Ipswich is about to stage its first ever Book Festival. Taking place over three days (from Friday 3rd – Sunday 5th October), this will involve an incredible 43 events across 11 of the town’s top venues.

So for our latest podcast Kevin Burch sat down to chat with Tony Felgate, one of the team behind this event, as it gathers momentum and promises to be the start of something quite special.

Tony is a big fan of Ipswich and its rich history and cultural heritage. He explains why Ipswich needs a book Festival and how this will build upon its already strong cultural base of music and arts. Not only will Ipswich’s first Book Festival celebrate the transformative power of books but also many of our iconic and historic buildings. The beautiful Ancient House sits proudly in their portfolio of locations, as well as St Stephen’s Church, The New Wolsey, Dance East, St Clements Art Centre and many more.

A ‘Book Festival for all’, this an event where everybody and anybody and will be welcome. The team’s vision is to establish the Ipswich Book Festival as a vibrant, inclusive, and imaginative literary event that attracts authors, readers, and book lovers from near and far. The jam-packed programme includes many children and family events, as one of the key aims of the Festival is to leave a legacy and ignite a love of reading.

For more information visit https://www.ipswichbookfestival.com where you can also sign up to their newsletter. You can also follow @IPSWICHBOOKFESTIVAL on Instagram and Facebook

It’s all aboard the Orwell Lady in our latest podcast, as Kevin Burch meets director Emma Lightfoot, and Skipper, Gareth, to find out all about this dedicated family business.

For more than twenty years, this historic vessel has been chugging up and down the River Orwell,  giving day-trippers the chance to savour the beauty of the water and its wildlife.

Appealing to locals and tourists alike, the Orwell Lady’s river trips are enjoyed by people of all ages, and their dogs! Emma and her team are passionate about ‘showing the river to as many people as possible’, doing as many as 12 trips a week in peak season. They offer everything from private parties to afternoon teas and corporate experiences, making good use of the dancefloor for disco nights!

The Orwell Lady is very much part of our local scenery and a vital part of Ipswich’s business community too. Emma talks about how they like to collaborate with other businesses in the town, encouraging tourists to discover the many gems Ipswich has to offer.

So if you’ve not seen the peregrine falcons nesting box under the iconic Orwell Bridge, or enjoyed the scenes of the river bank at sunrise (or sunset for that matter!), why not visit

https://orwelllady.co.uk

In our latest podcast, we discover that, when it comes to brewing, small really is beautiful. Colin Low took a trip behind the scenes at Bruha Brewing to meet the team – Barry and Henry Chevalier Guild and Marc Medland – and learn about their three breweries, cask, keg and nitro stout.

Based on the Suffolk border, right in the heart of barley growing country, Bruha Brewing was started by head brewer Marc, who is known for being one of the most skilled and adept brewers in the region. Marc and the team talk about the technical process of brewing and provide fascinating insights into everything from dry-hopping, through to why “nothing can beat a good cask ale, served in a pub that really knows what it’s doing”.

For more information, visit https://bruhabrewing.co.uk

As a crime that affects both individuals and businesses alike, we all need to be vigilant when it comes to cybercrime. So in our latest episode, Colin Low chats to Gemma Theobald, Cyber Security Advisor for Norfolk & Suffolk Police, about her role in trying to prevent it from happening and the many ways we can all reduce the risk.

With around 99% of crime involving some kind of digital element, Gemma explains the difference between cybercrime, cyber-enabled crime and cyber-dependent crime. Demystifying terms such as bulk-phishing, spear-phishing and spoofing, Gemma talks about the very real dangers they all pose and how to minimise the risks here.

She has plenty of advice for individuals: from how to manage password security, to using sites such as https://haveibeenpwned.com to see if your email address has been in a data breach and of course, how to use social media more safely. For businesses, Gemma speaks about the need to improve the culture of cyber security and why this is so important.

For more information, visit the National Cyber Security: www.ncsc.gov.uk

The National Cyber Resilience Centre: www.nationalcrcgroup.co.uk

Or you can contact directly Gemma by emailing: [email protected]

What inspires a rock star? In this week’s episode Kevin Burch speaks to author and 1960s icon, Jenny Boyd, who will be bringing her new book to Suffolk next month. Jenny is set to join a fabulous line-up of speakers at the annual Felixstowe Book Festival, and tells Kevin all about how she came to write “Icons Of Rock: In Their Own Words”, following her many interviews with the stars. 

Having been married to Mick Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac) and with George Harrison and Eric Clapton as brothers-in-law, Jenny rubbed shoulders with the biggest names in music in the sixties. A former model, Jenny went on to study psychology and developed a fascination with the creative process behind rock music. Her interviews with rock stars included everyone from Don Henley of the Eagles, to Joni Mitchell, to the Beatles. 

Jenny’s book delves into the world of rock ‘n’ roll, reflecting on her candid conversations with rock legends and exploring song writing, creativity and addiction. 

The Felixstowe Book Festival runs from 25th – 29th June and Jenny will be joining other esteemed authors, such as the Rev Richard Coles and Esther Freud. To find out more please visit the festival website:

https://felixstowebookfestival.co.uk

Nestled along the shores of most British seaside towns, the traditional beach hut provides a time-honoured form of escapism. Though never much bigger than a garden shed, they are highly sought-after and often command high prices. So in this episode, Kevin Burch takes a trip to the coast to find out more about their enduring appeal, by talking to an owner, an expert on seaside culture and an estate agent.

Barbara Grace and Alan Sarfas tell Kevin all about their beloved Felixstowe hut, “Idle Hours”, which they’ve owned for 24 years. As a retired couple, they visit their hut every day and adore everything about it; from the stunning sea view to the sense of community.

Historian and author, Kathryn Ferry (who's written about beach huts, their history and seaside culture) has some fascinating insights about beach huts, including their significance to British heritage.

And finally, Jason Lewis from Felixstowe estate agents, Scott Beckett knows all about why people buy for longevity and how the humble yet homely beach hut appeals to all generations.

So many charities are doing such brilliant work, but almost all, without exception, are struggling finding the money, to not just continue doing what they’re doing, but to grow. One example is the Shelley Centre for Therapeutic Riding, based near Hadleigh, which uses horses to help children and adults who have disabilities.

Kevin Burch has been to meet the team for our latest podcast, including chairman Debs Bennett, Martha (a regular, long-term rider at the centre) and Jan Derbyshire (Hon President).

As Debs explains, this proudly independent charity welcomes about 150 people of all ages through the doors every week. However, even whilst run by volunteers, the centre costs in excess of £80,000 a year to run and, covering these costs is a constant battle.

Lessons are tailored to the ability and needs of each rider and the benefits they receive is nothing less than remarkable. As well as the therapy, they gain new levels of confidence, self-esteem, and independence, which can have profound effects on their physical health as well as mental wellbeing.

If you’d like to find out more about this wonderful charity, please visit www.shelleyrda.com

Emma Waddell is a very different kind of entrepreneur. She firmly prioritises being truly happy above money, and her happiness comes from creating beautiful dolls houses to the very highest standard. In this week’s episode, Kevin Burch visits Emma in her ‘paradise’ workshop, as Emma explains how she left the world of finance to set up her own business, Dolls House Grand Designs.

With over 40 years of experience with dolls houses and miniatures, Emma is recognised as one of the best in her field. She has a magical talent for designing and building dolls houses, before kitting them out with the most intricate furniture and fittings. Each dolls house features craftsmanship to the highest possible level, and Emma explains how her skill sets include everything from carpentry and electrics through to roof-tiling, plumbing and painting and decorating – all on a small scale.

Like all entrepreneurs, Emma has had to work very hard to build her excellent reputation. And in doing so, she’s earned the pleasure of working with big brands such as Jo Malone and Tiffany, making sets and props for their high-calibre adverts.

These houses span all ages and cultures and Emma is passionate about encouraging young people into the trade; with so many skills involved, such as creativity, design and even architecture. 

To find out more, please visit

https://www.dollshousegranddesigns.com

In the first episode of our new series, we look at the work of the dedicated youth charity, Inspire Suffolk, which helps thousands of young people realise their potential every year.

Colin Low chats to Terry Baxter about how Inspire came to be and, his role in leading the team of this independent charity. Starting from a sporting background in 2013, Inspire now works with more than 7,000 young people each year, empowering them to achieve a better future.

For those who have little support, the transition from school or college into adult life can be very challenging. Inspire runs a variety of personal development, wellbeing and employability programmes, designed to help build confidence levels of these 16-25 year olds and give them the skills and support to make positive decisions.

To find out more about this charity and the positive impact it has on young lives and their communities, visit

https://inspirecharityuk.org

Welcome to the first episode of 2025. We’ve now produced over 100 podcasts since we launched Suffolk Money four years ago, all supported by Kingsfleet.

Ahead of a new series starting next month, we look back on some of the memorable moments from 2024, with our sincere thanks to all the guests who joined us last year.