Work has officially started at RAF Lakenheath to construct facilities for the new F-35 fighter jets due to be stationed there.
RAF Lakenheath which confusingly is USAF will become home to F-35s alongside the existing F15s.
The only operational F-35s (in Europe) belong to the RAF and are flying from RAF Marham.
See the news story on The Construction Index for more details of the project.
Lisa was present at the groundbreaking.
Rotary Club of Brandon and District Family Fun Day and Pop Up Golf
This will take place on Sunday, 30th June from 10.00 am on the Village Green. It is to raise funds for St Nicholas Hospice Care.
There will be a barbecue, Fun Golf, Welly Wanging, Bouncy Castle, Paint Ball and Face Painting.
Toilets and bar in the village hall.
I recently came across an extract from the Cambridge Antiquarian Society proceedings from 1909 which was for sale on Ebay.
It talked about a hoard of metal found in Santon Downham.
A bit of research led me to their archives where I found a digital copy of the proceedings.
The hoard was found in 1897 but did not seem to be of much interest until this discussion in 1908.
It’s amazing what you might find in your garden!
Roadworks are starting on the A11 at Fiveways roundabout on Monday the 10th of September
From the looks of it they are installing traffic lights.
There will be closures and diversions
Northbound – Thursday 20 September for 10 weeknights and Monday 29 October for 5 weeknights
Southbound – Monday 22 October for 5 weeknights:
Total Closure – Friday 9 November for 1 night:
Details of the closures can be found here
Details of the scheme can be found here
You’ll have read in the news that there’s being a clamp down on drivers who fail the roadside eyesight test and that you can loose your license instantly.
The drivers of two minis V3 JAR and MD55 MYH are obviously in need of glasses as they couldn’t see the No Parking sign at a distance of 3m.
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Santon Downham has once again scooped hottest place in the country on what is now the hottest day of the year so far.
33.3C (~ 92F in old money)
The Met Office was also aware how hot it was here at bedtime – it tweeted: “Struggling to sleep? At 11pm it’s still 24.3 °C at Santon Downham in Suffolk #HeatwaveUK”
We also featured on Look East the following evenning where there was a section on why SD is so hot (and Cold) and where the weatherstation is. See Weather Records for details
It’s expected to get hotter this week though so hold onto your ice lollies.
Screen dump Metro news/The Met Office
With the demise of the Santon Downham News there is nolonger a regular publication that is available to all of the Village (apart from this website – but of course not everyone has access to the web!).
We’ll continue to publish news (as and when we have some) but are always on the lookout for new stories.
If you’re a budding journalist/mountain biker and fancy writing a piece on the state of the forest trails, or a blogger who’d like to record the wildlife seen in the area please let us know and we’ll do our best to accomodate you.
Santon Downham has a lot of history and from time to time people get in touch asking about specifics. If you’re a history buff and have photos/info on Santon Downham’s past and would like to contribute to the site please get in touch.
If we gather enough of interest to everyone it may be possible to produce a newsletter on an add hoc basis.
We look forward to hearing from you
The last and final newsletter is now available. Newsletter no 34b
With Derek’s departure from the village the final issue of Santon Downham News has been published.
Don’t forget though we’re more than willing to publish news on this website if anyone has anything of interest to write.
Please contact us if you do!!
As part of the Trailing the Hidden Heritage of High Lodge, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, volunteers are investigating the history of the site.
They are seeking photos/memories of the area before it before it became Forestry Commission.
See an article in the Theford and Brandon Times for more details.
High Lodge is of particular interest to Santon Downham as during the First World War the Canadian Army Timber Corps were billetted in Downham Hall and a Timber Railway ran from High Lodge to a sawmill in Santon Downham.
If you have any photographs or memories to share, email highlodgefeedback@forestry.gsi.gov.uk or call 0300 067 4400.
You can also write to Project Manager, High Lodge Heritage Project, Forest District Office, Santon Downham, Brandon, Suffolk IP27 0TJ.
Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident of arson that took place at Santon Downham.
It took place at 3.40am on Tuesday 13 February at Poppyfields Caravan Park on Thetford Road.
A decking area of about three metres square of a mobile caravan was set alight deliberately by an unknown male carrying a plastic builder’s bucket before he fled the scene.
Police are keen to speak to a man in connection with the incident. He is described as white, and wearing light coloured hooded jacket and light coloured trousers and dark coloured boots.
Anyone who believes they know the identity of the man depicted images, or who has any information about this incident, is asked to contact Mildenhall police on 101 quoting reference 37/9278/18, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
