Sudbury’s deputy town clerk bids farewell after 28 years at council

Sudbury’s deputy town clerk – who has given almost three decades of service at the local council – says she has ‘loved every minute of it’, as she departs for pastures new.

Long-serving staff member Jodie Budd bid farewell to Sudbury Town Council on Friday, in order to take on the position of town clerk in nearby Bury St Edmunds.

Since starting as an office administrative assistant, Jodie has served in various roles during her 28-year tenure with the council, including as an adviser at the former Sudbury Advice Centre.

Jodie told SuffolkNews: “I have loved every minute of it. It’s bittersweet, and I’m sad to be going, but the move is a natural progression and a step-up for me.

“Every day is different. I see so many different things, and there’s always a huge variety of stuff going on in the town that’s not always seen by the public. There’s a great team here who work their socks off.

“I will be heartbroken. All my fellow staff, I’ll be gutted to leave them, because I love them all to bits.”

Reflecting on her time in Sudbury, Jodie said she had seen amazing changes at the town council since she began, with staff numbers increasing five-fold, and the establishment of the community wardens.

She highlighted the campaigns to keep Sudbury’s Tourist Information Centre open, and saving one of the town’s fire engines from being axed, as among her proudest moments.

However, she reserved particular mention for the town’s iconic Remembrance tribute in 2018 and 2019, which garnered national attention after the community was invited to hand-craft poppies for an enormous display at St Peter’s – now known as Sudbury Arts Centre.

Jodie explained that, when she originally conceived of the idea, she had targeted around 2,000 poppies – but the final display ended up with more than 10 times that figure.

“That was a really proud moment for me,” she added. “All of the help and support we had from the community was just amazing.”