Scattered around three greens either side of the A 1120, we have much to offer visitors and residents alike. Forward Green straddles the main road with Middlewood Green to the north and Broad Green to the west. Together with Earl Stonham on the A140 to the east, they each hold clusters of houses, some very old and some very new, providing homes for folk from all walks of life. Such variety gives the village its own special character.

Below are quick links to some of the many activities enjoyed by residents. More details can be found by following the menu items.

Donations needed for Raffle, Cake Stall or Tombola,

Tap or click here or the image to view full details in a new window

Joint Local Plan

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils are carrying out a consultation in relation to the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan. This covers proposals for residential and commercial development for the next 18 years (to 2036). You can view maps of all villages and towns in the MSDC and Babergh DC areas and discuss planning policy as it is applied to local applications.

For details follow this link to their Notice or use this link to access Mid Suffolk DC's Joint Local Plan homepage

There are still consultation days available, especially at Needham Market on 12th September and Stowmarket on 19th September. All these dates can be viewed on their Consultation Schedule here

EARL STONHAM TRUST
&
THE BOWLS CLUB

Sadly, the Bowls Club has informed the Trust it will not be renewing the ground lease this Autumn.

The area has been occupied by the Bowls Club for over sixty years and marks the end of an era in the Village. The Trust has been considering the best alternative use for the site.

The prefabricated Clubhouse is constructed from low grade asbestos sheeting and facilities are in need of renovation to bring up to modern standards. The Trust does not have the funds to do this and neither does the Bowls Club have resources to remove all buildings from the site and reinstate ground as required by the terms of the lease. The Bowling Green is situated on a large mound which further restricts use of the site such as extension of the car park.

This corner forms part of the Recreation Ground endowed to the Village in 1933 and managed by Earl Stonham Trust, a Charitable Trust which is bound by its Constitution and Charity Commission rules to maximise the best use of an asset to maintain an income for the Trust. The Village Hall and car park are separate entities.

The area cannot be left to deteriorate and as Trustees have not found a viable long term alternative use for the site, have reluctantly concluded to apply for outline planning permission to develop the area for housing, if possible.

This could ultimately mean disposal of part of a Village asset although the main Recreation Ground would remain as it is. If anyone has any other suggestions for a viable long term alternative use for this area, please contact any Trustee mentioned below or e-mail [email protected]

Diary Dates

Recorder Autumn 2019

Village Picnic

Sunday 1st September

Just some of the assembled villagers on a glorious summer day!

More photos here!

Parish Council

Next Regular Meeting:

Monday 4th November 2019 - 7.30pm

Link to Agenda when published

ESPC Minutes 1st July 2019

Library Lunches

These are timed to coincide with visits from our Mobile Library and are organised by a different village group each month.
The cost is £4.00 per person and lunch is served from 12.45pm

The next one is on
Friday 4th October

Tap the Library Lunches button for dates and more info.

Social Prescribing

Connect for Health
Stay well together

Free event at The Mix

on

Wednesday 9th October

Tap the button to find out more about this new initiative from our NHS.

SOCIAL PRESCRIBING

Walk In Flu Clinics

These are the 2019 Walk in Flu Clinic dates for Stowhealth:

Saturday 28th September
8.30am - 12.30pm
(65s & Overs only)

Saturday 19th October
8.30am - 12.30pm
(65s & Overs and
under 65s ‘at risk’ group)

Saturday 23rd November
8.30am - 12.30pm
(65s & Overs and
under 65s ‘at risk’ group)

Please check availability with Stowhealth before travelling.

Measles

Measles is a highly infectious and potentially serious disease becoming more frequent recently.

Protection is provided by the MMR vaccine available on the NHS. Vaccination of individuals also helps to prevent the spread of the disease.

Check with your GP surgery to make sure you are protected.

Autumn Recorder

Out Now!

Download copy here

What is this windmill doing on our Green?

Well, this is part of the SEFWI Windmill Trail. There are lots of them in villages all over Suffolk, each with a unique code, put up by local WIs.

There is a prize offered for the most windmills "collected" complete with their correct codes.

Find out more from this link to https://sefwi.org.uk/news/153/2019windmill

Competition closes on 8th October.

News and Comment

Click/Tap to view ⬍

News items and comment will be highlighted here, with more info available or links to other pages when needed.

Click to open - click to close.

Local Volunteers Clean Up!

Tony and his Little Helpers

Several skilled cleaners made light work of the latest cleaning job at The Village Hall

Everything from the windows to the Hall Floor were given the once over, including both the cookers

"Nutshells" Tea Room and Florist

Nutshells opened on 22nd November and, to judge by their Facebook page, they have been warmly welcomed by their new customers. They are currently styled as Tea Room and Florist but I expect they have plans for more.

No news of a Post Office yet. The folks at The Co-op garage say it's not going there, so we'll have to wait and see!

There are branches of the Post Office at Stonham Barns, Mendlesham, Stowmarket & Needham Market and details of opening hours etc at the Royal Mail Branch Finder website.

Adverts

Love 'em or hate 'em, they do bring in a little pin money, so we've tried to return some value for our advertisers by placing copy where it can be easily seen. The placing is random, but the image will enlarge if tapped or it may carry a link to the advertiser's website.

Local websites sometimes carry registers of local businesses as a useful reference point. Our neighbours in Creeting St Mary have a good example, although it is not mobile friendly yet.

Since most local businesses rely on local trade and/or local employment for their success, it must be worth supporting them where possible and this may be a useful source of information.

We'll start with our advertisers and accept applications from others to see where it leads.

Suggestions or applications to The Web Editor please

Our Mobile Library

Offering books from a wide selection, our Mobile Library is one of three vehicles covering the whole County. It arrives at 12.20 pm on the same day as the Village Lunch and stays until 12.50 pm.

Andy has been operating our Library for the last 14 years and enjoys meeting his regular borrowers, many of whom he knows by name.

As well as books, The Library Service now offers free access to newspapers through its new PressReader service. This service provides access to full digital editions of nearly all major national UK newspapers, including The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Mirror and Daily Star. A wide range of top UK magazines are also available, covering a broad range of subjects and audiences. This service is available to all borrowers with online access (computer, tablet or smartphone.)

Volunteer Caravan Towers Needed

– We Need Your Help

Are you a Semi- Retired or Retired Caravaner living in Suffolk?
Do you have any spare time to help a Suffolk Charity, with your experience and expertise?
Would you be interested in giving up a morning or afternoon once a month or more if possible to help us reach isolated rural communities, where we provide Tea or Coffee, Cake and Information on our regular visits during the season from April to October.
If you think you could help and want to find out more about us and what we do, please check our Web Site -

www.ruralcoffeecaravan.org

or contact Ann Osborn on 01379 855338 to have a chat and find out more.

Mid Suffolk DC Newsletter

Earl Stonham