is going on. People worry when they don’t know, keep them informed. Customers’ too, tell them how you’re changing, how you’re making things safe or what you’ve got planned for the future. Watch less news. It will have a negative impact on you and your thoughts. Stick to one daily update then turn it off. You need to be the most positive person in the room. Celebrate wins and communicate good news with everybody. Finances Firstly complete a cashflow forecast these can be done simply, if you’re not sure, ask your accountant or call me. Look at your expenditure ask yourself what can be stopped or postpone? Speak with your suppliers ask them how they can help you. Predict the next 90 days income what’s the worst case what’s best case. What do you need to survive? Can you take advantage of the 80% furlough scheme for your staff? Check .gov website for what you are entitled to on grants and where you can apply for the business disruption loan. Even if you don’t use it. It’s interest free for 12 months so you can pay it back if you don’t use it.

What next? How are you changing? How can you ‘pivot’ to change your direction? When the gyms closed down one gym rented its static bikes out to members to use at home and continued to run classes virtually. Just like communication, marketing is important right now. Yes, your message will have to change, people’s needs and buying habits have changed. So, you change with them. What do they need now? How can you help them? If you have a solution to their problem and you are helping them then you should be selling to them right now, it’s the right thing to do. Plan Most businesses fail because they haven’t got a plan. It’s easy to put off planning and working ‘on’ the business, because it’s thinking time and thinking is difficult. We’d rather do something we know how to do, like working ‘in’ the business. As a leader people look to you for direction. You get that confidence and direction from planning. Reflect on what’s worked and what’s not. What do you need to focus on for the next 90 days? Break it down into small tasks or actions which when combined will have a big impact. If you need help join our free 90 day planning sessions online. Reach out Finally, reach out. Everyone is in the same boat so reach out to others for help. A business coach or an accountant. We are giving away free webinars and free oneto-one sessions with business owners during this period to make sure everybody gets through this. Follow this link and have a chat: https://calendly.com/nikgray

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

People in every community will face the challenges of Covid-19 in some way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from needing basic provisions to help while they are unwell.

Think of others, consider your actions & be kind

As self-isolation sel increases, we need to ďŹ nd new ways to stay connected and check in on one another for our physical and mental wellbeing. Sha phone numbers Share and stay in touch.

Connect and reach out to your neighbours

Keep up to date, share information and be a positive part of your local community conversations.

Make the most of local online groups

Diierent groups in our communities are at increased risk and isol social isolation and loneliness are key concerns for all ages. There are things you can do like volunteering for local support services or donating to ban to help. food banks

Support vulnerable or isolated people

Support anyone a who may be anxious about Covid-19. Sign post them to the correct advice from Public Health England and encourage people to foll follow the correct hygiene practices.

Share accurate information and advice

5 things you can do to make a positive diierence in your community

Community Action Response: Covid-19

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

KEEPING PEOPLE CONNECTED ActivLives is a small, grassroots charity which has been working in Ipswich and across Suffolk for 13 years, supporting and motivating people to improve their own health and well-being; keeping people connected with their communities to reduce social isolation and loneliness and providing access to learning, training and volunteering opportunities to enable people to gain skills and employment. ActivLives normally provides a wide range of face to face activities and support including, community gardening, Men in Shed projects, singing and physical / sport activities such as walking football, Boccia, New Age Kurling, seated and standing OTAGO exercise, health walks and social activity. We also have specialist hubs for people living with dementia and their carers and for carers and former carers. These activities bring people together to enable them to meet and make new friends, build support networks in the community, volunteer and learn and share skills. Unfortunately, we have had to close all our activities because of Coronavirus which has had a great impact on the organisation. However, we are a very flexible and resilient organisation with very passionate and dedicated staff and key volunteers who are currently keeping an eye on our gardens and exploring different ways so that we can keep in touch and support our members and volunteers while they are self-isolating at home.

For those who have access to the internet we will, over the coming weeks, be posting a variety of videos that might interest not only our members, but also the general public who may not know about our organisation. We will have general information to support people through the lock down. There are videos showing how to keep moving with seated and standing exercise for people to do safely at home with our lovely Step by Step instructor Jo. There are singing videos on our Facebook page with Gina, our amazing music facilitator who leads our community singing groups. There are two quizzes each week, gardening videos will be coming from the ActivGardens team and a reminiscence arts project is being planned. For those members and volunteers who cannot access the internet we are keeping in touch by phone and helping in whatever way we can. That may be doing some shopping, collecting prescriptions, just having a weekly chat on the phone or setting up WhatsApp groups so members from our different groups can keep connected while the sessions are closed. We hope that people who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t heard of us or donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t currently use our services across Suffolk will enjoy following our home page, joining in with our videos or finding the information we post useful during these unprecedented times. www.activlives.org.uk Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

DON’T BECOME A VICTIM CRIMINALS ARE USING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC TO SCAM THE PUBLIC Law enforcement, government and private sectors partners are working together to encourage members of the public to be more vigilant against fraud, particularly about sharing their financial and personal information, as criminals seek to capitalise on the Covid-19 pandemic. Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations and the police. They spend hours researching you for their scams, hoping you’ll let your guard down for just a moment. Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe. Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you. Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud*. Your bank or the police will NEVER ask you to transfer money or move it to a safe account. Criminals are targeting people looking to buy medical supplies online, sending emails offering fake medical support and scamming people who may be vulnerable or increasingly isolated at home. These frauds try to lure you in with offers that look too good to be true, such as high return investments and ‘healthcare opportunities’, or make appeals for you to support bogus charities or those who are ill. Reports from the public have already included online shopping scams where people have ordered protective face masks, hand sanitiser, and other products, which have never arrived and a number of cases have been identified where fake testing kits have been offered for sale. Criminals are also using government branding to try to trick people, including reports of using HMRC branding to make spurious offers of financial support through unsolicited emails, phone calls and text messages. This situation is likely to continue, with criminals looking to exploit further consequences of the pandemic, such as exploiting financial concerns to ask for upfront fees for bogus loans, offering high-return investment scams, or targeting pensions. Huge increases in the number of people working remotely mean that significantly more people will be vulnerable to computer service fraud where criminals will try and convince you to provide access to your computer or divulge your logon details and passwords. It is also anticipated that there will be a surge in phishing scams or calls claiming to be from government departments offering grants, tax rebates, or compensation.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

Please see below for more information on the most common COVID-19 frauds and the steps you can take to keep yourself safe. Online Shopping and Auction Fraud More people may fall victim to #onlineshopping fraud as they self-isolate due to #COVID19. You are a victim of online shopping fraud if you buy goods from an online seller that never arrive. Computer Software Service Fraud As more people work from home due to #COVID19, fraudsters may capitalise on slow networks and IT problems, to commit computer software service fraud. Be wary of cold calls or unsolicited emails offering you help with your device or to fix a problem Lender Loan Fraud People may be worrying about their finances during the #COVID19 outbreak. Lender loan fraudsters will use the opportunity to: • approve your application for a fast loan regardless of your credit history • ask you to pay an upfront fee • take your payment and never provide the loan Pension Liberation Fraud and Investment Fraud Fraudsters could try to take advantage of the financial uncertainty surrounding #COVID19 by offering people sham investment opportunities. If you get a cold call or unsolicited email offering you a deal that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Mandate Fraud As more people work from home due to #COVID19, fraudsters may try to get you to change a direct debit, standing order or bank transfer mandate, to divert funds to their bank account, by purporting to be an organisation you make regular payments to. Phishing A number of #COVID19 related phishing emails have been reported to Action Fraud. These emails attempt to trick you into opening malicious attachments which could lead to fraudsters stealing your personal information, logins, passwords, or banking details. As of March 26, the government has only sent one text message to the public regarding new rules about staying at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Any others claiming to be from UK Government are false. “Criminals are able to use spoofing technology to send texts and emails impersonating organisations that you know and trust. We would remind anyone who receives an unexpected text or email asking for personal or financial details not click on the links or attachments, and don’t respond to any messages that ask for your personal or financial details.”

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

SUFFOLK LIBRARIES GOES ONLINE AND INTERACTIVE TO KEEP PEOPLE STIMULATED AND ENTERTAINED

Although library buildings across the country are currently closed, Suffolk Libraries is making sure that people stuck at home can still get access to books, music, films as well as new interactive streamed sessions. Several libraries have already been recording and streaming live singing and rhyme sessions for young children, as well as running craft and Lego activities to enjoy at home. These videos have already been enjoyed and shared thousands of times. Quizzes and virtual book groups are also being introduced as Suffolk Libraries explores different ways to keep people entertained. Full details of these new sessions can be found at: www.suffolklibraries.co.uk (go to ‘online and streamed events’) Suffolk Libraries is also promoting its extensive eLibrary which provides free access to around 60,000 titles including eBooks, eAudiobooks, online newspapers, magazines, music, films and educational courses. There is plenty of content for families too with books on how to make crafts, eAudiobooks for children and Kanopy Kids which offers free streaming of programmes and movies. Extra content is being added to cope with the significant increase in demand with around a 200 percent increase in people using the eLibrary and streaming services over the past week. Visits to the Suffolk Libraries eLibrary webpages increased from nearly 2,000 to over 9,000 in just one week at the end of March.

If you’ve not already signed up to use this service you can do so online at: suffolklibraries.co.uk/elibrary Bruce Leeke, Chief Executive of Suffolk Libraries, said: “It’s a very challenging time for everyone at the moment and with library buildings closed we’re doing everything we can to provide content, information and entertainment. We’re working on plans to keep in contact with regular customers who might be isolated but we’re delighted that so many of our wonderful staff have risen to the challenge to run online activities which will hopefully make a difference to people across the county.” Home Library Service volunteers have also been encouraged to stay in touch with their customers too. Suffolk Libraries is also helping to promote Suffolk’s new Home, but not alone scheme. People can call 0800 876 6926 for information or support during the current crisis.

Wash your hands of coronavirus scams! Friends Against Scams aims to protect and prevent people from becoming victims of scams. Be aware of people offering or selling:

Protect yourself and others:

Virus testing kits - these are only offered by NHS.

Don’t be rushed into making a decision. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Vaccines or miracle cures – there is currently no vaccine or cure.

Only purchase goods from legitimate retailers and take a moment to think before parting with money or personal information.

Overpriced or fake goods to protect yourself from coronavirus such as anti-bacterial products. Shopping or medication collection services. Home cleaning services.

Don’t assume everyone is genuine. It’s okay to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you. If someone claims to represent a charity, ask them for ID. Be suspicious of requests for money up front. If someone attempts to pressurise you into accepting a service they are unlikely to be genuine. Check with family and friends before accepting offers of help if you are unsure.

Be a good friend, help to protect your family, friends and neighbours from scams. Read it. Share it. Prevent it. #Coronavirus #ScamAware

Contact For advice on scams call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 11 33 To report a scam call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 Contact your bank if you think you have been scammed.

To learn more about the different types of scams visit www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk 28

In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

BRAIN TEASERS FOR CHILDREN (AND ADULTS) RIDDLES It’s time to get your thinking caps on. You’ll find the answers on page 33 but no peeking! 1: What’s bright orange with green on top and sounds like a parrot? 2: What’s really easy to get into, and hard to get out of?

FIND THE WORDS Including two letter words, there are 250 words hidden in ‘Chocolate Ice Cream’. ‘Ceramic’ is one to get you started but you may want to get the entire family involved!

3: What word contains 26 letters, but only has three syllables? 4: A girl fell off a 20-foot ladder. She wasn’t hurt. Why? 5: What has lots of eyes, but can’t see?

Say the colour of each word!

6: I am often following you and copying your every move. Yet you can never touch me or catch me. What am I? 7: Grandpa went out for a walk and it started to rain. He didn’t bring an umbrella or a hat. His clothes got soaked, but not a hair on his head was wet. How is this possible? 8: I add lots of flavour and have many layers, but if you get to close I’ll make you cry. What am I? 9: What has legs, but doesn’t walk?

10: You see me once in June, twice in November, but not at all in May. What am I? Use the Egyptian alphabet to write your name or share it with your best friend and use it to write coded messages! Parents you could use this to create clues for a treasure hunt.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

SARABAND SNAPS UP IAN MAITLAND THRILLER spine 22 mm

IAIN MAITLAND

Indie publisher Saraband has signed Felixstowe-based mental health author Iain Maitland for a thriller about unsolved murders of LGBTQ+ victims. MURDERS 1981-

The Scribbler will be published under Saraband’s crime, mystery and noir fiction imprint Contraband on 12 May.

They thought the killer was long gone...

IAIN

MAITLAND “Brilliantly creepy.”

BARBARA NADEL

In The Scribbler, newly qualified DC Carrie and her much more experienced colleague DI Gayther are the unlikely pairing tasked with investigating a series of cold cases, specifically unsolved murders of LGBTQ+ victims. “Back in the Eighties, these had not been considered a priority for police resources,” Saraband said.

“But times have changed and so has the whole matter of how policing is done. Gayther may trust his old-style hunches, but DC Carrie favours technologydriven, algorithm-based methods.” Hunt said: “Iain Maitland has a dark, original and chilling imagination and an uncanny ability to write disturbed characters whilst wrong-footing the reader along the way. He finds brilliant stories in the neglected corners of crime and punishment and keeps us uncomfortably glued to the pages as the tension escalates.” Maitland is the author of the thriller Sweet William (2017) and Mr Todd’s Reckoning (2019), both published by Saraband, as well as two non-fiction books on mental health: Dear Michael, Love Dad (2016, Hodder & Stoughton) and Out of the Madhouse (2018, Jessica Kingsley Publishers). An ambassador for Stem4, the teenage mental health charity, he also speaks on mental health issues in the workplace.

AN EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT FROM THE SCRIBBLER Newly qualified Detective Constable Georgia Carrie walked slowly up the steps of the temporary portacabin office to the side of the main police station building, balancing two full mugs of tea, one in each hand. She stopped to read the sign, ‘DI Gayther, Cold Cases’ and the handwritten scrawl above it, ‘LGBTQ+’. She put the mugs down on the top step to open the door and then paused for a moment, thinking what she might say.

“When was this…?

She opened the door. Picked up the mugs. Stepped inside. The older man, in his battered grey suit and brown loafers, looked up as the young woman put the mugs of tea on the desk. One on his side, the other on hers. He smiled briefly and nodded his thanks. She went to say her opening words, “Good to see you again, sir”, but as she did so, he turned the papers he was reading round so they were facing her on the desk. Old man in a hurry, she thought.

“He is described as white British and would now be in his fifties.”

“Read this, Carrie,” he said abruptly, pushing two sheets of A4 paper across towards her. She took the sheets and sat down at the desk and began reading the first one. He picked up his mug of tea and swung round on his chair, his back to her, looking out of the window towards the back of the main building and what looked like a building site. The police station was being renovated. Ladders, pots and paints and stacked-up scaffolding seemed to fill the whole space. It was a mess. He hated mess. “Still At Large,” she read the front page headline of the local newspaper out loud, “The Scribbler.”

“Two years ago. Thirtieth anniversary of the first killing,” he replied. He gestured towards the two sheets and she carried on reading without speaking. “Police are still searching for The Scribbler, the serial killer who murdered six people in Norfolk between 1988 and 1990.” “The first victim was Donald Worthington, a 53-year-old abattoir supervisor.” “The second victim was 42-year-old office clerk Andrew Marven.” “The other four victims, middle-aged men from the Norwich area, were found dead in the summer and autumn of 1990.” “Police believe The Scribbler may have killed twelve men in total.” She wasn’t sure who to ask about first, but this was one of an endless stream of cold cases they’d be looking at over the coming days, so she decided to come straight to the point. “And so … ” she said, “why are we looking at this case again now? First of all?” “Because he’s back, Carrie. The Scribbler is back.” Iain Maitland

In Touch online:

Rural Coffee Caravan is one of many charities which has transformed its service in response to current need. Their website is a great source of information and ideas and they have created this flyer which you can tape to a bin, pop in milk bottle, give to a supermarket worker or in fact any key worker. You can download it direct from: www.ruralcoffeecaravan.org.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

Use your calendar to record your daily kindness acts.

month Monday

year Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Congratulations

Saturday

Being kind sends a powerful message about our connections to each other and the world around us.

Sunday

The British Red Cross Society, incorporated by Royal Charter 1908, is a charity registered in England and Wales (220949), Scotland (SC037738) and Isle of Man (0752). Illustrations: ÂŠ Sara Chew/BRC. BRC18-303

The power of kindness calendar

In Touch online:

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

#SaveLives

ALMOST LOST IN TRANSLATION A short story by Beryl P. Brown The flea market was rammed. Mid-morning sun blazed on the hordes of people forging paths to the stalls and traders. Some attempted to worm deeper into the market, certain that better bargains were to be had in the further reaches. Tourists, too hot, too overcome by the tide of humanity that, good-natured though it was, seemed a threat, pushed their way to the exit and their tour buses.

lucky rabbit bag would be lost forever.

This was my favourite place; I made sure I was here every Sunday morning. I loved the crush, the noise, the smell – not, as someone who had never been to a Parisian flea market would assume, predominantly garlic, but a mixture of perfume, exotic oils, street food and coffee.

My words seemed to flow through the crowd like a Mexican Wave as the message was passed on. I held my breath and squinted into the sunlight, but the white hair reached the place where the road dipped again and the man disappeared.

There has to be an exception to every rule and, as I was soaking up the ambience, a man caught my elbow and breathed the reek of garlic into my face. I swung away, ducking behind a large German tourist shouting into his phone and smelling of suntan oil. The German apologised as his shoulder knocked into my bag. I lifted a hand in response and pushed on towards the stall that sold the best coffee in Paris.

I was swept along, tears stinging, I didn’t care where I ended up.

I was sipping my espresso when I noticed a man hovering at the edge of the crowd letting people flow past him. This was odd; no one gave way here. It was the garlic breath man, I remembered him not just for his breath, but because of the white hair that hung down to his shoulders. I drained the little cup, thanked the stallholder in my appalling French – I really should take lessons – and slipped into the crowd. Glancing behind me, I saw the white haired man scanning around. I slid quickly in front of a pair of tall teenage boys before dodging around an elegant French woman enveloped in a cloud of Chanel. I walked on for several minutes, weaving my way through until the sound of a tolling church bell let me know that I was about halfway along the road that was completely taken over by the market every Sunday. The crowd had thinned for a second and, relaxing, I was enjoying the space when something thudded into my back. I was thrust forward and felt my bag being ripped from my hand. ‘NO,’ I yelled, staggering to keep my balance. I raised my head in time to see the white haired man elbowing through the crowd, the straps of my rabbit bag clutched in his fist. I couldn’t lose that bag; it was my most important possession. The red rabbit appliqued to the flap was my good luck charm and it went everywhere with me. ‘Thief,’ I yelled. Stupid, I told myself, as a few people looked at me curiously. ‘Voleur.’ I screamed. People turned, I could see the man’s head above the crowd but he was disappearing fast. To my eternal embarrassment, I then shouted. ‘Le homme avec le cheveaux blanc est un voleur.’ I’d got attention. People scanned around but then shrugged and stared at me. What was the matter with them? The man was vanishing into the crowd when it struck me that I’d said the thief was a man with white horses! Why hadn’t I learned French properly? My

The crowd ahead was thick now but, beyond the church, the road rose slightly and I could just spot the white hair in the far distance. That subway scene in Crocodile Dundee came back to me, and I screamed, ‘Le sac avec le lapin rouge.’

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and pointed. Miraculously, my bag was being passed back through the people. When it reached me, I hugged it to my chest and shouted, ‘Merci mes amis.’ As soon as I could, I fought my way aside and found an alleyway where I could escape and have privacy to check my bag. I unzipped it. It was packed with wallets, purses and mobile phones. I lifted out a wallet and opened it. Stuffed with Euros. The picture of the big German tourist grinned at me from its plastic window. A leather purse wafted expensive perfume as I flipped through the plastic cards. Two of the mobiles had macho cases – the type teenage lads carried. They’d have learnt a hard lesson about hanging on to their belongings in a crowd. At the end of the alleyway I threw the empty wallets, purses and phone cases into a waste bin and swung the bag over my shoulder. The lucky rabbit had done its job, but I’d need to think hard about next Sunday. The robber nearly robbed; I could be losing my touch. passed on. I held my breath and squinted into the sunlight, but the white hair reached the place where the road dipped again and the man disappeared. I was swept along, tears stinging, I didn’t care where I ended up. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and pointed. Miraculously, my bag was being passed back through the people. When it reached me, I hugged it to my chest and shouted, ‘Merci mes amis.’ As soon as I could, I fought my way aside and found an alleyway where I could escape and have privacy to check my bag. I unzipped it. It was packed with wallets, purses and mobile phones. I lifted out a wallet and opened it. Stuffed with Euros. The picture of the big German tourist grinned at me from its plastic window. A leather purse wafted expensive perfume as I flipped through the plastic cards. Two of the mobiles had macho cases – the type teenage lads carried. They’d have learnt a hard lesson about hanging on to their belongings in a crowd. At the end of the alleyway I threw the empty wallets, purses and phone cases into a waste bin and swung the bag over my shoulder. The lucky rabbit had done its job, but I’d need to think hard about next Sunday. The robber nearly robbed; I could be losing my touch.

Beryl P. Brown lives in Manningtree. Many of her short stories have been published and frequently enjoy competition success. Her debut novel, May’s Boys: a boy wants a mother, a woman wants a son… was published in February and is available in print and e-format from booksellers and online suppliers. For further details detrails visit: www.berylpbrown.uk

Answers to the riddles on page 29 1: Carrot; 2: Trouble; 3: Alphabet; 4: She fell off the bottom step; 5: A potato; 6: My shadow; 7: Grandpa was bald; 8: An onion; 9: A table; 10: The letter ‘e’

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

#StayAtHome #ProtectTheNHS

HERE TODAY AND TOMORROW While preparing to cope with the impact of Coronavirus on its end of life care and bereavement services over the coming weeks, St Elizabeth Hospice has launched an urgent appeal to the public to support their local hospice in light of all fundraising events being postponed and all 31 retail shops closing. The clinical staff at St Elizabeth are working in partnership with the NHS and partners at speed to significantly expand our services both in the community and at the hospice in response to Coronavirus, whilst continuing to care for patients with non-Covid end of life and palliative care needs. A new rapid response co-ordination centre has been created in the past week to cope with the expected increase in demand for clinical advice and end of life care in the community, doubling the capacity of the hospice’s existing OneCall telephone advice helpline. Last year, the hospice cared for over 3,000 Suffolk patients and their families at a cost of £10.5m, of which 75% was raised by the community through the shops and local fundraising – income-generating activities which are now impossible due to social distancing and self-isolation. Chief Executive Ru Watkins has called on the local community to support the hospice’s new Here Together appeal to highlight the role of St Elizabeth at the clinical frontline of the current pandemic and to make sure that its end of life care can continue unaffected when the crisis is over: “Every family who has come into contact with our consultants, doctors, nurses, carers and volunteers over the years knows how dedicated they are to our local community. We are still here with our patients delivering the care they need today so ask everyone to support our efforts together.” With all fundraising events postponed or cancelled, many supporters are looking for alternative ways to support the hospice. As local supporter Wendy Goddard says: “St Elizabeth Hospice was there for me and my family when my daughter Zoe sadly passed away and their support was outstanding. Last month I was due to hold a charity night for 300 people to raise funds to support the hospice but sadly this has had to be postponed. I would ask you to do what you can in this time of need to support our local hospice together.” The Here Together appeal is being launched across the hospice’s social media platforms to raise awareness of St Elizabeth’s frontline role in continuing to care for some of Suffolk’s most vulnerable patients throughout the pandemic and our shared commitment as a community to protecting its vital services today and tomorrow.

#SaveLives

COMMUNITY ACTION SUFFOLK SUPPORTING VOLUNTEERS, COMMUNITIES & ORGANISATIONS DURING COVID-19 As we all make our way through these uncertain times, Community Action Suffolk (CAS) is continuing to support organisations and volunteers to deliver vital services in communities. Not only are organisations across Suffolk continuing their usual services wherever possible, but there is also an incredible rise in activity with many organisations changing and adding to their offer to meet the huge rise in demand. Alongside this, the surge in people wanting to do whatever they can, however big or small, to care for others is truly heart-warming. CAS has been involved in supporting a whole range of groups and ‘movements’ to promote themselves and encourage others to follow suit in recent weeks. Many of these spring from individuals who simply want to show they care to those in close proximity to them, from ‘Backyard Buddies’ and ‘Tear down the Fence’ initiatives, to groups of residents setting up ‘Emergency Response’ schemes akin to Good Neighbour Schemes. It is important to ensure that this is done in a supported and safe manner so CAS has produced a suite of new resources and guides to help with this which can be found on the website (details below). In addition to work with local groups and organisations, CAS is also supporting various campaigns to recruit and support volunteers. The Suffolk Collaborative Communities Board, made up of key strategic partners from across the county including CAS, has recently launched the Tribe Volunteer app specifically to recruit volunteers during the pandemic in Suffolk alongside an accompanying telephone helpline for those in need of support. Volunteer Suffolk, the county’s volunteer brokerage portal for organisations that need volunteers is also still going strong. If you would like to volunteer during Covid-19, or need to recruit volunteers for your organisation, click ‘I want to Volunteer’ on the homepage of the CAS website for more information on both these portals. Suffolk’s business and voluntary sector community are also being encouraged to come together as part of a county-wide campaign to help more organisations deliver their important work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Volunteering Matters and Community Action Suffolk are collectively calling for charities, groups and social enterprises to let them know of their specific ‘need’ at this critical time, and for business leaders to step forward with help in areas such as planning, IT, legal advice, logistics and media relations. Businesses are encouraged to list how they would like to help. They can do so by completing the survey at: www.volunteeringmatters. org.uk/what-we-do/support-us/working-together While all this is going on, CAS still has another ‘day job’ to do – to continue supporting the already established voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in Suffolk to stay operational, safe, well governed and as financially resilient as they can. We are continuously lobbying national government with the support of national partners to make provision for those on the ground carrying out activities. We cannot emphasise enough how important these groups and organisations are at this time and you too can help by showing your support on social media using #EveryDayCounts.

Or call the hospice on: 01473 723600

This is a challenging time for every Suffolk resident, but at CAS we never cease to be amazed by the dedication, commitment and kindness that Suffolk residents show on a daily basis, and we are so proud to be able to help our voluntary, community and social enterprise sector play their part. Stay safe, support each other, and keep going Suffolk, you are all incredible!

To find out how to get involved or fundraise for us, please contact your hospice community fundraiser, Fiona Gin: fiona.ginn@stelizabethhospice.org.uk / 07740 405764

For more information on anything Community Action Suffolk is doing, or to contact us, visit www.communityactionsuffolk.org.uk or follow @CASuffolk on Twitter.

To donate to the appeal, visit the hospice Just Giving appeal page: www.justgiving.com/campaign/SEHCoronavirusAppeal

Hannah Reid, Director of Innovation & Business Development

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/needhammarket

Managing a business can seem daunting

MansionHouseGroup incorporates MansionHousePublishing, ColourplanPrint, MusicalMarketing and BoswellOfficeSupplies and can provide many of the services and products you need to run your business. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be surprised by how easy it is to deal with one supplier who takes the time to know and understand your business and can respond effectively and efficiently. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll save time, money, and valuable resources that you can dedicate elsewhere.

Talk to us today. 01473 400380

14 - 20 Wharfedale Road, Ipswich IP1 4JP