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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| Dear
Reader, As I write it is a chilly October day; fat, shiny conkers litter the ground under chestnut trees, golden leaves blow into corners around the house, and the mornings are misty and damp. You read this as autumn is nearly over and winter fast approaching. November is a month for remembering. We can imagine, in past centuries, families gathered around a cosy fire before bedtime, darkness in the corners of the room, the wind howling outside, and the older members telling "Do you remember …" stories. Stories were told again and again, then remembered from year to year not only by the older folk but by the youngsters who would, in their turn, pass them on down the generations. We begin the month by remembering all the saints who have lived in the past, leaving us fine examples of how God can use ordinary people to do great things. And then the following day we remember all those others who have gone before us - the many very ordinary men and women who may well have affected our lives by their example. Thus November 2nd, All Souls Day, would be a good evening to turn off the television and tell some "I remember…" stories of our own. On November 5th some will remember, amongst the bonfires, that on that day in 1605, the King and Parliament were saved from destruction. And on November 11th (and 14th -Remembrance Sunday) we will give public thanks for the sacrifices that so many made in the two Great Wars that we might live in freedom. Men and women of the services, and civilians, gave their lives, not just for their families and friends, but for unknown strangers both home and abroad. St John records Jesus as saying (ch.15.v13), " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." It is the ultimate gift of love. So let us gather round the fire and recount the happy stories of those we have known and loved, that their good works and example may live on in our young people, and into the years ahead as treasured family memories. Happy remembering, Mary Carter CHURCH FLOWER AND CLEANING ROTA Somersham November 7, 14 Lois
Warren November Cleaning - Team B Flowton November 7, 14 Mrs
Grimwood November Cleaning - Mr and Mrs P. Rawley Offton November 7, 14 Mrs
Lucy Vignoles November Cleaning - Mrs Vignoles Willisham November 7, 14 Miss
Taylor November Cleaning - as flowers
Gospel Readings 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. 7th November Third Sunday before Advent Luke 20. 27-38 14th November Remembrance
Sunday Luke 21. 5-19 28th November First Sunday of Advent Matthew 24. 36-44
Offton and Somersham area Yes, a whole year has gone by already and its time for the boxes to be collected again. Could all box holders please hand in boxes to either Sam Copping or Lucy Vignoles by 30th November please. If you need your box collecting please ring us to arrange this. SC CONTACTS
Somersham Church Notes Thank you! We are also very grateful to Alan Bronwich and Eddie Fagg. Alan took down the 3 dead elm trees from the churchyard, and Eddie has repaired the wall near the church gates, making it look much tidier and safer.
The Christmas Bazaar will be on Saturday 4th December from 2 - 4pm. All the usual stalls and attractions. More details elsewhere in the Link. Christmas quiz sheets are now available from the usual outlets for £1. Have fun puzzling over the answers - why not buy an extra one or two to send on to friends or relatives who enjoy trivia? You have until the end of January to get your answers in. The church was filled to capacity last month for the Harvest Concert with the Suffolk Constabulary Male Voice Choir, and the audience was entertained with a wonderful variety of songs. A big thank you to all who helped with putting on the event. £278 profit was made, with 10% going to St. Elizabeth's Hospice and the remainder to church funds. Looking ahead to next year, we are planning a Open Gardens Weekend in the village over the weekend of 9th and 10th July, with a "Somersham on Show" exhibition in the church. We are looking for any old photos or postcards of the village (and villagers). They will be copied so the owner can have them back again without the risk of any damage. There will be all the usual stalls, games and refreshments dotted through the village, a "best flower tub" competition and also opportunity to have your own garage or table-top sale. Please let Christine Jarrold or Pat Woolhouse know if you have any photos.
Somersham
Football Club Another football season has dawned and the 2004/05 season sees Somersham first team in Division 3 of the Suffolk & Ipswich League and the Reserves in Division 6. After my final entry of last season, Somersham competed in the final of the Samford Cup away to Woolverstone United. By all accounts this was not a vintage game of football, but Somersham did prevail courtesy of a Matty Whitton penalty to take the cup 1-0. One of our friendly matches this season was in defence of the cup against Tattingstone which we won 1-0, so maybe we can retain it this season. Pre-season training, back in July, was extremely well attended and a number of friendlies were played to get everybody in the mood. The games produced mixed results and performances, as is often the way, but the main function of the games is to gain fitness and get back into the swing of things. With these objectives
achieved the First team were champing at the bit on the 4th September,
looking forward to starting the league season away to Albion Mills. Although
one or two players were still enjoying holidays a good strong side was
available. Somersham ran out 6-2 victors, with Dave Jousiffe and Matty
Whitton bagging two goals each. 11th September saw
the first team at home for the first time this season, against old rivals
Walton Rangers. Walton are known for their feats of goal scoring and,
as most of the first team, including Captain Whitton and Manager Warner,
had decided to be on holiday this weekend, a hard game was expected. Although
the boys put in a good performance, they were unable to match Walton's
attacking play and ended up losing 3-0. 18th September saw
Quinny back and bronzed from his sabbatical, as well as the return of
a number of players. One of these being Adam English who soon got back
to scoring ways, registering two in the 4-0 home demolition of Elmswell
United. To be fair to Elmswell if they could have taken a couple of chances
at the end of the first half, they could have made a game of it. As it
was, once Somersham recomposed themselves, the writing was on the wall. 25th September and all eyes were on the reserves as the first team were unemployed. Somersham were at home to Elmswell Reserves, who had received a stuffing the previous week. Unfortunately Somersham appeared not to be in the mood to give them two weeks of pain and at the end of a lack lustre performance Somersham were on the receiving end of a 1-0 defeat. After two games the
fixture computer gave the first team a week off, so it was the 2nd October
when they took to the field again against Copelstonians at home. A sound
performance brought a 3-0 victory, with Adam again scoring two and Kieran
Cotterell scoring his second of the season. Somersham were in control
throughout and deserved the points. The first team have got off to a good start having won 3 and lost 1 of their first 4 games, scoring 13 goals in the process. The reserves have not faired as well and are still after their first win. Training is being strongly attended every Tuesday evening, with the esteemed Mr Smith at the helm and home game support numbers are hovering around the 5 region, led by Crumpy…until the weather worsens. New club barman Tom is playing the perfect host with his provision of refreshments and much sought-after rolls, with players putting orders in at half-time! As ever we are always happy to see new supporters, so feel free to come and join us any Saturday afternoon. Kick-off 2pm. Forthcoming Fixtures First Team Reserve Team 6/11 Coplestonian
'A' (Away) BT Trimley 'A' (Home) Finally, I have an urgent appeal from the Groundsman, Me, for paint to mark the pitch out with. So if you have any old white or Magnolia WATER BASED paint lying around that hasn't yet found its way to the dump, please feel free to send it around to Mr Denzil Mumby's house where it will be most gratefully received. Denzils address is:- Park Avon, Main Road, Somersham. Its located 2 doors from the village shop towards the playing field. If you are coming down to support the team on a Saturday you could bring your paint with you and leave it with a member of the club at the pavilion. Many thanks. See you on Saturday!!!
DON'T FORGET YOUR PAINT!!!!! SOMERSHAM PARISH COUNCIL November 2004 Wednesday 3rd November
2004 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall ********************* The Parish Council is delighted to be forging links with the Somersham Youth Club and a recent visit to the Club by two Parish Councillors produced some good interaction and suggestions for improvements to the village by the club members. The first joint project planned will be the repainting of the bus shelter by Youth Club members, which it is hoped will be the first of many. ********************* Periodic Electoral Review of Parish Councils Mid Suffolk District Council are undertaking a periodic review of Town and Parish Councils within their District which started in September and is due for completion in June 2006. Stage 1 invites comments from Council on their make up, i.e. number of Councillors and a review of boundaries. Somersham Parish Council are not, at this stage, proposing any changes, but members of the public are welcome to submit their suggestions. Further information regarding Stage 1 can be obtained from the Clerk and all comments should be sent to:- Periodic Electoral Review, Administration Manager, Mid Suffolk District Council, 131 High Street, Needham Market, IP6 8DL, by 28th February 2005. ********************* From time to time comments about village facilities are made to Parish Councillors. Whilst the Parish Council strives to ensure the high village standard is maintained, it does not have direct responsibility for all facilities. It may aid you to direct your comment or concern to the appropriate party and would suggest Mike Shelmerdine on 831661 for matters relating to the playing field and Hilary Bridger on 831552 for matters relating to the Village Hall. ********************* Janet Clarke Address: 7 Drury Road,
Claydon, IPSWICH, IP6 0ED
Many thanks to all those who helped to make the Harvest Thanksgiving Service such a memorable event. Hymns old and new, and children, parents and grandparents involved. A very happy celebration of our thanks to God and all who use the gifts of His World to provide our food and clothing. The lovely harvest gifts were distributed as follows; small pots of preserves to the elderly, tinned food to Ipswich Women's Refuge, fresh food to the Ipswich Homeless Unit. All were most grateful. Many thanks also go to all those who do so much in and around the church, and also those who give up their time to read and prepare the many documents now required by the deanery, diocese, and national church. Without these many voluntary hours we could not keep our church open in the heart of our village. Thank you all. Monday November 29th 7.45pm Candlelit Meditative Service for Advent in Flowton Church. Saturday December 4th 10.00am - 12 noon Christmas Coffee Morning
and Sale in Flowton Church Hopefully the whole building will be warm by
then as the electrician is now, in October, about to start installing
a new heating system! A date for next year…… Then the next year….. SOMERSHAM & DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB September's meeting saw us entertained with a fascinating talk on water gardening and pond making. A subject of interest as most members have a pool in one guise or another. October's meeting was a talk on wild flowers and Gardens. Next meeting:
Guests and new
members always welcome Time Travelling -activities at Suffolk Record Offices as part of the Archive Awareness Campaign, Routes to Roots. This continues until December 1st. Phone 01473 584541 for more information about events. Somersham Primary School We were very sad to see that the lovely old apple tree, which stands in the middle of the playing field, had been severely cut back while we were holiday. Unfortunately after an inspection, it was found to be rotten, therefore there was no choice but to have it cut back. The trunk has been left as a habitat and honeysuckle will be planted to grow around it. In the meantime two new apple trees are to be purchased and planted near the original tree. Onto better news - the Key Stage One playground has been built. There is still quite a bit to do on it but the children have been making very good use of their new area and equipment. Who says children don't go out and have enough fresh air and exercise? The times those children have been up and down that playground on their new bikes, they should be very fit indeed. If you have a child
who is attending Somersham School, you will no doubt have heard about
Jack.
We have just had our
"Evening of Local Chat" and did we laugh. There were
some wonderfully funny stories as well as rather poignant ones. It was
a great success, (which hopefully our friend Ernie will have captured
on tape) and we may well hold another one in the future. If we do, don't
miss out. It's an evening you won't regret "giving up". And a date for
your diary: The school still collects
empty ink cartridges/old mobile phones. Just bring them along to school
or give them to someone who does. You might be interested to know we are
well on our way to our first £1,000 with this scheme. Something else you might be interested to know. The school has received our first DVD player, a box of new calculators and a batch of floppy disks all from the Tesco Computer Tokens. So you see, just a minute of your time can bring the children of Somersham School a great deal of pleasure. (Oh, and hours of learning, of course!)
Elmsett Airfield Liaison Group Meeting - 15th September 2004 The meeting of the Elmsett Airfield Liaison Group (EALG) was held on Wednesday 15th of September at Whatfield Village Hall. The following arrangements
for 2005 were agreed. Nick Carter of Flowton was proposed as the meeting
Chairman and duly elected and Colin Boniface agreed to keep the records. Horizon Flying Club's departure had been replaced by Elmsett Flying Club which aimed to replace and improve on the facilities available to pilots. It is not a flying school but an amenity for both Elmsett based pilots and visitors alike to acquire the services needed to manage their flights and remain current in their skills. There had been five complaints received during the reported period; three of the complaints concerned two aircraft that had to 'go around' due to weather/safety conditions at the time. The other two complaints referred to an aircraft that used Elmsett Airfield to pick up a square towed banner advertising Ipswich Town Football Club. It was explained that these operations are perfectly legal and that both aircraft and Pilot concerned had the correct CAA license in place for this activity. A Liaison Group member
representing CREAD reported that a helicopter pilot from Wattisham had
said it was fortunate for Elmsett and surrounding villages that Elmsett
Airfield was there protecting the airspace because otherwise the potential
day and night activity of military helicopters could be to fly down to
just 250 feet above the ground. The next meeting was arranged for March 2005.
Our latest relief aid mission to Romania in August was another successful operation which enabled us to distribute much needed aid to under-funded, run-down and neglected state institutions in Transylvania that our small charity has been targeting since 1990. With money raised
mainly through craft fairs, charity stalls and car boot sales we were
able to supply a large industrial washing machine to an old people's home
at Hidveg, a remote institution tucked away between the Carpathian Mountains
of Transylvania. This year, fund-raising
has been more difficult than ever. The lack of global interest together
with adverse world publicity generated through poor Romanian people fleeing
their torment in search of a better life have undoubtedly made our work
much harder. However, we are determined to help those poor souls still
suffering in Romania and with your kind support will continue to do so. Ipswich Appeal
for Romania is also arranging a number of indoor car boot sales at Great
Blakenham Village Hall on the following Sundays between 8am and 1pm. So clear out the attic,
book a table and bring along all those unwanted items that are cluttering
up the place! Big Band Night After the success of our last big band night featuring 'Horn Factory' we are happy to announce that this accomplished 18 piece band will be returning to Gt.Blakenham Village very soon (date to be fixed). So another great night is in store. Lee and Annamaria Arthur, Ipswich Appeal for Romania If you need programmes for the Pig racing night, want to book a table for an indoor car boot sale or reserve your ticket for the big band night, please contact either Lee or Annamaria on Ipswich 833292 or e-mail leeevarthur@yahoo.co.uk. CHURCH
SERVICES in our 8 linked parishes If you think there may be a mistake in the rota please contact your Churchwarden. November 7th - 3rd Sunday before Advent
November 14th - Remembrance Sunday
November
21st Christ the King
November
28th First Sunday of Advent
Monday November 29th
December 5th - Second Sunday of Advent
Kevin Shields
Somersham Baptist Church The battle for religious liberty was a hard won victory in the history of our nation, but there are many countries in which this battle is still being fought. Throughout the world there are believers meeting under many different conditions. Some suffer direct state persecution from loss of educational and employment opportunities and confiscation of property to imprisonment, torture and even death. Others suffer from attacks by lawless gangs who run extortion and drugs rackets. Many are ostracised by their communities when they become Christians. The writer of the New Testament letter called 'Hebrews' urges us to 'Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow-prisoners, and those who are ill treated as if you yourselves were suffering' . The battle for religious liberty is still being waged; we must support our brothers and sisters as they endure much for the sake of Jesus their Saviour. Sunday 7th November has been promoted as an International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Do join us on the 7th as we focus on the Suffering Church. On Sunday 14th November at 10.30am we join with our friends at the Parish Church for the Remembrance Service. Science and the Bible.
Regular Sunday Morning
Programme Children and Young
People (During term time) Ladies Meetings Contacts; Offton Church News Coming Up!
Harvest Festival
Offton: As the farmer plants his seed months before harvest so we
plan our festival months ahead to avoid clashing with other local churches
and to decide on the type of service and any special features. Closer
to the day there are all the decorations to be done, fifteen this year,
ranging from late summer flowers to fruit, bags of wheat, bread, Wellington
boots, a champion cucumber, cornflakes and various tins: much of the produce
goes to the Salvation Army. After all this is set up the church must be
cleaned the grass cut, numbers estimated, books borrowed (thank you Willisham)
advertising arranged both in the local paper, on notice boards and in
large size by the church and roadside.
The first concert
takes place on Saturday 13 Nov. at 7.30p.m. Details of further concerts will be publicised in due course. Proceeds of these enjoyable evenings go to Cancer Research UK, Motor Neurone Disease Suffolk Support & Fundraising Group and Alzheimer's Association. The Fabric Fund of Offton Church and The Link will also benefit. If you did not manage to buy tickets for Magical Musical Moments last year, make sure you do not miss out again!
Offton and Willisham Parish Council The Willisham sign has been taken down for repainting, but there has been a delay because Brian Connold, who paints our signs so splendidly, has damaged his wrist. However things are moving ahead now. Suffolk County Council will be repairing the crumbling road edge at the entrance to Offton Church cemetery. The election hasn't yet been held, but the Council sends its best wishes to the candidate who proves to be successful, and with it its thanks for undertaking the responsibilities of District Councillor. It is hoped he will be able to attend some of the Council meetings and we look forward to formally welcoming him in due course. Councillor Pinson Roxburgh represents the Council at the meetings of Parish representatives who are analysing the Snoasis Project. Pip Sands SOMERSHAM CARPET BOWLS CLUB With gremlins apparently getting into the electronic mailing system and non- delivery of mail, the last copy of the Carpet Bowls entry failed to get reported in the October Link: ... so firstly a re-cap of the end of Summer season matches which are now concluded. Any hopes of a good
finish to help our final league position were dashed when we were defeated
by Whatfield. A very good encounter, and closer than the result shows,
but nonetheless a defeat. Third time lucky we
thought - a home encounter with Polstead. However high hopes of a victory
were dispelled with 3 of our 4 teams losing. Only by a very small margin
as the score records, but we seemed just unable to score the few extra
shots to swing the match in our direction. The final match of the season was a different story; Elmsett on our own mats on a good night - even though the top of the league - were obviously slightly below par, and Somersham upped their game. We ran out good winners which will hopefully give us that extra boost for start to the Winter season. Summer League (August results)
In the quiet period between leagues we had a warm up match friendly with Ringshall on their home mats, a good game enjoyed by both clubs, fortunately Somersham came out on top by 6 points to 2. The Winter League is now commenced and an encouraging upturn is seen in the early match results with a win against Elmsett; and also a win in a two leg match with Risby, with an away defeat overturned for a good home win to take the match overall. This success now takes us into the next round of the Cup, and again a two leg match with Tuddenham. Time will tell how the result will go but everyone is looking for the match. Finally: with the recent start of the new league it is perhaps opportune - through this magazine - for the Carpet Bowls Club to express appreciation to the Parish Council for kindly contributing payment to the cost of a new carpets bowls frame. This frame - which was purpose made - has been well used over the past couple of months, and is proving to be a real asset to the Club as rolling out/ and rolling up the carpets is now a so much easier exercise for all members to manage. Previously getting out and putting away the carpets had been a manual and arduous task - so our thanks again to the Parish Council. Winter League (September
results)
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