Coping With Lockdown
Felixstowe’s 13 Year Old Chef Spreads Happiness
Hello my name is Yasmin Barratt and I am 13 years old from Felixstowe. I’m really happy to write an article that is published in The Felixstowe Magazine’s “Kids News” category!
I understand that it has been a very hard and tough time at the moment for everyone, and I have been doing my best to help out in the situation. Some things that I have done include:
Creating a page on Facebook called Yasmin’s Cakes and Bakes. This is a page where I post an assortment of recipes with step by step instructions and pictures. It’s has helped a lot of people whilst in lockdown, to follow the baking recipes, and I think the fact that the pictures are included, helps even more, because they can see how it is meant to look before and after every step. This is something that has kept people busy, and giving ideas for activities that will keep the children entertained whilst there is no school. I hope it has benefited not only people from Felixstowe, but from all around the world!
I have also created a group on Facebook called Felixstowe Lockdown Pen Pals. This is a group for people in Felixstowe and the surrounding areas to start writing to each other, and I think that this will make people feel less lonely and the kids more excited because they’ll know they’re going to receive mail. This group is designed for anyone at any age, and I am also planning on getting in touch with the care homes to see if any of the elderly people who live there would like to receive mail from anyone in the group. I am planning on maybe having a “Star Person of the Week” and this will consist of posting a photo of one of the people from the care home and writing some facts and interests. Then if anyone wants to write to them, they can just comment on the post and message me for any questions or concerns.
I am at the moment creating a recipe book full of other families recipes, or recipes that are from peoples home countries. This has made people feel more welcome, because they love the fact that I am interested in other cultures and cuisines. This book will also produce more recipes for Yasmin’s Cakes and Bakes, and people have already been requesting a copy of it, for when it is finished. I am still on the hunt for a lot more recipes, but so far, I have about 6! I am aiming to get at least 30 recipes, if you have any that would be amazing (you can get in touch with me on my Facebook page).
Lastly, I have been making face masks on my sewing machine for my mum who works at the NHS. I have also made some ear protectors for when she has to wear face masks at work, as it just makes life easier for her. On the subject of sewing, I have made my grandma a gardener’s apron and my grandad an artist’s apron. I have tried to cheer as many people up as possible, and make people happier during
lockdown!
Thank you for taking your time to read.
Yasmin
Grandma’s new gardening apron Yasmin’s recipe book 
Felixstowe Pen Pals Facebook group 
Yasmin’s Cakes & Bakes
When we heard about Annette and John, we just fell in love with them and couldn’t wait to share their story with you all. Here’s Annette to tell the tale of how their love story started…
John and I met quite by chance on the Felixstowe prom last year. We both used to walk the prom on our own every day and for several months we would just say hi and pass the time of day as we passed by each other going in opposite directions.
One day towards the end of August, as I joined the prom from the bottom of Bent Hill, John was walking in the same direction. That day, we had our walk together, and found that we had plenty in common and the same sense of humour. At the end of the walk, we arranged to meet up the following day for another walk together, and as they say, the rest is history!
We began spending time together on a daily basis and love very soon blossomed for both of us (although John maintains that for him it was love at first sight!).
By the end of October John had proposed, although by then I think we both knew it was a foregone conclusion.
We had planned to marry on the 28th May at St John’s Church with Reverend Andrew Dotchin officiating, but that was of course prior to Covid19 and the lockdown, and our plans (along with many other people’s plans) had to be put on hold.
However, Reverend Dotchin came up with a lovely idea so that we could still mark the proposed date of the 28th May, by having a socially distanced Betrothal Service. This is an unofficial ceremony in which one makes a promise to marry at a future date. We had a lovely day which could almost be described as a dress rehearsal for the real thing. The ceremony was held in my sister Jo’s garden, and she did us proud with her efforts of decorating the garden in the appropriate colour scheme which was absolutely magical.
Obviously, we have been avidly watching the news for information on when weddings would be allowed to resume after lockdown, and we are very glad to say that we got married officially this morning at St. John’s Church at 11.30am. We were beyond excited! 😍😍
Because of the Betrothal Service which took place in May, we already have a gorgeous collection of photos.
A big thank you for the photos must to to our good friend Fran Comer who did a wonderful job of being the official photographer.
Annette and John
On behalf of us all at The Felixstowe Magazine, HUGE congratulations to Annette and John… your story is adorable and you’re a truly lovely couple! x
It’s been such a pleasure to see so many articles come in from local people doing their part to make a difference. Though lockdown is going through the process of lifting, we’d still like to continue to shine a light on these local gems. This article is by the lovely local lady, Bev Lambert…
During lockdown I have been making various sewing items. I have donated 242 face coverings to people/key workers in my community. I have since been selling these to the wider community. I have been making a number of little bears ‘(as below) which have been donated to many people within my community just to bring a smile on a face. I have also donated some of the below pocket pillows which I make to sell.
My sewing page can be found on Facebook/Twitter & Instagram “Berty Lamb Handmade“. I make various items using my sewing and embroidery machines.
I am also the founder of Over the Rainbow Children’s Charity, a charity to support local children across Suffolk who are living with a life limiting or serious illness, by providing specialist equipment to help day to day living. The charity is run 100% by volunteers. I also made this large key worker hanger and raised £100.00 through a silent auction. I donated the £100.00 to Captain Tom Moore’s JustGiving page. The winner if the auction was Glebe House Residential Home in Hollesley. I have donated various sewn items to Glebe House including some lavender filled hearts which I initialled with each of the residents first names. The staff all received a Ginger Ginger key fobs, including care staff, kitchen staff, maintenance staff etc all key fobs were relevant to the jobs they did within the home.
Thank you to all the key workers, charities and local people out there. We’ve been in this together and it’s be an honour to be part of the positivity.
Bev Lambert
A Family of Litter-Pickers
Scarecrow Festival: 25th July 2020
Local Book Launch: Myth and Mischief in Allenby Park
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