News in Felixstowe

A Suffolk paramedic was among 49 Covid-19 patients discharged from hospital this week, and will be getting a new dog after surviving the illness.

The frontline worker, who has asked not to be identified, has praised colleagues at Ipswich hospital who saved his life.

Plans for a shake-up of a Suffolk council's boundaries, which will see a reduction in the number of elected representatives and more than £100,000 in savings, looks set to be postponed until 2025.

This also means the Felixstowe Costal Division, currently held by Conservative Steve Wiles, will look exactly the same when county council elections are held in May 2021.

Felixstowe Book Festival organisers have reluctantly cancelled this year's event and plan to hold it in June 2021 instead.

More than 40 authors had been booked to take part in the eighth festival, with a 'books by the sea' theme providing the anchor for the event at the Orwell Hotel.

Allergy-free flowers are the best type to take from your garden to a hospital patient. Roses, carnations and chrysanthemums are great because the pollen is inside the flower and not exposed, unlike a lily, and even if the patient is not allergic, other may be. Check the hospital allow flowers.

Today's sunrise over the Felixstowe area: 05:22

The owner of JD Wetherspoon has dismissed rumours that the chain's pubs across the UK could reopen in June, paving the way for a new pub in Felixstowe to be pushed through.

A sixth design has been put forward for East Suffolk council planners to decide on, as Wetherspoon looks to open its first pub in the town.

A fresh injection of government cash to help local authorities, like East Suffolk District Council, to tackle the coronavirus crisis has eased the pressure but council leaders are warning that more support will be needed further down the line.

The Government confirmed its allocations to councils for a second wave of £1.6billion on Tuesday night, with East Suffolk getting almost £2.5m from Suffolk's slice of just over £21.5million.

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Felixstowe's nearest civic tip at Carr Road could soon be reopened if Suffolk council responds to a call by the government's communities secretary Robert Jenrick.

The recycling centre was one of the first services to be shut down by the council in March - and prompted criticism of the authority with residents fearing it would lead to a spate of fly-tipping.

Education leaders in Suffolk have hailed the efforts of parents teaching their children during the coronavirus lockdown, and urged them not to feel guilty if they have struggled.

Many parents in the Felixstowe area have effectively had to juggle becoming home tutors for their children while working from home or caring for loved ones since lockdown began in March.

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Today's sunrise over the Felixstowe area: 05:27