Sunday 21st June is Suffolk Day and here’s a way to celebrate something, perhaps a little quirky and overlooked, about our county.
Suffolk Day 2020
Picture a Suffolk scene in your mind. It could be a landscape you know well or a building you love or something you overheard in the street. This could be at a favourite time of year or particular time of day.
You’re ready now to write your Suffolk Cando, the local version of a ‘limerick’ or ‘haiku’.
Dunt yew wurry, any ol’one ‘cando’ it.
A Suffolk Cando usually has four lines. It can rhyme here and there, if you want.
One line is usually a question and thas roight nice if you get a bit of Suffolk in, y’know talk proper.

Instructions
The title is the name of the scene and here’s some other things you could include (in any order).
- First thing you notice.
E.g. Early spring / pheasants in the garden - Something you know about the place.
E.g. We’ve had no rain / you should go there sit down sit still - What’s going on in the scene.
E.g. Everything budding /a pheasant that perches high - A question.
E.g. How did it get so green? Is there anywhere more peaceful? - When you’ve got your poem together think about what you might choose to write it on.We’ve had a rummage in the shed and found some unusual objects that in some cases fit the words quite well. The bike saddle was just asking to be transformed into a bird head and I couldn’t resist using the soil on the wheelbarrow as part of the design.On the other hand you could just find a piece of old wood or cardboard and write up your poem in an eye-catching way. You might also find some old cans of household paint that work a treat on most surfaces. Otherwise acrylics, felt tips, marker pens and chalk will do the job.
- Final step … display your poem outside your house or in your window where passers-by can enjoy it on Suffolk Day. Maybe it can go next to an NHS rainbow or on the doorstep or hedge.
PLEASE take a photo and share it with us via the contact details below. You can also share them on Twitter @suffolkday @Suffolk_Artlink and #SuffolkDay