WHEN the Queen visits Suffolk to distribute the Royal Maundy just before Christmas it will be a proud day for the whole county.By visiting St Edmundsbury cathedral, Her Majesty will get the first opportunity to see the completed building - including the tower - although she will surely have heard about it from Prince Charles, patron of the project.

WHEN the Queen visits Suffolk to distribute the Royal Maundy just before Christmas it will be a proud day for the whole county.

By visiting St Edmundsbury cathedral, Her Majesty will get the first opportunity to see the completed building - including the tower - although she will surely have heard about it from Prince Charles, patron of the project.

A total of 83 men and 83 women from Suffolk will be selected to receive the Royal Maundy, and there is no doubt that those chosen will feel deeply honoured to take part in such an historic ceremony.

The Queen takes ceremonies like the Royal Maundy very seriously and it is wonderful for the country as a whole that she has taken the ceremony out of London to visit cathedrals around Britain.

This will be the first time the ceremony has taken place in Suffolk, but in coming to Bury the Royal Maundy will be taking place in what is now one of Britain's finest cathedrals.

Much of the building might be modern, but it is based on a chapel at one of the most historic church sites in the country - the old abbey of St Edmundsbury.

The whole county will be delighted to welcome her and Prince Philip to our cathedral.

IT is difficult to imagine the devastation that must be felt today by the owners of the houses destroyed by fire in Waldringfield.

These homes were burned to the ground in a fierce blaze which left little but smouldering rubble in its wake as the residents were forced to flee for their lives.

The fire showed the difficulties faced by firefighters having to tackle a fierce blaze in a rural village.

Waldringfield is some distance from any fire station - it is almost equal distance from Ipswich, Felixstowe, and Woodbridge - and there were also problems with ferrying water to tackle the blaze.

It also showed once again the importance of smoke alarms - the occupants of the houses had little time to escape once the fire took hold although mercifully no one sustained any injuries in the inferno.

As the families involve today start to make plans to replace their homes, they know it will take a long time to recover completely from such a devastating blaze but at least they can take comfort from the fact they all escaped safely.

DURING these depressing times it is good to be able to report on an organisation which is pressing ahead with expansion.

Ipswich Sports Club has been part of the town's furniture for more than a century and has continued to attract new members even during times of economic hardship.

Its investment and expansion is a clear vote of confidence in the future and its enterprise deserves to be applauded by everyone in the town.

Sports and fitness have never been such an important subject as concerns grow about the dangers of obesity and inactivity.

Ipswich Sports Club has shown clearly it is prepared to do its part in making us fitter well into the 21st century.