Due to the continuing uncertainties around Covid-19, the committee has reluctantly decided that we cannot re-start our monthly talks until spring (March or April) at the very earliest. However, the better news is that we should be able to return to Wesley Hall which has been fully refurbished to an excellent standard.
You may know that 2020 was the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of the Abbey at Bury St Edmunds and to commemorate this, four lectures entitled From Rise to Ruins have been arranged by the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology & History and the St Edmunds Heritage Partnership. These will be live-streamed and easy to access via St Edmundsbury Cathedral broadcasting and are free of charge. For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/y4wksoue or https://tinyurl.com/y4d2dmoa.
The first lecture was in November, and the next three (all at 2pm) are on January 23, February 27, and March 27. If you missed the first one, it is available on the Cathedral’s Facebook page.
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to broaden your general knowledge, why not try some of the many online talks and courses available. Here are a few you may like to investigate.
- Churches Conservation Trust
Every Thursday at 1pm, the CCT hosts a talk, usually connected with church history. There’s a wide variety of talks – some light-hearted, others more academic – which can be accessed on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ChurchesConservationTrust
The speaker takes questions from the audience at the end of each talk but if you miss the talk, they are also available permanently on YouTube. They are free of charge but donations to CCT are always welcome.
- Suffolk Institute for Archaeology and History
Usually hold a series of monthly talks in Elmswell throughout the winter but they will be on Zoom this year. For further details of how to join the talk, email: chairman@suffolkinstitute.org.uk
- Workers’ Educational Association
The WEA has been providing local courses for many years but they are online via Zoom at present. There are a vast number of courses available, many with a history theme but not exclusively so Some are standalone lectures while others run as a series. They generally cost a few pounds each but some are free of charge. Search for a course at: www.wea.org.uk/courses
Your Covid-19 Experiences
Suffolk Local History Council, our parent body, would like to create “an historical record for future historians” of your Covid-19 experiences. It would be lovely to hear from any of you on this topic or, alternatively, you can submit directly to Sue Michell, the editor of the SLHC newsletter, at newsletter@slhc.org.uk. The deadline is 29 January.
For further information about our history group, please visit www.elmswell-history.org.uk or contact our secretary, Stella Chamberlin on 01359 242601.