Editorial

Well, it looks like summer has arrived in all its glory – blue skies, sun and lots of pollen! My sympathies go to the many hay fever sufferers, but I am told that if you eat local honey (made with local pollen) it can give you an immunity to it – worth a try.

As you will see from the newsletter, there’s a lot going on this summer: the highlight for the village will be our annual BBQ at the Village Hall on 12th August: it provides a wonderful opportunity to meet other villagers and enjoy the food and entertainment. The Red Lion is also hosting a number of events from a Spanish Night to an Hawaiian Beach Party which includes an authentic sandy beach! The Needham and Brockdish Heritage Centre was officially opened by the Bishop of Norwich on Saturday 23rd June and they have a line up of presentations and exhibitions that celebrate the history of our area. I joined one of their walks around the village and was amazed to learn that Needham has some 23 listed buildings – no wonder there has to be a second part to the walk on 8th July to cover the eastern part of the village! I hope that you enjoy reading the remarkable story of the Pope’s intervention in the early 15th century to ensure that the residents of the parish were served by a chaplain.

The Needham Action Group are making excellent progress in creating our village green, although they will be praying for rain over the next few weeks in order to realise their dream.

I’ve also included in the newsletter details of local people who have contributed so much to the village over many years and have fascinating stories to tell.

Any contributions for the next edition of the Link (Sept – Oct) will be welcome and should meet the deadline of Friday 17th August.

Alan Jeffery