One of Hadleigh’s less well known treasures is the Row Chapel which holds an important place in Hadleigh’s history.
Originally the chapel was intended for those who lived in the alms houses, but now the congregation comes from all parts of Hadleigh with occasional tourists from further afield.
On the first Tuesday in the month a celebration of the Eucharist, Holy Communion, is held using the Book of Common Prayer and including a sermon and hymns sung with enthusiasm. On the other three Tuesdays the service is Matins, Morning Prayer, again from the BCP, again with sermon and hymns. The Chapel predates the reformation and witnessed the journey of Rowland Taylor’s martyrdom in 1555. He gave his last coins to the folk in the alms houses as he was led up George Street to Aldham Common.
The chapel is a spiritual resource to the people of Hadleigh in general and the residents of the almshouses (to the rear of the Chapel) in particular. It is also a focus for visiting tourists.
It’s governing committee is committed to show casing local suppliers, artisans and craftsmen. The committee hope to raise sufficient funds to re-paint the internal plasterwork, install custom made cushions and replace the old carpet.
Funds are raised from the congregation via the after service coffee and biscuits and from donations. So far over £600 has been raised.
I have committed £550 from my Community Locality Budget to assist their efforts
The ambition is to restore the 500+ year old Chapel back to its former important place in Hadleigh’s history.
Nice Things
Pay Policy at Babergh
Meanwhile on Planet Babergh, the District Councillors are being asked on Tuesday 25th June to approve the Collective Agreement on Employment Terms, Conditions and Policies.
The statement about financial implications of the new agreement is weak and flabby. Not for the first time do we have a lack of detail in this area. I have previously expressed my reluctance to sign blank cheques or to trust bland opinions.
It should be case of running the spreadsheets to get the opinion that that new arrangements will either mean more money in the staff pockets or not. Telling us that the savings targets as set out in the Business Case will be met, has nothing to do with salaries. Meeting the business case is a sine qua non. We expect nothing less!
What we do expect is hard robust opinions from the officers. How else can we have confidence in their assessments.
Towards the end of the summary of staff benefits we find that parking available to staff at the Council office car parks will be free of charge. The residents and visitors to Hadleigh pay for their parking, whether they are in employment or not. The same should apply to the employees at Babergh.
Free parking is not a perquisite to be enshrined in the Collective Agreement!
It would seem that the staff anticipate further charging for car parking and wish to be exempt from the realities of the people who pay their wages.
The full paper may be read on http://bdcdocuments.onesuffolk.net/council/ see paper N26.
Convalescence
A few weeks ago I went to a poetry reading in aid of Success After Stroke. Readings were taken from “Convalescence” a slim volume of poems written by Gerard Melia and performed by a professional actress and Andrew Frolish (head teacher at St Mary’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School). The evening raised over £300 for Success After Stroke.
More interesting was the description of the work done by Success After Stroke and how Gerard worked through his communication issues after his second stroke.
In a foreword to the book Margherita Baker, Speech and Language Therapist at Ipswich Hospital writes …
“At first his words had a life of their own, never quite able to match Gerard’s voice. Gradually with tremendous effort and determination, after two years, Gerard managed to express his thoughts and observations on paper as poems … He would hope that in sharing them he is raising awareness of how it feels to be lost for words and then, bit by bit to clamber back”
The book is available from Mr. G. Melia,56B, Aldham Road, Hadleigh IP7 6BP.
Please send Gerard a stamped self addressed C5 envelope together with a small donation (min. £5). Cheques should be made payable to Success After Stroke. The book is worthwhile as is the charity (for which Gift Aid is applicable).
Tessitori (Weavers)
For a few weeks Weavers Spice (one of Hadleigh’s Indian restaurants) has been closed.
In a few weeks time it will open under new management (and business ownership) as Tessitori (Italian for Weavers). Tessitori plans to open early next month as a wine bar/pizzeria. I
t’s good to see this part of the High Street coming alive and I wish Tessitori every success.
Tools With A Mission
On Wednesday evening I dropped into the Churches Together in Hadleigh group. I am a trustee and my duties are not onerous and it’s possible that CTiH will deregister as a charity, in which case I and my three fellow trustees will become redundant.
The various representatives directing CTiH are an interesting group of people and one of the items of business was “What will be the group charity this year?” The answer was Tools With A Mission (TWAM).
TWAM started twenty seven years ago, and has since then provided help by collecting and refurbishing tools and equipment no longer required in the UK and sending them overseas. Tools with a Mission enables people to earn a living and to support themselves.
So it’s not just a case of sending money, it’s a good opportunity to clear out the shed(s) and pass on the duplicate tools and those tools no longer required. The web address is http://www.twam.co.uk/index.html and their location is 2 Bailey Close, Ipswich, Suffolk IP2 0UD.
Three Cheers for Tendring
Yesterday’s East Anglia Daily Times reports that Tendring District Council’s innovative free parking scheme is being hailed a success after businesses said they have seen a significant increase in footfall. The Council is set to continue the popular initiative which allows people to use their car parks for 12 hours during the day completely free of charge. A survey carried out by the local authority on hundreds of businesses found that around 50% had noticed a higher footfall through their town centres since the free permits were issued to households. Approximately 30% of businesses said they noticed an increase in the number of customers coming through their doors. Tendring introduced the scheme at the end of July last year. Every council taxpaying household in the district was issued with a free parking permit for use at any of the council’s 25 car parks from 10 a.m. to midnight. Tendring District Council’s initiative has seen town centres buck the national trend, encouraging shoppers to visit their local retailers. Business leaders in Suffolk last night said the success of the scheme “bursts the balloon” of those who claim there is no correlation between free parking and increase in footfall. Mark Cordell, chief executive of town centre business improvement group Bid4Bury, said: “This scheme is a great example of the local authority listening to, and acting upon, the views of businesses. It is no surprise to me that it has been a huge success”.
Three cheers for a council that sees car parking as support for commercial well-being and not as some form of cash cow useful for balancing the cash flow deficit The full reports can be read on (http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/politics/tendring_free_parking_scheme_boosts_business_1_1951477
Habemus Papam (soon)
Reuters today cited Christopher Bellitto, a Church historian at Kean University in New Jersey, who said that by citing health reasons for his decision, Benedict has also helped the Church by setting a modern precedent for resigning at a time when medical progress means the elderly can live far beyond their active years. Whilst the rules for election of a new Pope are continually under review, according to Morris West (Shoes of a Fisherman) nomination and election can also take place by acclamation. But one doesn’t have to be in the Conclave to be appointed to the triple crown. The precedent is set by Pope Fabian, who was in Rome (236) immediately after the death of the forty day Pope Anterus. Whilst the names of several illustrious and noble persons were being considered, a dove suddenly descended upon the head of Fabian, who was not, at that time, being considered as a candidate. To the assembled brethren the sight recalled the Gospel scene of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Saviour, and so, divinely inspired, as it were, they chose Fabian with joyous unanimity and placed him in the Chair of Peter. Little is known of Fabian’s pontificate but during his reign of fourteen years there was a lull in the storm of persecutions.
Now I’m wondering that if I went to Rome and sprinkled bird seed on my head, could I organise a valid nomination to the ultimate job?
On the other hand it might be better to focus on the county election in May.
On the Buses (contd)
Last May I reported how together with three “partners in crime” we had persuaded Suffolk County Council to reinstate the evening and Sunday bus service between Hadleigh and Ipswich.
The service was restored on a pilot basis on the 20th August and since then we have encouraged everyone to use the service whether it be for the cinema, shopping, education or participating in the evening economy. On Friday we learned that the pilot has been successful and that the service will be reinstated until February 2014.
For the time being we can rest easy about the people of Hadleigh being connected to Ipswich and beyond. The service still needs to be used because as always it’s a case of use it or lose it.
Success can be seen in many ways. In addition to the “official purposes” the bus service enhances people’s lives in unexpected ways. One Sunday user told me that “…it lets me visit my mum in her Ipswich nursing home.” And one bus driver told recently that romance blooms as young swains can now get back from courting their inamoratas.
The late evening and week end bus service is a success at so many levels.
The Lion and Lamb
Yesterday was one of those days which worked out well once you realised that it was not profitable to try to run up hill through the mud.
We needed to meet the offspring at Stansted arriving from Salzburg – but the Austrian wing de-icer was either over worked or on a go slow – so arrival time was definitely a moveable feast.
Rather than wait in the arrivals’ lounge clocking up parking fees faster than a pay day loan in default, we looked for somewhere to eat close to the airport which is when we discovered the Lion and the Lamb, situated on the B1256 at Little Canfield.
It is less than three miles from the airport – which translates as ten minutes on the road – so collectees can call you on the mobile and summon you from the pub.
The lunch was just what we needed, the house red quite palatable and the coffee was freshly ground.
We left the pub, parked at the airport and met our travellers as they emerged into the public area.
So all in all, instead of problems, the delay gave us the opportunity to enjoy a very nice Essex pub.
The Morning(s) After
Hadleigh people certainly know how to party. On January 1st the town’s Magdelan Road recycling centre was overflowing with the evidence of very merry Christmases indeed! I informed Babergh District Council on the evening of the 1st January and by the afternoon of the 2nd the glass had been collected and the street care team had cleared all the bags and boxes left behind.
To be picky, leaving one’s rubbish by the bottle banks is littering at best and fly-tipping at worst.
Three cheers then for the Council and its teams for responding so quickly and so well.
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