Barbecue in Chelsworth

Newly restored oak tree

Yesterday lunchtime Nick and I were lucky enough to be invited to a barbecue that was held in Chelsworth Woodland.

The community woodland is on the site of an old clay pit.  In the past much of the building materials for the older houses in the village must once have been extracted from here.   It is a very pleasant spot, and the views of the surrounding countryside from some parts of the wood are lovely.  There is an open space in the centre which makes a good spot for an open air event.

The reason for the barbecue was to thank members of the village for their help in supporting the woodland, and also to declare a 500 year oak tree, pictured above, 'safe' once again, following coppicing and other tree surgery work to restore it to health.  I was really pleased to be able to contribute to the not inconsiderable costs of this work from my County Council locality budget.  It is good to be able to support ecological conservation work of this type, and the project made a nice change from leaking village hall roofs and other similar works.

A good time was had by all and the rain more or less held off!

I was able to catch up with some old acquaintances, and also meet some new people, some of whom were new to the village. 

We, (Nick, Rendle and I),  would like to thank the members of Chelsworth Woodland for their kind invitation to a very enjoyable event.

Check your chimneys!

 Although we are having some good weather once again,  the evenings are drawing in and getting a bit chilly.   At this time of the year I look forward to the time when we light the stove, even though I know that by the end of the winter we will be tired of bringing in the fuel and stoking it up.  The prospect of enjoying the comfort of a real fire is one of the compensations of the approach of winter.

We had our annual visit from the chimney sweep a few weeks ago.  I have been much more diligent about arranging for him to come regularly in recent years since we had a chimney fire – a quite frightening experience.

The fire came to mind because today I had a notification that Chimney Fire Safety Week starts tomorrow. 

Apparently there are approximately 7000 chimney fires in the UK annually, around 200 of which are in Suffolk.  Most of these fires are preventable.

The most common causes of a chimney fire are

• ·          The wrong sized wood burners or flues for the fire place
• ·         Burning unseasoned wet wood
• ·         Infrequent sweeping and cleaning
• ·          Overnight burning or smouldering wood for long periods in wood stoves.

Regular chimney cleaning is important if you wish to avoid a chimney fire.  If you just burn wood a quarterly clean in the burning season is recommended, otherwise an annual sweep will do.  It is best to use a professionally qualified sweep, such as those registered by NACS (The National Association of Chimney Sweeps).  If you are in doubt visit www.checkatrade.com the online directory of local tradesmen who have been checked by Suffolk Trading Standards and who make a commitment to treat customers fairly.

Here are Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service’s top tips to make sure that you stay safe this winter:

·   

• ·         Use a fire guard
• Clean your chimney regularly
• ·         Make sure the fire is out before going to bed, or leaving the house
• ·         Use good quality fuel
• ·         Never use petrol or paraffin to light your fire
• ·         Do not overload your grate or stove
• ·         Above all make sure that you have a working smoke alarm on every floor of your home.

A resistable invitation from UKIP

The beginning of September, schools go back, and a new sense of vigour and purpose fills the air at Endeavour House.  

The regular Budget meeting at which members of the Group examine parts of the County Councils' budget was particularly well attended yesterday, and some interesting ideas, both financial and non financial,  about highways maintenance were shared and developed.  It is remarkable what can be achieved when a group of frustrated councillors start to brainstorm! 

Other groups are equally upbeat it seems, in particular our UKIP members.  Clearly they are very excited by the defection of Douglas Carswell in Clacton.  So much so that a notice reading 'Defectors queue here' has appeared on the door of their Group Room.

I have not noticed any takers so far, but I suppose a council seat in Suffolk representing UKIP is less appealing than a parliamentary one in Essex.

Farewell to Siobhan

Many readers of the website will remember PCSO Siobhan Hemmett who was the officer responsible for parishes in the Waldingfield Ward area until she was transferred to other areas in West Babergh a year or so ago.

Siobhan did a great job in the Ward, working alongside schools to improve road safety and undertaking all sorts of other less high profile, but necessary tasks.  The picture here shows her promoting the walking to school in Action, and also encouraging motorists to drive more slowly.

Siobhan was recently succesful in applying for a twelve month secondment to a new role in Bury St Edmunds, looking at how the police respond to people with mental health issues.  The aim is to find ways to reduce the very high levels of demand that this area of work brings to the service.  If successful the project should bring benefits both to those with mental health problems and also to the police.

While Siobhan is away her duties will be covered by other members of the Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team.  I am sure we all wish her well in her new role.

Babergh to build first houses for 20 years

Babergh is to build new social housing for the first time in 20 years.

Following changes made by Government in recent years to the way that the funding of housing activity is organised, councils now have much more flexibility in the area of housing provision.  They can, for example, borrow against their housing stock and thus initiate the building of new properties. This was not possible in the past.  In addition at present the Government is offering grants to councils in order to further stimulate the construction of houses for those who cannot afford to buy their own homes outright.

Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils, in partnership with Havebury Housing Association, were recently successful in securing £1million from the Government’s Affordable Homes Project.    A proportion of this money will enable Babergh to build some 27 new homes for those on the housing waiting list. 38 houses will be built in Mid Suffolk.

I am not yet certain where the houses will be built, but hope that a proportion will be in rural areas in order to give young people the option of living in the countryside, and to keep our villages and their facilities alive.

A trip to Sussex

We have just come back from a short trip down to Sussex.

We had decided to stay in Eastbourne before the recent fire damaged the pier. It is a sad sight at present as can be seen above.  Local people are determined that all will be put to rights by the beginning of next summer season.  One person we met expressed the opinion that it had not been altogether a bad thing, since the penny arcade, which formerly occupied the damaged pavilion, had passed its sell by date.  He expressed the view that something more up to date, such as boutiques and cafes might be a better use of the newly available space.  I am not sure about this since many people still go to the seaside for its traditional attractions.

The town has followed other seaside places by recently building a new art gallery.  The Towner Gallery opened in 2009, and its contemporary aspect is certainly a change from the old mansion that formerly housed the town's collection. Primarily devoted to modern art,  it has huge spaces on the ground floor, and a more traditional layout with cafe above.

We were lucky to catch an interesting show, Designing the Everyday, which featured artists from the early years of the 20th Century to the present,  whose work had been used as designs for commercial purposes, such as advertisements, fabric and ceramics.  Nick was interested to see the original posters, created by various artists including Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, from the 'You can be sure of Shell' campaign which revolutionised advertising.  I was particularly taken by the ceramics designed for Wedgewood in the 1930's by Eric Ravilious, which are still popular and available today.

Alphabet design mug for Wedgwood by Eric Ravilious (1903 - 1942) first produced 1937

A concert in September.

On 6^th September there is to be an autumn entertainment ‘There is Sweet Music’ in Preston St Mary Parish Church.

Serendipity, described as ‘South Suffolk’s best small choir’ will sing a selection of songs dating from the sixteenth century to the present day, including Tallis and Byrd, Rachmaninoff and Mendelsohn, folk songs, and also favourites from the First World War.

All proceeds of the concert will go towards the maintenance of the fabric of the church.

Preston Church, pictured above,  contains much of interest.  In the nineteenth century however it was in a state of dilapidation,  and after the tower was struck for a second time by lightning in 1868,  much of the building was reconstructed  by the Victorian architect Sir Arthur Blomfield.  Blomfield is perhaps best known for designing the Royal College of Music, and he also rebuilt the nave of what is now Southwark Cathedral.  Those who know about these matters consider that perhaps his restoration at Preston might be considered over grand for a small parish church, but it must be remembered that the population of Preston at the time was almost certainly rather larger than it is today.

More ancient relics remain in the Church, including a fine sixteenth century porch, an outstanding twelfth century font, and what is described by Mortlock as ‘one of the most interesting Decalogue boards to be found anywhere. Dating possibly from the time of Edward lV…’  There are also interesting mosaics and monuments, including brass of one of Suffolk’s first antiquarians, Robert Ryece, who died in 1638.  Ryece collected over 150 stained glass heraldic shields, dating from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, and 46 of these can be seen in the aisle east windows and the clerestory.

Why not come to the concert and take a look? The performance starts at 7.30 p.m. and tickets are priced at £12.50 to include canapés and a glass of wine after the performance.  Tickets can be bought at the door, in advance from Lavenham Tourist Office, or by calling 01449 741389.