The Link Magazine

Can war serve the purposes of God?

When people of all ages gather round War Memorials they honour the men and women who died in the service of their country. At the time of writing, 51 members of the British Armed Forces have died this year in Iraq. Love is probably not uppermost in their minds as they join up, nor as they face difficult and dangerous situations. On many of our memorials the words inscribed, though, are the words of Jesus, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Love is God's way, and in the day-to-day world sometimes we may need to be able to fight. A company that is flourishing may fight to resist a takeover. In and around schools, bullying can be deterred effectively at the same level by showing some muscle in the sense that verbal defence can stop the perpetrators going on to intimidate someone else. In other settings, too, we may be called upon to resist strong-arm tactics and stand up for what is right.

Defence is sometimes, occasionally, a step towards containing a situation or forging a peace.

In the extremities of war, the cause for which people laid down their lives may be unclear -be it country, freedom or democracy. But theirs was, to quote Cecil Spring-Rice,
"The love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice"

It does us good to stop and remember.

Linden Fletcher

From the Registers
Congratulations to
Richard Fishendon and Juliet Isaacs who were married in Offton Church on 12th September and now live in Offton.

Patrick Keegan and Victoria Allen who were married in Somersham Church on 20th September

May they have many happy years together

Farewell to
Barbara McDowell of Flowton, who died in Ipswich Hospital on September 27th, aged 60 years.

May she rest in peace

Bible Readings and Psalms for our Sunday Worship taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. It is good to be sharing the reading of Scripture with Christians - both Catholic and Protestant - across the world.

November 2nd All Saints Gold / White
Isaiah 25. 6-9 Psalm 24. 1-6
Revelation 21. 1-6a John 11. 32-44
November 9th Remembrance Sunday Red/Green
Jonah 3. 1-5, 10 Psalm 62. 5-12
Hebrews 9. 24-28 Mark 1. 14-20
November 16th 2nd Sunday before Advent Red /Green
Daniel 12. 1-3 Psalm 16
Hebrews 10. 11-14, 19-25 Mark 13. 1-8
November 23rd Christ the King Red /White
Daniel 7. 9-10, 13, 14 Psalm 93
Revelation 1. 4b-8 John 18. 33-37

Offton Church News

Advent Workshop in Offton Church

On Saturdays: November 22nd and 29th, and December 13th and 20th. All from 10 am - 12 noon. Theme "The Jesse Tree.' Come and help us make and decorate our family tree.

Whist Drive

Our thanks to John Minns for once again arranging and acting as MC for the very successful Whist Drive on 27th September.
It was good to see so many people who had come from far and near to enjoy an evening of competitive whist. The total amount of £154.00 was raised for Offton Church funds. Well done John. We all hope that you will do it again next year!

Animal Blessing Service

"All creatures great a small" one of the hymns sung during the first Animal Blessing service at Offton on Animal Welfare Sunday 5th October truly reflected the many animals present for the blessing. Several well behaved dogs, three pet rabbits, some butterflies together with Ian's snails, were there with us in the church as we reflected on caring for and loving animals as part of our Christian commitment. Rev.Ken Hewitt from the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals addressed us all and blessed the animals. A happy service.

Offton and Willisham Parish Council

The phone box in Offton is badly in need of repainting. I have reported this to B.T.who themselves have informed their painting contractor. We'll have to wait and see what develops.

A litter bin is proposed near to the seat in Castle Road

There are complaints about dog fouling, particularly in Willisham. This is unpleasant and easily remedied if owners clear up after their dog.

A Councillor is still needed for the Offton ward. Please call me if you are interested.

The Senior Citizens lunch will take place on December 6th., organisd by Pam Redman as usual. The Council is so grateful to her, she always makes such a good job of it. An event not to be missed!

Pip Sands Clerk Tel 01449 721173

THE GOLDEN COUPLE

It was on the Tuesday evening before that I learnt of Paul and Anne's forthcoming 50th wedding anniversary on Friday 19 September. Their plans were to visit Earl Soham where they were married and have lunch locally. The possibility of arranging a surprise celebratory quarter peal at Earl Soham as well as at Offton did not materialise until the following day, Wednesday. I hoped that if the ringing started at 1.30 pm there might be a chance that Paul and Anne would hear it. Not only did I need to get permission to ring at Earl Soham on Friday, I had to get sufficient ringers too. Telephone calls to Claire Sanders, the incumbent, and one of the local ringers explaining the occasion secured the use of the bells and the band was completed at 10.30 pm Thursday evening.

It transpired that we only just missed Paul and Anne at Earl Soham church as when we started to ring they were a mile or so up the road visiting Anne's childhood home and they heard the bells ringing, although at that time they were not aware that the ringing was for them. They were a little puzzled evidently that a local lady greeted them at the church with the words "You must be the golden couple ".

Earl Soham, Suffolk Friday 19 September 2003
1250 Cambridge Surprise Minor

To celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Paul & Anne Chapman married at this church on this day 50 years ago.

At 7.30pm the Offton bells rang out for another surprise quarter peal and Jan kindly telephoned Paul and Anne to tell them that the ringing was for them and mention that the bells at Earl Soham had also been rung for them. On completion of the second very well rung quarter peal of the day the church door opened and in walked Paul and Anne with beaming smiles, praise for the standard of ringing and celebratory drink to share with the ringers.

Offton, Suffolk Friday 19 September 2003
1250 Plain Bob Triples

To celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Paul & Anne Chapman, married at Earl Soham on this day 50 years ago.
It was a great pleasure to be part of their special day.

Brian

MUSICAL EVENINGS BY CANDLE LIGHT IN OFFTON CHURCH

The word spreads quickly. Have you heard? There is going to be a series of concerts in Offton. There is indeed, and the sale of tickets is well under way, some gift-wrapped for Christmas!

The first concert takes place on Sat. 8 November at 7.45 p.m.
Highly Strung Quartet & Friends will be playing for us in an informal atmosphere from work of Pachelbel and Telemann amongst others. The ticket price is £7.50 bought in advance / £10 at the door, which includes wine or juice and a cheese board.

The second is planned as a New Year's concert on Saturday,
10 January, at which Trio Ted, Cara & Scott will entertain us in their delightful way. Putting their own folksy flavour to some well known (and not so well known) tunes the trio will move through traditional Irish music to original Offton based songs, stopping off at some interesting and unexpected places along the way. These tickets are £5 and to celebrate New Year we will be serving a glass of bubbly or juice and tasty morsels.

Details of the third concert on 28 February in the next issue.

Our evenings do not feature a raffle or tombola, but if any profit is made, the fabric fund of the church, research into cancer and motor neurone disease as well as local causes will benefit. With the nights drawing in early and driving conditions not always favourable, Offton is the place to be for some heart-warming entertainment.

Do not miss what promises to be Magical Musical Moments.

Contact Maartje Rondeboom on 658024
or maartjerondeboom@aol.com

Somersham Primary School

The children are busy, busy, busy this term.
Key Stage 2 are finding out about the Tudors in their History lessons. A Tudor town is being made out of decorated cardboard by Class 1, while Class 2 are making paper mache houses. Hopefully they will be on display some time in the near future for you to see.

As this article is being written there is great excitement in the air. A trip to the Tower of London is happening in the middle of October. The children are desperate to see the Crown Jewels (and, no doubt, the "chopping block"). Hope they were all happy with what they saw!

Years Five and Six have already been to Thornham Field Centre so with that, the trip to London and another one to the Spa Pavilion to see some Shakespeare, you can imagine, they are very happy bunnies indeed.

Class 3 are finding out more about the story of Joseph and will be attempting to design and make a beautiful coat of many colours. Each child is designing his/her own repeat pattern on the computer and will be using special paint to transfer it onto material. Looking forward to seeing that, it's bound to be spectacular.

Class 4 has welcomed 13 new children into the class and they have all settled in very well. It's like they have always been there. The older children in the class who have now started their second year have suddenly grown up very quickly! Doesn't seem five minutes since they were all babies.

F.O.S.S.

We really are very sorry about the 70/80's Disco, but to reasons beyond our control we had to postpone it; but never fear we will be back for Valentines in the new year!

Is there any one out there who can supply the school with old and trusted recipes for the school cook book? We would especially like to hear from the older members of the community with the type of food they might have had when they were young. You can ring the school on 831251, leave your name with Mrs. Peck and we will get in contact with you.

Our main fundraiser this month is the Pre-Christmas Bazaar in the village hall on Saturday Nov. 15th. The hall will be open from 10.00a.m. 'til 1.00p.m. Not only will you be able to buy some inexpensive gifts and have a cup of tea, you will also be able to have your photo taken by the professional photographers Tempest. They will take individual or group photos and are very good. Tempests have been coming to the village for years and took many a playgroup child's photo. We would love to see you all if only for a cup of tea!

An early warning-You may hear voices of angels in December-it will be us Carol singing again. We shall be collecting donations for The Children's Society, if you would like to join us on Monday 15th Dec. ring Jenny on 830623 and she will fill you in on the details.

Thank you to everyone who is still collecting the ink jet cartridges we are making a nice little amount of money from them. Also can we remind you we are collecting the Box Tops off Nestles cereal and the stars off Persil.

A very BIG thank you to everyone who helped at the Bike Show on behalf of Somersham Primary School.

SOMERSHAM CARPET BOWLS CLUB

Rewarded by the extended warm and sunny weather; the Club concluded the Summer programme with a relaxing and enjoyable Sunday afternoon 'bowl and barbecue' at the beginning of September.
This was then followed by the Club making an encouraging start to the Winter League - beating Elmsett away to earn a good win; with three of the four teams soon showing winning ways, and good form for the forthcoming season.

On the downside things didn't go our way in the 1st. round of the Joe Rice Cup - which is played on a two leg home and away basis - with Gt. Blakenham inflicting the damage to see that Somersham made an early exit from the competition. As losers all is not lost as it means the Club now gets to play in another knockout competition - namely the Chairman's Plate. Hopefully this will show more successful progress to further rounds. The Club now also moves into invitation tournaments, and the first visit will be to Hadleigh in late October to play in a 'triples' competition.

Club nights still continue each week in the Village Hall - 7-00pm.on Tuesday evenings

Results to end of September 2003

Winter League

SOMERSHAM CSC

The final home league match of the season was excellent cycle speedway but another close defeat for Somersham. Hethersett got off to a great start and 12 point lead after 4 races, but a mid-match rally saw the Stars level the scores by heat 13. The Gary Brown/Barry Copping partnership was working well, while Andrew Mittell held no less than British Champion Phil Howells at bay. It all went wrong in the penultimate heat though - Steve Copping fell, team mate Pete Williamson couldn't avoid him, and the Stars lost 87-93. This means the visit to East London is the last chance for the Stars to win a match.

The weather has been fine for all our home fixtures, yet ironically this year's track could cope with a massive downpour! They were a bit better for the Hethersett fixture but getting a grippy surface has been difficult all season. We have a lot of loose dusty shale, made worse by the long dry period, which is not conducive to good racing. Watering helps to bind it together but in the summer it dried instantly. his has called for constant sweeping, though we have to be careful not to brush away the all the shale!

In the East Anglian Grand Prix, Somersham riders continue to do well. Brown and Mittell lead their age groups, but they will need to be on form for the final round at Kesgrave as both riders have struggled at this track in the past.

By the time you read this the season will be over, but the racing continues for some of the Stars who specialise in indoor racing. The national championships for this branch of the sport take place in November, with the individuals in Manchester on the 2nd, and the team event 2 weeks later in Wolverhampton.

you can contact us via (01473) 831474, e-mail ovalking@yahoo.com or take a look at the
new Somersham Cycle Speedway website:
www.btinternet.com/~SomershamCSC

CHURCH SERVICES in our 8 linked parishes

The new rota of services began in October -if you have any doubts about this listing please contact the churchwardens. Thank you.

November 2nd All Saints Day

November 9th Remembrance Day

November 16th Second Sunday before Advent

November 2rd Christ the King/Sunday next before Advent

November 30th Advent Sunday

Somersham & District Gardening Club

After our wonderful summer and with the colours of autumn just beginning, now is the time to clear out the borders, do a bit of pruning, and clear away the leaves -hopefully to make a rich organic compost.

It is also a good time to study the latest catalogues for ideas to make your garden even better next year.

Whether you are new to gardening or a green-fingered marvel it is also fun to come along to Somersham Village Hall on the second Monday of each month. There experts on a variety of subjects join us at 7.30pm for talks and demonstrations followed by refreshments and over the fence banter. Non-members are welcome (£1)

Hope to see you on November 10th

Further information from Jeff or Sheila on 01473 657345

Flowton News

Suffolk Historic Churches Fund Cycle Ride
Many thanks to Gordon, Margaret and Wilma Watkins who cycled round 17 churches on the Saturday afternoon in September and were sponsored to the sum of £146. Thank you to everybody who sponsored them, and also to those who manned the church for the day. SHCF will return half the money raised to Flowton Church.

***************************************

Barbara McDowell 1942-2003

All who knew her, and they were many, were saddened when Barbie McDowell became increasingly unwell during the past year. She lived to see the birth of her granddaughter Olivia and greatly enjoyed her several visits and then happily passing round the photographs of her.

Barbie has been a valued member of the Flowton community and taken part in many village events. She also helped with the "Link" in various ways over the past ten years -both with her computer skills and also with stapling in the early days.

She enjoyed the company of young people and loved to hear their news. She also remembered the birthdays of many people around.

Barbie passed away on September 27th, her frail body at rest at last. She will be remembered with love and affection.

Choir

The choir will meet to rehearse for the Carol services on

Thursday November 6th and Tuesday November 18th
Wednesday November 26th and Thursday December 4th
Tuesday December 9th all at 7.30pm in Flowton church or vestry.
More members always welcome

Looking for cards?

amongst the places you might like to try is the multi charity Christmas Card Shop

Somersham Baptist Church

This month we will again be revisiting the events of two world wars and the subsequent conflicts in Korea, Falklands, the Gulf, and recent events in Iraq. As we remember the men and women who have died in our armed service we again acknowledge our debt to them and honour their memory. The past has its way of creating and reinforcing our identity in the present. The terrible toll of human life should make us all more cautious in addressing present conflict too. Our prayers and thoughts are with those who have been robbed of loved ones. Do join the churches in our act of remembrance.

Remembrance Sunday 9th November Join with our friends at the Parish Church for a 10.45am Service. (Prayer Meeting at the Chapel 10.00.)

The events of the past are what the Christian Church retell, the entry of God into human history in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, his model life, his violent death, and his resurrection. These events most clearly define the Christian faith and result in the present offer of forgiveness and acceptance into the family of God. Revisiting the past has little value unless we accept the lessons taught and the benefits earned.

Preparing for Christmas. This year our Christmas Charity is FIND. They provide furniture, and other essentials to people recently re-housed after being homeless. At Christmas presents are given to those they have worked with during the year. This month gift ideas are posted at the Chapel so they can be purchased to give on Sunday 6th December. If you are interested in supporting this worthwhile cause drop in to see what is needed or telephone Mark.

Regular Meetings
Sundays (except Nov 9th)
10.00am Prayer
10.30am Coffee break
10.45am Teaching (Junior Church)
11.15am Coffee break
11.30am Worship
12.00pm-12.30pm Preaching

* Junior Church for School Years 1-6.

Hospital visits; During term time Mark is regularly at Heath Road Hospital, so if you know of someone who would appreciate a visit please contact him on 01473 831940 or 07930 543583.

Ladies Meetings
Women's Fellowship; 2.30pm Friday 14th November,
Friends and Neighbours 7.45pm Monday 17th November, guest Karen Horrex, glass painting.

Children and Young People (Held during term time)
Yr. 1-6, Wednesday Club 6.30pm.
Yr. 9 on, 14+ Friday 8.00pm, (at present we are full, but we are keeping a record of those who wish to join.)

Christianity Explained; Six sessions, which deal with Jesus, Salvation and becoming a Christian, to find out more contact Mark.
Somersham Baptist Church, Chapel Lane, Somersham, IP8 4QE

Contacts;
Pastor Mark Newcombe 01473 831940 e-mail mark.newcombe@btinternet.com
Colin Low 01473 464833 or Edwin Mayhew on 01473 658100. Web site www.somersham.com

Letters to the Editor

As regular readers will know, it is not the policy of "The Link " Committee to include anonymous letters in this newsletter. In the last issue, one was included as part of the Somersham Parish Council report at that body's express wish. Members of "The Link" Committee have received many comments and phone calls regarding the contents of the anonymous letter which has concerned many people.

We also received the following letter, which we have pleasure in printing:

The letter published in the October edition of the newsletter regarding "thugs" in the village was "way over the top".
These young people are just a group of teenagers using the village green as a meeting place. They are the only sign of life in the village and, apart from perhaps some friendly advice on riding their cycles and mopeds, should be congratulated for their lack of vandalism.
Tony and Jean Ling

Could you help WRVS to deliver Meals on Wheels in and around Bramford - perhaps once or twice a month? You could even deliver "meals on foot" by taking them round Cherryfields Bramford, to those who need them.

Meals are delivered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I do the village round once a week and it usually takes less than an hour and the meals are really appreciated by those who receive them. There are longer rounds for which drivers are also urgently sought.

If you think you might be able to help, why not come with me one Friday lunch time and see what is involved, or you can contact our local organisers, Sue Cave for the Bramford, Claydon area on 01473 745669 or Joan Hall for the Stowmarket area on 01449 626187.
Diana Fawcus 01473 658335
Thanks

Halloween and bonfire night have now passed us by, hopefully without major incident and we can now look forward to Christmas. Some of you may have already completed your Christmas shopping but if you are like me you have only just begun to think about it.

Between now and Christmas your presents can provide a wonderful opportunity for thieves. Presents are left on full view in cars whilst you spend more money in the shops, we may carry more than normal amounts of cash with us, and are often so engrossed in trying to obtain the perfect gift that we forget to take care of our bags, purses and wallets.

Please ensure that you lock all your shopping out of sight in the boot of the car, and don't carry more cash than you need. If you use debit and credit cards, make sure the PIN number is in your memory not your diary or written down anywhere. If the worst happens and your wallet or purse is stolen notify your card company as soon as possible to prevent cards being used.

It is also getting towards the Christmas party season or at least planning the final details. Please make sure that you consider the travelling arrangements for yourself and any guests. Too much |Christmas spirit of the wrong sort can result in lost driving licences at best, and death at worst. Now is the time to think about how you are getting home, not after a good night out.

Crimes of late include the theft of an Indespension tipping trailer from a compound in Badley over 25/26 September. Trailers are a popular target and every effort should be made to secure them to an immovable object and make then readily identifiable by marking.

I have received two complaints in the last month regarding dogs not being under proper control. Whilst this is an offence for which prosecutions can be made, the damage and injury an uncontrolled dog can cause to others either directly or by causing a road accident should be a far greater incentive to ensure your is safely on a lead or secure in your garden.

I have also received complaints from farmers and farm workers of stones being thrown at tractors and other agricultural machinery operating in the fields; not only is this an offence but it could cause very serious injury and damage if the driver is struck or loses control of the vehicle.

If you know anything about any incident mentioned in these notes please contact me on 01473 613500 (Force Headquarters; if I am not on duty ask to leave a voicemail message for Pc980 Shields. Please remember that there are periods when I am on 'rest day' for 4 days. If you require urgent action do not leave a message but speak to another officer. My deputy, should I be on leave or away for any length of time, will be PC Simon Mills (a change since last month) and he is contactable on the same telephone numbers as myself.
Kevin Shields. Pc980

To go to the Suffolk Police web site please click here

To go to the Neighbourhood Watch site of Suffolk Police click here

HADLEIGH CHORAL SOCIETY

Franz Joseph Haydn's The Creation, an oratorio in three parts, is perhaps the composer's greatest, most ambitious and most popular work. Whilst visiting London, Haydn heard oratorios by Handel and these no doubt inspired him to write a work of a similar scale. Written for four-part chorus, three soloists and scored for the full 18th Century orchestra, it was an instant success. To celebrate Haydn's seventy-sixth birthday in 1808 the work was performed and afterwards the thirty-eight year old Beethoven knelt to kiss the frail older composer's hand!

Hadleigh Choral Society, along with the Colchester Orchestra, all under the baton of Christopher Phelps, will be performing this great work on Saturday 22 November at 7.30pm in St. Mary's Church, Hadleigh. Tickets (£8, £6 and £4) are available from The Idler Bookshop, High Street, Hadleigh or by telephoning Loveday Perceval-Maxwell on 01473 824419.

Somersham Church Notes

The Christmas Bazaar will be on Saturday 29th November, 2-4pm. See advert elsewhere for more details.

Many thanks to everyone who brought gifts to the Harvest Festival. These were taken to the Women's Refuge Centre, where they were gratefully accepted.

Please note some changes to normal service times this month.

Christmas Quiz sheets will be on sale from the usual outlets soon, so be sure to get yours - why not get an extra one to pop in with a Christmas card to someone who enjoys puzzles?

SOMERSHAM VILLAGE HALL - HIRE CHARGES - 1st July 2003

Badminton: The Main Hall and Badminton nets can be hired at the above hourly rates for private Badminton sessions (adult supervised) providing there are no prior bookings. Bookings cannot usually be confirmed more than 48 hours in advance.
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 Football Club

Since my last comments, league action has returned in a positive manner to both the 1st and reserve sides. As mentioned last month the firsts were without a fixture but the reserves kicked the season off at home against Blakenham Chequers on the 31st August. A hard fought and entertaining match was capped with a 3-2 win and Kieran Cotterill scoring his first hat-trick of the season.

Saturday 6th September saw the first teams much awaited first league game. After a lack of victories in the pre-season games, it was pleasing to get it right in the league. A sound, fairly comfortable performance returning a 3-1 victory against Copelstonians 'A'. As pleased as the first team were with the performance and result, even better news was brought back from sunny Woolverstone by the reserves. There they had achieved an unheard of feat by trouncing the opposition 6-0. Allegations of manager Dill Sillett smiling were unsubstantiated, but there was no doubting a fine performance from the lads, with Kieran weighing in with his second hat-trick in as many games.

I'm afraid these heady moments rather weakened myself and soon after the celebrations had died down I beat a hasty retreat to the sanctity of foreign climes. In my absence the first team beat Saxmundham Sports 3-1 at home in the Omnico Cup, on 13th September. Another good result against a team from the Division above. The same day the Reserves fell to their first defeat, losing 3-1 away to Needham Market Youth.

The 20th September found the Firsts entertaining Claydon at home. This time it was the Firsts turn to taste defeat, losing 3-0. Some disappointment was expressed by those who saw it, but it was felt that Somersham deserved something from the game. The Reserves were away to Dennington Utd Reserves and battled to a hard fought 1-1 draw against fair opposition.

Having recovered some composure I returned in time for the 27th September match, involving the First team in the Primary Cup against Wickhambrook Reserves at home. Although Wickhambrook began the game with ten men, they found Somersham fast asleep and scored inside 2 minutes, with the help of a huge deflection. The only good point for the Somersham players was that manager Quinny Warner was in Brook Way at the time retrieving a ball, and so their hearing was saved from a hefty bashing. The goal sparked Somersham into life and an equaliser and second goal to take the lead soon came. Wickhambrook began to fold under pressure of good football and their lack of a player and by half-time Somersham were 7-1 up. The second half saw Somersham carry on in the same vain, scoring another 7 goals, but managing to concede one more to give a final score of 14-2 to Somersham. Eight different scorers registered, but special mention must go to new signing debutant Adam English who score four. Yours truly may have added one if a certain team captain had "squared it", but the overall performance of the team was obviously pleasing to all at the club.

So, the first month of the season has past by and both teams have got off to good solid starts. Let's hope we can carry this on and hopefully improve in our weak areas of play. With Tuesday night training still being very well attended this could be possible.

Training guru and event coordinator, Mr Ray Smith, has informed me that he is planning a coach trip to Mildenhall Greyhound Track for a Saturday night in mid December. This event is open to all, and anybody interested in coming along should contact Ray, myself or anyone within the club for more details. I know, from previous experience, that these evenings are great fun and good value for money, so please take the opportunity to join us. At the time of writing full details of prices and exact dates are unconfirmed, but rest assured they will be published here next month.

Finally, loads of goals and a fair bit of entertainment have occurred on the playing field during September. We will endeavour to maintain these occurrences, so please come and give support and gain enjoyment from us on any or every Saturday afternoon from 2:00 PM.

Al Chester

SOMERSHAM PARISH COUNCIL

Website: www.somersham.suffolk.gov.uk

November 2003

Community Bus Service

A community bus is available from the National Trust, based at Sutton Hoo. The bus can hold 16 people and can cost as little as £2.00 per person. This would be a very handy service for local groups, and is available for group activities.

Contact the National Trust for full details:

The National Trust
Community Bus
Sutton Hoo
Woodbridge
IP12 3DJ

Tel: 01394 389729
E-mail: community.bus@nationaltrust.org.uk

Dog Waste Bins

In the last couple of articles the Parish Council have asked people to consider others, by clearing up after their dog. At our last meeting, in October, the Parish Council resolved to purchase one dog waste bin, and place it at the top of Mill Lane, at the end of the footpath.

This position will be trialled for a few months, to see the amount of use it gets, and if necessary it may be moved to other locations for trailing.

The bin should be put in place in the next couple of months.

Hedges and Trees over paths

There are still problems with hedges and trees overhanging paths in the village, please can people who have gardens with hedges and trees against public paths cut them back, and cut them to a height of 2 metres above the ground, to allow people to walk under them with ease.

Council Meetings

There was an error in the last article, which said that the meeting on the 5th November 2003 is in the Village Hall, the correct details are below.

Wednesday 5th November 2003 - 7.30pm Pavilion

Wednesday 3rd December 2003 - 7.30pm Somersham Village Hall

Agendas and minutes for all of these meetings will be available from the Parish Council website www.somersham.suffolk.gov.uk, at the Somersham Shop/Post Office and direct from myself

Concerns, questions?

Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions about the Parish Council or the village in general, the Parish Council are always interested in what you think, as we would not be able to run without your support.

Andrew Mayhew
Clerk to the Council

Andrew Mayhew
Clerk to the Council
Address: 21 Morgan Court, Claydon, IPSWICH, IP6 0AN
Tel No: 01473 834035
E-mail: clerk@somersham.suffolk.gov.uk
Web Site: www.somersham.suffolk.gov.uk