The Link Magazine

Until recently we always took this in vain and thought, how hard could it be? Loads of people do it.
We were in for a shock.
I’m talking about looking after a baby!

On Thursday evening we went to Ipswich as we often do, as Peter goes swimming. Pete dropped me off at my Mum and Dad’s. My Mum was babysitting my new nephew Oliver.
Later that evening I found out that my Mum was working the next day, so I offered to look after him for the night as I
wasn’t working the following day.

From the age of twelve I have had younger brothers. As a young girl I had a big part in their upbringing. I loved it; little did I know that I only saw a half of the work!
Pete got back to find out that we were going to have a guest for the night- somewhat hesitantly he agreed. Dad and Pete packed the car and we went home with Oliver in tow.

The next ten hours were tense and nerve racking. Oliver slept from 11.30pm until 6.30am the next morning, we were very lucky.
Even though we knew Mum was only a phone call away, the thought that this gorgeous little package was totally reliant on us was scary.
He was the only person in the house to have a good night’s sleep as we kept waking up to make sure he was okay.

This experience made us realise what a big commitment having a baby really is. A baby is a gift and we hope one day we will be blessed with our own family, but just not yet!

We certainly won’t be taking this saying in vain anymore. 

Jackie Smith and Peter Carter

Altar Flowers and Cleaning Rotas

Somersham: August Cleaning Team B
August 5th Flower Fund
August 12th, 19th Christine Jarrold
August 26th, Sept, 2nd Angie Osborne
September Cleaning Team C
September 9th, 16th Pat Woolhouse
September 23rd Flower Fund
September 30th, Oct. 7th Judith Newman

Flowton: August Cleaning -Mr and Mrs K Grimwood
August 5th, 12th Mrs Fawcus
August 19th, 26th Mrs Grimwood
September Cleaning –Mr and Mrs P Ward
September 2nd,9th Mrs Ward
September 16th, 23rd Mrs Munson and all help for harvest
September 30th, Oct 7th Mrs Laflin

Offton: August Cleaning – Mrs Maartje Rondeboom
August 5th, 12th Mrs Janet Crickmore
August 19th, 26th Mrs Maartje Rondeboom
September Cleaning – Mrs S Pinson-Roxburgh
September 2nd, 9th Mrs Sue Pryke and all help for Harvest
September 16th, 23rd, 30th Mrs Silke Pinson-Roxburgh
October 7th, 14th Mrs Sheila Pinson-Roxburgh

Willisham: Flowers and Cleaning
August 5th Mrs Fisher
August 12th , 19th Miss Taylor
August 26th Weddings
September 2nd, 9th Mrs Cage
September 16th, 23rd Mrs Large
September 30th, Oct 7th Mrs Hodson

From the Registers:

Welcome to:
Hannah Ashlyn Noble who was baptized on 8th July at St Mary’s, Somersham.
May she grow in faith

Congratulations to:
Stephanie Gales and Neil Hodson who were married on 16th June at St Mary’s, Willisham;
Lisa Mc Dowell and Mark Bowers who were married at St. Mary’s, Offton on 23rd June;
Elizabeth Dickson and Stephen Boyle who were married on 30th June at St Mary’s, Offton.

We wish them many happy years together

Farewell to:
Timothy Tothill Martin of Somersham, who died aged 60 years and whose funeral took place at Ipswich Crematorium on 2nd July.
May he rest in peace

*****************************************
CHRISTIAN AID WEEK

Generosity in almost all the eight parishes has surpassed all expectations : £1,214 in all. In the last four parishes, over a dozen people collected from door to door. A big thank you to all Christian Aid Collectors!
Totals before Gift Aid are :
Willisham £185
Offton £85
Flowton £209
Great Bricett £67
Barking £246
Battisford £32
Somersham £390

SOMERSHAM CHURCH NOTES

The Fete, Flower Festival & Art Show was a very successful weekend, despite the weather being rather unsettled. We hope you all got a chance to visit the wonderful display in the church. A great deal of hard work was involved in the weekend with preparations starting many weeks beforehand. We are very grateful to the Caston family for allowing us to once again have the fete in Church Meadow and all the support they gave. Special thanks also to Faith Jaggard for co-ordinating the Flower Festival, and to Nicky Heming for holding the Art Show. Thank you to all involved and everyone who supported the event. The total amount raised from the weekend came to a fantastic £1140.

Somersham Church Flower Festival
Our Flower Festival Weekend revealed some wonderful artistic talent. All the organisations were invited to take part with displays to represent their group / business. Some were able to sponsor a display and provide information, others produced some very imaginative arrangements. The end result was a beautifully decorated church conveying the message "Somersham is a lively village".
Thanks must go to the designers and the arrangers for what was a truly magnificent array of talent.
Displays ranged from simple to complex, self-explanatory to well documented. Well done!!
One last comment - how good everybody was at tidying up behind themselves, it was such a bonus.
Faith Jaggard

There will be another opportunity to hear our talented local bands at a Folk Evening on Friday 12th October. The last two concerts have been sell-outs so make sure you get your tickets early! See ad for more details. (Apologies for incorrect date in last month’s Link)

Harvest Festival will be on Sunday 14th October at 10am. Once again gifts received will be taken to the Women’s Refuge. The women and children there often have had to leave their homes in a hurry with only what they can carry, so toiletries are always welcome as well as non-perishable food items.

Dawn, Rachel and Oliver would like to thank everybody for the letters, cards and messages of sympathy received on their recent sad loss of a very much loved husband and dad.

Thanks also to his many friends that attended the funeral service and to those who kindly gave donations to Papworth Hospital, which amounted to £683.

Dear Friends,
When Jane and I came to the service of Songs of Praise it was very pleasant and no surprise to be greeted most warmly by you all.
Indeed, when we were presented with beautiful flowers and wine together with a framed picture of the church, which I was particularly glad to receive, we were taken aback but quite delighted. It was only when we opened the envelopes at home, thinking they were good wishes cards, that we discovered the tokens of your overwhelming kindness and generosity you had given to us. As there are so many of you and from parishes other than Somersham who have contributed to this quite remarkable collective gift I hope you will forgive us for not responding individually.
Jane and I always enjoyed our time at Somersham especially working with the PCC and the Fundraising Committee. It was therefore a particularly happy occasion for us to meet you all again and we shall always remember the warmth and kindness of your gifts.

With our sincere thanks and good wishes,

Denis and Jane Picton

(Jane and Denis were presented with vouchers, flowers, wine and a framed photograph of Somersham church. The collection in recognition of all their work for Somersham church and the benefice came to £165.)

SOMERSHAM CARPET BOWLS CLUB

Hoping to carry on with the improved bowling in June as we played in May did not quite come up to expectations, and we have found it hard work to achieve the winning results
Our first away match was to Claydon - who certainly know their mats very well - and this encounter despite good effort left Somersham struggling somewhat with only one win out of the four games bowled. Hopefully for the return match on our mats we will be able to give a more positive account of ourselves.

Also during the month three members entered the Suffolk Ladies Triples Competition; an annual competition which Somersham won last year. Whilst looking to retain the Cup, the team of Bell, Eleanor and Rosemary found themselves up against stiff opposition in the early rounds and after a mixed bag of results soon found that success this year was not to be. It will therefore be a case of trying again next year!

Nacton - who only bowl friendlies and no league matches - were our first visitors of the month; and as always it was an enjoyable night of bowling in a very friendly atmosphere. The night produced some bowling by both clubs, each mat was closely contested and at the end resulted in a very fairly drawn match. A cuppa and refreshments concluded the evening.

Offton and Willisham were our next League opposition – an away match – played with good friendly rivalry, and resulted in a win for our opponents. Being much closer than the shots suggest, we are very much looking forward to the return leg on home mats in August.
Bowling against the higher division clubs and with the need to maintain a good standard is certainly bringing out the best in our team members.

Our final opponents of the month were Sproughton (Tithe Barn) on their home mats. A superb result for Somersham with 2 teams winning and 2 losing, but with overall shots going to Somersham this gained the extra points allotted. Another friendly, entertaining evening and everybody looking forward to the return match in the coming month.

Summer League - June Results : -

SOMERSHAM VILLAGE HALL

HIRE CHARGES from 01/09/2007
At the AGM it was agreed that it was necessary to increase the charges for hiring the hall due to the increase in electricity over recent months. The last increase for residents was in 2003. New rates will come into effect from 1st September 2007.
Type of Hire Residents Non-Resident
Whole Building (Weddings, parties etc.)
Full day £120.00 £180.00
Evening (Sat) £90.00 £140.00
Main Hall only
Evenings - Hourly Rate (Sun - Friday) £8.00 per hr. £10.00 per hr.
Morning/Aft. - Hourly Rate £6.50 per hr. £9.00 per hr.
Regular Users (Evenings) £20.00 per session
Regular Users (Morn/Aft.) £18.00 per session
Committee Room only
All day - Hourly Rate £ 4.50 per hr. £ 7.00 per hr.
Session Rate £ 8.00 per session £12.00 per session

Booking: 50% of the hire fee must be paid at the time of booking. The balance of the hire fee together with a refundable £100.00 damage deposit must be received 7 days before the hire date.
Cheques: Made payable to ”Somersham Village Hall”
“Resident”: Persons living in the Parish of Somersham
The “ Session Rate” is only for groups who have regular meetings of up to 3 hours per session.
All booking enquiries:
Mrs Hilary Bridger - 01473 831552

SOMERSHAM CYCLE SPEEDWAY

June 3rd saw Stars rider Barry Copping donning the colours of Norwich for a Premier League fixture at Sheffield.Norwich trailed by 18 points after the 1st 11 heats but then when all seamed lost the mother of all come backs began & Sheffield began to lose their nerve at vital points of the match courtesy of 4 exclusions in the next 3 heats.Barry scored 6 points,including his first race in the Premier League but Sheffield held on to win 89-85.

On the 16th the final regional round of the British Youth & Junior League took place at Hethersett on a track that was made heavy by 2 hefty showers during the day.Stars’ Kesgrave loanee Andy Turnbull provided the Somers ham “interest”, finishing 2nd in the “A” final of the Under 14’s

The following day saw Hethersett make their 2nd visit to Somersham in the space of 4 weeks,this time in the Norfolk & Suffolk League and Somersham ended a run of defeats with a comfortable victory.It was a rare occasion in that Somersham were at full strength-indeed,9 riders turned out and the result was no coincidence - a 101-77 win. Dave Palfreyman top scored but Dan Croft and Barry Copping were equally impressive as they raced unbeaten by an opponent. Scott McDowell made his Somersham debut and wasted no time getting into the action. He looks a good signing after quickly gelling with his new team mates.The meeting was marred when Hethersett rider Tiffany Collins crashed and had to withdraw. She had survived a battle with Steve Copping in the 4th heat but then a slide on the last corner ended her day. A visit to hospital later revealed 2 broken bones above the ankle.

2 days later over a dozen youngsters came and tried Cycle Speedway, at Somersham's Come & Try it night as part of National Bike Week. The club was able to loan out bikes and helmets for people to try out and they appeared to enjoy racing round the track. Former speedway World Champion Mark Loram visited to give moral support and his appearance went down well.

The 24th saw us visit East London and it was a tough affair with many riders unavailable for various reasons. Those who did make the journey tried their best but received little reward in the 106-55 defeat, Gary Brown top scoring with 14.Peter Mittell deserves special mention after working late all the previous week, and nursing leg injuries, but never complaining during his 6 rides.

The only action scheduled to take place at Somersham in July(on the 18th),the Suffolk Qualifying round for the East Anglian 4’s Under 16 Cup, will have hopefully taken place by the time you read this. If it did take place then I will have a report in a future issue.

An event worthy of mention taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend is the British Senior Individual Championship. Somersham will be staging 2 of the Senior Semi-Finals, on Saturday 25th starting at 4pm and on Sunday 26th at 3pm.The Final takes place at Ipswich’s Whitton Sports Centre on Bank Holiday Monday 27th at 3pm. That’s it for now

Steve Copping,Assistant Secretary
Club Secretary:Peter Mittell.Tel No.(01473) 831474
Website:http://www.btinternet.com/~somershamcsc

F.O.S.S.

After a lot of hard work and many hours of preparation, it was a bit disappointing that the weather was not in our favour for our annual fete on Saturday 30th June. Like many other fetes that have been held this Summer?, sun was not guaranteed!! However, despite the rain, it was not cold as such, but more of a nuisance and thankfully the rain was not coming down in buckets! (apart from on the ‘Soak Your Friend’ game). Most of us had a busy afternoon and there appeared to be some local rivalry and family competitions taking place on a lot of the games – which helped to boost our funds. There are so many people that we need to thank for all their help, it would be difficult for us to name them all, but hopefully you know who you are! Our sincere thanks go to “Ernie” who once again provided some fantastic nostalgic 1970’s music and particularly to everyone from SADPA – the Suffolk Academy Of Dance and Performing Arts- for a wonderful display, despite the rain.

After a very hectic couple of days and a lot of tidying up we were amazed to find that we had made a profit of over £1,100 – a fantastic amount. Once again, our sincere thanks go to all those people that so kindly gave up their time to help and support us on the day, as well as all the kind people that donated prizes, items for the stalls or generally just came along to the fete to spend some money and have an enjoyable afternoon. At a time when the number of children at our school is falling, the money that we raise at such events makes a great difference and the amount we raised on the day, makes all our hard work worthwhile.

On 20th July, we hope that all the children enjoyed the leavers disco at the village hall. We were having a Christmas Party (yes – in July!) to send the year 6’s and Jan Hubbard on their way to their new schools.
At the beginning of the September term, FOSS committee members will be meeting again to start to plan the next events for the academic year 2007-08. In October, we will be having our AGM and will always welcome any new members to join us.(Contact Jenny King for date and time of meeting). We meet every 6-8 weeks (unless we have a big event like the fete coming up), and generally have a good evening planning future fundraising events and general “fun” evenings for the children. We hope to have things like an Autumn Fair, Christmas Photographs and a Body Shop Party evening in October/ November. All details will be advertised in the forthcoming Link magazines.

Again, our sincere thanks go to everyone for all your support in the last academic year. We hope that you all have enjoyable holidays if you going away during the Summer break.

CHILDREN FROM BELARUS

Thank you so much to everyone who donated sweets, toys and clothes for the children from Belarus. Special thanks go to Pat, Angela and Christine.

Lisa, Kevin, Heather and Tony

Flowton Church News

Thank you to everybody who contributed to the total of £209, plus Gift Aid, donated for Christian Aid. Thank you also to the group of collectors who gave up their time during the week of collection.

Services during August in Flowton are at 8.00am on August 12th and 6.00pm on August 19th.

Our Harvest Festival is on 16th September at 4.30pm, followed by a shared tea for all. This service is for young and old and the tea is becoming a new tradition.

The next all-age Morning Worship service is on September 23rd at 10.00am. This service is followed by refreshments and a time for adults to chat together whilst the children use a variety of craft materials.

Flowton Harvest Supper will take place at Flowton Hall, by kind invitation of Graham and Diana Fawcus, on Friday October 12th from 7.30pm. Tickets available in September from Diana, Margaret Laflin and Mary Carter. This annual event is great for catching up on all the news and summer happenings in beautiful surroundings.

PCC meeting - Friday October 19th at 7.30pm in the church vestry.

Flowton’s Trivia Quiz –Friday October 26th at 7.30pm in Somersham Village Hall.

Nick and Mary Carter are pleased to announce the arrival of their first grandchild – Jasper George Carter – on July 5th, in Invercargill, New Zealand. We hope that the new family will be able to visit England mid-August until early October so we will have a chance to egt to know the little lad.
From New Zealand’s Department of Conservation internal newsletter: “Carters return to Kakapo Castle with two prizes”
Last week Caroline and John Carter not only celebrated the arrival of Jasper, the junior JC of the Carter household, but their home was also recognised at Environment Southland’s annual environment awards.
The couple picked up the Environmental Innovator Award for their eco-friendly home, otherwise known as Kakapo Castle.

After learning what it would cost them to connect their new dwelling to the national grid they decided self-sufficiency was a better option for them and for the environment, so they set about harnessing the energy of sun and wind power for their electrical requirements.
Their commitment to a sustainable lifestyle and minimising their environmental impact has seen the pair turn a Gold Pine storage shed into an eco-friendly “apartment” styled home.

Rainwater is collected from the roof and grey water is disposed of through a unique double filtering tank system, none of it used to flush their toilet though. The non-flushing toilet separates solids and is emptied out about every six weeks, the waste buried to compost while a small fan keeps odours at bay.

Cooking is by gas, washing is done once a week and TV is watched through their computer. Resene environmentally friendly paint has been used throughout the house, and the downstairs floor is compressed bamboo sourced from a sustainable plantation.
The five acre section has been planted with over 150 beech trees and many other native plants and has a veggie garden and worm farm.
Even the family’s recent addition does not faze them from being environment friendly – biodegradable nappy options are being looked
into by the Carters.

OFFTON CHURCH NEWS

Recent Events
The annual Summer Fete took place in glorious sunshine in the churchyard on 9 June. Tea, cakes, hotdogs and ice-cream were consumed in great amounts to the musical rhythms of the Ipswich Hospital Training Band. A full range of fete activities had been excellently organised by Peta and Brian Whiting and the bell ringers, and Ian Dickson undertook his usual Master of Ceremonies duties. The event raised a praiseworthy £1,000 for the church funds. Thank you to all who took part and to the many visitors who spent their hard earned income and pocket money.

Diary Dates
August is the big holiday month when people are away enjoying a rest. Consequently, there are no special events this month. The cycle of church services still goes on, slightly changed for the holiday month – details are inside the back cover of this magazine.

September kicks off with the Harvest Festival Service on 9th at 5.00 pm. Please come along with perhaps a food gift for those less fortunate than most of us, and enjoy a colourful service followed by sausage rolls and wine.

Later in the month on the 29th, John Minns will once again run the annual Whist Drive in the Village Hall. Book your place early as play will start promptly at 7.30 pm. Tea etc will be served in the interval, and there is always a nice range of prizes to be won.

Then on 6th October we will have the annual Supper in Church – an event that is in its third year. Due to the limited space available for laying a formal table, tickets costing £10 will be limited to 20 on a first come, first serve basis. The ticket price covers a 3-course meal in a beautiful candle-lit setting plus a first glass of wine. This is a fund raising event and will also feature a raffle. To book your place early to avoid disappointment please phone Mike and Sue Bolton on the number below.

Recruiting
In the June edition of the ‘Link’, we noted that the group that organises church events and generally keeps thing running on an even keel (the PCC), had room for more members. This is still the case, so if you would like to offer a little time and assistance, please call one of the following:
Ian Dickson Tel: 01473 658637
Mike Bolton Tel: 01473 658304
Paul and Anne Chapman Tel: 01449 721181

Church Fact File
In order to meet the Link’s production schedule, this article is being drafted before we know whether any junior members of the parishes will respond to our invitation made last month for making a link between their history lessons and some of the 13th and 14th century construction work of Offton church. Watch this space in the next edition of the Link for any results.

This month’s Fact File concerns the large tomb that faces the main south entrance door (see photo below). This is without doubt one of the county's most unusual outdoor tombs. It shows a weeping woman holding a horse by the head, while a body lies slumped on the ground. The body depicts John Wyard who was the tenant farmer of Castle Farm when he died in a fall from his horse in 1867. Records show that John moved to Castle Farm with his wife Sarah in the mid-1920s from Somersham where he was born. At the time, the farm was owned by the trustees of one Bishop Andrews, and amounted to 210 acres. Interestingly, this is similar in size to the 240 acres farm recorded on the site in William the Conqueror’s Doomsday Book of 1086. Four members of the Wyard family are shown on the sides of the tomb as being buried there: John 1791-1867; Sarah 1795-1848; James (son) 1813-1889; and Amy (daughter) 1827-1889. The tomb was restored several years ago and the underground vault is no longer open. John and Sarah had eight further children, and the initials of all the family members are carved into bricks on the west facing wall of a shed at Castle Farm. These can be easily read from the public footpaths that meet at that point.

The Wyard Tomb is well worth a visit. Take a walk and see for yourself.

OFFTON AND WILLISHAM PARISH COUNCIL

With the co-option on Mr Nigel Coleman to represent Offton, the Council now has its full complement of ten members.  Nigel is welcomed and warmly thanked for his willingness to serve on the Council.

Willisham has a new seat installed at the end of Tye lane.  Its cost was partly met by a contribution from County Councillor Julia Truelove, and the Council is grateful for her help .The Council would also like to thank Guy Hitchcock of Hitchcock Farms, Ringshall, for his co-operation in permitting us to place the seat on their land.

The notice board in Offton was vandalised on Saturday afternoon 7th July. It is thought that the offenders were small boys who were seen throwing stones nearby and the Constable Dave Clarke has been informed. If anyone can add more information please let Dave or myself know.
PipSands   Parish Clerk Tel 01449 721173

WILLISHAM CHURCH NOTES

Church Roof
I am sure many of you have noticed the recent activity in the churchyard and you may even have seen some investigations taking place on the chancel roof. The pcc is delighted to be able to tell you that Willisham church has been awarded £56,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund, towards the cost of re-roofing the chancel and renewing the rainwater goods, including below ground drainage works.
This award is part of £225,000 of repair grants for three Grade II Listed places of worship in the east of England - the other two churches are from Norfolk and Hertfordshire - so you will understand how extremely fortunate we are to be part of this award package.
Without this financial support we would be unable to contemplate undertaking this work, which will help preserve Willisham Church for use by future generations.

However, the total estimated cost of the work amounts to £77,972, leaving us with a balance of nearly £20,000 to find. We hope to raise this through other grants and, of course, by local fund raising.

We got off to a very good start with last year’s Gift Day and we hope that our Fete and Bonfire Evening will swell the funds. If you have any ideas for events, or any connection with charities or organisations who offer grants or donations please let us know, so that an approach can be made.

….OPEN GARDENS
One idea already suggested is that we should stage a Willisham Open Gardens event next year. If you would be prepared to open your garden (large or small) or serve teas or ice-creams, please let us know as soon as possible.

……WILLISHAM COOK BOOK
More recipes are still required – please send these to Frances Gilson at 9 North Acres or e-mail to ivan.gilson@btinternet.com

Suffolk Historic Churches Trust
This year’s Bike Ride takes place on Saturday the 8th September. If you would be prepared to ride on behalf of the Trust and Willisham Church, please contact Frances Gilson for the appropriate form and full details.

Harvest Festival
Sunday the 14th October at 3.00pm

Bonfire Evening
Friday the 2nd November at Crow Hall, Willisham

CHURCH SERVICES in our 8 linked parishes

If you think there may be a mistake in the rota please contact your Churchwarden.

Please contact a Churchwarden if you think that there is a mistake in the listing. Thank you.

5th August 9th Sunday after Trinity

12th August 10th Sunday after Trinity

19th August 11th Sunday after Trinity

26th August 12th Sunday after Trinity

2nd September 13th Sunday after Trinity

9th September 14th Sunday after Trinity

16th September 15th Sunday after Trinity

23rd September 16th Sunday after Trinity

7th October 18th Sunday after Trinity ( some of probable services)

Somersham Baptist Church

Regular Sunday Morning Programme (You are welcome to join us for all or part of the morning).
10.00-10.30 Prayer Meeting
10.45-11.15 Bible Study (Communion 1st Sunday)
11.30-12.00 Worship
12.00-12.30 Sermon

Other Meetings
Sunday 9th Sept 7.00pm A light meal and discussion about ‘Forgiveness, who needs it?’

Children and Young People (During term time);
Wednesday Club 6.30-7.30pm for primary school children,
14+ Friday’s 8.00-9.30pm Year 9 upwards.

Meetings for Ladies;
Women’s Fellowship Date to be confirmed.
Friends and Neighbours; 17th September ‘Hawaii 5-0’ with David Waters.

All events are held at the Baptist Chapel, Chapel Lane, Somersham IP8 4QE, and Transport is always available.
Contacts: Mark Newcombe (Pastor) 01473 831940. Mobile 07930 543583. mark.newcombe@btinternet.com
Edwin Mayhew 01473 658100

Mid Suffolk South Team
Mid Suffolk District Council Offices,
131 High Street Needham Market Suffolk IP6 8DL
Tel: 01449 724997
http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/safersuffolk

Hello again ,
VEHICLE CRIME
There has been an increase in the number of thefts from motor vehicles in Mid Suffolk over recent weeks and, sadly, many of them are from insecure vehicles. Don’t make life easy for would-be criminals! Always lock your vehicle, no matter how short a time you are leaving it for and always remove any personal items from view. If you see anyone acting suspiciously near vehicles ring the police immediately.

TELEPHONE TRANSACTIONS:-
When making transactions using your credit, debit or charge card over the telephone...
1. Don't give your card number over the telephone to 'cold' callers. Only make telephone transactions when you have instigated the call and are familiar with the company2. Have the card in front of you. The retailer will ask you for information including the card number, expiry date, the three or four digit card security code on the signature strip, issue number where applicable, and your name as it appears on your card.3. NEVER give your Personal Identification Number (PIN) to anyone over the telephone. If anyone asks you for your PIN, even if they claim they are from the bank or the police, they are probably a fraudster.4. Always ask the retailer to confirm the full price that is being charged to your card, including any booking fees, delivery charges etc. Make a note of this at the time.5. If the retailer sends you written confirmation of the order, check the bill to ensure that it is correct. Keep any such receipts and check them off against your next statement.6. Always check the statements from your bank or card issuer carefully as soon as you receive them. Raise any discrepancies with the retailer concerned in the first instance. Contact your card issuer if the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction.7. If you find any transactions on your statement that you are certain you did not make, contact your card issuer immediately. You may be asked to sign a disclaimer, confirming that you did not undertake the transaction.Remember - Report lost or stolen cards, or any suspected fraud, to your bank, building society or card protection scheme immediately.

You will find the 24-hour emergency telephone number for your bank or building society on your last statement or by calling directory enquiries.

If you have any information or would like any advice on police matters I would be more than happy to discuss this with you My contact telephone number is 01449 724997
My e mail address is david.clark@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

Please remember that there are occasions when I am on rest days for 4 days so if your call is of an urgent nature please ask to speak to any officer on duty.

Thanks very much PC 466 Dave Clark