Category: News

May 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all of our lives.  Britain has been forced to implement restrictions and new rules that our country has not experienced since the Second World War.  Many people are still working from home and we remain unable to freely see people that we love and care about. But these ongoing measures are necessary to halt the spread of the virus and to protect lives.

Our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has recently announced the Government’s intention to take the first careful steps in modifying some of the restrictions facing our daily lives and these remain under constant review.  However, it remains vitally important that we all continue to respect and follow Government advice so that we don’t risk a second wave of infection.  A second wave would have devastating consequences for our NHS and for our economy. In my view, it is essential that we continue to be led by the scientific evidence, which dictates which restrictions can start to be lifted and when.

We must all continue to play our part in helping prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus by:

• Maintaining social distancing – keeping at least 2 metres apart from people who are not from your own household helps to protect each other and reduces the spread of the virus;

• Ensuring good hand hygiene – thoroughly washing your hands and wrists before eating and when returning home after leaving the house is particularly important to protect yourself from catching the virus;

• And to protect others, it is important NOT to leave home if you or anyone in your household has Coronavirus symptoms

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, my office and I have continued to work hard on behalf of everyone in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, helping people to access personal and business financial support, and also helping a great many people who were stranded overseas as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to return home.  I continue to ask probing Parliamentary questions of our Government about its response to the pandemic and continue to raise issues that matter to us here in Suffolk in Parliament and directly with Government ministers.

I will always do my very best for the people of Central Suffolk and North Ipswich and if there is anything with which I can help, please get in touch with me.   My website also has up to date, helpful information so do please check there:  www.drdanielpoulter.com

As ever, I would like to close by paying tribute to my NHS colleagues, the Police and the many others on the frontline of our public services who are putting others before themselves to help in this crucial fight against Coronavirus.

Now available – click on the picture below

See the web site for details.

Flood lighting appeal

Since we installed floodlights to light the church during winter evenings, we have made disposable money boxes available for spare change as a relatively painless way of funding them.  This has been very successful.  However, this year, we feel that a shopping trip to try to purchase disposable cans and the difficulty of handing them out with the church closed, make this operation unwise.  Also many people are using cash very little this year and so spare change may not be forthcoming.  Please could we ask our congregation to find suitable containers and make a donation which will be collected at the Harvest Worship for All service, assuming that we have one.  If we are still not gathering on the 2^nd Sunday in October we will make other arrangements.  Thank you very much in anticipation.

David Tydeman   and Alex Pratt       Churchwardens

Saturday 16^th May

Notes from the cart track

The dry April has seamlessly continued into a dry May and crops are desperately needing a rain and some warm nights.  The night-time frosts we have had lately are proving difficult in the vegetable garden and I am quite relieved to have no sugar beet to worry about.  May and tree blossom seems to be good but with insect eating birds nesting I hope that a bit of warmth and a shower will bring more blossom in the various bits of conservation mixtures we have sown ready for the chick feeding.

The wheat crop looks reasonably good in general and provided we get a couple of inches of rain to fill the grains in June it should be ok.  Spring barley is poor.  the dry April has caused some germinating seed to fail to emerge from cloddy seed beds.  The least bad field is the one we tried out a cover crop on which will encourage us to repeat the process next year.  The oil radish component of the mixture may have help to prevent the soil becoming consolidated by the rain and lack of frost.  There was certainly no problem with sowing though the residue.  Spring beans being sown deeper and more robust plants have emerged well and should produce a reasonable result if weather conditions are favourable.

How has lockdown and social distancing affected us?  Broadly speaking, our style of arable farming has continued more or less as normal.  Chemical and fertilizer deliveries have not been affected so far.  We have been able to get any building materials and spare parts that are needed although understandably delivery times are much longer and in the case of machinery dealers.  We have to go and collect from a box outside the stores.  Dust masks to use in the grain-store have quadrupled in price and delivery before harvest is not guaranteed.  Delivery drivers and store staff of the companies we work with have been help and careful without exception. 

We have seen a large increase in exercisers and dog walkers on the farm.  The sunny weather has obviously encouraged this which is very good to witness.  On an average day we get 50 – 60 folks out with at least half of these coming through the farmyard.  Sam has put up some new signs showing what is supposed to be growing where and indicating which areas we are trying to leave disturbance free for conservations purposes.  Thank you all for respecting these.  We have had very few causes for concern.  We do still have some loose dogs going into the growing crops.  I don’t think their owners realise that skylarks are on nests at the moment and a Labrador blundering past is not conducive to chick survival.  We have several pairs close to the main footpaths.  I hope that next year we will have even more.

David Tydeman

Rich Tearle (Pastor) Tel: 710101 (Church Office)  mickfieldec@gmail.com or rich.tearle.mec@gmail.com

For latest service info/times please see the website.

Give Me One Good Reason!

We’ve all had to adapt dramatically to the Coronavirus situation. How have you managed the changes? As a church it’s been very strange. We can’t meet together at all the time of writing. We now have a Sunday service online with a group Zoom meeting afterwards, and we also produce and distribute daily ‘thought for the day devotional’ videos via What’s App and YouTube. If you’d like to check out some of these short videos you can find them on our YouTube channel. Just visit YouTube and type Mickfield Evangelical Church.

In the midst of all this we have seen an increasing interest in Christianity. Many people have been engaging with the videos on our website, on Facebook and on YouTube. …Why not use the opportunity to have a peek and see what Christianity is all about without the (perhaps daunting) prospect of having to set foot in a church!

We want to continue to provide a means for all kinds of people to explore the Christian faith. So, over the next few weeks I will be posting 3 videos, exploring 3 very personal reasons for my own faith in Jesus. The first is, what I call, the Monty Python reason!

You can watch it here

Sometimes people say: “give me one good reason to believe!” We’d like to present 3. And we’d love to know your thoughts. Feel free to begin a conversation and share your thoughts in the comments section on YouTube or via my email (listed above).

Stay Safe and Blessed!

Rich T

The Tennis court will re-open on Saturday in line with government guidelines. For 16th May 2020 to 31st March 2021 new period see the Tennis Club pages for updated details with Membership Form, Notes and Booking details.

Friends of Debenham Library

Although Debenham Library is closed you can still use all our online services for free audiobooks, ebooks, films and other services:

• 4,700 Audio books: Overdrive and Borrowbox on your computer or phone/tablet,
• 16,000 eBooks: Overdrive on your computer or phone/tablet (Libby app) –
• Music: Freegal on your computer or phone/tablet
• Films: Kanopy on your computer or phone/tablet
• 7,000 Magazines: Pressreader on your computer or phone/tablet

Use your library card at  www.suffolklibraries.co.uk for more details

Meanwhile Sue Hutt has been busy reading aloud some children’s illustrated books held in the library, and you can see the videos on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DebenhamLibraryAndFriends. Watch them with your children! (Tony has had to learn video editing skills!) Cathy has provided a video tour of the library garden. More videos to come!

Join our film mailing list (email tony@tonyhutt.co.uk) so you don’t miss out in future! We can’t show films, but meanwhile details are being circulated of various free films you can watch at home.

When you have finished with your books, please put them in our black bin outside the library.  All items have been renewed automatically until August.

Tel: 01728 861940      www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/libraries/debenham-library
Facebook: @DebenhamLibraryFriends

School corner, Debenham IP14 6PL (next to the Primary School).