Suffolk Day got off to a flying start in the west of the county as mayors, community leaders and guests met for a special celebration at Sudbury Town Hall.
Sudbury mayor Sue Ayres read out the Suffolk Day proclamation live on BBC Radio Suffolk, which broadcast its breakfast show with Mark Murphy from the town to mark the occasion.
There was also a mini market in St Peter’s Church and the school band and choir of Woodhall Primary School performed outside the town hall in recognition of the day.
A vision for how Sudbury is set to be regenerated over the coming years was also unveiled yesterday at an exhibition in the town hall.
Jan Osborne Sudbury town councillor and Babergh District Council’s deputy leader, said both Suffolk Day and the exhibition was a great success.
“There was lots of positive feedback,” she said. “It’s great to have such a document outling the vision for the town, which has a timeline showing when projects will be delivered.
“Suffolk Day is fantastic, there was a real buzz in Sudbury and it should definitely be held again next year.”
In Bury St Edmunds, one of the highlights of the day was an exclusive walk and talk tour of St Edmundsbury Cathedral by the man responsible for its iconic Millennium Tower.
Horry Parsons, the former project manager for the construction of the Millennium Tower project and the cathedral’s vaulted ceiling, returned to the town’s cathedral to talk about their construction.
Hannah Ratcliffe, visits and communications manager at the cathedral, said: “It was fantastic to welcome back Horry Parsons, former project manager for the building of the cathedral’s Millennium Tower and Vaulted Ceiling.
“Horry led three brilliant walk and talk sessions, giving everyone a chance to learn more about our tower, which has become one of Suffolk and East Anglia’s signature buildings.”
Bury brewer Greene King headed off to Westminster as part of the ‘Suffolk Day in Parliament’ event, which was hosted by the county’s seven MPs.
Visitors to the Bury St Edmunds brewery for the daily tour on Suffolk Day were also treated to a gift of complimentary beer to take away and enjoy at home.
Greg Sage, of Greene King, said: “Suffolk Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the county and successful businesses, large and small, who thrive in Suffolk.
“As a company with a 219-year history in Bury St Edmunds, we were delighted to be involved with the event to showcase our fine Suffolk beers brewed at our Westgate Brewery, including Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale, East Coast IPA, our award winning Heritage range and Strong Suffolk.”
Mark Cordell, chief executive of Our Bury St Edmunds, said: “I think it’s tremendous how so many people from across the county have got together to promote Suffolk and both Archant and Radio Suffolk have been outstanding in that regard.
“The town centre businesses in Bury St Edmunds have supported the day and hope to benefit from the increased number of visitors that the publicity brings.”
At Ickworth House, near Bury, visitors were offered free house entry throughout the day with the opportunity for a full range of free tours, both indoor and outdoor.
Ickworth’s chef James Stockham also baked a special Suffolk Apple Cake and BBC Radio Suffolk’s Lesley Dolphin show was broadcast live from the north lawn.
Tim Watson, general manager at Ickworth, said: “Celebrating all that is special about our home county is something that we’ve been really proud to be a part of.
“Suffolk Day at Ickworth has been about celebrating traditions, from delicious recipes using local produce to taking a look at some of the craftsmanship of the local people who created this place.
“Ickworth’s architecture and gardens were inspired by Italy and the travels of the fourth Earl of Bristol, but it was people right on our doorstep here in Suffolk that brought his vision to life and so it’s been important to us play our part in marking this special day.”
John Nunn opened the Long Melford Heritage Centre, which is normally only open to visitors on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from midday to 4pm yesterday to celebrate the day.
At Newmarket, the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art slashed entrance tickets to £5, with visitors able to discover one of Europe’s largest commercial stud farms.
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