Two independent food and drink businesses have experienced a surge in online sales after the Coronavirus lockdown hit their usual trade.

Fen Farm Dairy in Bungay, Suffolk, and Flint Vineyard in nearby Earsham, Norfolk, lost wholesale business overnight when restaurants and pubs were forced to shut.

Jonny Crickmore of Fen Farm - which sells raw milk, butter and cheese - said it had to furlough six staff and slow down the maturing process on its Brie, which it stopped producing for two weeks.

However, it noticed a boost in online sales and more people using its vending machines at roadside kiosks, which are regularly cleaned and have hand-sanitiser for customers

Ben Witchell, of Flint, said it closed the vineyard to the public for tours, which had a knock-on effect on sales.

"People have been going online and buying it - hopefully this has opened a new avenue to us," he said.

"We would be doing 20 cases a week but we are doing 20 cases a day.

"It's really positive; we're doing really well."

Let's take a quick look at the newspaper headlines across Suffolk today:

• The Ipswich Star, external is highlighting the work of community heroes in fundraising and collecting for NHS frontline staff, including local businesses that are donating electrical items and essentials during the coronavirus pandemic

• The former Royal Court Hotel in Lowestoft, which has been empty for more than a decade, is to developed into 29 flats and a cafe, says Lowestoft Journal, external
• Suffolk’s most senior Church of England clergyman, the Right Reverend Martin Seeley, says the evil of the coronavirus will be overcome – and sees consolation and hope for all this Easter, reports the Sudbury Mercury, external

A village helped celebrate a boy's eighth birthday at a distance during the lockdown.

Cher Connelly, from Capel St Mary, Suffolk, said her son Mason was "so excited" about his birthday but could not celebrate with friends due to the current situation.

Image source, Cher Connelly

So she posted on the village Facebook page, asking people to put up a sign, sending him birthday wishes, so they would see the messages during their daily walk.

On Wednesday, people had put up banners and posters they had made, some had left out cakes and there was a man juggling outside his house to wish Mason the best.

Ms Connelly said she was "overwhelmed" by the response and that Mason felt like a "Capel celebrity".

Image source, Cher Connelly

Warwick Avenue comes alive at 11am every day with residents dancing on their drives.

Zoe Applegate
BBC News

Trespassers have been warned to stop going on to a bird reserve during the lockdown.

RSPB Minsmere, external, on the Suffolk coast and home of BBC Springwatch for several years, has been closed until further notice.

However, the charity said people have been spotted on the 2,472 acre (1,000 hectare) site and urged them to "stay away to respect the reserve".

Martin and Kate Thacker, their daughters Shannon and Phoebe, two dogs and cat are living in a van.

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

A 46-year-old man has been charged with flouting the rules imposed to ensure people's safety during the coronavirus crisis.

Over a three-day period, police several times requested a man to return to his home after he was found to be in Granville Street in Ipswich without a reasonable excuse.

Despite warnings he persisted and was issued with two fixed penalty notices on Saturday, 4 April but later returned to the area again and was arrested

He has been charged with "contravening a requirement as to the restriction of movement during the emergency period - contrary to regulations of the Health Protection Regulations 2020, external".

He was released on bail and is due to appear at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 20 May.

Image source, UK Government

Racing's first four Classics of the season are postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic while Royal Ascot will not "take place as an event open to the public".

Zoe Applegate
BBC News

A newly-appointed NHS volunteer from Suffolk plans to document his experience by taking selfies with those he helps.

Image source, PA

Daniel Heath, 29, from Haverhil, was prompted to volunteer because his mother and sister work in Covid-19 wards, while his partner is a cardio physiologist.

He is one of 750,000 volunteers reporting for duty from this week to help vulnerable people.

Mr Heath, whose workplace has closed and cannot be furloughed, has already helped deliver an elderly couple's prescription to them.

"I want to take a selfie with everyone I've helped from a distance, and just get them in the background waving or something, and then I can compile hundreds of pictures of all the people I've helped," he said.

"It will be nice to look back and share that with people."

A grieving son warns coronavirus is "everywhere" after his mother died with it in rural Suffolk.

Ben Blowes' 15-hour workout raised nearly £5,000 for frontline health workers.

Orla Moore
BBC News

Here's a quick look at the stories making the newspaper headlines across Essex:

• The Mayor of Saffron Walden and his wife are being treated for pneumonia complications after they were diagnosed with coronavirus, according to the Reporter, external
• The Southend Echo, external is reporting that workers at the Argos warehouse in Basildon say it is "busier than Christmas", triggering worries they are at risk with no personal protection equipment
• Tributes have been paid to a St Osyth dad at Ipswich Hospital a day after he was diagnosed with coronavirus, reports the Colchester Gazette, external

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

A group of sewing machinists has begun a campaign to raise money for material to make “scrubs” - the clothes that frontline NHS staff wear on duty.

The 16 machinists call themselves the Felixstowe Scrubbers and have already smashed their initial target of £500 needed to buy fabric to make scrubs for the Ipswich and Colchester hospitals.

Image source, Felixstowe Scrubbers

"There is a shortage in supply of scrubs to frontline NHS staff and by providing them with this essential piece of clothing we are enabling them to stay comfortable whilst on duty," said the group's Sew Scrubs for Ipswich Hospital Facebook page, external.

"We have calculated that it will cost around £12 to make up one set of scrubs. If you can give anything to help keep our NHS staff safe that would be amazing and really appreciated!"

A car mounted the pavement and hit three men as they were leaving a pub.

Richard Haugh
BBC Music Introducing in Suffolk

A small independent music venue has a new project called Lock East to support local artists by sharing video content and their tracks.

The Smokehouse in Ipswich has had to close due to coronavirus lockdown, so the venue is offering them a new platform for performance.

Image source, Miff Pleasant

"We may not be able to provide a physical stage, but we can provide a platform for new music from the area," said a spokesman for the South Street venue."Check out our Lock East platform at The Smokehouse, external. We want to hear from you. Send us your tracks."

Rushmere Golf Club says people sunbathed and ate on fairways despite the coronavirus restrictions.

St Elizabeth Hospice nurses are expecting to be working alongside the NHS over the coming weeks providing end-of-life care and bereavement services to families.

The Ipswich hospice launched an appeal for personal protective equipment.

Ipswich School has responded by providing special equipment for nurses working in hazardous areas and the hospice has responded with this Facebook post: "A huge thank you to Ipswich School , external who have provided our nurses with PPE visors. We greatly appreciate it!"

Image source, Ali Waggie

A group of photographers has come together again to document life during the coronavirus crisis.

• Coronavirus: 24 hours on lockdown

it features photos from St Albans, Watford and Ipswich.

Image source, Sarah Lucy Brown

Katy Lewis
BBC News Online

A golf course said it had to stop people playing golf, having picnics and playing in bunkers over the weekend.

Rushmere Golf Club, external, in Ipswich, said "large groups of people, many ignoring social-distancing" had gathered on the course - which is built on common land and has public footpaths criss-crossing it.

Image source, Google

Steve Potts, chairman, said: "We were very disappointed to find our golf course was teeming with people... completely ignoring government rules.

"Three of our green-keepers did a staggered time of patrolling to try to encourage people to disperse to protect the course but really feeling a responsibility to ensure the public were adhering to the rules.

"The majority were understanding and prepared to move on.. but our green-keeping staff were almost overwhelmed with people and found it very, very difficult and incredibly surprising."

He said it was "absolutely fine" to walk across it for your daily exercise but "try not to use the bunkers as sandpits" or ride bicycles across the greens.

Tamara McAuley, from Newmarket in Suffolk, designed the hearts in the health service's colour.