The Link Magazine

Please note the change to our regular pattern of services for Remembrance Sunday on Sunday 12th November, which will be at 10 30am. We are very pleased that once again our friends from the Baptist Church will be joining us for this service.

The Folk Evening was thoroughly enjoyed by a packed audience – how lovely to see the church so full! We were entertained with a wide variety of songs and instrumentals from our local very talented bands of Scott, Ted & Rohais, JCB, Kate & Steve and Pluck & Squeeze. We are very grateful to them for once again performing for us, and a very big thank you also to Robin for putting up the lighting, which gave the church a wonderful atmosphere. There was a lovely table of refreshments provided by members of the fundraising committee. A staggering £700 profit was made on the evening. Thank you everyone.

See the separate ads for details of Trivia Quiz on Friday 10th November and another concert by the Suffolk Constabulary Male Police Choir on Friday 15th December.

Many thanks for all the gifts that were brought to our Harvest Festival. These were taken to the Women’s Refuge in Ipswich (thank you to Frances and Gordon for transporting them) and were greatly appreciated.

The Christmas Bazaar will be on Saturday 2nd December from 2-4pm, with all usual attractions. The Toy Service is on Sunday 10th December at 10am and our Carol Service on Sunday 17th December at 3pm.

To our friends at Somersham and surrounding areas - Greetings from Mary and Eddie in Villereal, Lot and Garonne, South-West France.
 
We thought it was about time we wrote again, letting you all know how things are going.  Well, we are now truly settled in
and have just about got our old stone town house as we want it.  The summer has been very hot, so we have spent much time in the courtyard garden tending the pots and enjoying many meals 'alfresco'.
 
At present, Eddie is under-going a course to allow him to work in France.  He is hoping to register very soon and will be painting and decorating homes around the area in the near future, if all goes well.  As for me, I have joined two choirs-both French!  The first is the local parish church choir, and the other, Villereal community choir.  In both cases, I am the only English member!  Within the choirs, only two members have any knowledge of English, so it is at times a challenge!  Nevertheless, my school-girl French is slowly improving, and it is surprising how many of the tunes I already know, in spite of the words being so obviously different!
What with choir, and Eddie and I both attending French classes, we are gradually getting to grips with the language, or at least being understood or understanding others!!
 
Over the past months, we have had several visitors, which has been lovely.  We have seen Pat and Steve Woolhouse, Margaret and Denis Laflin and friends, and Gill and Terry Fordham.  Amongst family members, mum has been here and had a wonderful time. Indeed, she enjoyed it so much, she is coming again at Christmas with Baz and Colleen.  Sophie and Tom have visited, as well as my sister Christine and her husband.  All, we hope, had a great time.  We expect Joe and family very soon.
 
We would just like to remind you all of 'The Studio', our self-contained apartment at the top of the house.  The Lot and Garonne is a beautiful area in the South West of France, and the scenery is undulating to quite hilly.  Late spring and summer is very warm and dry, and the area is perfect for a memorable holiday. For those who enjoy medieval hilltop villages, fields of sunflowers, lovely rivers and sloping vineyards, this is the area for you.  We are also next door to the Department of the Dordogne and a couple or so hours away from the Atlantic.  The Pyrenees and Spain are about three and a half hours south.  With regards to getting here, Villereal is served by Bergerac airport, only 30 minutes away, and regular flights are out of Stansted.  Fly-Drive is available.
 
'The Studio' is twin-bedded and obviously suitable for a couple or two friends.  For anyone who has one or at a push, two children however, and is interested in a holiday here, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us as well.  We look forward to welcoming many of you here next year.  Our Telephone number is 0033 (0)553493883 and the Email address is fagg@aliceadsl.fr                  please give us a ring or send a message.   
 
Finally, it is getting very close to that special time of the year again, and you will all be in our thoughts at Christmas, as will the village of Somersham.  However, we look forward to our first 'French Christmas' here, especially with mum, Baz and Colleen arriving. Sophie and Tom will be in New Zealand.  I know is is a little early, but we wish you all a happy and peaceful time when Christmas comes.  (Oh, and a big hug to all church and choir members, (especially Mary C. Frances G. and Margaret L!!)

Much love, Mary and Eddie Fagg.

Somersham Football Club

Since my last entry in The Link a surprising episode has affected the club. First team manager Darren Breeden, assistant Shaun Barnett and coach Rab have withdrawn their combined services and resigned from the club. A number of the players that were signed during their time at the club have also left and all this happened on the eve of the start of the league season.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Darren, Shaun and Rab for their input to the club. The way it has ended is not what anybody at the club would have wanted, but that is the way it has happened and we all need to move on and play some football.

Although Darren and Shaun’s time at the club was not as successful on the pitch as all would have hoped, they did introduce a lot of good things to the club including new sponsors and fresh training and footballing ideas. My hope is that the club and the players will make use of these new ideas and get Somersham back up the league and beyond.

After a hastily convened huddle of available committee members Keith Lawrence, father of first team captain Terry, has taken on the management of the first team with assistance and guidance from Quinny. The reserves are being managed by the man who had just announced he was stepping down from the role, Derek Ottaway. Matty Whitton, who has just stopped playing, has taken the role of assistant to Derek. The legendary Ray Smith has taken over the difficult task of training the players after his year off and a hefty welcome back to him. A huge thank you is due to these for men from the rest of the club, especially all of the players. Without them volunteering their services its possible the club could have been sunk. So with management and training issues resolved the club was able to attack the new season with gusto.

The 1st Team

Saturday 2nd September Martlesham Athletic 98 – Div 3 (H) Won 2-1
A great start for the new managers. Martlesham were very strong, but a battling effort from the lads brought home the first 3 points of the season. Kieran Cotterell and Luke Emmerson were the scorers.
Saturday 9th September Sporting 87 – Div 3 (A) Lost 2-0
After the previous week’s excellent performance, this was poor from Somersham. Things were not helped by the loss of captain Terry Lawrence, through injury, during the first half with the score 0-0. A couple of defensive errors accounted for the goals, but the team never really looked like scoring.
Saturday 16th September Sproughton Sports – Div 3 (H) Won 3-0
This highly anticipated local derby came early this year. Somersham played well and were good for the victory. Goal scorers were Kieran, with his second of the season and Stefan Nielsen with his first. The other goal was a Sproughton own goal.
Saturday 23rd September Albion Mills – Div 3 (A) Won 1-0
The game at Dumbarton Road, affectionately known as dog-**** alley, got underway after the pitch had been cleared of deposits. It was worth the wait as Somersham gained their first away points of the season. Stefan scored his second of the season to join Kieran as top scorer so far.

Saturday 30th September Saxmundham Sports – Div 3 (H) Lost 4-0
This was a bad all round performance from the team against fairly good opposition. Hopefully lessons have been learned by the players and there will be no repeat performances this poor this season.

Despite the last game of the month, September has seen Somersham safely into the top half of the table and playing, at times, some good football. I think on 1st September all would have taken 9 points from a possible 15. Let’s hope they can continue in this manner.

The Reserves

Saturday 2nd September No Game
Saturday 9th September East Bergholt United ‘A’ – Div 4 (H) Lost 0-3
East Bergholt played some good football and proved too strong for Somersham.
Saturday 16th September Stowmarket Stag – Div 4 (A) Lost 8-2
Stag were as strong has they had been last season and bossed the game. One silver lining however was the return of Al Bentman who scored both of Somersham’s goals.
Saturday 23rd September Wenhaston United Reserves – Div 4 (H) Lost 1-2
This was a closely contested match which saw Al Bentman on the score sheet again, but unfortunately still no points for Somersham.
Saturday 30th September Henley Athletic – Div 4 (H) Lost 4-1
Henley were too strong for Somersham to cope with and ran out the victors. However, there were promising signs from the players that things are improving. Lee Cotterell scored his first of the season to give Somersham a consolation.

September was not as kind to the Reserves as it had been to the First team. As expected, the combination of promotion last season and the loss of players from the club during the summer’s upheaval have been felt strongly by the Reserves. The team has changed considerably from last season with some new players coming in with little experience of football at this level. However, Derek and Matty are confident that things are going in the right direction and the team is beginning to gel. Hopefully I’ll be able to report some Reserve team success next month.

The club are holding a Christmas get together again this year at the village hall. The date for this is Friday 8th December and as ever, one and all are welcomed and encouraged to attend. There will be some beer, some music and a lot of dancing, so please come and join us.

See you on Saturday!!! DON’T FORGET YOUR SANDTEX!!!!!!!
Al Chester.

Somersham Parish Council

Forthcoming Parish Council Meetings

Wednesday 1st November - 7.30pm - Committee Room, Village Hall
Wednesday 6th December - 7.30pm - Playing Field Pavilion

Snoasis Public Inquiry
The administrator of the Parish Group which is made up of parishes likely to be affected by the Snoasis development, gave a comprehensive and informative presentation to the parish council at its October meeting. The main concern is the impact on the road network which could affect all communities in the surrounding area. It is likely the Public Inquiry will begin in the new year and the councillors will decide at the November parish council meeting what level of contribution Somersham can offer towards the legal representation at the public inquiry. The councillors would welcome any views you may have, please contact any of the councillors or the clerk.

Emergency Response Plan
Over the past few weeks the parish council has been compiling an Emergency Plan for Somersham. It is planned to have a register of resources along with a list of those more vulnerable residents who would need extra help in the event of an emergency. More details will be provided in the next edition of this magazine.

Suffolk Resilience
Still on the subject of emergencies, the Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Unit has produced a self-help emergency guideline leaflet, which is contained in a magnetic backed plastic folder and can easily be stuck to a metal surface in the home.
The leaflet gives information on what to do and who to contact for various emergencies and gives a list of telephone numbers for the different authorities and utilities. We are informed the packs are available in council offices, libraries and doctor's surgeries, but in case you have not yet got one we have enclosed one for you with this magazine.

Somersham Hedgerow Survey
The Parish Council was delighted to hear that the Somersham Hedgerow Survey has been ? completed this year and wishes to record its appreciation to Richard and his team for the excellent progress they have made during the summer. It is hoped that the survey will be completed next year.

2007 Elections
The Parish Council elections take place on the 3rd May 2007 and over the next few months further details will be publicised. Next May Somersham Parish Council will be reduced from 9 to 7 seats and nominations must be made during a three week period from March to April 2007. If you are interested in joining the council please watch for future articles in the magazine, or on the noticeboards, telling you how you can become a candidate.

Janet Clarke
Clerk to the Council
Tel. No. 01473 830398 E-mail: janetinclaydon@aol.com