2022 12 Wickham Skeith Newsletter

Wickham Skeith Newsletter

Dec22/Jan2023 Feb2022

All in the Village Hall unless otherwise stated.

December 2022

Tuesday 6th Hilltop Women’s Group Christmas Meal 7pm Stoke Ash White Horse

Wednesday 14th Lunch Club Christmas Meal 12 for 12.30pm

Thursday 15th Mobile Library van: two stops 9.45am and 10.05am

Saturday 17th Carols on the Green 6.30pm

Friday 30th Plum Pudding Walk 11am start. Refreshments

January 2023

Monday 9th Parish Council Meeting 7.30 pm all welcome to attend

Tuesday 10th Hilltop Women’s Group Film Night 7pm

Wednesday 11th Lunch Club 12 for 12.30 Advance Bookings Please

Saturday 14th Crafternoon 2-4pm

Wednesday 18th Peter Senior “USAAF at Parham in WWII" 7.45 pm Friday 20th Burns Night Supper Place a decorated or lit star in

When you receive this the annual village quiz will have a new champion team. Report will be in the next newsletter.

On Friday 30th December is the Plum Pudding Walk. Nigel Merriam is sorting out the routes which, as usual, will have two routes to choose. The walk begins with Mulled wine in the Village Hall and ends with home-made soups and french bread. Please come along, even if you don't do the walk, to enjoy some company, soup and conversation. Meet at Village Hall at 11am. £4.

On Friday 20th January there will be a Burns' Night Supper. Cost, at £15 per person, gives a tot of whisky, four courses, traditional Scottish blessing and good company. More details in the next Newsletter. Booking needs to be completed by mid-January.

We hope to have an Italian Night on Saturday 11th March. More details to follow.

If anybody has ideas-new or previously used-for events in the hall please let the committee know. Perhaps there are thoughts about May 2023 when we have THREE Bank Holidays and a CORONATION to celebrate. Tree planting on the Green? Street Party? Music 'Festival'. Village photo record?

There are plans for work to be carried out on the Village Hall-some remedial work and some preventative. More details will be forthcoming.

59 Club

Recent winning numbers: October – 41; November – 34, 39, 59.

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. Day rate (24-hour period): £85.00.

PLEASE NOTE – From January 2023 the hire rate will increase to £10 per hour. The rate is per hour or part thereof. Minimum booking period 2 hrs. A 30 minute "warming up" period will be allowed in cold weather conditions. 25% reduction for Wickham Skeith residents and Wickham Skeith village groups. The day rate will increase to £100 per day and the fee to official bodies to £250.00

Hilltop Women’s Group

What an interesting evening we spent with Christine Webber for our November meeting. She shared an insight into her life and gave us lots of tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise. She even demonstrated! Her books were available for sale and the hour flew by.

December will see us at The White Horse Stoke Ash on Tuesday 6th December, 7pm for 7.30pm. Don’t forget your wrapped present. Bookings have been made. Sue Merriam is the list keeper - it may be worth giving her a ring if you haven’t booked yet. On January 10th at 7pm...Note the time please...we will have our film night in the village hall. Popcorn and lollies included!

Thanks must go to all the committee members who have shared the organisation of the 2022 meetings so well. We will be glad to welcome any new folk in the new year. We have another interesting programme planned with hopefully something for everyone.

We hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and look forward to 2023. The Hilltops Committee

Lunch Club

Carl Melville, our Vicar at St Andrew’s Church in the village, cooked a wonderful Chicken and Leek pie for us at Lunch Club in October, while Jenny Harvey produced a delicious apple crumble with plenty of custard. In November, Avril Dance cooked a very tasty Spanish casserole and Harriet Bowes created a delicious cherry and berry baked custard accompanied with cream. Carl, Harriet and Avril are three new cooks who have joined our cooks’ rota. We are so grateful to all our cooks and volunteers who give their time and expertise to produce such varied and enticing meals.

Our meetings are always on the second Wednesday in each month, so our next lunch is on Wednesday 14th December. This will be our Christmas Dinner of Turkey and all the trimmings. If you haven’t been to Lunch Club before, or you haven’t joined us recently, and you have reached 60 please come and join us for this special occasion. We meet at 12 midday and eat at 12.30pm. The cost continues at £4 per head which is really good value. Please bring along some extra cash for the Christmas bumper raffle. First lunch of the New Year – 11th January.

If you wish to book a place, please contact Jenny Elphick by Friday 9th December by phone 01449 766885 or mobile 07745416091 or email at jenny.elphick@sim.org

History Group

Last July we visited Parham Airfield near Framlingham, home to the 390th Bomb Group Memorial Air Museum and the Museum of the British Resistance Organisation. Chris Pratt talked to us in 2019 about “Britain’s Secret Army” & in January we welcome Peter Senior who will tell us the remarkable story of “The USAAF at Parham in WWII".

All are welcome so do join us in the Village Hall at 7.45pm on Wed 18 January Entry Fee £3, including tea/coffee and biscuits.

Contact: Pete Davidson 07951 020998 or pjdavidson42@gmail.com

‘Crafternoon’ Saturdays

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.

No meeting in December. Next Crafternoon on 14th January 2023 2-4pm Entry: £2.00 per person (inc. tea/coffee/biscuits).

Fundraising for St Andrew’s Church

Thank you to everyone who supported Lord John Gardiner’s talk and the Stir-up –both were interesting and fun!

We have two big projects to fund in the next few months – the recent heavy rain has revealed serious problems with the tower roof and the gutters around the church. We have water entering the tower and soaking the bell frame and water leaking from the gutters is soaking the church walls.

If anyone could help with a donation the PCC would be most grateful.

Thank you for all your help – Margaret and Liz, Churchwardens 01449 767121

Food Bank

Christmas is fast approaching and children will be home from school. More and more people are needing the food bank to make ends meet. If you are able to donate a few items they will be gratefully received. You will find the red boxes in the Village Hall and in the Church

This Amazing Village

Twenty-one years ago, we found our dream home, with the best “washing-up” view here in Wickham Skeith. We had really landed on our feet, and soon felt very much at home and part of the community.

On October 21st our world changed for ever when Mary was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. We were told that it has already spread to the liver and lymph nodes. It is one of those cancers which doesn’t show itself until it is already too late. You can imagine what a shock it was to us - and we’ve been told shock waves ran right through the whole village.

We have been quite overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity with which we have been surrounded! Cards, messages, flowers, meals, shoppers and drivers for hospital trips have appeared as if by magic. Amidst all this Peter has had both cataracts removed, all made possible by the wonderful support of our friends and neighbours.

THANK YOU!!

Mary and Peter Paine

Oil Syndicate

The next oil syndicate deadline, after 30 November, will be 31st January 2023. If you’ll need oil, please email jerrybassett@icloud.com, or call 765908 if you don’t have email, up to and including those dates.

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 December 2022 & January 2023

All services at 9.30am unless otherwise stated

4th December Holy Communion

11th December Café Church

Sat 17th December 6.30pm Carols on the Green

18th December Holy Communion

Tues 20th Dec 7.00pm Candlelit Carols - Gipping Chapel

Christmas Eve 9.00pm “Midnight” Holy Communion

Christmas Day NoServiceatStAndrew’s-pleasejoinusatGipping,Cottonor Wyverstone: 9.30am Communion - Gipping Chapel or 9.30am Family Service – Wyverstone, 10.30am Family Service - Cotton Church

Sunday 1st January No morning services

2.30pm Evensong, Gipping 6.30pm Party Service, Wyverstone

8th January Café Church

15th January Holy Communion

22nd January Morning Praise

29th January Benefice Service at St Andrew’s Forotherbeneficeservices,pleaseviewourFacebookpage.

Weekly Email and News – if you’d like to sign up to receive our weekly news email, please contact the Rector.

Christmas Services – you are welcome to any of the Christmas services. Please note, there is NO service at St Andrew’s on Christmas Day. Please join the service at Gipping, Wyverstone or Cotton.

Do come & join in our Carols on the Green on Saturday 17th December. We are invited afterwards for refreshments and a warm though at Wickham Place by kind invitation of John & Olivia Gardiner.

Would all our ‘decorators’ please have everything in place for the service on 18th and take things down whenever you’re ready after Christmas. Many thanks for all your efforts, they are greatly appreciated by everyone attending our festival services or visiting the church.

Village Star Hunt – Don’t forget to display a STAR in your window or garden from Sunday 27th November through to Christmas.

Christmas Experience – On Thursday 8th December, at Bacton Church, between 4pm-7pm, you can come and have marshmallows round the fire with the Shepherds, hot chocolate with the Angels and follow the star to the stable. Thetourlastsabout40minutes.Theeventisfree,donationswelcome. Noneedfortickets–justturnup!

Flower & Cleaning rota – there is still time to volunteer to join our rota, new people welcome, our volunteer numbers are dwindling - please let Liz Davidson know by December 12th (766622, eadavidson42@gmail.com). 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, just to 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

Dec 4th & 11th Mrs J Bryant & Mrs L Reinders

Dec 18th & 25th Miss M Jones-Evans & Mrs A Palmer

January dates on the new rota!

Rector’s Ramblings

The first Christmas was far from easy. Each part of the Christmas story is full of unexpected turns and twists, drama and horror. Young Mary trying to navigate her way through danger whilst protecting her baby. Joseph at the verge of being disgraced by his community for who he chose to marry. Herod on the war path. Wise Men sent packing – quickly! Shepherds scuttling into Bethlehem, probably fairly secretly so they didn’t get noticed.

And yet, we dress Christmas up to be all glitz and glam, tinsel and turkey. Indeed, it is right to do that – to put up the tree, to share presents and to eat too much! But beneath all of that is a real-life story – a real drama. Beneath it all is the story of our life dramas too – our relationships, our friendships, our problems, our fears for the future.

The first Christmas story was full of questions for the holy family. ‘What if…’ or ‘Should I…’ This year many of us will be facing questions like ‘how will I pay for Christmas this year?’ or ‘how will I be able to keep my family warm?’

The Christmas story is worth celebrating because it reminds us that beneath it all – beneath the decorations, beneath the presents, underlying all we are as a community and human beings – God reaches out to us in complete and utter love. He relates to human struggles and joys and he calls us to relate to him.

Do remember to reach out – to us, or another charity or foodbank, if you need some help.

The Rector, Wardens and PCCs of the Bacton Benefice wish you all a very Happy Christmas & Peaceful New Year

Revd Carl

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, 9th January 2023 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 b). To consider requests for dispensations.

3. To resolve that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 7th November 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

5.4.4. Defibrillator

6. Correspondence Received

7. Finance:

7.1.Current Financial position

7.2. Budget for FY23/24

7.3. Precept - to agree and sign the precept form

7.4. Invoices for Approval

8. Community Infrastructure Levy: To agree the design of the survey questionnaire

9. Planning Matters: to consider planning applications and note planning decisions received.

10. Working Parties: Village Green and the Grimmer. Update on a proposed zoned management plan for the Grimmer.

13. Matters for next agenda

14. Date of next meeting 13th January 2023

Lucinda Rogers, Clerk

MINUTES of the PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

held MONDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 2022 at the Village Hall, Wickham Skeith

Present: Cllrs T Thorogood (Chair), K Knights, R Palmer, J Keable, M Appleby. Clerk: L Rogers. County Cllr Stringer (part of the meeting); District Cllr: R Warboys. Also present: 1 member of the public.

1. 07/11/22: Apologies received from Cllr T Rowe

2. 07/11/22: a). To receive members’ Declarations of Interest on Agenda items. None received. b). To consider requests for dispensations. None received.

3. 07/11/22: The minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 5th September 2022 were approved.

4. 07/11/22: Village Forum. It was reported that a resident raised the possibility of extending the village hall kitchen

5. 07/11/22: To receive reports from County and District Councillors, Police, Parish Clerk and Parish Councillors.

5.107/11/22: SCC: Cllr Stringer’s report was received. A copy is available on the parish council website, along with these minutes. Cllr Stringer clarified that the cost-of-living leaflets were mostly digital with some circulated to libraries and other public outlets.

5.207/11/22: MSDC: Cllr Warboys’ report was received. A copy is available on the Council’s website, along with these minutes.

5.3and 5.4 07/11/22: Parish Clerk’s report (including Police report). There was no Clerk report, The Police website shows no incidents reported in Wickham Skeith up to August 2022

5.507/03/22: Parish Councillors, including:

5.5.1 07/11/22: Community Speed Watch. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to come to the village in January 2023. Cllr Appleby to inform the SID team.

5.5.2 07/11/22: General Data Protection Regulation. Nothing to report.

5.5.3 07/11/22: Community Emergency Plan. No update – waiting on the Clerk to arrange the plan review.

5.5.4 07/11/22: Defibrillator. Nothing to report

6 07/11/22: Correspondence Received. A summary of the correspondence received is available as part of the Clerk’s report on the Council website. Main points considered: None to be considered

7 07/11/22 Finance

7.1. 07/11/22 Asset Register to be updated – disposal of printer. Clerk to check laptop function.

7.2. 07/11/22 Invoices for Approval. insurance, village hall hire, Plusnet paid by direct debit, Internal auditor Hedges-Quinn £125+VAT

7.3. 07/11/22 clerk to update contact details for Precept information with Mid Suffolk District Council

8. 07/11/22: Planning Matters:

Mid Suffolk have received the Parish Council’s proposal for the new street name of Dodmans Pightle but have not confirmed acceptance

9. 07/11/22: CIL Spending:

It was agreed to carry out a survey via the newsletter in February to ascertain what residents would like to spend the money on in the village. Results to be discussed at the March meeting in readiness to share at the Annual Parish Meeting in May. Cllr Palmer to design the survey questionnaire

10 07/11/22: Working Parties: Village Green and the Grimmer.

The Biodiversity Officer for Mid Suffolk District Council visited the Grimmer with Cllr Appleby and said it was in good condition. He suggested dividing the pond into zones to assist future maintenance: The end by Jacks Barn for fishing, Shop end for amphibians with no fishing, coppice, on rotation, the scrub around the pond, not to let the bullrushes grow any further into the pond etc. Cllr Appleby to draw up a plan of the zones of the pond.

A discussion about moving the two litter bins closer to the road to aid collection took place. Clerk to check email on this matter.

11. 07/11/22: Matters for next agenda.

The budget and Precept for 2023 – 2024. CIL spending and newsletter questionnaire.

12. 07/11/22: Staff Matters

It was agreed to appoint Lucinda Rogers as Clerk from 7th November on scale point 11. Clerk to organise a contract.

13. 07/11/22: Next Meeting: Monday, 9th January 2023, 7.30pm, in the Village Hall. It was agreed to reduce the number of meetings to five each year and remain as the second Monday of the month

Other meeting dates for 2023: 9th January, 13th March, 8th May, 11th September and 13th November

Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2022

A big thank you for your generous support of this year’s poppy appeal. A fantastic amount collected for such a worthy charity. Money raised enables The Royal British Legion to support and help so many veterans, young and old, in times of difficulty after leaving the Armed Forces. I have a wonderful band of collectors, local businesses and schools to thank for their help in raising these funds. The Total for whole District £2540.00

And from wonderful Wickham Skeith - £693.59 + donations and wreaths. Jacquie Nash Poppy Appeal Organiser

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 –15th December 2022 and 12th January 2023

Follow the STAR

Star Trail 2022 – every household in the village is invited to display a STAR in their window, house or garden. It can be any kind of star – bright, lit up, decorated.

Display your STAR then hunt around the village to see how many STARS you can find!

Post photos of the STARS on the Bacton Benefice Facebook page @bactonbenefice *****

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

TREE SERVICES AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE