Suffolk Money

The Suffolk Show is a real highlight in our region’s calendar and, in just over one week, the green fields of Trinity Park will once again be alive with the sound of cheering crowds, lowing cattle and live music, amid a cacophony of educational activities and entertainment for the people of Suffolk.

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money Podcast, Colin was delighted to catch up with Phillip Ainsworth (Chief Executive of the Suffolk Agricultural Association) and Tony Pulham (Deputy show director), as they prepare to open the gates and welcome tens of thousands of visitors in what promises to be a particularly unique and special year.

Held at the start of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the 2022 show will be a great opportunity for Suffolk to come together and celebrate the last seven decades of her majesty’s reign. Phillip and Tony tell Colin about all about the planning that has gone into this year’s show and how they’ve used the downtime, during the enforced two-year hiatus, in a positive and productive way to improve the facilities and the experience, to make sure this year’s show is truly inclusive and a fantastic day out for all.

The show’s primary purpose since it first began in 1831, has been to deliver education about food, farming, agriculture, the countryside and the wider environment. It continues to shine a light on our county’s rich rural heritage, celebrating the crucial role our farmers, landowners and rural businesses play in the local economy, whilst offering an enormous variety of family-friendly activities; there really is something for everyone.

To find out more please visit

https://suffolkshow.co.uk

In this weeks’ episode, Colin has a difficult but important conversation with the inspirational Mandy Small, about what a family goes through and what they continue to go through after the tragic loss of a family member to suicide.

Mandy met Chris in Iraq in 2004 when they were both serving in the forces. After they married and their son Jamie was born, Chris’s role in the army saw him continue to be deployed all around the world and Mandy eventually left the air force so that they could be together as a family. They lived happily in Germany for the first four years of Jay’s life, but when Chris was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, everything changed.

It was a horrendous tour and he gradually withdrew communication with the family whilst away serving, and his behaviour changed during his breaks back at home. Only those closest to him saw how much he’d changed and how this was affecting Mandy and Jay. When Chris retired from the forces to have a normal family life, Mandy’s service meant that she had valuable personal insight into the challenges Chris faced, and was determined to help him. However, Chris had begun drinking heavily and when he became abusive towards Mandy, both verbally and then physically too, Mandy was forced to leave. Despite her best efforts to stay in communication with Chris, supporting him and encouraging him to seek help, on 29th November 2015 Chris took his own life.

Jay was just eight and a half years old when he lost his daddy, so of course helping him process his grief was Mandy’s priority. It’s a true inspiration to then learn about how both Mandy and Jay have found ways of finding positives from everything they’ve been through. Mandy now supports other veterans who are reaching crisis, in her work as a Peer Support Worker at the veteran’s mental health charity, Walking with the Wounded. She has also written a book called ‘Living our Lives’, telling the story about how she and Jay rebuilt their lives after they lost Chris and focusing on the positives they’ve taken from this harrowing experience.

The practical way that Jay has dealt with his father’s death is also astounding, as he has become a prolific young fundraiser. At just 10 years old, Jay organised a small fun day, to raise funds for the forces’ charity SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association). He smashed his initial target of £200, raising well over £6,000, which led to him winning a local award as the most ‘Inspirational under 12 year old in Suffolk’. His appearances on local news and radio then went national, as he became a finalist in the Soldiering On awards. At just 11 years old, his video with Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton as part of the SSAFA Big Brew Up campaign then went viral.

Sadly, things took a turn for Jay when he started being bullied for how his dad died. However, Jay once again showed amazing spirit when at a bullying workshop, he told everyone how bullying made him feel and how he sees his dad as a hero.

Jay’s next mission is a fun day that will include a charity football match, pitting a team of military veterans against the official England fans football team in aid of (SSAFA), Scotty’s Little Soldiers and Hidden Warriors

For more information about this event on 22nd May at Woodbridge Town FC

please visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/323139809504299/?ref=share

Please see below for the websites of the charities mentioned throughout this episode and for the link to Mandy’s book:

https://www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

https://www.ssafa.org.uk

https://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3YHBwM3Z9wIVFuvtCh3iiADGEAAYASAAEgIjgvD_BwE

This week’s edition of Suffolk Money Podcast was recorded live at The Apex in Bury St Edmunds, at BBC Radio Suffolk’s Rising Cost of Living Support Fayre. Here, Colin spoke to host of experts, all providing free advice on how to cope in these challenging times and sign-posting additional support.

Presenter Wayne Bavin of BBC Radio Suffolk hosted the event, with producers Vic and Katherine also on hand to talk about the issues affecting our community.

Amongst the many organisations ready to offer help and advice was Peter from Menta, the enterprise agency that provides support for small local businesses. Peter spoke about the challenges many businesses are facing, with rising energy bills and costs of supplies squeezing their margins. To find out more about how Menta can help, please visit https://www.menta.org.uk

Sarah at Still Good Food spoke about the environmental work this charity does; reducing food waste by redistributing surplus food from supermarkets, producers and farmers, to the local community through their shops in Bury St Edmunds and Great Barton. They help people who are struggling with costs, who can buy food that is still good to eat at very low prices. Please visit https://www.stillgoodfood.org to find out more and for shop opening times.

Mike from Anglia Care Trust talked to Colin about how the Trust assists people, whatever their circumstances, by providing high quality advice, guidance and support services. People can self-refer from website https://angliacaretrust.org.uk and also contact the team by telephone on 01473 622888.

Emily from Crem Recruitment explained how her local recruitment agency helps people get back out to work, championing agency work as an excellent temporary option, which can often lead to a more permanent role. They help people put together their CVs and are very happy to chat on the phone – you can call one of their friendly consultants at the Newmarket office on 01638 661789, email [email protected] or visit https://www.cremrecruitment.co.uk for more information.

Sarah from Citizen’s Advice West Suffolk also was keen to talk about helping people save money and increase their income, by looking at benefits, and tips such as keeping a weekly spending diary. For more information visit https://suffolkwestcab.org.uk

Access Community Trust is a local charity based in Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and Neil spoke about how they work with people from all ages and backgrounds. They provide support with career options, food budgeting and wellbeing amongst many other services. More information can be found at https://www.accessct.org 

Gracie and Holly from Save Money Cut Carbon told Colin about their exciting e-commerce business. Their goal to help businesses and customers save money and cut carbon, through sustainable products for both domestic customers and businesses, is truly inspiring. Find out more at https://www.savemoneycutcarbon.com

Fuel efficiency and saving money on heating, energy and lighting was the hot topic when Colin met Molly from West Suffolk Council and Matthew from Suffolk County Council. They explained how the Councils are helping people struggling with their household bills and avoiding the terrible heating / eating conflict, with grants that are available for home owners and landlords whose tenants are on a low incomes or in receipt of qualifying benefits. Residents can register their interest and check if they are eligible for the scheme by calling 03456 037 686 or visiting https://www.warmhomessuffolk.org

This week, Colin speaks to George Pennel, a former recruitment consultant, whose decision to go-it-alone and start a new business was forged on the golf course, during his 2020 furlough.

Looking for a new direction, George realised that cleaning had never been more important and set about creating Vivo Clean. The company was quickly established in January 2021, with his first job being a humble oven clean.

Business quickly snowballed and within months of founding the company, Vivo Clean were hired to work on the set of Amazon Prime’s TV series The Power, when they filmed in Bawdsey last summer.

In this week’s episode, Colin talks to two entrepreneurial sisters, Hannah Huntly and Beth Tchie, about their award-winning speciality coffee shops, in the heart of Ipswich.

Previously an Illustrator and a Property Consultant, Hannah and Beth became inspired by the coffee shop culture in London, and developed a shared desire to open their own speciality coffee shop. Their dream about bringing this experience to Ipswich became a reality when they opened the doors of Applaud Coffee on St Peters Street back in 2013. Here, they joined a community of thriving independent businesses and their reputation quickly grew as they welcomed customers to enjoy their freshly baked cakes and delicious coffee, inside their Grade II listed building, or al fresco in the beautiful courtyard garden.

Going from strength to strength, they soon opened a second site, in the entrance of Crown House in Ipswich’s town centre. It’s wonderful to hear how Hannah and Beth’s hard work and talent have been recognised, as they were awarded the ‘Best coffee shop in Suffolk’ by the EADT Food & Drink Awards, as well as the ‘Favourite Cafe’ in Ipswich’s Favourite Food & Drink Awards as voted by the public.

In our Budget Special for 2022, Colin discusses the key issues of the Spring Update for the Suffolk Money audience. Click here to download your copy of the written summary to accompany this podcast.

This week we have a real treat for you, as Colin talks to two of the most recognisable voices in Suffolk, Rachel Sloane and Tim Holder. They tell us all about The Festival of Suffolk; a whole series of fantastic events and activities happening between May and October 2022.

The Festival is Suffolk’s unique contribution to the national Jubilee celebrations, and aspires to bring communities together and improve local lives for years to come. It’s the biggest thing that Suffolk has ever done and Rachel and Tim tell us about the wonderful and varied plans for this summer. From the 550 mile Torch Relay, passing through 250 different villages and towns, to the Flotilla of more than 100 ships, sailing the length of our coastline, the Festival will celebrate the very essence of Suffolk and everything that makes our county absolutely unique.

Of course, our county has suffered greatly during the pandemic, so as well as celebrating Suffolk, the Festival will also look at addressing some of the challenges we face and strive to find some long-term legacy outcomes. The plan is to bring the whole of Suffolk back to life, bigger and stronger than ever before.

It really is going to be a great summer! To find out more please visit www.festivalofsuffolk.org

If you want your meat fresh, locally sourced and from one of Suffolk’s very best Butcher’s, then take a trip to George Debman Family Butchers. This is exactly what Colin did for this week’s episode; so as well as listening to our audio interview, you can also watch the video and get a real taste of what goes on at this exceptional butchers in Cliff Lane in Ipswich.

Not only does Colin talk to George about the history of the Butcher’s and why customers travel from far and wide, but he also spends time with the wonderful Annie, who has progressed from Saturday girl to full-time apprentice.

Like many trades, butchery has diminished over the years and as elected president of the National Craft Butcher’s Association, George is passionate about promoting Butchery as a recognised and rewarding trade for young people.

Have you ever considered turning your hobby into a business? A combination of factors led Sharon Cudworth to do just that, after her photography skills became noticed by Instagram and her followers grew from 700 to 90,000 overnight!

This week Colin talks to Sharon about how her passion for photographing her children and her life, using light and different perspectives, became the driving force behind her new photography business.

Sharon’s work in midwifery gives her a unique perspective and she shares with us some touching stories about how she has captured important moments, providing comfort to families at times of trauma.

In this episode Colin chats with Chris Theobald, who co-owns the Parrot in Aldringham and The DoIphin in Thorpeness; both nestled along the beautiful Suffolk Coast.

Chris tells us a little about the fascinating history of both establishments and, how they’ve adapted to not only survive the last couple of years, but how they’ve become the hub of their communities during that time.

From veg box deliveries and supplying locals with essential ingredients when supermarket shelves were empty, to the launch of the Parrot Puzzler (which has since achieved a substantial global following) and their new takeaway service, both The Parrot and The Dolphin have found innovative ways to evolve and thrive.

Listen to the end to hear Chris’ menu recommendations, and why a particular dish has remained a top seller for over 15 years.