News in Shotley Peninsula

Babergh District Council bins collection for the Shotley peninsula.

Babergh has asked for bins to be out by 6.30am on the day of collection.

Police are appealing for help to locate the owner of various items of medieval re-enactment gear found in Ipswich.

The equipment includes a helmet, tunic and chain-mail and used as part of a battle uniform, seen in displays at places like the Suffolk Food Hall, on the Shotley peninsula.

Holbrook Academy will close away early for its Christmas break, as schools in other parts of the country are today being threatened with legal action if they see pupils home before the end of term.

Headteacher Tom Maltby wrote to parents explaining the school would use an extra personal development (PD) day to enable the academy to close this Thursday, rather than Friday.

A painting by world-renowned artist John Constable depicting a mill at Brantham has sold at auction for a total of £91,000.

Thought to be the most easterly view of Dedham Vale Constable ever sketched, the newly-discovered painting includes the windmill owned by his father Golding Constable.

Did you know?

Today's Peninsula sunrise: 07.57

AN RSPCA inspector has spoken out about keeping snakes as pets after an eight-foot long python was found dead on the foreshore of the river Orwell.

The warning comes as the RSPCA issued Christmas advice to pet owners about the dangers of the festive period to animals.

Did You Know?

Today's Peninsula sunrise: 07:56

DID YOU KNOW?: The first nativity scene didn't appear until 1223. More than a millennium after Jesus' birth, St. Francis of Assisi received permission from Pope Honorious III to stage the first nativity in an Italian cave. Present were an ox and an ass. By the Late Middle Ages, nativity scenes could be seen throughout Europe.

Today's Peninsula sunset: 15:43

An amazing display of Christmas lights on some Shotley homes has set the tone for lifting spirits across the peninsula with their multi-coloured show.

A number of houses in Kingsland and Queensland have been turning heads and wowing young and old with their stunning displays, which are even more incredible than last year.

ON THIS DAY: In 1955 Christopher Cockerell patented his prototype of the hovercraft. He had tested his theories using a hair-dryer and tin cans and found his work to have potential, but the idea took some years to develop, and he was forced to sell personal possessions in order to finance his research. Hovertravel is the only scheduled passenger hovercraft service in Europe and it operates between Southsea, Portsmouth and Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

Today's Peninsula sunset: 15:43