The Link Magazine
Linking the villages of - Somersham, Willisham, Offton and Flowton - Suffolk
The Link Magazine
Linking the villages of - Somersham, Willisham, Offton and Flowton - Suffolk
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| OUR
CHURCHES PICNIC
We are having a picnic on Saturday 15th August on Felixstowe beach. Please bring your own picnic. We will gather on the beach near the Spa Pavilion so as to be near refreshments should anyone want them and also the toilet facilities of which I’m sure we will all want! Times 10.00am --- 4.00pm or when people want to leave. These occasions are always better with children about so please invite any children in the family etc. and spread the word. This is social time together as a community so no ceremony – it’s let your hair down time! Bernard From our Priest……. Holiday time, hurray! Well for some and the children anyway. The schools have closed for the summer break and we adults may have saved for that important holiday vacation. Hopefully the weather will behave and thoughts turn to seaside, trips abroad, activity holidays, coach trips, car journeys; trains, boats and planes - Oh what glorious thoughts! Our break could be with the family, hands up those of us who have been half buried in the sand by the children. Perhaps there is that special visit to take in or the occasion that has been discussed for months or that slap up meal we promised our selves whilst on holiday. I remember as a child the summer break felt like a time of eternity. Long warm days (and some wet) of playing with friends on a piece of wasteland or down by the river near to where I lived using homemade fishing lines; we had to improvise in those days, this was still in the time when parents only bought gifts for their children at Christmas and birthdays. If we didn’t have something we had to make it! I had a difficult moment once when fishing as a young lad; I cast my line and got the barbed hook stuck in my backside, try getting that out when standing on the riverbank! That apart though we children felt like pit ponies that had been brought up to the surface, skipping around the fields and kicking our legs in the air. The days felt as if they would go on forever. I’m sure you can all recall some of the wonderful summer days when you were a child. Children or adults, we all need a break from time to time: a chance to be refreshed and reflect. Holidays can do that, it’s like taking ourselves to one side for a while from the busyness of our lives; did you know also that our churches could do that for us every week. When we step inside, we find space from the everyday, peace from a busy world, spiritual refreshment that energises us and sends us out renewed and the chance to reflect and be with God who gives us meaning to our lives. When the summer holiday is but a memory, step into your village church to be refreshed, be still in the quietness or share in the Sunday worship, it is there for everyone and you will be made very welcome. You will be amazed at what it can do for your life! May God richly bless you on your holidays and during this summertime. Bernard (The Reverend Canon Bernard Rose)
Somersham August Cleaning Team
B Flowton August Cleaning Mr
and Mrs K Grimwood Offton Willisham (flowers
and cleaning)
Open The Book Dave Todd had this idea that he would like to go into schools and read to the children the basic bible stories. Ten years later the word has spread and there are now teams of volunteers going into primary schools on a regular basis from all parts of the country. The stories are told very simply from the “Lion Storyteller Bible” by author Bob Hartman and are re-enacted using various props or are just read straight from the book. Bob Hartman was the guest of honour on the day. He retold some of the great stories with such enthusiasm and had us all doing lots of actions, which we can relay back to our own primary schools. It was a really good day, meeting up with other volunteers and gave us a lot of inspiration to continue this into the new school year in Somersham from September 2009. (If you would like to join the team, please contact Debbie Bullard in Somersham)
Getting the new month underway saw an away match at Burstall although it was a depleted line up for Somersham which meant 4 bowlers having to double up and bowl two games each due to holiday absence and other commitments by some club members. All four teams refused to be overwhelmed by the latter situation and battled vainly to gain some form of result, but were unfortunately on the losing end of the results on each mat and Burstall ran out eventual winners on shots. The disappointment of the loss was more than made up by the enjoyment of bowling and the tasty refreshments which rounded off the night’s play. Still unable to get a win under our belts in the Summer league and every intention of ... “must do better” ... our next opponents were Copdock & Washbrook who we welcomed to our mats. Again it was the circumstance of bowlers missing due to holidays and consequently the hex of some bowlers having to bowl twice. Obviously with very good bowlers against us it looked - on the cards - as though we were going to be overwhelmed, but this was not to be the case! ... and we gave a good account of ourselves, including introducing our new bowler to his first match. In the end it proved to be a match of two halves. The fours in the first half were fairly well beaten by the more consistent bowling of the opposition and it looked as if another heavy defeat might follow after the interval. However this was not to be and the triples in the second half put up resolute resistance and fared much better ... both winning their games fairly convincingly to make the final result a fairly close call. However it was Somersham who unfortunately finished up with a shortfall of 6 shots at the end of the evening to lose the overall result. The final report for
the group of matches in June saw us make the short trip down the road
to Sproughton to play in the recently refurbished Tythe Barn on a hot
summer evening. Work to bring insulation of the building up to standard
has now been undertaken so happily it will be warmer winter league play
in the future. Summer League – June Results: - Burstall 46 - 27 10
- 0 Lost Away * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * There is no better
time than the present to think of joining the Club so again we are looking
to you .... Yes we mean you reader! .....
Safer Neighbourhoods
Hello again ,
You can order your
home pack by calling 0800 456 1213 and quoting 'burglary pack'. Those
who order the pack will also receive a discount voucher for home security
supplies at a major DIY retailer. Alternatively, you can download documents
from the pack by visiting If you have any information
or would like any advice on police matters PCSO 3183 Vince Whitrow or
myself would be more than happy to discuss this with you Our contact telephone
number is 01284 774100 Please remember that there are occasions when we 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
The Deborah Mittell Charity Shield at the Somersham track on 20th June was a great success with excellent support by those20on and off the track. An enjoyable afternoon was had by all and £756.06 was raised for the Ipswich St Elizabeth Hospice. The meeting was split into 2 pairs events, a race format rarely seen these days. One featured the top riders from the region's clubs, while the other accommodated the many other riders who were keen to race, albeit in a little less serious fashion. The main event featured pairings from Somersham, Hethersett, Ipswich, Norwich, Great Blakenham & Kesgrave and went pretty much as expected with Ipswich and Great Blakenham leading the way. In fact they were never out of the top 2 throughout. The Great Blakenham pairing of Lewis Osborne and Adam Peck entered the final heats a point behind Ipswich but easily secured maximum points against Somersham in heat 13 to put the pressure on Ipswich's Daniel Pike and Leon Yelland in the last race, but they took advantage of the inside gates against the Kesgrave pair of Andy Turnbull and Martin Berry and got the 7 points they needed for victory. This meant there was a tie for 3rd between Kesgrave & Hethersett which saw Hethersett's Dave Adams beat Andy Turnbul in a runoff. In the fun event the James Studd and Paul Jay partnership needed a heat advantage in their final race to win. It looked like they were making hard work of it, until Dave Palfreyman was eliminated from the 2nd rerun, to finally take the honours with 31 points. Former Somersham rider Barry Copping showed that he still knew the way round his old track scoring 17 points as he partnered Great Blakenham’s Ray Pyke to 2nd place, the latter scoring 12 points. 3rd place was taken by the Peter Ingram and Peter Williamson pairing who scored 28 points between them. The loudest cheer of the day was reserved for heat 12 when the pairing of former speedway rider Kevin Teager and Peter Mittell scored a 7-3 maximum over the Dave Palfreyman and Wil Kitcher pairing but it has to said that in the spirit of the fun event there was more than a little suspicion that the race was fixed. Peter,Richard & Andrew Mittell presented the trophies at the conclusion of the racing The following day
it was round 3 of the South-East GP at Colchester where Gary won the senior
event. On the 27th he rode in round 3 of the Kesgrave Club Championship,
scoring 16 points. The following day Great Blakenham were the visitors
to Kesgrave for a Norfolk & Suffolk League match and a South-East
Division 2 match. The Norfolk & Suffolk League match was up first
and Kesgrave lost this by 108 points to 72, Gary scoring 14+2. Kesgrave
got their revenge in the South-East Division 2 match, winning it by 1
point(80-79).Gary top scored in this one with 19+1. Anne Cullen of Nettlestead would welcome offers for very occasional car driving. Time to suit driver and payment to driver or any cause of their choice. Please ring 01473 831202 SOMERSHAM PARISH COUNCIL Forthcoming Parish
Council Meetings Ipswich Hospital
NHS Trust The parish council has grave concerns about the potential loss of even more services at Ipswich Hospital and will join the many local organisations and people in expressing concern about the effect on healthcare provision for the people of Somersham and across Suffolk. Procedures at Parish
Council Meetings Suffolk InfoLink
Champions Promoting Independence Parish Council
Notice Board And Finally Janet Clarke Tel.
No. 01473 830398 SOMERSHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL This year really has
been the busiest year I remember here at Somersham School; too much to
recall now, and regular readers of The Link will no doubt have kept up
with events! We have taken part
in all sorts of sports over the year from tennis to tag rugby and have
achieved some great results – most notably coming first in the pyramid
football and tag rugby tournaments, and going on to play in the East of
England and London tag rugby cup. We also held another successful sports
day with Wilberforce house winning this year. We have of course had academic achievements too; the staff have all worked extremely hard this year to move towards more varied and interactive lessons to really get the children excited about their learning. There has been a noticeable change in many lessons and the children’s love of learning is reflected in their progress and our excellent SATs results this year; there is much to be celebrated! The staff and pupils remain grateful to our dedicated Governing body and FOSS (Friends of Somersham School) who both give so much of their time to help our school. The FOSS summer fete this year was one of the best ever despite the showery rain, their fund raising enables us to purchase extra special resources that we otherwise might not have had, and to part fund trips to keep costs down for parents. As Headteacher I feel proud everyday of our little school, in the hustle and bustle of everyone’s everyday life it is easy to overlook the opportunities and achievements we have had over the last year and ‘not see the wood for the trees’. However if we all take a step back we can realise how lucky we are to still have a traditional village school where everyone knows each other and where there are dedicated staff, governors, parents and community members willing to go the extra mile to support the school. I look forward to welcoming our 8 new reception children into the Somersham School Family in September and hope you all have a lovely summer. Mrs Allison (Headteacher)
The FETE—A big
“thank you” to everybody who helped with the Church fete, or
who came to support the event. We were blessed with a beautiful afternoon.
Strawberry teas, cake and bric-a-brac stalls, raffle, a few games-and
with families lining up to take turns to dowse each other with water!
I have not heard the official result, but I think it will be about £520.
Coming up: OFFTON
CHURCH NEWS “We had beautiful
weather this year for our Fete at Offton, everyone pulled together as
always and a grand total of £1025 was raised. By the time that you receive this issue of the Link, the Open Gardens event will have taken place on 12 July. A report will appear in the next edition of the magazine. The annual Cycle Ride in support of the Suffolk Historic Churches Trust will take place on Saturday 12 September. Entry forms are available from Mrs Alison Rumsey Tel: 01473 658591. More details about this event are probably contained elsewhere in this Link. Our annual Harvest Festival Service will be on 13 September after the summer holidays. Please try to make room in your busy schedules and come to this joyous celebration of the good things in life that we value so much. At our Harvest Festival service on 13 September, we will be presenting the Rectors’ Plate to Mr David Schofield and his wife Jane. Those who attended the 20th and final Rectors Plate Indoor Bowling Competition held on 3 January will recall that we had promised to present David and Jane with the plate, once it had been returned by the winners, as a permanent reminder for all their good work. The PCC feels that the Harvest Festival service would be an excellent event at which to undertake this pleasant task. We therefore especially welcome all indoor bowlers and friends of the Schofields to this happy service and presentation. Your support for the many hours that David and Jane have given to this project over 20 years will be most gratefully received. Church Fact File The smallest and least noticed window in Offton Church is also the most beautiful. You will find it on the north side of the chancel to the left of the altar. The architectural style is Early English, and is called a Lancet window. The doorway leading to ‘Harry’s Room’ is also Early English, which indicated that the basic size of the church has not changed much in the last eight hundred years. The stained glass, with its vivid colours, is Victorian, and it has all the vibrancy and drama of the Pre-Raphaelite movement that swept through Britain and Europe and which rattled the staid Victorian establishment if the 1860s. When the Lancet window was installed, it would have been considered really modern, certainly controversial, and many people would have come to look at it in amazement. Offton Church is dedicated to St Mary, and three windows show images of her. In this one, she is adorned with the most beautiful clothes: her dress (kirtle) is crimson red; her headdress (wimple) is emerald green; and her mantle is purple. All this is set-off against a vivid blue background. She has a halo with five stars which is one of the symbols associated with the Virgin Mary. You may wonder what is controversial about this image of Mary. Well, colours are important in stained glass windows, and they each have individual meanings. The window opposite on the south side of the chancel depicts Mary in the traditional blue colour for her clothing, whereas the Lancet window has Mary dressed in crimson, which is the colour of passion, of love and of blood, and is the colour normally associated with Mary Magdalene, not the Virgin Mary. Which Mary then is shown in this Window? There are two clues in the secret language of the church, which lead to it being the Virgin Mary. One is the inclusion of a red rose without a thorn, which is a reference to the Rose of Sharon in the Song of Solomon (in medieval times, the Virgin Mary was known as the Mystic Rose). The second is the inclusion of a pure white lily which is the flower most associated with the Virgin Mary. Our Mary is carrying a pure white Lily. Fellow citizens of Offton, we are all custodians of this most unusual image of a vibrant, passionate, red dressed Madonna, and although she is coyly placed in a side window, she is worthy of your support and admiration. OFFTON
AND WILLISHAM PARISH COUNCIL The removal of footpath
2 and the classification of the concrete track as a bridleway, both of
which lead from Tye farm across to Holly road, has been negotiated with
Hitchcock Farms and MSDC, but the status of the changes has to be legally
authorised by the empowering authority ie MSDC. MSDC is working to
complete these formalities but until it does and issues the Order accordingly,
the changed routes are not officially available. It may take until the
end of the year for this to be accomplished but I will be notified and
receive a copy of the Order when it is issued
The Club has continued its campaign in the summer league, but I have only two matches to report, Our away match against Tuddenham was unfortunately cancelled, and has been rescheduled for August. On the 15th June a
group of members and their guests enjoyed an afternoon boat trip down
the River Deben, we were very fortunate with the weather, enjoying the
sunshine, although rain had been forecast. On our return to Waldringfield,
we ended the afternoon with a meal at the Maybush. Our thanks to Jane
for arranging this outing. On 29th June in the “heat wave” we travelled to Kelsale, our longest journey of the season, here it was a different story, a complete reversal of the previous match, the home team’s familiarity with the mats proving decisive, only one of our teams played well enough to manage a win, and we lost the match 8 points to 2, following the match we enjoyed some lovely refreshments and hospitality before the journey home. We now look forward to the second half of the summer season, having six more matches to play, hopefully we can maintain our good form at home, and improve on our away match results. Once again we appeal for more people to come and try their hand at the game of carpet bowls, it is good fun and club nights are not serious, as you can see we have social events as well as playing bowls, in fact we have a club barbecue planned for later in July. We need some new blood to strengthen our team, experience not required, why not give it a try? For more information call Valerie on 01473 657023.
I expect we all say it at some time, but ‘doesn’t time fly’. It seems only last issue that I was writing for the Link, but here I am again. Like the UK we have been suffering a heat wave, 45° at 8.30 in the evening; too hot at midday to even put your noses outdoors. But for all that it is great to be able to sit outside in the evening wearing the briefest of clothing and sipping a glass of wine. The garden, though, has suffered greatly, no amount of watering is really helping, but earlier in the year I was able to have lettuce, spring onions, beetroot, black and red currants, strawberries and a very few raspberries (first year bushes). I am hoping that it will rain soon and help to swell the tomatoes.
There has been a happening
in BRUX!
Enough I hear you say, so I will end with kind thoughts of Willisham and Offton and to the many friends Tony and I made there. Biddy Webber ************************************************** The children have been busy with the seasonal activity of seaside and holidays, they have made sand pictures, flags and explored different shells and talked about where they come from. They even opened their very own travel agents booking holidays for the staff! We have said goodbye to several of the children at the end of term, we wish Mia, Brandon, Cassie, Aimee, Judah, Amelie and Lewis all the best as they start their journey at Primary School. We are also looking forward to welcoming the new children and their families at the beginning of the new term in September. In September we will be holding a Healing/Spiritual evening at Ringshall Village Hall, we will have Haughley Spiritual Church leading the evening’s events. Look out for posters in the next few weeks for details. We have places available from September, if you would like a place for your child please contact either the Pre-school on 07754892077 or Sally Aveling on 01449 744510. Children can start pre-school from the age of 2 ½ The pre-school is open 9.30 until 12 noon weekdays in term time and children can attend any number of sessions per week (space permitting). Our well-trained, committed staff work hard to organise a wide variety of fun and educational activities including crafts, cooking, music, story telling and construction. Something to capture each child's imagination. ********************************************************
Regular Sunday Morning Programme (You are welcome to join us for all or part of the morning). 10.00-10.30 Prayer
Meeting Other Meetings Meetings for Ladies:
Contact Mark if you
need transport. *********************************** 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. 6th
September 13th Sunday after Trinity
13th
September 14th Sunday after Trinity
20th
September 15th Sunday after Trinity
27th
September 16th Sunday after Trinity
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