Dear Ipswich, I hope you are well.
You have always been in my heart, even though I deserted you to spread my wings back in 1991. But I have always been true to you, even when sometimes I fell out of love with you.
But now I can clearly see the beauty you have to offer, and I cannot wait to be reunited with you again after 33 years of absence.
Every summer I return and miss it more and more every year. It’s such a beautiful town, with beautiful buildings and beautiful kind people.
If a man who has lived in one of the most revered cities in the world can see all the glorious beauty of Ipswich, then anybody can.
When I return, I will be working with my old church in Tacket Street to help build communities of people who want to learn how to live stronger and healthier lives. This is my mission and promise to the town I was born, and one I am thoroughly looking forward to.
It really is true what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and my heart is growing ever fonder of you.
Gary Pope
Returning to Ipswich after 33 years.
