On Display at Horham 11th May 2008

The Hurricane and Lancaster from the Battle of Britain Flight.




Parish Plan News

What do you think is important for the future of the Village?

The Parish Plan Steering Group have set up an open meeting on Saturday 14th June between 4.00pm and 8.00pm at the Village Hall

This is not for the "Great and the Good"

It's for all of us!

Help by putting forward your thoughts

What do you think is important.

Keeping the Village facilities?
Having a bus service?
More Houses?
Traffic Management?
More Street Lighting

This list could go on!

Drop in on the 14th June and tell us

refreshments are laid on, the Open meeting will be very informal

The Parish Plan Steering Group

Alan Smith (Chairman) Michael Knights, Tim Craven, Steve Hickman, Jenny Knight and Dawn Lodge

See also Parish Council Page for more information

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Look at he News and Views page for events that are coming up.

Stop Press Hoxne has a hedgerow survey. Details are also there.

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Hoxne Music Festival

A Great Success

A first musical festival at the pretty North Suffolk village of Hoxne near Diss was hailed as an outstanding success with most concerts virtually sold out over the Bank holiday weekend.

Not only did villagers turn out in large numbers, to support a wide and diverse programme over four days, there were also visitors from as far afield as Scotland, Devon, London, Cambridge and Milton Keynes.

“It was a fantastic and amazing success, and hugely rewarding for the dedicated volunteers who spent many months organising everything” commented Stuart Jarrold, chairman of the Hoxne Music festival committee.

While Bank holiday rain forced the cancellation of many other events locally, the entire schedule of the Hoxne Music festival; went ahead without interruption.

“We had planned an open air free concert on Sunday afternoon on the village playing fields with half a dozen local bands, “added Mr Jarrold. “But when we heard the wet weather forecast we quickly arranged for marquees to be erected instead so that both the bands and spectators could be accommodated in the dry.

“Such is the community spirit in our village of Hoxne that the local primary school, and Alan Garnham of Waveney Trees who has his business based in the village, immediately offered their marquees. A group of villagers hastily erected them in the rain first thing Sunday morning before the bands and visitors arrived.”

The St Edmunds village hall was packed for the opening event, a family Ceilidh with dancing for children and parents on Friday night. During the day on Saturday there were village green performances of maypole dancing – by children and adults – and clog dancing. Gill Alexanders Fairly Large jazz band provided the musical entertainment as well as local young buskers.

Sixties soul star Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band, supported by Denny Newman and the Regulars, attracted a rapturous sell out crowd in the village hall on Saturday evening. And the village church of St Peter and St Paul was almost full for a classical recital of the highest quality by world famous Piers Adams, who performed a rhapsody on a variety of recorders – including two at once – accompanied on harpsichord by Howard Beach.

Musical workshops for youngsters of all ages, from pre school children to teenagers, in the playing field pavilion and village hall rounded off the festival on Monday.

Zimbabwean Chartwell Dutiro taught them how to play African instruments while John Sutton and Janet Koralambe led drumming and vocal sessions.

Funding and grants from organisations including Hoxne Parish Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Single Gateway Arts for All, Adnams Brewery, and M J and J A Easey enabled many of the events to be staged free.

“Our main aims were to bring world class performers to a rural community and raise money for local village organisations and charities. With the generous support of many local advertisers, businesses and local authorities we have I think achieved that “ added Mr Jarrold.

“So many people told us how much fun and pleasure the festival had given them, and particularly the wonderful atmosphere generated and the fine locations in which concerts took place, they would like it to become an annual event. Hopefully given continued support we may be able to do that.”

Dancing on the Village Green on 24th May