Metfield Stores AGM Friday 30 June 2023 – Save the date!
We’re hoping for a good turnout again this year and look forward to seeing you.
HMG Emergency Alert Testing on Sunday 23 April
At 3pm on Sunday 23 April there will be a national test of the UK Emergency Alerts service. The system is designed to warn people when their lives are in danger.
You do not need to take any action. Simply swipe away the message or click OK on the home screen and continue to use your phone as normal.
As seen in other countries, Emergency Alerts help keep you safe if there is an immediate risk to life by sending an alert direct to your mobile phone.
To find out more about the planned upcoming test visit: gov.uk/alerts
Vacancy for a Company Secretary at Metfield Stores
We’d love to talk to anyone interested in this vacancy (see details below). The current Company Secretary will be around until near the end of June and could help ease you into the role if needs be. It isn’t as complicated as it looks and some of the 2022–23 Companies House returns have already been completed. The successful applicant will work with a friendly Board of Directors who all love being part of the Metfield Stores family.
If you’re an organised individual with some relevant experience or expertise and would like to give something back to your community, or perhaps fancy the idea of volunteering but are not keen to work ‘front of house’, this is an ideal way to contribute to our valuable village amenity.
Please spread the word to all your friends and neighbours – people have often been surprised at the sense of fulfilment that volunteering can bring. And don’t worry, expressing interest in finding out more will not mean you get pressured into doing something you don’t want to!
The Directors at Metfield Stores are seeking a new Company Secretary – could this be you?
We’d love to talk to anyone interested in the vacancy below. The current CS will be around until near the end of June to help ease you into the role if you need any help. It isn’t as complicated as it sounds. You will work with a friendly Board of Directors who all love being part of the Metfield Stores family.
If you’re an organised individual and want to give something back to your community or fancy the idea of volunteering but don’t want to work front of house, this is an ideal way to do something really useful and important.
Please spread the word to all your friends and neighbours – people have often been surprised at the sense of fulfilment that volunteering can bring. And don’t worry, expressing interest in finding out more will not mean you get pressured into doing something you don’t want to!
Vacancy for Company Secretary at Metfield Stores cic
Hedge planting next Saturday at Cemetery, Hunters Lane – Parish Council would appreciate some help
Christingle and Carols in St John’s Meadow – Christmas Eve
An unmissable wine offer!
Cheer yourself up in this wintry weather! Close the curtains, light the fire (or switch on the heating), invite some friends round, knock up something to eat or open a bag of nuts! It’s time to take advantage of our special offer of 10% off when you buy any 6 bottles of wine at Metfield Stores. Too good to miss… too much to drink on your own… it’s the perfect opportunity to share with friends. Enjoy your evening!
Help raise free donations for Metfield Stores
Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising FREE donations for Metfield Stores Co-operative cic with easyfundraising?
There are over 7,000 brands on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com, Amazon Smile and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.
All you need to do is:
- Go to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/metfieldstoresco-operativecic/?utm_campaign=raise-more and join for free.
- Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.
- After you’ve checked out, the brand will make a donation to Metfield Stores at no extra cost to you whatsoever!
There are no catches or hidden charges and Metfield Stores will be especially grateful for your donations. You will be helping to keep your village shop open to serve the community.
MAKE IT EASY – Get the donation reminder for your phone and iPad HERE.
Thank you for your support – and don’t forget that shopping at the Stores is the very best way to support us! Look forward to seeing you very soon.
See what goodies we’ve found for you this week!
Metfield Stores is expanding its range… come and see for yourself. Lots of goodies for Christmas (and any other time, too). Don’t miss out!
Every little helps!
The effects of inflation on energy costs are hitting everyone hard, not least small businesses like Metfield Stores.
While we wait for news as to if and how the government might help small businesses to survive, Sue and the Board Members have already started implementing plans to cut energy consumption and save money and are exploring avenues to increase our revenue. We are grateful to all our regular customers, as well as to those who come in less frequently, for their support. One suggestion has been to ask customers to try and spend a bit more each week, but we are aware that this might be difficult for many – though it must be said that driving to a nearby town can add to your spend quite considerably.
We’d love to hear from you if you have any ideas that might help, so please email us at metfieldstores@gmail.com.
We are also keen to hear whether there are any additional items we could stock if enough people wanted to buy them on a regular basis. Obviously, if only one person wants something once a month, it’s unlikely to work for us because we often have to buy 6 or 12 of everything at a time. But we are open to suggestions and you will, no doubt, be hearing from us further on this quite soon.
We will keep you updated on our progress but we do already have some GOOD NEWS! The Trustees of Harleston Information Plus, our landlords, have kindly agreed to freeze our rent for one year. We are grateful to them for this gesture. But we still need your help, please!
Vacancy Metfield Parish Council
Come to Nut Tree Farm this Friday evening…
The Parish Council invites all residents of Metfield to come and meet the relatives of USAAF Metfield stationed here during WW2 from 7 to 9pm this Friday 19 August. Should be fun! Hope to see you there!
USAAF relatives visiting Metfield 19 August
19 August: You are invited to come and meet the relatives of USAAF staff stationed in Metfield during the war. See poster below for more details. Copies of Christine Brennan’s book METFIELD Tales From a Suffolk Village 1928–2017 (clck HERE to listen to podcast on book launch) will be on sale in the Village Hall 4.30–5.30pm. Only £5 per copy!
Free donations for Metfield Stores
The Board of Directors is planning a party this spring to show our volunteers how much they are appreciated! Being a volunteer over the past two years has been a lonely job – the social side of it has necessarily disappeared. We are aiming to put this right and provide the opportunity for some of them to meet each other for the first time! If you would like to express your appreciation of our volunteers, please consider signing up to easyfundraising.co.uk to help us raise money for this event.
Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising free donations for Metfield Stores Co-operative CIC with easyfundraising?
There are over 4,000 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.
All you need to do is:
- Go to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/metfieldstoresco-operativecic/?utm_campaign=raise-more and join for free.
- Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.
- After you’ve checked out, the retailer will make a donation to Metfield Stores Co-operative CIC at no extra cost to you whatsoever!
There are no catches or hidden charges and Metfield Stores Co-operative CIC will be really grateful for your donations.
Thank you for your support.
Linda Norris
Chair of the Board of Directors
Millennium Wood
Metfield owes a huge debt and grateful thanks to Peter Twiss and Jan Rusted who look after this lovely maturing woodland on the airfield. They’ve been caring for the wood since the Millennium and love being up there. It is a special place. If you haven’t visited yet, anytime’s a good time. Please respect the area – take all rubbish home and pick up and take home all dog mess.
Talking shop…
Spread the word! Metfield Stores is recruiting and training new volunteers. Do come and shop here whenever you can! Volunteering and shopping – the two best ways to support your village shop! No need to get in your car… good place to meet new people… to catch up on village news… stop for a coffee and a slice of cake.
Metfield Stores did us all proud throughout the Covid lockdowns. Now we have a chance to say a big THANK YOU by giving something back!
Metfield Parish Council
Your Parish Council members work hard to do their best for the village and have had a difficult time over the Covid lockdowns with restrictions that meant they couldn’t meet face to face. Zoom meetings are all very well but not everyone is able to do this and it doesn’t always make for a productive meeting. A BIG thank you to them all for overcoming these hurdles, including, of course, Lindsey, the PC Clerk, who keeps things running like clockwork whatever the challenges.
The government guidance is that Parish Councils must meet in person at a geographical location from now on, so we hope they can remain safe while carrying on the good work on our behalf.
The following documents are available to view or download from the Meetings and Minutes page of the website at metfieldsuffolk.com/meetings/.
01_FINAL_Minutes-14to21-Jan-2021
02_FINAL Minutes-8-Mar-2021
03_FINAL_Minutes_Planning_Wakelyns_Farm
04_DRAFT_Minutes_Annual_Parish_Meeting_17_05_2021
05_DRAFT_Minutes_17_05_2021
The dates of the remaining meetings in 2021 are:
Monday 12 July
Monday 13 September
Monday 8 November
Please tell friends and neighbours in Metfield that, as well as visiting the website, they can follow the Blog to receive their own email notification each time a a new Blog is posted. The button to click to add yourself to the list is at the foot of the right-hand margin on each page metfieldsuffolk.com. Apparently, there are quite a few people in the village who don’t know about the website.
Members of the public are always welcome to attend.
Remember when…
NEW! You can listen to the audio file of this blog HERE.
METFIELD Tales from a Suffolk Village 1928–2017
as told by Christine Brennan
Many will remember the publication of local author Christine Brennan’s book at a launch party on Saturday 11 November 2017. It was a memorable evening and well supported. There was standing room only as guests (more than 200 of them) packed into Metfield Village Hall in the early evening and the crowd buzzed with excitement.
Granddaughter Abigail told us a bit about her Nan and how the book came about, highlighting Christine’s passion for preserving Metfield’s history. The books were unveiled with a flourish and a roar of appreciation from the crowd.
Memories and emotions were stirred up, stories swapped, drinks drunk and nibbles nibbled. Queues were formed, books were signed, photos were enjoyed, old friends and neighbours caught up with each other.
Well over 200 books were sold on the night. Feedback was fantastic – people were impressed with the overall quality and the number of photos. It was recognised as a ‘proper’ book, so much more than just a local history or personal memoire. One guest commented as follows:
‘Just a quick note to thank you and all the team for the most fabulous “book launch” party on Saturday evening. I am sure everybody there enjoyed it as much as I did and it served well the object of the evening: the launch of Christine’s METFIELD Tales from a Suffolk Village 1928–2017. It is the most delightful read, both straight through and also for dipping into. The book knocks spots off other village memoires I have read and I am sure Christine appreciates the wealth of talent she surrounded herself with.
Wonderful feedback for Christine.
In case there is anyone left in the village who doesn’t already own a copy or has never seen it, there are still a few on sale at Metfield Stores, but stocks won’t last forever.
A wing and a prayer?
Yes, isn’t this a lovely name for a website! And it describes a stunning glass art installation by Arabella Marshall.
Go to this website www.awingandaprayer.org.uk and it will tell you all about how this beautiful piece of artwork came to be installed on the marshes at Minsmere. There is also a short film about it.
You need only walk for a short while from Eastbridge to reach the ruined chapel, formerly part of Leiston Abbey before it was moved by the monks. Or treat yourself to a longer walk beyond the chapel to the beach or further along to Dunwich. You can also walk from Dunwich Cliff NT, Sizewell Beach or RSPB Visitor Centre. For the whole story, go to the website.
Well worth a visit. Quite uplifting. Quite surprising. A lovely thing to brighten our days now that the sun is shining upon us more often.
METFIELD Tales from a Suffolk Village 1928–2017
Remember Christine’s book? If you haven’t seen it yet or got your own copy, now’s your chance. Metfield Stores is selling them at £4.99. Full of photos and fascinating anecdotes, this book has been a huge success and much praised by readers.
It would make the perfect Christmas present or stocking filler at this amazing price (formerly £10/copy) but stocks will not last forever!
And, since Christine has donated the books to the shop, the proceeds from the sale of every copy you buy from the shop will go to the shop. So, why not buy a copy or two and support your village shop at the same time?
Delicious beetroot slaw
If you’ve grown too many beetroot and run out of things to make with it, here is a simple recipe that will surely please – both the eyes and the tastebuds. And beetroot is so good for you.
It’s basically a coleslaw made with raw beetroot plus any other ingredients you fancy – grated apple, carrot, thinly sliced red cabbage. The recipe I use is roughly as below, quantities are not precise but it keeps quite well in the fridge for a week or more if you find you’ve made a bit too much.
Ingredients
2 or 3 medium uncooked beetroot
1 medium carrot optional
1/8 to 1/4 red cabbage, finely sliced
2 small apples optional
good handful of sunflower seeds
a good sprinkle of cumin seeds, toasted in a dry frying pan
Method
- Using a processor, coarsely grate the beetroot and whatever else you have chosen to put in
- Transfer to a large bowl, add sliced cabbage and mix with two large forks
- Add sunflower seeds and toasted cumin seeds
- Mix thoroughly
Now make the dressing
- sunflower oil
- cider vinegar
- generous shakes of dark soy sauce
- a couple of tablespoons of orange juice
- a few good squirts of runny honey
Quantities of the above are really to personal taste. You need a few good glugs of oil and about 1/3 to 1/2 of that quantity of cider vinegar. The other ingredients you can experiment with. I pour them into a cereal bowl and use a small whisk to mix. The dressing is slightly thick. Taste before pouring onto the slaw and thoroughly mixing in. The slaw looks glossy and colourful and tastes delicious!
Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk
Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk can give advice on problems at work, help people struggling to pay their bills and work out whether people are getting all the financial help they are entitled to.
They are a local charity and their advice is free.
Open
Monday to Thursday 9.30am–3.30pm
Friday 9.30am–12.30pm
You can call them on
01449 676060
or contact them via their website at https://www.midsuffolkcab.org.uk/contact-us/
M E T F I E L D 
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