ANNUAL PARISH MEETING – REPORTS

Parish Council Chairman’s Report
This has been a long challenging year where through collective responsibility
Councillors are working within the Council’s Code of Conduct and focusing on a
number of key issues.
The year has seen the departure of Jean Frost replaced by Jayne Lines after a
contested election. Also, Yvonne Hall has recently taken up the post of Responsible
Financial Officer.
Particular thanks and tributes go to Richard Kemp who works so hard for the
community by serving in so many roles including at County, District and Parish
Councils. Thanks to the Vice Chairman, John Nunn who also serves as a District
Councillor and to my fellow Parish Councillors.
In addition I would like to thank Gifford Lewis as Clerk who has been efficient,
resilient and objective in being an excellent ambassador for the Parish Council. The
role of a Parish Clerk has changed since that of 15, 10 or even 5 years ago. Thanks
also to Robert Lant who not only provided financial expertise but also use of his PC.
Looking forward the Parish Council needs to guide the charities and secure value in
the provision of the burial ground, street lights and public toilets. Consideration
needs to be given to a neighbourhood plan, a skate board facility, housing for local
people and the website.
Cllr Peter Turner, Chairman of Long Melford Parish Council

District Council Report – headline achievements.
 Babergh website – the new Babergh website went live in 2012 and is available at
http://babergh.gov.uk. It has the same look and feel as Mid Suffolk’s new
website, but operates independently. Once the integration of the two councils is
complete, the aim will be to progress to a single website, which still maintains the
identity of each council but allows a joined-up approach to services and
information delivery.
 Safety Advisory Group (SAG) - Babergh was the district SAG pilot scheme for all
of Suffolk (due to the Jimmy’s Farm larger scale events). Event organisers have
early access to avoid duplication, mixed messages and repeated contacts refer
http://www.babergh.gov.uk/business/licensing/licensing-large-scale-temporaryevents/
 Efficiency savings - Integration with Mid Suffolk District Council has reduced
management to just three layers across the two councils and cut posts by over
50% with savings of £1.8m per year across both councils, (equivalent of 9% of
annual revenue)..
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 Efficiency Support for Services in Sparse Areas Grant – This grant means that
rural councils (like Babergh and Mid Suffolk) will receive some extra funding in
recognition of providing services to sparsely spread populations.
 Homeless Prevention Fund – This new fund is for interest free loans to those
facing homelessness where this would prevent them losing their home or enable
them to access alternative accommodation.
 Clean Britain Awards – These awards recognise the efforts being made by local
authorities to drive up standards in local environmental quality and creating
cleaner public spaces and communities. As 2012 the 5 star (highest) status has
been awarded.
 Textiles Recycling Scheme –Over 400 tonnes of textiles have been collected and
recycled across Suffolk under this scheme.
 Food Hygiene Rating System – To raise hygiene standards, help to reduce food
provisioning and provide consumer advice Babergh and Mid Suffolk are adopting
the national Food Hygiene Rating system (FHRS) to replace the current ‘Scores
on the Doors’ schemes.
 Health and Wellbeing Pilot Projects – Both councils are playing a leading role in
developing a Health and Wellbeing Strategy, engaging with the new Clinical
Commissioning Groups and actively influencing the work of the Suffolk Health
and Wellbeing Board.
 Lullaby Concerts - Over 500 people attended a series of Lullaby Concerts in
Stowmarket and Sudbury during October 2012. The orchestral concerts were
specially designed for children aged seven and under and featured professional
musicians.
 Community Funding Roadshows - These provided a new approach to
disseminating information on how to attract external funding to community
groups, bringing over 100 smaller VCS groups to together for networking.
 Community Engagement 2012 - Councillors from both councils worked with the
Integrated Management Team and have met with local community groups and
communities of interest, in order to gain intelligence and insights to help inform
and develop the new strategic priorities for both councils.
 Emergency Planning – The first quarterly newsletter in December is available on
the Suffolk Resilience Website, the www.getpreparednow.co.uk website as well
as Babergh’s and id Suffolk’s web sites. By working together in partnership,
Babergh and Mid Suffolk’s emergency planning team, the Environment Agency
and the community groups, can achieve a greater understanding of how
emergencies affect our day to day life and how to address these problems.
 Council Tax - Babergh District Council took advantage of the Government’s
Council Tax freeze with no increase in the Council Tax for 2013/14.
 Number of council dwellings adapted to meet the needs of older or disabled
people - Has exceeded the year end outcome figure of 40 with 56 major and 106
minor adaptations carried out by end of December 2012.
 Number of private sector dwellings adapted to meet the needs of older or
disabled people – As at end of December 2012 38 completions.
 The number of households prevented from becoming homeless – As at need of
December was 80; exceeding expected 2012/2013 outcome figure of 50.
 Support to voluntary and community services (VCS) organisations – As at end of
December 2012 140 projects supported, attracting £361k external funding.
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 Three waste measures - (i.e. household waste recycled and composted; trade
waste recycled; number of garden waste collection service customers) are on
track to meet their 2012/13 outcome.
 The percentage of all telephone enquiries resolved at the first point of contact- As
at end of December 2012 was 99.33%. These statistics relate only to calls
received by the 4 Customer support Teams (e.g. Money Matters; Housing;
Planning and General) that are directed to individual officers’ phones, as they
cannot be recorded.

Suffolk County Council Report
Another year has passed, and yet many of the themes remain the same. Local
Government funding is decreasing. Councils have to choose what their priorities
are, and find innovative ways of continuing to provide frontline services. As well as
this, there is continued leadership from Cllr Mark Bee, and the Chief Executive
Deborah Cadman. However, there is one major difference this year in that on May
2nd Suffolk goes to the polls. It will be extremely interesting to see the political
makeup of the authority once the County has spoken.
Budget 2013 - As expected, there was a further reduction in Government grants to
the County Council this year. In total, the Council had to save £24.9m, as part of a
two year programme to reduce the budget by just over £50m. As was the case in
2012, the budget focused on making efficiencies rather than specific service cuts.
This is concerning as there is no way to measure how much these reductions affect
the frontline services.
Saving
Ref.
Task
A
Improve efficiency and remove unnecessary processes across
the organisation
B
Reduce management costs across the organisation
C
Rationalise office accommodation
D
Share of profits from Eastern Facilities Management Solutions
Ltd.
E
Redesign home to school transport
F
Target resources in children’s services to reduce demand
G
Change the relationship with schools
H
Adult Care in Depth Review
I
Reduce expenditure on library services
J
Re-let the highways contract
K
Work with District/Borough Councils to reduce costs of Suffolkwide waste services
L
Reduce the number of uniformed fire fighters
TOTAL
Saving 2013-14
(£'m)
9.7
0.5
1.3
0.2
0.2
2.5
0.2
7.0
0.3
2.0
0.8
0.2
24.9
The vast majority of the savings came from two directorates. The first being Adult
and Community Services where £7m will be saved as part of an in-depth review, and
the second being £2.5m from Children and Young People’s Services. In addition to
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these listed savings, there are further efficiencies taken from across the County
Council which total £9.7m (including further money from ACS and CYP).
At the Full Council meeting where the budget is discussed, an amendment was
submitted by the Liberal Democrat Group. The amendment included: Increasing the funding for school improvement services by employing more
advisers, and increasing the support to schools.
 Attracting more foster carers to a pioneering scheme for the most vulnerable
children in Suffolk.
 Reinstate the Speed limits team at Suffolk County Council to allow communities
to apply for 20 mph schemes once again.
This amendment, which would have been funded by the contingency reserve, was
defeated by the Conservative majority.
The budget as proposed by the
Conservative majority was agreed by 39 votes to 11.
The budget reports sent to Cabinet and Full Council are to be found as http://committeeminutes.suffolkcc.gov.uk/meeting.aspx?d=29/Jan/2013&c=The%20C
abinet
Education in Suffolk - This past year has been quite a shocking for education in
Suffolk for a number of reasons.
The last phase of the Schools Organisational Review in Stowmarket and Stowupland
was agreed only recently, with many parents asking questions of Cabinet members
at both Full Council and Cabinet meetings. In addition to this a request for further
scrutiny of this plan by the Liberal Democrats, which would create a split site school,
was turned down by the County Council.
Earlier in 2012, an independent commission was last year to look into the
educational attainment, aspiration and employability In Suffolk. This was as a result
of Suffolk GCSE results lagging four percentage points below the national average.
Matthew Taylor the CEO of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts,
Manufacture and Commerce (RSA) and former prime ministerial advisor, has been
tasked with improving educational attainment in Suffolk. The work will and has
involved spending time working with employers in Suffolk and head teachers. It is
expected that the commission will report back in May 2013.
After the announcement of the Raising the Bar initiative, it was revealed that Suffolk
had dropped even further down the national league tables when compared with other
education authorities. The County Council is now 142 nd out of 151 for GCSE results
nationally, and third from bottom nationally for Primary Schools.
New Head of Children’s Services - Suffolk County Council employed a permanent
Head of Children’s Services towards the end of 2012, after Simon White the
temporary Director left to be the new head of a privatised service running Sandwell
Council’s Children Services.
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Sue Cook, the former interim Corporate Director at Southend-on-Sea Borough
Council, has now been in place at the Council for a few months and brings with her
30 years’ experience of working in Local Government and the voluntary sector,
including roles at Essex County Council.
Better Broadband for Suffolk - In 2012 Suffolk County Council and other public
sector organisations from the County submitted a bid to the Government to seek
matched funding to help improve broadband in the county.
The County’s bid, whilst at first rejected due to lack of investment, was accepted and
so discussions with private companies to do the work began. Eventually BT
Openreach proved successful, and contracts were signed just prior to Christmas.
This means that BT Openreach are now surveying the locations around the County
for implementing faster broadband speeds, with some properties possibly receiving
this in the autumn. In just three years, it is expected that around 9 out of 10 Suffolk
properties will be able to receive speeds of at least 2Mbps.
Return of the eXplore Card? - At the beginning of 2013, the County Council Cabinet
announced that it was going to start to look into re-introducing a youth travel card.
The eXplore card had previously been cut in the 2011 budget, as part of the
Conservatives New Strategic Direction. The decision to remove it caused significant
hardship for many aged between 16-19, increasing the costs of not only travelling to
college, but also work and social activities. Petitions and campaigns were launched
for its return, with Cllr Carole Page and the Lib Dem Group being at their forefront.
This new card will go some way to reduce this cost, with discussions still ongoing
with bus companies to provide a universal discount of approximately 20-25%. There
are concerns that this card won’t be available on all buses in Suffolk, which could
hugely disadvantages students in certain parts of the County.
Fire merger investigated then rejected - Suffolk County Council discussed at length
over a few months the possibility of the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service and
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority merging on a voluntary basis by
2014/15. This took place because of the possible savings that had been identified
early on, with the County Council even holding a public consultation over the
Christmas period. However, after the announcement that Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough Fire Authority could increase their precept by a higher amount, both
parties decided that the financial benefits would not be sufficient to proceed. There
may well be further opportunities in the future to work voluntarily together.
County Care Homes to be divested - In October the administration, at Cabinet, voted
to divest the Council of its care homes. This means that the County Council has
passed over its 16 care homes and 8 wellbeing centres to Care UK or its funding
partner as part of a 25 year contract to provide care.
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The decision also includes an estate development plan, which commits Care UK to
provide 10 new purpose built care homes and 10 community wellbeing centres, many
of which will be in different locations to the current homes, with the old sites being
handed back to the County. The County Council has also passed on eight sites for
these new care homes which due the reduced financial burden on Care UK will result
in a lower bed prices in the future.
Police and Crime Panel - This was also the year that the Police and Crime
Commissioner Role began, and the Suffolk Police Authority was abolished. On the
15th of November Suffolk elected Tim Passmore as their PCC.
As part of this change, the County Council picked up an additional responsibility, in
being the host of the Police and Crime Panel. This is made up of Councillors from
each of the authorities to both scrutinise and support the PCC. If you would like more
information on the Panel, including membership, meeting dates across the year,
please head to this address - http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/your-council/decisionmaking/committees/police-and-crime-panel-joint-committee/
Libraries – Industrial and provident Society - On 1st August 2012 the new Library
service was launched with the Industrial and Provident Society taking responsibilities
from the County Council. The IPS now runs all of the 44 Libraries in Suffolk, as well
as the mobile library, school, and prison services.
This move, according to the
administration, is a way to ensure all libraries remain open with paid staff. There
have been a number of claims about the level of savings that are required across the
Library service, most recently there were claims that £100,000 had to be saved from
as yet unspecified areas. Originally the County Council claimed that in setting up an
IPS there could be an 80% saving on business rates, and then a request of a 5%
saving per Library.

Charities / Trust Report
In the recent past the administration paper work for the Long Melford charities,
Chaplyns, Corders, Glemsford Roes, Hills, Skeynes and LM Education Fund has
been inadequate. As a result the last year has been a holding year whilst we assess
the financial situation.
It is hoped the the future recommendation will be that the charities are merged – with
the exception for the Hamilton Charity.
In summary this has been a consolidation year and we look forward to moving
events forward in 2013.

Police Report – For the period 01/04/2012 to 01/04/2013
During this time there has been 138 crimes recorded within the parish, this compares
to 140 crimes for the same period last year as:- .
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Burglary Dwelling 2 Reports 2011/2012
13 Reports 2012/2013
Increase from previous year
Burglary Other Building
20 Reports 2011/2012
26 Reports 2012/2013
Increase from previous year
Vehicles
41 Reports 2011/2012
37 Reports 2012/2013
Decrease from previous year
Assaults and public order
17 Reports 2011/2012
15 Reports 2012/2013
Decrease from previous year
Theft
21 Reports 2011/2012
22 Reports 2012/2013
Increase from previous year
Criminal Damage
11 Reports 2011/2012
14 Reports 2012/2013
Increase from previous year
Other
28 Reports 2011/2012
23 Reports 2012/2013
Decrease from previous year
It is reassuring to see that crimes recorded in the parish of Long Melford between
April 2012 and April 2013 have decreased compared to the same period last year.
The overall volume of crime has decreased in Long Melford; however there has been
an increase in burglaries. This increase in burglaries has taken place all across
Suffolk. Currently operation Ecru is being run to target those involved. Arrests have
been made and warrants executed. Investigations are continuing with our CID
department. Police have been working with Melford Police Liaison group in regards
to getting crime reduction advice out to residents. As a result, leaflet drops were
carried out and the parish magazine printed with information. Regular police
surgeries were held throughout December, January and February with positive
feedback. All crimes reported had in depth house to house enquires carried out.
Despite the overall decrease, it is important that residents remain vigilant with their
home and property security. Please keep your homes and vehicles as secure as
possible, make sure all windows and doors are securely locked and if you are going
out for the evening, try to leave a light on down stairs and upstairs to give the
impression that somebody is home.
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Police urge residents to contact police if any suspicious persons or vehicles are seen
in the area. A registration or description of the person can make all the difference.
There are many ways in which you can help yourselves becoming a victim of crime.
If you would like to have a tailored crime prevention survey for you, your home,
vehicle or business premise, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the
Babergh West safer neighbourhood team. In addition to this there is a website called
www.immobilse.com, where you can register your property for FREE and improve
your chances of getting it back if it is lost or stolen. If you have any information that
would be of interest regarding any offences or concerns you may have, please let
the Babergh West SNT know or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
Pcso Partington 3231
Babergh West
New Non EmergencyTelephone: 101
baberghwest.snt@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

www.suffolk.police.uk
Police Liaison Group Report
This group was formed in 2009 to act as a sounding board and discussion group to
consider concerns of parishioners which relate to Police matters. The group is made
up of two Parish Councillors, interested residents, a representative of the
Speedwatch group and the assigned Police Community Support Officer (PCSO).
The group now meets a couple of times a year and when necessary has attended
the Safer Neighbourhood Team priority setting meetings. It is felt that it is useful to
maintain the group but it has never been intended to turn its existence into a regular
labour-intensive activity. We feel that we are in agreement with the Police about this.
Recent issues: It is no longer financially viable to part fund a Melford-dedicated PCSO. We have
been very pleased with the efforts of Lorna Chapman and wish her well in her
new placement. The contact she had with the village and its young people
through her placement at Sudbury Upper School was very useful and – at the
time of greater anti-social behaviour problems was the main reason for pressing
for the appointment. These problems have now abated.
 The most recent meeting of the group was to find ways to increase the
publicising information to help residents to know how to contact the police,
especially in the wake of an increase in burglary and theft from vehicles. Advice
has been published in Melford Magazine and we should continue to use this
outlet as the best way to reach the most residents. The Police hold regular
surgeries in the Co-op where members of the public can bring up any concerns.
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


We are pleased to note Police support for the efforts of governors, staff and
children to cut down illegal parking outside the primary school.
We have been given regular information about the operation of the Speed-watch
group and are in support of this.
The Police continue to be vigilant around the Melford Country Park Picnic Site to
discourage inappropriate behaviour in the toilet block there. In addition the toilets
behind The Bull have been monitored.
It is intended that our meetings continue to be called as and when necessary at the
prompting of the Police, our members, the Parish Council or the public. Members of
the public can contact us through the Parish Council office if there are other
concerns to be raised. We have no budget and are just a sounding board reporting
back to the Parish Council with suggestions and information as well as keeping close
contact with the police who have been very supportive of the aims and activities of
the group.
Rob Guyton – Secretary to the Police Liaison Group

Long Melford Open Spaces Report
Long Melford Open Spaces is a ‘not for profit’ Community Interest Company, that
was officially created by the Registrar of Companies on 15th March 2012. The
company number is 7992021. Its primary purpose is to develop and manage for the
people of Long Melford the Melford Walk and Melford Country Park (formally
Rodbridge Picnic Site).
A copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association and other documentation
relating to the registration of the company are held at the Long Melford Parish
Council offices. The board of directors comprises:
o
o
o
o
Peter Turner – LMPC
John Nunn – LMPC
Alan Anstead
Rosemary Eade
o
o
o
Christopher Buckley
David Gevaux
Reg McKenna
In addition LMOS currently has a steering group that comprises the board and the
following people:o
o
o
o
o
John Watts
Richard Kemp
Derek Challis
David Walters
Luke Potter
o
o
o
o
Linda Goodban
Susie Dixon
Irene Gevaux
Angela McKenna
We currently have 56 registered volunteers of which 18 have also signed up as
members of the organisation.
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LMOS was originally setup following the decision by Suffolk County Council to divest
themselves of recreation and country park sites throughout the County and to seek
organisations who would be interested in managing sites for specific localities.
The parish Council agreed to contribute £6000.00 per annum to our projected base
costs, in addition Suffolk CC have provided a transitional fund. The fund will
augment the funding provided by LMPC over the next 2-3 years. It is recognised that
funding for year two onwards will necessitate fund raising from grant giving
organisations and from other sources. Plans are currently in place to seek additional
funds during 2013.
We are also very pleased to announce that the East of England Co-operative Society
have donated the sum of £2200.00 to LMOS to enable us to purchase a new tractor
mower, which will be delivered in the spring of 2013.
All maintenance, management and administration of both sites (with the exception of
major tree work) is undertaken by volunteers, who since April 2012 have spent
between 1100 and 1300 hours on this work.
A management work plan covering the period January 2013 – March 2014 includes
some substantial tree work during two periods, January – March 2013 and October
2013 – March 2014. Suffolk Tree Services (STS) conducted a detailed survey of
both sites in early December 2012. The survey has highlighted all of the public safety
related work required during the course of the next 3 years.
It should be noted that ‘Ash Dieback Disease’ is suspected to be present at the
country park. We are currently waiting for the Forestry Commission to respond to a
report that has been submitted to them, on our behalf, by STS. Our work plan does
not include any work on Ash trees affected by this disease. It is unlikely that we will
be able to determine the consequences of ‘Ash Dieback Disease’ and related costs
until the summer of 2013 at the earliest.
As will have been seen, a great deal of brush clearance has been undertaken in the
last 9 months. This has opened up vistas and areas that hitherto were impenetrable
and has prompted very many complementary comments from park and walk users.
We are also developing new paths around some of the ponds and in previously
inaccessible woodland areas. In addition as part of our nature conservation work, we
are creating new habitat for reptiles and newts with the assistance of Mr George
Millins. This includes developing a new pond area (near the toilet block and car park)
which will provide a wonderful resource for children.
Part of our plan of 2013 includes the provision of five new picnic bench/tables.
Babergh District Council has agreed, in response to our application for capital
funding, to grant us the sum of £7,265.00. This will enable us to purchase:
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



A wheeled brush cutter/strimmer
Heavy duty brush cutter
A small workboat
Five picnic tables
Our bid to Awards for All, which included the funding we needed to undertake the
phase two tree safety work, was not successful. We are now in discussions with the
LMPC with the intention of finding other ways of achieving the necessary funding.
The first phase of the tree safety work (January-March 2013) was completed during
March. This included the removal of a Norway Maple (which had begun to split) on
Melford Walk and the substantial coppicing of a large multi stemmed willow near
Olivers Close. In addition, two dangerous trees were pollarded in compartment 7 at
the park (close to the Rodbridge).
UK Power Lines undertook undergrowth and tree clearance in the area under the
power-lines and 4 metres either side of them in the south west corner of the park.
This has opened up what was a completely inaccessible part of the park and will
enable us to plant appropriate trees and shrubs so that it can be made into a very
attractive area.
Large amounts of wood chips are now available to us, as a result of the tree work,
which will be used to improve the footpaths.

Community Speed Watch Report
The purpose of the scheme is to discourage drivers from exceeding the speed limits
on the main routes into the village. Teams of three volunteers monitor traffic speeds
on major approaches to and from the village centre and notify Suffolk Police of
offending drivers. With practical and financial help from Suffolk County Council, Long
Melford Parish Council and Suffolk Police the scheme became operational in June
2010.
We have maintained a very reliable group of nine volunteers and are actively looking
for more. All volunteers are vetted by Suffolk Police and operate within clear
guidelines
We meet as a team bi monthly and plan the rota for two months ahead. We are
currently providing a presence in the village one hour per week and focusing on
Westgate Street, High Street, Bull Lane and the southern approach to the village all
at prescribed locations which have been audited by Suffolk Police. Our “shifts” are at
different times of the day and week and include early mornings and the school run.
Despite our highly visible clothing and warning signs we are surprised at the number
of vehicles still exceeding the speed limit of 30mph. That said our presence does
appear to have an impact and we have reported up to thirty vehicles in any one hour.
Suffolk Police have continued with their own speed checks and report significant
numbers of offending drivers.
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We have been complimented by Suffolk Police on the accuracy of our recording and
the manner in which we conduct the surveys.
The scheme appears to have been welcomed by the majority of residents given the
encouragement from people living near to the survey sites. That may not be said for
some offending drivers!
More recently we have joined with Cavendish in operating a speed indicator device
provided by Suffolk County Council. Much to our frustration the device was stolen on
5th April whilst “on duty” in Bull Lane. This was only its second outing in Long
Melford.
A semi-permanent speed indicator sign has been requested for installation on the
approach to Westgate Street where the highest speeds continue to be recorded.
Our thanks to Long Melford Parish Council, Suffolk County Council and Suffolk
Police for their ongoing support.
Finally sincere thanks to the resilient band of Speedwatch volunteers Roger
Kistruck, Angela and Reg McKenna, Patrick Kohler, Jackie and Graham Smythe,
Rosey Eade and Rob Van de Sande.
If anyone would welcome further information about the scheme please contact me
Peter Turner, Coordinator on 01787 468536

Street Fair Report
I am sure everyone here will agree this was the best and biggest Street Fair since
the event started.
The committee decided we would not, if possible, rely on the Parish Council for any
funding, so the event is now self-financing and has been for last two years.
Entertainment costs were slightly up, but well worth the extra, in particular the Elvis
impersonator who had the crowds dancing outside The Bull hotel. Every pitch in Hall
Street was taken, entertainment went through from 3 to 8pm, and numerous
compliments were made to committee members.
The aim of this event is to promote our village, we do just make a very small profit,
but most importantly for the 2013 event, which takes place on 14th July, we have an
opening balance of £3,246.00 which we hope will be adequate to cover the 2013
costs.

Heritage Centre Report
The Heritage Centre opened its doors for the new season on Saturday 30th March,
with a very good attendance.
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Thanks go to Ian Steward with his Barrel Organ, Stuart Poole and fellow enthusiasts
with their 6 stationery engines, and Toni Lee with her Wool spinning demonstration ,
and of course our growing band of volunteers, for their support.
This season, the Heritage Centre features photo displays of the Dig that took place
last year at the village Primary School and also the 1960's pipeline dig in Hall Street,
and a display detailing Melford & Sudbury's wartime fundraising support of HMS
Scarab, a naval ship that fought in numerous sea battles, which was recently
reported in the local press.
Mr Henry Ruse kindly provided a brand new selection of historic photographs, and
local historian Anne Grimshaw, has researched a fascinating display detailing the
Melford soldiers who fought in the Battle of Waterloo, and Peninsula Wars.
The family of the late Thomas Howlett who was the village Policeman and amateur
Archaeologist and Historian in the 1960’s & 70’s have donated in excess of 500 old
historic photographs of Melford, plus dig finds, and old documents and research
notes to the Heritage Centre.
Suffolk County Archaeological Unit have offered us back the 2 ton stone Roman
coffin found at Peddars Court, but sadly we have had to pass up this offer for
obvious reasons!
Costs have been kept to a minimum again this year, with an additional central
display cabinet purchased from existing Heritage Centre funds, and a large display
board and a new sign, collected by Rob to keep the costs down. This now finally
completes our quota of cabinets in relation to size of the space we have available.
Ridgeon's have kindly supplied all materials free for building a store cupboard and
Sudbury Office Supplies have donated items also.
The Small Grants Officer from Babergh District Council visited the Heritage Centre
recently, and was very impressed. We are now discussing funding from Babergh
District Council for enhanced security measures and a comfortable visitors chair.
Rob and I are also exploring HLF funding for a village ONLINE museum, and photo
gallery, Sudbury, Foxearth, and Glemsford all have one, therefore Melford NEEDS to
keep up with surrounding villages, and again promote the village to a wider public!
Another project is the restoration of a lost Milestone near to the Rodbridge
crossroads, I have asked Webb's Engineering to assist us to get this rare ancient
monument, at least 200 years old put back as another important "lost" Melford
landmark, before it is lost for good!
Many hours have been put in by the volunteers, to further promote, inspire, and help
preserve Long Milford’s history.
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Dr Carenza Lewis is back again with her team in June, we have worked hard to bring
her back and again Melford Village will benefit.

Trinity Hospital Report
This establishment was founded in the late 16C by Sir William Cordell, Master of the
Rolls, who owned and lived in Melford Hall.
The hospital consists as almshouse flats for originally twelve elderly poor men of the
parish, or from adjacent parishes, a warden to care for them and two women to do
the washing.
We have moved on considerably since then, we now have 14 flats, one of which is
reserved for the warden and one used as a communal room. We can now take
women as well as men, but priority must be given to male residents of the Long
Melford parish.
All the flats are now occupied, residents live rent, heating and hot water free. This is
and general maintenance and repairs paid for by the charity mainly from the income
from Hall Farm, Shimpling, which Sir William endowed to the Hospital.
Over and above routine maintenance this year we have fitted security locks to the
main doors.

Village Hall Report
2012/13 has seen a good year for the Village Hall. Bookings continue to increase
with the main growth area being casual use by the local community and finances
have recovered from the previous year as a result. The Committee has continued to
focus on addressing issues raised by the users and have received very positive
feedback in recognition of these efforts. The catering and bar facilities offered at the
Hall by Jam Tartz has worked well for the users and shown a very acceptable
financial return to the Hall’s finances. The past year has seen establishment of the
Village Heritage Centre in the back room of the hall with its own access from the
riverside of the car park. This new attraction to the village has drawn acclaim from a
diverse range of visitors and also helped with promoting the Village Hall site as an
accessible community asset.
I would like to draw attention to the on-going commitment and efforts of my
Committee and in particular the work done by Mrs Alma Beckwith as booking
secretary, Mrs Rosey Eade as Treasurer and Mrs Linda Goodban as secretary. I
would also like the Council to be aware of the continuing work and support offered by
other members of my Committee lead by the Vice Chairman Mr John Nunn.
Christopher Buckley
Chairman
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
Community Association Report
The Community Association held its AGM in January 2013 and all standing officers
were voted to continue in their positions, with one change, new Secretary is Linda
Goodban.
The CA has again made a small profit, from its fund-raising activities of Produce
Show, Quiz night and Table Sales.
The magazine is now 1 year old and we have just produced issue 8. A huge thank
you is due to our many volunteers who deliver the magazine for us. Most of the PC
helps with deliveries and this is greatly appreciated. The PC has also promised to
support us financially for this year, £750. This works out at an approximate cost of
50p per household for a full year’s magazines, so this is exceptionally good value for
LM residents. This and the support of local advertisers enable the magazine to stay
free to all in LM.
There is a considerable amount of repairs to be carried out to the Old School
building, starting with the roof. We submitted our Heritage statement and plans in
January of this year. Unfortunately, Babergh has created many delays and the plans
have only now been submitted for discussion.
On the plus side Babergh have been supportive in advising the CA on applying for a
major grant to upgrade the building in various stages, including eco-friendly heating
to cut down running costs.
The OSMC is now amalgamated in with the CA, so that there is no longer a need for
separate committees. This will hopefully lead to a more proactive regime. Most of the
OSMC committee were also on the CA so there should be an easy transition. My
thanks go to all the members who continue to support the Old School and the
Community Association.
Rosemary Eade
Chair, Long Melford Community Association.

Long Melford Library - Friends of Long Melford Library
The libraries in Suffolk are no longer directly run by the county council, instead they
form a new body called Suffolk Libraries IPS, this has meant changes to how they
are run and funded.
We thought you might like some information about this and about the Friends group.
What is Suffolk Libraries IPS? - IPS stands for Industrial and Provident Society. This
is an organisation rather like a charity, which has a board to run it and members.
What do you mean by support the library? - When the libraries were run directly by
the county council local communities couldn't really suggest ways to improve their
library or offer practical help. Now things are very different. If a local community
wants to redecorate their library or buy additional equipment they will be able to, they
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will also be encouraged to suggest ways that the library can better meet the needs of
the local community. This is why we put out the questionnaire in the village
newsletter – we wanted to find out what people value and what they would like
changed or improved.
So anything goes? - Afraid not. The library service is governed by legislation which
means that some things like charging a fee to join or to borrow books are not
allowed. Suffolk County Council has also signed a contract with the IPS outlining a
certain standard of service; this is all to protect the users and to ensure that the
libraries do not drift away from their core service and values. The Friends groups
also must have a constitution that ensures they do not undermine the library or
discriminate against any users.
So does support really just mean fundraising? - That's certainly part of it. The IPS is
funded by a grant from Suffolk County Council; this is enough for the current basic
service but not to provide any extras like longer opening hours. Money is still very
tight in the public sector and in the future the IPS may need to ask each Friends
group for a contribution towards the running costs of their library. At the moment the
Friends of Long Melford Library are trying to raise money to redecorate the
premises.
Who are the Friends of Long Melford Library? - There was a public meeting in
autumn 2012 about establishing a Friends group for Long Melford library which was
open to everyone. It was decided during the meeting that it would be a good idea to
establish a Friends group for Long Melford library and so about a dozen people had
a second meeting at which we agreed to adopt a small charity constitution and to
look at ways to raise money for the library. There is a committee (trustees) of seven
people, chaired by the library manager, but the meetings are open to all Friends and
usually around ten to twelve people come along.
Does the Friends group have any projects at the moment? - We realise that the
library room is looking distinctly shabby. The premises are owned and maintained by
the United Reformed Church and we are working with them to redecorate the library.
Councillor Richard Kemp has generously set aside £750 for us from his county
council locality budget but it will cost at least £1000 more than that to really bring the
room up to scratch. The parish council has very generously agreed to fund new IT
which will provide Wi-Fi, 2 public laptops to use in the library and 3 e-book readers
initially for older housebound borrowers. The Friends are also running a Sunday
Afternoon Tea session every week from 2.30 – 3.30 which is proving popular, and in
the future would be looking to provide a Saturday morning library service.
Parish Meeting Reports - 16

1st Long Melford Scout and Guide Group Management Committee Report
We continue to run four Scout and two Guide groups, with 103 members between
the ages of 7 and 18. This year we have appointed a new leader for Guides but are
still looking for a Brownie leader who can eventually take over our current leader.
We also have three community groups meeting on a weekly basis as well as a
number of one-off letting, all helping to fund the maintenance of our building.
We have undertaken a variety of fund raising activities during the course of the year
at events such as Melford Street Fair and the Party in the Park. In addition we have
held a cake stall in Hall Street, and a quiz night. This year we will be raising the
tempo as we start fund raising to replace our current stores building which stands
next to the HQ.
I would like to thank all our supporters such as the Parish Council, our leaders and
their assistants for all the hard work that they do in maintaining the groups and
particularly the youngsters who keep coming back week after week and making all
our work worthwhile.
Philip Windsor – Chairman, Friends of the Group
END OF REPORTS
Parish Meeting Reports - 17