Southgateoctober16web

LOCAL NEWS

Community Garden

PARKING

I joined several members of the Nowton Neighbourhood Residents Association (NNRA) at an action day in the Community Woodland a few weeks ago.

Although there weren’t many of us there on the day, the small group managed to get a lot achieved – cutting back bushes, tidying up, litter picking and spreading wood chips to make paths. The NNRA have worked so hard to get this community project up and running and we are now in a position where we need more help! It’s not an onerous task, but if you are able to spend two hours two or three times a year lending a hand in helping to keep this community garden a space we can be proud of please, please do get in touch by emailing nowtonnra@ gmail.com.

FLY TIPPING There has been a disappointing increase in fly tipping across the Nowton Estate recently. In all cases I have been made aware of I have either attended and removed the rubbish myself or, where the items have been too big, St Edmundsbury have taken care of it.

Please remember we are all working hard to make our area the best it can be and dispose of your rubbish in the proper way.

Since we have been Councillors, the single biggest issue we have been contacted about has been parking. Despite a lot of work to try and combat problems in the worst affected areas, issues seem to be escalating again locally and we have had a lot of contact recently around people parking inconsiderately, especially on pavements around the Nowton Estate. There isn’t an easy fix to this – the basic problem is that the world has changed and we have more cars than spaces. But please do be aware that parents with pushchairs and those with limited mobility struggle to get around vehicles that are parked on the pavements and try and park considerately and especially avoid dropped kerbs.

REPORTING A PROBLEM If you have an issue you need to report to Suffolk County Council, the quickest, easiest and most reliable way of reporting it is by using the reporting tool at www.suffolk.gov.uk. This is the same reporting tool that we use as councillors, and it means that the issue is logged immediately, put in the system for Officers to look at and it gives you the ability to

track progress and also see what other issues are being dealt with nearby. You can report everything from missing road markings, parking concerns, overgrown bushes and trees, pavement defects and potholes and much more and it allows you to upload photos as evidence and pinpoint the exact location.

OCTOBER 2016 | 11

HOME + LIFESTYLE

Headmaster, Mervyn Watch with his wife Rosie.

Open Days – I am always astonished at the marketing that is used by schools in order to get their ‘message’ out there. It will not have escaped your attention, I am sure, that we are approaching the silly season with regard to Open Days – there are endless signs springing up in hedges and on the edges of fields in prominent positions, encouraging us to take some time out to come and visit a school to see what it is all about. The decision to visit a school is probably something that has been at the back of a prospective parents’ mind well before they pick up the phone or go online to check the website. The million-dollar question is; what are they hoping to glean that will mean they make the decision to move schools?

Recent studies have all come to the same conclusions; parents choose independent schools because of the individual attention most have smaller class sizes with numbers ranging between 10-15 pupils per class, this is definitely the case at South Lee; the breadth of curriculum - while we do refer to the National Curriculum guidelines, we are not tied to the national tests that accompany them.

This means that we can teach a curriculum that is far more varied and less prescriptive; the extra-curricular activities – all pupils are encouraged to be as involved as possible in the activities arranged outside of lesson time.

Over a period of time, participation becomes a habit and, as we all recognise, good habits will become a ‘foundation for life’. At South Lee this term, we are running more than 30 after school and lunchtime activities, so there really is something for everyone; ample

resources – we have fantastic facilities, and staff can be included in this. Our Early Years pupils are receiving French, PE, IT and Music from subject specialists in a wellresourced environment. This is by no means an exhaustive list of reasons for parents to consider a change in direction for the education of their child, but it is certainly a starting point.

If, after reading this, you are considering that change in direction, then please do go online or pick up the phone.

South Lee Open Day – Friday 14th October.

10am -12pm. Contact the Registrar, Mrs Louise Ronge to book your appointment.

Tel: 01284 754654 or email: office@southlee.co.uk

er Mervyn Watch, Headmast

South Lee School, Nowton Road, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 2BT. Tel. 01284 754654 50 | OCTOBER 2016

HOME + LIFESTYLE

Marathon Madness

I

t was time to test my theory. I have been saying, in a rather flippant way for a couple of years now that, “I could do a marathon tomorrow if I really wanted to”. So when an opportunity arose to sign up to a local marathon just 10 days before, I rather foolhardily put my name down.

Sure, I hadn’t actually trained for it. I’d only ever run more than 10 miles once or twice before. But how hard could it be? I was about to find out.

The weather was damp, the course was trails through the forest, and the other competitors looked far more prepared than me. However, I believed in myself so led out.

The course consisted of two laps (each of 13 miles).

I felt ok (ish) as I started the second lap. This rapidly deteriorated as my legs seems to morph into concrete blocks. Other than

54 | OCTOBER 2016

BY ANDREW SOUTHWOOD that I was still reasonably confident at the 15 mile mark. By mile 18 my pace had dropped to that of a mildly sedated sloth.

Shortly after mile 22 my legs went on strike. However, after some short but firm negotiations (and a handful of jelly babies) I managed to persuade them to get back to work. It was about here a fellow runner jogged past me, fresh as a daisy, smiling and exchanging pleasantries. That was rather disconcerting.

At mile 23, the final watering station, the marshal keenly told me that the guy in front was only about ‘a minute or two’ ahead (the same guy that glided past me earlier). My, perhaps a little too abrupt, response was that he may as well be 20 minutes ahead! There was zero chance of me catching anyone now.

The last 3 miles are a bit of a blur. I kind of knew I was getting close (this was the

second lap) but after every corner there was another section I had forgotten about. Finally I was on the home run, alongside the river, I knew I was definitely only ½ a mile away now. I was determined to at least jog (not crawl) over the line and so I maintained some momentum, finding some reserves of energy I had hidden away.

As I crossed the line and stumbled towards the event tent I heard some very welcome words from a kind marshal. “Would you like a cup of tea love?”. I did not hesitate – “yes, milky with at least 3 or 4 sugars please…”.

Blimey I needed that.

At least I didn’t have the kids jumping all over me when I got in the door and didn’t have to spend half the night sitting on the floor trying to settle a 2 year old. That would have been really bad for my fragile and fatigued body. Doh!

HOME + LIFESTYLE

Pauls jobs for the month Flower Garden

n Plant a layered bulb pot. Fill the base of a large pot with potting compost up to around 10 inches from the top. Put in daffodils and cover with compost. Then plant a layer of tulip bulbs and again cover with compost. Finally add a layer of crocus bulbs and fill to the top of your pot. Hopefully you should get a succession of colour firstly from the crocus followed by the daffodils and then the tulips. n Cut back all of the tall shrubs such as lavatera and buddleia. n Now is the time to take hardwood cuttings from buddleia, flowering currants and forsythia n Good time to plant bare root trees n Dahlias should be lifted at the end of the month. Cut down the stems to a few inches. Dig up the tubers and remove any loose soil and store upside down for a couple of weeks to dry. Remove more soil and store in dark cool frost free trays with a little dry compost if you wish.

This months poem...

n Prune climbing roses n Clear any fallen rose leaves to prevent black spot from over wintering n Clear old leaves from hostas n Move any Salvia’s in pots ideally indoors or to a sheltered spot against the house

Vegetable Garden n Harvest and store any beetroot n Create new strawberry beds and plant young strawberry plants raised from runners. n In the vegetable plot you can now plant spring cabbage and overwintering onion sets. n Harvest your final crop of beetroot and store in a cool dark location. n Good time to divide your rhubarb crowns n Continue to harvest your apples and pears n Start a runner bean trench. Add any kitchen vegetable food waste and wet newspaper.

General Maintenance n Take advantage of any dry days to paint fences, sheds etc with a preservative n Cover ponds with netting to keep out falling leaves. n Hoover up leaves from your lawn using the mower. n Continue to tidy your garden borders by removing dead flower stems and weeds . n Last chance to give your hedges a trim this month before Winter n Keep some fruit windfall apples for the birds to feed on.

Lawn Maintenance n By the end of the month you will probably have given your lawn its final cut of the year. After this it is a good time to give the grass a good scarifying with a lawn rake to pull out dead grass and moss.

“October gave a party;The leaves by hundreds came The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet, And everything was grand, Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band.”

- George Cooper, October’s Party

Pauls

GARDEN SERVICES

One-off jobs or regular maintenance on a weekly or monthly basis hedge trimming | grass cutting | general weeding & tidying up

Doing the jobs you don’t have time for...

Call me for a quote on

01284 723625 or 07952 938010 Email: burygardener@talktalk.net

OCTOBER 2016 | 63

HOME + LIFESTYLE

When life suprises us

Surprise

Noun 1. An unexpected or astonishing event, fact, etc synonyms: shock, bolt from/out of the blue, thunderbolt, bombshell, revelation, source of amazement, rude awakening 68 | OCTOBER 2016

HOME + LIFESTYLE

Life has this wonderful gift for surprising us. I don’t know about you and your life but as soon as I think ‘yep, I’ve got this sussed’, hey presto, out of nowhere comes something new.

This ‘something new’ can sometimes be good, sometimes be not so good and sometimes just plain dull and inconvenient!

Just recently I was sitting with some friends eating lunch and one of the girls started to recount her beautiful surprise engagement from a some few years ago, yet she shared with such enthusiasm and a sparkle in her eye as if it were yesterday. There she was during the curtain call, at the end of a pantomime she was performing in, pretty as a picture, when what to her wondering eye should appear but her handsome prince, holding back the tears and stumbling over the words ‘will you marry me?’ This was the last thing she expected or even apparently wanted. By wanted I mean of course she wanted to marry him (she did say yes) but the public surprise proposal, no way! Well at least that’s what she had always thought and made quite clear. But actually, the surprise element was really quite nice and something she now looks back on fondly. These unexpected and happy surprises in life are to sit with boldness in our memory, filling the dark days we all face with glimmers and smiles of delight.

Then we have the surprises that are not quite so good. The unexpected

diagnoses, the unexpected tax bill, the unexpected unfortunate events that lead to rather difficult and tricky circumstances to navigate as a family.

The good news is you are not alone; your friend, your neighbour, your work colleague all experience bombshells.

It seems to be a part of the course called life. Focus on the ‘you are not alone’ bit for a moment. When the bad surprises happen it is so important to remember you’re not on your own in this. As people we’re designed to be in community, working and living alongside each other; helping out the friend in need. I am a firm believer that the not-so-good surprises can (if we embrace them and each other) create opportunities which also sit with boldness in our memory, filling the hard days with hope, friendship, joy and laughter as friends pull together and journey on through.

Surprises by very definition are unexpected and more often than not astonishing, astounding our hearts with new and fresh ideologies which change and shape us through life.

Today I encourage you to let life surprise you. Embrace the surprise; embrace each other with love and kindness through the tough surprises of life and embrace each other with celebration when the good surprises pop up in life too. Have a great month of surprises!

Lizi Long

written by

OCTOBER 2016 | 69

CHURCH NEWS

WORKING FOR YOU IN THE

WE ARE YOUR LOCAL CHURCH BASED IN SOUTHGATE CENTRE SERVIN DO COME AND JOIN US ONE SUNDAY AND FOR ONE OF OUR MANY MID AGES. CHILDREN ARE PARTICULARLY WELCOME TO OUR SUMMER SUN BETWEEN 10.30am AND 11.45am.

CLOTHES FOR SOME OF THE POOREST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

A Little Afternoon of Big Treats

We would appreciate your donations of secondhand clothing, shoes, towels and bedding. We individually pack items and ship them to Malawi, Africa, to be distributed to people via the Faith in Action Churches. Items suitable for sending include:-

Monday 31st October 3.15-5.15 pm

l Babies’ clothes - for ages 6 months upwards l Children’s clothes l Men’s clothing (suits are worn by the Pastors) and women’s clothing - but not large sizes l Sweaters, pullovers, socks, underwear, ties, belts

For children aged 5 and over that don’t want to go Trick or Treating...

A fun packed afternoon. Make some special treats to take home and share with your friends and family, eat a yummy tea and play some fun party games.

£2 a child

To book a place call the Church Office

l Shoes l Blankets, cotton sheets, pillowcases, towels, tea towels, tablecloths Clothing generally needs to be light-weight, clean and pressed, and good enough that you would be happy to wear it in public.

There are some restrictions as to what we can send:Men’s clothes up to chest size 42” and waist size 36”.

Ladies clothes up to size 16.

Men do not wear shorts, so can only be sent if suitable for boys up to 16 years.

Ladies do not wear trousers, but ladies trousers can be sent if a suitable style for men to wear.

Any items we receive which are not suitable to send, will be donated to the local St Nicholas Hospice Shop. Thank you.

Is it us, them or we? Certainly at CoffeeStop it’s we ! We meet our friends, have freshly brewed coffee, cakes and have the opportunity to freely donate to the work of some charities. You’re welcome. Mondays 10.00-12.00. Drink, snack, chat FREE.

For further details please contact Jackie Tooley o 82 | OCTOBER 2016

CONTACT NUMBERS

Directory health

& beauty

Stephen John Salon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 700100 PT Joe Personal Trainer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07917 714557 Rachels Mobile Hairdressing. . . . . . . . . . 01359 233371 Bury Osteopaths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 769153 Slimming World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly 01842 824980 Just Hair Salon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 232007 Best Foot Forward Chiropodists. . . . 01284 753563 Duet Diabetes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01799 584178

dance

& fitness classes

Suffolk Age UK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 757740 LMA Acting & Dance School. . . . . . . . . . 01359 271925 Dance Fitness. . . . . . . www.studiodancefitness.com

print

& design

PIT Group Design & Print. . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 765092

motoring

Carrs of Bury St Edmunds . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 752525 Auto Park MOT & Service Centre. . 01284 706888 Premier Bodyworks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 755558 Vindis Skoda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 799616 Rawlinson Mitsubishi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 727856 Rawlinson Renault. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 727850

garden

& landscape

Bluestone Paving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 716405 Archley Driveways & Landscape Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 724486 Stuart Langston Arboricultural Specialist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 760107 Paul’s Garden Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 723625 Park Fencing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07891 777459

building

& maintenance

Frames Conservatories Direct. . . . . 01284 700456 MAS Building & Maintenance. . . . . . . 07595 426757 Windows, Doors & Conservatory Advisory Centre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 615653 Window & Door Repair Centre. . . . . . 01284 615653 The Naked Builder Carpentry & Building . . . . 01284 811111 Higham Forge & Fabrications . . . . . . . 01284 810810 Rejuvenate Property Services. . . . . . . 01284 850337 Local Builders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 723396 Rob Harrington. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 789074 NJT Plumbing & Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 723389 Blue Flame Gas 24/7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07862 712041 Martyn Webb Plumbing Services. . . 01284 852554 Fix A Leak Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 269415

MA Smith Tiling . . 07899 890765 or 07887 754114 Pete Austin Electricians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 747284 Abbeygate Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 763244 Oven Clean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 259818

home furnishings

CTS Carpets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 361283 Hartwell Blinds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 753310 Enspire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 755420 Lescale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 272695 Village Green Blinds . . . . 01379 669209 / 07931 959892

estate

& letting agents

Taylor Engall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 725800 All Homes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 234444 Wards of Stanton Removals . . . . . . . . . . 01359 251198 Castle Mortgages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 254042

business services

Rudlings Wakelam Solicitors . . . . . . . . 01284 715665 Ayling Computer Services . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 701482 Gage Computer Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 764574 Simply Secure Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 750019 Saffron Sitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0330 2210583 Little Larks Day Nursery. . . . . . . . . . . . . 07949 685262 Tinkerbells Nursery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 232221

food

& drink

Orissa Indian Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 719116 Slates Restaurant & Carvery. . . . . . . . . 01284 704231 Country Farm Meats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 235237 Thomas Ridley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 270536 ICE cooking classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01359 270102

sports

& social clubs

Pot Black Sports Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 704231 Bury Golf Range & Golf Store . . . . . . . 01284 723894 Moreton Hall Community Centre . . 01284 763405 Anglia Indoor Karting Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . 01473 240087 Planet Laser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01284 220102

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