High Speed Broadband approaches....

Frank Lawrenson writes:

Fibre Optic High Speed Broadband is scheduled to be rolled out on the 31^st March in this area!!

The main Sudbury East BT exchange is due to go live on the 31^st March. Apparently, this exchange covers most of the Waldingfield area. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will able to get the high-speed broadband. For this to happen, BT also has to upgrade your nearest “cabinet”. These are the old green telephone exchange boxes that you can see in the street. BT have told me that the new Fibre Optic enabled boxes are taller than the old ones and rather than swapping them out, may be located beside or a short distance away from the old cabinets.

The long and short of it is that if you have one of these in your street, then you will probably be getting access to the new high speed broadband fairly soon.

If you haven’t then it appears to be a wait-and-see game. However, one way in which you can try and push for it quicker is to register your interest on their site… http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/expression-gen.aspx.

Bearing in mind that the exchange is going live, if you and your neighbours all register your interest, then you are much more likely to see something happen sooner.

What a choice!

Down to Waitrose this morning and what a shock!  I find not only the Gainsborough's House Museum Club among the shop's charities of the month, but also Acton village hall!

Which one to choose!?!

I could resort to trying to obtain two green tokens by stealth and putting one in each bin...but is that really appropriate action for a District Councillor?

Can anyone resolve ths moral dilemma?

Babergh's Community Oscars

Yesterday' evening I attended the Babergh Community Awards ceremony at Stoke by Nayland Hotel and Golf Club.  It was a really sparkling event, hosted by BBC Radio Suffolk's Mark Murphy.

I was present, along with Colin Spence,  because we had supported the nomination for an award of John Steele, the Chairman of Great Waldingfield Parish Council  John is pictured here with the Chairman of Babergh, David Wood and Robert Audley, the Chairman of Prolog, who sponsor the event.

The programme for the evening gave details of each recipient's achievements.   In John's case the story centred around his hard work in raising over £160,000 for the refurbishment of Great Waldingfield Village Hall from seven separate funders, and also his management of the whole project.  Tribute was paid to the energy efficient nature of the scheme, and also to John's foresight in making provision for internet access at the hall.  An extract from one of the many letters written in John's support was included, and read  'John has made a substantial contribution towards making Great Waldingfield a more pleasant place to live for its residents, and this deserves recognition'.

It was mentioned that some years ago John was involved with the judging of the nominations.  In this, the 20th year of the inception of the awards, it was particularly fitting therefore that he should be at the receiving end!

Some 25 awards were given in all.  I was pleased to see that in the Under 18 category, two Gainsborough's House volunteers were among the recipients.  Both Izabela Pawlic and Emma Bloys were singled out as community minded sixth formers from Sudbury Upper School who have connections with the House. Izabela has worked with the Art Smart Scheme, and Emma is a regular volunteer.  They are pictured below.

Making the most of local assets

Rumour has it that the White Horse in Great Waldingfield has been purchased by a company that wishes to retain it as a pub.  The future of Bob’s Stores in Acton is less certain, although I would have guessed that a new owner will easily be found to make sure that this excellent  shop continues as a going concern.

However all over the country similar local amenities are being threatened with closure or change of use in rural and urban areas alike.  Sometimes a local community group has been able to take over; the village shops in Monks Eleigh and Polstead come to mind.  Often however, a sale takes place quickly and the opportunity to preserve an amenity for the community is lost.

Last week I went to a Local Government Association Seminar about new opportunities and powers that the Government is giving community groups and parish and town councils in the Localism Bill 2011.  Babergh will be among the authorities that will be obliged to maintain a list of ‘assets of community value’.  If a place is on such a list any community organisation will have the right to ask for a delay in the sale on the open market to allow them to prepare a bid.

I will be drawing these new provisions to the attention of parish councils in the next month or so when I attend their meetings.  There are one or two assets that I can think of in the Ward that would meet the criteria and could usefully be registered.

Stay Safe Scheme launched in Sudbury

Yesterday morning I went along to the Bridge Project to attend the launch of the Sudbury Stay Safe Scheme.

Stay Safe schemes were the brainchild of the VoiceAbility Adult and Youth Parliaments (forums for people with learning difficulties).

Following a successful pilot scheme in Felixstowe, Suffolk County Council has decided to extend a Stay Safe scheme across the county.  The idea is that vulnerable people can acquire a card to use if they feel they need help when they are out and about.  A number of businesses in Sudbury including Boots and Waitrose have signed up for the scheme and are training their staff to help any person that turns to them for help.  Although primarily designed for those with learning difficulties, there is no reason why anyone who feels vulnerable cannot carry a card.  Community Safety Officers from Babergh Safer Neighbourhood Teams have been involved in introducing the scheme, which they will support, along with Trading Standards.

Recently the organisers of the Suffolk scheme heard that they had been shortlisted for a High Sheriff's award.  They will hear whether they have received one on March 8th.

Top Girls

Off to the lovely New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich yesterday evening to see Top Girls by Caryl Churchill.

Nick and I last saw the work quite a long time ago, but the play, which was written in the 1980's, has maintained its freshness and relevance.  It is a meditation on the condition of women in society, prompted when written by the phenomenon of Britain's first female Prime Minister, and also by the increasing number of women who were making it into highly paid jobs. 

The problem with Mrs T, as many saw it was that she may have been a woman, but she was not really a 'sister'.  Despite having little truck with feminism herself, she actually was a worked example of a woman who got to the top while coping with predjudice and also the demands of home and family.  None the less, and not altogether suprisingly,  she was not appreciated by the many women who were deeply affected by the changes in society that she promoted.

The high point of the play is the perfectly choreographed first act in which a late 20th century high flying female headhunter entertains controversial 'Top Girls' from the past to dinner in a restaurant (pictured above).  Pope Joan, Patient Griselda, Lady Nijo, the explorer Izabella Bird and Dull Gret reveal their individual difficulties and the price that they have paid for their fame,  over several bottles of wine. Their conversation brilliantly expresses, in an admittedly rather extreme form, the pecularities and problems of being a woman that the more mundane protagonists of the second two acts play out in a twentieth century context.  The play makes clear that it is not possible to 'have it all', as was suggested by the Superwomen of the late 20th century.

Beautifully played by an all female cast, it was good to see a modern play that has stood the test of time and gave us a lot to think about.

Folly Road Frogs

Saved this time!

Mind your speed when travelling along Folly Road!

It is the time of year when frogs migrate across Folly Road in Great Waldingfield to reach the pond on the other side.  Anything that you can do to help them survive this dangerous journey would be much appreciated both by the frogs and by those generous souls who spend their evenings helping them.

The picture above is from a Canadian website, and illustrates the plight of the rare Red Leg Frog which is being driven towards extinction by man's insatiable need to concrete over everything.   The writers of the site point out that frogs are sensitive indicators of environmental degradation, and their fall in numbers globally is a clear indication of habitat loss.