Geoff Homan

Joy would like to thank you all for the love and support shown to her and the family following Geoff’s death.

It was wonderful and heart-warming to see how the village came together to decorate the church with beautiful flowers for the funeral, and for the generous catering for the reception afterwards.

We will always be grateful.

Thank you.

Oil Syndicate - another record-breaking year

Our oil scheme has been running for 12 years now and is used by around two thirds of the households in the village.  It grows every year and this past 12 months we ordered more oil than ever before - 113,000 litres.  And, thanks to the brilliant support, we were once again able to strike excellent deals with the oil companies and collectively save ourselves thousands of pounds.  If you’re not already a member and want to join, just drop me an email with your contact details or give me a call if you don’t have email.

There’ll be five opportunities to place orders over the next 12 months.

On or before:

-  30 September

-  30 November

-  31 January

-  31 March

-  30 June

I’ll place a reminder in the village newsletter and also send you an email reminder around two weeks before each of these dates.  Then let me know by email (or phone) that you’d like to be included in the next order. I’ll need to know:

- address and telephone number(s) - unless you’ve ordered before

- quantity required (min 500 litres)

- any special instructions - e.g. concerning delivery

Within a couple of days of the above dates, a bulk order will be placed with the oil company which offers the best deal, which is usually several pence per litre lower than the price available to customers who order individually.  I'll let you know the same day:
- the name of the company

- price

- expected delivery date

- the company's contact details in case you need to speak to them directly

I'll pass your address and phone numbers to the company which will contact you (but normally only if you don't already have an account with them) and they’ll bill you directly.

If you've any questions please ring Jerry on 765908 or email jerrybassett@icloud.com     

Nature Notes

Autumn approaches and the swifts have left. Videos show 18,000 of them streaming across the Alps in mid-August. Cuckoos have already arrived in their wintering grounds in Africa. The last of the swallows and house martins are seen over the stubbles and the village green and there are still chiffchaffs fattening up on insects before they too fly south.

In early September look out for dragonflies hawking along Swan Lane and round the Green – Emperor and Southern Hawker dragonflies have both been seen as well as Common Darter.

There are Cinnabar Moth caterpillars on the ragwort and I met a hairy caterpillar of the White Ermine Moth in Swan Lane.

Has anyone seen a hedgehog in Wickham Skeith?

Looking for something to do? 

The brightly lit neonatal baby unit in Norwich are using quilts to cover the incubators and make them darker at night.

They also need blankets made with a close knit stitch to wrap the babies in.

Any donations of both these items would be very welcome.  For measurements and further details ring Sue on 766222. 

Village Crafts

Jams and Chutneys

Thank you so much to everyone who has bought jam, chutney and mint jelly to raise funds for the church. You have been brilliant and I have sold out twice!

If anyone would be interested in a Mary Berry mincemeat for the freezer do get in touch with me on 01449 767121.

Face Coverings

Jos has asked me to say that she is happy to make more of her beautiful, comfortable face masks for a donation to the church and thanks all her customers for the money raised for the church. Phone her on 01449 766219

Greeting Cards

Liz Davidson is a card-maker who would like you to buy her cards for church funds. She has birthday, general and Christmas cards, all handmade. The cards may be seen at Liz’s home at the moment and she will not be offended if you don’t buy! Phone her on 01449 766622

The sale of jams and face coverings raised another £137 for St Andrew’s Church this month . THANK YOU.

Please stay safe everyone – with love and thanks from Margaret Jones-Evans 01449 767121

Welcome to our village

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all those who have recently moved into our village. We hope that you will soon settle in and be very happy here.

We hope to meet you all over the next couple of months at the various events so please take a look through our calendar and come along or contact the various people whose details are given.

Jessie’s Wood

The gates for Jessie’s Wood are now in place - one at each entrance. 

We hope they will deter potential fly tippers.

We have done this reluctantly but feel that we must protect this special place.

However we continue to encourage walkers, dog walkers and horse riders, and those looking for some peace and tranquillity to go round the gates and into the wood.

We hope you understand.         Joy and Geoff

The Churchyard

After many years when volunteers maintained our churchyards so beautifully they have had to withdraw and we are very sorry to lose them. A contractor has been employed and has begun to mow and strim the churchyards fortnightly. Of course this has a cost to it, but we feel that the churchyards are important.

If any villagers would like to contribute towards this cost the PCC would be very grateful –offers to Liz Davidson 01449 766622 please.

If there are any villagers who would be prepared to mow and strim the churchyard in 2020 fortnightly I’d be very glad to hear from them.

Thank you – Margaret

Mobile Library Service

Suffolk County Council’s mobile library van calls in the village every four weeks for you to collect, return and renew books and DVDs. Its nominated stop is in The Street. There has been some interest in the van stopping in the layby by the Chalet Bungalows. The Library Service is prepared to make an extra stop but it would need some timetabling changes. Please let me know before their next visit on 9 May if you would be interested in using this service. If there is sufficient interest, the changes could be introduced from July. Thank you. Melinda Appleby. 01449 766879 or mappleby@tiscali.co.uk

Orchards

The traditional orchards of the East of England are coming under scrutiny in a new Heritage Lottery funded landscape project. Orchards are an integral part of our historic landscape, but have been relatively poorly researched. They are important for landscape and biodiversity as well as being valuable to people and their local environment. The project team, based at the University of East Anglia, will survey and record traditional orchards, and research the history of fruit growing in the region. The project will also involve the restoration of important old orchards, and the creation of entirely new ones. It builds on the recent work of the Suffolk Traditional Orchards Group.

As part of the project, volunteers are asked to survey their parish for any remaining old orchards. What orchards still exist and what fruit varieties do they contain? Over the late summer and autumn I will be around the village recording any orchards that survive and asking to record which fruit varieties still grow there. If you would like further information, would like to help with the survey or talk to me about an old orchard that you own, please contact me on mappleby@tiscali.co.uk

After the survey, the Parish Council will give further consideration to the plan to create a new community orchard on the Little Green. Thank you – Melinda Appleby

Oil Syndicate - another record-breaking year

Our oil scheme has been running for 12 years now and is used by around two thirds of the households in the village.  It grows every year and this past 12 months we ordered more oil than ever before - 113,000 litres.  And, thanks to the brilliant support, we were once again able to strike excellent deals with the oil companies and collectively save ourselves thousands of pounds.  If you’re not already a member and want to join, just drop me an email with your contact details or give me a call if you don’t have email.

There’ll be five opportunities to place orders over the next 12 months.

On or before:

-  30 September

-  30 November

-  31 January

-  31 March

-  30 June

I’ll place a reminder in the village newsletter and also send you an email reminder around two weeks before each of these dates.  Then let me know by email (or phone) that you’d like to be included in the next order. I’ll need to know:

- address and telephone number(s) - unless you’ve ordered before

- quantity required (min 500 litres)

- any special instructions - e.g. concerning delivery

Within a couple of days of the above dates, a bulk order will be placed with the oil company which offers the best deal, which is usually several pence per litre lower than the price available to customers who order individually.  I'll let you know the same day:
- the name of the company

- price

- expected delivery date

- the company's contact details in case you need to speak to them directly

I'll pass your address and phone numbers to the company which will contact you (but normally only if you don't already have an account with them) and they’ll bill you directly.

If you've any questions please ring Jerry on 765908 or email jerrybassett@icloud.com