Southwold Literary Festival

Friday, 7th November until Sunday, 9th November @ Southwold Arts Centre

Inspired by the success of ‘Slaughter in Southwold’, Southwold Library, Southwold Arts Centre and Southwold Books launched ‘Southwold Literary Festival’ in November 2023.  The 2025 Festival features an amazing mix of fiction and non-fiction authors speaking about a fascinating range of subjects.

Tickets are £7 a talk, £7 Friday Day Ticket, £30 Saturday Day Ticket, £18 Sunday Day Ticket or £55 for the whole weekend.

Tickets can be booked at Southwold Library (in person, by phone 01502 722519 or by visiting www.ticketsource.co.uk/southwoldlibrary) or at Southwold Arts Centre (in person, by phone 01502 722572 or by visiting www.southwoldartscentre.co.uk).

Friday, 7th November

• 5.30pm: Alison Weir: Legend of historical fiction

Saturday, 8th November

• 10am: Richard Negus: Suffolk conservationist and hedge layer
• 11.30am: Neil Lanham: The James Herriot of antiques
• 2pm: Jasper Fforde: Wildly inventive, genre-bending novels
• 3.30pm: Sarah Perry: The Essex Serpent author on dying, family and love.
• 5pm: Robert Ross: Biographer of Monty Python’s Terry Jones.

Sunday, 9th November

• 10am: Robert Ashton: Storyteller of vanished rural traditions
• 11.30am: Sophie Hannah: Poirot writer and queen of the thriller
• 2pm: Wendy Holden: Author of The Teacher of Auschwitz.

Orwell in Southwold: A Guided Walk With Local Author Ronald Binns

Saturday, 15th November, 11am from Southwold Library

Join Ronald Binns on a tour of George Orwell’s Southwold and see the houses where he lived and wrote.

Learn about his long association with the town and how Southwold and its people entered into his writing.

Ronald Binns is the author of Orwell in Southwold.

£5 per person. Approx. 75 minutes. Limited number.

Book your tickets at Southwold Library – tel: 01502 442817 or online: www.ticketsource.co.uk/southwoldlibrary.

Friends of Southwold Library Quiz Night!

Saturday, 15th November, 7pm @ Cardinal Newman Hall (Old Postal Sorting Office)

Teams of four – £3 per person. Bring your own drinks & snacks. Raffle.

Book early to avoid disappointment, limited places. Contact Southwold Library – e-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk or tel: 01502 442817.

The History of Southwold Cannons: A Talk With Peter Kent

Monday, 17th November, 11am

Peter Kent is the author of the well-researched and beautifully presented new book, The History of Southwold Cannons.  Come and hear about all the cannons (not just Gun Hill) and their history. Peter will be signing copies of his books. Free talk, no need to book.

The Lowestoft Longshore Men Sing Sea Shanties

Sunday, 23rd November, 5pm @ Southwold Library

Tickets £7. Book at Southwold Library – tel: 01502 442817, e-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk or online: www.ticketsource.co.uk/southwoldlibrary.

Southwold Arts Centre & Southwold Library Present: Southwold Community Cinema

Mr Burton (2025) 12A – Wednesday, 5th November, 3pm

The story of the wild schoolboy Rich Jenkins, son of a boozy miner and an English teacher who recognised his talent, Philip Burton.

Black Bag (2025) 15 – Wednesday, 3rd December, 3pm

When his beloved wife Kathryn is suspected of betraying the nation, intelligence agent George Woodhouse faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.

Tickets – £5, including refreshments. Book a ticket at www.southwoldartscentre.co.uk or visit the box office @ Southwold Arts Centre, Cumberland Road, Southwold IP18 6JP, tel: 01502 722572.

Let Us Help You Get Connected

Every Wednesday, 10am–12noon @ Southwold Library

Need help with tech? A drop-in advice session where we can help you with things like:

• Setting up e-mail and social media accounts.

• Online shopping (Amazon, eBay and more).

• Basic support with smartphones, tablets and computers.

• Travel plans using Google Maps and similar tools.

• Staying safe online and avoiding scams.

For more information, ask library staff, call 01502 722519 or e-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk.

Kids, Come and Read to Ash the PAT Dog

Thursday, 6th November, 3.30pm @ Southwold Library

The Read2Dogs scheme provided by PAT helps to improve literacy skills and wellbeing in young people by developing their confidence, interest and enjoyment in reading.

Dogs are non-judgemental and great listeners – they don’t interrupt or correct – so they aid confidence and concentration levels. PAT Dogs are also known to encourage positive social behaviours, enhance self-esteem and inspire young people to relax and have fun.

Come and read to Ash and enjoy his calm company.

Friends of Southwold Library 100 Club

Would you like to turn your £1 into £25 and support your library?

For just £1 a month, you could win £25 at our monthly draw.

Southwold Library 100 Club is a fundraising club, and money raised will be used to support the facilities and services supplied by the Library.

*** More members  =  More prizes ***

Ask to join at Southwold Library today!

Southwold Library Jigsaw Swap Shop

Come and help yourself to a jigsaw at Southwold Library completely free! You can take one and return it, take one and return a different one or just take one (we have plenty).

Come and check out what we have available.

Blyth Poets ‘The Isle is Full of Voices’

Friday, 7th November, 2.15–3.30pm

First Friday of every month.

A poetry group meeting at Southwold Library.

All welcome to read or just listen.

We invite contributions of original work or well-loved poems.

Refreshment break in the Canteen.

Free event, no booking required.

Mah-jong Group

Friday, 14th and 28th November, 2.15–4.15pm

Second and fourth Friday of the month

Can you play Mah-jong?

Do you want to learn?

Come along and join the group at Southwold Library. £1 per person.

Scrabble Club

Thursday, 13th November, 2.15pm

Second Thursday of every month.

All equipment supplied.

Refreshment break in the Canteen.

Free event, no booking required.

Crochet and Craft Club

Every Wednesday, 2.15–4pm

£2 each.

A friendly group for all crafters as well as those who crochet (to any ability). Barbara will be on hand to teach crochet beginners, add to your crochet skills or troubleshoot problems, should you want to. Or just bring along your latest craft project and work on them together.

Bring your own equipment or Barbara can supply crochet equipment at a price.

Hot drinks supplied.

Lego Club!

Sundays, 12.15–1pm

Open to kids (and adults) of all ages.

This autumn, we’re building: Vast Vehicles.

All donations of Lego welcome.

Free event, no booking required.

Adults: Would you like to help with Lego Club? Just ask staff.

Southwold Library Reading Group

Thursday, 27th November, 6.30pm @ Southwold Library

This month, we are reading: Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers.

Pick up a book at Southwold Library (tel: 01502 722519; e-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk).

Free event, no booking required.

Baby Bounce and Tot Rock

Every Sunday and Tuesday, 10.30–11am @ Southwold Library

Instruments, clapping, jogging and action rhymes.

For babies and toddlers of all ages.

Free event, no booking required.

Worlingham and Carlton Marshes

The Blyth Valley and Southwold SWT Wildlife group welcomed Vicky Eyles, the Suffolk Wildlife Trust Wilder Community Officer, who gave us an update on Worlingham and Carlton Marshes. Many of you may have visited Carlton Marshes, now such a successful reserve, with its varied fen, marsh, tree and wetland areas, and its good access, play and café facilities. The land was in agricultural use until the 1970s, so there was much to do to restore it to a more natural state. The Trust has continued to buy areas of land there, when possible, with the aim of creating a wildlife corridor along the River Waveney, making links with Castle and Worlingham Marshes, allowing the flora and fauna to move and flourish more easily.  Peto’s Marsh was a recent major purchase, with match funding from the Heritage Fund, and it is now a magnet for overwintering wildfowl, and a spring breeding ground for diverse species. Other smaller areas continue to be added to the reserve.

 Worlingham Marsh is very different. It has always been a wild area, and so the Trust has been able to enhance what is already there. There is limited public access to the Marsh while improvements to habitat are carried out, but greater access will be possible in the future. We watched and enjoyed some fascinating footage from trail cams, a taste of what we will find there.

Vicky also spoke about the wide range of Outreach work she is involved in, from visiting schools, to setting up volunteers work teams, surveys, local events, community wildlife gardens and discovery walks. Local farmers are often interested in, and support, Trust initiatives, and she offers guidance and resources, such as relevant books, and the loan of trail cams. These can give wonderful footage of fox or badger families, for example, which can encourage landowners to enjoy what their land supports.

It was fascinating to learn so much about two of our nearest reserves, and we left with the feeling that we will visit more often, and explore further.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, 13th November at 7.30 at the Southwold Arts Centre IP18 6JP. Ian Bedford will talk about ‘The Trouble Without Wasps’. The cost is £5 to include refreshments. Under 25s are free, and all are welcome.

Contact us at swtblythvalley@gmail.com.

Penny Mansfield