The Southwold Gazette Serving Southwold, Reydon & the Local Community Issue No. 150 Friday 2nd January 2015 ISSN 1740-0511 70p The Southwold Gazette appears monthly for community news, views, letters, and entertainment. The next copy deadline for edition No. 151 is Tuesday 27th January for Friday 6th February publication - full details on back page. SOUTHWOLD LIGHTS SWITCH ON The highlight of the festive season in Southwold United Reformed Church was a wonderful and Reydon is always the switching on of the Christmas Tree Festival displaying individual Christmas lights and this annual anticipation never trees decorated by a number of churches and local disappoints. In Southwold the road was closed to organisations and as always there was an traffic as an assortment of enticing stalls spread Continued on page 5 along the High Street including the sale of soup, mulled wine and hot chestnuts. In the Market Place there was music and as always Blyth Valley Community Radio covered the event. Inside the NEAL’S TAXI & PRIVATE HIRE Airports, Local & Long Distance Friendly Reliable Service • Competitive Rates S G 0 6 / 5 01502 575 888 5 Mobile: 07899 011383 Debit & Credit Cards now accepted SERVING SOUTHWOLD / SURROUNDING AREA 2 January 20152 The Southwold Gazette SOUTHWOLD AND THE SUFFOLK HERITAGE COAST CALENDAR 2015 Available from local shops or by post direct from the printers Southwold Press Ltd. SOUTHWOLD AND THE HERITAGE COAST CALENDAR 2015 Please send . copies to: Name: . Address: . Price £4.99 (including post and packing) Payment (by cheque or card) to: Southwold Press Ltd., Unit 3A, Global Court, Reydon Business Park, Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6SY. Tel: 01502 723361 2 January 20153 The Southwold Gazette Christians Together in Plans for changes to St Edmund’s Southwold & Reydon Church to go on display Thank you to all who came to see the Christmas Tree The St Edmund’s Southwold Parochial Church Council Festival on Lights Night 5th December in the United (PCC) is proposing to make some internal changes to St Reformed Church and Hall, we raised £160 to be sent to Edmund’s Church to make the very best of the space the East Coast Hospice and the DEC Ebola Appeal inside and to help it become a more sustainable building through Christian Aid. The Children enjoyed the Angel for the future. Quest and the refreshments in the hall, mince pies of The St Edmund’s Project – which includes providing course, went down well. We hope to do it again next year toilets, a tea making area, under-floor heating and with even more trees! Carols with the Lowestoft improved storage - will enable the church to support a Salvation Army band is always fun, thank you for wider range of uses, be flexible in its style of worship, joining in and we hope you liked the Christmas Stars! and encourage church users and visitors to engage more Now we wish you all a Very Happy New Year. deeply with the building. Our 2015 events begin with A Service of Prayer for Plans for the changes have been drawn up in Christian Unity at the URC on 22nd January at 7.00pm, consultation with heritage bodies and church everyone is welcome, please come along. authorities, and open events are being held at Lent begins on 18th February until 2nd April 2015. Buckenham Galleries in Southwold to invite the local Lent Groups will be arranged and lists posted in all the community to view the plans and ask questions: churches, many interesting discussions are to be had, do Thursday 22nd January: 2pm – 8pm sign up and come along. Friday 23rd January: 10am – 4pm Lent Lunches at St Edmund’s Hall, begin on Friday Tuesday 17th February: 2pm – 8pm 20th February 12.30pm until 2.00pm. Wednesday 18th February: 10am – 4pm There will be a series of Services at all the churches in Reverend Simon Pitcher, Team Rector of the Sole Southwold and Reydon, where the ministers from all Bay Team, says, “We recognise that the church plays denominations will lead in each other’s churches. The an important role in the community and is much programme will be published in February and notices loved by locals and visitors alike so we are very will be around the towns & in the churches. Please do excited about the benefits the Project could bring come at 6.00pm on Sundays 22nd February and 1st – 8th to many people. We will be sending further information – 15th - & 22nd March. to local residents in the New Year and so we look Judy Overy forward to sharing our plans with them at our exhibitions.” A proposal is likely to be submitted to the Diocesan Advisory Committee by April 2015, with a decision expected by October. If the project is given the go-ahead, work could start by the beginning of 2016. Funding will be needed to make the plans possible, and more information on this will be available at the exhibitions. The Southwold Dementia Support Group is held on the second Wednesday of every month from 2pm - 3.30pm. The next group is on 14th January 2015. The group provides a safe and supportive environment for people with dementia and their carers. You can share your personal experiences of dementia with others who understand, as much as possible, what you are going through. You can also use the meetings as an opportunity to relax, to take part in group activities, to talk about other things and to have a break from the routine of daily life. Refreshments are provided. For more information regarding the venue and any other questions regarding the support group, please contact Jonny Hawes on 01502 514712 or email [email protected] 2 January 20154 The Southwold Gazette Reydon Parish Council Meeting Health watchdog seeks volunteers to Dates 2015 enter and view health and social care services in Suffolk Parish Council Meeting – 22nd January Healthwatch Suffolk is local voices influencing and Parish Council Meeting – 19th February improving health and social care services (e.g. hospitals and care homes) in the county. It has powers to challenge Parish Council Meeting -19th March services now and improve services for the future. One of Annual Parish Meeting – 30th April those powers is the right to enter and view services in the county. Annual Parish Council Meeting – 21st May It means that it has the right to enter and view (announced or unannounced) any premises where Parish Council Meeting – 18th June publicly funded care is provided to people in Suffolk with the exception of services where care is provided Parish Council Meeting – 23rd July to people under the age of 18. Generally this applies to residential homes, nursing homes, GP practices and Parish Council Meeting – 17th September hospital wards. Parish Council Meeting – 22nd October Healthwatch Suffolk is now seeking to build its team of local volunteers which will visit services on its behalf Parish Council Meeting – 19th November to observe and assess the service being provided, collect the views of people using the services and make Parish Council Meeting – 17th December recommendations to those who run and pay for the services. Reydon Art Group If you have good judgment and a passion for health and care, this could be your chance to help make a We meet at the Reydon Village Hall on Wednesdays, difference to the delivery of care in Suffolk. Service 11am - 1pm. The term of ten weeks commences on providers must have regard to the views, reports and January 14th at a cost of £35. If you are interested recommendations of Healthwatch Suffolk. They must in joining the group please contact me, Lesley Fisher, respond explaining what action they will take, or why 01502 724638. they are not taking action. More information and details of how to apply are available on the Healthwatch Suffolk website (www.healthwatchsuffolk.co.uk). Alternatively please call Amanda Stevens on 01449 703949 who will be able to talk to you about what it means to be an authorised representative for Healthwatch Suffolk and provide more information about how to apply. Help Implement the Reydon Village Plan Would you like to get involved with implementing the actions in the Reydon Village Plan? If you would, then please come along to a meeting of the Reydon Village Plan Action Committee, a sub-committee of Reydon Parish Council. We meet on the second Monday of the month at 7.30pm in Reydon Village Hall. Our first meeting was held on Monday 8th December when Reydon Parish Councillors Julie Jordan and Pamela Cyprien were elected to the roles of Chair and Vice-Chair respectively. The Committee is made up of Reydon Parish Councillors and members of the general public, but we all have something in common - we want to make Reydon an even better place to live. If you would like to join us, please contact the Parish Clerk. All are welcome! 2 January 20155 The Southwold Gazette Southwold Switch On Continued from front page atmosphere of festive fun throughout the town. These events are always generously supported and it is a time when residents and visitors become one community to celebrate the season of Christmas together. A visitor to Southwold said ‘you are so lucky to have this wonderful Christmas atmosphere. We have nothing like this where we live’. Father Christmas arrived to a very warm reception and was generous with his time meeting the children and shaking hands with the spectators lining the front rows underneath the Town Hall balcony. The Town Mayor Ann Betts welcomed everyone and Southwold ‘Citizen of the Year’ for 2014 Steve Wright switched on the lights to a flurry of snow from the Town Hall balcony.