Exam results - where next?

On the day that young people get their A level results it is probably timely to bring readers’ attention to apprenticeship opportunities in Suffolk.

Teams from the County Council will be visiting schools to draw this option to the attention of those students who may decide that doing a full time degree course at university is not the right next step for them.  (Some apprenticeships can lead to degree level qualifications however.)

If you know a young person who might wish to follow this route into employment you can learn more about Suffolk apprenticeships, and a wealth of other information,  on this useful site

Grant to restore Cockfield Pavilion

The Pavilion, Cockfield

News is just out today that Cockfield has won a £49,764 grant from Sport England to refurbish the sports pavilion on Great Green.

To celebrate this great event there is to be a Free Sports Taster Session on Thursday 15th August between 6 and 7 p.m.  Participants can join in training with Cockfield United, Cockfield and Lawshall's girls' football team and Cockfield Netball Club; try out Sport Suffolk's static cycles or mountain bikes or enjoy a game of Rounders with Sports Suffolk.  There will also be free refreshments!

Further information from Janne Cutting-Keyton (01284 -828264)  All ages are welcome!

Please support Compassion

I have written before about how the charity donations at Waitrose give an interesting insight into people’s attitudes to different charities and good causes.

I was struck yesterday by the fact that Compassion,  our local area's outstandingly effective organisation that supports victims of domestic violence, is lagging someway behind Macmillan’s Cancer Care and Home Start in the donations race.

I find this sad but not surprising.  Many people do not feel that they have much of a connection with domestic violence…it is something that they think only happens to a small number of people and is irrelevant to them.

In fact nothing could be further from the truth!  45% of women and 26% of men will experience one incident of interpersonal violence in their lifetimes.  32% of these women, and a smaller proportion of men, will experience four or more incidents.  This means that there could well be someone you know who has suffered in this way, but, of course, it is not something that is much discussed.

Unlike the other two charities this month, Compassion is a tiny organisation. Over the years it has given practical support to hundreds of people who find themselves in trouble that they may never have expected and with which they find it hard to cope .  The Charity has no paid staff and is entirely supported by volunteers.  This means that almost all of the limited money it receives goes directly to the support of victims.

If you are in Waitrose in the next few weeks do consider dropping your little green disc into their pot! Every penny will be well spent.

Art Everywhere 2013.

Mr and Mrs Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough is one of the 57 works of art chosen by the public to be part of this month's Art Everywhere project.  Although from the National Gallery, rather than from Gainsborough’s House, the couple are depicted on the Andrews' estate just outside Sudbury.

 The nation's favourite British art selected from a longlist from the UK's public collections has been announced today and will be part of a vast exhibition, entitled Art Everywhere, that will go on display on thousands of poster and billboard sites across the UK from 12 to 25 August 2013. With over 30,000 Facebook likes and over a 1,000 individual donations, people from around the UK have helped to create the world’s largest art show.

A projected audience of 90% of the UK’s adult population, from Banff & Buchan in Scotland to Torbay in Devon, and from Lowestoft in Suffolk to Belfast in Northern Ireland, will enjoy beautiful art instead of advertising for two weeks this summer. Cities, towns and villages of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will see poster sites ranging from billboards to bus stops transformed into artworks across high streets, major roads, tube, train and metro stations, supermarkets, shopping malls, office buildings, cinemas, health clubs and bars. 2,000 London buses and 1,000 black cabs will transport the artworks around the city on view for passengers as they navigate the streets.

All of the 57 works of art chosen can be found on this site.

Little Waldingfield Archaelogical Dig 2013

Pupils from All Saints Middle School, Sudbury were treated to a unique learning experience at the end of June in Little Waldingfield.   5 archaeological test pits were excavated in the gardens of local residents as part of the Cambridge University Archaeology Department’s initiative to introduce school children to archaeology, headed by Dr Carenza Lewis (of Time Team fame).

Year 6 commenced the dig with year 7’s completing the task the following day. The weather blessed the project with dry conditions but it is unlikely that even rain could have dampened their excitement and enthusiasm.

For someone whose only archaeological experience is TV’s hugely popular Time Team, it came as a surprise to find that even young people are expected to adhere to proper systems of mapping, excavation, documentation, cleaning and analysis.

Firstly a meter square was pegged out and the location of each ‘pit’ measured against static points and plotted in order that the University can identify its location at a later date. The youngsters then set to with tools bigger than they were in some cases to remove 10 cm layers at a time (each layer being known as a ‘context’). The spoil was sieved and all ‘finds’ removed and set aside until the whole context had been worked. The finds were then washed, cleaned, bagged and tagged and the pit photographed with notable features of each context mapped on a grid.

Some pits were more productive than others, largely denoted by the soil conditions, but it seemed, without exception, and despite the hard physical work involved, that young people thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I for one was very impressed with their genuine enthusiasm, collective politeness and concern for others…a credit to their school indeed!

Finds included, amongst other things, metal, bone (mostly pig it seems), glass, earthen ware, clay pipes, a 1943 threepenny bit and allegedly a collection of high class medieval pottery potentially indicating a higher class resident. All were bagged and labelled to identify their exact location and have been taken to Cambridge University for analysis later this year, following which a report will be prepared and made available to the village. The information from our village pits will assist Dr Lewis in building up a picture of the changing patterns of settlement in East Anglia.

Two of the most productive pits were left open for the owners/interested adults to continue excavating (the offer couldn’t have been more quickly accepted!), whilst the others were back filled and the turfs replaced by the students, allegedly in the order they were removed. The finds excavated during the following days were also logged in the same way as before and transported to Cambridge to join the rest of the ‘haul’.

As Deputy Head Robert Wheeler wrote in his thank you letter to the residents who hosted the pits “apart from learning about aspects of history and forensic science, it was also about sowing the seeds of aspiration for the future”. Both he and Vic flute should be proud of organising such a unique and memorable experience for their students: something they will hopefully never forget.

Thanks to Susan Moore for this report, and to Vic Flute and Robert Wheeler who arranged the event.

Another letter to Tim Passmore

Some time ago readers might remember that I wrote to Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore, about the future of the Safer Neighbourhood Team Public Meetings.  The response I received was quite encouraging, and, indeed the most recent meeting at Little Waldingfield was very well attended.  It seems that the police continue to be committed to supporting and promoting these events.

Residents present were shocked to hear from the police that the SNT Team only has one hand held speed gun for the whole of the West Babergh area (including Sudbury and Great Cornard).

Bearing in mind the fact that complaints about speeding are by far the most frequent interventions from the public at these meetings, those present asked me to write to Tim and to ask him whether such provision is adequate.

I have now done this, and will let you know what he replies in due course.

Lavenham Library looks to the future.

Yesterday evening I went to a meeting for the new Friends of Lavenham Library.  Attendance was reasonable, the level of interest and enthusiasm high, and the quality of refreshments very good.

In the face of financial pressure, Suffolk County Council has managed to keep all 44 libraries in the County open, but this has been achieved by what might be considered  quite a high risk strategy.   The branches have been hived off into a not for profit mutual company, and, although some local government funding will remain, money for the new organisation is tight.  Some local fundraising to support the libraries will now be essential if they are to flourish and grow.  It remains to be seen whether all Suffolk libaries will survive in the new environment.

The Friends Group has been formed to support the Lavenham Library, not just with money, but also, where appropriate, by encouraging volunteers.   For example, it may be possible to increase the opening hours, but this would have to be achieved with the help of volunteers since there is no cash for additional paid staff (at least at present).

A significant advantage of the new set-up is that the Library will be able to control its own destiny to a much greater extent.  New activities and clubs can be established, and outside funding for projects and equipment can be sourced.  A first project is to the be establishment of Wi-Fi  in the Library area, offering residents, particularly those coming from the outer villages, speeds that are much higher than those they enjoy at home.  Residents will be welcome to bring their laptops along and accomplish tasks that might be quite frustrating at lower speed.

Lavenham Library will this year be associated with the Lavenham Literary Festival in November.  Book signings are likely to take place on the premises, and this will support what is already a bright future for the Library with an element of celebrity.

Management of the Library has recently changed.  The new manager, Debbie Roots, has long experience of running Long Melford branch, where similar changes are underway.

 
If you want to become a Friend and get involved information is available at the Library.