earlier in Felixstowe

Sad to recall that our last visit to the Felixstowe sea front was for Dave Berry's funeral ... but today the sun managed to shine for the Women's Tour of Britain third stage with much milling about and whistle blowing before hand.  Champions jersies gave us a chance to identify some riders plus FREE coffee from a Costa Coffee serve yourself van.  Sunday's final and fifth stage ends in Bury St Edmunds about 1pm.

Next week the inaugural women's Tour of Britain flirts with near the coast twice.  Stage 3 Felixstowe-Clacton on Friday passes just south of Woodbridge and the final and fifth stage on Sunday passes to the west of Stowmarket to finish in Bury St Edmunds.

 FOUND  Held at Woodbridge police station an iPhone 4, a Nintendo DS and a holdall containing baby books, at Felixstowe police station a lady's bracelet.

The Seckford Foundation has granted £1,500 to the Felixstowe Youth Development Group.

A Happy New Year to you all - and thank you for the amusing Near the Coasts over the year - even though I am a foreigner living in Felixstowe!!  Doreen Savage

Thank you for the kind words Doreen and we rather like Felixstowe and don't consider it foreign at all.

At last night's Suffolk Coastal community awards the Framlingham Flyers beat out Felixstowe hockey club and Woodbridge rugby club for Club of the Year and Leiston police are appealing again about a camera found in Aldeburgh and August containing over a 1,000 family photos including a graduation.

Too late today but continuing tomorrow and Friday Felixstowe and Haven Ports Seafarers' Service (rolls off the tongue doesn't it?) are having a book sale.

Felixstowe Ferry golf club have emulated Thorpeness with their own avian House In The Clouds.

♫Life for rock'n roll stars is not all groupies and substance abuse but Framlingham's finest The Outlaws do have an impressive location to throw tvs from.

A giant tombola for Macmillan cancer today on Felixstowe market, the Matt Wates sextet at Ipswich jazz club tonight and, if you've got a passport and a snooker ball in a sock, stand up Miles Jupp at Haverhill arts centre (misleadingly he's Archie in Balamory as well).

An 89 year old woman has a suspected broken hip after her bag was snatched outside Morrisons Felixstowe yesterday morning.  Encouragingly the female bag snatcher was held by passers by until the police arrived.

Last night Smiler was speaking of this overturned lorry in Felixstowe and now the police are appealing for witnesses.

Wednesday police dog and springer spaniel Paddy returned to visit old friends at the Felixstowe Blue Cross Adoption Centre and highlight the constabulary's support for the centre's Complete the Dream appeal.  The centre takes in and rehomes primarily dogs and cats (who have chalets) but also rabbits, guinea pigs and even hamsters.  On Wednesdays in the tiny surgery a vet is available to the elderly and unfortunate.

Damien Payton isn't so much gamekeeper turned poacher as gamekeeper turned grocer.  His Village Grocer van takes a week to visit villages between Felixstowe and Southwold and then starts again.  Despite the chilling and insistent rain yesterday he was parked up on that corner in Walpole where there used to be a pub and his fruit and veg looked in good shape.

Armed robbery in the Felixstowe Ladbrokes earlier this evening.

What sounds like an unpleasant assault in Felixstowe last night.

This is three fifths of hard/glam rock band Silk and Steel giving a free concert in St Felix Catholic Church Felixstowe last Wednesday.

Bet that made somebody's eyes water!  Police are appealing for witnesses to this HGV colliding with a bridge yesterday near Felixstowe docks.

Of the Victorian massiveness that was Felixstowe railway station just half the platform remains as a station with most of the rest being the co-op (be warned with time limited car parking).  Inside the old station one of the co-op's neighbours crammed into what was the ticket offices is Trevor Lockwood's love child Felixstowe Radio broadcasting seven eleven on fm 107.5 and the net.  The station (radio station that is) has two cramped studios, a reception that can double as a studio and a student digs type notice pointing out that milk does not buy itself.

Trevor is so full of stuff he wants to do he probably comes under strategic arms limitation treaties ... expect Aldeburgh Radio soon ... more pix here.

Today Matthew we will be mostly localising the weather ... as always not as straight forward as it looks ... sorted, Woodbridge done ... Aldeburgh, Felixstowe, Halesworth ... that'll do for now.

A 66 year old man was charged yesterday with the attempted murder of a 73 year old man in Felixstowe.

Scarily four men have been charged with the rape of a 16 year old girl in Felixstowe.

We don't really understand about dance mats but for those who do there's a first off disco for them at the Felixstowe Spa Pavilion tonight.

Felixstowe is appealing against the loss of blue flag status for its beach.

On line station Felixstowe Radio now have an FM license to broadcast to Felixstowe, Walton, the Trimleys and surrounding areas.

It was Art on on the Prom Sunday in Felixstowe, the Felixstowe Chamber of Commerce had helped by giving a £1,000.

Spot the difference?

Tracey Laflin, a property specialist with solicitors Jackaman, Smith and Mulley, became the new secretary of the Felixstowe Chamber of Commerce at the beginning of the month replacing Louise Berrill.

Belinda Gillett has been found safe and well (thanks Smiler).

Belinda Gillett is 32 and was last seen Friday afternoon in Felixstowe, she was due to meet friends on Sunday but did not show up.  There is police concern for her well being.

Yesterday a ladies black leather wallet containing a gold ring with two diamonds and a sapphire, a gold ring with an emerald, a gold wedding band, a pendant watch on a gold chain and a ladies wristwatch with a gold bracelet was lost near Felixstowe.  The whole shebang has been handed in at Felixstowe police station.  Heart warming.

Felixstowe yesterday saw 138 bikers (plus some stragglers) in the cortege and a Spitfire fly past for David Berry's funeral.