Capel St Mary Parish Council

13/08/2026

The Capel St Mary Parish Council currently has 3 vacancies!

Parish Councillors are local volunteers who represent the views of residents and work to improve the local area. They attend council meetings, raise community concerns, and help make decisions on local services, facilities, planning matters, and community projects.

Parish Councillors work with local authorities and organisations, manage local budgets, and act as a link between residents and decision makers.

You do not need any special qualifications or experience just an interest in your community and a willingness to get involved.

Meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at 19:30hrs in the library, we do not meet in August.

Interested?
📧 Email: [email protected]
📞 Phone: 01473 314103
Or for more information visit the Parish Clerk on Tuesdays 10am to 12noon in the Vine Lounge Coffee Mornings.

10/07/2026

🌺 If you see us out watering the floral display at the shopping precinct during the hosepipe ban, please be assured we are not breaking the rules and are exempt 🌺

‘Under Anglian Water’s Temporary Use Ban, temporary garden or flower displays are exempt from the hosepipe restrictions. That exemption was specifically intended to allow the watering of seasonal public displays such as hanging baskets, tubs and bedding displays.’

10/07/2026

☕ Community Drop-In Session at Fields Farm Shop & Café

Join us on Thursday 10 September, 10am–12 noon at Fields Farm Shop, East Bergholt, for our next Community Drop-In Session.

This session focus is SEND support.

SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). If you're a parent, carer or family member of a child or young person with SEND, come along for a friendly chat, advice and guidance, and the opportunity to meet other local families.

We'll be joined by:
💙 Suffolk SENDIASS – offering free, impartial information, advice and support for families of children and young people with SEND.
https://suffolksendiass.co.uk/

💙 The Maze Group – providing support and activities for children, young people and families.
https://www.themazegroup.co.uk/

No appointment is needed – simply drop in for a coffee, a slice of cake (or a biscuit!) and a relaxed conversation.

Everyone is welcome, whatever your age. Our Community Drop-In Sessions are designed to provide easy access to local support in a friendly village setting.

📍 Fields Farm Shop & Café, East Bergholt
📅 Thursday 10 September
🕙 10am–12 noon

Future sessions:
📅 5 November
📅 14 January 2027
📅 11 March 2027

Each session will feature a different community theme, including health and wellbeing, digital support, scams awareness, winter warmth advice and more.

KINDLY HOSTED BY EAST BERGHOLT PARISH COUNCIL

Supporting families of children with additional needs. A special educational needs & disability (SEND) support group for parenting advice in Essex.

03/07/2026

Thank you to Capel St Mary Primary School PFA for inviting Capel Community Trust and Capel Parish Council to be part of your Summer Fayre. We had a fantastic afternoon and it was lovely to meet so many local children and families.

The winner of the Capelfest family ticket competition will be contacted over the weekend.

The winner of the ‘Name the Bear’ competition will be chosen at the next Parish Council meeting on Monday 13th July and announced at school later that week.

Thank you to everyone who came to visit our stalls and took part in the competitions. We hope to see you all again soon!

19/06/2026

🌸🌼 Capel St Mary Parish Council Floral Display 2026 🌼🌸
This year marks a very special milestone as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Capel St Mary Parish Council Floral Display, and what a display it is! Many would agree that this is our best display yet, bringing a wonderful splash of colour and pride to our village.
A huge thank you goes to the Capel St Mary Allotments Association for creating such a stunning display for everyone to enjoy. Their hard work, dedication, and creativity have truly made this year's floral arrangements something special.
Special thanks must also go to David Gulliver, whose care and commitment have helped keep the displays looking so vibrant and beautifully maintained throughout the recent hot weather.
Of course, these displays would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We are incredibly grateful for their contributions and continued support of this much-loved village tradition.
We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to the following community groups and local businesses whose support has helped make this year's display such a success:

Capel Cheetahs
Capel and Little Wenham Bowls Club
The Orchard Players
Allotment Association
Friends of Capel Library
Capel Community Trust
CDC Dance
SMY IT
Green Grass Landscaping
Capel Daisy Chain
DKB Homes
The Bloomfields
Capel Carpet Bowls
WI
Capel Parish Nurses
St Marys Church
Orwell Housing
East of England Coop
Carman4Seasons
Lawes Ventures Ltd
Capel Community Church
ROMEO
Trading Paynes
Anglia Accommodation
DBPT Transformation Studio
Upstix Residential Lettings
Upstix Residential Sales
Upstix Sales Management
Elecsi - sponsored two displays
Capel Ladies

Thank you to everyone involved in helping make Capel St Mary look so wonderful as we celebrate 40 years of floral displays. 🌺🌿

04/06/2026

🌟 Volunteers' Week 2026 🌟

This Volunteers' Week, Capel St Mary Parish Council would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers, community groups, charities, trustees, committee members, coaches, organisers and residents who give their time to make our village such a wonderful place to live.

From organising events and maintaining community spaces, to supporting local clubs, fundraising, caring for others and helping behind the scenes, your contribution makes a real difference every day.

Many of the things we enjoy as a community simply wouldn't happen without your dedication, enthusiasm and kindness.

Thank you for everything you do for our village.

If you're thinking about volunteering in the village but aren't sure where to start, we'd love to help connect you with local groups and opportunities. Please email [email protected]

Happy Volunteers' Week!

From all at Capel St Mary Parish Council

22/05/2026

INFORMATION FROM CADENT

Drop-in session to be held on the 26th May 9:00-12:00 next to the Community Centre and the Vine Lounge

Cadent are investing in upgrading gas network in the village, replacing ageing metal pipes with more durable plastic pipes. This will increase the resilience of the network and make reactive repairs and disruption less likely in the future.

As part of this programme, they will be replacing parts of the network in and around Thorney Road, Capel St Mary, Ipswich. Starting 26 May 2026 until approximately 13th September 2026.

To minimise disruption to the community, they will be consulting with residents, businesses and stakeholders in the area whilst planning the project in collaboration with Suffolk highways authority officers.

Traffic management: They will be setting up temporary traffic lights on most junctions to manage the flow of traffic in order to ensure safety of the team and the public.
Before work starts:
• Advanced Warning Signage (AWS)
• Bespoke letter detailing the purpose of the works, traffic management, website link and details of the drop-in session
• Drop-in session held on the 26th May 9:00-12:00 next to the Community Centre and the Vine Lounge, for residents and businesses to attend and ask any questions
• Social media posts on Next Door & Facebook
• Letter notification for customers with gas interruptions
• Customer Care Officer visit to customers with gas interruptions
• SMS & Email notification to customers with gas interruptions

During works:
• Site signage with varying messages

After works:
• Customer Care Officer visit to customers with gas interruptions

19/05/2026

🌸 FLORAL DISPLAY 2026 🌸

This year is very special for our village as we celebrate the 40th consecutive year of our beautiful floral displays! 🌺🌼

The flowers only went up on Monday, and even on this miserable day they are already bringing colour, pride, and joy to the village.

We are looking for local clubs and businesses to help support this wonderful community tradition. For just £35, you can sponsor a trough and receive a named plaque displayed alongside the flowers.

It’s a lovely way to support the village while promoting your club or business at the same time.

If you would like to sponsor a trough, please get in touch. Thank you for continuing to help keep our village looking beautiful! 🌿

Email: [email protected]

08/05/2026

Following the Suffolk County Council elections held yesterday we welcome Darius Laws - Conservative member, as our new representative for Capel St Mary.
Reform UK has taken control of Suffolk County Council securing the majority of seats.
Our thanks are given to the outgoing councillor Georgia Hall for all her support over the years and wish her well for the future.

08/05/2026

Residents are now beginning to receive their new bins, this new service does not begin until 1st June 2026.
For more information see link

Find out about the changes to waste and recycling collections starting in June 2026