Volunteers say a series of events has helped bring an edge-of-Ipswich community back together after the long months of Covid lockdowns.
Nacton Village Community Council has been preparing a number of social events, including the Jubilee picnic, coffee mornings and village walks
Emma Wilson, community council secretary, initiated the coffee mornings because she wanted to be able to meet up with her neighbours at weekends.
She said: “I didn't get to meet people because everything was happening during the week when I'm working. From now on, we’re doing monthly coffee mornings on Saturday where we get all kinds of people attending, from retired residents to younger families.
“A few weeks ago we celebrated one lady’s 90th birthday. That was very nice.”
Coffee mornings are also connected with a book exchange, where residents swap books with other community members.
Saturday breakfasts at the village hall are usually accompanied by music delivered by local artists.
Emma said: “We’ve got a very active community in Nacton. The Women's Institute and the church do quite a lot.
“The community organises an Easter egg hunt for children and all sorts of family games, like running races and quizzes. We also organise a pop-up café in summer.
“Our most popular thing we did just before the first lockdown was a pop-up pub. We are planning another one in September.”
The community also organises village walks for all ages and abilities.
Emma said: “We normally do the walks on Sunday, but we thought in summer we would do one on Friday evening. The idea is that people can stay afterwards if they want to and either bring a picnic or a drink and chat.”
During the Jubilee weekend, the community council organised a picnic at Victoria Field and there were games, royal-themed scarecrows, drinks and free ice cream.
In May, Nacton Parish Council installed a new children's play equipment on Victoria Field, which is a very popular attraction among the youngest village residents.
The parish council has also placed chat benches, where community members can rest after long walks and talk to their neighbours.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here