Wickham Skeith Newsletter June 2021
~ DATES FOR YOUR DIARY ~ NOTE – VILLAGE LITTERPICK STARTING 9.30AM FROM VILLAGE HALL ON SATURDAY 29 MAY
~NEWS FROM THE CLUBS & OTHER EVENTS~
Village Hall News First of all - there is some which must be a good thing! We held a committee meeting last week and discussed the re-opening of the Village Hall. The Yoga group was set to start meeting again in May and Tai chi is due to begin in June which is very good news indeed. Other village groups are making their own decisions about when to meet again and we hope that it will be as soon as the organisers feel comfortable about what the rules mean! The Lunch Club have provisionally booked a slot in August but await the progress of the virus and the direction of the Government. However we do have an EVENT! A Village Social is being held on the Green on Saturday 3rd July from 6pm when the weather will be fine and the sun will be shining. There will be family games, a bar and barbecue - but please feel free to bring your own picnic along to eat. You may wish to bring your own chairs, or blanket, and/or table as well. Please come along and meet up with new residents in the village as well as those people you haven't met with for a while. We hope it will be a good old fashioned get together. If the weather is unkind to us we will move to the Village Hall where the necessary 'controls' relevant at that time will be in place. We look forward to meeting up again. There is also the possibility of a walking treasure hunt in, and around, the village in August but as yet we have not settled on a date. Best wishes from the Committee
~NEWS FROM THE CLUBS & OTHER EVENTS~
Village Litterpick If you are reading this newsletter promptly you will be in time to join the Village Litter Pick on Saturday 29th May starting from the Village Hall at 9.30am. Our County Councillor, Andrew Stringer, provides us with high viz jackets, litter pickers and plastic sacks. At the end rubbish is stored to be collected the following Tuesday. We hope that the May growth of cow parsley and other vegetation won’t prevent us from finding all the car thrown litter that accumulates on our roadsides. In particular along Thwaite Road, The Chantry, Finningham Road, Cotton Lane and Thornham Road the amount of litter has built up considerably. Join us and help keep the village tidy.
Hilltop Women’s Group Women's Hilltop Group 50th Anniversary Celebration We will post the final details about this get together in next month's newsletter. Book the date though - Saturday 17th July Time and place to be confirmed according to rules at the time. Contact Margaret Knights 01449767708. rosecottageflowers@hotmail.co.uk Or Sue Merriam 766222 for information. Let's hope for good weather!
Suffolk Libraries The Mobile Library is next due to visit on 3 June and 1 July. As a reminder it stops at the Chalet Bungalows from 09.45–10.00 am and outside Haymead House, The Street from 10.05–10.20 am.
~HISTORY NOTES~ Village Maps – Part 2 The Ordnance Survey has been producing maps of the UK for 230 years. As the name implies its origins were military, deriving from the need for the mapping of Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 & of England during the Napoleonic Wars. Initially the whole country was mapped at a scale of 1 inch to the mile but it is the larger scale maps of 6 inch & 25 inch to the mile later in the 19th century which interest us here. It can be argued that these are the greatest maps ever made. The best free source for viewing these maps is the National Library of Scotland – although it doesn’t have copies of every edition. They can be accessed here: https://maps.nls.uk/os/ An alternative site is: https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/ although you can’t zoom in as much as you can with the NLS versions. On the facing page is the area covering the Green on the 1 st edition 25 inch map for Wickham Skeith surveyed in 1885. The NLS copy is coloured (blue for water & red for buildings) but is reproduced here in greyscale. If we put it alongside last month’s map, many differences are apparent: 1. The Green is now the same size as it is today with the northern edge following the road. 2. The school (built around 1845) is now present. There is no Village Hall yet as that wasn’t built until 1909. 3. The Grimmer & all buildings are now accurately drawn to scale compared with the rough outlines in the Tithe Map. 4. An extraordinary feature is the depiction of each individual tree in fields & hedgerows. This only appears in the 1st edition; when the map was revised in 1903 these trees were removed. It was just too much work to remove those which had been cut down & add new ones that had grown in the meantime. 5. On the north side of the little green next to the school, there is a pound marked. This is where any animals not permitted to graze were kept to be claimed by its owner who was presumably fined. (Does anyone have any information about grazing rights on the Green?) 6. The Entry has been developed since 1840. There are a number of new cottages & the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (now the Old Chapel), which was built in 1861, is there. 7. There is a clear track across the Green between the Grimmer & the Post Office. This was made up with cinders & was called the black road. Nigel tells me that in a dry year the line of this track can be seen. Pete Davidson pjdavidson42@gmail.com
~ W I C K HAM S K E I T H PAR I S H C O U N C I L ~ MINUTES of PARISH COUNCIL MEETING held WEDNESDAY, 5 MAY 2021 by videoconference Present: Cllrs T Thorogood (Chair), K Knights, R Palmer, M Appleby, J Keable. Clerk: H Roberts. Also present: County Cllr Stringer (SCC). Apologies received from: Cllr T Rowe, District Cllr Warboys 1
05/05/21: Election of Chair: Cllr Thorogood was unanimously elected as Chair.
2
05/05/21: Election of Officers: No one was elected as Vice Chair. It was agreed Huw Roberts would continue as RFO.
3
05/05/21: a). To receive members’ Declarations of Interest on Agenda items. None received. b). To consider requests for dispensations. None received.
4
05/05/21: The minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 8th March 2021 were approved. It was agreed the minutes would be signed by the Chair outside of the meeting.
5
05/05/21: Village Forum: Cllr Knights reported a conversation with a resident about serious damage to the Green (at both ends) caused by dustcarts and HGVs (SCC waste disposal trucks). Cllr Stringer undertook to speak to the relevant team leader at SCC. The length of the grass on the Green was discussed. Cllr Knights reported it had not been cut in some time, and is now too long to walk on. There was some discussion of the legislation for remote council meetings and the pros and cons of remote meetings vs. face to face. The Clerk told the meeting that although remote participation in meetings was no longer allowed by the legislation, they could still be broadcast on video for residents to watch remotely. It was agreed that the next face to face council meeting would be publicized in the village newsletter to encourage residents to come along. The Tree Warden asked about litter picking. After some discussion, it was agreed that a date for a litter pick would be set for 29th May, starting at 9.30am. Cllr Knights undertook to speak to N Merriam about getting volunteers. Cllr Stringer undertook to attend and bring the necessary equipment and arrange collection. The Clerk undertook to publicize on the council website.
6
05/05/21: To receive reports from County and District Councillors, Police, Parish Clerk and Parish Councillors:
6.1 05/05/21: SCC: Cllr Stringer’s report was received. A copy will be made available on the Council website. Cllr Palmer asked about electric charging points, and the possibility of a charging point at the Village Hall. Cllr Stringer recommended points that take debit cards. Cllr Stringer mentioned that there may be a grant available. It was agreed that the Clerk would investigate this with guidance from Cllr Stringer. Cllr Stringer reported that he now has the equipment that could support an evening of music at a distance at the Grimmer if the Council wanted to put on such an event. 6.2 05/05/21: MSDC: Cllr Warboys – no report received. Note: Cllr Warboys sent his apologies and his report after the meeting, A copy will be made available on the Council website. 6.3 05/05/21: Parish Clerk (including Police report). The Clerk presented his report. A copy will be made available on the Council website. Actions since the last meeting:
~ W I C K HAM S K E I T H PAR I S H C O U N C I L ~
The Council has signed up for the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement. SALC/Suffolk Police Speeding webinar attended. Documents and video to be shared with councillors. SALC Area Forum attended, notes available to councillors. Census 21 publicized. ILCA (Introduction to Local Council Administration): course completed and passed. SALC Webinar: Communication and Engagement in a Post Lockdown World: notes available to councillors. Speed Indicator Device: Confirmed agreement to move as requested by Suffolk Highways. Zoom: Upgraded to Zoom Pro for one month.
6.4 05/05/21: Parish Councillors, including: i. Community Speed Watch. It was agreed to progress the application for participation in the Automatic Number Plate Recognition scheme. It was agreed the Clerk would arrange with N Merriam to download the latest data from the SID. ii.
General Data Protection Regulation. Cllr Palmer reported he was going to send his comments on the draft policies to the Clerk.
iii.
Community Emergency Plan, including Covid-19 emergency. Cllr Palmer suggested that the emergency be declared over in June, depending on developments, and then the council should review the plan. The Clerk undertook to share feedback with councillors and the volunteer group.
iv.
Defibrillator. The Chair undertook to obtain the manuals from ex-Cllr Freeman.
7
05/05/21: Correspondence Received. A summary of the correspondence received is available in the Clerk’s report, a copy of which will be made available on the Council website. Correspondence included: Resident enquiry regarding the erection of fencing beside footpath. This has been responded to by the Clerk. MSDC scheme offering free hedgerow and trees for open spaces. The Tree Warden commented on the number of dying trees in the village, and said the problem is not the planting of trees but their maintenance. It was agreed the scheme would be publicized on the Council website. UK Govt. consultation on local council’s experience of remote meetings. Circulated to councillors for feedback. The Village Hall Committee have enquired when the Council will need to hire the hall. It was agreed the Village Hall would be booked for the next face to face meeting, (12th July 2021). Youth Survey. It was agreed this would be forwarded to the Village Hall Committee for comment. The Friends of St Andrew’s are collecting tokens from Archant publications, under their Cash4Charities scheme. This has been publicized on the council website and the village newsletter.
8
05/05/21: Finance 8.1 05/05/21: The RFO’s annual report was received. A copy will be made available on the Council website. It was agreed the Council will sign up for the Plusnet two-year broadband deal at a cost of £23/year plus VAT. 8.2 05/05/21: The Internal Accounts Audit & Control Review 2020/21 was noted (it was reviewed and approved in the previous meeting). 8.3 05/05/21: The Annual Governance Statement 2020/21 was reviewed and approved. 8.4 05/05/21: The Statement of Accounts for the FY 2020/21 was reviewed and approved. 8.5 05/05/21: The Accounting Statements 2020/21 were reviewed and approved, with one correction – the precept income was £3,500 for FY 2020/21. 8.6 05/05/21: The Statement of Account as of 30th April 2021 was reviewed and approved. 8.7 05/05/21: The following invoices were approved: SALC subscription: £190.55, Website hosting (Suffolk Cloud): £100, Zoom upgrade: £14.39.
~ W I C K HAM S K E I T H PAR I S H C O U N C I L ~ It was agreed all the necessary signatures for the approved financial document above would be signed outside of the meeting. 9
05/05/21: Planning Matters: to consider planning applications and note planning decisions received. 9.1 05/05/21: DC/21/00377: Erection of two storey and single storey front extensions and erection of detached three bay cartlodge with home office above. Location: The Grange, Grange Road, Wickham Skeith, Eye Suffolk IP23 8NF. The council noted that permission has been granted. 9.2 05/05/21: DC/21/02098: Notification for works to trees in a Conservation Area - Pollard 2no Ash to 50% existing height. Fell 1no Spruce. Reduce 1no Sycamore by 30%. Fell 1no Walnut. Pollard 1no Ash. Location: Mill House, The Green, Wickham Skeith, Suffolk IP23 8LX. The council agreed it would raise no objection, but add comments regarding nesting birds. 9.3 05/05/21: DC/21/02264: Application for Listed Building Consent - Erection of single storey extensions (following demolition of lean to building), internal and external alterations as detailed in the Schedule of Works and Design and Access Statement. Location: Willow House, The Street, Wickham Skeith, Suffolk IP23 8L. After some discussion, it was agreed the council would object to the application as follows: “The council's objection is based solely on the position of the cartlodge. In its proposed position it will have negative impact on the visual amenity of historical building of Willow House, and on the street scene and surrounding environment, including, within 30m and on the other side of the road, a grade 1 listed building.”
10 05/05/21: Working Parties: 10.1 05/05/21: Village Green. The Tree Warden reported that she met with Cllr Knights to review the trees on the Green. Serious concerns were raised about two pink horse chestnuts, and ash die back. It was agreed the Tree Warden would work with Cllr Knights to secure professional opinions on the health of the trees and quotes for any remedial works. 10.2 05/05/21: Grimmer Fishing. The Chair commented that the council should continue to try to manage and monitor fishing, and see there are problems. 11. 05/05/21: Councillor vacancies. It was unanimously agreed to co-opt Julie Keable and Melinda Appleby as councillors. It was agreed that the new councillors’ signatures for their Declarations of Acceptance of Office and Register of Interests would be collected by the Clerk outside the meeting. 12. 05/05/21: Matters for next agenda. Planning application DC/21/02582. The Clerk reported that MidSuffolk Planning have confirmed that the deadline for comments for this application has been extended to July 13th 2021. This means the council can discuss the application at its next meeting on 12th July. Note, the Clerk has also since had it confirmed that the extension of the deadline applies to all comments, including comments from individual residents. 13. 05/05/21: Next Meeting: July 12th 2021, 8pm, to be held in the Village Hall.
~ S T. A N D R E W ’ S C H U R C H
~
Church of England, Wickham Skeith Facebook: @bactonbenefice Rector: The Revd Carl Melville, The Rectory, Bacton, IP14 4LJ 01449 781650, email: carlmelville@hotmail.com Wardens: Liz Davidson 766622 and Margaret Jones-Evans 767121 For all enquiries about baptisms and weddings, please contact the Rector.
Services in June 2021 6th June 13th June 20th June 27th June 4th July
9.30 Wickham Skeith Church 11.00 Cotton Church 9.30 Wickham Skeith Church 11.00 Cotton Church 9.30 Wickham Skeith Church
for other benefice services, please view our Facebook page. News and Notices Services – we are pleased that indoor church services are resuming in June, though with a limited rota of service using the pattern we had last autumn, Wickham Skeith alternating with Cotton. From September, we hope the service pattern can return to some normality. Of course, social distancing and masks may be required for some time. Baptisms – as we return to some normality, we are now taking bookings for baptisms/christenings. Please contact Revd Carl for more information. B.O.B Foodbank – our benefice foodbank has helped over 40 households with food parcels and small grants. If you or someone you know needs some additional help during these difficult times, please contact Revd Carl or Bridget (677422). It might be for help with school uniforms, bus fees, hospital transport, food, unexpected bills. All contact with us is confidential. The PCC are looking into the possibility of a simple CCTV system in church so that the building can be open to visitors more regularly. In the meantime we are going to try opening from 10am – 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays from the beginning of June to see how it goes. Weekly Email and News – if you’d like to sign up to receive our weekly news email, please contact the Rector.
~ S T. A N D R E W ’ S C H U R C H ~ Benefice dates 12th-13th June, Old Newton Open Gardens 13th June, 6pm, Songs of Praise, Old Newton Churchyard 6th July, 7pm, Gipping Mini Fete Rector’s Ramblings June 21st – June 21st – June 21st. For some reason, this date keeps ringing around in my head. I’ve no idea why!! Of course, this is the date that the whole country has pinned its hopes on. Businesses longing to return to normal in order to make ends meet, families and friends able to meet in unlimited groups, church services with singing, schools not required to stagger arrival times and lunch breaks. The list goes on! The church is hoping that by July, worship can continue without restrictions, although we know deep down there are bound to be some restrictions in place for a long time ahead. Come June 21st, if and when restrictions are lifted, what is it you will do first? Will you organise a family get together, BBQ or meal? Will you hug or kiss those you’ve missed or had to keep socially distant from? Will you return to an old hobby that was put on hold because of COVID? One thing the pandemic has taught us all is to SLOW DOWN! I certainly have been learning to make myself more available to people rather than being ‘busy, busy’ all the time. But, as the pace of life increases again, I wonder how long that will last. As we return to some normality, we must remember the lessons learned during COVID. Jesus told his disciples to look at the world – the beauty of the birds of the air, the flowers of the field. He said that our lives are worth so much more than we could ever imagine. He told us to live in the moment – today and let tomorrow worry about itself. He said that in order to love our neighbours, we should learn to love ourselves. The pandemic has brought home to us the reality of Jesus’ words. So, what will you be rushing to do on June 21 st? Maybe a better question is: what will you NOT be rushing to do on June 21st? Why not continue to slow down, make time for YOU and those close to you? Why not continue to make time to admire the birds, the flowers and the love of friends and family? Live for today. Revd Carl
Flower & Cleaning Rota as we’re going back into our buildings this will be needed once again! June 6th & 13th Mrs E Davidson June 20th & 27th Mr & Mrs I Hempstead July 4th & 11th Mrs J Kemp & Mrs S Merriam
~ C O M M U N I TY PAG E ~
Oil Syndicate The next syndicate deadline is 30 June. If you would like to order please email me at jerrybassett@icloud.com or, if you don’t have email, ring 765908.
Cash for Charities If you read a local paper you may have noticed that Archant are running a competition called Cash 4 Charities. It's a means of helping charities who haven't been able to fund raise during the past year. A requirement of entry is a charity registration number and Liz Davidson has managed to register the Friends of St Andrews. The competition element is that we have to collect as many tokens from the paper as we can and the division of the available £20,000 will be in proportion to the number of tokens collected. So if you read the East Anglian Daily Times, or any other Archant paper, please would you look out for and collect the Cash 4 Charities tokens that are appearing from Monday April 26 until Saturday July 3 and pass them on – and persuade friends and family to do the same. We then have to submit our total by July 18 and should know how much we will receive before the end of July. Archant have provided us with a collection box which will be in church for you to deposit the tokens you collect. Or if you prefer please pop in an envelope through the letterbox of Liz Davidson or Margaret Jones-Evans or Mary Payne
EPSON PRINTER colour cartridges new, sealed packets as follows – 1 each of TO801 Black, TO802 Cyan, TO803 Magenta, TO806 Yellow, and 3 of TO805 Light Cyan! £20 O.N.O. or whatever you like to give me, Sheila Wright on Tel. 768644, Kisumu, The Street.
~ ADVERTISEMENTS ~
***** GISLINGHAM PLAYGROUP ***** We provide a safe, warm, friendly and caring setting for children aged 2-5 years, in a brand new purpose built building on the same site as Gislingham CEVCP School, with whom we work closely to provide an excellent education. The Playgroup is following government guidelines so please check with us for opening arrangements. Please visit our website www.gislinghamplaygroup.com or phone us on 01379 788934
LAND NEEDED 2 - 3 acres of rough grazing land needed (preferably to buy) for native ponies. Finningham, Wickham Skeith, Thornham, Bacton, Old Newton area. Anything considered. Immediate payment. Please contact C. Irving, Finningham catherine.helen@outlook.com
Business Adverts Adverts are £5.00 per month, £25 for 6 months and £50 for one year. Cash or cheque (payable to “Wickham Skeith Village Hall”) to Melinda Appleby at Haymead House, The Street, in advance of the advert being placed please.
~ ADVERTISEMENTS ~
GRAHAM MOORE ELECTRICAL LTD Blacksmiths Cottage, Silver Street, Old Newton IP14 4HF
For all your electrical needs For a friendly and efficient service Call Graham on Tel: 01449 616946 Mobile: 07867 560357 *FREE ESTIMATES * ALL WORK GUARANTEED *
~ ADVERTISEMENTS ~ Ed Batram GARDEN SERVICES Clearance, design, planting, aftercare for your garden… Trees, hedging, fencing, log splitting & chainsaw work… Ground clearance, paths, patios, brickwork and paving… All aspects of conservation work undertaken. FREE ESTIMATES Tel: 01379 898203, mob: 07950 923696 Email: edwardbatram@icloud.com
TREE SERVICES AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE BASED IN WORTHAM, WE ARE DEDICATED TO THE PROVISION OF EXCELLENCE IN EVERY ASPECT OF OUR CRAFT. ALL OF OUR STAFF ARE FULLY TRAINED AND INSURED, RELIABLE AND PROFESSIONAL. ALL WORK IS CARRIED OUT RESPECTFULLY AND TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD.
CROWN LIFTING, TREE FELLING, DISMANTLING, REDUCTIONS, PRUNING, THINNING, STUMP GRINDING, HEDGE TRIMMING, FIREWOOD FOR A FREE ESTIMATE PLEASE CALL LEE GARWOOD
Tel: 01379 890617 / 07880 528142 GARWOODSOFSUFFOLK@YAHOO.COM
~ ADVERTISEMENTS ~
High welfare, Free Range, Slow raised Rare Breed Pork
THE FOLLOWING ARE READILY AVAILABLE ALL YEAR ROUND Belly pork Slices £8kg Pork Mince £8.60 kg, Tenderloin £9.60kg, Ribs £5kg Sausages plain £8.60 kg - packs of 8, Gluten free Cumberland £9.40 kg, Sausage Meat £8.60kg Gourmet sausages in packs of 8 £9.40kg Toulouse, Red onion marmalade & Mature Cheddar, Port & Stilton BACK BACON UNSMOKED in 8 rasher packs £16.50kg, BLACK BACK BACON £19.87kg SMOKED STREAKY BACON £14.50 kg ORGANIC GRASS FED FREE RANGE HALF LAMB BOXES 4-5kg Fresh Frozen Vacuum packed and labelled £15kg HOGGITT & MUTTON LEG, SHOULDER, CHOPS & TENDERLOIN £15kg MINCE £8kg CONTACTLESS FREE DOORSTEP DELIVERY AVAILABLE #STAY-SAFE Sam at TAS Animal Care & Poultry at Knoll Farm, Wickham Skeith Mobile: 077424 50908 Landline: 01449 768620 www.tasanimalandpoultry.co.uk
� � � �
This newsletter is produced by Wickham Skeith Village Hall Committee
All bookings of the Village Hall and its equipment should go to: Denise Carle, 9, Grange Road, IP23 8NE. Telephone 01449 767838 or Email denise.alexander63@yahoo.co.uk Hourly rate: £8.00 The rate is per hour or part thereof. Minimum booking period 2 hrs. Day rate (24 hour period): £85.00. 25% reduction in rate for Wickham Skeith residents and Wickham Skeith village groups and organisations. Official bodies (e.g. elections): £200.00 per day. A 30 minute "warming up" period will be allowed in cold weather.
And finally... Please send all your village news and adverts for next month’s newsletter to Melinda: mappleby@tiscali.co.uk or call 01449 766879 By 25th June 2021
Newsletter printed by CopyDiss, 42a Mere Street, Diss IP22 4AG Tel: 01379 644567 www.copydiss.co.uk