News & Comment in Brief

A blooming year

Good news that Ipswich will again enter the Anglia in Bloom competition. Ipswich in Bloom will include gardening competitions and events for schools.

Challenging art

The former Ipswich School of Art in High Street will be used by the Museums Service as a gallery opening soon with loans from the Saatchi Collection, which will stimulate discussion.

A better choice of films

We congratulate Ipswich Film Theatre Trust on reviving the Film Theatre at the Corn Exchange, Thursdays-Saturdays. Programme leaflets cover several weeks.

A century older

Our winter lectures are held in the comfortable ambience of Museum Street Methodist Church, the foundation stone of which was laid in June 1860. We celebrate our 50th anniversary: the church can go a hundred years better!

Azeris in Ipswich

Ipswich is well placed to host an Olympic squad. Travelling by train to London you can't help noticing the huge scale of work at Stratford barely an hour away. We hope the Azerbaijan teams will enjoy their planned stay in Ipswich.

56 million years old stones from the Orwell

Our April Newsletter included a photo of the Sarsen Stones as originally arranged by the Society near Stoke Bridge. They were clean then as you could see. Good news that the subsequent neglect and graffiti have been cleaned up recently.

Fame or infamy on TV?

Programmes about the Ipswich Murders on TV brought back painful times despite, it is said, emphasising the positives. 'Ipswich Man' on BBC2 about the analysis of a 13th century North African skeleton found at Greyfriars could be viewed more dispassionately.

A window on the past

The second exhibition in Ipswich Maritime Trust's Museum Window on the Waterfront near The Mill is now installed. It features shipbuilding in Ipswich - an important occupation.

Fourth time lucky?

IBC is keen to try again for city status. Anew city should be named in 2012 to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee. It's one issue which unites the political parties.

A good year for Willis

Increased turnover and profits have been recorded internationally by the Willis Group which employs 1,200 people in Ipswich. This should be good news for the area.

Students' embarras de richesses!

The new 'sixth form college', Suffolk One, will open in September, catering for up to 2,000 students at London Road. They will have more than 40 A Level subjects to choose from!