February 2012

REPORTS

Southwold and Reydon Society

Nearly 80 people turned out on a cold, windswept night to a meeting organised by the Society at St Edmund’s Hall to hear the latest progress report on the new Healthy Living Centre at Reydon.

The meeting was chaired by the Society’s Chairman, John Stewart, and among the panel of guests answering questions was the Chief Executive of Norfolk and Waveney NHS, Andrew Morgan, Kate Gill, Director of Operations Health East, and local GPs Dr John Stammers and Dr Andrew Easthaugh.

The Centre will eventually replace the current surgery in York Road, Southwold and the meeting was told the total cost of the project was over £4 million. The land – on the site of the old Eversley School playing fields – had already been bought and approval was now being sought for from the Strategic Health Authority for the rest of the money to actually build the Centre That decision was expected in April or May. Kate Gill said they were confident the money would be forthcoming as they had a good track record of securing capital money from the SHA, but there was no guarantee.

Once approval had been given, it was hoped to start building work in mid- 2012 and for the Centre to be complete and ready for use by the end of 2013.

The meeting was then opened to questions and comments on the sort of services residents would like to see at the new centre. Suggestions included a dentist, hearing-aid centre, optician and mobile x- ray facility. One member of the audience asked about parking, and was told there would be 50 spaces and they would all be free.

Other questions involved the future of the York Road Surgery and Southwold Hospital Outpatients Department.

On York Road, Tracey Cannell, the MD of East Coast Community Health Care, said they were keen to see the site retained for community use. On Southwold Hospital, the meeting was told that, once services had been transferred to the new surgery, there would be a review of the Outpatients Department. If no alternative use was found, it would be disposed of. No decision had been taken about the inpatient facility, but Dr Stammers said he and his colleagues were ‘passionate’ about preserving local beds for local people.

Finally, a vote was taken on the name of the new centre and whether would people prefer it to be simply called a Health Centre rather a Healthy Living Centre. The overwhelming majority voted to keep it simple, ie Health Centre.

If you have any suggestions of comments about the new Health Centre, then you can make your views known either to the local patient participation group (contact York Road Surgery) or direct to Natalie Williams, NHS Norfolk and Waveney on 01502 719582.

John Perkins, Secretary, SRS

Southwold Golf Club news

Fund-raising for First Responders

Weather on the course on 4th January may have been unkind for golfers, but the climate inside the clubhouse at Southwold Golf Club was much more charitable that day, when David Austin, Local Co-ordinator for Southwold, Reydon and Wangford Community First Responders, visited the Club.

The immediate past Club Captain and Ladies’ Captain had jointly chosen the local First Responders as beneficiaries of the traditional fund-raising efforts in their captaincy year. Those efforts had raised a total of £3,652.62 and David Austin received a cheque for that amount from Carol Scilly, the former Lady Captain.

First Responder schemes have been in place around the country for well over a decade as a way of providing rapid initial care to patients with life-threatening illnesses. This is particularly important in areas where the Ambulance Service is unable to provide immediate cover, and the early care that these trained volunteers give can be critical to survival of heart-attack and cardiac-arrest victims. Our local First Responder teams aim to get to a patient within eight minutes of a call.

Readers may have seen coverage on BBC’s ‘One Show’ on 12th January, which highlighted the growing importance of the First Responder network nationally against a background of constraints on NHS resources generally.

Welcoming the Southwold Golf Club contribution, David Austin pointed out that, while some specialist items are provided by the Ambulance Trust, the majority of the clothing and equipment for the First Responder service is paid for by voluntary contributions. Currently, he added, Responders are volunteers and new members are urgently needed in this area to enable the service to extend the hours of emergency cover that it can give. David Austin would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in becoming a volunteer – by phone on 07814 505160 or e-mail at srw_responders@btinternet.com.

Keith May

Crick Court Social Club news

Here are the results for the January Whist Drive held at Crick Court on 5th January:

• First: Miss K Dunk and Miss G Cocker.
• Second: Mrs J Alan and Mrs D White.
• Third: Mr and Mrs J Robins
• Fourth: Mrs N Walters and Mrs J Pratley.

Thanks to all who supported us, and also to the helpers and for the special refreshments. The next Whist Drives are on February 2nd and March 1st. Dates for future events will be announced at a later date.

Mrs Mary Edwards

East Suffolk Travellers’ Association news

The East Suffolk Travellers’ Association has launched a new system for monitoring local train and bus services. If passengers are affected by the failure of a local bus or train operator in eastern Suffolk to deliver the specified service, they are advised to let ESTA know by post or through the website www.eastsuffolktravel.org.uk.

Examples could be cancellation of a service, early or significantly late running, missed connections, fare or ticketing problems. ESTA will compile a log of such problems and send a digest to the operators three times a year.

It is important to have as much detail as possible – time, date of journey, bus route number, station(s) used.

ESTA will not follow up individual issues, but if the problem is a recurring one, they will pursue it with the operator concerned. Anonymity will be preserved at all times.

ESTA Chairman Trevor Garrod commented: ‘Our association represents hundreds of local passengers and we have many years of experience of dealing with train and bus operators. We shall try to be constructive in the way we handle these issues. Some of the problems are not of the operators’ making – but others are ones which they can act to put right.’

Issues can be e-mailed to monitor@eastsuffolktravel.org.uk or posted to ESTA monitor, 3 Bury Hill, Woodbridge, IP12 1LF.

More jazz in Southwold

I was interested to learn recently that Brian Farrington’s Omega Jazz Quartet would be appearing monthly at The Red Lion from February. Since the birth of the Blyth River Stompers – formed By Brian and his brother Keith back in the early 1950s – the town has hosted live jazz on a regular basis. Southwold Jazz Festivals (annual from 1998 to 2007) provided a showcase for East Anglian jazz musicians and singers, and were attended by fans from all over the UK and abroad. However, the loss of the Pier ballroom as a function suite ended the run of the Southwold Jazz Festivals from 2008.

Playing variously in The Harbour Inn, Kings Head and Red Lion, the Blyth River Stompers existed, with some original members, right up to 1992, when an amicable split saw the formation of two new bands in the form of Red Beans & Rice (New Orleans ‘preservationist’) and Rhythm ‘n’ Reeds (swing-era style). Both bands are still active with public and private engagements, and the latter have continued on a monthly basis as the ‘house band’ at The Kings Head.

With the William Godell Sports Pavilion (on the Common) now proven to be a viable venue for larger jazz promotions, continuing residency of Rhythm ‘n’ Reeds at The Kings Head, and the Omega Jazz Quartet appearing at The Red Lion, in the immortal words of Fats Waller, ‘the joint is jumpin’.

It will be good to see Brian back in Southwold where his jazz career began, and we hope that he will draw appreciative audiences for his gigs here.

Keith May

Lighthouse Ladies Reydon

After the festivities of Christmas and the New Year, it was time to challenge the mental capacities of the Lighthouse Ladies – yes, a beetle drive was just what was needed to stimulate the old grey matter.

There was a good turnout for the meeting of members and new guests considering the facts that Southwold Pantomime was playing and the weather was extremely cold.

The Ladies played in good spirits and there were even prizes awarded to the top three scorers. A lovely way to start 2012.

Next month’s meeting will be the AGM, with the added bonus of cheese and wine. This will be on Tuesday, 21st February at 7.30 pm in Reydon Village Hall. All women visitors are welcome.

Celia Eldridge

Quiz night at The Randolph round up

January 2012

The fourth quiz of the new Season was held on Friday, 13th January 2012 and 14 teams had pre-registered to play. We closed both the restaurants to facilitate this and the Randolph chefs donated the buffet food, so all money raised went to the chosen charity.

Quiz questions as usual were compiled by our resident quiz mistress Mrs Jackie Martin, and the scores on the doors were calculated by Mr Barrie Remblance.

It was lovely to see so many people partaking in the quiz, teams from Wrentham and Wangford and Kessingland made the trip, and the Tally Ho’s came first with 116 points, closely followed by the Entertainers with 112. It was great to see Mr Gary Draper, Headmaster of the School, aided by his support staff, also have a quiz table. Their score, however, was not so impressive!

Together with the Raffle, with tickets sold by Nicky Wright, we made £527.65 on the night, which was donated to Reydon Primary School’s new Music Room. This brings this season’s total to £1,156.65.

Finally, thanks as always to everyone who helped and who attended on the night. We’re back to using the upstairs function room from now on, so February and March’s quizzes are already fully subscribed!

David and Donna, Adnams Community Pub of The Year 2010

Royal British Legion

Southwold & Reydon Women’s Section

The January meeting of the Southwold and Reydon branch of the Women’s Section of the Royal British Legion took place in the Committee Room at the Town Hall in Southwold with 13 members present. The Chairman, Sue Doy, opened the meeting with a welcome to all members, followed by the Exhortation and Silent Tribute.

Apologies were received from Mollie Robinson and Joan Block. The minutes were read by the Secretary, Ruth Chapman, were approved and duly signed with no matters arising. The Treasurer, Ann Robins, gave the financial statement which showed a balance of £281.10 in the bank. The branch has 29 members on roll.

Correspondence was received from Dulcie Knights and Sue Langley, past members, with news of their respective families, and cards thinking of them will be sent. Needlework forms were distributed.

Ann Robins, delegate to the 70th Annual Conference of Suffolk County RBL held at Needham Market, gave a very interesting report. In the annual report given by the Chairman Mrs P Scott, she congratulated Suffolk County for being the top county for raising money. Air Vice Marshal T W Rimmer, President of the RBL Suffolk County, addressed the meeting.

Dates were given for members' diaries:

• Next branch meeting: 15th February at 2.30 pm in the Committee Room at Southwold Town Hall.
• Group meeting: Tuesday, 20th March at 2 pm in the Town Hall Southwold – this will replace the March branch meeting.
• The Brigade of Gurkhas will be giving a concert on Friday, 23rd March at 7 pm at Halesworth Middle School – tickets £12. This may be the last concert for the RBL to be held in the school as it is due to close.
• ‘Get-together’ at Wickham Market, Saturday, 21st April from 10 am until 10.30 am.
• Anzac Parade from Southwold High Street at 2.30 pm to St Edmund’s Church for 3 pm Service on 29th April. Anzac biscuits are being made by Southwold WI.
• The Southwold Town Festival for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be a four-day event commencing Saturday 2nd June: Sunday Service, 3rd June, Monday, 4th June – fete and fireworks, Tuesday 5th June – Town Tea. Thursday, 5th July: Olympic Torch will come to Southwold.
• Group Meeting on 12th July at 2 pm at Halesworth Day Centre.

After tea and refreshments – rusks provided by Peggy Goffin, Christmas cake by Sue Doy and Anzac Bisuits by Ann and Dennis Chapman – the meeting closed with a fun game of a back-to-front raffle which caused a lot of laughter – a lovely way to close an enjoyable afternoon.

R E Chapman

British Red Cross

The British Red Cross for Southwold and District would like to thank all those who helped to organise a most happily successful 1930s, 40s, 50s concert given by Company D in the Cardinal Newman Hall on Saturday, 21st January.

A total of £579 was raised through tickets, donations and the raffle. We would like to thank all those local businesses and others who gave such generous items or offers for the raffle, those who made cakes, tea and mulled wine, and those who served and cleared up. The bunting and exhibition of period items from bicycles to underwear from both the personal collection of the Leader of Company D and from the Red Cross Store added to the enjoyment as memories were stirred and shared with new and older friends.

We would ask you to pencil into your diary Friday, 23rd March, when John and Paul Veitch have offered give us an evening of songs, poetry and stories with a glass of wine.

Scrabble Group

The winner of the January meeting was Miriam Bennett with a total score over two games of 809 points. Bonus words were STUDDED and UPRAISE (Miriam Bennett), BARONET and STRAYING (Maureen Peak), BASKETS and EXAMINED (Elizabeth Arkiesson) and TRAITORS, INVESTOR and SAILING (Liz Slater).

The Scrabble Group meets on the first Monday of the month in Reydon Church Room at 2 pm. The next meetings will be on Monday, February 6th and Monday, March 5th. New members welcome. For further information, ring 01502 722483.

Miriam Bennett

Sole Bay Bowls Club

Halesworth Road, Reydon

The season is now past halfway and here are the current leaders of the various indoor leagues:

• Bird League – Ladies’ 3 Wood Triples – Kestrels
• Football League – Men’s 3 Wood Triples Division 1 – jointly Chelsea and Oldham; Division 2 – Cambridge
• Sole Bay League – Mixed 2 Rink 3 Wood Triples – Kessingland A
• Animal League – Mixed 2 Wood Foursomes was won by the Beavers
• Car League – Mixed 4 Wood Pairs – Austin
• Aussie Pairs – Mixed 4 Wood Pairs – Ayres Rock
• Planet League – Mixed Discipline – Mars.

The Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning roll-ups are proving quite popular with a good attendance, and casual dress is the norm. not bowlers’ whites or grey and whites. There has been another roll-up session set up this year on a Saturday evening at 6.30 pm, which is also casual dress and again has good attendance.

A Bingo session is held on the first Saturday in every month, but, to attend, you must be at least a Club social member.

As you saw from last month’s article, the Junior Section has its own sets of woods after a grant and attendance is steady. If you are interested in joining this, then contact Paula as below.

In the County Leagues, Sole Bay are faring fairly well: in the Mixed League, we are third from eight; in the Men’s League, fourth from six; and in the Ladies’ League, sixth from nine.

If you are interested in playing bowls (non-members are most welcome) or possibly joining the Bowls Club, then contact Paula Gooch on 01502 722683 or come and see us at Halesworth Road. As can be seen from the results above, games are available for all levels of experience, from beginners through local leagues to entries for county competitions and we are joined by members of a number of local outdoor clubs in the winter to play on the indoor arena.

Ray Skitt

Southwold Suffolk Wildlife Trust

In January, Matt Gooch, Suffolk Broads Warden for the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, gave an absorbing illustrated presentation to a large audience of the Southwold Group of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust about the reserves along the lower Waveney valley. This took in Barsham Marshes, North Cove Reserve, Castle Marshes and Carlton Marshes, then concluded with a more detailed look at the recent major developments at Oulton Marshes, just outside Lowestoft.

Matt introduced us to some of the special plants and animals which can be found in these reserves, including the rare fen raft spider which has been translocated from Redgrave and Lopham Fen, where its habitat is under threat, the marsh pea, a Nationally Scarce plant found in only a handful of locations in Suffolk, and the grasshopper warbler, which is flourishing on Carlton and Oulton Marshes.

We saw how scrub clearance, dyke re-profiling, the creation of foot drains and grazing have transformed the habitats at Oulton Marshes, allowing an ever-increasing range of species to flourish there. Matt also acknowledged the efforts of many farmers and landowners to promote nature conservation in the area, helping to create with the Trust a ‘Living Landscape for Suffolk’, and the input of the Trust’s many volunteers.

The next meeting will be on Thursday, 9th February, when Paul Jackson will give an illustrated talk on the wildlife associated with the oak tree. This will be in St Edmund’s Hall, Southwold at 7.30 pm. Admission is £2, including refreshments. There will be a raffle and a bring-and-buy stall. Everyone will be welcome.

Southwold Women’s Institute

Christmas saw us enjoying lunch together in the Cardinal Newman Hall, with the Committee organising a splendid meal to celebrate. It was followed by a short talk illustrating the various Christmas customs and the way they developed.

January saw the resumption of formal meetings and our usual activities. Mr Mark Mitchell was our first speaker for 2012, and what an excellent evening he gave us, talking about ‘The Lost City of Dunwich’. It was fascinating to follow the development of Dunwich as a port from Roman times. The marvellous harbour enabled it to prosper at some cost to the surrounding settlements until it became one of the ten largest cities in Britain with a population of around 6,000. The shifting of the shingle through storm and tempest changed its fortune. Helped by the Black Death and demands of the monarch, it gradually declined with the population falling to 600. Interest returned in Victorian and Edwardian times with artists and writers being captured by the idea of a lost city. So it began its life as a tourist destination. Mrs P Clarke thanked Mr Mitchell for a very interesting evening.

Our various groups are meeting again. The Book Group is reading Coin

Tobin’s Brooklyn, whilst the Lunchers have a date to visit ‘Coasters’ in Queen

Street. The Garden Group has enjoyed a New Year get together at Cleonie’s in Halesworth.

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, February 16th in the Methodist

Church Room at 7 pm, when Judge James Pyke will speak on ‘Route 66 – The Mother Road’, a journey by car across America in the steps of John Steinbeck.

Southwold and District Tennis Club news

Despite the winter weather, you can still come along to Southwold and District Tennis Club (Hotson Road, Southwold IP18 6BS) as the tennis continues year round on our courts. Enquiries are welcome from anyone of any age or ability; see our website at www.southwoldtennisclub.org.uk for more details or contact me at mg.sdtc@btinternet.com. You may try up to three club sessions at £3 per time to help you decide if you would like to join us (any £3 fees paid will be refunded from membership fee on joining). Club sessions from now until the end of March are on Sundays from 10 am to 12 noon. Also from now until the end of March, you can take advantage of our reduced-price subscriptions.

If you would like to join in with a coaching group or arrange private coaching, contact our Licensed LTA Club Coach Mark Websdale direct on 07939 526333. The Club runs an extensive junior coaching programme in Lowestoft and Southwold:

• Mini Tennis Red – both sessions indoors (age eight and under) at Kirkley High School Fridays 5.30 pm–6.30pm and St Felix School Saturdays 11 am–12 noon.
• Mini Tennis Orange (age seven to ten) – Kirkley High School Wednesdays 6 pm–7pm and Southwold 1.30 pm–2.30 pm
• Mini Tennis Green (age ten to 11) – Kirkley High School Wednesdays 6 pm–7pm and Southwold 1.30 pm–2.30pm
• Teen Tennis (age 12–18) – Kirkley High School 6 pm–7pm and Southwold 2.30 pm–3.30pm.

These sessions are open to all and lead to extra performance groups for those extra keen or talented.

Southwold also has the following adult coaching groups:

• Beginners/Improvers – Mondays 9.30 am–11 am
• Improvers to Advanced – Tuesdays 9.30 am–11 am
• Cardio Tennis (tennis aerobics to music) – Wednesdays 10 am–11 am.

A court is available for hire by non members on an hourly basis, excluding Sundays and when in use for Club events. Go to the Southwold Angling Centre on Station Road to book. Refundable deposit required for the court key.

For the chance to in cash prizes each quarter, why not join our fund-raising 100 Club? – £12 per unit per (amount won dependent on the number of people in the 100 Club). You do NOT have to be a Tennis Club member to take part. For more information or an application form, contact Matthew Horwood on horwoodmgc@tiscali.co.uk.

Mary Gregson, Honorary Secretary and Press Officer