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.

NEWS IN BRIEF

13th May
GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE
Relaxing the lockdown.
Frequently asked questions on what you can and can’t do during the coronavirus outbreak.
ROADWORKS on A14
Diversions start on Monday 11th May for 6 weeks. Details HERE
PARISH COUNCIL meetings still on hold.

The Annual Parish Meeting is cancelled.

ES THEATRE GUILD
Auditions for The Little Mermaid by
ZOOM on Friday 29th May.

Sewing scrubs and bags and masks are things that Pauline's pleased to make.
For others they're not easy tasks but trouble she's so pleased to take.
So if you have some fabric spare and wish to leave it at her door,
She'll make it up with loving care and endless patience - that's for sure!

See Pauline's ad on the Diary Dates page

‘Not Just a Green Door’

A Village Hall fit for the 21st Century

Read the plans for refurbishment of our Village Hall.
Have your say about its uses.
Volunteer to help with the renovation
Follow the link to our

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Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk can give advice on problems at work, help people struggling to pay their bills and work out if people are getting all the financial help they are entitled to. They are a local charity and their advice is free.
Call them on 01449 676060. Lines open: Monday – Thursday 9.30am – 3.30pm, Friday 9.30am – 12.30pm.

Contact them via their web site on https://www.midsuffolkcab.org.uk/contact-us/

THANK YOU TO OUR BIN MEN

BROWN BIN COLLECTIONS TO START AGAIN

Collections in Earl Stonham and Stonham Parva will restart on
Wednesday 20th May.
Please ensure your BROWN BIN is ready at 6.30am on the morning of your collection day.

THANK YOU TO OUR NHS WORKERS

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On the left are images from the Village Rainbow Tree to show the support of our village for Key Workers, the Heroes without capes.

The ball comes from a video posted on the closed group ESVH Facebook Page HERE
BH 4th April
RG 8th April
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JFH-H 17th April
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And here is Perfect Perennials' way of thanking our NHS!
CONTENT LIST
18th April
GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE
Guidance on hygiene and food safety related to Coronavirus
18th April
FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY
An independent Government department working across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to protect public health and consumers' wider interests in food.
15th April
SHOPPING
Argos and Brockford Home Delivery added
LIST OF LINKS TO OPEN SHOPS with opening hours and other details
15th April
LOCAL SURGERIES - Stow Health Violet Hill
Free delivery of prescriptions for over 70s
14th April
Local Church Congregations
6th April
Suffolk Farmhouse Cheeses
5th April
Government sponsored Coronavirus Survey.
19th March
LOCAL HELP
LINKS TO OFFERS OF HELP from local volunteers
3rd April
SHOPPING
LIST OF LINKS TO OPEN SHOPS with opening hours and other details
3rd April
LOCAL SURGERIES
3rd April
OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT INSTRUCTIONS AND NHS ADVICE
3rd April
LOCAL PUBLIC BUILDINGS
CLOSURE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS Village Hall, Church, Parish Room, etc.
26th March
HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING CENTRE
CLOSURE OF HWRC Announcement and instructions
18th March
REGULAR VILLAGE NOTICES
LINK TO VILLAGE NOTICES All the information as it appears ...
Click or tap the link for details.
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SUFFOLK FARMHOUSE CHEESES
Two lovely villagers have agreed with Suffolk Farmhouse Cheeses (on the A140) that any villager wishing to place an order can do so by email, phone or Facebook message by Wednesday evening at the latest and the order will then be collected by our volunteers, Ruth & Michael and delivered to villagers on Thursday evenings about 6pm. To pay, the person ordering should ring Katherine at the farm shop about 4pm on the Thursday and she can confirm what is in the order and take payment over the phone.

The phone number is 01449 710458 or email enquiries@suffolkcheese.co.uk

Or collection from the farm shop can be arranged direct - they are open until 5pm.

Items and prices are as below: (Sorry for the fuzzy image: ED)
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NHS asks people to share their coronavirus symptoms to help others
A new Coronavirus Status Checker will help the NHS coordinate its response and build up additional data on the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Are you staying at home?

Do you need help?

Everyone is now required to stay at home. However, folk over 70 and people with underlying health conditions may need assistance with shopping/medication collection.

We have put together a list of those that would be able to volunteer to help with that, but we also need to know who needs help!

Please send an email to Deb Turner if you feel you need help in the current crisis, or if you know of someone who needs help. Deb now has a long list of volunteers and is looking to match them with people who need help, so please let Deb know what you need.

If you have any questions, please ask!
If you are able to offer help, please send details here: Email to offer help
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SHOPPING
Most of you will have read the official government advice signposted below on this page and day to day activities are becoming more important as social distancing and self-isolation take hold.

The A-Z list of links below may prove useful if you want to know what is going on locally in the food shops and pharmacies. It is published in good faith but without recommendation. If you need help, contact Deb Turner to access our volunteer network.

STORE WEBSITE

Summary of content

Alder Carr Farm Shop

LINK
Farm Shop opening hours
No Contact collection service -
Order by email or telephone.
All other outlets closed
Argos On Line

LINK
While the Stowmarket store has gone from their web site, Argos are still delivering to your doorstep.


ASDA Stowmarket

LINK

Opening Hours
Click and Collect
Pharmacy

Optician - Urgent & Emergency only. All routine appointments cancelled
ASDA's response to COVID-19

LINK
ASDA's answer to FAQ's about their response.
BOOTS - Chemist

LINK
Opening hours
Pharmacy

Links to Boots services
BROCKFORD Home Delivery

LINK
Home Delivery of Newspapers and Magazines.
Telephone 01379 870241 or register on their web page
East of England CO-OP

LINK
Opening Hours
Home delivery suspended.
Limited acceptance of vouchers.
No on line or telephone ordering service.
East of England CO-OP

LINK to Coronavirus information for shoppers, including FAQ's
including 10% discount for NHS workers (ID required)
Limits on quantity and weight of purchases
GILBERT'S of Sproughton

LINK
Range of baked pies, pasties, etc.
Available for home delivery only.
Order by email or telephone.
LIDL

LINK
Opening hours (Allow location)

Customer Update - link to Company message
Superdrug

LINK
Opening hours.
No Pharmacy at Stowmarket.
Online prescription order and postal delivery.
Tesco Stowmarket

LINK
Opening Hours
Opening Hours for Vulnerable People and the Elderly
Opening Hours for NHS Workers
Click and Collect
Pharmacy
(Tesco Mobile Shop is Closed)
(Fish Counter and Deli Counters are closed)
3 items per product, max 80 items total
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List of Surgeries
SURGERY

Summary of content

Violet Hill Surgery

LINK
Open for NON-coronavirus patients.
Telephone or online booking.
Includes patients from Combs Ford Surgery.

Pharmacy - Prescriptions only - 3 days.
Free delivery for over 70s.

Combs Ford Surgery

No link. All patients moved to Violet Hill Surgery (Stowhealth)
From Thursday 26th March Combs Ford Surgery will be a Coronavirus Isolation Site. Any routine appointments will be dealt with at Stowhealth. This is a temporary measure while we are dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

All bookings via Violet Hill Surgery (See above)
Bacton Surgery

No link. All patients moved to Mendlesham Health Centre
BACTON SURGERY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE (including dispensary) DUE TO UNPRECEDENTED CIRCUMSTANCES. PLEASE NOTE ANY PRESCRIPTIONS POSTED AT BACTON TAKE 6 WORKING DAYS TO PROCESS.

All our face-to-face appointments will be scheduled at Mendlesham Surgery
Mendlesham Surgery

LINK

Appointments LINK
DURING THE CURRENT COVID-19 PANDEMIC ALL BOOKABLE ONLINE APPOINTMENTS ARE 'TELEPHONE CALL FROM CLINICIAN' APPOINTMENTS. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND THE SURGERY.

Pharmacy - Prescriptions only - 5 days.

Appointments may also be booked by telephone.

Below is a link to Coronavirus Government Information -

Full guidance on staying at home and away from others

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Click HERE or tap the image below to view NHS Advice if you have symptoms ...

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GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE

Frequently asked questions on what you can and can’t do during the coronavirus outbreak.
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GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE FOR CONSUMERS

This guidance will assist consumers to maintain good food hygiene during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
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FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY

Coronavirus (COVID-19): It is very unlikely that you can catch coronavirus from food. Follow the standard methods of food safety and hygiene.

Coronavirus and Public Buildings

The Village Hall and Bowling Club
As you might expect, we have been obliged to close the Village Hall for Public gatherings of any sort until the Coronavirus emergency has passed and gatherings of more than two people are permitted again.

Earl Stonham Bowling Club is also closed.

EARL STONHAM PLAYPARK

AS THE SAFETY OF THE PLAYPARK CANNOT BE VOUCHED FOR IN THE PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES A DECISION HAS RELUCTANTLY BEEN TAKEN TO CLOSE FOR THE TIME BIENG

EARL STONHAM TRUST
St Mary's Church and The Parish Room
Both St Mary's Church and The Parish Room will remain closed until the Coronavirus emergency has passed and gatherings of more than two people are permitted again.

Please do feel free to contact any member of the ministry team by telephone. Look for Contact Details on the St Mary's Parish Church page.
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The Stowmarket Household Waste Recycling Centre is now closed during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Please keep all items at home until the Household Waste Recycling Centre re-opens.

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

Also below you will find adverts and posters for forthcoming events in the village.
Or you can visit our What's On page for a simple list of events

Parish Council

Next Regular Meeting:
Thursday 21st May 2020 - 7.30pm

Please note the change of date!

Agenda here when published

There is a publicly available Defibrillator by the entrance to The Village Hall.

Tap the button above for details.
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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

There will be no lunch in April or May.

The mobile library service has been temporarily suspended.
(20th March.)

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.

Our Mobile Library

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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.
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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.)

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.

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.

Register of Local Businesses

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
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Click or tap image for full-sized view

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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.

Babergh Mid Suffolk DC Website

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We've displayed this poster for a year, hoping MSDC would publish another newsletter. No joy.

However, there is lots to discover on the current Babergh Mid Suffolk Web site. This link takes you to the Communities page but the What's On page is also worth a look.

© 2018 - 2020 Earl Stonham Parish Council