Website

Members may recall that the website was set up in 2005 and it has become increasingly popular with up to 600 visits to the site in a month. Of those visiting, over 75% are first time visitors. The most popular article remains Jeremy Hill’s story of the Viaduct at Chappel.

In the spring of 2008 I became aware of a serious problem with our website manager who was failing to carry out the updates that I was, at that time, unable to do from my own computer. After much hassle I managed to get help from a company called Skyblue in Coggeshall, who put last year’s Newsletter onto the website, but it became evident that I needed to find a new website host and manager, so I started to look around and ask for recommendations. I obtained quotes from eight organisations of which I visited five, to get an idea of their set ups. Quotes varied from £850 to over £4,000 and eventually I chose a company called Web-Management based at Claydon, just outside Ipswich. They have been very helpful and the website took on a new look when we switched over and I hope visitors will find it more user-friendly. In theory I should be able to do anything we want but there is a very steep learning curve and I have to seek help from Mike Flowers at Web-Management who is very patient!

During 2009 we want to put onto the website profiles of villages in the CSCA area. Some villages are already promoting themselves with their own websites but others have yet to enter the internet age.

Whilst I could, in theory, write to the Clerk to the Parish Council of all 100 villages in the CSCA area this would be time consuming and would probably not achieve making contact with the right person. Can I therefore ask the membership to let me know 1) Does your village have an internet website? 2) Who should I contact to get a village profile? 3) If you are not aware of there being an internet website, who is the person to contact to prepare a village profile for our website? I need your help!

Membership Application Forms

Application forms can be downloaded from the website or if you want copies of the version “Do you love where you live” please let me know and I will send them/deliver them to you. Mark Dawson 01787 227088