You can follow life in Blythburgh by clicking on Blythburgh Parish News, published every two months, soon after the Parish Council meeting.
 

This news page highlights newsworthy events, with illustrations. If there are any topics that you think we should include, let us know.  The pages have been laid out using Internet Explorer.  They may not work well when viewed with other browsers and results are not always good with iPads.  Apologies.  Beyond our control!


December 2011 Blythburgh's Christmas

Blythburgh celebrated Christmas with services in Holy Trinity Church, carols sung round the village, and a very well supported Christmas Tea in the Village Hall, made possible by the Latitude Trust and a band of willing helpers.  Among other events were a Christmas Tree Festival, organised by Blythburgh Horticultural Society.  Local individuals and groups decorated trees to their chosen themes.  Money was raised for the East Anglian Childrens Hospice.   Susan Hayward opened The Priory 'Chapel' for an Indoor Christmas Market, with more than a hint of inspiration from traditional Bavarian models.

The angels of the church roof were reflected in this design for the top of one Christmas tree.

     
A tree decorated for Blythburgh's First Responders Group emphasised the saving of lives by prompt responses to calls for help.  'Celebrating Blythburgh' was the theme of another tree, echoing the village's annual event.  Placing the tree in a reconstruction of the village stocks provided a reminder of the past.

 
Illuminated trees decorated the aisles of the church, overlooked by the fifteeenth-century bench-ends.



The Indoor Christmas Market displayed the wares of local producers and crafts-people.  The 'chapel' at The Priory provided an atmospheric setting.

 

    

August 2011 Animals take over Blythburgh church

The annual service of Blessing the Animals in Blythburgh church began in the 1970s.  The Eastern Daily Press report of the 2011 service held on 14 August is copied below.  Follow this link to see the EDP's on-line coverage with a gallery of pictures.
 




July 2011 Celebrating Blythburgh

The sun shone brightly on the village for its second 'Celebrating Blythburgh' day.  A day of free events began with a service in the ruins of Blythburgh priory, led by the Reverend Malcolm Doney.  Tours of the priory ruins, not normally open to the public, and an illustrated talk on Blythburgh history, complemented the more energetic displays of village life in the carpark and garden of The Priory, and the Village Hall.  Blythburgh artist Paul O'Leary exhibited his work in the church where cream teas were also provided. Pictures by Laura Tytler and Alan and Ursula Mackley. 


The Reverend Malcolm Doney conducts the first service in the priory church for 474 years (LT)

   
                                                           (AM)                                                          (LT)
 






The Priory carpark became Blythburgh's market place with stalls set up by village organisations, the RNLI and Natural England.  A Bouncy Castle kept the youngest ocupied.  Boat trips on the Blyth, arranged by Natural England, ran throughout the day.

Blythburgh's bee-man, John Blakesley, brought along some of his workers, and their queen.




             


            Bee-keeping explained          (LT) 
        

   
                                                         (LT)                                                          (LT) 

Live music by Jive Bunnies and Handle with Care entertained everyone in The Priory garden.  A licensed bar and a BBQ, free to parishioners, were also big draws.           

    
                                   (LT)                                        (LT)                                      (UM)

There was something for everyone, the young, the old, and the in-betweens of the a cappella singers at the service.
 
 
                                                        (AM)                                                        (AM)

Blythburgh's Speedwatch group, the first in Suffolk, was on display, and so too were this year's drought-defying plants.

 
                                                       (AM)                                                        (AM)
Evidence of Blythburgh's close links with water and wildlife was provided by the RNLI and Natural England.

   
                                    (LT)                                       (LT)                                       (LT)

Carpet Bowls in the Village Hall proved very popular and in the afternoon Table Tennis, Pool and Air Hockey took over.  The resident seals of the river Blyth put in an appearance for the boat-trippers.  The prize-winning exhibits from the Horticultural Society's show made a colourful display.

 
                                                                                                                      (AM)

Look as well at the Eastern Daily Press's coverage and link to BBC Radio Suffolk's account of the service in the priory ruins.  Celebrating Blythburgh was supported by the Blythburgh Latitude Trust and Blythburgh with Bulcamp and Hinton Parish Council.




May 2011 Blythburgh Parish Annual Meeting




May 2010 Flower Festival

A four-day Flower Festival was held in Holy Trinity Church in aid of the Roof Repair Fund, St Peter's & St Paul's, Wangford.  Displays were  mounted by the parishes of the Sole Bay Team Ministry: Blythburgh, Reydon, Sotherton, South Cove, Southwold, Uggeshall, Walberswick and Wangford cum Henham.



Uggeshall's display depicted aspects and activities of their small agricultural village with the theme: Rural Getaway.









Blythburgh decorated the font in colours to represent the Trinity both in the spiritual and natural world.  The three animals are the Suffolk Trinity: Suffolk Sheep, Suffolk Punch working horse, and Red Poll cattle.












        Suffolk Sheep                 Suffolk Punch                      Red Poll



Reydon represented resting on the seventh day with an image of their Vicar Richard Henderson in his bird-watching hide, especially looking out for the Bittern, a very shy bird!



Southwold's display 'Oh we do like to be beside the seaside' reflected their claim that the town was the only place to be.  Even if the wind was too strong and the sea too rough, there was still tea and ice-cream to enjoy.



South Cove displayed a collection of photographs illustrating the Women's Land Army of 1942-1950, focussing on the WLA Hostel at the Old Rectory, Henstead.  Wangford's boat was part of a display inspired by the coast and fishing.


Tea and cake was a very satisfactory end to a tour of the displays.


May 2010 Blythburgh Parish Annual Meeting

A new look annual parish meeting was held on 19 May.  Parish groups mounted displays to illustrate their work during the year and parishioners enjoyed informal discussions over a glass of wine and light bites.  Everyone present declared the event a great success.

Parish Council Chairman David Tytler announces Thomas Lond-Caulk as Blythburgh's Villager of the Year 2010.

Parish Clerk Jim Boggis with Councillors Rae Leighton (SCC) and Peter Austin (SCDC). On the right Rob Benson recruits for Neighbourhood Watch.

Binny Lewis, Speedwatch Coordinator, discusses traffic with Charles Morris. Ursula Mackley, Binny Lewis and Peter Austin talk about the proposed First Responders group.

July 2009 Blyth Valley Community Radio On The Air

Blyth Valley Community Radio began broadcasting on 105.0 FM on Saturday 4 July.  The station was launched by broadcaster Libby Purves.  From a studio located in a WW2 bunker in the grounds of St Felix School, Reydon, Blyth Valley Radio will serve Southwold, Reydon, and the communities of the Blyth Valley.  A mix of programmes created by and for local people will be broadcast from noon to 6 pm, seven days a week.

The entrance to the studio in the WW2 bunker.  Libby Purves opens the station.

Blythburgh is represented by Alan Mackley and John Allen with their 30-minute history programme 'The Way It Was' at 2pm every Thursday.  Here they are seen in the studio with Bill Jagger the creator and manager of the project.

The station has streamed programmes on the internet since June 2008 and these will continue.  To link to the Blyth Valley Radio website click here.



March 2009 Blythburgh Skeletons Revealed in Time Team Programme

Blythburgh starred in the thirteenth and last programme in Channel 4 Time Team's 2008-9 series, broadcast on 29 March.  It was worth waiting for.  These screen shots, used with the kind permission of Time Team Productions, show some of the Blythburgh characters who appeared on screen, and give some idea of the extent of the medieval priory revealed by Time Team's excavations.  For Channel 4's review of the programme click Time Team Channel 4 review.

Jackie McKinley, osteo-archaeologist, and Time Team's Helen Geake, listen to Susan Haward's description of the skeletons in the shed which gave their title to the programme.

Nick and Susan Haward listen with apparent equanimity to Time Team's Mick Aston and Tony Robinson's prediction that their garden will be 'hit very hard!'