The church was very much the centre of village life. This was
still the case through the ‘60s and ‘70s, according to John
Hasted. He was Vicar 1964-75 and wrote in his book ‘The
Twilight of the Dawn’ (1991) …… ‘the Church had fine
acoustics so was often used for concerts by musical groups in
the area – Halesworth Choral Society, Westleton Singers,
Framlingham College (Faure’s Requiem), Ipswich school band.
Resident Derek Melville gave a Chopin concert on his piano
one year during the Aldeburgh Festival’.
There were several activities for the Church Restoration Fund.
The Vicarage was one of ten Open Gardens one year, raising
several hundred pounds: Magnolia Cottage, ‘a prize garden’,
Derek Melville and his cousin, garden designer Mark Rumery;
Vine Cottage (Old High Road), Commander & Mrs Noel
Baldwin; Minsmere House, the Post Office, Eileen & Jack
English; Hope House, Georgian garden of Mrs Mary
Stephenson.
There was an annual Coffee Morning at the Vicarage (now The
Hollies) with a Bring & Buy Stall & a Grand Draw; at the Village
Hall: Jumble Sales, Discos (organised by Hilda Chatten-Berry).
The Women’s Fellowship (Grace Gray)’s annual dinner &
dance with a draw & a licensed bar; the Young Wives’
Fellowship (Sally Walters) held Clothes Shows.
Richard Shelley, Yoxford Place (Elmsley) was Church Warden
for several years & he and his wife Finola, (daughter of The
Knight of Kerry and Lady Fitzgerald) made the village welcome
for the use of the swimming pool or a coffee morning or an
afternoon bazaar for a local, parish need.
