The Village News May 2021 Edition

THE VILLAGE NEWS MAY 2021 EDITION

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1 – COVER 2 – PARISH COUNCILLORS 3 – STAFF & LOCAL COUNCIL 4 – COUNCIL WORKING GROUPS, COMMITTEES & REPS 5 – REVEREND MANDY 6 – REVEREND MANDY 7 – ST EDMUNDS CHURCH 8 – EASTER 2021 WRITE UP 9 – EASTER 2021 WRITE UP 10 – VOLUNTEER GROUPS 11 – KEITH NICHOLS 12 – PHOTOS FROM LOCAL PEOPLE – PETS! 13 – PHOTOS FROM LOCAL PEOPLE – PETS! 14 – BEE KEEPING 15 – AFRICA ALIVE 16 – LOCAL NEWS 17 – LOCAL NEWS 18 – KESSINGLAND F.C 19 – UPCOMING EVENTS 20 – UPCOMING EVENTS 21 – KESSINGLAND BOWLS CLUB 22 – UPCOMING EVENTS 23 – SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY 24 – COMMUNITY GARDEN 25 – LOCAL AUTHORS PART 1 26 – MAY OVER THE YEARS / ENTRIES

MAY’S UPCOMING MEETINGS FULL COUNCIL (AGM) – TBC

PLANNING – 04/05 @ 10:00 & 18/05 @ 10:00

LEISURE – 17/05 @ 11:00 FINANCE – 26/05 @ 11:00 THE FORMER SHOP, ‘KINGS’ ON EVENTS – 27/05 @ 10:00 BEACH ROAD, KESSINGLAND VILLAGE WORKING GROUP – 19/05 @ 10:00 HERITAGE WORKING GROUP – 20/05 @ 10:00 1

YOUR PARISH COUNCILLORS

CHAIR COUNCILLOR SID JAMES POSITION VACANT

Tel: 01502 740521 Email:sjames@kessinglan dparishcouncil.org.uk

VICE CHAIR COUNCILLOR DAVE BOYLE JULIE MCLEAN

Tel: 07707201300 Tel:07539696904 Email:dboyle@kessinglan Email:jmclean@kessinglan dparishcouncil.org.uk dparishcouncil.org.uk

COUNCILLOR COUNCILLOR ALAN GREEN DAVID MOTTRAM

Tel: 07789644645 Tel: 07377624686 Email:agreen@kessinglan Email:dmottram@kessingl dparishcouncil.org.uk andparishcouncil.org.uk

COUNCILLOR COUNCILLOR CHRISTINE COOK BARRY BURDEN

Tel: 07592555345 Tel: 01502 742442 Email:ccook@kessingland Email:bburden@kessingla parishcouncil.org.uk ndparishcouncil.org.uk

COUNCILLOR COUNCILLOR BILLY NICHOLLS BOB SAUNDERS

Tel: 07584168200 Tel: 07901530770 Email:bnicholls@kessingla Email:bsaunders@kessing ndparishcouncil.org.uk landparishcouncil.org.uk

COUNCILLOR COUNCILLOR IAN GRAHAM MARTIN DUNNE

Tel: 07985462200 Tel: 01502 741945 Email:igraham@kessingla Email:mdunne@kessinglan ndparishcouncil.org.uk dparishcouncil.org.uk

COUNCILLOR KESSINGLAND PARISH CLAIRE GOWER COUNCIL

Tel: 07747441061 Tel: 01502 744367 Email:cgower@kessinglan Email:clerk@kessinglandp dparishcouncil.org.uk arishcouncil.org.uk Kessingland Parish Council Hall Road Kessingland, Lowestoft Suffolk, NR33 7PP

YOUR PARISH STAFF

CLERK & RFO DEPUTY CLERK NEIL COLEBY SHELLEY HOGG

Telephone: 01502 Telephone: 01502 744367 744367 Email: Email: clerk@kessinglandparish deputyclerk@kessingland council.org.uk parishcouncil.org.uk Office hours: Office Hours: Mon – Thu 9-5 Mon – Thu 9-5

CLEANSING OPERATIVES GENERAL FACTOTUM NIALL MCLEAN RUTH ORRIS PAUL REED

YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLORS

COUNTY COUNCILLOR DISTRICT COUNCILLOR MICHAEL LADD LETITIA SMITH

Tel: 01502 724337 / Tel: 01502 512862 / 07714597994 07596812358

Email: michael.ladd@su Email:Letitia.smith@easts ffolk.gov.uk uffolk.gov.uk

EAST SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL

www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk Automated payments 0300 7900509 Out of hours emergencies 0800 440 2516 Find us on Facebook & Twitter

PARISH COUNCIL WORKING GROUPS, COMMITTEES & REPRESENTATIVES

EVENTS & COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE FINANCE & GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

CHAIR – D.Mottram CHAIR – B.Burden

MEMBERS – J.McLean, C.Cook & C.Gower MEMBERS – D.Boyle, I.Graham, S.James & B.Nicholls

LEISURE & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE

CHAIR – B.Nicholls CHAIR – I.Graham

MEMBERS – D.Boyle, B.Burden,J.McLean C.Cook & MEMBERS – D.Boyle, C.Cook, C.Gower & A.Green M.Dunne

PLANNING COMMITTEE EMERGENCY PLANNING WORKING GROUP

CHAIR – M.Dunne CO-ORDINATOR – D.Boyle DEPUTY – S.James MEMBERS – I.Graham, A.Green & B.Saunders MEMBERS – A.Green

HERITAGE WORKING GROUP

HEALTH & SAFETY WORKING GROUP CHAIR – A.Green

CHAIR – D.Boyle MEMBERS – M.Dunne

MEMBERS – C.Cook, J.McLean & B.Nicholls MARSH WARDEN – D.Boyle

HIGHWAYS & FOOTPATHS WORKING GROUP ALLOTMENTS – B.Nicholls

CHAIR – M.Dunne GREENER GROWTH – J.McLean

MEMBERS – A.GreeN & B.Saunders HIDDEN NEEDS IN YOUTH & ELDERLY

BEACH WARDENS C.Cook, C.Gower & D.Mottram NORTH – M.Dunne

SOUTH – S.James KSSC – C.Cook

CLEAN UP TEAMS – D.Boyle BENACRE & KESSINGLAND FLOOD GROUP M.Dunne KESSINGLAND IN NEED TRUST M.Dunne COMPASS SUITE TRUST

COMMUNITY ACTION SUFFOLK B.Burden & M.Dunne C.Cook

REVEREND MANDY

From the Rectory Revd Mandy writes about The Ascension and Pentecost:

In May Christians celebrate the Ascension and Pentecost, if you do not know what these are, don’t worry, none of us know anything until we are informed.

Ascension is when after Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, he then returned to heaven. He ascended to Heaven. Pentecost comes later and is when the Holy Spirit comes and descends on the disciples.

I wonder how many of you try to imagine and even picture it in our own minds, what the Ascension must have looked like. The difficulty with that of course is that when we do that, we are in danger of losing what it was all about. In fact, trying too hard to imagine or depict the Ascension can result in images that reduce Jesus to a kind of person-shaped rocket-ship, blasting off a destination in space much like E.T, or a Buzz Light Year space ranger.

I am privileged to have travelled to many European countries, and have seen numerous chapels dedicated to the Ascension, that display fantastic, sculpted ceiling designs. I saw one even feature a pair of stone feet dangling out of a stone cloud. (I rest my case!)

Such representations tend to stop us at the level of wondering “What did it look like?” and prevent us from continuing on to consider “What does it mean?”

Perhaps the simplest way to express the true importance of this event is to say that the Ascension completes the mystery of God becoming human in the form of our Christmas baby in a manger; because we are familiar with celebrating how wonderful it is that God chose to become human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth during Christmas. So perhaps we can relate to the Ascension as being the completion of that Christmas event.

Let’s pause for a moment, to consider “What does it mean?”

Well perhaps ....what the Ascension invites us to consider is that the risen Jesus, fully human and yet fully divine, (being of God) has wonderfully reunited us with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, known to many Christians as the Trinity.

In many ways the Ascension, rather than being the removal of Jesus from earth and so the human arena, it is the completion of God’s mission which was to bring us back into relationship with Him.

Of course, such an understanding would not have been immediately obvious to those who experienced this event first-hand, and if we are honest it is not so obvious to us the first time we hear about it. It seems quite likely that those within hearing viewed this positive report of Jesus ascending to Heaven as a bit far-fetched.

While they could surely rejoice that Jesus being taken into heaven was yet another sign of God’s special favour toward Him, the disciples and the community must also have had many questions about what would happen now.

When would they know the presence of the Holy Spirit was with them, as Jesus had promised it would be once He had departed? How would they know the Holy Spirit that Jesus was promising had come?

These questions received their astounding answer in the upper room on the day Christians call Pentecost; the report of this event describes this encounter with the power of God as being “like the rush of a violent wind” that was accompanied by “divided tongues, as of fire” (Acts 2:2-3).

And so began a new mystery, one in which we continue to participate today.

If you are a bit confused about the Ascension which Christians will celebrate this year on Sunday 16th May (when Jesus ascended to heaven) and the time of Pentecost, celebrated Sunday 23rd May, (when the Holy spirit came upon the disciples)

and you would like to know more about it; why not come along and chat to me at one of our services on a Sunday. You could also stop me at any time you see me around the villages.

A warm welcome always awaits you; Kessingland every Sunday at 10.45am and Gisleham May 9th and 23rd and I look forward to meeting you somewhere.

Don’t be reserved, just come up and say “hello” I like to chat!

God bless you. Revd Mandy

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

A great sadness overcame our country and indeed the commonwealth on the announcement that HRH The Duke of Edinburgh had died on April 9th.

Our churches, Kessingland Gisleham and Rushmere, remained open all that day and night so that people from the villages could come, light a candle and say a prayer for the Duke and her Majesty the Queen.

A designated area outside The Kessingland Church Centre was marked by a large wooden cross for those passing by to lay flowers if they wished and a service of Commemoration was held on April 16th with Cllr James from the Parish Council, Linda Hood from Kessingland Church of England School, Margaret Parker from The Women’s Institute, and Jack Fountain from Livingstones Public house, supporting that service by taking part in the liturgy; alongside Revd’s Cowie and Reed and licensed Reader Doreen Cowie.

The Choir sang Her Majesty’s favourite hymn, and a time of prayer and reflection for the life well lived was held.

It was a humbling experience for me as The Rector here to lead that service alongside representatives from the community, for the consort of our Queen, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Many came into the Church in that week to pay their respects as they remembered that through more than seventy six years The Duke of Edinburgh has served alongside Her Majesty The Queen, giving her unwavering support and offering outstanding service to the life of our nation and to the whole Commonwealth.

Representing my Benefice of three villages and churches I have written a letter of condolence to Her Majesty the Queen via her private secretary at Buckingham Palace.

May HRH The Duke of Edinburgh now rest in peace and rise in glory

Revd Mandy Bishop Tel:01502 743154 Co Rural Dean Lothingland. Rector Kessingland Benefice (Gisleham* Kessingland*Rushmere) YOUTube: The True Kessingland Benefice https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmEt_FioJstFJO77-ZGV8Vg/playlists?view_as=subscriber Facebook: Kessingland Benefice - https://www.facebook.com/groups/639319923637673/ Website: kessinglandbenefice.uk https://www.kessinglandbenefice.uk/home-benefice

ST EDMUNDS CHURCH

EASTER 2021 EVENT

The 2021 Easter event finished on Easter Sunday with the delivery of all the eggs and other prizes to the 177 people who entered. This was an amazing response from the village, with entrant’s numbers up from 2020. A clue trail had been set up around the village for people to solve a riddle in order to win an Easter egg. A drawing competition was also held as well as a name the unicorn competition. The parish council events committee (photo below) delivered all the prizes on a lovely sunny day using the beautiful pink taxi kindly loaned for the day by John & Katy at Kessingland book exchange. Thanks to Sam Auger-Forbes for his kind donation of the unicorn.

The events committee ready for action on Easter Sunday.

The team toured the village greeting the entrants in costume, it was lovely to see so many of you come out to see us and we are happy that people enjoyed the event. On the next page you can see the winners and some other photo’s of the day. Thanks to Morrisons Pakefield, for the free eggs and discount given.

The 5 winners of the drawing competition, all winning an Easter hamper each.

Top left to right – Summer (8), Riley (13) & Amelia-Rose (3).

Bottom left – Finley (9)

Bottom right – Lily-Mae (8)

Well done to all of you who took part, it really was so hard to choose our top 5!

The name the unicorn competition, held on Facebook was also extremely hard to choose a winner from. Runner up winning 3 kinder eggs was Morgan age 9 who chose the name ‘Unisaurous’. Winning a tray of Easter cupcakes with the name ‘Daffodil’ was Caitlyn Jones age 12. Well done to everyone who took part there were so many amazing suggestions.

Imogen – 8 Finley – 9 Phoebe – 7 Jasmine, Lily & George

VOLUNTEER GROUPS

Bird Ringers: (Kessingland Ringing Group) – Available on twitter

Ringing operations were suspended from late December and resumed on 28th February with a further 2 visits in March on the 6th & the 20th. Over the 3 visits 55 birds were caught with 32 new & 23 recaptures. Our earliest returning breeding migrants, chiffchaffs, have begun to return by March & often find sites near sewage works to be their best resource for finding protein at this time of year. Key: N – New / R – Recapture. Dunnock; 4N & 4R, Robin; 4N & 2R, Blackbird; 2N & 1R, Song Thrush; 2N, Chiffchaff; 3N & 1R, Goldcrest; 2N, Long-tailed tit; 2N & 5R, Blue tit; 8N & 6R, Chaffinch; 2N & 1R, Reed bunting; 2N & 1R, Wren; 1R, Bullfinch; 1N & Cetti’s warbler; 1R.

The chiffchaff (left) is the most ubiquitous spring migrant you are likely to encounter although you are more likely to hear one than see it. Named for their song, the chiffchaff can be found chiff-chaffing in parks & gardens, woodlands & heaths, marshland & grasslands. They are often considered by birders to be the true herald of spring & once you notice their song you'll never miss it again. This small warbler can be found feeding in the canopy of trees, shrubs & undergrowth looking for tiny insects. Chiffchaffs are usually a dingy green colour but can vary from brown to grey to bright green. An unassuming but marvellous little bird. Best wishes, Julie Martin – Kessingland Ringing Group

Marsh group, litter pickers and village improvement volunteers: As usual the litter pickers did a fantastic job around the village, holidaymakers and locals alike often comment on our low litter levels and it is down to these volunteers and also the residents who take care of the village by disposing of rubbish responsibly. Additional thanks to Tony and Suzy Morley for cleaning up rubbish left after the rave. At the marsh Dave and Tony trimmed back a tree which had started to lean into the path, the paths around the log area were trimmed weekly. A new cherry tree has been planted and is doing well so far. The village improvement team focused mainly on footpaths, clearing the path behind the Church Rd car park,the path near Bethel Drive and the path behind the Working Mens Club. A member of the team, Gordon, has been given the title of CLARP (Chief Looker Afterer of the Rustic Path) on Rider Haggard. The war memorial at St Edmunds was tidied and mown.

LET KEITH LEAD YOU UP THE GARDEN PATH

Proper spring here at last! I've got bulbs of all sorts in bud and to take me through April and May. My Snowdrops have finished, the bulbs will increase, and I'll let the spent flowers set seed for them to grow on to be my future blooms, the Winter Aconites the same. You can lift and divide both even in full bloom, it's what they call ' In the green' so most garden centres sell them in clumps during April and May, and of course all bulb suppliers. Chionodoxas ( most folk pronounce this as Chee owna doxa, When in fact should be pronounced as Ky owna doxa) should be finishing now as are Scilla ' siberica' and Pushkinia 'libanotica' along with many other smaller flowering bulbs like crocus etc. This time of year in my garden l have something appearing almost daily! My shrubby Honeysuckle Lonicera 'tartarica' ( ROB ROY) in my front garden is showing its first pink blooms, and the other shrubby one that blooms in winter Lonicera ' fragrantissima' is at an end now, this is often in bloom at the end of autumn to April, and the early bees always find it ! The flowers on this look better in the milder parts of winter, and open with temperate change, so not necessarily in top bloom all winter. My rarer Honeysuckle Lonicera , didn't fare so well this year, the variety Infundibuliformis ' "rockii'". My Viburnum ' bodnantense' "DAWN " had its very first flowers on it this year, now a six footer, and should have flowered years back, but has always been reluctant to do so, let's hope it will bloom each winter from now on ! I think the stars of the bulb world in spring must be the CROWN IMPERIAL. Many folk fail miserably with this, but not their fault, for rarely do garden centres give advice on this (usually the dearest of spring bulbs )yet a simple set of instructions should guarantee flowers. It's the largest of all the spring bulbs, and should be set in grit in the planting hole, and on its side so as water does not collect in the part where the new shoots appear, not all... but most of these bulbs have a flat or flattish side, hence lay the flat bit on the gravel / grit. This little effort is well worth doing. Oxalis 'origanum' is another of my little treasures that l always forget is there until it suddenly appears and surprises me each spring. Something else odd this year is finches have been nibbling away at my Artemesia "Powys Castle" at first the old dead leaves.... then the new growth too! And the fluff of sheep's wool that made up past years hanging baskets. Me and my wife are delighted too on seeing some deposits from a hedgehog! We have not seen any evidence of a hedgehog for about five years now, yet actually saw a good few on our lawn at one time. KEITH NICHOLS (TNBA) PLANTSMAN, / LANDSCAPE GARDENER .... retired.

This month, following my purchase of Keith’s first book I have chosen the photo on the left to talk about further with Keith. The photo shows a 16 year old Keith, with old time boxer Albert Danahar. The photo was taken in Clapton in 1965. Albert boxed between 1919-1934, his last bout in 1934 was contested at the Clairmont Pier in Lowestoft. Keith met Albert while working at Springfield Park, Clapton. Albert was nearing retirement from boxing at this point and identified Keith as a hard worker so the pair struck up a friendship. Arthur, his brothers and father were all boxers and went by the name ‘The fighting Danahar brothers’ and were well known in the Bethnal Green area.

PHOTOS FROM LOCAL PEOPLE

Firstly, THANK YOU! So many people have submitted photos for this section, I could have filled 5 pages so choosing was difficult. Here is a selection of this month’s topic – pets!

Top row (left to right) – Sula owned by Rosanna Jones, Roxy owned by Lisa-Marie Ball & Oscar owned by Gemma Rose. Middle row (left to right) – Cleo owned by Nicky Bullen, the late Gloria Muir with a young fox cub, Gloria was known around the area for her hedgehog rescue work & Bowzer and Koopa Troopa owned by Bethany Paige. Bottom row (left to right) – Brownie, Gingerbread and Cookie Crunch owned by Samantha Gardiner & Jerry owned by Gemma Rose.

Top row (left to right) – Daffney & Dave owned by Chantelle Welch, Brucey owned by Toni Parker and Lucky owned by Holly Wyatt. Middle row (left to right) – Pepsi owned by Donna-May Allen, Buddy who sadly passed away on Sunday 04/04, thoughts with his owner Melanie Lay and Mia & Maud owned by Sam Klyne. Bottom row (left to right) – the late Tula who was owned by Anita Guymer. Tula sadly died this April, she was a pet therapy dog and visited dementia patients and many children with mental health issues, Bolt owned by Lisa Harding and Kuma owned by Shirley Hirst.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BEEKEEPER

During April myself and Councillor Gower were fortunate enough to attend a bee keeping experience with local company SAAF Bees. During the day we visited the 5 acre woodland used for the bees and other wildlife activities such as photography of birds of prey and wildlife. We helped to inspect the colonies to check on their honey production as well as to monitor the laying of eggs and to identify the queen. During these checks we witnessed two young bees emerge from their cells which is a rare sight to see.

Photos: Left – Ready for action in our beekeeper overalls. Our suits are designed not to include anywhere a bee’s barbed sting can hook, this is due to the sad fact that after stinging, a honey bees abdomen is pulled out by its hook which results in its death. Centre – LOTS of bees, this is just one of 10 frames of a hive which can hold around 40k bees. Right – Sam preparing the smoker which is used to stop the pheromone spread by bees and to calm them. You don’t always need to use a smoker and on the day we didn’t use this one, Sam demonstrated how one would we used. One of our jobs for the day was to locate and then mark one of the queens. This is a task requiring patience and a keen eye, the queen is larger than the rest of the bees but can still be easily missed. The left & centre photos below show the queen being held safely under a queen catcher and then being marked gently. This process does no harm to the bee.

The photo to the right shows one of the bees carrying its pollen, pollen from different plants can affect the consistency of the honey. This orange pollen is from a dandelion and will give a runnier honey, pollen from a rape seed plant will give a thicker honey. A honey bee can smell honey from around 19 miles away and can find its way back to its colony from around 3 miles. The average life span of a honey bee is just 4 weeks, whereas the queen can live for around 5 years. This is due to her being fed royal jelly from the moment she is selected to be the queen. Bees really are fascinating, and it was a brilliant experience to be able to get so close to them and learn about them. The noise is particularly amazing as they surround you in your suit.

AFRICA ALIVE

New female Rhino at Africa Alive

A female southern white rhino named Belle has arrived at Africa Alive on the recommendation of the coordinator for the European breeding programme for this species.

Arriving from Cotswold Wildlife Park where she was born on 2nd October 2017, Belle has since been introduced to resident females Norma and Njiri and is now in the process of getting used to Zimba, Africa Alives male southern white rhino, in the hope they will successfully breed.

Having previously been hunted almost to extinction, the number of southern white rhinos has since grown but with the risk of poaching on the increase, these magnificent animals are now classed as near threatened in the wild.

To date, Africa Alive have donated £33,000 to save the rhino as part of its involvement in the conservation of this species. Belle, the southern white rhino, can be seen on your next visit to Africa Alive, pre book your tickets online at www.africa-alive.co.uk

LOCAL NEWS

You may notice that your journey in and out of the village via London Road has been a lot smoother of late This is due to patch work being carried out by Suffolk Highways on the 14th – 16th of April.

It was out with the old and in with the new for McDonald’s in Lowestoft, April saw the opening of the new branch at Kirkley rise but sadly also saw the branch in the High Street close its doors permanently. The branch had been open in the town for over 35 years.

Memorial plaques are now available to be placed at Roy Brown’s garden. The location has a beautiful view of the beach and sea. If you would like more information, please call 01502 744367.

The parish council is appealing for any information regarding the theft of our motion camera from Kessingland Marsh. The camera and tripod were stolen from the marsh around the 19th of April.

In the September 2020 edition of The Village News we wished Colin the caterpillar a happy 30th birthday. Well, he’s been back in the news this month as part of a court case taken up against Aldi by M&S. M&S claim that Cuthbert, Aldi’s version of a caterpillar cake infringes on their copyright of Colin. Other supermarkets have joined in what has now become a viral online topic and has spawned numerous meme’s and social media posts. The caterpillar cake is a birthday party favourite, and most supermarkets sell their own version.

‘Clyde’ of Asda ‘Charlie’ of Co-Op ‘Colin’ of M&S ‘Wiggles’ of Sainsburys

‘Calli’ of Tesco ‘Cecil’ of Waitrose ‘Cuthbert’ of Aldi

Which is your favourite? Or, have you made your own? Let us know!!

Understanding the hidden impact

of periods Residents in East Suffolk are invited to have their say on how periods may impact those who experience them in a new survey.

The survey, titled ‘Period Survey - East Suffolk’, has been created by East Suffolk Council to enable the Council to gain a better understanding on the hidden impact periods can have on those who experience them.

The aim of the survey is to get a clearer picture of how people in East Suffolk are affected by their periods, so that the Council can explore ways to provide the necessary support and reduce the stigma associated with the menstrual cycle.

Nicole Rickard, Head of Communities, said: “Everyone is affected differently by periods, and some of these impacts can be largely ‘invisible’ to others. As well as health issues, they can affect wellbeing in different ways and the ability to function normally in a range of situations and of course, they also come with a financial cost which is a struggle to some people.

“By carrying out this survey, we hope to get a better understanding of the impact periods can have on a local level, so that we can respond by ensuring the right support is in place. Therefore, we would appreciate hearing from as many people as possible about how they are affected.”

The survey is open until Friday 18 June and you can take part now at https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/3W3LFPF

KESSINGLAND FOOTBALL CLUB

Kessingland FC fielding two men’s teams as fans also return!

Since the last newsletter instalment, Kessingland FC have returned to first team action, with the new addition of a Development Squad being born and hitting the ground running. We began in early April with an in house friendly, welcoming back plenty of familiar faces and some exciting new prospects who have decided to join from other sides in the local area. Both the first team and development squad then lost games to AFC Oulton and Mutford & Wrentham Reserves respectively. While the results were not what we had hoped for, it represented a big step for the club to be putting together two squads. The first team then played out a fiery and hard-fought draw against Whitehorse FC. We were incredibly pleased to welcome back spectators for this match and hope they enjoyed the last-minute equaliser as much as we did. The Kessingland 12th Man made all the difference! This coming week the development squad have two exciting fixtures; a Thursday fixture against Great Yarmouth U18s followed by a home fixture against Hawthorn on Saturday. Once again, we would love to see as many people out supporting the boys as possible. The first team will return to action on Saturday 8th May against Pakefield Dynanos. Alongside the men’s team we are very happy to announce our kid’s football teams have now returned. Training for our under 8s and under 9s team is as follows: Wednesdays 5pm to 6pm & Saturdays 9am to 10am (Both at Kessingland Community Field) As always a huge thank you to our sponsors, Livingstone’s Freehouse, GAA Group and Co-operative Kessingland for their continued support!

Editor’s note: On Saturday 24th April, the first team and development team played an inter club friendly, with the first team winning 4-1. I was fortunate enough to make an appearance for the development team. Both teams played well and I was impressed at how passionate everyone involved is and the organisation of the club. The future surely looks bright for the team and I am told there are provisional plans for a women’s team too. Well done everyone.

The development team is managed by Gary Harewood with Dan Tomkins assisting. Gary comes from a family with ties to football in the village, both him and his brother, Leon, played for the Kessingland Jugganauts during their time and now his sons, Tyreece and Finley both play for Kessingland FC. The first team is managed by Dom Starkey.

Photos: Top left – the teams observing a 1 minute silence in honour of HRH Prince Phillip. Top right and below – photos from the inter club friendly played on Saturday 24th April. On Thursday 29th April the Development team played away at Gt Yarmouth under 18’s, they lost 2-0 conceding both goals late in the game, however the team played well with goalkeeper Kai Gilling’s playing especially well.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Kessingland Bowls Club are Members of the English Bowls Federation and Members of Bowls England.

OPEN DAY

Sunday 9th May 2021 From 11 am

All welcome - come and have a go! No need to book – just turn up (Please wear trainers or flat shoes)

We’re located: The Avenue, Kessingland, Suffolk, NR33 7QD (Just behind the Kessingland United Working Men’s Club just off the High Street)

Contact: Ken on 07511 817277 or Mark on 07788 922267 for more information or just come along on the day.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Police in Suffolk have been raising awareness regarding the safety of road users on two wheels - including motorcyclists and cyclists – as part of a national initiative. Between Monday 12 April and Sunday 18 April, officers supported the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) ‘2 Wheels’ campaign. This coincided with another roads policing operation called ‘Close Pass’, both of which focus on the dangers faced by cyclists as a result of motorists who drive too closely to them. The aim of both campaigns is to educate and raise awareness among motorists - as well as riders - about how to improve driver/rider behaviour to enhance road safety. Motorcyclists make up just 1% of the motoring population, yet are 16 times more likely to be injured in a serious or fatal collision as opposed to car drivers. They therefore remain one of the most vulnerable road users, alongside cyclists. As part of this year’s campaign officers placed an additional focus on the safety of road users on two wheels by conducting checks in both marked and unmarked vehicles in areas frequently used by motorcyclists and pedal cyclists. Officers engaged with riders in order to educate them on the dangers of not having the correct skills, knowledge and personal protection equipment. Officers were also keen to use the operation as an opportunity to highlight the law with respect to e-scooters, giving words of advice wherever possible but taking action if necessary. Although you can legally buy an e-scooter in the UK, you cannot currently ride it on a public road, cycle lane or pavement. The only place it can be used is on private land. Temporary Chief Inspector Jon Chapman, Head of the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team, said: "We know that as lockdown restrictions ease, road users, particularly cyclists, are more likely to get back out on our roads. It has therefore never been a more important time to highlight the dangers that both motorcyclists and cyclists face. "As we have seen riders being disproportionally involved in serious collisions when they only make up a small fraction of the total road users, we want to use this campaign to encourage motorists and cyclists to think about the safety of those on two wheels. "Riders must of course consider their own safety and be responsible road users as much as anyone else, but I would urge drivers of other vehicles to take extra care when travelling near to cyclists or motorcyclists and recognise that they are more vulnerable. Don’t drive too closely to them and allow plenty of room if overtaking. "We also want people to make sure they are aware of the current legislation in respect of e-scooters so they do not unwittingly commit an offence and find themselves being issued with a penalty notice.” Drivers or riders seen to commit offences will be issued with Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) and face a fine, points on their licence or even court action. E-scooters are treated as motor vehicles by the Department for Transport and are subject to the same legal requirement as other vehicles. If caught riding an e-scooter in a public place, fines you could receive include: • a fixed penalty notice for no insurance, with a £300 fine and six penalty points • a fixed penalty notice for no driving licence, up to £100 fine and three to six penalty points Other offences which might result in penalties (including arrest) include: riding on the footpath; using a mobile phone; riding through red lights; and drink/drug driving.

COMMUNITY GARDEN

The cold & frosty April mornings delayed plans for vegetable sowing, but our trusty band of volunteers have still been busy in the Garden. As well as general maintenance & tidying up, new raised beds are in the process of being created – these beds will be for use by children from the village and local school; Greener Growth (who manage the Garden) will be liaising with the school to arrange some after-school activities for the summer months.

In other news, the Garden welcomed another colony of Honey Bees which we hope will settle in as well as the 1st hive; the bees will be managed by Sam from SAAF Bees so if you have any bee-related questions, please do get in touch with him (contact details are on the noticeboards at the Garden entrance).

Let’s hope for some warmer weather over the next few weeks so the vegetable seeds kindly donated by the Community can finally be sown; fingers crossed for some bumper crops for you all to enjoy. We’re also hoping that if the lockdown “roadmap” goes to plan we’ll be able to organise some future events for you too. If you have any ideas/suggestions to add to our “Event List”, please do let us know….

Our volunteers are at the Garden every Tuesday morning (weather permitting) so come along and see for yourself the progress being made in your Community Garden, everybody is welcome. Dogs are welcome too but please ensure they are kept on a lead to preserve the Flower/Vegetable beds and kindly clean up after them. Thank you.

LOCAL WRITERS – PART 1

In this section we will feature local authors to help showcase the creative talent in the village, below are our first two featured authors, Stephen End and Louise Green.

Stephen End Local author Steven End has written another book. Football For Brains, a football quiz book. It’s 100 pages and has articles on collecting cards and stickers, a diary of a memorabilia collector, plus much more . 740 quiz questions. It is a book which is the perfect gift for any football mad fan young or old. A donation from the sale of each book goes to the scores project which is a project studying the links between dementia in footballers and football head injuries, including heading the ball. Email Steven at [email protected] to purchase a copy priced at 5.99.

Louise Green

After countless summers spent in Kessingland with our touring caravan, my Husband and I finally moved here for good in 2015. As dog owners, the beach was a firm favourite to all of us as well as a way to meet so many of the lovely locals. We have spent many happy hours walking on the beach and just enjoying the surroundings. I have always had dreams of writing a book and with the back drop of the beach as my inspiration and all the mischief that my dogs got up to that is exactly what I have done. I never expected to become a dog owner, but sometimes you just don’t know what is good for you! So, in November last year, I achieved a lifelong dream and published my book. It is a real, warts and all tale that will make you laugh and, possibly, make you shed a tear or two. Along with the highs and lows of having a dog in your life, the beach does form an integral part of the book and my story as it is such an enjoyable part of our daily life. I always feel better after a good, long walk. This became even more apparent during the first stages of lockdown in early 2020, when I was furloughed from work and we were all allowed just one hour of exercise per day. Those 60 minutes were essential to me, as I am sure they were for many of us, as we had to learn to adapt to a whole different lifestyle as everything shut down. Mental health was talked about like never before and I truly valued not only where I lived, but also my good health which allowed me to get out and get some much needed fresh air every day. Becoming a dog owner, has been somewhat of a baptism of fire as I had no knowledge or experience, there was so much to learn. One of the most profound learnings, was the incredible work that animal rescue charities do on a daily basis. One in particular, touched my heart so much that I decided to donate 51% of the profits from every book sale to this cause. Rebecca Drake, otherwise known as Bubblebecca Pugs has dedicated her life to rescuing these gorgeous dogs and relies on the generosity and kindness of her supporter to be able to do this. My book is called Lessons in Pug and is available to purchase on Amazon.

Have you written a book and would like it featured in ‘The Village News’? If so please contact [email protected]

MAY OVER THE YEARS

29th May 1917 – Birth of JFK, 35th president of the USA. 1821 – Death of Napoleon Bonaparte, the ‘little corporal’ died in exile on the island of St Helena, aged 51. 22nd May 1859 – Birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. 1954 - Roger Bannister was the first man to run a mile in under 4 minutes, at the Iffley Road Sports Ground, Oxford, England. 1945 - Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies at Rheims and the war in Europe ended. VE Day is celebrated across Europe and North America on the following day. 4TH May 1929 – Film and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn is born 1429 - The French warrior maiden, Joan of Arc, led the Dauphin’s troops to victory over the English laying siege to Orleans. 17th May 1749 – Edward Jenner is born. His pioneering work with smallpox vaccinations lay the foundation for modern immunology. 1940 - Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister. 24th May 1819 – Queen Victoria is born, she would reign from 1837-1901. 1536 - Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII‘s second wife, was beheaded in London. She was 29. 29th May 1630 – Birth of Charles II, he would reign from 1660 – 1685. 1894 - The official opening of the Manchester Ship Canal by Queen Victoria. 12th May 1820 – Florence Nightingale is born. Nursing pioneer of the Crimean war helped reduce hospital death rates from 42% to 2%. 14th May 1984 – Creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg is born. May 4th 1494 – During his second journey of exploration, Christopher Columbus discovers Jamaica. May 6th 1937 – The Hindenberg disaster, 36 of the 97 crew and passengers died. May 10th 1984 – Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as President of South Africa. May 12th 1937 – King George VI is crowned following his brothers, Edward VIII, abdication. He would reign until his death in 1952 and was succeeded by his daughter, the current Queen. Elizabeth II.

ENTRIES

The Village News welcomes contributions from everyone within the Parish; news and reports from village organisations are particularly welcome but contentious issues or articles promoting personal causes should be avoided – the Editor reserves the right not to print items and to edit items submitted for publication. The views expressed in the Village News, unless stated as such, are not those of the Editor or the council, and no liability can be accepted for any error or omissions although we will publish corrections. If you would like to submit content, the deadline for copy is 12 Noon on the 24th of each month. Please send submissions to the Editor - [email protected].

Content welcome from residents of Kessingland Articles can be half or full page or can be Old photographs, poems, stories, charitable causes, included within the local news section. To information for free services, appeals for volunteers, subscribe / unsubscribe from the Newsletter informative articles, suggestions for future articles, Mailing List, please email puzzles, quizzes, news items. [email protected] There is no content we wouldn’t consider, we want this to be as community minded as possible, currently we cannot promote profit organisations or print contentious issues or comments.