An exercise, leisure and former music venue that began its life as St Matthew's Baths in 1924 will not reopen after the Covid-19 lockdown is lifted.

The building has been a fitness centre called The Gym Ipswich since Abbeycroft Leisure reopened it 10 years ago.

It was the first budget club to arrive in the town, but Abbeycroft said other gyms providing similar services have taken on its mantle.

Its lease expires in November and after reviewing the business, the decision was made to close.

In the past, it was a swimming pool, dance and music venue which saw performances from rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Cream – when the swimming area was covered with boarding.

Image source, Dave Kindred

Warren Smyth, chief executive at Abbeycroft, said: "This extremely difficult decision had been reached just prior to the recent coronavirus pandemic with a view to closing later in the year

"However, the leisure industry is now facing unprecedented challenges and this will continue when the lockdown is lifted, which has further reinforced that we have made the right choice."

Image source, Nigel Rea

Robby West
BBC East reporter

Earlier we brought you the story that 101-year-old Joan Rich, is walking loops of her Suffolk park to raise funds for the NHS.

Like Bedfordshire's Captain Tom Moore, she wanted to do her bit.

The famous fundraiser from Marston Moretaine has sent his support to her, saying "good for you Joan, sending best wishes and good luck on your walk for our NHS heroes".

Unsurprisingly, another music festival has accepted the inevitable and cancelled for this year.

The 14th Maverick Festival, external was due take place at Easton in Suffolk over the first weekend of July, featuring country and Americana acts including Steve Forbert, Dean Owens, Terra Lightfoot and Hank Wangford.

About 5,000 people usually attend, but organisers said the "good news" was that most of this year's acts will play at next year's event.

Ipswich Town take up the option to extend the contracts of midfielder Andre Dozzell and keeper Harry Wright by a year.

He wishes good luck to a fellow centenarian aiming to support the NHS with a walking challenge.

Silke Hartshorne-Jones was found with two gunshot wounds at the family home, a court hears.

Pete Cooper
BBC News

The Suffolk branch of the Police Federation said an influx of people to a Costa Coffee in Ipswich that reopened at the weekend was putting the police "at risk".

The cafe at the Euro Retail Park was one of 17 Costa branches which reopened across the UK for drive-thru customers only.

Suffolk Chief Constable Steve Jupp said the number of people at the site "caused a big issue" for police, and came at a time when two large neighbouring supermarkets were also busy.

Image source, Getty Images

The Costa was later shut by staff because of the long queues.

Darren Harris, chairman of the Police Federation in Suffolk, said: "The public's action is putting my members at risk by having to interact with more members of the public than they necessarily need to."

While not illegal, he added that it was not "a reasonable thing to do" to drive to get a take-away coffee.

A spokeswoman for Costa Coffee said safety was their "number one priority".

She said the drive-thru cafes were meant for "key workers on essential journeys" and that other branches had been open offering delivery for other customers.

The branch in east Ipswich is due to reopen later this week.

• Aldeburgh residents claim in social media posts their town is "being invaded" as second-homeowners flock there despite lockdown, the East Anglian Daily Times, external reports
• Lowestoft-based holiday firm Hoseasons has stated it was dealing with tens of thousands of customers who have had holidays cancelled, after it was slated by consumer group Which?, the Lowestoft Journal, external reports
• A Bury St Edmunds woman has become embroiled in a dispute with a travel company after a £5,500 rugby tour for under-14s rugby team was cancelled, the Bury Free Press, external is reporting

Joan Rich is completing the 560m (1,837ft) loops of her local Suffolk park before her next birthday.

Although all play areas are currently closed in parks, a council is using the lockdown to revamp one area.

Ipswich Borough Council, external said to "limit future disruption" and to "give you something to look forward to", work is starting this week on updating Christchurch Park's play area.

"All staff on site will be following the latest government guidance on safe working," a spokesman added.

Image source, Ipswich Borough Council

Mistakes made before and after the boy's birth in 2009 were admitted by the hospital.

Peter Hartshorne-Jones, 51, is due to appear before magistrates on Tuesday charged with murder.

Jean Trigg died in hospital after spending 11 hours on the floor of her flat after a fall.

• The East Anglian Daily Times , externalhas a picture gallery of a deserted Bury St Edmunds during lockdown
• The owners of a pub in Sudbury have thanked the community for their continued support during the coronavirus lockdown, reports the Suffolk Free Press, external
• The Ipswich Star has an interview, external with Ipswich Town's former goalkeeper, Canadian Craig Forrest, who talks about his time at the club and working with actor Ryan Reynolds on supporting those tackling coronavirus

BBC Sport

The Women's Tour 2020, which was due to finish in Suffok, has been cancelled for 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but organisers have confirmed it will be rearranged for June next year.

The six-stage cycling race, which has been held in Britain every year since 2014, was due to take place from 8-13 June and was initially postponed in March.

Organisers SweetSpot have applied to cycling's governing body the UCI to stage the next edition between 7-12 June, 2021 using the same planned route.

Image source, Getty Images

The sixth and final stage is due to be between Haverhill and Felixstowe.

Hugh Roberts, from SweetSpot, said: "With the extra time now available we look forward to making next year’s Women’s Tour even bigger and better than before and a fantastic celebration of cycling and Britain."

Councillor James Reeder from Suffolk County Council said the cancellation was the "right decision" and it was looking forward to the race next year.

Rugby players raised £16,000 for a hospital charity when they ran a socially-distanced relay, covering 180 miles (290km) in 24 hours.

With no matches to play during lockdown, the Thurston Rangers, external players have been keeping in contact through the team WhatsApp group to "stave off boredom and encourage each other to stay fit".

One of the players came up with idea that they could run a relay between their home villages.

Image source, Thurston Rangers

Over the weekend, 52 players took part in the Rangers Relay Rainbow Run, keeping themselves two metres apart for their handovers.

They raised the money for My Wish Charity , externalat West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.

Matt Ansell, from the club, said: "As well as the great amount of money raised, the outcome has been a huge amount of pride amongst the players that they and the club have pulled together in this way."

Colin Gray photographs his colleagues to give them "something to look back on in years to come".

"I wanted to try and turn a negative into a positive," says Suffolk singer Serena Grant.

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

A county town's main street market has reopened after closing six weeks ago due to the coronavirus lockdown, but only with three stalls.

A fishmonger, bread stall and a general food stall are back in business on Ipswich Market, external, with two-metre social distancing rules applied.

Fishmonger and market spokesman Mike Young said he was glad to be back, although it would only be on Fridays and Saturdays.

"We will police people keeping to the rules and we have been quite busy so far with our regular Friday customers who had heard we were open on the radio and from other places," he said.

"Some fishmongers had kept going (through the lockdown) and the supermarkets also had fish and were very good at policing the 2m distancing rules."

Mr Young was not worried about supplies of fish, despite Billingsgate (the major fish wholesale market in London) being closed for three weeks and only partially open in the last two weeks.

"One thing that is going to be huge is the home delivery business. We put something on social media yesterday [Thursday] at teatime and 11,300 people have seen it," he said.

Alex Pope
BBC News Online

Image source, David Lowndes

Children putting their drawings of rainbows in their windows has become part of coronavirus lockdown culture.

And on Thursday evening, just a clap for carers was taking place, real double rainbows were seen above the skies in the East.

David Lowndes, a photographer for the Peterborough Telegraph, external, captured this amazing double rainbow above Peterborough Hospital (above).

‪In Mildenhall, Suffolk Police, external, said: "We're not the treasure at the end of the rainbow - that will be the time we can all hold our friends and family once again."

Image source, Suffolk Police

And in Basildon, Essex police officers took a photo of this double rainbow...

Image source, Essex Police