UPDATED ON TUESDAY, 25th FEBRUARY
—
Our March 4th meeting invites Susie Hammond, a well-known Suffolk artist, to talk to us about her journey as an artist. Her talk, "Life – Art - Therapy", encompasses all that it has meant to become the artist she is today – her love of nature, music and gardening – and will be an inspiration to all of us to do the things we love, with love.
This will be an OPEN meeting, and you can read more about it below.
POSTED ON WEDNESDAY, 12th FEBRUARY
—
Our February meeting yesterday was a double bill and an evening enjoyed by one and all.
Bloodrunners - Phil, Andrew and Tony – accompanied by the impressive Bloodrunners’ motorbike, started off our evening with a presentation about the wonderful voluntary service they provide. The Bloodrunners provide an essential service to our local NHS Hospitals, Air Ambulance Services, Human Donated Milk Banks, hospices, pharmacies and vulnerable patients by transporting urgently needed blood, blood products, patient samples, donated human milk, medicine and medical equipment completely free of charge.
 |
 |
|
SERVSC - Service by Emergency Response Volunteers Suffolk & Cambridge - was launched in May 2011 with Ipswich Hospital closely followed by West Suffolk Hospital. They started delivering to Peterborough City Hospital, Papworth and Hinchingbrooke Hospitals in 2012. In August 2012, they proudly launched the Donor Baby Milk Service. This involves the collection and delivery of donated human milk used to support premature babies in the hospital maternity units of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and, when requested, throughout the UK. In 2019 they were humbled and delighted to be awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, which is the equivalent of an MBE.
SERV - Service of Emergency Response Volunteers is a Charity. The riders and drivers offer all their time and mostly use their own vehicles and fuel free of charge - so why do they need to raise funds? Their costs include training and safety equipment for the volunteers and insurances. They also run a small fleet of vehicles that are used for tasks, fundraising, presentations and talks. The total cost of insuring and maintaining these vehicles, together with costs associated with communication and IT, are approximately £40,000 per year.
This is why G.A.S. will continue to keep up a collection for the Bloodrunners at our meetings in 2025 to add to the £248.50 raised at our November meeting. Please visit their website at https://www.servsc.org.uk/support-us to find out how you can donate.
If that wasn’t enough for one evening, we were then served not only a platter of the most delicious cheeses, chocolates & preserves but a most informative talk from Nico of Earsham Street Deli, based in the Maltings, about the provenance of the delights in front of us. Established in 2007 by Michelle Steele, Earsham Street Deli is the definition of old-fashioned retailing with real values. Everything in their store is individually selected for its taste and provenance. They are constantly sourcing new products they think we might like.
Nico’s knowledge was impressive and his warm and welcoming style was a real encouragement for us all to ask more about the produce, and the deli generally. Everyone wanted a return visit to learn more – and taste more!
In the meantime, why not take a trip to the deli, and feel guided by Nico and his colleagues in choosing a delicious treat?
All images above: © Mark Whitfield
Our March 4th meeting invites Susie Hammond, a well-known Suffolk artist, to talk to us about her journey as an artist. Her talk, "Life – Art - Therapy", encompasses all that it has meant to become the artist she is today – her love of nature, music and gardening – and will be an inspiration to all of us to do the things we love, with love. This will be an OPEN meeting. Susie will be bringing along a selection of her work to talk about – and cards and prints will be available for sale on the evening.
Images: © Susie Hammond
G.A.S. meets monthly at Snape Village Hall at 7.30pm on the first Tuesday of the month.
Membership is £30 a year or £7 a meeting for guests.
Refreshments are an added delight of the meetings.
Jo Roger
GAS Contact : Jacqui Woods jacqmurphy@icloud.com ☏ 07880 602 059
You can also read about some of our past activities here.
As ever, if you object to the inclusion of yourself in any image on this website,
please refer to the guidance on the homepage.
