In the following pages are outlined a brief history of the parish; a history of the Grade II* listed church and a note of church services; details of the Parish Council including meeting dates, agendas, minutes and Freedom of Information publication scheme; local information and an outline of the facilities in the village hall and details of the many activities in the hall which include professional theatre productions as well as weekly events.

It is time to get your numbers for

FRECKENHAM 100+

Subscriptions for 2021/2022 are now due (as from 1st October 2021)

Tickets are £12.00 each (only £1.00 per month!) and application should be made by 1st October 2021 with the Subscription Form which please leave in the village hall postbox.

Click to download the subscription form for completion

www.activesuffolk.org/forms/view/freckenham

With the support of Fit Villages we will be running a free taster session at Freckenham Village Hall on Tuesday 7th September at 2pm, which must be pre-booked, then weekly thereafter. For Further details and to register to join the session please contact Michelle on phone no. 07795 263 836 or email Michelle Bell chellb@live.com.
The classes will be subsidised by Fit Villages for the first few weeks at £3 per person. At the end of the trial period if everyone is happy to continue the cost will be £5 per person.

The Coffee Caravan is back on the road!

The visits this summer will be

Tuesday 1st June 2021

6th July

3rd August

7th September

5th October

2.00 to 4.00pm East View Car Park. 

It will be bring your own chair and mug they will provide the tea or coffee with an extra apology of sorry no cake this time!  But the information, familiar faces and friendly chat will be there as always!  We will also be practicing social distancing. 

https://www.facebook.com/RuralCoffeeCaravan/

Patience wearing thin or enjoying the abundance of extra time at home?! Are you getting a little bit fed up or bored with the regular telephone conversations with family or friends. Nothing much to talk about, you’ve said it all before in previous conversations...

Well if you would like to talk to someone different/new then why not  give Elaine or Diana at the Coffee Caravan a call?

Diana 07494 572 153

Elaine 07494 570 905

THE VILLAGE HALL 

 With the easing of restrictions many of classes have re-started in the village hall.

See the Weekly Events page for full details

THE NEXT MARKET IS ON 25th SEPTEMBER
(There is no market in August)

See the Special Events page for full details

If you would like to purchase on-line then

Click for the main providers at the market and their contact details

The village hall committee is urgently seeking further volunteers to undertake some of the tasks of running a successful village hall. Give it a go - get in touch with Jane Leitch either on the mobile (07542 198933) or by email - freckenhamvillagehall@btconnect.com

Annual Parish Meeting

Freckenham's Annual Parish Meeting was held on Tuesday 25th May at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.

The minutes of the meeting can be found here

Have recently published the second edition of their Health & Wellbeing newsletter of 2021.

In this edition, they share details of their successful virtual Fit Villages launch and inform you of how you could be involved in future projects. They share an inspirational story from one of Suffolk's local This Girl Can ambassadors regarding her 7 year battle with breast cancer, plus some top tips from Suffolk Mind on managing our mental wellbeing through movement following this months Time to Talk Day.

Click here to read the February Newsletter

The Gramophones blast off!

SAY NO TO SUNNICA information evening

MEET UP MONDAY

organised by the Rural Coffee Caravan

CURRENTLY CANCELLED DUE TO GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS

Meet Up Monday will be at The Golden Boar
from 2.30 to 4.00pm.

Meet Up Monday for ANYONE, any age, any anything to get away from the tele. screen and meet others in ones community.

People who would not normally go into a pub alone (shyness, not wanting to appear obviously alone) will hopefully make friends in an environment where they know others are in the same boat. Then who knows? They might pop in anytime. BECAUSE they can! With luck this will complement other community activities as folk become confident and connected enough to join in.

The Rural Touring Dance Initiative has lined up a series of fantastic filmed dance performances that are available for you to watch via the link below as well as the opportunity to register for artist Q&A sessions!    

The latest Dance Performance menu is available up to June 2021

https://www.ruraltouring.org/project/rural-touring-dance-initiative-2/

Parish Council Vacancy

Following the resignation of Cllr Paul Brooks, a vacancy on the Parish Council has arisen.

West Suffolk Council have issued a Notice of Vacancy.

West Suffolk Council have now confirmed  that an election was not requested by 10 electors, and therefore the vacancy can be filled by co-option.

The Parish Council hope to co-opt at a future meeting. See advert to fill vacancy for details on how to apply to be considered for co-option.

East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) has put together a 10 minute compilation archive film that we can watch and share to help still feel part of it. You can watch the film via EAFA’s website by following this link:
EAFA VE Day Archive Film

Presenting a snapshot of life on the home front, the film features archive material from across East Anglia and the compilation includes clips from a number of films in EAFA’s collection dating from World War II, with scenes from Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands War Weapons Week, Norwich city centre after the Baedeker raids, street parties celebrating VE Day, and more.

Full-length versions of most of the films featured can be found on the EAFA website www.eafa.org.uk, along with a variety of other films of wartime Britain, and for more information about the films or to delve deeper into the Archive’s collections, then you can contact eafa@uea.ac.uk. You can also follow EAFA on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/eastanglianfilmarchive/.

Below are two images from EAFA -

BONFIRES

West Suffolk Council have advised the following:

Garden Fires – please don’t burn – do your bit by being aware that those around you may be self-isolating, have respiratory issues or can’t escape the effects of burning by leaving the house. Compost your garden waste or store it safely until normal disposal services resume. And never burn plastics or household rubbish which release polluting and toxic compounds. Burning trade waste is illegal. For information on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle waste visit www.suffolkrecycling.org.uk

REPORT FROM YOUR DISTRICT COUNCILLOR

CLLR BRIAN HARVEY

Each month our District Councillor sends his monthly report of which he then reports further on at the Parish Council meetings which he regularly attends.

His latest report is available here.

ANGLIAN WATER BEXWELL TO BURY ST EDMUNDS PIPELINE

Anglian Water will be building up to 500km of new, interconnected pipelines. The new pipelines will help them move water more freely around the region and divert it from areas of water surplus in north Lincolnshire, to the south and east of the region, where it isn’t readily available. A new 70km pipeline, known as the Bexwell to Bury St Edmunds pipeline will connect into our existing water network. The below ground pipeline will run north to south from an existing reservoir at Bexwell to an existing reservoir at Rede, to the south of Bury St Edmunds. There will be three pipeline spurs which will connect into existing infrastructure at the Isleham and Gazeley water treatment works, and the Woodditton water tower. For more information and to comment on the plans please see full update.

Click here to watch a short video about their work, and here to visit their dedicated webpages.

 Anglian Water would be very happy to share more detail on their plans with you and would gladly answer any questions via email, letters, conference and telephone calls.  

You can contact them via their Customer Centre, on 03457 145145, quoting Ref 57182448 or email StrategicPipelines@anglianwater.co.uk if you have any questions or comments.  

CORONAVIRUS - COVID 19

Please visit the government website for the latest news, information and guidance in relation to COVID-19.

DOG FOULING

There appears to have been a recent increase in the amount of dog fouling within West Suffolk.

If you are a dog owner or walker then you must pick up your dog's mess if it fouls in areas open to the public. This is a legal requirement as described under the Public Spaces Protection Order (Dogs) 2017. If you do not then you may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice.

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

Details of the Freckenham Neighbourhood Plan can be found on the Neighbourhood page.

Please note the deadline for the Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire in regards to employment changes and working from home is 31st August 2020.

For further information see the Neighbourhood Plan page.

SUNNICA

All details concerning the Sunnica Energy Farm Scheme can now be found on the
Parish Council page under Sunnica

Streetlight Upgrade September 2021

Some of the streetlights maintained by Suffolk County Council in the local area will soon be upgraded to more efficient and environmentally-friendly LED lanterns as part of a project being delivered during 2021/22 by SCC's contractor Bouygues. Work in Freckenham is set to take place during the week of 27 September 2021 (with black and yellow ‘Work Starts Here’ signs appearing on specific streets the week before upgrades take place in that location). Please note that they will not be replacing all streetlighting lanterns, as some have already had LED units fitted and some areas will be upgraded separately as part of dedicated improvement schemes.

LITTER PICKING FOR INDIVIDUALS

The Parish Council is aware that residents are kindly and regularly picking up litter around the village and disposing of it, something for which we are all very grateful.  We would like to support this activity, especially as the group litter picks run and carried out by volunteers cannot take place at the moment due to COVID-19 restrictions.

 Inspired by the efforts of a young volunteer litter picker in the village, the Parish Council has started a scheme for individuals who wish to carry out litter picking with the support of the Parish Council. Litter pickers who make themselves known to the Parish Council by contacting the Clerk in advance will receive:

 Guidance leaflets from West Suffolk Council on litter picking and COVID-19 safety:

• Guidance Leaflet https://www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/lwyl/upload/guidance-for-litter-picking-volunteers.pdf

• FAQ https://www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/lwyl/upload/FAQs-litter-picking-for-individual-volunteers.pdf

• A copy of the risk assessment covering the litter picking scheme.

• Cover under the Parish Council’s Public Liability insurance, as a volunteer carrying out litter picking on behalf of the Parish Council.

• Please request further details if needed, and note this cover is only available to volunteers who make themselves known to the Clerk in advance.

• (optional) Help to arrange equipment on long-term loan from West Suffolk Council, including:

• A high-visibility gilet

• A long-handled litter picker

• A supply of specially-marked black (general) and blue (recycling) rubbish bags to be placed beside the same coloured domestic wheelie bin on refuse collection day. Usually, bags beside wheelie bins are not collected, but these marked bags allow litter pickers to dispose of the rubbish without taking space in their own domestic wheelie bins.

 The Parish Council requests that, for residents’ safety, they carry out litter picking from established paths and in recreation areas only. 

Film Nights

Film Night is on the first Friday of each month.

As from March 2020 all film nights have been suspended.

See the Film Nights page for full details.

  See Village Hall pages for all Special and Weekly Events with full details and website links.

   As we say "if we don’t move it, we lose it”, so we have brought Move it or Lose it classes to Freckenham! Delivered by a qualified Instructor, these fun-filled and low-impact exercise to music classes aim to get people moving whilst improving strength, balance and flexibility. Suitable for everyone in particular the 40+ and no experience required! now a weekly session - see Weekly Events page.

Strength and Balance classes have now become FABS (Flexibility, Aerobic health, Balance and Strength) classes - as before on THURSDAYS starting at 2.00 pm. Full details on the Weekly Events page.

CHOOSE YOUR PILATES COURSE

Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength and develops control and endurance in the whole human body.     It puts emphasis on alignment, breathing, developing a strong powerhouse, and improving coordination and balance.

THURSDAYS with Rosie Trull with 2 classes:-

9.30-10.30am for intermediate/mixed ability 

10.45-11.45am for beginners/more gentle exercise

FRIDAYS with Julie Craig

11.00am - 12 noon.

or attend both!

Full information on the Village Hall Weekly Events page.

Come for an enjoyable Tuesday evening at Table Tennis. Amateurs to professionals, all are welcome! See the Weekly Events page for details

The Coffee Caravan is back in the village in 2021

Anyone & everyone welcome!

Their visits are in the East View Car Park from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.

FITNESS AND NUTRITION

There will be no further sessions after
Friday 31st January 2020

Suffolk County Council is implementing changes to its School Travel Policy for Statutory School age children taking effect from September 2019.

Click here for full details

Action is required!!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO LISTEN TO CHILDREN READ

Can you spare an hour or two a week to listen to children read in your local primary school?  Schoolreaders is looking for more volunteers locally to carry out this important role.

If so click here for full details and contact email/telephone number

 REMINDER FROM CITIZENS ADVICE IN NEWMARKET

SOME FORTHCOMING EVENTS IN THE VILLAGE:

The Farmers' and Craft Market has restarted. See the Special Events page for full details

(Full details of all events on Special Events page)

The first Friday of each month is FILM NIGHT in the village hall (but suspended at the present time). Full details can be seen on the Film Nights page under the village hall heading.

And further entertainment is always being planned!

See the village hall page for full details of all events in the hall and the church page for full details of services and events at the Church.

The Parish Council has undertaken considerable improvements to the RECREATION GROUND with an all-weather circular path and equipment for all ages. The whole of the cost of the works has been funded from various outside sources.

For full details see the Recreation Ground page.