Buxhall Broadcast
February 2021
Services on-line
Bishop Martin has made a declaration under Canon B14 to permit services in church to be suspended. Each PCC voted unanimously in favour, and we very much hope this will be a temporary measure but have to bear in mind the safety of those church officers who have responsibility for the services. Provision remains online and by post and telephone if you wish—details for church contacts are on p4. The following services will be held by Zoom meeting. Please contact the Revd Canon Pauline Higham at [email protected] if you would like details of how to join these services. Sunday 9.30am Spiritual Communion Wednesday and Saturday 10.00am Morning Prayer Wednesday 4.00pm Bible Study
Combs and Finborough Benefice—in vacancy The Revd Chris Childs’ last service is on 24 January 2021. As to the future, Canon Diane Williams, our rural dean, and Archdeacon David Jenkins have set in process the procedure for the appointment of Chris’s successor. A group of people are working with Canon Pauline on the Parish Profile—essentially an advert for the new rector—and distilling plans for future ministry here so that the next rector will know what we are looking for. A final meeting is fixed for the bishop to approve the advertisement and paperwork in April. Please pray for a good appointment. Until a new rector is appointed a first point of call will be to Canon Pauline [email protected] or 01449 771791, the Revd Alison Lay [email protected] or the Ministry Team (see p4 for contact details).
2 Report on Christmas Services We were pleased with attendance at our five services, both outdoors and on Zoom. Enormous thanks are due to the Churchwardens and others for their work. The wonderful Nativity images made by Dean Hearn of Harleston provided a good focus at Little Finborough, Onehouse and on Harleston Green. I am sure they will be useful in the future. We were grateful to the bandsmen of Battisford Free Church and the Buxhall Handbell ringers for our music. Our District Councillor has made a most generous donation to ena- ble the purchase of an outdoor amplification system which will no doubt also be useful in the future. Thank you to all who contributed to the work of the Children’s society in our Christingle and Carol Services. Revd Chris Childs
Buxhall Parish Councillor Vacancy • Are you looking for a new challenge? • Are you passionate about Buxhall? • Would you like to be involved in shaping its future? If you answered yes to these then why not join the Parish Council? Meetings are held monthly and you will receive full support from current Councillors and the Parish Clerk.
For further information or an informal chat please contact Tina Newell, Parish Clerk on 07767 163706 or by email to [email protected].
Buxhall Parish Council on Facebook You can now follow the Parish Council on Facebook at ‘Buxhall Parish Council’.
3 St Mary’s Parish Church contacts Priest-in-Charge Vacancy Associate Priest The Revd Canon Pauline Higham The Rectory, Onehouse IP14 3HL 771791 [email protected]
Churchwardens: Mr David Steed Leffey Hall, Buxhall 737991 Mr David King Peacock Ridge, Buxhall 737405 Lay Elders: Mrs Angela Pead Tiree, High Road, Great Finborough 674754 Mrs Gill Ling 5 Stearn Drive, Onehouse 613523 Mr Tony Bugg 108 Spencer Way, Stowmarket 616865 Mrs Irene Bugg 108 Spencer Way, Stowmarket 616865 Readers: Mr Derek Ames 62 Forest Road, Onehouse 613328 Mr Ray Taylor Paupers View Union Rd, Onehouse 613343 Mr Rod Higham The Rectory, Onehouse 771791 All of the ministry team of this benefice are available for pastoral care - to offer a space to talk informally, to offer support and prayer.
Advertising To advertise, please contact Lesley Steed by e-mail at [email protected] or telephone 01449 737991. An electronic version of your advert—sized to fit an A5 page —is especially welcome as it will then be nice and crisp! However, I will be happy to help you publish any other format. Current rates are: ¼ page £6 / issue ½ page £8 / issue Full page £12 / issue
Deadline for the March issue: 15th February 2021 Editor: Lesley Steed Telephone: 01449 737991 E-mail: [email protected] Address: Leffey Hall, Brettenham Road, Buxhall IP14 3DX Please note that articles and advertisements are individual contributions and do not necessarily represent the views of Buxhall Parochial Church
Council or Buxhall Parish Council. The4 Editor’s decision is final. From Combs Rectory The rolling out of the vaccine is proving, as I write, to be a light in a dark and quite frightening world for many people. Who would have thought that Brexit would have been secondary in news stories? We all sincerely hope that the small ‘light’ at the end of this long tunnel is the success of the vaccine not a train coming towards us, but the news is very encouraging. In the meantime we must all play our part and be sacrificial in the way we lead our lives; giving time to support others and staying ‘in’ when we would rather be out. I am sure most of us are keeping to the spirit of the regulations and not ignoring them. Life goes on. We are all pleased to hear of babies being born, weddings and baptisms taking place and of course people moving to new homes and changing jobs. We try to make things as normal as possible, but the smaller delights of life seem to take on an added pleasure. Even the larger ones have an added ‘brilliance’. Last March I turned my desk round to look out of the study window – to watch the garden over the top of the computer screens. The most dominant sight is a wonderful old holly tree. It has been heavy with berries each year since we came here but only this year have I noticed it fully. That maybe to do with the fact that I have had to spend so much time sitting here on Zoom Meetings for one thing but also because the holly has that wonderful carol with the memorable words and in my mind has always therefore been special: ‘Of all the trees that are in the wood / The holly bears the Crown.’ There is much mythology associated with holly (and ivy). In some pagan societies a teenage boy and girl would be dressed in holly and ivy leaves respectively and paraded around the community to remind people that in the midst of winter’s darkness, there remains life. Last night Wendy and I watched the ‘Green Planet’ with David Attenborough and saw those astonishing Alaskan Wood frogs that freeze for a couple of months a year as the climate around them reaches -40° then simply thaw out. Their skin when frozen provides an excellent camouflage in the surrounding rocks. We don’t have to do that but there is a sense this year that all our lives are ‘frozen’ at the moment. Although the frogs looked dead they were actually alive. In our lives the holly and indeed evergreen ivy remind us of life in the midst of seeming death—and the brightness of the berries is stunning. In a previous home we had a very vibrant holly tree that never had any berries and was quite dark and dangerous in a sense that if you got caught by it you were scratched. Holly trees have those prickly leaves which protect the beautiful berries often obscuring them from sight and the prickles make it hard to cut them.
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6 Village Hall News
The Village Hall is temporarily closed due to Covid-19 restrictions and will re-open as soon as government restrictions are lifted. Please stay safe during these very difficult times. GREAT NEWS from LITTLE ERNIE The following Little Ernie draws have been made since the last publication of the Buxhall Broadcast. Congratulations to the November 2020 Prize Draw winners Noel Mitson ( 5) First Prize £30 Alicia Morgan (55) Second Prize £20 Jim Sugden (249) Third Prize £10 The draw was made at the Village Hall Management Committee Meeting on 8 December 2020
Many congratulations to the November 2020 Grand Prize Draw winners Natalie Alexander (172) First Prize £100 Mike Clayton (17) Second Prize £50 David Shephard (89) Third Prize £25 Christopher Lees (67) Fourth Prize £25 The draw was made at the Village Hall Management Committee Meeting on 8 December 2020
Congratulations to the January 2021 Prize Draw winners Michael Drury (267) First Prize £30 Keith Proctor (88) Second Prize £20 Doreen Drewery (196) Third Prize £10 The draw was made at the Parish Council Zoom Meeting on 11 January 2021 LITTLE ERNIE & THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 7 Bird seed order The next order will be placed on 12 February. Bird seed collection will be on 24 February between 2.00—6.00pm from Abbey Farm Cottage. If you would like to place an order please let me have your requirements together with a cheque made payable to “Great Finborough Garden Club”, or by BACS “Gt Finborough Garden Club”, sort code 09-01-54, account no 20213287. Please reference your name followed by B/S. Orders may be posted to or dropped off at The Little House, High Road, Gt Finborough, IP14 3AA, or if it’s more convenient dropped off at 1 Valley Lane, Gt Finborough. Orders not collected on the day will require customer to make special arrangements to collect. The next seed order will be April 2021. Thank you. Peter Turner (07789 727974, [email protected])
NAME……………………………….. Tel no. …………………………………..
Product Weight Price Quantity Cost
Wild Bird Mix 20 kg £11.00
W.B.M. Premium 20kg £12.50
W.B.M No Wheat 20kg £15.00
W.B.M NEW High Energy 12.75 kg £13.00
W.B.M. No Mess 12.75 kg £13.50
W.B.M Robin & Songbird 12.75 kg £13.50
Finch Mix 20 kg £13.00
Mixed Corn 20 kg £9.00
SUPER Poultry Mix 20kg £10.00
Peanuts (superior quality) 25 kg £34.00
Peanuts (half sack) 12.5 kg approx. £18.50
Black Sunflower Seed 12.55 kg £11.00
Sunflower Kernels 20 kg £24.00
Sunflower Kernels 10kg approx. £13.00
Nyjer Seed 25kg £31.00
Nyjer Seed 12.5kg approx. £16.50
Suet Pellets 12.75kg £18.00
Suet Balls (Superior) Price each 13p
Suet Balls (Superior) Box of 150 £19.50 8 TOTAL Great Finborough and District Garden Club Firstly your Committee wish you all a belated but very Happy New Year.
Usually in this report there would be a summary of all that the Garden Club had achieved over the last year, the speakers we have listened to and the visits and club events that have taken place. This last year we have managed to have just two meetings, mainly thanks to the hard work put in by Mary Preece and the Pettiward Hall team to make it a Covid secure venue. There have been no events and no outings, but we look forward, and hope that come the summer things may start to improve. Sadly, since the last newsletter we have lost two of our members, Pat Turner and Ken Bottomley. They were both well loved members of the club and we shall miss them greatly. Pat will be remembered not only as a dear friend to all of us, but also a gracious and welcoming hostess who let her garden be taken over for the club and Garden Openers’ BBQs. The enjoyment of life that she possessed, her astounding energy and care and compassion for others will never be forgotten. Ken’s knowledge of container gardening was unsurpassed and the sheer scale of the produce that emerged from his tiny garden was mind-blowing. He will also be remembered for the occasion when he stepped in at the 11th hour, when our speaker didn’t turn up, to give a most interesting and enjoyable talk without any notes or preparation. As things are at present, there will be no meetings or events for the next few months, but members will be informed by e-mail and through the newsletter when we are able to resume Finally, if you are interested in joining the garden club or would like to join us for any event you will be very welcome. Membership is only £15.00 per household per year or £2.50 per session for visitors. For further information contact either: Judith Cameron at [email protected] or on 672978.
Continued from p5: From Combs Rectory As you read this the days of sunshine will be longer – but let’s cling onto the frog and the holly and remember there are brighter days around the corner. Don’t let the almost invisible life of the frog against the rock or the dense and dangerous foliage of the holly obscure the brightness and life that is coming. With good wishes and prayers for you all Chris 9
The Nutshell · Milton Road South · Stowmarket · IP14 1EZ
10 News from your District Councillor - Penny Otton December was a busy month for my group, but we have had some big successes. I want to wish you all a happy new year in these strange times! Covid I have passed on any information including grants available and financial support also news of a disturbing scam offering fake vaccinations appearing to come from the NHS. Flooding Following the dreadful flooding, in Combs Lane in particular, I sent a message to Suffolk County Council (SCC) showing just what happens when no work is done. My group believe there are not sufficient resources so we may be considering a budget amendment to include extra support for this department. Biodiversity strategy adopted At Full Council on 3 December 2020, SCC unanimously passed a motion that will see them developing a biodiversity strategy and embracing biodiverse land management practices. The motion was proposed by the LDGI (Liberal Democrat, Green and Independent) Group and supported by all other groups. The motion will ensure: • Delivery of a biodiversity strategy that will set out how we could increase Suffolk’s biodiversity, halt the loss of habitats and species, and reintroduce declining species in suitable locations. • Assessment of how the council can lead organisations across the county in efforts to improve biodiversity. • Adoption of biodiverse land management options on council land. • A letter to the Secretary of State asking what further support can be made available to local authorities to enhance biodiversity within their areas. I’m really pleased that this motion has been met with such overwhelming support from the council. Our efforts can feel like a drop in the ocean, but by working together and listening to each other we can make a difference. Suffolk County Council has today taken another step on the path to making that difference. By working together, across political party lines, we can have a real impact. Good biodiversity supports healthy ecosystems which protects our food security, cleans our air and water and enhances our lives in many ways. I would encourage everyone to do their part to support our native species, and I am thrilled that the County Council will now be doing the same thing.” Resisting the decision to reclaim local highways budgets The Suffolk County Council cabinet reclaimed unspent Local Highways Budgets from councillors on 31 December 2020. Local highways budgets can be spent
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12 From The Registers Onehouse Funerals Derek John WIGGINS (Stowupland) 17 December 2020 Died 3 December 2020, aged 89. West Suffolk Crematorium Ronald Samuel ABBS 18 January 2021 Died 26 December 2020, aged 93. West Suffolk Crematorium
Great Finborough Funerals Patricia (Pat) TURNER 16 December 2020 Died 27 November 2020, Funeral at St Andrew’s Church Burial of ashes at St Andrew’s Church 16 January 2021 Burial of Ashes Philip Hugh DADE 14 November 2020 Died 22 November 2019 Mary Elizabeth DADE 14 November 2020 Died 21 December 2012 Christine BULLETT 16 November 2020 Died 16 September 2020, aged 78 Raymond Arthur George BULLETT 16 January 2021 Died 7 December 2020, aged 83
Harleston Burial of Ashes Anthony James PHOENIX 7 December 2020 Aged 69
Buxhall Holy Baptism Thea Audrey Violet MILLER 20 December 2020 Born 8 March 2020. Parents: David and Victoria Miller
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14 Continued from p11—Penny Otton’s report by councillors in their divisions on projects like new yellow lines, resident parking areas or zebra crossings. The LDGI Group has fought against this decision, arguing that the pandemic has increased delays to work which was already difficult to complete due to cumbersome processes and excessive red tape. Lockdown meant that officers weren’t allowed to go out and look at sites, and teams were overwhelmed by the amount of work caused by the pandemic. Some larger projects will not be ready to receive payment by the deadline. This reclaiming of the budget would not have become absolutely necessary until March, when the financial year ends. The LDGI Group has been fighting against this decision, taking it to Cabinet and senior officers, as well as the press. Cllr Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw, Leader of LDGI Group, commented that the decision means that dozens of projects will now remain unfinished and local communities will not benefit from the money. Preparing budget amendments for 2021-22 budget SCC is currently preparing its budget for 2021—22 and the LDGI Group has been preparing its amendments. My group has chosen three key priorities for our budget amendment: warm homes, supporting community groups and charities through the pandemic, and income generation and the climate emergency. We will be proposing multiple projects and policy decisions around these three key themes. Consultation on the Suffolk Climate Change Action Plan SCC is currently running a consultation on its proposed Streets Guide, which will assist with the design of new residential developments showing how best to create sustainable transport layouts that promote walking and cycling. A new Street Guide has been commissioned to update guidance for residential streets. Comments on the draft guide are welcomed and there is a survey to complete. The consultation closes at 5.00pm on 10 February 2021.Link: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/planning-waste-and-environment/planning-and- development-advice/suffolk-design-streets-guide/ Buxhall Crown Although the planning application has been withdrawn, I have kept the call-in form registered in case there is a further application. The application for community asset has been approved . John Peel Centre, Stowmarket The council, having bought the old Nat West building, has agreed a long term lease with the John Peel Centre so that there can be a entrance from the High Street and more space for activities and a café. Vehicle fuel conversion SCC will be converting council vehicles, including refuse lorries, to run on hydrated vegetable oil as part of its bid to be carbon neutral.
To contact Penny Otton: Meadowside,15 High Street, Rattlesden IP30 0RA Telephone: 07545423847 | Email: [email protected] Buxhall Country Glamping opened in 2017 and was awarded the Visit England Gold Award from the start. We work hard to maintain those standards.
Two handbuilt Pods were joined by authentic Mongolian yurts Gertie & Bertie in 2018 – all fully equipped with fridge, microwave, kettle, toaster etc plus comfy beds (bedding & towels provided), woodburning stoves in the yurts and aircon/heaters in the pods. Guests only need to bring food, clothes, and of course, plans for some fun! We can now accommodate up to 20 people – up to 6 in the yurts and 4 in the pods. Each pod/yurt has their own designated shower room (in the ‘Peepod’). Located a few miles from Stowmarket, it’s the ideal base for exploring places like Lavenham or Bury St Edmunds (both 20 mins drive), with Aldeburgh or Southwold approx. an hour away. Ample space between the pods/yurts and the individual shower rooms complies with Government Covid guidelines. Booking the whole site for a fun or relaxing get-together with friends or family has become a popular choice. Rattlesden Road, Buxhall (just around the corner from the Crown) Contact Val on 01449 737113 or 07519 177645 See our website for more details: www.buxhallcountryglamping.co.uk 16 Rattlesden & District Community Shop and Post Office
We are your local community shop, run entirely by volunteers. We aim to stock local produce and we have recently introduced cooked and frozen meat from Thurston Butchers. We stock daily and Sunday papers and are open on Sunday morning for papers and all other goods. Orders can be taken for papers and magazines. We take credit and debit cards and have introduced a loyalty card for customers. £5 purchase gets a stamp and a book of 10 stamps entitles you to £2 off your next purchases. Post Office services include cash/foreign currency, home shopping returns, dry cleaning, shoe repairs and flower deliveries. The shop (phone 01449 736199) is open: Weekdays: 9.00am to 5.00pm Saturdays: 9.00am to 1.00pm Sundays: 9.00am to 11.00am. The Post Office (phone 01449 736197) is open: Weekdays: 9.00am to 1.00pm Saturdays: 9.00am to 12.30pm
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Contact Jenny on 07702 081817 Email: [email protected] 20 Christmas comes early for Stowmarket choir Stowmarket Chorale, a 65-member choral society with a 120-year history of putting on concerts in Stowmarket and beyond, received a nice present just before Christmas. Stowmarket Town Council approved a grant of £500 towards helping the choir get through this difficult time when in-person concerts, and even rehearsals, have been impossible to provide. The choir is still meeting on Wednesday nights at 7.30pm, but instead of being at Combs Ford Primary School the rehearsal is held online, on the Zoom platform. The choir has had to adapt its choice of rehearsal music since the Covid crisis struck, and has now offered so far a wide assortment of material to keep members interested – from the soaring harmonies of sacred favourites such as Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, to the evergreen tunefulness of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. In the run up to this most peculiar Christmas, participants were invited to put in requests for favourite carols to sing. It was decided to make the sessions open to the public - guest singers are allowed to participate without charge and without commitment, and are warmly welcomed. It is always hoped that guests will enjoy the experience and become full members. For further information, contact: [email protected] or visit our website: www.stowmarketchorale.org.uk
Buxhall Parish Council Happy New Year! The first meeting of 2021 was held on the video platform ’Zoom’ and included setting the 2021 budget and precept. For those who aren’t familiar with these terms: Budget is the amount of money the Parish Council anticipates spending over the financial year; Precept is a tax that Parish Councils charge their local electors to meet their budget requirements and is the difference between the Parish Council’s estimated income and its estimated spending requirements for the year. After discussion all Councillors resolved to set a budget with a precept increase of just 5%, which equates to £1.52 per annum. 2020 was a difficult year but one in which the Parish Council successfully applied for grant funding in excess of £60k which allowed new play equipment to be installed at the playing field; we plan to have an official opening when the current restrictions allow. The next phase of the regeneration will be discussed at a future meeting. The next meeting of the Council is scheduled for Monday 8 February 2021; this will be held remotely using Zoom. The joining instructions will be available on the website from Wednesday 3 February 2021. Until then please stay safe and keep well! Tina Newell (Parish Clerk) 21 Buxhall rainfall for 2020 We record the daily rainfall using a Met Office-supplied rain gauge, and thought you’d like to see how wet it was in Buxhall last year. The graphs show that although the total rainfall was about average compared to previous years’ totals, winter and spring were much wetter and much drier respectively. Summer and autumn were average.
22 Celebrating Beautiful Buxhall
For the second year Buxhall residents have been lucky enough to receive the Beautiful Buxhall calendar free with their December/ January Broadcasts, with thanks to the generosity of Robert Stewart and the Buxhall Business Park. The fantastic pictures of Buxhall (and a certain neighbouring village) are all contributed by local photographers and friends, this time:
• Sam Bond • David Chamberlain and Hannah Blyth • Ed Heathcote • Charles Robinson • Eva Perry • Hilary Stewart • Steve Stoddart If you would like to send your own photos of Buxhall for consideration for the 2022 calendar, please email them in good time to [email protected].
Buxhall bellringers You may have wondered what the ringers have been doing while not able to ring the bells in the tower… answer: we’ve been ringing in a virtual belltower! You may have seen the BBC news article about Ringing Room, which is a site built by two American ringers at the beginning of the first lockdown for change ringers to continue ringing with one another even when socially distanced. If you are interested in finding out more, the link is www.ringingroom.co.uk/about. We’ve heard of people using it to learn to ring without touching a real bell rope so if you’d like to have a try, just get in touch! Over the lockdown we have also come across a YouTube video of ringers on tour in America, which develops into a really good introduction to ringing—find it here www.youtube.com/watch? v=g5ZaF8jlhGs if you’d like to find out more about this fascinating hobby. David and Lesley Steed 23
Buxhall Broadcast is published by St Mary’s Parochial Church Council with generous support from Buxhall Parish Council. It is distributed free of charge to every household in the Parish. 24