Welcome to the Sudbury Talbot Web-site

 

The Talbots form a relatively small but very enthusiastic club who enjoy many aspects of Rotary in the Sudbury area. Firm friendships are forged by working together to raise money for a lot of needy causes and charities locally, nationally and internationally.

In the Sudbury area we are to be seen supporting some local charity events and for a major part of December collecting with members from Sudbury Rotary Club at their Santa's Grotto, a favourite with local children.

We meet on a Monday evening at Newton Green Golf Club for a meal and visiting Rotarians are welcome (need to let us know by the Friday before to arrange catering). We also welcome any local people who are interested in joining or are just curious about Rotary. Please contact our Secretary or talk to any Rotarian you may happen to know to arrange a visit to one of our meetings.

 

Sudbury Christmas Tree Festival attracts 6,000 visitors

The sixth Christmas Tree Festival held at St Peter’s in Sudbury attracted some 6,000 visitors, young and old, from near and far, during its five day season that ended at 5pm on Sunday 6 December.
The busiest day by far was Saturday, when more than 1,100 adults paid £1 each to visit the event and gaze in amazement at the 71 decorated trees that filled St Peter’s with the scent of pine needles and myriad twinkling lights, for the first festival organised by the town’s Sudbury and Sudbury Talbot Rotary Clubs.
Over the five days more than 3,000 adults visited the festival, many of whom were accompanied by several children or grandchildren. Most of the primary and nursery schools in Sudbury and the surrounding villages also made the trip to look at their own trees, or those decorated by other schools, churches and local charities and businesses.
One tree was decorated with Christmas messages from the villagers of Bulmer, while one of the most poignant was that decorated in memory of 11-year-old Connie Denton, who died earlier this year after contracting meningitis.
Friday started very well with two coach parties visiting St Peter’s. One was a group of some 45 friends from Upminster in Essex, who made the festival their first stop on a trip to Suffolk, when they also visited Long Melford and Lavenham. The other was a party from Kent, returning from an overnight in Kings Lynn following a visit to the Christmas Show at Thursford. Without exception, every one of those visitors commented that the festival was “just beautiful, really putting us in the mood for Christmas”. The Upminster party have already said they hope to visit again next year.
Unfortunately it did not finish on such a positive note, as St Peter’s had to be cleared soon after 4.30pm when EDF discovered they’d need to switch off all power following the discovery of an underground cable fault at the nearby Abbey bank. This meant that organisers had to close the church, disappointing a number of visitors, some of whom had travelled especially to Sudbury from Colchester, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich.
Proceeds from the festival have not yet been finalised as there are some expenses to be met, not least the cost of the 71 trees supplied by Paul Williamson of Bradfield Combust, but with some very generous sponsorship from: Travel & Leisure Group Ltd; the East Anglian Daily Times; Jonathan Lambert Jewellers; W.A. Deacon Funeral Services; Sudbury Fortnightly Tea Dancers; DB Security Services; Sworders; A & R Signs and J.L. Chapman & Son, it is expected that a sizeable excess will result. This will enable the two Rotary Clubs to make sizeable donations to their chosen good causes of: St Nicholas Hospice; Sudbury Community First Responders and the Friends of St Peter.
 “We’re very pleased with the response from visitors, those who decorated trees and everyone who helped in any way, especially the many choirs, organists and other musicians, including handbell ringers from St Gregory’s Church, who all contributed so much to the success of the festival,” said joint organisers Rotarians Peter and Valerie Goodchild.
 “Already we have collected more than a dozen extra names of people wishing to exhibit next year, so we’re expanding our mailing list and looking closely at the church layout to see if we can squeeze a few more in for next year’s event, which has been booked from 7 to 12 December 2010.”

In the next 30 days..

08/02/2010  Club Weekly Meeting -  Footballs to Africa: Mr Warnock.  
15/02/2010  Club Weekly Meeting -  Favourite Book Chat Night.  
22/02/2010  Club Weekly Meeting -  No Meeting (joining Sudbury RC dinner 23/2/2010).  
01/03/2010  Club Weekly Meeting -  Business Meeting.  
22/03/2010  Club Weekly Meeting -  Charter Night.