The Link Magazine

Church Altar Flowers and Cleaning rotas

Somersham
May 4, 11 Mrs Faith Jaggard
May 18, 25 Mrs Angie Osborn
June 1, 8 Mrs Judith Newman
Cleaning Team B

Flowton
May 4, 11 Mrs Ward
May 18, 25 Mrs Munson
June 1 Mrs Laflin
June 8 Wedding
Cleaning –Mr and Mrs J Prentice

Offton
May 4, 11 Mrs Anne Chapman
May 18, 25 Mrs Audrey Pinson-Roxburgh
June 1, 8 Mrs Julie Spurling
Cleaning – Mrs Luxmore

Willisham (flowers and cleaning)
May 4, 11 Mrs Hill
May 18, 25 Mrs Cage
June 1, 8 Mrs Large

You should find a Christian Aid envelope in within this month’s magazine. Volunteers will be coming round during Christian Aid Week, May 11-17th, to collect the envelopes and would be very grateful if you can put an amount in, however small. Last year Somersham raised over £400. It would be fantastic to reach a similar figure this year.

From the registers:
Farewell to:
Reginald Frank Laflin, long time a farmer in Flowton, and latterly of The Old Rectory Nursing Home, Barham,who died on March 15th aged 91 years. His funeral was held in Flowton Church on April 2nd and taken by the Reverend Gerald Drew. It was followed by interment amongst the Laflin family graves in the churchyard
May he rest in peace

South and Heart of Suffolk Walking Festival!
The first South and Heart of Suffolk Walking Festival will be taking place between 10th & 26th May. This new Festival will give visitors and local people alike the chance to explore the Suffolk countryside with the aid of local guides, historians and naturalists. Further information on all the walks can be found at www.southandheartofsuffolk.org.uk or by calling the Mid Suffolk Tourist Information Centre on 01449 676800 for a free, colour Festival Brochure.

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SOMERSHAM CYCLE SPEEDWAY

Although the 2008 Season is now underway 2 Somersham riders, Steve and Barry Copping, are already planning ahead for 2009 when they will be making another trip to Australia as part of the British Lions Tour.

Somersham now have the names of the Kesgrave riders who have secondary registered to the club so that we can compete in the Norfolk & Suffolk League: Dan Croft(who was secondary registered with us in 2007),Martin Berry, Aaron Daley, Paul Jay, Daniel Johnson, Peter Ingram, Ryan Jay & Mark Cooper.

Stars rider Barry has 2 secondary registrations this season, with Kesgrave for South-East Division 1 matches(along with elder brother Steve when he is available, Gary Brown and Peter & Andy Mittell, the latter 2 when they have recovered fully from a knee injury and glandular fever respectively) and also, for a 2nd consecutive season, with Norwich in the Premier League.

Barry was the 1st Somersham rider (on March 9th)to take to the track in competitive action when he rode in the Norwich Grand Prix on their newly resurfaced track but could only manage 6 points in an event won by Polish rider Lukasz Nowacki who rides for Leicester.

There was a 3 week gap before the next action when Somersham staged the opening round of the 2008 South-East Grand Prix series. There was Somersham representation and their results are as follows:

Under 13:Harry Reece 4th in the “B” Final
Under 16:Ryan Jay* 3rd in the “A” Final
Senior “A” Final: 1st Gary Brown,3rd Daniel Johnson*,4th Barry Copping
Senior “B” Final: 1st Paul Jay*,2nd Mark Cooper*
*-Kesgrave loanees

The next action was on Saturday 5th April where the 1st regional round of the British Youth & Junior League took place at Kesgrave. There was Somersham interest as Joe Hodge (Gary Brown’s nephew) rode in the Under 10 age group and won the “C” final and Ryan Jay, one of our Kesgrave loanees, emulated Joe’s feat in the Under 16 age group.

The following day saw the 1st South-East League team match to brave the weather as our partner club Kesgrave hosted Ipswich in Division 1 action. The final score was Kesgrave 86 Ipswich 91,Ipswich having moved in front with 5 races to go. Of the regular Somersham riders to ride Gary Brown, returning to the team where his career started back in 1982, was top scorer with 15 and a bonus point(for following a team-mate home) whilst Barry scored 12 points, despite having a mechanical problem with his bike in his 3rd race which ultimately cost Kesgrave a league point.

Action at Somersham in May:
Wednesday 7th: Round 2 of the Suffolk Grand Prix for Under 13,15,17 and Senior riders at 7pm.
Sunday 18th:Hethersett are the visitors in the Norfolk & Suffolk League with an 11am start
Wednesday 28th:Suffolk Under 10 Team Tournament at 7pm

Practice sessions hopefully will be arranged but dates are not known at this stage so please check the club’s website or signs on the village green.
That’s it for now. Steve Copping, Assistant Secretary(sjccopping@aol.com)
Club Secretary: Peter Mittell:(01473) 831474
Club Website: http://www.btinternet.com/~somershamcsc

SOMERSHAM CARPET BOWLS CLUB

Only two league matches to report on this month and which proved to be two very crucial matches for Somersham. Winning both meant almost certain promotion into Division 2. Winning just one would have left the position outside our control and in the hands of other results: but grasping the situation we took on the challenge.

The first match was very promising with an overall win away at Shotley, which closed our position (2nd.) closer to the top of the league placings, and which was eventually going to prove vital to the outcome in the last match – see below.

In the first half the two games were evenly split with Shotley and Somersham winning one mat each; and improvement in the second half – with everyone bowling well - saw us move up a gear and achieve the two wins required to obtain a very heartening result.

Riding on the success from the Shotley win we were eagerly looking forward to the final match of the Winter League against Bentley – who were placed only one point behind us in the league table. This ‘at home’ encounter – with both teams so evenly placed - turned out to be the best match of the season.

In the first half it was a case of mixed fortunes and lots of pressure which saw a good win for Somersham on one mat, although on the other it was a case of the four unaccountably bowling below par, which allowed control to Bentley to take the win.

In the knowledge that Somersham only needed the win against Bentley and by any margin, the mood in the second half took on an air of determination. In this half the mats were very closely contested by both teams as one would expect in the circumstances, and it was nip and tuck all the way. Both our ‘fours’ attained outstanding results … on one mat it was a case of the margin of success achieved by the number of shots; and for the other ‘four’ it was coming from behind in the last end to gain a very worthy draw.

At the end of the evening the final result - the win - culminated in a happy conclusion to our Winter League season …. Promotion!
The significance of this achievement only becomes more evident when no-one within the Club can readily recall when Somersham bowled in a higher league! … and dates in the late 80’s have been suggested when the Club bowled in the old village hall.

We now look forward to meeting new faces and going afield to new venues when the Winter League – in Division 2 – starts again in September 2008.

Winter League - February Results: -
Team Shots Points
Shotley 36 - 53 2 - 8 Win Away
Bentley 34 - 44 3 – 7 Win Home

As an aside to league play we also say … Well done … to Bell and Keith Deaves, Sue Skinner and Rosemary Southgate for playing in a weekend tournament which sees them through to play in the concluding matches of the Suffolk Championship Finals. The outcome will be noted in the next copy of the Link.

What do you get up to on a Summer’s evening? .…. We are still asking for new bowlers to join the Club! …... Could this be you?

If so …. then the Club are looking for new bowlers and would like to invite anyone to come along to the Village Hall and try carpet bowling on any club night (Tuesdays) throughout the Summer.

Please ring either Keith/ Bell on 01473 831157 or Mike/ Rosemary on 01473 831515 for details
You’ll find everyone to be very friendly.

Friends of Somersham School

Finally some confirmed dates for your diaries:
Saturday 21st June- Wild West Themed Summer Fete
Friday 18th July- Summer Leavers disco
Friday14th November- Christmas Craft Fair

Clare Davies tel 832569

Flowton Church News

On Wednesday 2nd April Flowton Folk remembered the families and friends of both Reginald Laflin and Brett Williams, whose funerals were held that day. We continue to hold them in our thoughts at this difficult time.

Christian Aid Week - April 11th-18th – you will find an envelope in this copy of the Link – please consider making a donation. The envelope will be collected by one of our team of local collectors during the week. Thank you.

Flowton Fete – Sunday July 6th – a new attraction will be 2 Shetland Ponies which Juliet is going to bring and offer rides on - more details later.

OFFTON CHURCH NEWS

Schedule of Church Services

During the period of ‘inter-regnum’ when we do not have a resident priest, services will continue as in the past, but with a variety of ministers and lay church people taking the services. The normal pattern for Offton is as follows:

1st Sunday in month No service
(Communion at Willisham 9.30am)
2nd Sunday in month 6.30pm Evensong
3rd Sunday in month 10am Family Service with
Communion by extension
4th Sunday in month 11am Holy Communion
5th Sunday in month 10am United Holy Communion Service alternating around the 8 local parishes

Details about all services held in the 8 local parishes are to be found on the inside cover of the Link.

Annual Inspection

Offton Church is a 900 years-old Grade-1 Listed building, and as such, it is the role of the PCC to maintain it to the highest standards for the enjoyment of present parishioners, and also for future generations. As part of the process, a 5-yearly inspection is undertaken by the Deanery architect, and we now have his latest report. We were pleased with the report, but still have much maintenance to undertake over the coming 5 years to maintain the church at the standards expected. This will take thousands of pounds to achieve. If you are proud of your local church, or like to visit beautiful old buildings such as these, or just enjoy the ‘feel good’ factor, please do not forget to make a small bequest to Offton Church when writing your will. Any amount, however small, will be most gratefully received. If you would like to discuss this further with a member of the PCC, please contact one of the following:

Ian Dickson (Churchwarden) 01473 658637
Paul Chapman (Treasurer) 01449 721181
Mike Bolton (Secretary) 01473 658304

Review of Recent Events

The final Magical Musical Moments (MMM) concert for this winter season took place on 8 March. Once again, a full house enjoyed a varied programme of music and singing by the ‘4 Voices’ accompanied by professional pianist Lisa Cheadle. These concerts are organised by Maartje and Pieter Ronderboom, and a review on the past concerts appears elsewhere in this Link magazine. If a varied programme of classical and light music, set in an ancient, candle-lit church, accompanied by fine cheeses and wines during the interval is ‘your thing’, there will be another series of three concerts in the church next winter to look forward to. Further details will be provided later in the year.

On 29 March, Ian and Jan Dickson organised their Annual Quiz in the Village Hall. Around 60 people enjoyed a fun filled evening answering a range of questions on many topics – both local to Suffolk and the wider world. Food and drink accompanied the festivities and a total of £260 was raised for the church maintenance fund. No less than 17 prizes were available to the draw.

Easter services were available in the local churches from Maundy Thursday through to Easter Sunday. A particularly pleasant and relaxed service was held by our churchwarden on Easter Sunday with fine readings by members of the congregation. This evening service was very well attended.

By the time this article ‘goes to press, our annual Festival of Talents will have taken place on 13 April. This is organised by Scott Dolling, and features musical recitals, poetry readings and other such events by local parishioners. The event is always well attended and enjoyed.
Future Events

A ‘Family Bells Service’ will be held on Sunday 18 May at 10.00 am. This service is to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the commissioning of 2 treble bells, thus bringing the set to a full 8. This year is also the 50th anniversary of the re-hanging and augmentation to 6 bells from the previous 5.

Our Annual Fete will be held in the churchyard on Saturday 7 June. Planning is well under way, and the event will feature all the usual village fun events, plus live brass band music, refreshments etc. This is always greatly enjoyed by all who come, from toddlers to grand-parents, and an event that helps to provide income to maintain our ancient church. So bring your wallets, purses, pocket money, gold blocks etc, and join in the fun. If you would like to be more involved in this fete, please contact Peta Whiting on 01449 677766.

Although much later in the year, you can put this one in your diary now if you have pets in the family. On Sunday 21 September, we will be holding a ‘Family and Animal Blessing Service’ at 10.00 am. Suitable pets will be welcome – cows unfortunately do not make the grade! More details will appear closer to the time.

Magical Musical Moments

After the completion of the extension to St Mary’s Church, Offton with the kitchen and toilet facilities, Maartje Rondeboom had the wonderful idea of holding concerts in the church to raise money for charities of her choice, and so, Magical musical moments was born.
There have now been fifteen concerts over a five year period and Maartje has found all the performers and artistes who have taken part and has made all the arrangements which have gone to make the concerts the amazing success that they have been.
With Pieter to back Maartje up and find some fine wines to go with the cheese-boards for the interval feast at the concerts, together they have given people from far and wide wonderful entertainment.

To date Maartje has raised over £7,000 and this has benefited the following charities:
Offton &Willisham Village Hall £ 760
St Elizabeth Hospice £ 450
Alzheimers Society £ 639
Motor Neurone Association £ 674
Offton Church £1,875
Macmillan Cancer Relief £ 804
Link Newsletter £ 200
Cancer Research UK £ 459
Tools with a Mission £ 100
Family for Children Tsunami Relief Fund £ 100
Ipswich-Beira Health Initiative £1,200

Magical Musical Moments
certainly lived up to its name
Paul Chapman

OFFTON AND WILLISHAM PARISH COUNCIL
 
The next meeting of the Council is on May 19th.  It will be preceded by the Annual Parish Meeting at 7 pm.  This meeting is the forum for parishioners to freely bring to the attention of Councillors matters which concern them, and it is hoped advantage will be taken of this opportunity.
 
Council's application to have the K 6 telephone kiosk in Offton listed has been turned down by English Heritage
 
A request has been made to SCC to add road curbing in Willisham extending past the village sign to help reduce the verge erosion by passing lorries etc.
 
Pip Sands   Clerk  01449 721173

 
Barking Pre-school (Registered Charity 1020882)

Easter may have come early but the children have still been busy finding out about and celebrating Easter. They have been decorating eggs and baskets and had an Easter egg hunt and played games on the grass. We try to spend time outside each day (weather permitting) and the children really enjoy using the play area and having the space to run about and play different games.

We wish to thank everyone who attended and supported our recent race night. It was a great success and we managed to raise over £1,500. This money will be very useful in helping to support the pre-school over the next term. Well done to all the committee and parents in organising and staging the night.

Children can start pre-school from the age of 2½ and from the term after their third birthday, the Government funds the sessions. The pre-school is open every weekday morning from 9.30 until 12 noon during term time and children can attend any number of sessions per week (space permitting). Our staff are committed, enthusiastic and well trained and work hard to organise a wide variety of fun and educational activities including crafts, cooking, music, story telling and construction. We have many toys to play with and activities to do so there is bound to be something to capture each child’s imagination.

It might seem a bit soon, but you may want to start thinking about a place for your child for the next school year starting in September. We are more than happy to invite parents/carers along for a visit to come and see who we are and what we do. Contact either Veronika Pryke (our pre-school leader) on 01473 658368 or Helen Smith on 01473 833285, to arrange a visit.

Mid Suffolk South Team
Mid Suffolk District Council Offices,
131 High Street Needham Market Suffolk IP6 8DL
Tel: 01449 724997 http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/safersuffolk
Hello again ,
Crimes of interest In the area
Somersham and Willisham –No crimes
Flowton - 25th March – Burglary other building – vehicle engines etc stolen

The Mid Suffolk Volunteer Property Photographing Scheme has been set up to enable householders to have items of value within their homes photographed and recorded on a compact disc.

 The scheme is available to anyone living in Mid Suffolk but is prioritised towards those people who are vulnerable or do not have their own digital cameras and computers.

 Volunteers from Mid Suffolk Crime Prevention Panel will visit householders and take digital images of valuable items and then in the presence of the householder, download those images onto a CD using a portable CD burner.
If you would like further information please contact the crime reduction officer at Stowmarket police Station on 01473 383400.

If you have any information or would like any advice on police matters PCSO 3155 Sian Uttley or myself would be more than happy to discuss this with you Our contact telephone number is 01449 724997
Our e mail addresses are sian.uttley@suffolk.pnn.police.uk or david.clark@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

Please remember that there are occasions when we on rest days for 4 days so if your call is of an urgent nature please ask to speak to any officer on duty.

Thanks very much. PC 466 Dave Clark

WILLISHAM CHURCH NOTES

Village Walk

This year’s walk takes place on Saturday the 10th May at 5.30pm from Derrick Hill. Full details will appear in the next issue of the Link, but please book this date in your diary now. The popularity of this event grows every year and we are very grateful to John, Leita and Jenny for once again organising a walk on behalf of Willisham Church. To book, or for more details, please contact John Minns on 01473 658352.

Somersham Baptist Church

Regular Sunday Morning Programme (You are welcome to join us for all or part of the morning).
10.00-10.30 Prayer Meeting
10.45-11.15 Bible Study (Communion 1st Sunday)
11.30-12.00 Worship
12.00-12.30 Sermon
Other Meetings
Children and Young People (During term time); Wednesday Club 6.30-7.30pm for primary school children, 14+ Friday’s 8.00-9.30pm Year 9 upwards.
Meetings for Ladies;
Women’s Fellowship: 2.30pm Friday 14th March.
Friends and Neighbours 7.45pm 17th March.

Contact Mark if you need transport.
Meetings are held at the Baptist Chapel, Chapel Lane, Somersham IP84 QE.
Pastor Mark Newcombe, 01473 831940, 07930543583, m.newcombe940@btinternet.com

Services during April in our eight linked parishes
Please contact your Churchwardens if you think there is a mistake.

Thursday 1st May Ascension Day
9.15am Bramford Holy Communion
7.30pm Stonham Holy Communion

4th May Sunday after Ascension Day
9.30am Willisham Holy Communion(Canon C Chapman)
11.15am Somersham Holy Communion(Canon C Chapman)
11.15am Battisford Morning Prayer
3.00pm Barking Evening Prayer
6.30pm Flowton Holy Communion (Rev. R. Excell)

11th May Pentecost
8.00am Flowton Holy Communion (Canon R. Dedman)
10.00am Somersham Family Service
10.00am Bricett Holy Communion (Rev. T. Wilcox)
11.15am Barking Holy Communion (Rev G. Drew)
11.15am Battisford Family Service + baptism
(Padre M Stevenson)
3.00pm Willisham Evening Prayer
6.30pm Offton Evening Prayer

18th May Trinity Sunday
8.00am Somersham Holy Communion ( Rev T. Hall)
10.00am Offton Bellringers Family Service
10.00am Bricett Family Service
11.15am Battisford Holy Communion
6.00pm Flowton Evening Prayer

25th May 1st Sunday after Trinity
9.30am Ringshall Holy Communion
10.00am Flowton Morning Worship for all ages
10.00am Barking Morning Prayer
11.00am Offton Holy Communion
6.30pm Somersham Evening Prayer (D. Ames)

1st June 2nd Sunday after Trinity
9.30am Willisham Holy Communion
11.15am Somersham Holy Communion + baptism
(Rev S Ritchie)
11.15am Battisford Morning Prayer (Ray Taylor)
3.30pm Needham Market Archdeacon’s Visitation
6.30pm Flowton Holy Communion (Rev. R. Excell)

Somersham Parish Council

MAY 2008

Forthcoming Parish Council Meetings

Wednesday 7th May 2008 – (Annual Parish Council Meeting)
Wednesday 4th June 2008
Wednesday 2nd July 2008

All meetings commence at 7.30pm in the Village Hall and the press and public are welcome to attend.

* * * * *

Report of Annual Parish Meeting

Following a very interesting presentation by David Bird, Chairman of Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue, annual reports were received from the County Councillor Truelove and District Councillor Steve Wright, along with Police and Neighbourhood Watch reports. The parish council wishes to extend its appreciation to David Bird and Tim Gillott from SuLSaR for their presentation and the valuable work they undertake in the county.

Parish council expenditure for 2007/8 was £19,471 with total income being £15,491. The excess of expenditure over income was largely due to the contribution made to the Snoasis legal representation at last year’s Public Inquiry which was paid from reserves.

Annual Parish Council Meeting

The next parish council is the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council. At this meeting the parish council will elect its officers and representatives for the forthcoming year. It is hoped that a representative from Suffolk ACRE will be present to explain the result of the recent Housing Needs Survey and provide information on the next stage.

Allotments

All allotment holders have renewed their tenancy for a further year which means that no vacant plots will be available in the foreseeable future. This is likely to be unwelcome news for the six residents currently hoping for an allotment who will be advised as soon as a plot becomes vacant. Income from the allotment rents is paid to the Somersham Town Land Charity which is able to make small donations to local residents or organisations facing hardship. A meeting of the Trustees will be held shortly so please contact me if you know of any person or organisation which could benefit from a donation from the Town Land Charity fund.

Community Shop

The parish council was delighted at the success of the recent public meeting regarding the setting up of a community shop and also that a Steering Group has been established to take the project forward. The Steering Group meets again in May and the parish council wishes success to the Steering Group and will do all it can to support the initiative.

Structural review of local government in Suffolk

The structural review of principal authorities (county and district councils) in Suffolk is currently underway. This review will not affect parish councils. The Boundary Committee has a very tight timescale and is currently meeting with current principal authorities. Their proposal must be with the Secretary of State by the 31st December 2008. The Committee is looking for a unitary pattern of authorities in Suffolk following the rejection of the previous bid by Ipswich for unitary status, but will not consider an altered two tier system. Following the publication of draft proposals early in July, the consultation period runs from 7th July to 26th September when comments from any interested party will be welcome. All concepts and representations will be placed on the Boundary Committee’s website which is www.boundarycommittee.org.uk . This website also contains other useful information about the process and sets out the criteria the Boundary Committee has been given for this review. Representations will be accepted from all but should contain as much evidence and reasoning as possible to back up the arguments put forward.

Janet Clarke Tel. No. 01473 830398
Clerk to the Council E-mail: janetinclaydon@aol.com

Somersham Church Notes

Please check times of services in Somersham church in the Link magazine or with a churchwarden, as there may be changes to the regular pattern during the interregnum.

On Saturday May 10th we will be holding a concert by the Melody Makers, in the church at 7.30pm. See ad elsewhere for more details.

On Sunday 8th June we will be joining the Baptist Church for their annual open-air service on the playing field. This will replace our normal family service in the church.

Our Summer Fete will be on Saturday July 5th so put the date in your diaries. We are very grateful to the Caston family for once again allowing us to hold the fete on Church Meadow. More details next month, but we will be very grateful for any donations of raffle prizes, tombola, cakes, produce and plants.

As the Christmas quiz sheet seems to be so popular we are going to have a summer one! These will be on sale soon for £1 from Christine’s Haircare, Somersham Garage or Pat Woolhouse.
You should find a Christian Aid envelope in with this month's magazine. Volunteers will be coming round during Christian Aid Week, which is May 11-17th, to collect the envelopes and would be very grateful if you can put an amount in, however small. Last year Somersham raised over £400. It would be fantastic to reach a similar figure this year. 
Somersham and District Community Shop

A well-attended public meeting was held at Somersham Village Hall in March to hear about the possibility of creating a Community Shop in Somersham.

Seventy-nine local people were present to hear Ian Toye of ViRSA (Village Retail Services Association) give a presentation of the implications and opportunities of starting up a community shop in the village. He said that there are 170 community shops currently known and the numbers are growing; they provide a focal part of village life, provide a meeting place and put ‘heart’ into a village.

Ian said that there were many key issues to address, such as finding suitable premises, gaining planning permission, raising capital and staffing a shop. He gave us information on what funding might be available, what equipment would be required, what sort of goods to stock.

Parish Councillors had already done a good bit of groundwork and the need now was for a Steering Group to be formed to start the hard work of making a business plan, accessing funding, and setting the plan in motion. Ian said this would not happen overnight and would take several months to come to fruition.

The meeting finished with a great of deal questions and support for the project. Ian said this looks very positive for the future.

We were lucky enough to have 12 members of the community offer their services to form a Steering Group and 20 more volunteering to help when the shop is up and running. The first meeting of the Steering Group took place at the beginning of April and the wheels are starting to turn.

We look forward to having a very successful and useful community shop in Somersham and will keep you informed of events as they happen. Anybody wishing to volunteer to help in any way, either as part of the Steering Group or when the shop gets up and running, will be very welcome.

For any information please contact:
Richard Browne - 831321; Terry Fordham - 831529 or Janet Hodge - 832296

The following piano pupils of Mrs Lynne Holton have been successful in passing the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations:

In the practical examinations: Emily Beckett passed Grade 3 with Merit, Rachel Dickerson and Laura Dickerson both passed Grade 2 with Merit.

In the theory examinations: Amanda Jones passed Grade 4 with Distinction.

Well done to all pupils.

Coffee Caravan
The Coffee Caravan will be in Somersham on Brook Way on last Wednesday afternoon of each month during the summer:

MAY 28th 2.00 – 4.00pm
JUNE 25th 2.00 – 4.00pm
JULY 30th 2.00 – 4.00pm
AUGUST 27th 2.00 – 4.00pm
SEPTEMBER 24th 2.00 – 4.00pm

The Rural Coffee Caravan Information Project provides a rich source of information as well as a community café for the village to enjoy as a social event. All welcome.

Somersham & District Community Association

The AGM has been and gone, and you missed it! As with most voluntary organisations today, there were no nominations to fill vacant or take over current posts so your Chairman & Treasurer remains Mike Shelmerdine, the two elected members are Steve Woolhouse & Terry Fordham who also spearheads the Playing Field Improvement Project, and I am the Minutes Secretary. The question was asked why the membership list looks good and the attendance is so poor. The straight answer being that all clubs and organisations in the area wishing to nominate a representative are entitled to be fully voting members and until they ask to be removed from the list will be classed as such. All organisations suffer from the same problem these days; busy lives and in small villages too few people to cover all the jobs needed. Its not all gloom and doom, there’s plenty going on its just that no one seems to have time for just one more meeting. Also the S&DCA spent the last few years concentrating on the Playing Field Improvement Project, leaving neither time nor funds to answer calls for help from members so some may think they have not stake in the Association. Glad to announce that the project is all but finished and design and equipment are a credit to all the hard work done especially given the space restrictions. Now we just have to maintain it (despite the destructive efforts of a few locals) and find new ideas for raising funds for this and use in the Community.

The AGM followed by a regular meeting covered just about everything from mole hills and rat catching to memorial bridges, lighting, goal posts, vollyball, dog fouling, fencing and even mentioned finances for the coming year. But the year cannot end without a big thank you to all those who have helped in any way from litter picking, stone picking, disposing of rubbish, cleaning the pavilion, emptying the rubbish bins, spending hours chasing grants, replacing lights and stray fixings, organising fund-raising events and simply by using the facilities. The Sports & Sports & Social Club, Football Clubs, Cycle Speedway and the fledgling Tennis Club all provide good support by regular use of the Pavilion and care for their particular areas of pitches, track and courts.

If you want to hire the pavilion for small groups or parties, to nominate a representative to the S&DCA, to simply promote your own idea of a good community activity, or help in any way please contact Mike Shelmerdine on 01473 831661.
Nicky Heming 01473 831594