Volume 11 • Issue No. 5 • April 2021 Your free local community magazine: essential local news, services & information delivered through your door every month Capel Capers™©

In Touch with Capel St Mary www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk

The Scarecrow Trail is back for 2021 See page 4 Would you like to Adopt a Street? See page 8

Have you thought about playing Outdoor Bowls? p20

www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 1 2 In Touch online: Published by: A WORD FROM THE EDITOR Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd, 20 Wharfedale Road, IP1 4JP One of ‘our’ last home-schooling projects was to write a mini autobiography. We had to include specific features such as ‘an attention-grabbing introduction’, early memories, positive and negative experiences and aclosing Editor: Sharon Jenkins statement which included reflections on some key events and hopes for the future. All in four paragraphs! T: 01473 400380 Following an hour or so of ‘debate’, I dug out my memory box to help refresh Jack’s memory, and my own. We Send editorial copy to: found his first pair of socks, his first shoes, every birthday card he has ever received, his first blond curl (he’s not [email protected] Readers are invited to submit articles, illustrations and blond anymore), his first toy car… and every family planner or calendar we’ve had since Jack arrived in 2010. photographs for publication. The publishers reserve the right to amend such submissions and cannot accept What struck both of us as we scanned the calendars was how empty 2020 was. All the others were tattered and responsibility for any loss. torn with scrawled notes on every page, arrows from one date to another when football games were rescheduled, Advertising birthday parties galore, plans made and cancelled. The 2020 planner was pristine and made us both quite sad as T: 01473 400380 we considered what we might have done and all the events that never happened. E: [email protected] Distribution Jack eventually sat down to write but I haven’t been able shake off the sense of loss I felt when I packed the box Tree Martin: 01473 400380 away. We created unexpected memories in the last year, shared an intense experience we will talk about for E: [email protected] generations, learned a lot about ourselves and others, faced our fears, adapted how we live and work, rediscovered our compassion for the suffering of others… and most of us have emerged unscathed, physically at least. Perhaps it Printing ColourPlan Print: 01473 400379 will take a little longer for the emotional scars to heal and, just as we have done this past year, we must look after E: [email protected] those who have suffered most. Disclaimer: It doesn’t take much to make a difference. A smile, a nod, a quick chat about the weather… acknowledging and The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every effort is nurturing the sense of togetherness we’ve cultivated because that is the most valuable lesson we’ve learned. We taken to ensure that the contents of this magazine must cling to that as we pick ourselves up and move gradually towards normality. Let’s never forget how important are accurate but the publisher cannot assume any responsibility for errors or omissions. our local community has been, and I include local business as an essential cog in that wheel. While reasonable care is taken when accepting There is a palpable sense of anticipation now as we move steadily towards the first key dates on the route to advertisements or editorial, the publisher/ editor will not accept responsibility for any ‘freedom’. We may long for June 21 to arrive but there is much to do and plenty to look forward to before then, unsatisfactory transactions and also reserves the including Easter. right to refuse to include advertising or editorial. They will, however immediately investigate any written complaints. Happy Easter from everyone at Mansion House Publishing. Take care, © Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd. be safe and surprise someone with an unexpected smile. It may make their day! No part of this magazine may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, either wholly or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. © In Touch with & Stowupland is AN ARTY OPPORTUNITY FOR UNdER 16s published by Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd Our sales manager has come up with a delightful idea. Daren suggested having images created by children on our front covers and we love the idea so we’re going to make it happen. I can’t believe we haven’t thought of doing this before but perhaps Printed on gloss paper from FSC certified sources Please recycle. now is the perfect time. I can’t think of anything more wonderful to share with readers and I’m sure the results will bring a smile to In Touch Titles many faces. • Stowmarket & Stowupland •  & I’ve set up a template of sorts on our website, just some notes • Melton & Woodbridge about the size of the space and how to work around the banner ad. • , , Lawford & Mistley You can find it at: www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/cover • Hadleigh, , , Holton St Mary, & We’re not going to lay down any restrictions because we want our • Ipswich East, Ravenswood, Broke Hall budding artists (who must be 16 or under) to choose their own & Warren Heath subject matter. That said, it would be great to get pictures with local • , Beyton, , Haughley, Hessett, Norton, Tostock, Wetherden relevance, perhaps buildings, scenes or sites, play areas, favourite & Woolpit walks and the like but, in reality, anything goes. •  & The Creetings If you can’t access the online template let us know and we can • , , , , Holbrook, , Stutton & email it to you. •  Happy drawing, painting, illustrating.... • Claydon, Barham, Henley & Whitton • , Dedham, I also want to tell you about an e-vent we are sponsoring this month. Bounce Back for Business & Stratford St Mary is a digital Stowmarket Chamber of Commerce event taking place from April 20-22 with live • , Offton, Somersham & networking events each day, including one with the aforementioned Daren Stainton. Anyone • Capel St Mary (Capel Capers) can attend the live online sessions which will cover a range of topics and include Q&A sessions. • , , Bentley, & If you are interested, go to www.msbe.biz to find out more. • Gt & Lt Blakenham, & Nettlestead • , Ashbocking, & •  & Burstall KEEPING IN TOUCH We also publish Spotlight on keepingintouchwith.co.uk / spotlightmagazine.co.uk / vanilla-magazine.co.uk Saturday 10 April Twitter: @InTouchEast / @vanillamagazine is the advertising and Instagram: @mansionhousepublishing / @vanilla.magazine editorial deadline for the May edition Facebook: @mansionhousepublishing / @vanillamagazinesuffolk www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 3 NEWS

CAPEL ST MARY SCARECROW TRAIL Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 July 2021 Thanks to the Prime Minister’s ‘Roadmap out of Lockdown’ speech at the end of February, and assuming the key steps are reached on schedule, it looks like it will be safe and legal to hold a completely normal Scarecrow Trail this year. Therefore, we plan to hold the Scarecrow Trail over the four days from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 July, with Scarecrows out each day from 9am to 8pm. Tea, coffee and cakes will be available to purchase from 2-5pm in St Mary’s Church Hall on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11. UPSTIX SUPPORTING CONSTABLE Entry forms will cost £2 each and we hope they will be available from COUNTRY VACCINE TEAM the usual outlets, which will be confirmed later. Upstix is delighted to have been able to present a selection of gifts to the If you have made a scarecrow before or told us last year that you Constable Country Medical Practice (CCMP) vaccine team to thank them for wanted to make one, we will probably already have contacted you or the fantastic work they have been doing in delivering Covid-19 vaccines to will do so shortly. If you would like to make one but haven’t told us yet, the local population. please contact me, Jim Hill: 07951 411720 / [email protected] (don’t Ian Pulford, Partner at Upstix, said: miss out the 1) “The vaccination team comprising GPs, nurses, support staff and volunteers Alternatively speak to Ondra Butler, Jo Harris or Mo Hill. have done a fantastic job under immense pressure and in some awful We will need your Scarecrow name/clue (as straightforward or as weather. As a local company, we just want to say thank you and recognise cryptic as you like) and the location where they will be displayed by how successful their work has been. The team deserves more than our the end of May, so you have plenty of time to think about it. There is applause and we hope they will enjoy what we have given.” no theme. Pete Keeble, Practice Manager atCC MP, said: Looking back to our last trail in 2019, we sold a record 235 entry forms “Our vaccination team has worked extremely hard, particularly through and had 54 scarecrows. Many people have told me how much they January when we initially took delivery of the vaccine. Recognition of their missed the trail last year, so I really hope you can help us bring the hard work is much appreciated and I’m sure the team will enjoy sharing the village together and make it a bumper event this year. Prosecco and chocolates.” Upstix is an independent, family-owned residential lettings and estate agency with offices in Capel St Mary, Woodbridge and Harwich providing the high level of service that people should expect from businesses. Upstix manages over 450 residential property units across north and south and has an increasing share of the local residential sales market.

For further information contact Ian Pulford: 07768 102032 / [email protected]

Many thanks to all my local friends who have supported me with their kindness, presence and help during the last few Tea & Company have missed making monthly visits to months, and since the loss of my beloved Pat. Dove Close in the last year. With warmest wishes to you all, Hopefully, we will see you before this year is over. Fingers crossed! Jill Miller and family We just wanted to let you know that we made our annual Christmas donation of £100 to FIND.

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www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 5 NEWS

CONSTABLE COUNTRY MEDICAL PRACTICE Covid-19 Vaccination Programme As of 8 March, the practice has administered over 5,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. We have now vaccinated more than 96% of all patients over the age of 70. We continue to vaccinate patients against Covid-19 as fast as we take delivery of the vaccines. Unfortunately, we still get little advance notice of Are you sitting too much? when and how many vaccines will be delivered. One of the problems we have had during lockdown is sitting too much. For Please be assured that as soon as we have those of you who are retired, most of your activities outside of the home have confirmed delivery dates, we are setting up ceased, confining you to the house, especially during the winter months. clinics and inviting patients in. Our preferred Many adults aged 65 and over spend, on average, 10 hours or more each day method of booking for all under 80-year-olds sitting or lying down, making them the most sedentary age group. is via a text message with a link to enable patients to select an appointment date They’re paying a high price for their inactivity, with higher rates of falls, and time. obesity, heart disease and early death compared with the general population. Patients who don’t have a mobile number As you get older, it becomes even more important to remain active if you recorded with the practice, and those patients who don’t book via the text want to stay healthy and maintain your independence. message link, will be contacted by the practice to book an appointment. To reduce our risk of ill health from inactivity, we are advised to exercise Patients have also been contacted to book vaccinations at mass vaccination regularly, at least 150 minutes a week, and reduce sitting time. clinics. The practice is informed when vaccination has taken place and Sitting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects patients are subsequently removed from our list. the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down Second doses will be administered approximately 11 weeks after the first. body fat. However, although some patients were booked in for a second dose, we So how do we become more active? Move more; sit less! cannot confirm the date and time until we have received confirmation of the vaccine delivery date. We may not receive this until 10 days before the Tips to reduce sitting time vaccines are delivered. If you are 65+ you should aim to be physically active every day. Any activity We will therefore contact patients the week before their second dose is is better than none. The more you do the better, even if it’s just light activity. due to either confirm their existing appointment, rearrange it, or booka Housework and gardening are good forms of exercise new appointment. The practice has detailed records of when second doses • Avoid long periods sat in front of a TV or computer are due so there is no need to contact the practice. Please wait for us to contact you. • Stand up and move during TV advert breaks Please note that current guidance is that the type of vaccine administered • Stand or walk while on the phone for the second dose should be the same as the first dose, i.e. Pfizer or Astra • Use the stairs as much as possible Zeneca. Also, note that we will only administer second doses to those patients • Take up active hobbies such as gardening and DIY who have been vaccinated at the practice. • Do most types of housework If you have been vaccinated elsewhere, they will arrange your second dose. • Take regular walks outside – this is good for your physical and mental health Thank you again for your support and consideration whilst we continue with For more advice about keeping active look on the NHS Live Well website. the vaccination programme. Practice Manager Pete Keeble Keep active and healthy! www.constablecountrymedicalpractice.co.uk Blessings, Margaret Caroline: 07588 706869 [email protected] Margaret: 07588 698284 [email protected] Rozy: [email protected] www.CapelParishNurses.org.uk

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www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 7 News

CAPEL ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL Report from the parish council meeting held on Monday 8 March. GET TO KNOW YOUR PARISH COUNCILLORS Present were Cllrs Bishop, Cowgill, Dimond, Fenn, Harris, Hole, Matthews, Councillor Jim Ross O’Galligan, Rogers (chair), Ross, Weaver, County Councillor Jones, District Councillor Carpendale and Julie Lawes (clerk). Where were you born? Kilsyth in Central Scotland The parish council recommended approval to Council for planning applications: Manor Cottage, Pound Lane; 12 Aisthorpe andSt How long have you lived in the village? Mary’s Church. Since January 1988 The application for 24 Garrods was recommended for refusal. How long have you been a parish councillor? Since June 2020 The purchase of the Persimmons Homes development site on land off Little Tufts, named Samford Gardens, has now been completed and work has What made you want to become a parish councillor? commenced. Capel has been good to me and my family and this is a chance to give something back and hopefully help shape the future for the village. The parish council environmental group is currently considering trailing some wild meadow areas within the village. The council will also be asking the help What do you like most about Capel St Mary? of volunteer walkers to help us identify any areas on the circular walks that It has a great community feel and is in a good location for travel. require attention. What changes, if any, would you like to see within the village? Residents are encouraged to take part in the Adopt a Street scheme which More affordable housing and more bungalows in future development. Less is managed by Babergh District Council and being promoted by the parish litter, speeding and dog poo. council. See below. What was your job? The parish council has granted funds towards the cleaning of the outdoor Area Manager with Nationwide Building Society. play equipment at the shops and the playing field to CCT to help with safe and What are your interests or hobbies? continued use until the end of lockdown. Travel, golf, bowls, gardening, allotment and walking our dog. The parish council has allocated funding to Capel St Mary Primary School to purchase two new interactive whiteboards to assist in the children going back to school and support classroom learning. Julie Lawes The next meeting of Capel St Mary Parish Council will be a virtual meeting via Zoom on Monday 12 April. There is an open session at each meeting when members of the public may speak. The actual minutes of the meeting are available for viewing at the parish council office at 27a The Street, Capel St Mary, which is open on Tuesdays from 10am to noon and from 1-3pm on Fridays. The parish clerk can be contacted on 01473 314103 during these times. An answerphone operates outside these hours and messages are picked up every day. Alternatively, contact can be made by email to: [email protected] In support of Babergh District Council, Capel St Mary Parish Council would like to encourage residents to take part in a new initiative to www.capelstmary.onesuffolk.net ‘Adopt a Street’. VOLUNTEER WALKERS NEEDED This scheme promotes residents to take pride in their community and help create a cleaner more pleasant environment for us all to live in. Capel St Mary Parish Council would like to ask the help of residents who have been making the most of the circular walks and enjoying everything our Babergh District Council has agreed to issue the equipment countryside has to offer. needed free-of-charge to carry out individual litter picks at times convenient to you, allowing you to keep the equipment at your We have three circular walks in Capel St Mary, each of which has a leaflet own home. detailing the route. We would like to ask residents to help us by walking the circular walks and noting down on the leaflet or on a map and informing us The kit includes a litter picker, hi-vis jacket, a starter pack of refuse of any areas that have damage (broken stiles, directional signs, etc) or are sacks and a hoop to hold the sacks. impassable or overgrown and require clearance. To take part, you need to complete an application form detailing your These leaflets will be available to residents to collect free of charge from the name, address and where and how often you are likely to pick litter parish council office from now until the end of the Easter school holidays on and submit it to the district council who will then deliver your pack Monday 12 April. directly to your home. We hope you will all take the opportunity to enjoy Copies of the application form can be collected from the doorway/ the sunshine and fresh air and help us in our village entrance to the parish council office or Ipswich Building Society at improvements along the way. Drayton Insurance, or requested from the parish clerk who will email over the form for quick online submission: Leaflets can be collected from the parish council office and Ipswich Building Society at Drayton Insurance. [email protected] We thank you in advance for your support. 8 In Touch online: www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 9 10 In Touch online: news / OUT & ABOUT

BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCILLOR SUE CARPENDALE: MARCH/APRIL Council Tax Council has approved its budget for 2021-2022, including an increase in Babergh’s share of council tax by £5 a year. A band D property will now pay just over £1,888 a year in total. Babergh’s increase is needed to meet the medium-term financial challenges presented by the pandemic. It will also help meet its aim to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. Dear Residents, As part of the wider Carbon Reduction Management Plan, Babergh and are moving the vehicle fleet, including 35 waste lorries, to Spring has sprung, children are back at school and things are slowly Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). This should cut approximately a quarter of moving in the right direction. the councils’ total CO2 emissions but also comes at an initial cost of around There are some exciting new projects to share with you in and around £50k, with a further £56-£97k per year to cover fuel costs. The budget also the village. includes an increase of £2.50 a year to the annual brown bin garden waste subscriptions, taking the cost from £52.50 to £55. We are creating a community space behind the village bar which will be a wonderful place to sit and have a chat or a coffee during the Some households will be eligible for a reduction in their council tax bill after day, a drink from the bar at night, and summer BBQs and parties. We approval for further support for residents facing financial difficulties. Last hope you all agree this is an exciting project for the small area and year, the government announced a new Hardship Fund to help households somewhere lovely to spend some time. already in receipt of means-tested working-age Local Council Tax Support Another project that will be up and running by the time you read this (LCTS). is the rejuvenation of the current pavilion at the playing field. This Covid support grants for businesses will be a more attractive and relevant space, ready to hire for various There are several business support grants available that cover different local functions and a welcome boost for the current hirers. and national lockdown periods. For businesses mandated to close (including In the coming months, the community centre will reopen to more and those in retail, leisure and hospitality) that have applied and received a more clubs and activity groups, so please keep your eyes open for any lockdown grant since November 2020, the plan is to automatically pay new groups you may be interested to join. There will be advertising on additional grants following pre-payment checks. Businesses that maybe social media (Facebook: @CapelCommunityTrust or @capelvillagehall eligible should check the Babergh website for information. / Instagram: capelcommunitytrust) and posters up in the foyer. Plug in Suffolk is now providing grants for the We hope the library will be open by April 12 but this hasn’t been installation of electric vehicle charging points confirmed at the time of writing. at non-profit locations such as community centres, parish council car parks and village We very much look forward to opening the village bar and should be halls. Information is available on the Green able to serve outside from April 16. This too is unconfirmed but please Suffolk website or via Suffolk County Council’s visit our @capelvillagehall Facebook page for updates. Environment Strategy Officer Peter Frost. Take care and stay safe. Independent Living Service Your Capel Community Trust Team This has been developed to help improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable adults, young people and children. It’s a new service that will offer advice and support where home adaptations, big or small, are needed to help residents live independently, safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. It will also help people with a disability or those who may need adaptations to their homes due to changes in their health. [email protected] NEWS FROM CAPEL LIBRARY Greetings to you all from Capel Library. April is hopefully a month of positivity, with brighter days and further reductions in lockdown. April 12 will see us open our doors JAZZ GALORE NOW TAKING BOOKINGS for browsing – fingers crossed! Village fetes, beer festivals, WI events, March saw us celebrate Suffolk Libraries Day where we had many online weddings, charity fundraisers… all booked events such as a book festival, Scarecrow Trail and Suffolk’s Biggest Online for last summer and all cancelled or Quiz. More locally, Capel Library celebrated the day by showcasing some postponed. That’s the story from Jazz fantastic crafting talents and selling donated craft items. We also sold Easter- Galore but members of the Suffolk group themed craft packs for people to enjoy at home. Our lovely Friends Group are hoping for better times this year. also hosted a raffle for the day. They play for fun rather than profit and Moving forward, our Home Library Service is now back up and running. Do you are available in a small format of perhaps know anyone who would benefit from having books delivered to them? We three players or as a band of eight. Either way, they promise not to harm have volunteers ready and waiting to help. Get in touch with us at Capel and either your wallet or your eardrums. They also guarantee to play a wider we can arrange a Covid-19 friendly service to the door. See the website for variety of good tunes than most groups. details: www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/visit/home-deliveries You can make a booking (provisional if necessary) Keep an eye on our Facebook page and website for changes in service. by ringing Mike on 07874 034390. Stay safe. www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 11 OUT & ABOUT

CRAFTERS UNLIMITED, SOROPTIMIST CLUB OF IPSWICH We are pleased to report that our first Zoom craft meeting on February 8 was Awareness, Advocacy, Action – a useful way to sum up what we are about. a great success. The pandemic has obviously changed the balance. Hands-on action is not Do contact Debbie by email if you wish to take part in the future. so easy during lockdown but there has been time to look more deeply into As soon as we are allowed, we will start meeting again in Wherstead Village issues and to raise our own awareness. Hall. We are so looking forward to getting together. In the meantime, we will One theme in our programme is climate change. We began by discussing schedule another Zoom meeting. Greta Thurnberg’s book, No One is Too Small to Make a Difference. A survey Until we meet again, stay safe!! of our personal recycling practices produced some imaginative ideas. We had a look at an RHS article on recycling in the garden and took a virtual tour Debbie & Janet: [email protected] of the Suffolk energy-from-waste facility in Great Blakenham. Now we are Jill: [email protected] planning speakers on some developing technologies such as air and ground source heat pumps and electric cars. Ann: [email protected] All this has produced some real benefits of being forced to rely on digital communication. One member has even registered for this year’s session of the prestigious UN Commission on the Status of Women! Advocacy is also achievable online. We have lobbied about child poverty and marked International Women’s Day by making and sending out a video on Facebook. We are now drafting questions to the candidates in the election for the Police MANNINGTREE & DISTRICT and Crime Commissioner to explore how concerned they are about crimes like domestic abuse, modern-day slavery and online grooming of children. PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY We don’t forget that we enjoy being Soroptimists for the fun and friendship. Despite the virtual world we live in at the moment, we have been pleased to We have just had a session sharing the books which we have been reading welcome new members to our recent Zoom meetings and hope that, with the in lockdown. prospect of restrictions being lifted during the summer, we will be able to get to know them face-to-face before too long.

CAPEL LADIES CLUB Well, it’s time for spring cleaning and our chairlady, Mary Butters, has certainly been dusting the cobwebs away and freshening things up on the Capel Ladies front! Mary has been busy recruiting members to join a new WhatsApp group called ‘CLC Connecting’ to bring us all closer together and make it easier to connect with members instantly! This will be invaluable when it comes to sending out memos, dates and times, particularly if there has been a change of plan or last-minute cancellation. Our new club mantra is going to be ‘connect’, so this is all very appropriate! The club has been successful in its bid for a parish grant and has received £150 which will go towards the purchase of a card-reader for electronic payments. This will be a great help to the treasurer and make things more efficient. We are certainly being dragged into the 21st century! We are a small and friendly group of photography enthusiasts who (in normal times) meet up on the Essex/Suffolk border. The club aims to provide Finally, in last month’s Capers, Sharon asked for reports about new lockdown a pleasant environment for members to enjoy the development of their activities that people have tried, so here’s a story about a mighty mushroom photographic skills through a variety of activities in the company of like- from our chairlady. minded individuals. We would be pleased to welcome you at one of our Mary’s Mighty Mushroom evenings once it is safe to resume or to join a virtual meeting before then. Having received a family Christmas present of a mushroom-growing kit, we Our Zoom meetings continue to attract a good number of members with set it as instructed and waited for the suggested period of three weeks for competitions being well supported; the winning image from the Contre- results. As time went by there was little evidence of much happening – except Jour competition, Gothic Aurora by Ian Bancroft, is featured. We also have for just one tiny mushroom. Gradually this little bump began to develop and the Facebook challenge to keep us motivated with a new subject every then it literally mushroomed before our very eyes! two weeks. Fearing it might explode, we decided to pick it (carefully) and prepare Future Meetings something edible. It weighed in at 165grams – the weight of a normal punnet! Thursday 8 April: Country and Village life Competition We found a suitable mushroom recipe for a lunchtime delicacy on toast and it Thursday 22 April: Club Workshop really was delicious! The growing kit suggests at least three crops are possible and a second of at least six is coming along nicely, as is our new enthusiasm All meetings will be held via Zoom until further notice. In normal times, we for fungiculture! meet at 7.30pm on the second, fourth and fifth Thursdays at the St Johns Ambulance Centre, Station Road, Manningtree CO11 1EB. Watch this space for future lockdown activities and don’t forget to check out our website! Please contact our secretary, Viv Scurrell, for details: 01206 393751 / [email protected] Sue Woolgar https://e-voice.org.uk/manningtreeanddistrictphotographicsociety www.capelladies.com 12 In Touch online: CarsSmart WOODBRIDGE ipswich felixstowe 01473 25-25-25

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www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 13 14 In Touch online: OUT & ABOUT

EBONY’S BLOG Life at The Shelley Centre Happy Easter dear readers and may it be the last you have to spend alone! What good progress you are making to reduce the impact of the dreadful virus. Thanks to the onerous restrictions borne by our humans, things are looking up here at the centre too. We had two weeks of carefully controlled riding, much enjoyed by all the participants and volunteers, and now a break for the school holidays and a moment to evaluate the situation going forward. The fundraising committee has had its first quiz of the year (on Zoom) and the centre will be hosting a fundraising walk (of about six miles) on May 2 from 10am. You will be asked to pay on the day rather than collect sponsorship and, after your stroll through this beautiful valley where we live, there will be refreshments for our gallant walkers. More details from our website as usual. The hungry workforce is pleased to see the grass growing and grateful to all the kind folk who have sent donations to keep them going. Here’s Roddy testing the new growth! Roddy, a palomino Welsh GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR ALL Cob gelding, came to us last year and is learning to be SAINTS CHURCH, Bob’s replacement. The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) is set to receive a grant from the The second worker I’d like to introduce is April. government’s Culture Recovery Fund for £8,000 for urgent repairs to All Saint’s ‘Hawkhill April’, as she’s officially known, was born Church in Little Wenham. Considered one of Suffolk’s hidden historic gems in 2006. She came to us in May 2015 and has been due to its vibrant medieval wall paintings, the 13th century church is in need of a valuable part of the pony team. She’s the largest masonry, glazing and drainage repairs. The funding will also be used to carry of the ‘girls’ who live out together in a group of four. out further investigation and monitoring of structural cracking at the east end They have three paddocks to roam and a nice, of the church, behind the altar, which is currently estimated to cost £10,000 sheltered yard behind the stable block where food to repair. and water is on tap. This funding comes as part of the £1.3 million in funding received by the trust Talk about five-star accommodation... some people have all the luck. as part of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund announced last October. It originally funded projects at 18 churches in the CCT’s care but has now My roommate Babs and I are hoping to be allowed to work again soon. been extended to 26 churches, including five historic churches in Suffolk. The Meanwhile please carry on being careful so we can get back to normal as others are All Saints in South Elmham, St Mary’s in Akenham, All Saints in quickly as possible. See you next month. and St Mary’s Bungay. www.shelleyrda.com / 01473 824172 CCT is the national charity protecting historic churches at risk and cares for 356 Grade I and Grade II churches across . The charity has been hit hard by the pandemic and now faces a shortfall of over £500,000 due to SESAW NEWS Covid-19. The grant funding requires 20 per cent match funding to fully pay for the much-needed work at All Saints’ Church and the CCT is now trying to The rain is lashing and the wind is howling as I write but Easter is approaching raise the £2,000 balance to meet the £10,000 required. and I hope it is drier and sunnier as you read. As our thoughts turn to chocolate, spring flowers, cute lambs and baby rabbits, SESAW volunteer, If you can help to support the work at All Saints, please contribute via the CCT Karen, who specialises in looking after our rabbits, offers some seasonal donate page at: www.visitchurches.org.uk/LWE advice. You can also contribute by texting ‘LWE to 70970 to donate £5 or 70191 to “Watching rabbits running, jumping, playing and grooming each other is a donate £10. lovely sight but Easter is not the time to get them as pets for your children. For information about how you can get involved at any of the CCT churches, Sadly, rabbits are the most neglected pet because people assume they are please contact Jane Hatton: 07392 086936 / [email protected] easy to look after and don’t live very long. They need a spacious exercise area attached to a roomy hutch which should be seen as a place to rest in, To find out more about individual church projects, go to: not a prison. Rabbits should be neutered and live in pairs or groups; a single www.visitchurches.org.uk outdoor rabbit living alone would have an extremely miserable life. “Unlike Bugs Bunny, rabbits do not just eat carrots! Their diet should consist of 80% good quality hay, small amounts of commercial feed and leafy greens. They do not like being picked up and carried around so children should play MANNINGTREE POETRY GROUP with them at ground level. Rabbits can live up to 10 years and require yearly Due to the current situation, the monthly meetings of Poetry Plus are vaccinations, regular worming and health checks. If you understand that suspended. having a rabbit is not an easy or short-term commitment, then please offer a home to a rescue rabbit after Easter.” We are now producing a monthly online electronic poetry magazine to keep poets connected and to provide an exciting collection of poetry. That just leaves me enough space for our contact details for Karen when you have finished your chocolate eggs but make sure to keep them away from all To discover Poetry Plus – The Magazine, which is entirely free and the dogs – including me! available to everybody, go to: Kenny (the Boss) Chihuahua https://poetryplus.org.uk/themagazine.html Suffolk &E ssex Small Animal Welfare, Stoke Road, CO6 4PP 01787 210888 / www.sesaw.co.uk www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 15 Technology Enabled Care Service

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16 In Touch online: out & about

ADVERTORIAL CAPEL ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION Kill weeds on paths, patios and drives. Control slugs. Water plants thoroughly with an open-ended watering can. The Veg Plot Rake in a general feed before sowing or planting. Use fleece as frost protection or to warm the soil. Plant seed potatoes and cover the shoots with soil if IMPROVE YOUR HEARING: frost is forecast. Plant onion sets, salad crops, leeks, peas, winter cabbage, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! cauliflower, purple-sprouting and spring heading broccoli and broad beans. Remove rhubarb flowers and pick asparagus. Sow herbs. Thin seeds sown in By Simon Myhill RHAD FdSc FSHAA, March. Lift and divide chives and take mint cuttings. Clinical Lead Audiologist for The Hearing Care Centre Fruit Did you know that tackling your hearing loss can change your life? It’s Plant strawberries. Spray fruit trees with a winter tree wash and an no grand boast: we hear these words all the time from patients who insecticide if infected with mildew, apple scab, aphids or codling moth. Check enjoy the benefits that wearing hearing aids bring. for caterpillars, blackfly and red spider mites. Protect buds with fleece. Feed blueberries with an ericaceous feed or Iron Sulphate. Despite all the hardships we’ve experienced over the past 12 months, patients tell us of their joy at being able to hear the sounds that make Greenhouse up everyday life once again; children’s laughter, birds singing, chatting Minimise heating costs by lining with bubble plastic. Sow French and runner with friends and families over Zoom, listening to their favourite music beans, tomatoes, melons, cucumber and sweetcorn. Protect seedlings from and many more. damping-off and foot rot by treating them with a copper mixture. Prick out half-hardy annuals. Feed geraniums, fuchsias and established plants with Gone is the embarrassment of constantly having to ask people to a liquid feed. Support plants with split canes. Control insect pests. Plant repeat what they said, and the red-faced moments when they thought tomatoes. Sow peas in a length of guttering filled with compost and slide into they did hear, but in fact, misheard. a shallow trench when plants are 1½” high. They say they can enjoy the TV again and listen to music without their Sow broad beans in plugs and stand outside when 1½” high for a week or so partners having to complain that the volume is far too loud! and then plant out. Sow a few seeds of spring onions and beetroot in plug Most of all, they lose the sense of isolation they had previously felt strips but do not thin out. Sow a few seeds of lettuce in plug strips and thin because they weren’t able to communicate with family and friends. to one plant. Repeat fortnightly. Plant outside when large enough. Sow dwarf Post lockdown, we will look forward once again to being in the French and climbing beans into a grow bag to pick beans a month early then company of our loved ones and it is in these situations where people discard when the plants get mildew. who have addressed their hearing loss thrive. Flowers The first step to enjoying all these benefits is to make an appointment Remove dead flower heads of daffodils and feed with Growmore. Lift and have a hearing test and discuss the options that are available to help divide overgrown clumps of perennials. Prune and feed established roses. with your hearing loss. Sow hardy annuals. Plant sweet peas. Cut back heathers that have finished flowering and mulch with peat. Our audiologists are highly trained to help you make the right choice to suit your hearing needs, lifestyle and pocket. We have access to over Lawns 300 different models featuring the very latest technology, including Premixing grass seed with John Innis seed and spread on worn areas. Aerate rechargeability and direct streaming to your Bluetooth devices. with a wire rake. Cut grass with the blades set high. Apply a feed, selective weed killer and control moss or spray with iron sulphate or use a weed, feed Most important of all, once your new hearing aids are programmed for and moss killer. you and fitted, you can try them out for a while with a refund if you don’t agree that they have changed your life. Contact Steve Blake on 07813 814623 for repairs and service or TGC Garden Machinery Services Tattingstone on 01473 327737 for repairs, servicing and To book an appointment or for more information call 01473 230330 new equipment at very competitive prices. or visit: www.hearingcarecentre.co.uk ALLOTMENT NEWS We have 27 centres across Suffolk and , so are sure to have one close to you. THE HUT Open from 10am-noon every Saturday to the end of October and on Sundays throughout April, May and June (members only). Spring Work-in Sunday 23 May (TBC) from 8.30am with the AGM at noon. Site Visits If any groups would like to visit the site and the wildlife area, May and June are a particularly good time. Please contact Philippa Brandon to discuss what is available to you at: [email protected] For a more extensive version of this report go to our website. E: [email protected] W: www.capelallotments.co.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 17 SCHOOLS / sport

ROBIN’S CHILDCARE NEWS BENTLEY & COPDOCK Baby Bears PRIMARY SCHOOLS We’ve hung framed photos in the baby room of the children’s pets and of the children engaging in activities and having fun at home. Chatting with the My goodness, we have missed the children, it is so lovely to welcome them all children about the pictures promotes their language use. Photos of adult back into school. The hard work of the teachers, TAs and parents who kept the family members and their pets help the children get to know the adults better learning going throughout lockdown has been nothing short of marvellous. too! There are pictures of the children around the room that we enjoy looking at while naming all of our friends. World Book Day was celebrated in school and at home, with the focus on a love Toddling Tigers of reading and how it can spark your This month the Tigers had a move around to make space for a water tray and imagination. Children and parents alike free access to water play. We also added an easel loaded with a variety of loved joining in with the ‘Guess My Book’ brushes and paints. By making these changes we create new opportunities challenge, where you guess the title of a and intrigue, providing fresh curiosity that the Tigers can explore in their book from pictures using objects from own time. around the house. I wonder if you can Gruffalos work out any of the book titles in the We have been exploring emotions. The world has been turned upside down photos. for everyone but it is difficult for the little ones to understand why. We have Science gets tasty this term as we look at been helping them to identify how they are feeling and to understand how how different materials change when they to deal with big and sometimes overwhelming emotions. They have made are cooked or frozen. Every family is being pictures and cards for their family and friends that they are missing. challenged to write a recipe and describe Many of the children feel sad because they can’t go to ‹granny›s house but in scientific terms what happens to the they now understand that it’s ok to feel sad. Of course, we also considered ingredients at each stage of the process. what makes us feel happy and calm and they continue to enjoy regular yoga At the end, we will produce a Bentley & sessions which are even more enjoyable done outside. Copdock Federation cookbook so we can all have fun trying each other’s edible We continue to immerse ourselves in the great outdoors as much as it’s experiments. obvious how much happier the children are when we are outside. We are fortunate to have a wonderful space to explore, climb, run around, dig in, Fundraising by the wonderful PTA swing about, hang off, and observe the wildlife while involving ourselves continues; the loo roll challenge was the in nature. latest madcap idea! Children paid £1 to take part in a video where they recorded Try taking yourself outside, take a deep breath in through your nose, filling themselves catching a loo roll from the your lungs as much as you can. Release your breath noisily through your right, doing a little dance or silly face, mouth. Feels good, doesn’t it! and then throwing it off to their left. The Please contact our manager, Emma Deakin, on 01473 310767 if you would videos were then all put together like like further information regarding our nursery, pre-school, holiday club, a continuous thread and the result was breakfast or after school club. hilarious! We are looking forward to the Easter shenanigans that are being planned in each school. EAST BERGHOLT UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB We are currently reviewing our catering situation within the federation. If you As you will all know by now, there is a route map out of the Covid-19 are a local catering company and you would be interested in getting some restrictions. There was a proposal to play some friendly fixtures through April further information about the contract, we would love to hear from you. and May but EBUFC have taken the view that the best course of action is to Please give the Bentley office a call and we can give you more details. go through a proper pre-season to prepare for the season starting in August/ September. For more news and up to date information about the schools, please visit our website. We would like to thank our sponsors for this season: SMY IT Specialists, JAK Services Ground Care, Riverside Taxis Manningtree, Marquis, Bergholt Travel, www.bentleycopdock.co.uk G & C Timber & Joinery Ltd, Primus and Kitchen Worktops Online. If you Copdock Primary School would like to sponsor the club in some capacity, we would also be delighted 01473 730337 / [email protected] to hear from you. Bentley CEVC Primary School Events to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the club had to be postponed but 01473 310253 / [email protected] we plan to rearrange when the opportunity arises. We are always on the lookout for people who can help the club as committee members, whether on the playing side or in the background. We are currently looking for an A Team manager for next season. The ladies and juniors both hope to get underway as soon as possible. Please contact David George at [email protected] or Lee Partridge at [email protected] if you are interested. Steve Butcher (secretary) HERE FOR YOU IF YOU NEED HELP TO GET OVER THIS TOUGH TIME [email protected] TELEPHONE/TEXT: 07870 967353 Facebook: East Bergholt United Football Club Instagram: east_bergholt_united_fc Twitter: @EBUFC1 18 In Touch online: www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 19 SPORT / church news

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But a desire fulfilled is a tree of Life” Proverbs 13:12 Hope: it’s such a little word, like Love, and it means so much. There have been times in my life when I have felt absolutely hopeless and there are still some days when I struggle, especially through all SPROUGHTON TENNIS CLUB these interminable lockdowns! However, I have a solution. I haul myself out of bed, put on my make-up and pray. As I pray, my hopelessness After the long dark months of winter and lockdown, we are looking forward subsides and suddenly I feel better. to opening our courts again and restarting our junior coaching program. There are many among us in our lovely community of Capel who feel All being well, we intend to resume our junior coaching sessions with our a sense of hopelessness at times. I humbly say ‘our’ because although long-time coach, John. These will resume from Thursday 15 April with three I have been here only a ‘nano second’, it feels like God has placed me sessions from 3.50-4.20pm for U8s, 4.20-5.05pm for U12s and 5.05-6pm here. Many of us feel hopeless because we have been stuck at home for U16s. for so long, with a house too full or too empty, worried about money and work and what our future looks like, especially if a person we love Note the age ranges are indicative only and ability is the determining factor has died. in the session to attend. We have a little tentative Hope at present and tremendous Hope in the It is likely that, at least initially, numbers will be restricted as they were last vaccine for which we’re thankful to the scientists and our wonderful year due to Covid-19 guidelines but we await confirmation from the LTA. surgery who have administered it so effectively. We have some Hope In addition, we are lucky to have also secured the services of Michal who that we may get some normal things back in our life but then we listen is hoping to run an enhanced program of activities for juniors and adults to the news and our hopes are just a tiny bit broken. Perhaps by April including individual, family and group coaching. Michal can also offer a racket 12 will be ok to hug our family, have a laugh and a glass of wine with restringing service. Please contact Michal directly for more information: friends or even go to the cinema! As I write in March, it all seems like [email protected] a dream. For information about the club, please go to: www.sproughtontennis.co.uk To Hope with anxiety is perhaps worse than having no Hope at all. Faith is to have Hope with assurance, to know there is Hope always. It may not be what we expect but God will give us Hope. Hope is in the The cover image features Carol Warrington in action against Elaine small things, the ordinariness, the littleness of life. A little girl telling Wright at the start of the ladies final bowls competition in 2020. me she had watched my assembly, a daffodil or a cowslip, a glimpse of sun and warmth on my face. A good book and a piece of dark, salted chocolate. Let me tell you a small story in the Bible that reflects a small world but hints of a huge world and the potential for Hope and Love. There is a little story in the Old Testament (2 Kings 4:8-37) of a woman in a town called Shunem. Every few weeks the prophet Elisha passes by and the woman offers him hospitality and prepares a room for him Have you thought to stay. Elisha asks her what he can do for her. She says, “I live among my own people”, and asks for nothing. She is content. Elisha notices she has no son and tells her she will embrace a son this about playing season. At this point she cries out, “No, my Lord, O man of God: do not deceive your servant”. She had given up Hope and learned to live contentedly amongst her people with her lot. She dares not Hope in case it was snatched away. We know how that feels, eh? Hope is Outdoor Bowls? sometimes a tenuous and fragile thing. Our hope can be tied to our hope in this life but Faith in Christ gives Have fun Health benefits recommended by professionals: us Hope in this life and beyond. The Bible teaches us to trust and obey Great social game Improves fitness and to have Faith in Christ and He will restore our Hope. Make friends Improves co-ordination & skill development For Christians, Easter is a season of Hope, a new year with new Stay healthy Increases confidence & self esteem beginnings. Christ rises from the dead on Easter morning, he has died that our faults and sins will be forgiven that we can have Hope in our No partner needed Enhanced mental wellbeing future. Hold onto that Hope. It is permanent and everlasting, a sign of All ages Therapeutic exercise renewal and new life. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through Come and join us, the resurrection of Jesus Christ firm the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3) We have nothing to fear and everything to hope for and I will be praying and thanking God for you all and the Hope I have in you! we ll show you how! God Bless, stay safe and have fun when you can, Rev Sally Capel St Mary Bowls Club, The Playing Field, London Road, Capel St Mary IP9 2JR Contact Carol on 07979 367768 or email [email protected] The Rectory, Days Road / 01473 311505

20 In Touch online: CHURCH NEWS

MAKING A SACRIFICE WHAT SORT OF KING? In some churches, Lent is the 40 days (less Sundays) before Easter and has This magazine will have landed on your doormat between Palm Sunday and been seen as a time to fast or give something up for God. Easter Day, two great festivals of the church. It is wonderful that, at the time of going to press, we are planning to have Easter Day services in person at When I was writing this, I was thinking about giving up Brussels Sprouts, two of my churches, Chelmondiston and Holbrook. At Capel St Mary we are Casualty and Vera (Jacqi will need to watch them on her own). So, what did continuing to focus on our online service for April and May but, from April 11 you give up for Lent? we will have a short reflective time in church. at 9.30am Most of us are quite willing to give up things that don’t appeal to us but The title of this article is not because I am anticipating Prince Charles and actually making a sacrifice is a little tougher. That might be why it’s called, then Prince William becoming King in the UK. It’s more that this was and “making a sacrifice.” still is the key question being asked by Palm Sunday and Easter Day. On Palm So, what have you given up for God? Not just during Lent, but all year Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem from Bethphage along with many other round. Are our lives any different because we are followers of Christ than they pilgrims coming for the festival. All four gospel writers included the story and would be if we weren’t? Does following Jesus cost us anything? Financially? refer to the prophecy, written some 500 years before, that Jesus would come In lifestyle choices? In what we do and who we do it with? If it hasn’t made a riding on a donkey that had never been ridden before. difference in our lives, then I would wonder if it has really made a difference at all. The crowds greet with shouts of “Hosanna, Blessed is the King who comes” and they waved palm branches. He is greeted as the Son of David, one of the By the way, have you noticed that more and more people are referencing the greatest kings of Israel. Now a King would normally arrive riding a horse, not internet as a reputable source? People will actually argue with you stating, a young donkey. Jesus was both fulfilling the prophecies but also making a “But I read it on this website or on that blog”. It doesn’t matter if they are statement about the type of King he was. The Jews were looking for a king speaking about Covid-19, Brexit or theology, they are convinced, if they read who would liberate them from Roman rule but that was not Jesus’ plan. it on the internet, it’s valid. It is like citing what is written on a graffiti wall or the utterance of a campaigning politician. Not to say it’s not true but it will During the week that followed, controversy was sparked off on several always be suspect. occasions and the religious leaders were plotting against Jesus. On the Thursday night, Jesus chose to spend the time with his closest friends for a I read recently (in a book) that the internet is made up of 30% retail, 30% porn special meal, a celebration of the release of the Israelite people from slavery and 30% lies. Even working from my premise that 73% of statistics are made in Egypt some 1,300 years before. Jesus told his friends what was about to up, that statement sounds pretty close to reality. happen but the greatest lesson the friends learned that night was the sort With the click of a mouse, you can find people who will believe and defend of King Jesus is. He did the job of the lowest servant by washing their dusty, any matter of foolishness. Just because they are passionate and it’s on the dirty feet before the meal. His Kingship is not about lording over people but web, doesn’t mean it’s the truth. one of service. The eternal question is the same now as it was when Pilate asked it 2,000 That night Jesus was betrayed by one of his friends, one denied ever knowing years ago, “What is truth?”. Jesus gave us the answer when he said, “The him and the rest fled in the night. Jesus was arrested, tried first by the Jewish truth will set you free” and then He reminds us that He alone is the Way, the religious leaders then taken to Pilate, the Roman Governor under the charge Truth and the Life. that he claimed to be King of the Jews. Jesus and Pilate discussed Kingship. Pilate found Jesus not guilty of any crime that Rome would punish but pressure Rev Keith Ponsford from religious leaders had him sentence Jesus to death by crucifixion. It was Trust Chaplain for ESNEFT (based at General Hospital) tradition for the charge to be nailed to the cross and so Pilate had The King of the Jews written on a plaque on the cross. For more information and contacts, visit: www.capelcommunitychurch.org.uk What sort of King was Jesus? He entered humbly on a donkey, washed his disciple’s feet and was crucified on a cross. As he died, he shouted, “It is finished”, a shout of triumph, the payment of the punishment of my sin and the sin of the world was paid in full. Jesus has completed the work he was sent to do. God loved us so much that he was prepared for his Son to die in our place. The cross is not defeat; it is victory. The cross, a symbol of execution, is the key symbol of Christian faith as it is only at the cross my sins can be forgiven, and I can be reconciled to God. For me, it’s extraordinary, liberating and wonderful. I’m happy to talk with anyone wanting to experience freedom from guilt EASTER EGG TRAIL and failure. As part of our Easter Celebrations at Capel Methodist Church, we are Rev Andrew Sankey, Minister at Capel Methodist Church organising an Easter Egg Trail around the village between Friday 30 March 8 Roundridge Road, Capel St Mary IP9 2UG and Sunday 4 April. [email protected] / 01473 311178 / 07966 187216 The trail is open to everyone. Simply follow the clues and fill in your entry Live streaming of services every Sunday, 10.15 for 10.30am at: form. Then return your entry to 10 Barnfield in exchange for an Easter treat. www.capelmethodistchurch.org.uk (available 24/7) There will be three prizes of real Easter eggs for the first three names pulled April 4 Rev Keith Ponsford out of a hat. April 11 Pastor Rod Stone April 18 Dr Liz Cope Entry forms can be obtained from April 25 Andrew Sankey [email protected] if you haven’t already May 2 Helen Walton of The Leprosy Mission received one through school (and a village map Time of Reflection, 9.30-10am in church if you need one). April 11 Andrew Vellacott During that week, there will be packs of free Easter gifts on the railings April 18 Carole Almond outside the church, as there were for the rainbows and at Christmas. Please April 25 Andrew Sankey take one for your family. May 2 Emma Bowyer www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 21 CHURCH NEWS

HOLY FAMILY ROMAN Ipswich Road, Brantham CO11 1TB

Parish Priest: Fr Paul Vincent OCD that God’s love is, “not weighed in the balance of our human calculations, Assistant Priest: Fr Bineesh Elenjikkal OCD but unstintingly gives us the courage to start anew”. Parish Deacon (Retired): Rev Clive Brooks: 01206 396319 “This is the reason for our hope: that God never tires of waiting for The Priory, 180 Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich IP2 0QQ / 01473 684963 us. When we turn away, he comes looking for us; when we fall, he lifts us to our feet; when we return to him after losing our way, he waits for us www.stmarksparish.org.uk with open arms.” Services planned for April 2021 “Patience is not a sign of weakness, but the strength of spirit that enables Sunday 4 Easter Sunday us to ‘carry the burden’ of personal and community problems, to accept 9am Mass others as different from ourselves, to persevere in goodness when all seems lost, and to keep advancing even when overcome by fatigue and Tuesday 6 listlessness.” 9.20am Eucharistic Adoration 10am Mass Mass, morning and evening prayer, devotions and other spiritual resources may be accessed over the internet. A full daily programme Sunday 11 2nd Sunday of Easter is provided by the clergy and staff at the Norfolk Shrine of Our Lady 9am Mass via walsingham.org.uk or churchservices.tv. St Mark’s Saturday Vigil Mass Tuesday 13 is recorded and may be viewed at: http://youtu.be/EBwX1voc90c 9.20am Eucharistic Adoration Events & Diary Dates 10am Mass The 100 Club draw took place on Sunday 21 March and was witnessed Sunday 18 3rd Sunday of Easter on FaceTime by a member of the congregation. Three lucky winners 9am Mass shared a £169 prize pot. The next draw takes place on Sunday 18 April. The club, set up to support the life and mission of our parish, has grown Tuesday 20 from strength to strength since its launch. New members are always very 9.20am Eucharistic Adoration welcome and the newsletter, that includes an application form, can be 10am Mass found at the rear of the church or at: www.stmarksparish.org.uk Sunday 25 4th Sunday of Easter The popular bring and buy coffee mornings that take place at Viv and 9am Mass Wyn’s home are cancelled for the foreseeable future. Tuesday 27 The Sick and Homebound 9.20am Eucharistic Adoration Fr Bineesh Elanjikkal is the Catholic Chaplain at Ipswich Hospital, assisted 10am Mass by Deacon Clive Brooks (01206 396319). Please be aware that for reasons The weekly newsletter is displayed in the cabinet at the front door and of patient confidentiality, the NHS will not inform the chaplains of any the latest parish news may be read on the regularly updated website Catholics admitted to hospital. Unless you or your relatives inform the together with parish news. chaplain, you will not be visited by a priest or any other member of the chaplaincy team. Catholic Commentary The Pope recently said that patience is a key virtue in religious life, that Please let Fr Paul Vincent know of anyone who is ill at home or Christian hope is rooted in the knowledge that God is patient with all his housebound so they may receive appropriate pastoral care. Both Fr Paul children, even when they stray from the path set before them. He said and Fr Bineesh can be contacted at The Priory on 01473 684963.

22 In Touch online: SUFFOLK in our Spring step! With the government road map clearly setting out the timetable to come out of lockdown, we can look forward to a few of our favourite things returning this spring and summer. Keeping active is so important for both our physical and mental health which has been further highlighted over the past 12 months. At In Touch, we are committed to working with partners to bring you the latest information and advice to support you, your families and friends to get active and stay active, helping to make Suolk the Most Active County in England. Following on from the feature in last month’s In Touch about the mass participation events taking place later this year in Suolk, were delighted to bring you some good news in this feature on the ever-popular weekly parkrun. If you have never been to a parkrun now’s the time to find one near you and for those who have been regular park runners in the past, it will soon be time to return.

parkrun SUFFOLK

Following the publication of the Government’s roadmap for exiting lockdown, parkrun have shared their plans to restart both junior and 5k parkrun events across England In line with the latest guidance on the lifting of restrictions across England, and operating within the already approved COVID-19 framework, its anticipated that Junior parkrun events across Suolk will be able to return from Sunday 11 April 2021 and all 5k parkrun events across Suolk will return on Saturday 5 June 2021. For full details on the plans to restart parkrun events, please visit: www.parkrun.org.uk

Nobody wants their child to experience poor mental or physical health. That's why we're supporting Suolk Mind’s Sammy the Sea Squirt crowdfunding appeal.

www.su olkmind.org.uk/support- sammy-crowdfunding-appeal

www.keepmovingsuolk.com

@keepmovingsuolk @keepmovingsuolk @Most_Active www.keepingintouchwith.co.uk/capelcapers 23