The New Suffolk Garland Book was launched last Thursday at Stanny House Farm, Iken, kindly hosted by Loulou and Paul Cooke in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen and the Festival of Suffolk.
Inspired and compiled by The Aldeburgh Bookshop, the ultimate anthology consists of the best writing and art, new and old, in celebration of Suffolk.
All profits from the book’s sales will go towards the Festival of Suffolk Legacy Fund, administrated by Suffolk Community Foundation and will be given in grants to charities working to address needs in Suffolk relating to community, health and well-being, opportunity and education, enterprise, environment, and culture and tourism.  A copy of the anthology is also being presented to every secondary school and library in Suffolk.

‘A New Suffolk Garland has been a central project within The Festival of Suffolk from the beginning. The book is a very well timed and beautifully produced anthology of all things Suffolk, but it already become so much more than it. From the very first moment that John and Mary James suggested the idea their passion has embodies the very essence of what The Festival of Suffolk is all about. It was created in a spirit of generosity and partnership, it showcases the work of our finest and every copy that is purchased and enjoyed will make a difference to people in Suffolk. Thank you John and Mary,  your editors and your contributors, what a wonderful book you have all created.’

Tim Holder

Head of Public Affairs, Suffolk Community Foundation

Everything about Suffolk is unexpected. For centuries it has been a much-loved place for writers, artists, musicians, fishermen, farmers …

A New Suffolk Garland gathers the best writing, new and old, from people who love this special county: from a twelfth-century monk to Ed Sheeran, through Gainsborough, Dickens, W.G. Sebald, Ronald Blythe, Robert MacFarlane, Michael Ondaatje and Penelope Fitzgerald to Roger Deakin, Melissa Harrison and Helen Macdonald. The anthology contains specially written new work by Craig Brown, Ralph Fiennes, India Knight, Olivia Laing, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Robin Robertson and Lucy Walker. From the art of hedge-laying to the undiscovered treasures of Suffolk’s churches, from the Suffolk punch stable to Delia Smith’s kitchen table, from swimming with otters in the River Waveney to the golden aureoles of Lakenheath, this new collection encapsulates all that is best about Suffolk.

A New Suffolk Garland represents everything that’s great about this brilliant county and its rich heritage. The icing on the cake is that proceeds from sales go to the Festival of Suffolk Legacy Fund which will provide a fitting and long-term charitable bedrock for the County. It was a pleasure to be at the launch and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into my copy!

Henry Tapp

Private Client Relationship Manager, Suffolk Community Foundation

The book costs £20 and there is also a limited special edition costing £100; the first copy of which was given to HM The Queen.

To purchase a copy, click the link below:

  • There is a whole series of fantastic events and activities happening between May and October 2022. Some of these are unique to the Festival, some are the regular annual treats that we already know and love from around the county, and in our own local communities. The Festival is a celebration of Suffolk during The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee that brings all communities together in joyful celebration and creates a powerful legacy to increase the visibility of our county and improve local lives for many years to come.
  • Our legacy goal is the build a Festival Fund of £5m by 2025, to be given in grants to help charities, community groups and social enterprises working in these six areas: . Opportunity and Education, Health and Well-being, Community. Enterprise, the Environment and Culture and Tourism (These are the Festival themes).