February 2010

NEWS

Keeping us smiling for 30 years

Lots more panto-pix 0n our Latest Photos Page

In 1980, a group of local young mothers started an amateur dramatic group and decided to produce a pantomime in the following January. Reydon and Southwold Pantomime Group was born, and Cinderella was a resounding hit. There are a handful of members who have appeared in every single production, and seven founder members of the Group took part in the latest (January 2010) production – Snow White. Our first production was only a couple of performances, but, over the years, due to public demand, the run has grown to eight performances.

Already published pantomime scripts were adapted and used in the early years, but, as the money we made was being donated to charity and we had to pay royalties on any published scripts we used, we thought, why not try and write our own scripts from scratch? Now a considerable amount of time is spent each year trying to come up with original new ideas for our next offering and, after 30 years, it gets more and more difficult. Each spring, a different group of members get together to try and come up with novel ideas. Some writers contribute to just one script, but others keep volunteering year after year to write, and we owe a lot to our ever-changing writing team.

We design and paint our own scenery, make our own costumes and props, design and print our posters and programmes, arrange our music, write song words, choreograph our dances, apply our own make up, and try and remember our lines! Although the latter also becomes more difficult as the years go by!

Over the years, members have come and gone, some members have, or have had, their children on stage acting alongside them and even their grandchildren, and so the cycle goes on. We have had male members (that sounds awful) in our midst, but, although we are very grateful for all the work our men do behind the scenes, for several years now, the stage has belonged exclusively to the ladies!

As I said earlier, we donate our profits to charity and local worthy causes, and I have been reliably informed that, during the Group’s 30-year existence, we have given away in excess of £40,000. I think that is an achievement of which the Group should be extremely proud.

We are affiliated to NODA and, in 2008, we were very honoured to receive an award for the best amateur pantomime in East Anglia Region 6! Another reason to be proud, I think.

Many members are now drawing their Old Age Pensions, but, if the youngsters who have joined the Group are as dedicated as the oldies were when they began, hopefully the Group will still be bringing a smile to the people of Southwold in another 30 years!

The photograph of the Group’s performance of Snow White were kindly supplied by Kerry Wilmot, whose copyright they are.

Nominations wanted for this year’s Suffolk High Sheriff’s Awards

Nominations for non-profit groups benefiting Suffolk people need to be made on a nomination form available online at www.suffolkfoundation.org.uk or by calling 01473 734125 and must be received by organizers, the Suffolk Foundation, by 1st March 2010. The Awards will be presented at a ceremony hosted by BBC Radio Suffolk’s award-winning presenter Mark Murphy at Wattisham Airfield on the evening of Wednesday, 24th March 2010.

Entries should be submitted for one of four categories, including a new one this year to recognise partnership working:

• The Suffolk Community Partnership Award
• The Suffolk Crimebeat Award
• The Community Group or Organisation of the Year
• The High Sheriff Suffolk Volunteer of The Year.

The new Suffolk Community Partnership of the Year Award rewards and celebrates the way two or more groups or organisations have worked together to make a real difference in their community addressing law-and-order issues, such as citizenship, community safety and crime prevention, and thereby helping to make Suffolk a safer place in which to live. At least one of the groups involved in the partnership must be a community group or charity. The award consists of a trophy and a cheque for the not-for-profit groups involved.

The Suffolk Crimebeat Award is given to a project or initiative undertaken by young people aged between 8 and 25 that has improved community safety, helped reduce or encourage crime prevention and promoted good citizenship. Please note that schools, as statutory organisations, are only able to enter extracurricular projects. The winner, who receives a trophy, is automatically put forward to the prestigious National Crimebeat Awards, with a £1,000 first prize.

Community Group or Organisation of the Year – there’s a trophy and a cash prize for the voluntary organisation or community group that is involved in projects that make the county a safer place to live.

The High Sheriff’s Suffolk Volunteer of the Year Award is presented to an individual who has worked way beyond the call of duty and deserves special recognition.
There is further information on the Suffolk Foundation website at www.suffolkfoundation.org.uk/HighSheriffAwards2010.html.

The Grassroots Grants programme could help you
Grants of up to £5,000 are available for Suffolk’s community groups from the Grassroots Grants programme. A grant can cover core costs, activities, projects, training, equipment, trips and much more. If your group is addressing deprivation, which can be anything from rural isolation to helping those less fortunate to enjoy a better quality of life, than a grant could be available to you. You would have one year in which to spend your grant.

This unique programme turns around completed applications in just two weeks, enabling groups to plan for the present.

Application forms and guidelines are available from the Suffolk Foundation website at www.suffolkfoundation.org.uk, as well as via e-mail or the post.

You can receive information and advice on the Grassroots Programme from Sue Wright, who is available on 01473 734127.

Single Gateway Grants programme
The Suffolk Foundation, in conjunction with Suffolk County Council, is seeking applications to the Council’s Single Gateway grant-giving programme. The next closing date is 16th March 2010.
Applications are encouraged from community and voluntary groups who feel that a grant of up to £5,000* will benefit the community they serve.

Grants are available from the six funds managed by the Foundation, these being: health, mental health, social isolation, social care, locality and arts for all.

For application forms, guidance notes and further information, please visit the Suffolk Foundation website at www.suffolkfoundation.org.uk or telephone 01473 734127 to request an application form and guidelines in the post or via e-mail or discuss your ideas with Sue Wright.

* The new £5,000 limit is for the localities, social inclusion and social care funds. The other fund limits remain at £3,000 per organisation per calendar year currently.

Are you caring for someone with dementia?
We are going to be running a six-week programme looking at the challenges facing carers and families supporting people with dementia. Each week, we will discuss the problems and difficulties you may face, and, with advice, information and practical help, answer some of your questions.
The course starts on 9th February and will be held at St Edmunds Church Hall, Southwold.

If you would like any further information or want to book a space, please contact Alison on 07773 230339 or 01502 514712.

Throwing the book at crime
The Southwold and Halesworth Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) are teaming up with Suffolk County Council’s Mobile Library under a new initiative.

The Mobile Police Station will follow the library along its route visiting the villages of Frostenden, Stoven and Uggeshall every other Wednesday – and Wrentham, Wangford and Reydon every other Friday.

Elisabeth Harrison, the manager responsible for mobile libraries in Suffolk says: ‘I think it is a brilliant idea; we have had a number of the Safer Neighbourhood Teams travel with us in a variety of ways on previous occasions.’

Sergeant Nigel Tompsett comments: ‘I am delighted that we can work alongside the Mobile Library Service in this way. This will provide my officers with more time to talk to people about crime and road safety! We are always looking for new ways to reach people in more isolated communities, so we have arranged to do this up to the end of April. If it is a success, then we will carry on beyond that.

‘Rather than reinvent a timetable for getting out to rural villages, PC Sadler realised that one already existed by linking up with the Mobile Library. We hope the regular users of the Mobile Library will become used to seeing SNT officers and will feel able to discuss their problems and raise any issues they may have.’

PC Sadler adds: ‘Alan, the driver of the Mobile Library, has got a great job. All day long, he is surrounded by books, drives around some lovely villages and talks to interesting people. I had a chat with one of his customers about security lighting and about road safety with a couple of others. It’s early days yet, but, if this relationship between the Mobile Police Station and the Mobile Library works, it may become a permanent feature. I am already planning to take my bicycle with me on the Friday route.’

PC Chris Sadler inside the Mobile Library

Upcoming dates for the Mobile Library and Mobile Police Station are as follows:

Alternate Wednesdays – 10th February and 24th February
Frostenden, Gypsy Lane 9.25 am–9.40 am
Frostenden, Post Box 9.45 am–9.55 am
Frostenden, Clay Common 10.00 am–10.15 am
Stoven, Stoven Row 10.20 am–10.35 am
Uggeshall, The Hills 10.45 am–11.20 am
Westhall Mill, Common 11.30 am–11.55 am
Spexhall, Nollers Lane 12.05 pm–12.15 pm
Ilketshall St Lawrence, School Close 12.25 pm–12.45 pm
Redisham, Phone Box 1.50 pm–2.10 pm
Ringsfield, School Road 2.20 pm–2.35 pm
Ilketshall St Andrew, Post Office 2.45 pm–3.00 pm
Ilketshall St Andrew, Took’s Corner 3.15 pm–3.35 pm
Worlingham, Sanford Court 4.00 pm–4.20 pm

Alternate Fridays – 12th February and 26th February
Wrentham, Bonsey Gardens 9.30 am–10.10 am
Wangford, Mill Fields 10.25 am–11.25 am
Reydon, Pitches View 11.35 am–12.05 pm
Reydon, Nicholas Drive 12.10 pm–12.30 pm
Reydon, Queen’s Road 12.35 pm–12.50 pm
Walberswick, Church 1.55 pm–2.25 pm
Walberswick, Village Hall 2.30 pm–3.15 pm
Brampton, Woodside 3.25 pm–4.20 pm

Local photographer’s special offer

As you may recall published in last month’s edition of the Southwold Organ, Nick Catling is pleased to be exhibiting his renowned photographs here in Southwold.

To celebrate the opening of the Galllery on the first floor of Buckenham House, 81 High Street, Southwold, Nick is offering two for one on his beach photography workshops purchased during January and February.

This two-for-one course costs £99 and includes a full day’s tutorial on ‘how to use your camera’ whilst following the delightful coastline. You will receive two vouchers, to be redeemed at a time to suit you.

The day starts at 9 am, when delegates (a maximum of five per day) will be provided with complimentary breakfasts during de-brief and camera set up at the Pier Café. Each workshop covers: camera settings, understanding light, composition and exposure whilst capturing, the Pier, beach huts, sand dunes, the Harbour and unlimited wildlife. An excellent portfolio of images will be achieved. At 4 pm, the course concludes at the Gallery, where students will be given a hand-out summary of key points covered during the day. Please note this is suitable for all abilities with any camera.

So, if you are a keen photographer, wish to bring a friend and/or know somebody who would like a voucher for a gift, please pop into the Gallery to take advantage of this unbeatable opening offer.
Course dates and further details can be viewed at www.nickcatling.co.uk, telephone: 01502 722880.

Nick Catling Photography, Buckenham House, 81 High Street, Southwold IP18 6DS.

Bringing the art of healing to our area
The experience of personal tragedy has provided Angie Buxton-King with the will and motivation to spread the belief that Reiki and spiritual healing can make a real difference to individual’s health.
In 1988, Angie’s mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. ‘It was then that I started researching the whole area and through this discovered A Gentle Way with Cancer [the book written in 1986 by Brenda Kidman] and the Bristol Cancer Approach [a unique combination of complementary therapy and self-help techniques].’ It was in the same year that her youngest son Sam was born. When he was seven and diagnosed with leukaemia, Angie already knew a lot about the complementary therapies available to cancer patients.

‘We looked at everything available and the one thing that seemed to make a difference was healing,’ she says.

Sam died in 1998 aged ten, but Angie believes that the healing he received not only prolonged his life but also made those three years much easier for him to cope with than he would have otherwise. Angie has written about Sam’s journey in her book, The NHS Healer, which was published in 2004.

Having trained as a healer, Angie approached Great Ormond Street Hospital, but was turned away. Not one to give up, she went to University College London Hospital (UCLH), where Stephen Rowley, Lead Cancer Nurse, took her on for a one-month trial, one day a week. Ten years later, she now manages the complementary therapy team within cancer services at the hospital. Angie is on the NHS payroll, as is her husband Graham King, who works with children and teenagers within the trust. Four other healers that work with her are paid for the by the charity she and Graham set up.

The Sam Buxton Sunflower Healing Trust (SBSHT) was set up in 2006 with the main aim of donating funds to NHS trusts or other cancer care environments to facilitate the employment of healers to offer support to hospital patients, carers and staff.

They have raised thousands of pounds, mainly through three Sunflower Jam concerts, with acts including Robert Plant, Paul Weller and, most recently, Deep Purple.

Angie and Graham are determined to have as many healers in hospitals and cancer centres as possible, working alongside allopathic medicine.

The healing team is now an integral part of the hospital. Dr Maria Michelagnoli is a paediatric and adolescent consultant oncologist and she has been quoted as saying: ‘I was a sceptic at first, but you can’t question the results. I’d be devastated if we lost these professionals now.’

Because of their determination to get healing services into the NHS, Angie and Graham are more than willing to get involved in attempts to regulate all forms of complementary medicine including healing. Anecdotal evidence from patients is very positive, but Angie and Graham know that further proof and regulation is required.

Angie and Graham are of course proud of what they have achieved at UCLH but their vision for the future is for all cancer centre to have the services of a healer available to their patients hence the creating of our charity .

‘We are fortunate to have the help of friends who created a special event for our charity’s launch in 2006 called the Sunflower Jam (see www.thesunflowerjam.com). This first amazing event raised over £90,000. We were able to use some of these funds immediately by increasing the hours of one of our existing healers at UCLH. We then set about recruiting the extra five healers that we now have within the complementary therapy team. Healers are given NHS contracts with funds provided by our charity. The impact of these healers cannot be overestimated to the patients, relatives and staff.’

Their plans are to expand this model of care to other hospitals and cancer-related areas. Addenbrokes in Cambridge, Kent and Canterbury and Princess Alexandra’s in Epping have implemented healing into the care that they offer. St Mary’s Isle of Wight and hospitals in Devon will be the next to receive funds to facilitate an integrated service funded by SBSHT.
In October 2009, Angie and Graham relocated from Hertfordshire to Suffolk, and they would be happy to support similar projects in Suffolk and Norfolk hospitals. From their private practice at home in Sotherton near Southwold, they see a variety of stress-related problems along with patients undergoing conventional treatments. They are also happy to undertake home visits.

They both teach Reiki and spiritual healing along with self-development courses in a variety of subjects.

On 18th March, they will be discussing their private and NHS work at the Harmony Centre in Walpole near Halesworth, as well as highlighting their unique Healing in Hospitals course for those that wish to have a better understanding of how to work effectively in the statutory setting.
Angie and Graham can be reached at the Beacon of Healing Light (web: www.angiebuxton-king.com, telephone: 01502 578196, e-mail: angel.beacon@virgin.net) or the Sam Buxton Sunflower Healing Trust (web: www.cancertherapies.org.uk, telephone: 01502 578196, e-mail: info@cancetherapies.org.uk).

A local testimonial
Having been very ill with ‘ME’ in 1998, I looked towards alternative therapy in the form of Reiki and spiritual healing when the doctors told me they couldn’t help me and it started to have a devastating effect on my life. In my personal pathway, I found it really helped, and my mother, who was also interested at the time, continued her journey with healing and is now a fully trained Reiki Master and practises up in north Norfolk. When recently Jack, our four-year-old son, started to suffer joint pains and other small ailments, I decided to look for a healer near Southwold. I was delighted to come across Angie and Graham, who have recently moved to Sotherton and set up a private practice. On arriving at their home, you feel a huge inner peace and immediately relax and feel at ease. Jack has now had two healing sessions with Graham and even he says his legs feel better. I hope Angie and Graham’s story may be of interest to readers who may want to look at the alternative approach to their illnesses, aches and pains.
Kerry Wilmot

The fifth Edition of the Latitude Festival takes place from 15th to 18th July 2010

As Festival Republic bring this popular festival back to our sunrise coast, we eagerly await the announcement of those acts chosen by Music Curator, the brilliant Jon Dunn, that will headline the Obelisk Stage for Latitude 2010.

With over 120 acts to book, his job is a hard one. Will the boundaries be pushed again this year? Let’s hope so. . . After such an amazing weekend in July of last year, Southwold will once again look forward to seeing the list unroll of those acts gracing Henham Park.

On behalf of the Southwold Organ, we will bring you a monthly update of all announcements and news. Visit Latitude’s website at www.latitudefestival.co.uk for more information.

Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, 9th March, and will be available from Foxtail Lily on Southwold High Street, so no excuses for last-minute panics trying to secure one.
Remember, it's more than just a music festival!
Kerry Wilmot

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