A picturesque village in East Suffolk
Please see the following pages for useful information and local news.
Are you, or someone you know, worried about the increasing cost of living? We
County Council elections will take place on Thursday 7th May. Due to planned local government reorganisation, with Suffolk moving to a unitary authority structure, those elected are likely to only serve a two-year term.
The last Parish Council meeting in this financial year will now be on Tuesday 10th March. All residents are welcome to attend and ask questions during the public forum.
We would like to remind all residents who have received a Community Emergency Plan survey to please complete and return it as soon as possible. The survey was at the back of the Parish Council newsletter which was recently delivered to houses across the village. The response rate so far has been very low, and without sufficient information from households we are unable to develop an effective plan that reflects the needs and resources of our community.
Read more on Reminder: Please Return Your Community Emergency Plan Surveys
We have recently heard that the mayoral elections planned for May 2026 have been postponed until 2028. We do not yet know what will happen with the County Council elections which were also due in 2026.
You may have heard the terms “devolution” and “local government reorganisation” mentioned recently. Suffolk is currently undergoing big changes, with proposals to give more decision-making powers and funding to councils at a local level. The aim is to bring services closer to communities, making them more responsive and effective.
Read more on What is happening with devolution & local government reorganisation?
As many residents will be aware the lead covering the roof of the nave of St Mary the Virgin, Parham was stolen approximately 10 years ago. The temporary roof felt covering installed at that time has come to the end of it’s useful life and the building is suffering water ingress which, if not dealt with will cause rot in the roof cladding and timbers, damage to the furnishings below and create a damp problem inside the building.
A small group of fund raisers has been gathered together to raise enough money to cover the roof in a stainless steel material to secure the building for many generations to come. This building is a valuable asset to this village. It is Grade I listed, and has stood here since the 12th century. It has seen baptisms, marriages, burials and celebrated so many Christmas days, and Easter Sundays and many more services. You may not be a church goer but you might very well place a value on the building and want to see your descendants able to use the building.
Along with the roof there are some repairs required to the lead flashings and some of the masonry of the parapet. Fortunately the thieves were disturbed before they could remove the lead from the chancel roof so only a few minor repairs are required there. The leaks of the porch/vestry roof are also to be addressed.
The estimate for the work is close to £100k and we have been fund raising to get this money together so that builders who are quoting for the job can be given the go ahead to commence work. We have successfully approached many charities who make donations for this kind of work and have held some fundraising events. So far we have raised just shy of £30k. Whilst we have other applications to make to other charities we do need contributions from local people as many grants are made on a fund matching basis.
If any residents feel that they can make a donation or have ideas on how to raise more money we would be interested to hear from them. We are especially keen to find other residents who might like to either arrange fund raising events or join us with things we have in the pipeline.
If anyone wants to make a donation they can make a BACS payment to our Barclays account number 90687650 Sorting code 20-98-07 account name Parham Parochial Church Council. Any volunteers to get involved can contact Michael Block via email outlining what they would like to do. Michael@sibtonpark.com
Please have a look in your personal coffers for any funds overlooked and think about giving some financial help to this very worthy cause. Some of you might even like to break with your habits and come to a service, and meet Ann Kember the new dynamic user friendly vicar.
