March 2008

NEWS

TO ALL ELECTORS OF SOUTHWOLD

TOWN MEETING

You are invited to take part.
It will be held at:

THE TOWN HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBER

On Monday, 17th March 2008 at 7.00 pm

Under the Chairmanship of
Cllr Mrs T E Baggott (TOWN MAYOR)

The Town Meeting may by law discuss all town affairs and pass resolutions about them. The following matters have so far been placed on the agenda:

1 Before the formal business, Mr M Topliss, Community Emergency Officer, will talk to the Meeting about setting up a local emergency committee and drawing up a local emergency plan.
2 Minutes of the Annual Town Meeting held on 19th March 2007.
3 The Town Mayor's Report on the Town Council's activities during 2007/08.
4 Accounts and reports of local charities.
5 Report from the Southwold Millennium Foundation about progress on the rebuilding of the Stella Peskett Hall.
6 Report on the Blyth Estuary and coastal defences by Cllr Mrs S Allen.
7 Discussion on how the community would like to commemorate William Godell on the 500th anniversary of his death and bequest to the town in 2009.
8 Any other matters raised by local government electors of Southwold relating to town affairs.

Jennifer Hursell
Clerk of the Council

Save Our Shore!
On an unseasonably warm, brilliant sunny Sunday morning (17th February), the good people of Walberswick, Southwold, Reydon and further afield answered the call of the Walberswick SOS. From about 11.30am, at least 900 people (numbers are notoriously difficult to estimate) of all ages and genders, families and singletons, plus many dogs, dutifully filed onto the beach at Walberswick to help form a human ‘SOS’ in the sand.

On entry through a tent, participants were given one of three colours – red, blue or black – which indicated the letter they were going to be part of. They then followed the signs to that letter and moved into it, which was taped out on the beach. They were not to move until they were told to do so. So many people turned up, it became a bit of a squeeze and the SOS was announced to be full quite quickly.

A tannoy serenaded everyone with appropriate music, including ‘Message in a Bottle’ by the Police, ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ and the 633 Squadron theme. The tannoy announced that ‘today’s demonstration shows that people do care’ and this was no exaggeration – as well as the large turnout, petitions were being busily signed on both the way in and the way out. The event also enjoyed some high-level support; the local MP, John Gummer, attended.

Overhead, the event was attracting more than usual number of light aeroplanes, which circled in the cloudless sky, soon joined at mid-day by a helicopter rented by Walberswick SOS that, in a series of passes, took aerial photographs and film of the human SOS, which was asked to wave as it did so. At 12.35pm, it was all over and the good-natured crowd peacefully filed away without hitch or hindrance. You may have seen some of the images on the local TV news or in local newspapers in the following days.

This was more than just a pleasant day out on the beach. Walberswick SOS aims to use this event to try and put pressure on the Government, DEFRA and the Environment Agency to reverse their recent decisions to stop maintaining river and sea defences around Walberswick (and the wider area) and restore the funding needed to maintain them. It is not asking for more money, merely that the existing money to be spent better. As the tannoy put it at one stage, the event was intended as an ‘SOS for Walberswick, SOS for the east coast, SOS for England. Time we did something about it.’

Those behind this event are to be commended on its excellent organisation. May they be as successful in achieving their aims.

More SOS pictures in Extra

Sights of Southwold part 1

Seen outside the Pinkney's Lane bookshop...

Marion, you’ve excelled yourself with this one. Keep ‘em coming! (ed)

Putting a Spring into Belvoir’s step

Southwold’s own ad agency, Spring, is delighted to have been commissioned by up-market soft drinks brand Belvoir to create a new website.

The company, owned by Pev Manners, began by making drinks in small quantities to keep local friends and family satisfied. His mother, Lady Mary Manners, adapted a recipe for elderflower cordial given to her by her oldest friend, Lady Astor of Cliveden, encouraging her young family to use the abundance of flowers at the Belvoir Estate fruit farm to make the cordials.

Since then, the company has steadily increased the variety of drinks whilst keeping the quality extremely high. All of their drinks are made naturally using fresh fruit, flowers and spices. None of the drinks contain colours, extra flavours or artificial sweeteners. The elderflower plantations are certified as organic and the spring water comes from natural springs in the Belvoir Hills.

Belvoir drinks can now be bought in supermarkets, delicatessens and cafés across the UK, recognisable by their distinctive packaging and bottle shape and wide range of flavours. This appealing brand has developed a real cult following and Pev realised that the website needed a boost to reflect their growing popularity.

The new site will contain a host of great features, including competitions, games, regular news updates and even interactive bottles that respond to the visitor’s mouse actions! The current site, with which Spring has been involved for over a year, can be viewed at www.belvoircordials.co.uk and the new site is due to be launched in April 2008.