Wickham Skeith Newsletter
All in the Village Hall unless otherwise stated.
Saturday 29th October Book Sale & Coffee Morning 10am @ 1 Broadway
November 2022
Monday 7th Parish Council 7.30 pm All Welcome
Tuesday 8th Hilltop Women’s Group talk by Christine Webber
Wednesday 9th Lunch Club 12 noon for 12.30 Advance Bookings Please
Friday 11th Talk by Lord Gardiner 7pm St Andrew’s Church
Saturday 12th Crafternoon from 2-4pm
Wed 16th Basil Abbott talk on “The R34 Adventure" 7.45 pm
Thursday 17th Mobile Library 2 x stops at 9.45 & 10.05
Saturday 19th Christmas Pudding Stir-up 10am -12noon
Monday 21st Village Hall Committee 8pm All Welcome
Tuesday 22nd Gardening Club Foraging talk and tasting 7.30pm
Saturday 26th Village Quiz 7.30pm
Poppy Collection
Look out for our village Poppy Collectors in early November. Wickham Skeith is always one of the most supportive villages in the Royal British Legion’s Mendlesham District.
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D A T E S F O R Y O U R D I A R Y ~
It is good that the life of the village hall is getting back to some semblance of normality. Thank you to everybody who is making use of it in any way.
Recent Events
The Garage Sales took place on a lovely sunny day. Jeanne Mason & Romaine Elsden did a good job of publicising the event. The funds for the Hall benefitted by very nearly £200-thank you ladies for your sterling work and enthusiasm.
The Country Dance was great fun although there was space for a few more participants-look out for a repeat event. Thanks to Jayne Delarre for calling the dances.
The Pub Night with games was supported by thirty villagers who enjoyed an evening of chat and discussion-but the games went unused. Perhaps next time a shove ha'penny tournament or a few hands of crib or whist could be organised. Or bring your own game along to play! Thanks for all the help.
Coming Up
On 26th November the Village Quiz, run by Nigel Merriam, will start at 7.30pm. A Cold Collation with French Bread at the halfway point-and the bar open throughout. Cost is £7.50 per person. Please book with Nigel (766222) either as a team of up to 8 or as individuals. He has sent out a round robin to everybody on the list.
30th December Plum Pudding Walk: routes are being planned-a shorter one and a longer one for the keener walkers.
Burns Night Supper in January with date to be confirmed next month
Potential Future events: Italian Night 18th February?
It was thought, by the committee, that the hand dryers in the toilets are not powerful enough. We will buy paper towels as well. Because of the queuing which sometimes occurs for the toilets it was felt that the toilets should become unisex.
The next Village Hall Committee meeting will be 21st November at 8pm in the Village Hall. Jenny Elphick will chair.
Hilltop Women’s Group
Our Autumn themed evening in October was a treat for all the senses. Margaret demonstrated a pumpkin-based flower arrangement, we tried two different varieties of seasonal soup with bread, enjoyed apple cake and sloe gin, and who knew we had so many talented poets happy to read their own super compositions. See p.10 to enjoy one of them. A really lovely event.
The November meeting, on Tuesday 8th November, is a visit from Christine Webber. Well known from being the lead news presenter on Anglia Television and coming to talk to us about keeping fit and healthy, which is theme of her book( copies will be available). We hope she will also share a few anecdotes about her years on the box. Visitors welcome, as always, for £3.00 a session. Do come!
We are booking our Christmas Meal at the White Horse Hotel on Tuesday 6th December. Please phone Sue Merriam, the keeper of the list, to book your place and choose your options if you haven’t spoken to her already. Sue 766222.
Lunch Club
The next Lunch Club will take place on Wednesday 9th November. Please arrive at 12 noon. The cost is £4.
If you wish to book a place, please contact Jenny Elphick by Friday 4th November. Phone 01449 766885 or 07745416091 or email jenny.elphick@sim.org
‘Crafternoon’ Saturday 12th November 2-4pm
Whatever your art or craft bring along your current project.
Share skills, ideas, tips and techniques. Inspire and be inspired in the company of other creative people. If you have an ‘arty’ or ‘crafty’ friend then bring them too. Surplus art/craft items & books to sell? Bring them for the bring and buy table. Entry: £2.00 per person (inc. tea/coffee/biscuits).
History Group
This month we welcome back Basil Abbott, manager of Diss Museum, who will be talking to us about “The R34 Adventure". In 1919 the British airship R34 flew from Scotland to Long Island and back to Pulham, the first airborne double crossing of the Atlantic. Basil’s presentation will recall the epic voyage, complete with apocalyptic weather, a cat and a stowaway.
All are welcome so do join us in the Village Hall at 7.45pm on Wed 16 Nov. Entry Fee £3, including tea/coffee and biscuits.
Contact: Pete Davidson 07951 020998 or pjdavidson42@gmail.com
Gardening Club
This month we are pleased to welcome Jon Tyler from Wild for Woods who will be talking to us about foraging. Jon will be bringing with him sample nibbles and tipples so it promises to be a very interactive affair!
We will also be offering mulled wine and mince pies for those of you that want to get into the Christmas spirit early.
The meeting is on Tuesday 22nd November starting at 7.30. As usual we will be in Wickham Skeith Village Hall
Unfortunately, as members know, this will be our last gardening club so please do come along if you can.
59 Club
Recent winning numbers: Sep – 51; Oct – 21, 51, 39, 34.
MacMillan coffee morning
We raised £262 this year. A good amount to help support this charity which has probably helped someone you know. Thank you if you were involved in any way at all. It’s a real annual event . Always the last Friday in September. Such a good fund raiser. Thank you again.
Margaret
The Suffolk Mobile Library van stops in the lay-by outside the chalet bungalows, from 9.45 to 10am. Then outside Haymead House in The Street from 10.05 to 10.20.
Next visits –17th November 2022 and 15th December.
All bookings of the Village Hall and its equipment should go to: Gill Colchester Telephone 01379 788040 or Mobile 07850 641233 Email. gillyano@live.co.uk
Hourly rate to December 2022: £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 conditions.
PLEASE NOTE –
From January 2023 the hire rate will increase to £10 per hour. The day rate will increase to £100 per day and the fee to official bodies to £250.00
Members of Wickham Skeith Parish Council are summoned to attend the next meeting of the Council, to be held at the Village Hall on Monday, 7th November 2022 at 7.30 pm. At the Village Forum agenda item, the public will be invited to give their views/questions to the Parish Council on issues on the agenda, or raise issues for inclusion at future meetings. This item will be generally limited to 15 mins. duration.
AGENDA (DRAFT)
1. Chairman’s Welcome (to include apologies and approval of absences)
2. a). To receive members’ Declarations of Interest on Agenda items
To consider requests for dispensations.
3. To resolve that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 5th September 2022 are accurate.
4. Village Forum: an opportunity for the public to raise any relevant issues to the Council.
5. To receive reports from County and District Councillors, Police and Parish Councillors:
5.1. SCC: Cllr Stringer
5.2. MSDC: Cllr Warboys
5.3. Suffolk Police
5.4. Parish Councillors, including: 5.4.1. Community Speed Watch
5.4.2. General Data Protection Regulation
5.4.3. Community Emergency Plan
6. Correspondence Received
7. Finance:
Financial position
RFO update, including consideration of Asset Register.
for FY23/24 and consideration of precept
expenses contingency fund
for Approval
8. Community Infrastructure Levy To initiate consideration of suitable proposals to spend funds available to the Parish Council accrued under the Community Infrastructure Levy following from the development of new homes within Grange Road.
9. Planning Matters: to consider planning applications and note planning decisions received.
10.Working Parties: Village Green and the Grimmer. To receive a report on a proposed zoned management plan for the Grimmer.
of Meetings. To consider a future schedule of four meetings a year down from the current six.
for Proper Officer: Update on position
for next agenda
of next meeting
Parish Council Clerk and Finance Officer (Proper Officer)
At the time of preparing this newsletter, Wickham Skeith Parish Council has not been able to secure the appointment of a clerk and finance officer following the resignation of our previous clerk in August. Councillors have been advertising the vacancy, contacting other parish councils to share a clerk and also approaching the county wide local councils’ organisation to appoint a locum. There is therefore currently a de minimis arrangement whereby individual councillors are undertaking some of the tasks normally carried out by the Proper Officer.
Councillors will provide an update on the situation at the next meeting in November. If the role remains unfilled, Councillors will need to propose and agree a way forward.
Funding for Community Infrastructure
Following the development of new houses in Grange Road, the Parish Council is entitled to receive funding known as the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). This funding is to be spent on replacement and maintenance of village infrastructure and can include, for example, improvements to the village pond and the village hall. Councillors understand that the amount of funding available is between £17,000 and £20,000 this financial year.
The Parish Council can apply to the District Council to spend this funding over the next five years. It is proposed to initiate a discussion into possible projects at the next Parish Council meeting in order to begin the application process.
Oil Syndicate
The next oil order deadline is 30 November. If you want to top up for Christmas, please email jerrybassett@icloud.com or, if you don’t have access to email, ring 765908.
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
Services in November 2022
All services at 9.30am unless otherwise stated
Wed 2nd Nov 7.30pm All Souls’ Memorial Service at Bacton
6th November All age Communion
13th November 10.45am Remembrance Service in church
20th November Holy Communion
27th November 10.00am Benefice Communion at Wyverstone 6.30pm Advent Carols at Cotton For other benefice services, please view our Facebook page.
All Souls’ Service – do come along on Wed 2nd Nov to Bacton Church at 7.30pm for our memorial service. If you’ve lost someone over the past year or in past years and would like to remember them before God, do come along. All are welcome.
Village Star Hunt – Do you still have your stars? Once again, we are asking people to display a STAR in their window or garden from Sunday 27th November through to Christmas. People can then go round and find as many as they can! Remember to post your STAR on our Facebook page!
Advance notice At Christmas we will have Carols on the Green again at 6.30pm on December 17th and our Christmas Eve ‘Midnight’ service will, like last year, be at 9pm in order for Revd Carl to lead it. Spuds and Sparklers – 5th November, between 5pm-7pm at The Rectory, Church Road, Bacton. Tickets £5 adults and £3 children, includes a spud and a filling and a sparkler. Apple bobbing too! Tickets in advance only from carlmelville@hotmail.com
Weekly Email and News – if you’d like to sign up to receive our weekly news email, please contact a Warden or the Rector.
Flower & Cleaning rota – we’ve reached the time of year when a new rota needs to be prepared. If you would like to volunteer to join, or if you need to be removed from the list, please let Liz Davidson know by December 12th (766622, eadavidson42@gmail.com). We don’t have as many volunteers as a few years ago so new people will be welcome. Each pair will have 2 or 3 sessions of 2 weeks in the year when they provide fresh flowers for the altar vases in season and do as much cleaning as time and energy allows. It’s not an arduous task, you don’t need to be a regular churchgoer to ‘qualify’ just care about preserving a historic building - every effort helps to keep our lovely building in good order. If you’re not sure just ask Liz to tell you more. All help is greatly appreciated.
Flower & Cleaning Rota
Nov 6th & 13th Mrs J Kemp & Mrs S Merriam
Nov 20th & 27th Mrs E Davidson & Miss M Jones-Evans
