PCC proposes increase in precept to fund constabulary in 2024/25

As your Police & Crime Commissioner, setting the policing budget is one of my most important responsibilities. I must ensure that the Chief Constable has the resources required to provide an efficient and effective service.

Later this month, I will need to make a decision about the policing element of the council tax precept. I am planning to ask the Police and Crime Panel to support my proposal to raise the policing element of the precept by £13 a year (for a Band D property) to enable us to maintain the standard of service that the public expect.

I would be very grateful if you could take part in the survey (link below) and let me know what you think. Could I also ask you to forward this on to anyone else you think may be interested in commenting.

PCCPreceptSurvey2024

Please go to my website for more detail.

Tim Passmore

Police & Crime Commissioner for Suffolk

Blyth Valley Rotary is inviting you, your family, friends, colleagues and your clients to join us for Southwold Christmas Day Swim on Gun Hill Beach close to the Gun Hill Beach Kiosk. The Swim starts at 10.30 am. This year, we will be raising funds for RNLI Southwold, Sole Bay Care Fund, and Suffolk & Cambridgeshire Blood Bikes. These charities really need help to make people’s lives better. Please spread the word about the Southwold Christmas Day Swim!

Event: Annual Southwold Christmas Day Swim (16+ years).

Time: 10.30am start of swim.

Venue: Gun Hill Beach Kiosk IP18 6HF.

Registration: Registration for the swim is either online https://blythvalleyrotary.co.uk/christmas-day-swim or on the day from 9am, £10 in advance or £12 on the day from 9 am. We will be accepting cash and card payments (subject to wifi service!) for registration. Essential that all swimmers register to comply with health and safety and insurance requirements.

FREE EVENT TO WATCH AND ENCOURAGE THE BRAVE AND HEARTY ON THIS FESTIVE COMMUNITY OCCASION!

Blyth Valley Rotary Club was renamed in July 2023 from the Southwold Rotary Club. We are the same people working hard in our community to make a difference. We are a non-profit organisation, which means that every penny we raise goes back into charities or volunteer groups to help the community. We raised over £22,000 last year, and all of that money has gone to good causes. Our website informs the public where the money has been spent: https://blythvalleyrotary.co.uk/about-us/.

We are participating members of Community Action Suffolk and Volunteer Suffolk hoping to help communities more, especially ours! We actively encourage volunteering and would love to encourage employer-supported volunteering: https://www.communityactionsuffolk.org.uk/volunteering/employer-supported-volunteering/.

Please join in and make a difference. If you aren’t able to join us please share the event or you may wish to donate to these charities via the link: https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/donation/blyth_valley_rotary.

On behalf of the Blyth Valley Rotary and our volunteers, we look forward to seeing you on Christmas Day on Gun Hill Beach.

Saturday, 13th January, 7pm @ Reydon Village Hall

£10 per person, including ploughman’s supper and lucky entrant draw.

Teams of up to six. Bring your own drink. Raffle!

Book your tickets with Charlotte at Southwold Library, tel: 07715388916; e-mail: frogclock@hotmail.com.

All funds towards the RVH Golden Anniversary Appeal Fund to repair, renovate and refit the Hall.

Face-to-Face Legal Matters Advice and Information: Contested Wills – When, Why and How to Contest Them

Monday, 15th January, 10.30am @ Southwold Library

Local solicitor Stuart Johnson, fully accredited with Solicitors for the Elderly, will advise on how to contest a will or how a will can end up being contested.

Free talk, no need to book. Tel: 01502 722519; e-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk.

Southwold Arts Centre and Southwold Library Present: Southwold Community Cinema

• A Haunting In Venice (2023) 12a, Wednesday, 17th January, 3pm.

Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. He soon gets thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets when one of the guests is murdered.

• The Great Escaper (2023) 12a, Wednesday, 21st February, 3pm.

In the summer of 2014, a World War II veteran sneaks out of his care home to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

• Napoleon (2023), Wednesday, 27th March, 3pm.

A look at the military commander’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine.

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

Friends of Southwold Library Quiz Night!

Saturday, 27th January, 7pm @ Cardinal Newman Hall (Old Postal Sorting Office).

Teams of four – £3 per person. Bring your own drinks and snacks. Raffle. Book early to avoid disappointment, limited places.

Contact: Southwold Library – email: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk; tel: 01502 722519.

Reydon and Southwold Pantomime Present Dick Whittington!

Performances on: Saturday, 27th January, 5pm; Sunday, 28th January, 2pm; Monday, 29th January, 7.15pm; Tuesday, 30th January, 7.15pm; Thursday, 1st February, 7.15pm; Friday, 2nd February, 7.15pm; and Saturday, 3rd February, 2pm and 7.15pm.

@ Southwold Arts Centre

Tickets are £10/£12 adult; £5/£6 child; and £25/£30 family (two adults and two under-16s).

Available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/rspanto or in person at Southwold Library or Southwold Arts Centre.

Bedtime Stories @ Southwold Library

Tuesdays in December and January, 5.30pm

Free drop in. All welcome for some bedtime stories – nightwear optional.

Activity Afternoons @Southwold Library

Weekdays from 2.15pm

Crochet every Wednesday; Scrabble third Thursday; Poetry first Friday; Mah-Jong second and fourth Friday; Ongoing jigsaw all other afternoons. Free hot drinks. Sponsored by East of England Co-op in association with East Suffolk Council.

Realise Futures Walk-in Advice And Guidance

Every Thursday, 10am–12 noon @ Southwold Library,

Do you have a learning disability/autism? Do you need some support, advice, or information?

Come along to one of our Walk-in Advice and Guidance sessions. There is no need to book an appointment. Our Advisors will talk to you about the support you need. We can provide advice, guidance, and information on housing, employment, benefits, training, money, travel, safety, health, bills/letters and social.

Please contact: Anita Fiddy, Service Locality Co-ordinator (East) – tel: 07598 582955; e-mail: anita.fiddy@realisefutures.org.

Chess Club

Every Friday, from 4.30pm @ Southwold Library

Free event, no booking required.

Free play every week for kids 7+ and adults. Beginners’ teaching and assistance from Phil weeks two and four.

Mah-Jong Group

Friday, 12th and 26th January, 2.15–4.15pm

Second and fourth Friday of the month.

£1 per person.

Can you play Mah-Jong? Do you want to learn? Come along and join the group at Southwold Library.

Crochet Club

Every Wednesday, 2.15–4pm

£2 each.

A friendly group for all abilities of crocheter. Barbara will be on hand to teach beginners, add to your crochet skills or troubleshoot problems. Or just bring along your latest project and crochet together. Bring your own equipment or Barbara can supply at a price. Refreshment break in the Canteen.

Blyth Poets ‘The Isle is Full of Voices’

Friday, 5th January, 2.15–3.30pm

First Friday of every month.

Free event, no booking required.

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.

Scrabble Club

Thursday, 18th January, 2.15pm

Third Thursday of every month.

Free event, no booking required.

All equipment supplied. Refreshment break in the Canteen.

Kids, come and read to Ash the PAT Dog

Wednesdays, 4pm @ Southwold Library

Free event, no booking required.

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 for up to 15 minutes at a time plus enjoy a range of dog-themed games, jigsaws, and crafts while you wait.

Southwold Library, Old Hospital Hub, Field Stile Road, Southwold IP18 6LD; tel: 01502 722519; e-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk.

Lego Club!

Sundays, 12.15–1pm

Free event, no booking required.

Open to kids (and adults) of all ages. This winter, we’re building: Humongous Houses. All donations of Lego welcome.

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

Southwold Library Reading Group

Thursday, 25th January, 6.30pm @ Southwold Library

Free event, no booking required.

This month, we are reading: Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson. Pick up a book at Southwold Library.

Tel: 01502 722519; e-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk.

Baby Bounce and Tot Rock

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

Free event, no booking required.

For babies and toddlers of all ages. Instruments, clapping, jogging and action rhymes.

The latest, Winter edition of The Reydon Robin, the free quarterly magazine devoted to all things Reydon has just come out today, 7th December, and will be delivered over the next few days to all households in Reydon by a team of dedicated volunteers. It is also available to read online here.

The next, Spring edition of The Robin will be out on 28th March 2024, with a copy deadline of 15th March. If you would like to contribute to this, please contact reydon.robin@gmail.com

An initiative by Reydon Parish Council, the Sole Bay Care Fund and Latitude Volunteers

Reydon Parish Council has teamed up with the Sole Bay Care Fund and the Latitude Volunteers to launch a pilot project providing free school lunches for all children at Reydon and Southwold Primary Schools.

In recognition of the impact of the cost-of-living crises, the project will ensure children have access to a nutritious and balanced hot meal during the school day to support both physical and academic development. 

Councillor Pam Cyprien, Chair of Reydon Parish Council, said: “Following the success of our Community Pantry, we are delighted to be able to extend support to the children in our community through the Feed The Children intiative.  Both schemes are designed to benefit everyone, de-stigmatising those in need, and supporting everyone through these difficult times. No child should go without a nutritious meal, we want to thank all the volunteers who have got this project off the ground, and we look forward to making a positive difference to our community.”

Mrs Katy Last, Academy Head, Southwold Primary School, added: “Southwold Primary School is benefitting every day from this wonderful project, and with 95% of our pupils now having school meals each day, we know that the families are benefitting too. Financial pressure is always a concern and can be very stressful, particularly at this time of year and anything done to ease this makes a difference. A number of our school staff were Latitude volunteers, so directly helped fundraise for this brilliant project, and seeing the results of their efforts, and of all the volunteers and fundraisers, all those months ago is amazing.”

Dr Cathy Ryan MBE, Sole Bay Care Fund, commented: “The Sole Bay Care fund is delighted to be able to facilitate the donations for this project and want to say thank you to the other community groups, charitable trusts and individuals that have really got behind it. Knowing all children in our nursery and primary schools have access to a hot meal during the school day, through the winter months is an amazing achievement.”

The future of the project is reliant on continuous fundraising. You can donate to the project through www.solebaycarefund.uk or via bacs to Sole Bay Care Fund.  Sort Code 20-44-11.  Account Number 03084086.

For more information, please contact Lena O’Shea on lenaoshea@gmail.com or 07971910843.