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Ed Sheeran statue planned by council

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By Arthur Aspall, Entertainment Editor

A bronze statue of Ed Sheeran has been commissioned by Suffolk County Council to mark the singer-songwriter’s connections to the county.

The work of art will be produced by students from the University of East Anglia in Ipswich, and is expected to cost local taxpayers £75,000.

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Sheeran, who is today quoted as being worth £45 million in the Sunday Times Rich List, is said to be “delighted and honoured” by the tribute, which should be completed by August.

The life-sized Ed Sheeran statue, featuring the star standing up playing his trademark small guitar, will be placed outside The Steamboat public house in Ipswich, where Sheeran performed when he was first starting out.

ed sheeran statuePride of Suffolk: Ed Sheeran

Resin 12-inch copies of the Ed Sheeran statue will later be made available to the public for £19.99 at Wyevale garden centres, with any profits going to Suffolk Save Our Gingers charity.

A pal of the star, whose family home is in Framlingham, told the Suffolk Gazette: “Ed is incredibly proud of his Suffolk heritage. He’s very humbled that the county wishes to build a statue in his honour.”

The statue will be close to one of Cardinal Wolsey, who was another famous son of Suffolk.

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Shakespeare death is latest 2016 celebrity shock

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Shakespeare death is latest 2016 celebrity shock

By Arthur Aspall, Entertainment Editor

The internet went into meltdown today as William Shakespeare became the latest in a long list of celebrities to die this year.

The nation was devastated by news that Britain’s greatest wordsmith was dead – and everyone rushed to social media to write: “Oh no! Not Will as well. Go away, Grim Reaper – you’re working from the wrong list.”

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Reports of Shakespeare’s death came just days after the passing of rock legend Prince and comedy favourite Victoria Wood. Last month Ronnie Corbett died, while early in 2016 we lost David Bowie, just days after he performed in a Suffolk curry house, Motorhead singer Lemmy and even dear old Terry Wogan.

Add to that film star Alan Rickman, David Gest and magician Paul Daniels, and Britain’s social commentators are in a permanent state of mourning.

william shakespeare deadBard news: Shakespeare is dead

Facebook and Twitter exploded as ordinary people paid their respects to Shakespeare, who wrote best-sellers such as Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It.

Courtney Pace, from Lowestoft, wrote on Facebook: “RIP, Shakespeare. I woz not a fan of your stories at school, but I’m sorry you died. Legend.”

And Trev Gaynor from Ipswich used Photoshop to make a poignant picture of Romeo and Juliet crying. He added: “I can’t believe another has gone. What is it with 2016? Bugger off Grim Reaper.”

And hundreds more paid an emotional vigil outside Shakespeare’s London home, The Globe. They stayed for hours sharing some of his best lines, and laying flowers outside the front door. Some lit candles, while others shed many tears that looked suspiciously put on for the cameras.

Everyone agreed that it was absolutely ridiculous so many famous folk had died already in 2016, and that people should quickly wrap Ronnie Wood in cotton wool to make sure he stays safe.

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Grow your own ITFC garden

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Grow your own ITFC garden

lady garden

With the bedding plant season on the way, this week I have a real treat for you – how to grow your own Ipswich Town Football Club (ITFC). You can gaze at your landscape, set up your deckchair, knock back a few pints, sing some filthy chants and eat all the pies in the comfort of your own garden.

The idea came to me after I downed a couple of large gins and some bottles of Aspall Isabel’s Berry Suffolk Cyder. She was a lady after my own heart, often to be found in her walled garden, caressing her peaches and licking cherries.

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Isabel was a member of the renowned Cobbold brewing family, and in 1897 she married J B Chevallier of Aspall Cyder fame. Between them they left a heritage enjoyed by hen and stag parties the world over.

What is not so well known is that Isabel was also an Ipswich Town supporter and spent many hours trying to design a garden in their famous blue and white colours.

This week I finished the task for her.

Bedding is one of those skills I am an expert at. I love it when the frosts are gone and I can get out in the garden with a good solid dibber in my hand. In and out I poke it with gay abandon.

Then I drop in the seeds or seedlings or ready grown plants from the royal plant suppliers B & Q.

I am also a brilliant landscaper, as my photo shows.

itfc-gardenBlue army: Ipswich floral heaven

I taught for many years at the Gardeners’ International Training School (GITS) where I tutored Alan Titmarsh and Monty Don but they clearly didn’t have any natural abilities and could never match my expertise.

To achieve my ITFC look, you need to swirl a mixture of the following: Blue plant, white plant, blue plant, white plant, blue plant, white plant. Follow that with another taller row of blue plant, white plant, blue plant, white plant, blue plant, white plant. In the hanging baskets pop a blue plant, white plant, blue plant and white plant.

Add a blue-and-white-striped deckchair and a blue-and-white plant pot, a bottle of Blue Nun (£4.50 from ASDA) and a white bread sandwich to fulfil your Ipswich Town dreams.

But beware of weeds getting into a formation and destroying all your hard work. The most common is that in my picture below, the Dandelion (Carrowmum Religatis) which, with its canary yellow and green presence will spoil your display. It needs to be pulled out and slung on the bonfire.

yello-green-flowerSickly weeds: Get rid of these invasive yellow and green nasties

You may want some terracing in your garden and perhaps floodlights for a bit of late night action in the penalty area.

Among the plants I would recommend are blue and white lobelia, alliums, Alfius Ramsium, Bobbium Robsonius and Michaelmas McCarthinum. They need a great deal of support to stop them wilting before the season ends.

Marcusinius Evansias is an elusive plant which thrives in rich conditions but you probably can’t afford it.

My Ipswich Town garden is in a league of its own and I have no objections to you copying the plan. You may want to top off the sophistication, as I have, with the Tractor Boys sculptured gnome, which is on offer from Country Living Magazine for £9.99 or a special offer including a crate of Adnams, through the Suffolk Gazette for £500 with free delivery anywhere except Norwich.

ipswich-garden-gnomeTractor Boy: this little chap will watch over your ITFC garden

Jobs that need doing this week

Plant your chitted potatoes, stick your parsnips in and give Heather a good seeing to.

You may want to start thinking about raised beds to save you having to bend over too far when sticking your widger in.

Answers to your problems

Do remember to share my column with your gardening friends so that they can get the upmost pleasure while they get down and dirty. I can help with all sorts of issues once you go through the back door.

* Mr K B from Little London: You need to be careful or you could do some nasty damage to your half-hardy annual. Gently grasp with both hands before taking it out.

* Russell C: I’m sorry you can’t increase the size of your shallots. Write to me at the Suffolk Gazette and I will send you my intimate advice leaflet in a plain brown envelope.

* Anne from Badley: No wonder you embarrassed yourself in the front garden. I think your boyfriend probably said “bone meal” not “boner meal”.

That’s it for now. Have a great week!

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Queen given Framlingham Castle for 90th birthday

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Queen given Framlingham Castle for 90th birthday

EXCLUSIVE
By Jane Seymour, Royal Correspondent

Framlingham Castle in Suffolk is being given to the Queen by the nation as a new country weekend retreat to mark her 90th birthday.

Her Majesty is said to be delighted with her new second home because Windsor Castle is far too big and expensive to upkeep.

Windsor will now be used more by Prince Charles and his sons, William and Harry, allowing the Queen to enjoy a lower profile in the Suffolk countryside.

In a curious twist, one of her new neighbours will be pop star Ed Sheeran, whose family live close to the quaint Suffolk town.

Framlingham Castle was chosen because of its highly-fortified walls. Originally a Norman castle, it was built in 1148 but destroyed by Henry II 30 years later. It was rebuilt by Roger Bigod, the Earl of Norfolk, but locals do not hold his title against him.

framlingham-castleQueen of the castle: Framlingham is Her Majesty’s new country home
The living accommodation within the castle walls will be modified in preparation for the Queen’s arrival, and locals will have to get used to seeing her guards, in their famous red tunics and bearskin hats, parading outside.

Framlingham Castle

Locals were excited about the news. Maurice Piper, who owns a nearby potato farm, said: “This is a very proud day for Framlingham. We are all looking forward to Her Majesty enjoying weekends in the area, although some might be a little disappointed that the castle will now be closed to the public when she is home.”

A royal insider told the Suffolk Gazette: “The Queen enjoys her weekends away, especially now she is getting a little older. She intends to split her time away from London between Framlingham and Sandringham in Norfolk, which will allow Prince Charles and the rest of the family to spend more time at Windsor.”

The cost of modifications at Framlingham is being put at £17 million and will be paid for by adding a small tax on the purchase of second homes by Londoners snapping up Suffolk properties at the expense of cash-strapped locals.

Prince William flies into Suffolk Mountain Rescue row

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Prince William flies into Suffolk Mountain Rescue row

By Suffolk Gazette Staff

Prince William faced criticism today after agreeing to join the Suffolk Mountain Rescue Service as its first helicopter pilot.

The rescue unit, which is based near Stowmarket, already receives millions of pounds of public money each year, and has so far had no need for an expensive helicopter.

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But now more cash is being made available to buy a chopper so William can claim to have a role.

He has recently been accused of being a part-timer at the East Anglian Air Ambulance, doing only a few shifts a month as he splits his flying role with Royal engagements.

Yet critics point out Prince William has hardly done any Royal engagements either – although he has found time to stay at home with his family, enjoy holidays, and is currently touring India.

Suffolk Mountain RescuePrince William: faces avalanche of criticism

One furious fund-raiser said: “The Suffolk Mountain Rescue Service is hardly ever called upon. It gets a fortune in public funding, yet it’s rare for someone to get stuck up a hill near Lavenham.

“Even the county’s highest point, Great Wood Hill near Newmarket, which is 446 feet high, does not see many deaths, so what is the point in buying a helicopter? It’s not as though The Alps are just west of Ipswich.

“It’s obvious this is just a way for William to have a job but not have to actually do anything at all.”

The East Anglian Air Ambulance, which provides an excellent service throughout the region, was unaware that its Royal pilot would be switching to the Suffolk Mountain Rescue Service.

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An insider said: “Mountains are dangerous places and we suppose this will make walking or cycling in Suffolk just that little bit safer.”

Accounts show the Suffolk Mountain Rescue Service received £14 million in public funding in 2015. A spokesman said: “We can confirm we are getting a further £4 million this year to buy a helicopter.”

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The gift that made my eyes water

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The gift that made my eyes water

lady garden

My husband gave me a lovely pink surprise behind the shed this week. I’d been dropping hints about wanting one for months and it exceeded all my expectations as he revealed it as my early birthday present.

It was larger than I thought it would be and I couldn’t work out how he had kept it hidden from view. The moment I saw it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the sturdy thing.

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He had to be helped by a delivery man to get it in position in my lady garden and I never even saw it coming.

I squealed with delight when I saw the new capacious wheelbarrow.

My old one was rather battered. After a few Aspall ciders and a couple of vodka chasers I found it very wobbly on the way to the allotment and the wheel would be veering all over the place, sending me arse over tit into the bramble hedge on more than one occasion.

But the new one has two wheels and higher handles so I don’t have to bend so low. It is a sort of garden Zimmer frame which helps to keep me on the right path.

pink wheelbarrowWheelie good: cushions, Pimms, Prosecco – and you may need a leek

If you are new to gardening, you may be wondering why one needs a wheelbarrow. It is simply easier when it comes to lugging bags of compost and heavy pots to the end of the garden, especially if you have a very long one.

In my case, the allotment where my sister and I grow our veg and flowers, is a few hundred yards along the lane. How tired we would be if we had to carry the cushions for our fold-up chairs and all our bottles of essential Prosecco.

My new pink Barbie barrow has plenty of room to put all our tools, bottles of beer and sandwiches. And there’s still space for a few packets of crisps and a couple of boxes of Thorntons.

Tips

Anyway, two quick tips while I remember:

Firstly, don’t forget to get your brassicas out soon and mulch your azaleas, and keep an eye on any fungus that may have taken a grip on your privets.

Secondly, do remember to shred that EU propaganda leaflet that came this week and chuck it on the compost. The hot air will help decompose your Lidl veg peelings.

It is very gratifying to receive all your responses to my column. It’s surprising how ordinary garden writers fail to address basic problems. For instance, they will tell you to put bits of broken clay flower pot in the bottom of a clay flower pot to stop plant roots sitting in a little wet patch.

But what if you don’t have a broken pot? They don’t tell you!

But I will! You simply smash a pot on the patio and put those bits in another flower pot and then break another one on and on until you have all your little gaps filled.

At this point, in the interests of open journalism, I should perhaps declare that I own shares in a flower-pot making company, which is operated by a bank in Panama.

broken-flower-potGone to pot: breaking up is not hard to do

People often ask me if I talk to my plants, a procedure made famous by Prince Charles when he was a young gardener. The answer is: “Yes, I do.”

My neighbours often hear me shouting: “Die you sodding thistle!,” or “Grow, you little fecker!”

In fact, I talk to my plants more than I do to my husband.

And now for the answers to your problems.

* Mr MF from Woolpit: Yes, you should be worried. It should be much bigger than you describe. I would recommend tipping a bag of Growmore over it.

* Amy from Ipswich: A nice little courgette would probably fill that gap. They thrive in fertile, moisture-retentive conditions.

* Ian S from Lavenham: You could give your boyfriend a gift voucher, available from all good garden centres. Or he might appreciate it if you gave him a good hand fork.

Have a good week, and I’ll be back with my tips next week

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Relive THAT Bryan Gunn air kick, 20 years on

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Relive THAT Bryan Gunn air kick, 20 years on

By Manik Bin Mann, Football Correspondent

The Suffolk Gazette today celebrates 20 years to the day since Norwich City goalkeeper Bryan Gunn made the biggest derby cock-up ever against Ipswich Town.

No one will ever forget his famous air kick from a tame back pass, which gifted Ipswich a late 2-1 victory against the cocky Canaries from Norfolk.

So why not join us by reliving the moment. If you hit refresh, you can watch over and over again. And again…

The Suffolk Gazette tried to contact Gunn for a comment, but he was too embarrassed to come to the phone.

The Queen enjoys secret hen night in Ipswich

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The Queen enjoys secret hen night in Ipswich

WORLD EXCLUSIVE
By The Editor

Her Majesty the Queen secretly joined a hen party in Ipswich, visiting several town pubs and even experiencing the joys of a late-night kebab, the Suffolk Gazette can reveal.

She partied with excited revellers last Saturday night, dressing down to fit in with the rest of the group, and at one point wore joke Playboy bunny ears on her head.

Only the most eagle-eyed of drinkers may have noticed her security team following discreetly behind as the group moved from pub to pub.

the queenRoyal rave: Her Majesty enjoyed a lively night out in Ipswich
The Queen, who is 90 next week, was attending because the grand-daughter of her great friend, Lady Felsham, is getting married next week. Her Majesty is unable to attend the wedding owing to other Royal duties, so made the decision to join the hen night instead.

A close friend of the Felsham family told us: “The Queen is Emily Feslham’s godmother, and she so much wanted to join the wedding celebrations. She has a tremendous sense of mischief at times, and really liked the idea of going on a hen night. She’d never been on one before and was keen to see what they were all about.”

The Queen in Ipswich

The friend, who asked not to be named, said the hen party started at The Greyhound pub in Henley Road before moving towards town and stopping off at Wetherspoons’ The Cricketers pub. From there it staggered to the Robert Ransome and then the Irish pub, McGinty’s, which would have been diplomatically challenging just a few years ago.

More town centre bars followed, and Her Majesty enjoyed several glasses of sherry before tasting a pint of Adnams, the local beer, and a Rekorderlig fruit cider, which she found “immensely refreshing”.

ipswich-at-nightBright lights: The Queen was impressed with the vibrant Ipswich nightlife

But the mot surprising event came at the end of the evening, when she joined the nine other party-goers for a traditional late-night snack – a doner kebab.

“Nobody recognised her in the queue. You would not really expect the Queen to be having a kebab, after all. She had a small doner and asked for a dash of chilli sauce.

“The rest of the group was then due to go clubbing, but it was 11.30pm by this stage, and at her age the Queen had become quite tired, and probably quite emotional.

“She was taken away in a black Range Rover.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “We can confirm that Her Majesty was on a private engagement in Suffolk last Saturday.”

Did you see the Queen out and about in Ipswich last Saturday? Send us your photos to the usual address.

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