free To A GooD HoMe!Please take your copy

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LIFES

TYLE

CULT

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BUSI

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Inside this month 7 Natasha Newton’s atmospheric work 7 Find the finest fromages in Suffolk 7 Help beating the January blues 7 and some Suffolk success stories...

Janu

ary

2010

Issue

48

2

3

Suffolk – county of culture & charity!

Tel: 01394 412160

Published by: Seaglass Collective Ltd.Greenacres, Mill Lane Alderton, Woodbridge IP12 3DB

Send your news to: Gemma Thompson editor@roundaboutsuffolk.co.uk

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Please note the deadline for the next issue is 13th January 2010

Last month saw the announcement that Ipswich is teaming up with the Haven Gateway in a joint bid to become the UK’s first City of Culture for 2013. I’m sure a few people were surprised by this announcement but I have to admit I’m not really. Yes, OK, Ipswich isn’t technically a city but when it comes to culture, Suffolk surpasses them all!

For example last year’s Pulse fringe festival was judged as good as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (though in a very different way) by the Guardian! Not all the talent there is home grown, they also go out of their way to get the cream from around the country but if you are a local performer why not apply at www.pulsefringe.com

May this year also sees the return of The Bury Fringe Festival, a fortnight of exciting and original events with an emphasis on regional talent. They’d love to hear from anyone who has something they feel they can contribute to the festival and have two Open Days planned on Saturday 16th and Saturday 30th January (See the What’s On Section for more details), for more information on the website www.buryfringe.com.

I also promised I’d tell you more about our new partnership with Connect. Connect has been developed by the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Unit as a way of forging a partnership between visitors, local businesses and conservation. The Suffolk Coast and Heaths is an outstanding landscape, containing the few remaining fragments of Sandlings Heath and some of the least developed coastline in southern England. This was recognised when, in 1970, it was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

We have pledged to donate 5% of our advertising revenue to Connect so by buying advertising from us, our advertisers are making a direct contribution to the conservation of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths area. All the money donated to Connect goes straight to the most deserving conservation projects – supporting Connect is a great way to ensure a better future for the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.

Help us to conserve the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: You can make a donation through our website and really help make a difference!

4

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6

Watching the Seasons By: Gemma Thompson

Suffolk artist Natasha Newton tells us her secrets to success! Natasha Newton is aa distinctive as her work. And, like her work she exudes knowingness; you feel she is privy to secrets. Her paintings whisper secrets the way the wind whispers them through the trees, usually calmly and quietly so you have to strain to catch them, but sometimes the wind rises and bellows just as her work seems to suddenly catch at you and without any obvious preamble you just know.

She loves the quiet beauty of the Autumn and Winter landscape and manages to combine the reflectiveness

of these seasons with symbolism, stories and patterns. Sometimes creating landscapes viewed at a distance, or closer details of trees and birds, to produce her atmospheric messages. What I find intriguing in her work is how she manages to show so much life and expression in the times that the world withdraws.

She has always created and had an entrepreneurial spirit – she remembers making bookmarks and little gift tags and trying to sell them when she was a child. Although she could have gone to Art school,

Her paintings whisper secrets

the way that the wind whispers them

through the trees

7

various events prevented her from taking her place. It wasn’t until 1999, when she was selected from 1000s of applicants to exhibit as part of the Singer and Friedlander/Sunday Times Watercolour Competition Exhibition, followed by winning second prize in the hotly contested Winsor & Newton Young Artist Award at The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours Annual Exhibition, that she began to realise that this could become far more than a hobby. At this point she wondered if missing Art School would hamper her, but a friend who had attended reassured her that Art school was about practising and she did plenty of that!

Natasha crosses the divide between artist and businesswoman. She has been a full time artist since April 2007 and is able to support herself through the sale of her work – something that most artist’s only dream of! In fact it is probably because of her artistic nature that she’s accomplished this. All good artists teach us to see the possibilities in the world and Natasha saw the possibilities in the Internet.

Since the launch of her website Natasha has gained a large following, and now receives regular commissions and sells to collectors all over the world, including a U.S Senator and a Peer of the Realm. “When I first started selling on the internet I liked how it allowed me to introduce my work to a much larger audience and I was able to reach people who don’t necessarily visit art galleries. Before this I’d always sold my work in the ‘traditional’ way; through galleries, exhibitions, word-of-mouth and commissions. Although the internet definitely makes buying art easier and less

intimidating, I think what really makes a difference is the communication buyers can have with the artist; we can speak to each other directly and this allows the buyer be much more involved. It’s great for me to have this contact with my collectors.”

She still enjoys exhibiting – as she told me “I like to keep as many irons in the fire as I can” and has a permanent exhibition with the Serena Hall Gallery in Southwold, Suffolk, and also takes part in themed exhibitions at Reunion Gallery in Felixstowe. On top of this Natasha has two large shows planned for 2010: the first will be a solo show of new work at The Cinema Gallery in Aldeburgh, Suffolk from 30th July - 5th August with sound installation/music by the American composer Leon Milo, this is breaking new ground for her and will show us all another side to her style. The second will be her first international show, a joint exhibition with the artists Peter Klint and Franziska Steuer, on the island of Sylt in Northern Germany in October/November 2010.

The internet also led to her work being used by the book publishing company Random House as the cover artwork for a series of five books, due to be published in March 2010. It was also used to illustrate an article on Mad Atoms and she was commissioned to create the artwork for singer-songwriter Amit Erez’s self-titled CD album, released in December 2007.

If you want to join her online you can follow her on twitter: @natashanewton or @blackbirdsings

You can view and buy her work from www.natasha-newton.co.uk or

www.etsy.com/shop/theblackbirdsings

8

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Sole Bay Cheese By: Carl Bennett

You won’t find Sole Bay on any map or chart. It’s not so much a place, more a way of life. A state of mind, where food is more than just fuel. Where we can take time to enjoy cheeses the way they used to taste.

We have the biggest selection of blue, white, hard, soft, cow, sheep and goat cheeses this side of London. Most of them are British. Many of them are vegetarian. Some are un-pasteurised. All of them are delicious. We don’t have a shop, instead we travel to markets and country shows, fairs and Farmers Markets, bringing cheese to the cheese-less along the beautiful Suffolk Coast.

We care about what we sell. We know you care about what you eat, so we taste everything we sell, to make sure we have the highest quality cheeses you can get. Even more important, we ask you to taste the cheese you’re thinking about before you buy it. What suits one person doesn’t

always suit another. It’s not about knowing the right cheese to eat with white wine. The cheese to choose is the cheese you like. So come and taste it. On us! Then you’ll know.

If you are just visiting Suffolk and aren’t lucky enough to live on the Sunrise Coast we’re sorry, only because you can’t see how lovely it is every day! However you can still enjoy our cheeses. We deliver anywhere in the world, and if you’re close to us we’ll probably come and see you ourselves!

You can find us every Thursday morning at Woodbridge Market. Every Sunday at the Jolly Sailor in Orford. We also visit Halesworth and Aldeburgh Farmers Markets and other local country shows and fairs.

So come and taste our huge range of extraordi-nary cheeses. There’s always something wonderful waiting for you at Sole Bay. Wherever it is.

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Helping you to help yourself with weight loss

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Wishing all our customers a happy, healthy New Year

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Promoting Wellbeing in Woodbridge

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It’s the time of year that many of us hate – the days are short and grey and our mood can plummet with the temperature.

There are two things we can do to help ourselves to feel healthier and happier.

The first change that we can make is to increase the amount of exercise that we take – walking is a great way to lift our spirits and can be fitted in to even the busiest lifestyle. Your heart needs to be gently coaxed into working a little harder than usual so swing your arms as you walk and increase your pace until you feel warm and energized. Gentle exercise out in the fresh air can have marked effects on depression and anxiety – smile as you walk!

The second thing we can do is to step off the dieting treadmill and instead take stock of

ourselves and decide to make our future health and well-being the goal rather than simply our weight. If we tell ourselves we can’t have it, then we’ll want it so we tell ourselves that we can have it if we want but we are choosing a better and healthier option for our bodies! If we stray sometimes it’s no big deal. We are far more likely to succeed in losing weight if we make small changes to our eating habits over a period of time – changes that we can live with forever.

• Eat our five a day• Bump up the roughage•Cut back on saturated fat and sugar• Increase our consumption of oats and oily fish• Reduce our alcohol intake and drink more

water

We can all retrain ourselves to eat less, simply by using a smaller plate on a daily basis and slowing down the rate at which we eat. Simple – eating more of the right stuff and less of the wrong stuff! It’s the same for everyone no matter what the medical condition might be.

Even a small weight loss counts in health terms – we reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, we reduce the chances of developing cancer, we reduce joint damage and possible decades of infirmity and immobility and we improve self esteem. Within weeks of improving our diet, we should notice an improvement in energy levels and a slight difference in our waistband.

So forget those diet books and decide that your health is worth making an effort for.

And... Spring is just around the corner! What a cheerful thought!

Sheila Sparrow is a Registered General Nurse and is a member of the National Obesity Forum

in London. She started her own weight loss consultancy in Woodbridge four years ago.

Have a Healthier New Year By: Sheila Sparrow

12

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14

As war approached in 1939 the army surrounded all potential targets of air attack with barrage balloons. This did very little to deter the high-flying bomber, but it was great for the morale of the populations of London and Birmingham. As an evacuee in September, 1939, I left a London clearly fortified against all eventualities, and I wondered why I really had to leave. How could anything get through this lot?

When the war ended the army had no further use for the remaining balloons. But they were on somebody’s inventory. You can’t just write off the cost of a million pounds, even if the value is zero. Then the army had a sudden wheeze. Balloons fly! Why not transfer them to the Air Force? The Air Force was searching for some use to which to put the hangars that once housed the proud R100 and R101 airships. So the transfer was made, and the RAF Balloon Unit was born.

The Balloon Unit kept themselves very much to themselves, and went about their mysterious business with a minimum of interruption from the other units of RAF Cardington, and certainly none from Station Discip, the people who made all the decisions concerning Friday Morning Parades. So they were excused Friday Morning

Parades. It was an immutable fact of life. Like gravity, the laws of cricket and the size of the Liberal Party. No one questioned it.

Until, that is, the arrival of Group Captain Fuller-Goode, with his revolutionary idea of Pride of Service, moustache a-bristle, a new broom about to inject a novel note of discipline into a camp suffering from acute decline in that department. He questioned it. But presumably nobody had a very good answer. For the emergence of the Unit that fateful February Friday morning in 1949 was the first outward sign of the New Spirit abroad in the camp, the Spirit of Pride of Service that was intended to permeate the units and straighten up our bowed backs.

The other units absorbed the New Spirit as they had absorbed all other vicissitudes before it, but to the Balloon Unit the New Spirit was traumatic. Friday Morning Parades started very early. They started at a time long forgotten to the members of the Balloon Unit. It meant not only missing breakfast, something they were quite accustomed to, it also meant missing shaving. The original colour of their brass had also long been forgotten, so no preparations had been made for removing the layers of green that had accumulated on badge and button. And not only had they not practiced the art of marching, to keep the Empire from falling into foreign hands, they hadn’t used their legs much for anything else. They had their own cookhouse and NAAFI, they rode to the Main Gate on a balloon truck to get the bus down to Bedford on a Thursday night, and they never showed up for rugby on sports afternoons.

So there was Number Three Wing, all Fell In and Standing Easy expecting to Move Off a bit Sharpish like. Mick Symonds had made it just in time, both boots securely laced. We’d got Old Blind Les facing in the right direction. I’d breakfasted and had a marmalade sandwich stuck down my sweater for a post parade

End of Empire By: 2401580 Norman Sanders Cpl (Retd.)

The Barrage Balloon Unit

Grey faced, emaciated, eyes closed, leaning

forward and swaying as though battling a

strong headwind, the serried ranks of the

RAF Barrage Balloon Unit inched their

way up the slope...

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End of Empire By: 2401580 Norman Sanders Cpl (Retd.)

The Barrage Balloon Unit

sustainer. We were all smartly assembled. But nothing happened. Something somewhere had gone wrong. Standing easy became Shuffling on the Spot; Cardington is a chilly place on a February morning.

Then we heard a dim ghostly murmur, then a more distinct clatter, like a gentle shower of hail, growing gradually louder. Slowly it broke through the mist. It was a Kafka novel, illustrated by Goya. Grey faced, emaciated, eyes closed, leaning forward and swaying as though battling a strong headwind, the serried ranks of the RAF Barrage Balloon Unit inched their way up the slope to the Number Three Wing Parade Ground. Gradually the picture took shape as wispy form became solid object. Their brass as green as grass, untouched since the day they passed out. Men un-marched since they were posted to the RAF Barrage Balloon Unit. Busy as they undoubtedly were, maintaining constant vigilance day in and day out over a thousand bags of shining balloon. No time for brass. No time for marching. No time even for breakfast. The responsibility required vigilance of the eternal kind, sacrificing all for the sole purpose of balloonic integrity. Our

sympathies were with them, every man. We didn’t know many of them but we understood. The cruelty of it was beyond forgiveness.

They were brought to what is described in the marching manual as a Halt. The leading ranks not understanding the order and the tail-enders not hearing it, the phalanx disintegrated. Number Three Wing was Got Fell Out and was mixed up with the Balloon unit to give them the strength to march to the Main Square. The mixed contingent was then Got Fell In again, and marched, now badly behind schedule, over to the Main Square.

The route went past the station sick bay, a fact that was not lost on the Barrage Balloon gentleman to my right. He towered above me, or he would have done had he been able to stand erect. “‘Ere Corp”, he said, counting the stripes on my right arm, “I’ll faint and you carry me in.” “Right,” I replied, “but not too soon. Wait until we’re just by the entrance.” The man was a marvel, tremendous presence of mind. And he could see! Here was this man, who had neither breakfasted nor shaved and who appeared to be extricating his feet from a deep bog, summing up a novel situation in a fraction of a second and making a decision. A man in whom the RAF clearly had great confidence in entrusting the safety of its balloons. A man clearly destined for even greater things when his Time was Up. A management consultant in the making.

We came alongside the sick bay entrance. My new friend gave utterance to the most dreadful moan, flung his left arm around my neck and staggered into the sick bay, half supported by me. Had he really fainted I would have been crushed under the weight, but our combined act carried conviction. Once inside we sat on the waiting bench until the parade had passed, then furtively returned to our own huts with the prospect of an hour’s extra kip. I presume he found his way.

16

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Where there’s a Will By: Zöe Hodge

January is an excellent time for planning for the future and this should include planning for the future that we won’t be part of too! There are many misconceptions surrounding the making of a Will; many people feel that they are too expensive to make or that they do not have anything to leave or if they die that everything will automatically pass to their spouse or their children. However, a Will is the only way you can decide who will benefit from your estate and how. By making a Will you can make sure your loved ones are spared the extra misery of financial complications, protect your hard-earned assets and ensure that they go to those you love not the tax man!

How a Will helps:1. You have peace of mind, in a Will you

appoint executors who will administer your estate. They will be responsible for dealing with your estate in accordance with the wishes in your Will and the law. You will know that you have chosen the most suitable people to act on your behalf to ensure that your wishes are fulfilled.

2. A Will protects your children. You can appoint guardians within your Will to ensure that when you die, if there is no other person with parental responsibility for your child or children then you have chosen who you feel is best suited to bring up and look after your children until they reach the age of eighteen.

3. It is possible to protect assets from residence/care fees with careful trust drafting within your Will.

4. Your Will allows you to fully utilise available inheritance tax allowances including the Nil Rate Band, Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief.

5. As well as the above, you are also able to express wishes in respect to your funeral arrangements, specify the age at which beneficiaries will receive their inheritance, make charitable bequests and extend statutory administrative powers given to executors and trustees.

If you do not make a Will then the rules of intestacy govern which of your relatives inherit your assets. It may be that you have relatives or distant relatives who you would not want to inherit from your estate or friends that you would want to benefit from your estate. The only way you can ensure that the correct people will receive something from your estate is to make a Will. It is particularly important for unmarried couples, as the intestacy rules do not benefit co-habitees.

In our experience, homemade Wills are more often than not problematic. They should be used with caution and only used in the most straightforward of circumstances. It’s also useful to know that getting married or entering into a civil partnership will revoke a Will if the Will has not been made in contemplation of marriage and you will therefore need to seek advice to make a new Will.

Zöe Hodge is an Associate at Prettys Solicitors, Ipswich. 01473 298304

or email: zhodge@prettys.co.uk

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19

Last year was they year of the Stay-cation, lots of us were feeling the pinch and decided it was better to make the most of our beautiful country, this year we have something better still on offer!

Pauline Rendall has put together some fantastic weekend Watercolour courses running in July and August in the gorgeous seaside town of Aldeburgh. Allowing you not only to stay-cation in Suffolk but also to develop a skill that can give you pleasure for the rest of your life.

She has persuaded the talented Nigel Colebrook to lead these courses. He has taught on Art and Design courses at all levels in Lowestoft College for a number of years, and has always been a much sought after tutor in Adult Education in both Suffolk and Norfolk. Pauline has experienced his teaching skills first hand as she was taught by him for 2 years after he told her he could teach anyone to draw! “I bet you can’t teach me!” she thought, however since taking his course she has discovered a great love of watercolour, which she had never tried before. She says “Nigel is very warm and friendly and has a gentle way with

Watercolours in Suffolk By: Gemma Thompson

people, although I don’t think I will ever exhibit I have gained confidence and skill and of course it gives me a great deal of pleasure” However, Nigel is not just skilled at putting complete beginners at their ease, he is also able to help advanced students continue to progress and push their boundaries, and on these courses his use of the ‘wet-in-wet’ technique will show you the secret of achieving that elusive luminosity in your painting.

The courses consist of 2 days of painting, starting at 9am both days and painting till around 5pm on the Saturday and till 4pm on the Sunday. The groups are small, just 8 – 10 students so there is plenty of individual attention, and there is a review of what they have achieved each day. These courses are a great opportunity to make new friends as well as develop a life-long hobby. There will be plenty of opportunities to socialise whilst you’re enjoying the fresh local produce in Aldeburgh’s nationally acclaimed restaurants each day, all of which is included in the price. Non-painting partners are welcome to join for the evening meal, and there are plenty of things for non-painting partners to do both in Aldeburgh and nearby.

Advertising feature

2010 Dates Available: July 17th & 18th or 24th & 25th August 7th & 8th or 21st & 22nd

Cost per person is £220 (including food)Accommodation is not included but Pauline is happy to help you source this.

If you are a member of a club, evening class or painting group and have a minimum of 6 interested participants we may be able to organise dates to suit at slightly reduced rates.

Contact: Pauline Rendall 01206 827471 pauliner@watercoloursinspain.co.uk

watercoloursinspain.co.uk (click the bottom menu bar for Watercolours in Suffolk) Holt, Anglesea road, Wivenhoe, Essex CO7 9JR

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21

The Apple of your i! By: Gemma Thompson

The New Year has arrived and with it finally the new deals on the iPhone are here! But of course it means we have to try and negotiate our way through complicated websites or through salespeople working on commission trying to get us to take the most expensive deals out there.

However, there’s an easier way, call zest : telecom and leave it all to them, they recently helped a friend of mine who was having difficulty ordering her iPhone, one phone call to them and 20 minutes later her phone was on it’s way to her and was already set up with all her contacts saving her hours of time (which for a busy business woman is priceless) and not even costing her any more than if she’d done it herself!

But that’s not the only way they can help, local boys Reynold Beardsley and Dominic Allen have over 30 years experience in telecommunications from providing fully managed phone, data and IT systems for businesses to finding the best mobile phone deal to suit anybody’s needs whether you prefer Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile, 3, or if you need Car kits and installation. They’ve joined forces to create zest : telecom and aim to bring back personal service and put the communication back into telecommunications!

They are passionate about providing modern technology combined with old-fashioned service. As Dominic explained “We can save most businesses around 30% on the cost of their landlines, most of them are paying over the odds and don’t even realise it. We have our own billing platform meaning we can bulk buy minutes and get them at a better rate, then we can pass these savings onto our clients. We also provide remote support for Blackberry’s, we’ve found that this saves our customers a lot of hassle. Instead of

having to send their Blackberry away for repair we can just dial in for them and usually get the problem fixed in no time!”

This isn’t the only way that Zest is charitable though, they have a unique way of raising money for charity. Any organisation that has multiple outlets or branches can get FREE calls between the sites with no need for any capital outlay on expensive VOIP systems, and no requirement for new equipment, just using their existing telephone lines.

Reynold says “This is fantastic as the client can make substantial savings. We decided to take what has up until now been ‘dead’ money and donate it to charity! It works like this, we offer the free calls between branches as before, but the money that would have been billed had the calls been charged would have carried a profit margin. Whatever that profit would be we give back on a monthly or quarterly basis to either a charity of our clients choice or our nominated charity, HELP FOR HEROES! It’s a win:win situation” he enthused “Our client saves money, they raise money for charity, and we work closely with them to ensure increased profitability. All this just by doing something that every one does every single day, picking up the phone and making a call!”

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22

Suffolk Success Stories A decade of DJ-ing

One of Suffolk’s biggest names on the radio dial is celebrating a broadcasting milestone. Mark Murphy the popular host of BBC Radio Suffolk’s multi award-winning breakfast show is now into his tenth year of waking up Suffolk. We reckon that’s about 2,325 programmes!

Mark took over the BBC Radio Suffolk breakfast show in 2000 and a decade later he’s still up for it every morning! Thanks to the help of his breakfast show colleagues and listener’s participation, the programme is one of the most respected in the country. Mark has been nominated for four prestigious Sony Radio Academy Awards, scooping two Gold awards and a Silver. One of the awards was for his hard hitting anti-litter campaign “Don’t be Tosser” and the other saw him crowned the Sony Radio Academy News Broadcaster of the Year.

Mark is a Suffolk boy through and through. Born and educated in the county he’s lived here all his life and so he knows a thing or two about where he lives.

In the past decade he has reported on Suffolk’s biggest stories. He was on the scene when the deadly H5N1 Bird flu broke out at Bernard Matthews farm; he received a Sony Radio Academy nomination for his sensitive coverage of the Ipswich murders and was at Wembley when his beloved Ipswich Town won promotion to the Premiership. Ten years on Mark is hoping it won’t be too long before that happens again!

Mark and his wife BBC Radio Suffolk presenter Lesley Dolphin are passionate about Ipswich Town. Both are season ticket holders in the Bobby Robson stand. So one of Mark’s toughest challenges was for the BBC Children in Need appeal when he donned a Norwich City strip and walked around the pitch at Portman Road on a match day! You can often see the pair at the New Wolsey theatre enjoying the latest production or at the Regent watching some of the big acts coming to Ipswich. They both love the Suffolk coast where they can regularly be seen walking their Blue Cross rescue dog Satsuma.

Mark is best known to his BBC Radio Suffolk listeners as the man with the “Ugly Mug” and to celebrate his on air birthday Mark has produced a 10th anniversary “Ugly Mug” for you to win on his show. He says “It’s been an amazing ten years, I’m so lucky to present the Breakfast show in my home county and I’m looking forward to many more”.

You can hear the Mark Murphy breakfast show on 95.5, 95.9,103.9FM and 104.6FM, Monday to Friday, 6.30-9.30 on BBC Radio Suffolk.

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Suffolk Success Stories Local businesswoman in final for regional awardThe finalists for this year’s East of England Businesswoman of the Year awards, organised by the Suffolk branch of the Institute of Directors, have just been announced. The competition takes place annually and scours Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk to find deserving female business leaders and entrepreneurs. A total of ten talented women from around the region have been selected as finalists and will find out in February if they have been named a winner. One of those contenders is a local woman Rachel Ducker of Halesworth.

23-year-old Rachel has been nominated for this year’s ‘Young Businesswoman of the Year’ sponsored by Adnams plc. This award is for young women who have displayed enterprise and commerciality in starting a business in the region. Her business ‘Apparition Marketing and Design,’ is a creative agency that helps businesses of all sizes from a variety of sectors with their marketing, PR, website and design solutions, and is just seven months old, Rachel said, “I am delighted to be one of the finalists for this award. It is a wonderful compliment to be recognised so early on within my business and gives me great encouragement for my future.”

After being nominated Rachel was asked why she thought she should be a contender, and obviously her answers impressed the judges. She then went onto a shortlist which meant she had to do a ‘dragon’s den’ type presentation in front of 6 female judges comprised of past winners of the award and representatives from EEBW. Rachel admits it was a little intimidating because of her age and because her judges were such impressive, detail oriented women. However she enjoyed the experience immensely.

The results will be released in February at the EEBW awards dinner at the Radisson SAS Hotel, Stanstead. We wish her every success as she continues to help her clients grow their businesses.

Don’t you just love it when you find a business you can trust? A business recommended by people who have used and experienced it. The Best of Ipswich is a community website designed to help promote Ipswich’s best businesses, and they have just awarded Corazon IT Best Customer Service Award.

The Best of Ipswich website taps into thousands of opinions, in hundreds of local communities, to find real people, writing real reviews, and sharing their knowledge and opinions. Membership is free and gives access to exclusive members’ offers and you can take part in regular Prize Draws. You can also tell them who or what you think is best – and why! Kevin Barber, one of its directors, says “thebestof is a fun and engaging place for people to share the experiences that they’ve had with businesses across Ipswich. We’re on a crusade to find and share the best that Ipswich has to offer.”

They hold regular Business Awards, which are all decided on a by public vote, so the recognition really means something. The latest winner of one of their prestigious awards is Elene Marsden of Corazon IT, a company specialising in data management. She was thrilled to win their award for Best Customer Service and said “Corazon IT are delighted to win the Best of Ipswich Customer Service Award for 2009. We’re proud of our shiny new plaque which reminds us of our achievement and we’re delighted to have the Best of Ipswich Award Winner logo on our website and at the bottom of all our emails.”

The Best of Ipswich Award Elene Marsden Best Customer Service 2009!

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What’s on... If you have a listing you’d like to appear here email it to us at: editor@roundaboutsuffolk.co.uk or visit our website and add it there!

Arts, Crafts and fashionMon Dec 7, 2009 to Sat Jan 16, 2010

Exhibition: 30th ANNIVERSARY WINTER SHOW Celebrating the Gallery’s 30th year, a choice selection of new and period pieces. GLYNN THOMAS RE The region’s most popular etcher makes a welcome return. • John Russell Gallery, Ipswich Fri Jan 1 to Sun Jan 3, 2010 10am to 4pm Photography Exhibition 01379 688333 • www.disscamera.org.uk • The Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Redgrave & Lopham FenSun Jan 3, 2010Wedding Fayre • Hintlesham Hall, Hintlesham, Near IpswichSat Jan 16 to Sat Jun 12, 2010 Exhibition - Colin Moss, 1914-2005: Artist & Teacher • Ipswich Town Hall Galleries Gallery 3Sat Jan 16 & Sat Jan 23, 2010 11am to 5pm Bury Fringe Festival Open Days – Come and be part of the Bury Fringe Festival • Benson Blakes Bar and Grill, St John’s Street, Bury St EdmundsMon Jan 18 to Sat Feb 27, 2010 ArtOne Contemporary - Mixed Media by Gallery Artists • John Russell Gallery Wherry Street Ipswich

Business and NetworkingWed Jan 6, 2010 9am to 11am Friends in Business - book a space via friendsinbusinessuk.ning.com • Basepoint, Ransomes Europark, Ipswich IP3 9SJ Wed Jan 13, 2010 12noon to 2pmAthena Lunch Monthly Networking for Women • Belstead Brook Manor Hotel, Ipswich,Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:30pm to 10:30pm Quills Ladies: ‘I read it in the Local Rag’ with Pip Wright • Seckford Hall, WoodbridgeWed Jan 20, 2010 9:30 am to 12noonCoastalNet Monthly Networking Meeting • Ufford ParkThur Jan 21, 2010 7am to 9am People Buy People Monthly Networking Meeting • Glasswells on Ranelagh Rd in Ipswich

DanceFri Jan 1, 2010 2:30pm to 5:30pm Viennese Concert • Woodbridge Community Centre.

faith, Spiritual and Charitable eventsSat Jan 9, 2010 10am to 4pm Complimentary Health Charity Day: The therapists at Stress~less Complementary Health Clinic are offering a day of free treatments and asking people to make a donation to help raise money for the Jamie Inglis fund. Jamie is a 4 year old boy who has undergone seven courses of chemotherapy since April 2009 for his rare but aggressive cancer called neuroblastoma. This cancer is reoccurring and in order to prevent Jamie getting ill again he needs to undergo immunotherapy which is only available in America. If you wish to find out more about Jamie visit www.justgiving.com/jamie-appeal. Treatments available on the day are acupuncture, massage, mini manicures and waxing... bookings can be made on 01394 276090 people that have booked will be given priority to be seen over walk ins so it is advisable to book. • Stress~less Complementary Health Clinic, 244 High Street , Walton, Felixstowe, IP11 9DS

filmSun Jan 17, 2010 7:30pm to 9:30pm ‘In Transition’ – St Margaret’s Environment Group • St Margaret’s Church Centre, 22 Bolton Lane, Ipswich, IP4 2BT Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:30pm to 9:30pm Film Evening: ‘The End of Suburbia’ - Transition Ipswich • UCS, The Waterfront Building, Neptune Quay, Ipswich

Heritage and Historical eventsFri Jan 1, 2010 7:30pm to 10pm “Two Generations – The Singapore Connection” • Martlesham Heath Community Centre, SuffolkTue Jan 12, 2010 7:30pm to 8:30pm Ipswich & District Historical Transport Society – The Role of the Collision Investigator • Ascension Hall, Larchcroft Road, IpswichThu Jan 21, 2010 7:30pm to 10pm Suffolk Family History Monthly Meeting – Ken Finch Presents “Discoveries in a one name study” • Red Cross Hall, Ipswich

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Music, festivals, food and DrinkMon Jan 4, 2010Concert – Recorders Incorporated • St Peters by the Waterfront, IpswichSat Jan 9, 2010 Rich Young - Fantastic acoustic guitar & vocals. • Ye Olde Bell & SteelyardSat Jan 9, 2010Haggis Making • Metfield Cafe at Snape MaltingsSun Jan 10, 2010 10am to 5pm Suffolk Folk Presents Bluegrass & Traditional Music Day • Kersey Mill, Stone Street, Near Hadleigh, IP7 6DPSun Jan 10, 2010 Ipswich Jazz Club - Scott Hamilton Quartet • California Social Club, Foxhall Rd, IpswichMon Jan 18, 2010 The Scattercats • Ye Olde Bell & Steelyard, WoodbridgeSun Jan 24, 2010 7pm to 11pm Burns Night at Hintlesham Hall: Start with Kir Royale and canapes, Piper and haggis procession followed by “Ode to a Haggis” 01473 652334• Hintlesham Hall Hotel, Hintlesham, Ipswich IP8 3NSMon Jan 25, 2010 The Aldertones • Ye Olde Bell & Steelyard, WoodbridgeFri Jan 29 & Sat Jan 30, 2010 Status Quo • Ipswich RegentSat Jan 30, 2010 HPE - The Deben Light Ensemble: 1930s Radio Show • Burness Parish Room, Melton, Woodbridge

Nature, Health and the Great outdoorsThu Jan 7, 2010 10am to 3pm Birds by Barge on the Stour Estuary £35pp Booking essential: 01473 328006 • aboard Sailing Barge “Victor” Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:30pm to 10pm Talk: The Wildlife of South Africa • St Margaret’s Primary School, Bolton Lane, IpswichThu Jan 14, 2010 8pm to 11pm Ipswich Green Drinks • Dove Street Inn, 76 St. Helens St, Ipswich Sun Jan 24, 2010 10am to 1pm Dedham Vale Winter Walks – Stomp Around the Bumpsteads, 6 miles • 01473 264263 • www.dedhamvalestourvalley.org • Dedham Vale

What’s on...

Sun Jan 24, 2010Birds by Barge on the Stour Estuary £35pp Booking essential: 01473 328006 • aboard Sailing Barge “Victor” Fri Jan 1, 2010 2pm Winter Walks • 01284 764667 • Bury St EdmundsWed Jan 13, 2010 9:30am to 12:30pm RSPB Winter wildfowl guided walk - Join us on a walk in search of the wetland wonders at Minsmere, from whistling wigeons to secretive snipe. 01728 648281 • minsmere@rspb.org.uk • Minsmere

Theatre (and Panto!)Wed Dec 23, 2009 to Sat Jan 2, 2010 2.30pm & 7.30pm SLEEPING BEAUTY Deben Players This Christmas pantomime promises to be a highly colourful comedy, Seckford Theatre. Tickets can be booked via The Deben Players website: www.debenplayers.org.uk, by telephoning on 01394 382240, or by visiting the Woodbridge Tourist information centre.Wed Dec 9, 2009 to Sat Jan 2, 2010 11am & 2pm THE ENORMOUS TURNIP! A Christmas show for ages 6+ and their families with puppets, comedy and musical carrots!!! New Wolsey Studio. www.wolseytheatre.co.uk • 01473 295900

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What’s on... Thu Jan 7 to Sat Jan 9, 2010 Bucklesham Players Panto - “Red Riding Hood” • Bucklesham Village Hall Fri Dec 4, 2009 to Sat Jan 19, 2010 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell two hours of panto fun! Be ye young or old and merry come see the panto here in Bury!www.theatreroyal.org • 01284 769505 • Theatre Royal, Bury St EdmundsWed Jan 20, 2010 Brendan Cole – the “bad boy of ballroom” demonstrates his brilliant execution and superb choreography in a dynamic dance show. www.ipswichregent.co.uk • 01473 433100 • Regent Theatre, IpswichFri Nov 6 to Wed Jan 30, 2010ALADDIN - The Wok ‘n’ Roll Panto! This not-so-traditional Panto includes over twenty rock & soul classics including I’m A Believer, Born To Be Wild, Lean on Me and Dancing in the Street all played live before your very eyes – book early to avoid disappointment! www.wolseytheatre.co.uk • 01473 295900 • The New Wolsey Theater, Ipswich

The Bury Fringe FestivalThe Bury Fringe Festival runs from May 1st to 14th 2010, in and around Bury St Edmunds. We’re planning a fortnight of exciting and original events, featuring theatre, comedy, music, magic, art displays, dance, workshops... and whatever mayhem people bring to us!

The Fringe is being organised by an independent group of people, and we’d love to hear from anyone who has something they feel they can contribute to the festival, as a performer, promoter or organiser.

Current financial circumstances are less than comfortable, and the Fringe is not immune to this. We are running the 2010 event with no funding at this stage, making this a 100% handmade, home-grown festival, with a focus on great entertainment available to as many people as possible. This is where anything that YOU can contribute becomes invaluable to us. And if there’s anyone out there who would like to give us some funding, or sponsor individual events, then do, please get in touch!

This month we are holding Open Days on Saturday 16th and Saturday 30th January. These are an opportunity for you to come along and meet us, give us a demonstration of your performance, art or idea, and to ask us any questions you like. They will be held upstairs at Benson Blakes Bar and Grill on St John’s Street, Bury, from 11am, each day.

For more information go to www.buryfringe.com or www.myspace.com/buryfringe or call Claire on 07545286574

WANTeDDistributors (5 to 8 hours a month)

Call 01394 412160and ask for Gemma Thompson

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