An hour at the seaside

One day last week one of my meetings was cancelled and I found myself with three hours to spare before the next one.  I had had enough of the relentless stream of e mails, and, indeed, the inside of Endeavour House, so I took myself down to Felixstowe to look at the sea and the ships.

I do love to see the vessels great and small plying back and forth along the sea lanes.  I like the vastness of the container boats, the ferries going to Harwich, and the more interesting, smaller, boats which are probably making their way to and from Ipswich Docks.

The sea front has been much improved by the removal of all the concrete, and the sandy beaches, created as part of the renovation works, have fared pretty well despite last winter’s gales.  I am pleased to report also that Suffolk Coastal DC has recently put a stop to launching from the beach of paper lanterns that do so much environmental damage.  Now all they have to combat are the jet skis!

I have been reading a book, Deep Sea and Foreign Going by Ruth George,  the story of a woman’s journey on a container ship from Felixtowe to the far East.  In addition to describing the life on board, which, being pretty dull, would not really fill many pages, the book is a compendium of almost everything you need to know about the world of modern shipping.  George covers a wide range of topics from modern day piracy and the role today of missions to seamen, to the terms and conditions of crew members, whales, and the issue of the refuse and plastic that floats in great abundance in the oceans.

It is a must read for anyone interested in gazing at the passing ships from Felixstowe promenade and wondering what it would be like to be on board.

Domestic abuse cannot be tolerated at any level.

Readers of the website may be aware of the letter in today's Suffolk Free Press referring to the fact that the Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds, David Ruffley, was recently cautioned for an incident of common assault against his partner.

I am called upon in the letter to 'show leadership' in this matter since I am the Chairman of the Suffolk Domestic Abuse Partnership.   I do not wish to wait for a week before making my position clear, and therefore I set out below the text of a letter that I wrote yesterday to the Fawcett Society of Bury St Edmunds who had expressed concern about the incident.

'Thank you for your e mail.

As far as the specific case that you mention is concerned I have no power to influence directly any action that may be taken by the constituency association involved since, living in the Sudbury area,  I am not a member.

However  I cannot condone any incident of domestic abuse, regardless of the identity of the perpetrator or his position in society or political persuasion.   I have always been, and will continue to be,  clear about this view.

The Suffolk Domestic Abuse Partnership works tirelessly through officers at the County Council, Suffolk Police and other agencies, and partners from the voluntary sector to combat abuse and violence against women in all its forms. As Chairman of the Partnership I am totally committed to supporting and continuing this work, and will be active in confronting complacency or indifference towards domestic violence whatever the source.'

 

A concert in Bildeston and picnic in Wattisham.

Yesterday evening Nick and I very much enjoyed a Midsummer Concert at Bildeston Church.

Featuring music from Bildeston Primary, Hadleigh High and Thomas Gainsborough Schools, the money raised was shared between the Church and the B Natural music festival which takes place in the village on the weekend of 6^th and 7th September.

All sorts of music was on offer.  Bildeston Primary got the concert off to an excellent start with a fine rendition of songs from the First World War, including Roses of Picardy, which always brings a lump to my throat.  It was certainly very poignant as rendered here!   The young singers were first rate and are to be commended for having learnt all the songs by heart.  Folk, songs from the shows and others followed, and the evening was brought to a terrific close by the Swing Band from Hadleigh High School.  The audience were literally dancing in the aisles!

Hadleigh High Swing Band

We learned quite a lot about the B Natural music festival and have certainly been inspired to be there in September.  To learn more about the event click here.

Today we were invited to the Summer Picnic in Wattisham in aid of St Nicholas Church Trust.   

 Wattisham is a small place, almost the smallest in the Cosford Division, but it certainly punches above its weight when it comes to event organisation.  Food and drink were copious, dogs were welcome, and all were impeccably well behaved. Helicopters from the nearby airbase stayed at home, and the weather was good.

We were entertained by a series of musicians, and the food, delivered to each table in huge hampers was first rate.  Everyone won a prize on the tombola…and Nick and I will certainly find a place for our two pairs of luminous green and purple sun glasses!

The Church at Wattisham is now redundant, but is used as a social centre by the village and is an attractive space, although much of its furniture has been removed down to Bildeston Church.   At the west end, under the tower,  there is a very odd plaque on the wall, which I will not descibe here, but the contents of which could be one of the great mysteries of Suffolk.  More on this in a later post perhaps.

Farewell to Bob and Gill

Bob with Colin Spence

A party was held at Bob’s Stores in Acton yesterday afternoon to bid goodbye to Bob and Gill Hodgson who have run the store for 37 years. In addition to providing me with newspapers and other necessities over the years, Bob and Gill have been a great support, and I will certainly miss our little chats!  I am pleased to say that the couple are not going very far in their retirement, having built a new home just around the corner.

A bright green cake was baked for the occasion and celebratory drink was also on offer.

The new owner, who comes from Sri Lanka, will be arriving over the weekend and will be taking over the shop on Monday.  His name is Mukua.  (Actually it is something rather longer than that…but Mukua will do for now I think!)

I am looking forward to meeting him.  I am sure that he will enjoy living in the village, and I know that all wish him well in his new venture. 

Acton residents enjoying a drink and cake in the sunshine.

Suffolk school sport in the spotlight this morning.

I wonder how many people caught the broadcast from King Edward Vl School in Bury St Edmunds on the Today programme this morning.  It was great to hear something so positive coming from Suffolk schools on national radio, and I am sure that more of the same will be heard in the future.

The feature was a response to Sir Michael Wilshaw (the OFSTED chief)'s complaint that too many top athletes come from the private sector and that state schools literally need to 'raise their game' in the area of competitive sport.

Whatever the rights and wrongs about this, it was good to hear the enthusiastic contributions from both the head and also from the children from Bury.  Clearly the featured sports event was not just for the host school but also other local schools, and even the young person who came 'at the back, towards the middle' of his race was enjoying himself.

The head seemed to have no problem in using the word 'competition'.  Not long in the context of school sport this particular word was anathema to educationalists, and there is no doubt that lack of team sports and a competitive ethos, made it hard to bring on talented youngsters in some parts of the state sector.  Many children who have succeeded from less well off families have done so because of huge sacrifices made by parents, who until recently have received little support from their child's school.  Changing attitudes, realisation of the health benefits of exercise, and also of course last year's Olympics, are now bringing about a change in culture, which can only be a positive.

Competitive sport allows children who may not be talented in other ways to have their chance to shine, and it is amazing how confidence built up in one area can quickly lead to success in other spheres too.

Support Suffolk's Barn Owls

The Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project has been a huge success.  In fact, as one of the first such schemes, it has been widely copied in other counties.  Currently however the organisers are concerned that sebacks, both natural and man made, are halting progress, and are asking the public for help.

  

Some years ago the steep decline of Barn Owls in Suffolk was recognised and some 1700 nest boxes were mounted by volunteers.  At the same time farmers and others were encouraged to manage their land so that the voles and mice on which barn owls and their young feed would thrive, and the result has been a marked increase in the numbers of these lovely birds.

Volunteer monitors from the Project inspect the boxes every year, gathering valuable scientific data about the owls and their chicks.  Unfortunately last winter’s wet weather was not good for barn owls and many adults died, leading to a low level of breeding this year.  The problem has been compounded by a spate of vandalism that has destroyed 5 nest boxes, resulting in the death or, possibly, the theft of the chicks.  This is criminal activity, since barn owls are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Project members are asking that the public be vigilant if they live in an area that contains a nesting box. All legitimate box monitors are licenced so if you see a person looking into, or tampering with, a box you should ask to see their licence.  If they do not have one you would be right to have concerns.

  

If you see anything suspicious, or hear that barn owl chicks are for sale, you should call 101 and speak to PC Mark Bryant.  PC Bryant is Suffolk Constabulary’s dedicated officer for rural crime and wildlife, and he will look into the case. 

Forced Marriage, past and present.

A previous production from Covent Garden

Yesterday evening I attended a performance of Richard Strauss’s opera Der Rosenkavalier.  Often presented as a frothy comedy of manners set in a chocolate box setting, Richard Jones’s production for Glyndebourne transferred the work from its normal nineteenth century setting.  As a result the messages within the opera were more pronounced and hard hitting and none the worse for that.

One strand of the plot is the attempt by a newly wealthy family to marry off its daughter to an impoverished

licentious bully of ancient noble lineage, Baron Ochs.  The marriage plans are frustrated, and the young woman in question marries the man of her choice, so the ending is to that degree a happy one.  However the underlying theme of family coercion of a young person for social and financial advancement, basically of forced marriage, is an ugly one.

It also happens to be a topical one.

From today forcing someone to marry against their will in the UK will be a criminal offence punishable by up to 7 years in prison.  Opinion is divided as to whether the law is necessary given that several measures to combat forced marriage that are already in place.  There are also fears that women will be unwilling to report their own family in circumstances which could lead to their imprisonment. However the Government is showing that it has the will to outlaw the practice, and the change should strengthen the arm of the police, and further raise awareness about what remains in many cases a hidden source of real suffering and distress.

Forced marriage is not just something that occurs in Birmingham, London or Leeds.  Here in Suffolk last year 6 Forced Marriage Protection Orders were taken out, covering 8 separate young people. Bal Howard, who leads on Forced Marriage and Honour Based Violence for Suffolk Police, has recently expressed the fear that the 25 cases that she investigated in the East of England last year could just be the tip of the iceberg.

I suspect that forced marriage is no longer acceptable among Viennese aristocrats.  It is time to take steps to make sure that it is not acceptable here in Suffolk!