Long Reads
Lloyds Avenue: Approved, funded...still waiting
Ipswich Borough Council first proposed redeveloping Lloyds Avenue in December 2020. Nearly six years on, and five years after securing funding, it still cannot say when work will begin.
Long Reads
Halo Festival brought a sold-out day to Trinity Park
Thousands of people gathered at Trinity Park on Saturday, 4 July 2026 for the debut Halo Festival, a homegrown event that swapped the usual long drive to a distant field for a day out on Ipswich's own doorstep.
Long Reads
The Tuesday club quietly shaping Ipswich's girls
On a rainy Tuesday evening above a shop on Tower Street, a group of Ipswich girls sit drawing on bunting, sharing pizza and catching up on their half-term. It is an ordinary scene — and, for the people behind Girls, Where You At?, that is rather the point.
Long Reads
A son of Ipswich: Remembering Private Reginald Henry Makeham
The Second World War brought fear and devastation to every corner of the globe, yet in humanity's darkest hour, an entire generation answered the call to serve. Among the brave souls who went off to war but never returned was Ipswich's Private Reginald Henry Makeham.
Long Reads
Could the defence budget raid derail Copdock Interchange improvements?
The government's £15bn defence spending boost is being funded partly by raiding road budgets. Could Suffolk's most congested junction end up paying the price?
Long Reads
Ipswich family's mission to save young lives after losing George, 22
George Lavery had no symptoms, no warning and no known heart condition. His family are on a mission to make sure other young people get the chance he never had.
Long Reads
N°8 Beautique: From the basketball court to the treatment table
Ilona Kocheva's childhood dream was to become a PE teacher specialising in basketball. Thirteen years on, the former player has opened her own massage studio on Ipswich High Street, drawing on a sporting background that shapes every treatment she offers.
Long Reads
'Soon there will be rats running the building': Pipers Court two months on
When Ipswich.co.uk first visited Pipers Court in April, we found black mould, broken tiles, blood-stained lights and "cleaning in progress" signs lining the dirtiest corridors. Two months later, with fly-infested bin liners stacking up inside, frustrated residents tell us little has improved.
Long Reads
Suffolk is taking the Government to court over LGR, but can it win its £500k taxpayer-funded battle?
Suffolk County Council has filed a judicial review claim against the Secretary of State over local government reorganisation. The legal arguments are now known, but the threshold is high, and even a successful outcome may not deliver what the council is seeking. We explain all.
Long Reads
Will Ipswich sink or swim?
Ipswich enters the summer of 2026 with an empty lido it cannot yet fund, an ageing main pool it plans to demolish, and a £38m replacement that its own council will not exist long enough to build. We ask: where will Ipswich swim?
Long Reads
Suffolk's first women's health support hub to open in Ipswich
This month, Women's Health Hope — the Ipswich charity founded by Monica Thomas — announces the launch of Suffolk's first Women's Health Support Hub. A milestone that follows years of campaigning and one woman's determination to turn her own health journey into something that helps others.
Long Reads
Unanswered questions surround Suffolk's LGR legal challenge ahead of extraordinary cabinet meeting
The council appears to be pursuing a judicial review of the Government's local government reorganisation plans, but with a legal deadline that falls before its cabinet meeting on 29 June, residents and councillors still don't know if a claim has been filed, on what grounds, or at what cost.