Summary

  • Updates for Wednesday, 21 June 2017

  • The first ever Suffolk Day is here!

  • Kids in wigs: Students mark Suffolk Day by dressing as Ed Sheeran

  • More than 6,000 people take part in Bury St Edmunds plan consultation

  • An Ipswich woman is fined £200 for discarded fag end

  1. 'Dedicated' GP, 76, dies with coronaviruspublished at 18:02 British Summer Time 9 April 2020

    Fayaz Ayache stopped working last month but may have visited patients at home since.

    Read More
  2. Player of the Year: The NHS!published at 17:41 British Summer Time 9 April 2020

    Long Melford FCImage source, Long Melford FC

    A Suffolk junior football club has named the NHS its Player of the Year.

    Long Melford Colts and Fillies FC donated the £1,000 it would normally spend on trophies for the end-of-season celebrations to frontline NHS workers instead.

    Club chair Rob Bowden said: "Nick Marlow, our under-13s manager, came up with the idea and our management committee unanimously agreed.

    "We know clubs up and down the country are already doing a lot to support their local communities, but we hope it's an idea which might catch on."

  3. Blessed are the cheese-makerspublished at 15:47 British Summer Time 9 April 2020

    Man going into roadside kiosk

    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."

    Ben Witchell of Flint
  4. In the papers: Suffolkpublished at 14:17 British Summer Time 9 April 2020

    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
  5. Mason, eight, a village 'celebrity' after birthday celebrationspublished at 09:56 British Summer Time 9 April 2020

    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.

    A juggler wishing Mason happy birthdayImage 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".

    Mason with cakes that had been left out for him for his birthdayImage source, Cher Connelly
  6. Street has social distancing dance each day at 11ampublished at 15:53 British Summer Time 8 April 2020

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

    Read More
  7. Bird reserve trespassers told to 'stay away'published at 10:50 British Summer Time 8 April 2020

    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".

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    End of twitter post
  8. The family isolating in a van on a Greek Islandpublished at 00:09 British Summer Time 8 April 2020

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

    Read More
  9. Man charged with persistent flouting of virus rulespublished at 17:43 British Summer Time 7 April 2020

    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.

    Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020Image source, UK Government
  10. First four Classics of season postponedpublished at 17:41 British Summer Time 7 April 2020

    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".

    Read More
  11. NHS volunteer plans selfie mementos to mark crisispublished at 17:37 British Summer Time 7 April 2020

    Zoe Applegate
    BBC News

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

    Daniel HeathImage 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."

  12. Woman who 'thought she wouldn't get virus' diespublished at 16:27 British Summer Time 7 April 2020

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

    Read More
  13. Marathon man's 50-mile garden run for NHSpublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 7 April 2020

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

    Read More
  14. In the papers: Essexpublished at 14:45 British Summer Time 7 April 2020

    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

  15. Sewing machinists' plea for cash for hospital 'scrubs'published at 14:17 British Summer Time 7 April 2020

    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.

    ScrubsImage 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!"

  16. Trial date for driver accused of triple murder bidpublished at 17:36 British Summer Time 6 April 2020

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

    Read More
  17. Venue offers bands new platform for performancepublished at 16:56 British Summer Time 6 April 2020

    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.

    The Stupids at The Smokehouse, IpswichImage source, Miff Pleasant
    Image caption,

    The Stupids appeared at The Smokehouse during the Ipswich Sound City event in 2019

    "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."

  18. Closed golf course used for picnicspublished at 15:01 British Summer Time 6 April 2020

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

    Read More
  19. School sends visors for hospice nursespublished at 11:33 British Summer Time 6 April 2020

    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!"

    Sorry, we're having trouble displaying this content.View original content on Facebook
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Facebook content may contain adverts.
  20. In pictures: 24 hours in lockdownpublished at 09:44 British Summer Time 6 April 2020

    Person takes selfie of their shadow while hula-hoopingImage source, Ali Waggie

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

    it features photos from St Albans, Watford and Ipswich.

    Man in bed with dogImage source, Sarah Lucy Brown