Latest News…
Community public access defibrillator
We now have two community public access defibrillators that can be used by anyone located at Wickhambrook Fire Station and the Memorial Social Centre (MSC) – you don’t need to have received training in its use as the machine talks you through what you need to do – step by step!
Making Jewellery
The new W.I. Year started off with such creativity and concentration for our members thanks to Sikander Jadd and the jewelry workshop she led for us recently. The objective was a beaded bracelet, made by ourselves from scratch…
Zipwire – Wickhambrook Play Area Improvements
Discussions on a project to provide a Cableway (Zipwire) for the youngsters of Wickhambrook has been ongoing for a couple of years and finally we have made it…
Gallery – W.I.
Take a look at the W.I. photo gallery…
W.I. Christmas Party
It was a lovely way to end the year and get into the Christmas spirit joining together to enjoy a festive evening organized by our hard-working committee. A welcoming drink and beautifully decorated tables, greeted our arrival…
Parish Clerk’s Report for January/February 2018
Wickhambrook Parish Clerk Report for January/February 2018 including Steps Clearance, Parish Councillor Resignation, Remembrance Sunday, Litterpick, ‘Ziphambrook’, Memorial Garden, Recent Planning Applications and agreed dates for Parish Council meetings for 2018…
Thank You – World’s Biggest Coffee Morning 2017
I would like to send a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who attended and so generously supported our 26th annual Coffee Morning recently. The event was part of Macmillan Cancer World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and was a wonderful morning, with over 160 people attending…
Giles and his adopted town, Ipswich
As a child, I well remember looking at cartoons in the newspaper and an annual compilation by Giles. Like most of the audience at History Society in November, I had no idea that he lived in Ipswich and that many of the people and places were familiar to the locals.
Astronomy for Beginners
It was a chilly, dark, evening as we met to discover the wonders of the astronomy BUT unfortunately it was too cloudy above to see anything of the planets or the stars and their constellations!!!
Notice of Vacancy
UPDATE 17 Jan 2018 – this is now closed for Applications. Notice is hereby given that there is a vacancy on Wickhambrook Parish Council. The vacancy has previously been advertised, and no election has been requested. The Council is now able to fill the vacancy by co-option…
Medieval Woollen Cloth Industry in Suffolk
Dr Nick Amor was our October speaker and his subject was the Medieval Woollen Cloth Industry in Suffolk. We already knew the importance of Suffolk in the rearing of sheep and the making of cloth but one of the most interesting pieces of new (to us)information was that in 1483, Richard Broun, a woolman of Wickhambrook was sued in the courts for £40, the equivalent of many thousands today…
Parish Clerk’s Report for November/December 2017
Parish Clerk report for November/December 2017 including Public Access Defibrillators, Telephone Kiosk, VAS Machine Project Success, Zipwire, Hedges, Recent Planning Applications, Dates of Next Meetings and Christmas…
The Trafficking of Women
Our guest this month was Pam Bowen from the Crown Prosecuting Service, based in London, but travelling around the UK, Europe and sometimes beyond in her work investigating and bringing to justice those involved in trafficking of women and modern slavery…
Suffolk’s Most Famous Cavalier
Thomas Blague of Horringer was rightly described by John Sutton , our speaker for September, as Suffolk’s most famous cavalier. He was born at Little Horringer Hall in 1613 and his early life is a mystery. He was probably a mercenary in Europe, as his military skills were evident in his later life…
Soft Power Education
Our guest speaker at our September meeting, filling in at very short notice due to illness was Margaret McAlpine from Bury St Edmunds to give us an insight to her volunteering work with Soft Power Education based in Uganda at the Amagezi Education Centre near Jinja…
History Society Summer Outings
During the summer the History Society went on two excellent outings with fine weather, interesting locations and good company. The first was to Lincoln Cathedral and Castle where we had guided tours by two guides who brought the past to life and spent lots of time chatting, answering questions and generally making us feel very welcome. We also visited Gressenhall Workhouse and Museum of Norfolk Life…
Garden Meeting
Our members meeting for this year took place recently under leaden skies with the threat of rain by invitation of Trustee Joyce Draycott and her husband Philip at their home Ashfield Green Farm. Despite the August evening weather, a very warm welcome awaited all from Joyce and her band of member helpers greeting us on arrival with either an Elderflower or Pimms…
Oil Buying Group
One of the actions requested in the Parish Plan was to set-up an oil buying scheme for Wickhambrook…
Are you finding it difficult to use Public Transport?
Connecting Communities is a new service – bringing the traditional community transport services such as Dial a Ride, Suffolk Links and Community Car service under one new single identity…
Parish Clerk’s Report for September/October 2017
Parish Clerk Report for September/October 2017 including Lay Members of the Parish Council Estates Committee, July LitPic, Youth Football Club, Hedges, VAS Update – speeding in the village, The Hidden Perils of Strimming by Colin Bird, Recent Planning Applications and Dates of Next Meetings…
A Hundon Walk
This route which takes you from Hundon to Poslingford and back is just over five miles and if you wish for a picnic midway there are several seats in Poslingford churchyard. The walk is one of undulating contrasts with one particularly long cross-field path which should be clearly indicated, good views and several short sections of great interest. Enjoy…
The Spy who loved
At the July meeting, Clare Mulley of Saffron Walden, a writer and historian, came to talk to us about her book, ‘The Spy Who Loved’. The subject of the book is Krystyna Skarbek, a Polish countess who changed her name to Christine Granville when she became a British spy during the first World War…
Flower Show 2017
It was a lovely day for our Flower Show on the 8th July. Not too hot, but cloudy and sunny all day. The numbers of entries this year were a little down compared to last year, but we still had entries in nearly all the categories and the hall looked lovely and colourful…
Belly Dancing
At our open meeting in June we had several visitors attracted by the opportunity to see and find out about Belly Dancing from teacher and expert of 13 years Victoria Strudwick of Sudbury…
W.I. Literary Lunch 2017
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…
Carnival Day 2017
On Carnival Day, Saturday 8th July, Oscar and his two attendants will ride in an open top car and lead a Disney themed ‘Walking’ procession, along with the Sawston Youth Group Marching Band, Fire Engine, and classic cars…
Parish Clerk’s Report for July/August 2017
Parish Clerk Report for July/August 2017 including Annual Parish Council Meeting, LitPic, Annual Parish Meeting Report from 18 May, Biscuit Barrel, Memorial Garden update, Bury Road Playground, VAS Update – speeding in the village, Recent Planning Applications and Dates of Next Meetings…
Churches and Chapels since the Reformation
The May meeting saw a welcome return of Tony Kirby. His talk “Churches and Chapels since the Reformation”, illustrated by slides of East Anglia, was full of interest. The period 1530-1560 saw a 1,000 years of religious building destroyed with the destruction of abbeys and monasteries…
AGM, Resolutions and Yum Yum Tree Fudge
We started the meeting with a sugar rush, which kept us awake and lively for the whole meeting! The business of the monthly meeting was swiftly concluded. Future events were publicised including the Literary Lunch with Rosy Thornton on 16th June (tickets from Dorothy), an ice-cream tasting and a breakfast walk…
2017 Recipient of the Alf Hicks Biscuit Barrel Award
Maggie Elers was the unanimous choice by the Parish Council for the award this year and the photograph shows Chairman Paul Couzens with Maggie who will hold the Biscuit Barrel for twelve months and have her name added to the list of previous worthy holders of the award…
History Society AGM – History and the Printed Cartoon
At the AGM, the committee and office-bearers were re-elected to serve for another year. The secretary, Gillian Cooper, unveiled the new programme and gave details of summer outings to Lincoln Castle and Cathedral and Gressenhall Workhouse Museum and Farm. The speaker for the evening was Martin Roper and his subject was History and the Printed Cartoon…
The History of Addenbrookes Hospital
Hilary Ritchie, the Archivist of Addenbrooke’s Hospital was the speaker this month and she gave us a fascinating insight into the history of this great institution…
Parish Clerk’s Report for May/June 2017
Wickhambrook Parish Clerk Report for May/June 2017 including Litter Pick cancellation, Memorial Garden starting point, Local Council Award Scheme, Annual Parish Meeting, Grit Spreading Volunteer List, Contribution from a Lay Member of the Estates Committee, Crime Report for your attention, Recent Planning Applications and Parish Council meetings…
Keeping Chickens on a Small Scale
Mr Nigel Start was our speaker for the March monthly meeting and his subject was “Keeping chickens on a small scale”. It was again wonderful to see a good number of people in the hall…
Magic Lantern Show
Robin Ford brought an actual ‘Magic Lantern’ to the March meeting so that he could show some of his very interesting collection of original slides…
Coco Chanel, her life and loves
What an excellent turnout we had at the March meeting, Paula Short’s promised presentation about Coco Chanel, her life and loves having attracted many first timers to the Institute…
Cakes, Ales, Partying, Feasting and Fundraising in the Middle Ages
In February we welcomed Kate Jewell to the meeting. She has not spoken to us before and we have discovered a gem (pun intended!) What a delightful, knowledgeable and fluent speaker! We coild have listened all night to her talk on ‘Cakes, Ales and Partying…
My Life as an Auctioneer
Our February speaker was Edward Crichton from Lacey Scott and Knight who gave us an excellent insight into his life as an auctioneer. His description of the excitement of finding treasure in ordinary houses and selling it on was very interesting…
Snowdrops and Winter Interest Plants
It is quite some years since Mr Richard Ayres last came to speak to the Horticultural Society and he was a popular speaker then, just as he still is and when he came to the Society on the 27th February, about fifty people came to listen to his talk…
Hawkedon Circular Walk
The Hawkedon website states ‘Hawkedon is one of the strangest places in Suffolk. There’s nowhere else quite like it. Here, in the rolling landscape between Haverhill and Bury, is where the Chiltern Hills come to die. On their journey through Bedfordshire and Essex they become lower and softer, with the occasional last stabs of glory before sinking beneath the Suffolk heathlands…
Parish Clerk’s Report for March/April 2017
Parish Clerk Report for March/April 2017 including The Great British Spring Clean, A contribution from Julian Girling, Date of Annual Parish Meeting, Reporting Highway faults online, Precept bid from Wickhambrook Parish Council explained, Recent Planning Applications and Parish Council Meetings…
Native Americans
Robert Burridge gave a talk on Native Americans, which covered the Indian wars, early settlers, strife between the tribes and the white men who wanted to take over the land…
Burns and a Taste of Scotland
There was a good attendance at the first meeting of 2017, which included two visitors, hopefully members to be. Vice President Sue Burton-Griffiths welcomed everyone wishing all a happy new year and led members through Resolutions…
Christmas Party 2016
The members were in celebratory mood this month, as our monthly meeting fell 90 years since the formation of the Wickhambrook Institute in 1926…
Parish Clerk’s Report for January/February 2017
Parish Clerk Report for January/February 2017 including Looking back and moving on, Agreed dates of Parish Council Meetings for 2017, Recent Planning Applications and Parish Council Meetings…
90th Anniversary Celebration for Wickhambrook W.I.
The ladies of the Wickhambrook W.I. don’t always need a reason to celebrate but on this occasion it was the remarkable milestone of 90 years since it’s foundation in December 1926, which prompted President Hilary Bradfield and her committee to organise a Thanksgiving service to be followed by Afternoon Tea, for members and invited guests firstly at the Wickhambrook Methodist Church and thereafter in the Institutes own Hall within the village…
Christmas Flower Arrangements
We were in the skillful and creative hands of Thelma Farrow and Angela Cross for this month’s meeting. Two of our own, they demonstrated several ideas for simple Christmas floral arrangements with their own unique delivery and style they produced eye catching, colorful, sparkling displays which could grace anyone’s table or fireplace over the festive period…
Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine was the subject at this month’s meeting when local practitioner Beverley Meredith-Bailey spoke about her work to the ladies present…
New facilities put our Memorial Social Centre on the map
The Wickhambrook Memorial Social Centre (MSC) management committee has spent five years raising over £23,000 towards a £45,000 kitchen facilities project. The future of an important hub in one of West Suffolk’s most popular villages has been secured, thanks to extensive refurbishment funded in part by a £10,000 grant from St Edmundsbury Borough Council…
The War on Drugs
Detective Inspector Richard Southwell was our guest speaker this meeting from the Metropolitan Police invited by our President Hilary Bradfield with whom he worked with during several cases over many years…