uffolk Owl Sanctuary
and Red Squirrel ColonyS
Stonham Barns
Stonham Aspal, Suffolk
Telephone: 01449 711425
www.owl-help.org.uk
Charity No: 1086565
Visit us in the heart of Suffolk for some of
Britain's Favourite Owls and Birds of Prey
� Flying Displays
� Demonstrations
� Conservation Talks
� Activities for Children
� OPEN DAILY � CAFE
� CRAFT SHOPS
� GARDEN CENTRE
� FREE PARKING
YOUR SUFFOLK OWL
SANCTUARY AND RED
SQUIRREL COLONY
SUMMER SAVER VOUCHER
IS ON PAGE 73
Tourist Information
Stowmarket Tourist Information Centre:
Wilkes Way, tel 01449 676800.
Market Days: Thursdays and Saturdays.
Sudbury Tourist Information Centre: Town
Hall, Market Hill, tel 01787 881320.
Market Days: Thursdays and Saturdays
Websites
For local information visit our website at
www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk or www.visit-
Suffolk.org.uk
The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary at
Stonham Barns is the place to go if
you want to see some of the most
spectacular aerial displays around.
The flying demonstrations are always fascinat-
ing, enjoy the impressive sight of an airborne
Eagle at close quarters, a Peregrine Falcon
stooping at over 100 miles-an-hour, the delicate
hover of a Kestrel and the graceful, silent swoop
FOR a fun and interesting family day out, the
Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket is
well worth a visit. Opened in 1967 in 70 acres of
grounds formerly belonging to the Abbot's Hall
Estate, the museum offers an insight into old
East Anglia.
You can delight in steam engines, get close up
to friendly animals, including Suffolk Punch hors-
es and rare breed cattle, explore restored historic
buildings and discover old East Anglian crafts
and traditional gypsy culture.
There is a nature trail offering almost two miles
of riverside walks, with great places to picnic and
an abundance of wildlife. A bistro offers delicious
food and farmers' markets are held in the food
hall where there is a range of produce sold.
Among the events planned for 2009, the
museum, in association with CAMRA, the
Campaign for Real Ale, kicks off its 13th Beer
Festival on Thursday, June 18. Running through
to the Sunday afternoon of June 21, it is perhaps
the museum's most celebrated annual event.
Visitors will have the chance to sample up to 60
East Anglian real ales and a number of ciders.
The festival takes place in the beautiful setting of
the museum's 14th century Abbots Hall barn.
To find out more about this and other events,
call 01449 612229 or visit
www.eastanglianlife.org.uk
CHURCH Meadow is a small local nature
reserve, lying close to St Mary's Church, Combs.
Once, part of the grounds of a large manor
house, the meadows now support a variety of
wildlife.
The hedgerows are full of small birds in spring,
with whitethroat and yellowhammer commonly
heard. The meadows support many wild flowers,
and recently southern marsh orchids have made
a welcome reappearance.
The pond is being restored and supports many
dragonflies, while grass snakes can sometimes
be seen around its edges.
Visitors are welcome to enter the meadows but
must keep dogs on a lead as there are often
grazing animals present. A small information
board is present on site
Pikes Meadow is an area of mown grassland
alongside the River Rattlesden, close to the cen-
tre of Stowmarket. The area is used by local peo-
ple for informal picnics and games, while young
visitors can make use of the football goals and
basketball area. There are a number of old river-
side willows on site and a variety of other trees
throughout the area.
The annual Duck Race in June always attracts
a large crowd.
IT IS NOW 70 years since the excavation of
the famous buried treasure ship at Sutton
Hoo, near Woodbridge, as war clouds loomed
over Europe in 1939, and the anniversary will
be celebrated with a 1930s Garden Party on
Sunday, May 24.
Re-enactors will be dressed as characters
from the period, and there will be sandwiches,
orange squash and tea.
Small vignette plays will recreate different
aspects of the discovery, and there will be
talks by experts and guided tours of the burial
mounds.
A special exhibition, Anglo-Saxon Feasting,
from mid-March to November 1, will feature
artefacts loaned from the British Museum in
London.
BAYLHAM House Rare Breeds Farm is in the
middle of the beautiful county of Suffolk and is a
small livestock farm breeding farm animals that
were once common, but are now very rare. The
farm also offers self-catering accommodation for
holidaymakers. It reopened on February 13, with
the start of lambing.
At Baylham House Rare Breeds Farm you can
have a wonderful day out with all the family,
spending a day in the country by a lovely river
and a lake.
You can enjoy feeding the friendly animals and
give the children a day to remember.
The farm can provide a light lunch or you can
bring a picnic to eat in beautiful surroundings, or
even indulge yourselves with a Suffolk clotted
cream tea or homemade cakes.
of the Barn Owl.
Open daily from 10am until 5pm, the
Sanctuary houses over 60 owls and other birds
of prey in spacious surroundings, with red squir-
rels, chipmunks and ferrets, an information cen-
tre, picnic areas, and a mini maze available to
visitors.
The Sanctuary is also staging a series of spe-
cial events throughout the year which will add to
the fun, and are running a young falconers
course for 12 to 16-year-olds which runs for six
weeks, but booking is essential. Visit the web-
site at www.owl-help.org.uk for dates and
times of the planned events.
Also at Stonham Barns you will find a selec-
tion of craft and curio shops, a garden centre,
golf and fishing, plus free parking and a
caf�/restaurant -- in fact, all the ingredients for a
great family day out.
Stonham Barns is on the A1120 east of
Stowmarket. For further information, call 01449
711425 or visit the website.
GREAT AERIAL SHOW
Enjoy the gentle pace of life in Stowmarket.
Old East Anglia
Wildlife on meadows
Sutton Hoo party
Rare breeds

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