Welcome to Wickhambrook
Wickhambrook is one of the parishes of West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council
The annual Autumn Fair was held at the WI hall on Saturday 17th November. There was a good variety of stalls selling cakes, books, American style cookies and jewellery, together with home-made Christmas decorations which members had gathered to make on a previous Saturday morning…
Crisp white tablecloths, scented red candles, an abundance of artistic greenery and tasteful place settings. It can only be the Wickhambrook WI Christmas party! This was held at the WI Hall on Tuesday 11th December and everyone turned up in their party clothes expecting an enjoyable evening…
The theme of November’s meeting of Wickhambrook WI was a suitably spooky one. Graham Higgins gave us a talk on the various ghost stories that abound in West Suffolk. Apparently one of the most haunted places in Suffolk is Denham which appears in the Encyclopaedia of Haunted Places…
Following on from a delightful visit to Lackford Lakes in the Summer, Wickhambrook WI decided to make a repeat trip int he Autumn. Once again we were taken around by Will Cranston, the manager of the site at Lackford…
Table Tennis Taster session and coaching demonstration in MSC – Saturday 17th November 2 – 4pm. If anyone is interested in testing their skills or helping to join and run a set of regular playing sessions in the village Hall…
A joint meeting of Wickhambrook’s Horticultural and Local History Societies on the 19th October was asked to decide! A packed W.I. Hall of members were informed and entertained by the man himself – in contemporary dress, complete with wig. Actually it was Michael Brown, well known speaker and writer on Garden History.
You never know from month to month what to expect from a W.I. meeting and this September’s meeting was a case in point. Entitled “The First Military Surgeon” with speaker Carol Pook, it was an unknown subject to most present but from the very start Carol had us hooked with the true-life story of Dr James Barry, who rose through the ranks of the British army in the mid 1800’s to the rank of Surgeon General…
article submitted by Sonya ThorburnWith the end of the season now upon us we have concentrated our efforts on tidying the grounds ready to re-awaken for the 2019 season which starts in April. There are many plans afoot for the new season and we are in discussion with...
The September meeting always has a ‘back to school’ vibe after our excellent summer outings and it was a very enjoyable evening.
Miriam Stead talked on ‘Tea for the British’ and included many local references in her talk and photographs…
On Wednesday 19th September four members of Wickhambrook WI joined a larger group of West Suffolk WI members on a walk through the Rougham Estate to visit the old Rougham Hall. We all met up initially at Blackthorpe Barn where we were first given a very interesting and detailed history of the house and grounds…
The September meeting always has a ‘back to school’ vibe after our excellent summer outings and it was a very enjoyable evening.
Miriam Stead talked on ‘Tea for the British’ and included many local references in her talk and photographs…
You never know from month to month what to expect from a W.I. meeting and this September’s meeting was a case in point. Entitled “The First Military Surgeon” with speaker Carol Pook, it was an unknown subject to most present but from the very start Carol had us hooked with the true-life story of Dr James Barry, who rose through the ranks of the British army in the mid 1800’s to the rank of Surgeon General…
Photos from Wickhambrook Horticultural Society evening visit to Depden Care Farm, a local smallholding charity…
Personal Safety was the theme of the August meeting with Jeanette Moser sharing her tips and demonstrating techniques to make us Aware, Alert, and Alive! …
Wickhambrook Outdoor Bowls Club has recently received funding from the Parish Council to enable it to support the voluntary maintenance work at the green already undertaken by club members. The club had an extra-ordinary meeting to discuss the use of the funds and a new Chairman and Secretary were elected…
For their July outing, the History Society visited the 100thBomb Group Memorial Museum at Thorpe Abbots near Diss. The very well restored buildings and the display of artifacts such as uniforms, photographs and medals are well worth the trip to this small museum in the middle of fields of grain…
It was a very hot day for our Flower Show this year on Saturday 14th July (one of the many very hot days we have been having this long hot Summer). We had wondered if the number of our entries would be down, not only because of the intensive heat but also the fact that we had had no measurable rain since early May. However, our fears were dispelled on the Wednesday evening prior to the Show when we had more entries than last year and also new people who were entering…
Perhaps you have observed the appearance of yellow boxes adorning the outside walls of village halls, schools, Post Offices, leisure centres or other public buildings over the past few months. One has attached itself to the Memorial Social Centre in Wickhambrook so the ladies of the W.I. decided to investigate this phenomenon further. To this end our guest at the July meeting was Martin Render from The Community Heartbeat Trust who let us in on the wonders of the yellow box…
Those attending the annual 9th Literary lunch hosted by the ladies of the two Wickhambrook W.I. Reading Groups enjoyed a delicious buffet including some yummy home baked desserts in the company of author Rosy Thornton, author of Sandlands from East Suffolk…
The committee had a rest this month and several members organized and presented for the evening. After President for the night Deidre Smith had dealt with any business of the Institute, she along with Joyce Draycott, Angela Cross, Thelma Farrow, Wendy Mansfield, Jackie Merry and Veronica Ditchburn presented The House of Wickhambrook Wacky Designer Fashion Show…
Twelve members and walking group friends spent an afternoon at Lackford Lakes Reserve in the company of Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Will Cranstoun. In February Will gave a talk at the WI meeting so this was a follow-up visit and was thoroughly enjoyed by all…
Sixteen members and friends spent a beautiful day in the Felixstowe area, visiting Landguard Fort , the Nature Reserve and the town…
You can download your free 2018 Flower Show Schedule. The schedule includes your entry sheet which you should complete and hand in on Wednesday 11th July 2018 at the W.I. Hall between 6.30pm and 8.30pm…
Our last meeting in the hall for this year was entitled Country Life in the Time of Gainsborough, Constable and Austen. By showing some well-known paintings and linking them to events in Jane Austen’s novels, Martin Roper gave us a fascinating look at the way art and literature are linked to history…
To mark the centenary of the Armistice, we have been asked by some residents of the village to hold an exhibition of memorabilia on Sunday 11th November 2018 in the WI Hall, which of course is also now 100 years old. It will coincide with the Remembrance Service which is held every year at the War memorial in the Cemetery at 11am. We would like to have memorabilia from anyone who would like to share their family’s stories. Do you have photos? Diaries? Medals? Trench Art?…
Another year enjoyed, another A.G.M. and the return of Dorothy Anderson as Wickhambrook President after thanking and congratulating Hilary Bradfield on her last three successful years at the helm of the Institute…
At the AGM, the present committee was elected to serve for a further year, and we were delighted to have a volunteer to join us. Thank you, John Norton. The Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer reported on a successful year with excellent speakers and outings. Mike Wabe, the Town Crier of Watton was the speaker for the evening…
Hands on evenings are always popular and so it proved when potter Geoffrey Kay came to talk and demonstrate his skill with clay. He willingly admitted that he is addicted to making anything, using a variety of clays from around the world but especially from his own garden.
Some time during 2017 we were contacted in relation to an article that was being written about Wickhambrook and as to whether it would be ok to include some of the wonderful photos from our website that have been donated by Wickhambrook Residents and their families. You may be interested to know that this article has now been published in the April 2018 edition of the Suffolk Norfolk Life…
Wickhambrook WI years ago was rather different to what it is now. Mrs Helen Medcalf remembers when it was held on Wednesday afternoons . Of course, mothers were at home in the daytime, so that made sense…