*TTVF %FDFNCFS From the Editor Next Copy Date: 20/12/2020 Welcome to the December Please be aware that items submitted edition of your Felsham & Gedding after the deadline cannot be guaranteed to Village News. appear in the magazine. As we all know this has been a very Copy Submissions different year. Normally I’d be Email: [email protected] or call Jo Tavernor on 01449 737793 reminding you how busy November had been and telling you about everything AdvertisingEmail: going on in the villages, Christmas [email protected] or call parties, Christingle & Carol services and Jo Tavernor on 01449 737793 welcoming some of you to some of these Compliments, Complaints and events with a glass of mulled wine, but Suggestions not this year. The Village News welcomes your feedback. Do you have any comments This should be my year to host the about what we do, what’s going well, family for Christmas. Will it happen? anything you’d like us to change? Who knows? What with family bubbles Newsletter General Policy and not being able to swap them it We do publish acknowledgements, articles doesn’t make for easy choices for most of general interest, artistic works and families. similar. It’s just left for me to say a huge thank We do publish factual material from recognised organisations. you to all the Village News Team, editors, printers and deliverers and also We do publish to the Village Website at http://felsham.onesuffolk.net those who submit articles or advertise with us. Without you all this magazine We do not publish defamatory, rude, blasphemous, racial or other inappropriate would not exist. material. And to wish everyone We reserve the right to edit contributions to suit publication needs. A very Merry Christmas We are reliant on contributions from many sources, taken in good faith, and cannot and be held responsible for any errors or omissions. A Happy New Year Copyright waiver is presumed implicit on Tricia all submissions unless clearly stated otherwise. 2 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 Felsham and Gedding Village Hall Christmas Raffle! Prizes include: x A Christmas hamper x A meal for 2 kindly donated by The Six Bells, Felsham x A fresh turkey kindly donated by the Truins at Elwood x And many more! Tickets included in this Village News or available in the community shop or contact Jo on 07855321183 Winning tickets to be drawn on Saturday 19th Dec in the community shop. Thank you for your support. 3 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 7D\ORUV6ROLG)XHOV/7' )DPLO\UXQVLQFH ZĞŐƵůĂƌĨŽƌƚŶŝŐŚƚůLJ^ŽůŝĚ&ƵĞůĚĞůŝǀĞƌŝĞƐŝŶLJŽƵƌĂƌĞĂ͘ ŽŵƉĞƚŝƚŝǀĞƉƌŝĐĞƐĂŶĚĂĨƵůůƌĂŶŐĞŽĨƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ͘ ͞ŽŶ͛ƚ^ŚŝǀĞƌtĞĞůŝǀĞƌ͟ YƵĂůŝƚLJƚŽƉƐŽŝůƐĂŶĚĂŐŐƌĞŐĂƚĞƐ͘ƵůŬďĂŐƐĂŶĚdŝƉƉĞƌůŽĂĚƐĨƌŽŵϭͲϮϬƚŽŶŶĞƐ dĞů͗ϬϭϴϰϮϴϵϬϱϲϴŽƌƐĞĞƵƐŽŶǁǁǁ͘ƚĂLJůŽƌƐƐŽůŝĚĨƵĞůƐ͘ĐŽ͘ƵŬ 4 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 Letters to the Editor Our heartfelt thanks to all our friends in Felsham and Gedding who have sent cards, flowers, letters and e-mails and have called or phoned expressing their sympathy in our loss of Catherine. She enjoyed the many years she had lived here and although we are desolated by her absence, your love and concern is easing the pain and making life bearable. From Beryl Meed, John, Isabelle, Tom and Oliver A big thank you to Felsham Charity for your continued support of Village Friends at Christmas time. Although sadly we are unable to hold our annual Christmas party we do hope to deliver “Christmas cheer” to all those who usually come along to the event. A Christmas tea, goody box and present will be delivered to all. For some time now we have been delivering our monthly newsletter and tea boxes to all members of Village Friends and will continue to do this .Sue Jell I would like to thank everyone for the cards, presents and good wishes I received on my 80th birthday on the 24th of November. Regards to all. Rose. 5 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 Friendly Experienced Teacher Offers ONLINE Individual MATHS Tuition (Speciality - Confidence Building) Y7 – Y11 (GCSE) Call Colin Plummer on 01449 736918 Or email [email protected] for details and availability 6 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 7 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk &LWL]HQV$GYLFH0LG6XࢅRONSURYLGHDGYLFHRQSUREOHPVDWZRUN help people struggling to pay their bills and work out if people are JHWWLQJDOOWKH࢈QDQFLDOKHOSWKH\DUHHQWLWOHGWR:HDUHDORFDO charity and our advice is free. Opening times: Monday - Thursday, 9.30am – 3.30pm Friday 9.30am – 12.30pm Call us on 01449 676060 or visit ZZZPLGVXࢅRONFDERUJXN If you have any questions please let us know. We are keen to do everything we can to support people in our community during the coronavirus crisis. 8 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 Allotment Notes Not a good year for the World, what with Covid19, political instability in many parts, corruption, inequality et al. But, a good year in our allotment gardens: Each plot taken and productive and we do have people asking to join when a plot becomes vacant. So a small success story in Felsham. I have suggested before that an association of allotment holders could be a possible benefit to gardeners with the sharing of seeds, equipment, manure etc. and sometimes help with difficult tasks. Basically, a communal group helping each other with difficult tasks and jobs which would be a benefit to the group and the wider community. Hedge and footpath maintenance for example. If each allotment holder could email me at: [email protected] I can gauge what interest there is and start the process of inauguration in the New Year. One problem has been reported to the Charity; there have been a couple of occasions where garden rubbish has been dumped on an allotment. This is not acceptable as Mid-Suffolk Council provide a brown bin collection service and green rubbish bags for garden waste. The green bags are on sale in the shop. Brian. For the Felsham Charity. 9 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 What is Your Village Made of? MAKE, DO & FRIENDS SEPTEMBER 2020 — MARCH 2021 Creatively connecting rural communities Create // Lose yourself in one of our regular creative activities From photography to drawing, creative writing and printmaking, each activity invites you to explore and enjoy different aspects of your surroundings. Connect // Find what connects people in your village Our artists will collaborate with village residents to create artworks, drawing on the many and varied ways in which communities connect. Community // Meet up with others… albeit remotely Get to grips with Zoom in one of our friendly skill sharing sessions or a 5DGLR'UDPD/LVWHQLQJ&OXEDQGGHYHORSWHFKQLFDOVNLOOVDQGFRQƓGHQFH whilst enjoying a creative activity. For more information on any of these activities, or if you would like to receive our activity packs in the post, please contact Carrie or Candida: Telephone 01986 873955 or 07857 002974 Scan me Email [email protected] for more information www.makedoandfriends.co.uk Delivered in partnership with: Supported by: Registered charity number:1110898 Registered 10 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 Census 2021 will provide a snapshot of modern society Households across Felsham & Gedding will soon be asked to take part in Census 2021. The census is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941. It will be the first run predominantly online, with households receiving a letter with a unique access code, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on their computers, phones or tablets. “A successful census will ensure everyone from local government to charities can put services and funding in the places where they are most needed,” Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, said. “This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, schools and new transport routes. That’s why it is so important everyone takes part and we have made it easier for people to do so online on any device, with help and paper questionnaires for those that need them.” Census day will be on March 21, but households across the country will receive letters with online codes allowing them to take part from early March. The census will include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity. And, for the first time, there will be a question asking people whether they have served in the armed forces, as well as voluntary questions for those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity. Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations. For more information, visit census.gov.uk. 11 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 A N GILLAM Building, All aspects of roofing, chimney work, Lime plastering & rendering. Chimney sweep ǡ ǡ The Mouse House, Bradfield St Clare, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 0EL Tel 01284 388508 Mob 07961 878564 12 Felsham and Gedding Village News, Issue 202 December 2020 How to shop online safely this Christmas As if 2020 hasn’t been an unusual enough year, many of us are now thinking about Christmas. With the pandemic still very much with us, it’s anybody’s guess what the festive season will bring … not least when it comes to getting together, going away and how we celebrate. Two things are certain before and over Christmas: Most of us will be buying presents and other seasonal goods online, more than ever before. And it will still be a favourite time of year for scammers, who always regard Christmas and Black Friday shoppers as perfect targets for fraud.