| Stoke by Nayland Club joins Best Western Hotels | |
This month a well known Assington fruit farmer, Richard Heseltine, publishes a remarkable volume of war memoirs entitled ‘Pippin’s Progress’ after the army nickname that stuck with him throughout the war. The book is lavishly illustrated with the author’s paintings and drawings done on the spot, which give it a very special quality. When paints were unobtainable he improved ingeniously, using powdered mepacrine anti-malarial tablets mixed with blue ink!
Richard was already a talented artist when he joined 3rd Hussars in 1939 but his military knowledge was nil. A year later, in the thick of the first offensive in the Western Desert, he was proving a skilful, dashing and often highly unorthodox tank commander. His battle experiences, recounted with humour and humanity, from Cyrenaica through Alamein to northern Italy, where he won the Military Cross, read like an adventure story. But equally engaging are his descriptions of those countries happily still at peace – Palestine, Syria and Cyprus. These he observes with the keen eye of a countryman. “The details is extraordinary,” writes Ronald Blythe, “recorded by an eye that missed nothing and a hand that could draw and paint the continuously changing scene. A fascinating book.
‘Pippin’s Progress’ is obtainable from 19 November, price £18, from local bookshops or direct from Silver Horse Press, Centuries, Assington CO10 5LW
The Tulip Tree
“A flower bed 110ft high” is Thomas Pakenham’s description of the veteran tulip tree at Kew. It is so named (liriodendron tulipfera) because its flowers do resemble tulips. There are two species, one native to China, the other to North America.
It was introduced to Britain from America by the Tradescants, father and son, gardeners to Charles I, and was described in 1656 as “Tradescant’s White Virginian Poplar”. A tree at Esher Place, Surrey bears this label:- “This tree was the first to be imported from Virginia in 1685”.
In 1947 it had reached a height of 30 metres and a girth of 7.8 metres. The first tree to flower in this country was in Parson’s Green, Fulham in 1776.
Tulip trees will grow in many different climates. For instance, it can weather the severe winters of New England, as well as the frost-free year of Florida. It grows best in deep, moist soil. I know of two growing well in Hadleigh, both in gardens, one in the garden of 3 Drapers Close, and the other planted by Lewis Hart in his lovely garden in Church Street.
In its first year the tree grows to a height of 10 to 30 cms, and thereafter much more rapidly. In Illinois in 1900 a tree 36m (120 feet) tall with a girth of 1.8m (6 feet) was felled. In this country they grow best in the south-west and can last for 280 years before decaying. Young trees grow straight and are regularly branched, the bitter tasting bark, grey and ridged. On older trees the bark is brown and the crown is many domed with dense, summer foliage.
The leaves are like maple leaves with four lobes pointed at the tip, but unlike maple leaves those of the tulip tree are flattened at the top, looking almost as if they have been cut.
The foliage is glossy green above and blue/green beneath with white veins. The leaf stems are unusually long, about 11cms in young trees, and so the leaves flutter like those of poplars. This increased movement encourages the flow of air around them and speeds up the passage of water by transpiration through the tree.
In Autumn the thick foliage turns bright gold and then to rich brown, colour which lasts till early November. The flowers begin to appear in June when the tree is 15 to 20 years old and continues, more plentifully in hot summers, for at least 200 years. The buds, 4cms long, turn into cup-shaped flowers, blue/green at the base under an orange band which shades to pale green. Inside the cup is a cream cone surrounded by fleshy, cream stamens. The flowers open and the stamens spread. Bee pollination is important. The resulting fruit is dark brown and papery and about 4.5cms long. It breaks up into long-winged seeds.
In North America the tulip tree was very highly valued, tallest among deciduous hardwoods except for the “Western Plane” (Sycamore). Its timber was sometimes called “canoe wood” because from a single trunk a canoe to carry 20 people could be hollowed.
Daniel Boone, a North Carolinian of Devon stock, a famous pioneer, packed his family and belongings into a 60 foot, hollowed out, tulip tree trunk before setting out for Spanish territory.
The great size of these trunks meant that planks up to 1.5m (5 feet) in width could be cut. The trees were widely planted in Europe and America and the timber used for construction work, interior decoration, boxes, crates and veneers. The sapwood is called ‘canary white wood’ or ‘yellow poplar’ and is easily worked. It is sometimes used to make ‘white wood’ kitchen furniture. In this country these trees have been grown for ornament in parks and gardens and will grow readily as far north as the North Midlands. The tree in Draper’s Close is rare because it is a cultivar, that is to say that it has been specially bred to produce certain characteristics – in this case erect growth even of the branches. It is called ‘fastigiatum tulipfera’ and it is especially resistant to insect damage.
If you have an interest in any Hadleigh tree please telephone Gwen Dunn or Ann Stephenson on Hadleigh 822269 or 823659
Can you spare a couple of hours once a fortnight to bring pleasure and enjoyment to those who are less fortunate than yourself? Once again Hadleigh Library is urgently seeking volunteers to help run its Home Library Service, which delivers books and tapes to local residents who, because of age or disability, are unable to come to the library themselves. Books are of major importance to these people, because they cannot easily participate in the everyday activities which others take for granted, but they can still read and enjoy a good supply of books delivered to their home.
To provide the Home Library service to those who need it, we run several “routes” from the library, each visiting a small number of people once a fortnight. Some of our routes are currently being operated single-handedly and some have a larger number of customers than is ideal. So we are appealing for new volunteers to help our existing valiant band to provide this worthwhile service. We are looking for helpers to team up with current volunteers and to run new routes. The work is not onerous, involving choosing books at the library, delivering them to customers in Hadleigh and the surrounding villages, and bringing back the books they have read. Two to three hours once a fortnight are all that are required, and full training will be provided. If you would like to help deliver this much-appreciated service, please contact any member of staff at Hadleigh Library or call us on 01473 823778.
You may not have spotted two new fiction categories which have recently appeared between “Crime and Detection” and “Historical”. They are “Graphic Novels” (GRA), which are books in comic strip format, often science fiction or supernatural stories, and “Family Sagas” (FAM), which encompasses novels spanning several generations. Both categories are fairly small at present as we have not reclassified existing stock, but will grow as new titles are added.
Finally, a brief mention of the Learning Advice Service for Adults which has recently been launched in the library, details of which you will hopefully find elsewhere in this issue of the HCN. Providing information, advice and guidance on all aspects of learning for anyone aged 19 and over, the staffed helpdesk is in the library every Wednesday. Just call us on the number above to book an appointment.
Warmed chocolate brownie cake
By Weavers’ chef Matt Derges
Matt is including this in Weavers’ Christmas menu when it will be served with chocolate sauce and crème fraiche
Ingredients:
250g plain chocolate 170g unsalted butter
3 eggs 170g light muscavado sugar
60g self-raising flour 1tsp vanilla extract
100g roasted hazelnuts (chopped)
METHOD
1 Pre-heat oven to 190C/gas 5 and grease a 6in/7in cheesecake tin with removable base
2 Roughly chop the chocolate and melt in a bowl over simmering water together with the butter
3 Beat together eggs, sugar and stir in melted chocolate
4 Pour into the dish and bake for 40 minutes
5 Remove from oven and stand at room temperature for 30-40 minutes
6 Remove from tin and serve with crème fraiche and a sweet blackberry coulis
The log fires are lit at Weavers, and with them comes a new season of special evenings, starting with the ancient art of storytelling.
Just ask yourself, when was the last time you listened to a story? When did someone last read to you? Hmmm…..well, we thought it time to revive this art by combining fine food and wine with storytelling around the fire. It’s a great combination….and on Thursday 8th November we host an evening with Hadleigh’s own Aravis who weaves tales of folk lore and mystery as her audience relaxes by a crackling fire. It’s a magical evening, but our numbers are limited so please book early.
There’s more local talent on Saturday, November 10th when Fiona Lander and Paul Mason bring their music to Weavers. They are a class act, and if you haven’t yet heard them, you really should. You can come in to eat or simply have a glass of wine…but you should hear them one way or another.
The ever popular gourmet wine tasting evening with James Long, from wine merchants Corney and Barrow, will be on Thursday 22nd November. Matt’s fine food will be complemented by fine wines for the festive season. It’s entertaining, informative and good fun, but do book early (and best book a taxi or walk home…!)
It all gets highly festive on Thursday 6th December when we have our annual Christmas gift night. Come with a group of friends and dine while you shop. Why not make present buying fun and easy?
Then, of course, there’s Christmas to think about….the parties, the little indulgences…we’ve put together a great Christmas party menu and you can book our private dining room. We have en suite luxury guest rooms for out-of-town diners (or those who simply don’t want to drive.
So call us on 01473 827247 to book or for further information
J S Bach and Mozart were two of the greatest composers of the 17th and 18th Century. Three centuries later their music continues to inspire, excite and move performers and listeners alike. On Saturday 24th November Hadleigh Choral Society, along with the Colchester Orchestra conducted by Christopher Phelps, will be performing two works by Mozart, the Great Mass in C Minor and the Flute Concerto in G followed by Bach’s Magnificat.
In the summer of 1782, after much opposition from his father, Mozart married Constanze Weber. Mozart had vowed that if he won the hand of Constanze he would compose a new Mass as a form of celebration and it would be performed in Salzburg when he took Constanze to meet his family. Although it was never completed the Great Mass was performed in Salzburg in the church of St Peter on the 26th October 1873 with Constanze as one of the two soprano soloists. Unlike masses that Mozart had written in previous years, this Mass is a “cantana mass”, which means that the work is divided up to provide a multi-movement where the choir moves from four part to eight part voice.
In a letter to his father Mozart claimed to dislike the flute and harp, but whilst he was in Mannheim in 1778 an opportunity to make some money came in the form of a commission from Ferdinand De Jean, a Dutch surgeon who was also a flautist and music lover. Although his heart may not have been in the project Mozart wrote a number of works for De Jean including the Flute Concerto in G major which has a vigorous and expressive first movement followed by a beautiful serene and rich slow movement where the solo flute stands out against a background of oboes, muted strings and horns. The finale is a graceful minuet rondo, which Mozart seems to have given up writing in his later works.
There is no doubt that Mozart admired Bach enormously, and it is therefore fitting that the concert ends with another celebrationary work, Bach’s Magnificat in D. The Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise to God when her cousin Elisabeth greeted here as mother of the Lord, seems to have been part of the Roman Catholic service of Vespers since the liturgy was formalised. The sixteenth-century reformers retained it, and in Leipzig during Bach’s tenure as cantor, it was sung in German at the Vesper service on Sunday afternoons. Bach composed a setting for his first Christmas in Leipzig in 1723, but around 1730 he revised it by transposing it from E flat to D, replacing recorders with flutes, and omitting various insertions in the text particularly appropriate to Christmas. This later version is the one generally known and will be performed by the Hadleigh Choral Society.
The concert will take place at 7.30pm in St Mary’s Church, Hadleigh with Rachel Chapman, Hazel Ward, Andrew Dale-Forbes, Howard Robinson and Debbie Rogers (flute) as the soloists.
Tickets £8, concessions £6 and children (14 and under) £4 can be obtained from The Idler Bookshop, 37 High Street, Hadleigh or by telephone (01473 822872) and at the door.
Hadleigh Garden Club meets on 14th November at East House at 7.30pm for a talk by John Bowdrey, the Curator of the Natural History Museum, Colchester. His subject will be “Attracting Wildlife to your Garden.”
This will include thoughts on Garden Ponds, and may interest non-members, who are welcome to attend for £1.
My thoughts at this time are focussed on getting the garden tidied up early, so that it will not be a disaster area when I get back. In Hadleigh our first hard frost is usually in the first few days of November, so the dahlias should be all right until I am back, providing I make sure that they are clearly labelled. It is annoying to plant a clump of three dahlias all supposed to be the same, and then find that they were not when they flower.
The main thing to do in November is to review your garden. Think back over the summer, and think about which plants worked, and which plants failed. Then there was that place where the plants were the wrong height, and there was that terrible clash of colours. Perhaps there was a time when there was nothing interesting to look at in your garden. Did the hanging baskets and containers look good, or do you want to try something different next year.
Having done the review, decide what you want to do for next year. Get hold of the seed and plant catalogues and settle down for a good read with paper and pencil to hand for notes.
John Rye
Best Western Hotels, the UK’s largest group of individual hotels, recently welcomed The Stoke by Nayland Club Hotel, near Colchester on the Suffolk/Essex border, as a new member to its portfolio of 350 independent hotels.
The Best Western Stoke by Nayland Club Hotel, is a newly-built three star hotel offering guests first class facilities which include two 18-hole golf courses, leisure complex comprising of an indoor swimming pool, Technogym gymnasium, sauna, solarium and beauty salon as well as extensive banqueting and conference facilities. All 30 bedrooms are spacious, comfortable and well equipped and have beautiful panoramic views of the golf courses and lake.
Mr Derek Howe, General Manager of the Best Western Stoke by Nayland Club Hotel said, “Everyone at the hotel is delighted by the success of our application to join the world’s largest hotel group. We were keen to join Best Western because it allows us to retain independent family ownership, whilst utilising the sales and marketing benefits associated with membership, such as Best Western’s global reservations system and high quality marketing literature. We anticipate that our association with Best Western brand, which is synonymous with high quality, will have a positive impact on the business.”
Mr Keith Pope, Director for Membership Services at Best Western added that “I’m delighted to welcome The Stoke by Nayland Club Hotel into the group, and look forward to a successful partnership.”
A district council in Suffolk has been identified as one of the top 7 places in which to live in a recent nationwide survey. Babergh District Council scored higher than nearly 370 other English and Welsh authorities in the research conducted by analysts Experian.
The survey measured each council against 8 ‘quality of life indices’ including crime (burglary and car theft), shopping amenities, employment and green space. Every authority was ranked in descending order against each of the criteria with those with the lowest total score being deemed to have the better quality of life.
Babergh scored especially highly because of the district’s good schools, comparatively low crime rates, the strength of its retain economy and its proportion of green spaces to people.
Sue Carpendale, Chairman of Babergh District Council, commenting on the results said “I’m delighted that Babergh scores so well in this survey. In partnership with local residents and other public bodies, I like to think Babergh has fully contributed in enhancing the sense of community in the district.”
Patricia Barnes, Chief Executive of Babergh District Council, said “The results of the Experian research are very gratifying. Nonetheless, Babergh recognises that not everyone in the district is equally well off, which is why the district has been striving to improve the quality of life for some of the district’s more disadvantaged residents as well as raising the overall level for all.”
Recent initiatives undertaken by Babergh include a multi-million pound refurbishment of the Shawlands Estate in Great Cornard, investment in close circuit television (CCTV) initiatives in Hadleigh and Sudbury, and the start of extensive consultation over amendments to the Local Plan, the blueprint for protecting Babergh’s environment and planning for new development in the next ten years.
Fireworks cause hundreds of injuries each year. In the last five years over 5000 people have been hurt by fireworks and four people have been killed.
So what are the three fireworks which cause the most injuries according to the government statistics that are collected after bonfire night each year?
Well, surprisingly the firework which caused nearly 200 accidents last year was the Sparkler! Bangers – which are banned as of this year – caused 189 accidents. Third place went to Rockets which injured 158 people last year.
What is shocking is that of the 200 sparkler injuries, a quarter were to children who were five or under. This is one reason why this year the law requires that packets of sparklers carry the warning “Warning: not to be given to children under 5 years of age.”
Even more worrying is that a large number of these firework accidents take place in the street and are as a result of kids playing illegally with fireworks.
Before you start thinking that it’s not likely to happen to you, the statistics also show the age groups most vulnerable. About half of all accidents last year happened to kids under the age of 15. That’s a lot of kids who today may have ugly burn scars or have even lost an eye or a finger.
Fireworks were invented over 2,000 years ago in China. These days they are used all around the world as part of national and religious ceremonies.
Other countries use fireworks for different celebrations:
American Independence Day on 4th July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. People throw street parties and parades and put on firework displays.
The French celebrate the French Revolution of 1789 and the storming of the Bastille on 14th July with parties, parades and fireworks.
In Germany people let off fireworks on New Year’s Eve. The skies are lit up from midnight well into the early hours of the morning.
Environment Services
Babergh District Council.
Before they explode read the code!
q Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves
q Never give sparklers to a child under five
q Buy fireworks marked BS7114
q Keep fireworks in a closed box
q Follow the instructions on each firework
q Light them at arm’s length using a taper
q Stand well back
q Never go back to a lit firework
q Never put fireworks in your pocket
q Never throw fireworks
q Keep pets indoors
It is with some regret that I have to tell you that there will be no Music in Layham series next year. For many personal reasons I cannot continue and my colleagues are busy professional people who are unable to take over.
This has been known to St Andrew’s PCC for some time. We had planned to make the last two concerts of the series a bit special – a, hopefully, massive ‘Songs of Praise’ followed by an ‘in-house’ concert and social, with our own musicians, in November.
As it is, the fascinating renaissance/jazz concert on 9th September will probably be our last. Andrea has to cut down and we can only wish her a full restoration to health.
Music in Layham began almost exactly 10 years ago by a collaboration between local musicians and St Andrew’s represented by myself as Churchwarden, anxious to use the fine acoustics of the church for music.
For me there were deeper considerations. The parish churches of this country are a wasted asset. They were designed to offer a strictly ‘religious’ area – the chancel – and a ‘universal’ area – the nave – which would accommodate the larger congregation on Sundays and Holy days, but also serve as the Parish meeting room for all purposes. So indeed they were used until the 18th and 19th centuries. So they should be again.
I also felt strongly that we live in an artistically degenerate age in which it is possible for people, who in reality can neither play nor sing, to make fortunes out of a high-beat cacophony and call themselves musicians.
We had several aims:
To provide music of good quality in the area
To use professional musicians
To offer opportunity to young people
To stay solvent
To meet agreed fees and expenses
To contribute to the upkeep of St Andrew’s
These aims we believe we have met over 10 years and more than 70 events. You can probably all think of at least some fine displays of musicianship – including some by young musicians. With help from Babergh District Council, The Foundation for Sports and the Arts, and Arts for All, even more with subscriptions and donations from our concert members, we have been able to meet our financial targets. Without using these funds, and separately costed, we have even contributed not a little to charity.
It would be invidious to name all those who have helped along the way, but I must note a few names – to which I could add more:
My musical colleagues – Michelle Simpson, James Simpson, Andrea King
My administrative colleagues – Joby West, Jenny Hunter
My back-up and hospitality teams – Richard and Sonia Groom, Michael and Jane Crowe, Richard Hay and, of course “HERSELF” (my wife.
St Andrew’s will continue to use music in some of its social events. It is a very active and companionable church. For these the contacts Music in Layham has made will be useful and we will be glad to help.
But, future concerts will be ad hoc and put on the general social calendar.
I thank you for your support and encouragement over 10 long years.
Ken Riley
Indian head massage is based on the ancient Ayuvedic healing system, and has been practised in India for over a thousand years.
Not only does Indian head massage promote healthy, strong, shiny hair, it is extremely relaxing and has been proven to be beneficial for a number of physical and mental conditions including sinusitis, migraine, depression, IBS, arthritis and the ailment most of us suffer from – STRESS.
Indian head massage works by loosening the muscles around the neck and shoulders, which in turn allows toxins that collect in our Lymphatic systems to be released. Massage also promotes good circulation of the blood, which increases oxygen to the brain.
For those who have never experienced this kind of massage NO OILS are used and you remain fully clothed!
15 minute Taster session just £5
For more information or to book an appointment telephone 01473 823592 or call in at TRESSES (next to the “Bakers Oven” ) in the High Street.
As I sit in my rocking chair
Seemingly I haven’t a care
But many “things” come to mind
Any niceties hard to find.
All the papers full of “woe”
Television!!! – “Oh, dear, oh”
Anything to watch or to see
Issues of “cheer” not to be
Going back to the “olden days”
These were “golden” in many ways
Helpful friends from every door
Even though all were poor
Nowadays nothing seems to matter
On the street corners no cheerful “natter”
People only just “come” and “go”
Won’t even stop to say hello
If all things seem to go amiss
Just sit back and reminisce
Autumn leaves dropping silently to the ground
Like a colourful cape all around
Glorious reds, burnished browns, coppers every hue
So beautiful, so wondrous it is true
Walk through them, kick them up
In the air and watch them fall
Crunch through their dryness as you stroll
Autumn colour before bleak bareness
Brings thoughts of snowy mornings
Coming into your awareness
Enjoy it now while you may
Autumn is never here to stay
Sue Abdulrahman
Kin yew tell me woi yew see fooks
Marchin’ up ‘n down,
Seems theer talkin’ tew theersels
An’ on theer face a frown
Theer got theer hand stuck in theer ear
Sumtoimes yew’ll hear a buzz
They look as if they dash abewt
Ter keep flear of the fuzz
Now oive bin towd, boi all me friends,
Oi mustn’t be alone
Oi mush dash orf, an’ git meself
A little mobile phone.
J R King, Hadleigh
Dear Sir,
I read with interest and some sadness the article in the East Anglian, 26th September, regarding the decision of the Department of Transport and Local Government to block the two plans for a supermarket in Hadleigh.
I am in absolute agreement with the decision on the Buyright sight, but disappointed about the riverside development.
I realise this would affect the beautiful Sun Court and for its owners I feel pleased.
However, we do need better general food shopping for Hadleigh in the 21st Century.
From the photograph in the EADT showing a gleeful group quaffing champagne, some of whom represent Hadleigh on the Town Council, I am somewhat surprised that we have gas, electricity, mains drainage, and even the motor car, as the people shown wish to keep Hadleigh an ‘olde worlde’ backward town.
I’ve yet to see any of them shopping in the Co-op in the twenty one years I have lived here, and would suggest they join the 80% of people leaving to town to do their main – and what they think is cheaper – shopping on the outskirts of Ipswich and Colchester – which to me is outrageous.
Because of the inadequacy of the Co-op I have today been to Waitrose in Sudbury to stock up on items unavailable in the town. People often gasp when Waitrose is mentioned, but in many cases items are cheaper than those in the Co-op and the choice is far greater.
I would hasten to add that our individual shops are fine and I support them avidly. I only hope that they are able to continue to trade whatever happens.
Ron Jones, Hadleigh
Dear Sir,
I am grateful to Derek Baldry for attempting to answer my three original questions and would like to clarify a point or two with him.
Unfortunately, your two other correspondents on this subject, V Cotton and J I Chisholm, seemed unwilling to address the matter in hand, and I’m perplexed as to whether they really meant to say the things they did.
I hope I’m correct in saying that Mr Baldry maintains that unless one believes in Christ then one is destined to perish forever and be separated from God forever. I apologise if I sound like a panel member of the Brains Trust, but surely it depends upon what you mean by ‘believe in Christ’. Unlike the Pharisees who observed the Law outwardly for show but whose hearts were hardened, anybody who acts in a Christ-like way, whether they profess to Christian doctrine or not, must surely be loved by God for all eternity!
I think it interesting that in Matthew’s Gospel, the sheep and goats are NOT defined as those who believed in Christ and those who didn’t, but rather as those who gave water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, who visited the prisoner and tended the sick and those who did none of these things. The parable of the Good Samaritan further shows that some of the least likely candidates are those most likely to act in a Christ-like way, even if they are not “true believers”!
I have been fortunate to witness that here in Hadleigh there are many people, professed Christians and not, whose lives are Christ-like and in whose presence talk of “eternal darkness” seems utterly misplaced.
Paul Simon, Hadleigh
Dear Sir,
Question: When is 12 weeks not 12 weeks? Or put another way, how do you con the people of Hadleigh and Whatfield?
Answer: Simply tell them that the road that they use everyday will be closed for approx 12 weeks but then keep it closed.
By my estimation, Aldham Mill Hill Road, between Buyright and the A1071 has been closed for something like 22 weeks. Yes, 22 weeks!
What on earth do they think they are building down there? Some 6 lane Mega freeway or something!
Quite honestly an army of Action Men and Tonka Trucks would have had the work finished in a couple of weeks.
Who is kidding who? If II was a resident of Whatfield or anybody else who uses the road I would seriously consider putting a claim in for petrol for the extra mileage travelled because of the detour!
I should think that the residents of Gallows Hill and Bridge Street are getting fed up with the extra traffic that this scenario has caused also.
I am hoping of course that by the time this letter reaches publication the aforesaid mentioned road will have been completed.
Incidentally, when was Buyright’s name changed to “Buyrights” as the diversion signs suggest?
Julian Allen, Hadleigh
Dear
Sir,
It may have been a coincidence or incidental that all the hedges were nicely trimmed when my dear Mother, Eileen Caley, finally left her beloved home at 22 Bradfield Avenue for the last outward journey, never to return.
I would from my heart thank all those people at that end of the Avenue for their display.
John Caley, Hadleigh
Dear Sir,
Reference the Hadleigh Market Place enhancement.
It seems as if we in Hadleigh seem to be going backwards to go forward. We don’t have to be reminded that we are in the 21st century.
It is all very well spending £100,000 on bringing the Market Place up to date, but more toilet facilities won’t go amiss. I hope this point is pursued with vigour.
Regarding a superstore, I don’t think this subject should be forgotten, and that some strong-minded person should pursue this objective.
Must I remind all you folks there is one store with the monopoly in this town. That shouldn’t be so – we need competition to keep the prices right.
John Caley, Hadleigh
Dear Sir,
Now that a decision has been announced regarding the Tesco and Buyright proposals, we face the possibility of the Co-op extension.
I would therefore like to draw attention to the following:
In the planning application for expanding the Co-op’s retail sales area by approximately 50%, it was stated that they did not expect to attract more customers to the store, but wished to offer their existing customers more selection. This was said to explain why it was not necessary for them to make any provision for extra car parking for customers.
In allowing this Babergh District Council afforded the Co-op a considerable concession. Normally adequate car parking is an intrinsic part of any application for supermarket developments.
But I am more concerned as to how this will work in practice..
First, consider those that do most of their food shopping in Hadleigh because they do not have the use of a car. They presumably cannot be persuaded to buy more food in Hadleigh, or they will put on a lot of weight! If they buy more in the Co-op they will buy less in other shops.
So the extra trade to pay for the enlarged store is expected to come from the car users that currently shop sometimes in Hadleigh and sometimes elsewhere. On their visits to the Co-op they are expected to buy a lot more of what is on offer.
Mind you, they are presumably not expected to come any more often, or stay any longer than they do now, or they will use more parking space. They could possibly achieve this buy buying more in the Co-op and less in the other Hadleigh shops, but I do not see any other way.
The alternative is that the projection is inaccurate. That despite their best effort to keep new shoppers away (after spending all that money to improve and stock the store), some new shoppers will come. Will the staff be instructed not to serve strangers?
Either way we are left with problems.
If no new customers come to Hadleigh, but the Co-op sales increase, as they must expect them to, it will be at the expense of the other shops.
If sufficient new customers to support the enlarged Co-op do come to Hadleigh we will have an impossible parking problem.
Another area that concerns me is the planned new shop frontage onto the current bus turning and service road at the Magdalen Road end of the Co-op extension.
I inspected the plans whey they were available to the public at the time of the application. I have not seen them since, so I am relying on memory. However, they appeared to show a shop front with the door in line with the current kerb, as well as a covered way where the existing path between the Co-op and Keith Avis is. Both of these leading directly on to a paved area that looked as if it were pedestrianised. There was no separate footway shown.
This area is the service area for the Co-op, Partridges and the businesses in between, and it will have to remain so. There will continue to be a lot of traffic here.
Being an independent business, rather than a national multiple, Partridges deals with approximately 400 suppliers, all of which make their own arrangements for the delivery of stock.
So, in contrast to the likes of Tesco that envisage one or two lorries per day from a central distribution depot, we average twelve delivery lorries per day. We have little control over the timing, and there can often be more than one lorry at a time. They all turn and back, or wait in the service area and entrance to our warehouse and workshop.
This activity, together with our own service vans, customers’ vehicles, lorries delivering to the Co-op, Keith Avis and Crabrtree’s Café Bar make it a hazardous place at the best of times.
Encouraging shoppers to mingle with backing lorries is surely a recipe for disaster.
Will buses still be turning here too?
K E Young, Managing Director, M W Partridge & Co Ltd.
Dear Sir,
The Hadleigh Society Newsletter for October bears the headline “VICTORY FOR HADLEIGH” referring to the turning down of both the Tesco appeal and the Buyright application for supermarkets in the town.
If the headline had read “VICTORY FOR 24.3% OF HADLEIGH” then it would be stating the truth, but for some reason the Society is inferring that it is a victory for the town as a whole, thus ignoring the fact that over three quarters of the town voted in favour of a supermarket in the referendum.
I don’t think many people will be taken in by the Hadleigh Society’s presentation of the outcome of this prolonged and expensive exercise. The 75.7% of the community who voted “yes” certainly won’t.
I wonder if the champagne came from Tesco?
David Williams, Hadleigh
Dear Sir,
I am a second year degree student at the Suffolk College and am engaged in researching the Hadleigh-Bentley branch line railway which closed in 1965.
If you have any information of any kind, or your family were involved in any way with the railway, perhaps for the transport of freight or as an employee, or indeed as a passenger, would you be prepared to talk about the experience? Have you any photographs that I could copy?
If you are able to help, please contact me at the address below. Thank you.
Mrs Margaret Orriss, Coppers, Boxford Road, Polstead, Colchester, Essex CO6 5DW. Tel: 01787 210574
Dear Sir,
I would like to say a public “thank you” to Jan and Joe Byrne and John Bloomfield, and all the other people who have given so much of their time and energy to the fight to save our historic town from the predations of Tesco. Only they know how much has had to be put into this effort. As Jan has said, “It has been three years out of our lives.”
Margaret Laws, Hadleigh
Dear Sir,
Is this fair?
Some time ago I parked in the public car park at Toppesfield Hall and being rather stressed at the time, forgot to get a ticket. At that time there was no reminder notice on the South side of the area, so it was simple to unintentionally overlook getting a ticket.
However, I did remember some ten minutes later and hurried back, interrupting my shopping, only to find I had been “clobbered” and a notice of a fine was fixed to my windscreen.
On going to Babergh offices to pay the fine, the helpful receptionist suggested that I appealed. This I did, to no avail, and eventually I had to pay.
It really seems a topsy-turvy situation that after paying a fine for parking in a designated car park, for which we taxpayers pay, I should, on my way home, pass twelve vehicles parked on double yellow lines in the High Street.
Margaret Laws, Hadleigh
Dear Sir,
May I through the Hadleigh Community News, thank all the darts players who turned out for the Annual David Baker Memorial Shield Darts Knockout Competition.
This is a competition which is run to raise money for charity and to remember “Big Dave”.
This year we raised £100 which is being donated to the Hadleigh Branch of Riding for the Disabled, which is based at Shelley. The competition was won by Colin “Dollar” Hynard who beat Derek Cole in the final.
Special thanks go to all the staff at the Ram Public House for their hospitality.
Many thanks to all those who attended this event. See you all again over the coming Dixon Darts League Season.
Richard Munson, Hadleigh
Dear Sir,
On a recent cycling vacation, we enjoyed staying at the Odds & Ends Guest House.
Our room was spotless, attractive and airy. Our hosts (and their children) were warm and friendly. They even provided a full dinner just for the two of us because nothing was open in town on a Sunday evening.
Thank you for making us so welcome. We’ll pass the word.
Alma Taylor and Peter Brady
Port Townsend, USA
Dear Sir,
We are to have a very extensive survey of what Hadleigh requires for Leisure facilities. We have many sports facilities for both young and old. We have a fitness suite at the High School. What we do not have is a Swimming Pool which is to a standard which will encourage people to enjoy swimming and hopefully teach children safety rules.
We still have accidents where children are drowned every year and this must be addressed. I feel that the people of Hadleigh and surrounding villages should make their views known, and stress their case for our swimming pool to have an extensive refurbishment programme.
We are proud that we raised money in Hadleigh and provided, to the best of our ability, a suitable pool. It may not have been first class, but it did bring to adults and children the benefits, both fun and education. However it is now old and needs a lot of money spent on it to bring it up to standard. Should too many projects be put forward this will have the effect of squandering monies. Far better to concentrate on one big project in view of the aim of promoting Health and Fitness for us all.
Remember, 16 schools use our pool. There are many people who take advantage of our pool – early morning swimmers, the very successful Swimming Club, Mothers and Toddlers, disabled, and people who just go to enjoy themselves.
Please bear this in mind when you fill in this form, and don’t be charmed into other ideas which, as I said before, will only dissipate the monies available.
Eileen Banks
Hadleigh Town & Babergh
District Councillor
Dear Sir,
On the day following the announcement that both the Brett Works and Buyright supermarket appeals had been rejected, a photo appeared in the EADT featuring the Town Mayor, Councillor Byrne, Councillors Banks and Stephenson and various panjandrums of the Hadleigh Society with glasses raised in celebration.
Considering that 80% of the population of Hadleigh want a supermarket, this triumphalism seemed very much out of place.
It was particularly inappropriate in the case of the Town Mayor, who during her year in office represents the people of Hadleigh and not The Hadleigh Society when speaking in public on matters of public concern.
Since it was Councillor Byrne who personally introduced the Buyright application to the Town Council Chamber, should she not have been drowning her sorrows? Unless of course it was a cynical ploy on behalf of the Hadleigh Society/CAASH to divide and conquer.
In her report, the Inspector said that the Brett Works was a suitable site for a supermarket, and that such a store would meet local needs and bring considerable benefits to the town centre. The two main reason for rejection were the quality of the design and the proposed entrance via Cinch.
The quality of debate at both Town and District Council level was desperately disappointing. At Town level apart from the way in which the Buyright application was brought before the Council, there was, despite the best efforts of the Town Clerk, a repeated breaching of the rules concerning the Declaration of Interest(s). At District level the implication of the various P.D.G.’s played second fiddle to emotion.
The cost of this fiasco is estimated at about one million pounds – about £250,000 of this will fall on the shoulders of the local ratepayer.
J J Quinlan, Hadleigh
Dear Sir
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who sent cards, flowers and donations to St Elizabeth Hospice in memory of my husband.
I would also like to thank my friends Pat and Trish for supporting and helping me through this very tough time.
While Joss was fighting against his illness he was always making sure that everyone who knew him were alright.
I would like to thank my children Paul, Susan, Claire and Marcos for all their love and support.
Linda Josselyn
Dear Sir
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends and family for helping me cope with the death of my dear mum Sadie Barber.
I would also like to say a special thank you to my friend Linda Farthing who has been a tower of strength to me throughout my mum’s illness.
Alison Barber
Dear Sir
The family of the late Eileen Caley would like to thank all those who sent cards and best wishes in our hour of need. Thank you.
John Caley
Dear Sir
A year ago we were involved in a fund-raising campaign on behalf of our autistic son Sam, to raise money to purchase a Dynamyte communication aid which would enable him to form sentences by way of symbols which could then be produced by a en electronic voice. Thanks to the incredible generosity of so many people we were able to obtain this by Christmas of last year, and we thought you might like to hear of Sum’s progress since then.
We had to programme the computerised aid in conjunction with Sam’s specialist school to present him with a series of touch screens with a large array of appropriate symbols for home and school use.
Sam took so well to the whole process, switching between screens and symbols with surprising ease. He was visibly delighted in producing a “voice” at the end of the exercise, which other people could respond to.
Sam’s schoolteachers are constantly reporting how the Dynamyte has given Sam a confidence and desire to communicate with others.
As a final accolade for Sam, he recently received an award from the National Autistic Society for the greatest progress in communication over the year. He was so pleased to show us his name on the certificate, and it confirmed to us that the fund-raising campaign which our friends helped us start a year ago had been worthwhile.
We would, once again, like to say “thank you to our friends, and also express our gratitude to all those who contributed to Sam’s fund.