See, also, Neighbour's Events at Occold, Debenham, Pettaugh, Redlingfield, Thornham and Thorndon.
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All in the Village Hall unless otherwise stated.
February 2025
Thursday 6th Mobile Library 2 stops @ 9.50 and 10.10am Saturday 8th Crafternoon 2-4pm Tuesday 11th Hilltop Women’s Group 7.45pm Wednesday 12th Lunch Club 12 for 12.30pm Advance Bookings Only Wednesday 12th Country Dance Club 7pm Wednesday 19th Sarah Friswell: The Development of St Edmundsbury Cathedral 7.45 Tuesday 25th Village Afternoon Tea 2-4pm
March 2025
Saturday 1st Pub Night with Table Tennis & Darts 7pm Thursday 6th Mobile Library 2 stops @ 9.50 and 10.10am Monday 10th Parish Council All Welcome 7.30pm Saturday 15th Curry Night 7pm Advance Bookings Only
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My dear old dad gently slept his way into the next life early in the morning of Thursday 23rd January.
He had an amazing life and only missed his 100th birthday by a few months. He will be sadly missed.
November Quiz Night – 23/11/2024
Once again, many thanks to Nigel for producing a great annual quiz. The cold platter provided by Graham at the interval was welcomed by all. A thoroughly enjoyable evening.
December Pub Night – 14/12/2024
Unfortunately, the “Strictly Final” being shown on the large screen did not prove as popular as had been hoped. The event was poorly attended but all those who came had fun. It was also very good to welcome two new families to a Village Hall event.
Christmas Afternoon Tea – 17/12/2024
What an enjoyable event to start off the festive season! A special tea of Christmas fayre including smoked salmon sandwiches, delicious mince pies, stollen and Christmas cake were consumed. Jenny’s Christmas quiz was much appreciated and there was such a lovely joyous atmosphere in the Hall.
Plum Pudding Walk – 28/12/2024
This event was very well supported and all were welcomed with mulled wine on arrival.
Simon had kindly planned two walks, one shorter than the other. The weather was kind to us as we chatted to each other in the fresh air. Once back in the Hall, we enjoyed a variety of hot homemade soups with tasty baguettes. It was an event that truly highlighted the warmth, uniqueness and community spirit of Wickham Skeith.
Tuesday, 25th February 2025 - 2pm-4pm
Afternoon Tea - £3.50
All are invited, dogs included. Bottomless tea and coffee plus plenty of cakes and sandwiches for you to savour. Opportunities to win prizes from quizzes and games or just pop in for a chat and enjoy the company.
Hope to see you there. The more the merrier.
A big thank you to Jenny Elphick, who has been successful in obtaining a Living Well in Winter Grant from MSDC. This will enable the Village Hall to purchase various items such as an extra storage cupboard, additional catering equipment, more cake stands and some larger card tables.
Toads are very particular about where they breed and often migrate back to their ancestral breeding ponds. They follow the same route, regardless of what gets in their way, which in Wickham Skeith leads to them crossing roads around the Grimmer. We get a toad vs traffic scenario and the toads inevitably come off worse.
With spring arriving and the weather turning milder, volunteers from Wickham Skeith are gearing up to visit the site during February and March, depending on weather. We will carry toads over the busy road to help them reach the pond.
The toad is experiencing declines in the UK of nearly 70% in the last 30 years. Our village population has declined from an annual count of over 1400 helped, to a couple of hundred. Toad migrations can start anytime between late January and March so we will check the local weather forecast for the first run of consistently mild (>5°C), wet nights.
Help keep our village clean by joining the March Litter Pick starting at 9.30am from the Village Hall. Check for the date nearer the time but 22nd March has been pencilled in. All equipment and litter bags provided. Volunteers are usually directed in twos and threes along different routes. Meet back at the village hall where our County Councillor will collect all litter together and remove for safe disposal.
van stops in the lay-by outside the chalet bungalows, from 9.50 to 10.05am. Then outside Haymead House in The Street from 10.10 to 10.25.
Next visits: 6th February and 6th March 2025.
THE WICKHAM SKEITH COUNTRY DANCE CLUB
I was fully expecting to have too few dancers to do anything when we met in January as the weather was appalling. But we managed to have 12 dancers which means I had a nice choice in dances. We are working up to more ‘club’ type dances and we achieved that! These tend to be slightly more complicated than you would get at a barn dance and I was very happy when everyone asked to go over one of the dances again as they wanted to get it right. This is the sort of thing a dance club does and it was lovely to have input from the club ‘members.’ I felt it was a lovely evening and we even had another musician come along and join in.
We have been given a small amount of money from the Village Hall committee via the Living Well in Winter grant which will be used to obtain identification bands so we know one side of the set from the other and to pay for more advertising. I am going to get some A5 leaflets printed up to be put up locally and given out at events etc.
We desperately need more people to come along and from March we will be changing to the third Wednesday of the month so it does not clash with the Village Lunch. So, no excuses anymore! You do not need any experience or special equipment. The evening is about keeping fit, keeping warm, meeting new people, learning a new skill and above all having fun! Also, musicians of all types are very welcome; Steve is getting lonely!
We meet at the Village Hall from 7pm. Next dance nights:
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.
Next Crafternoon on Saturday 8th February 2025 2-4pm
Entry: £2.50 per person (inc. tea/coffee/biscuits).
HELP TO HEAT YOUR HOME
Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk Free energy advice and support to help you pay
your bills, top up your prepayment meter and apply for charitable support. Visit
www.midsuffolkcab.org.uk or call 01449 676 060
Local Welfare Assistance A grant for people struggling with the cost of
essentials. Visit www.suffolk.gov.uk/LWAS for more information and to apply.
Surviving Winter Financial support for people over pension age to help with
fuel costs. Eligibility criteria apply, visit www.suffolkcf.org.uk/surviving-winter-
appeal or contact Sudbury Citizens Advice on 01787 321 400.
Oil loans - Eastern Savings and Loan Credit Union offer interest-free loans of £500 to help spread the upfront cost of oil and LPG. To become a member and apply visit www.eslcu.co.uk or call 03336 000690. Subject to a manual decision process, affordability, and a credit check.
Visit www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/energy-fuel-and-utilities for more resources to help you keep fuel and utility costs down. If you would prefer to speak to someone, you can contact our Customer Services team on 0300 123 4 000, option 7 to discuss your situation and find local organisations available to support you.
A WhatsApp group has been set up to share wildlife sightings.
The caterpillar is that of the Grey Dagger Moth – a common moth in England -named from its dagger like markings. The caterpillar has red markings and a black ‘hump’ on its back close to the head. It feeds on blackthorn, hawthorn, apple and birch.
We look forward to seeing you there.
As we do our Christmas shopping this year, spare a thought for those less fortunate than us.
Every Wednesday from 5-6pm, Francesca offers physiotherapist-led Pilates at the village hall.
Pilates is an excellent form of low-impact exercise, that helps to strengthen not only the core, but the whole body and mind, too.
Suitable for mixed abilities; the only necessity is that you can comfortably get on/off the floor.
For queries or booking details, please contact Francesca: francescadavey@outlook.com
Wickham Skeith Oil Syndicate
The next order deadline is 31 March.
If you need any oil, please email jerrybassett@icloud.com or, if you’ve no access to email, call 07918 028621
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The SID in The Street was recently vandalised. It is working again. Parish Council points out that the SID does not record registration numbers so vandalising this advisory device achieves nothing.
A bus service, VC001, runs 3 x week to Stowmarket and villages on the way [Mon, Weds & Fri @ 9.52am]. It is operated by Stowmarket Minibus & Coach Hire [01449 614271]. The minibus (white and labelled on windscreen 'VC001') comes to the village green by the post box. People wishing to travel should hail it. Apparently, no-one usually gets on in Wickham Skeith so the driver is not expecting to pick up! The driver is not supposed to arrive too early in case people miss it, so be patient if he is very slightly later! Timings were pretty accurate overall. It is a sixteen-seater bus and will arrive from the direction of Finningham, heading in the direction of Mendlesham.
To Stowmarket the cost is £3.70 return or £2.00 single and paid by 'cashless' card transaction or cash. To catch the bus back from Stowmarket, you need to wait at the bus stop opposite Stowmarket railway station, on the bend near the level crossing. There are other pick-up points and the driver was quite accommodating to the needs of individual passengers.
There is enough time to have a good potter around the town and perhaps a cafe stop too, before the return journey. The bus also stops at Mendlesham, Mendlesham Green and The Crown, so could be useful for someone who wants to meet up with a friend but not able to drive.
Since the bus starts at Gislingham and goes to Finningham, then to us, you could do the journey in the other direction. This could be useful for anyone wishing to bus out and walk back. No dogs allowed on board due to limited space, however.
Passengers were a friendly crowd; there was one conversation between all - and you get to find out all the local news! Worth supporting.
A bus service, VC1, runs 3 x week from the village to Stowmarket and villages on the way. It is operated by Stowmarket Minibus & Coach Hire. It departs from the post-box on the Green at 9.52am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, arriving Stowmarket Crown 10.12 & railway station at 10.22. Return journey leaves from near Stowmarket Railway Station at 13.04 arriving in the village at 13.34.
If wishing to travel please check details as your Editor has found it difficult to get hold of information. Company Phone No. 01449 711 117. Best link here:
https://www.suffolkonboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-09-02-Stowmarket-MCH-VC001.pdf
59 Club
The 59 Club is a fun way to support your Village Hall. There are now only 3 numbers available – if you are interested, please contact me for further information. Members pay £1 per week in advance, preferably by annual or quarterly standing order. They are allocated a number & if that number is drawn as the bonus ball in the National Lottery Saturday draw, they win £30. Recent winning numbers: Nov – 17; Dec – 18, 3, 8, 55; Jan – 28, 57, 46. Pete Davidson pjdavidson42@gmail.com
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Would you like the opportunity to join a local gardening club, discover many
interesting and unusual facts about what lives and grows in our back gardens,
and enjoy some excursions to gardens and places of interest in East Anglia?
Stoke Ash Gardening Club is looking for new members to join us. Last year's
programme was very much arranged month by month but we have a whole
programme planned for 2025.
We meet on the fourth Monday of the month (except on Bank Holidays) at 7.30pm
in Stoke Ash Village Hall. During the summer months, we enjoy outings and
visits.
Our programme for the first half of the year:
Membership is just £15 per year and £2 subs per meeting. We also have a
raffle. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Val Lane or Geoff
Tancred on 01379 678568
Membership is just £15 per year and £2 subs per meeting. We also have a
raffle. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Val Lane or Geoff
Tancred on 01379 678568
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Village DefibrillatorAs villagers will be aware our defibrillator was used over the Easter weekend. This sad event has highlighted the importance of this piece of equipment to the village. So, I thought I would remind people about the device.
Defibrillator GuardianI am the Guardian of the defibrillator and as such am responsible for the upkeep of the device and ensuring that it is ready for use. Please contact me if there any problems regarding the defibrillator or if you have any questions. My contact details are: Julie Keable, Hawthorn Cottage, The Street, Wickham Skeith. Tel. 01449 766771 or 07724577383
My contact details will now be in the village Newsletter every month.
Location of DefibrillatorThe cabinet containing the defibrillator is on the external wall of the village hall (next to the car park and emergency exit).
In the event of an emergency - DIAL 999
They will ask you for the cabinet number – 2336 and Postcode – IP23 8LX
These numbers are also on the outside of the defibrillator cabinet. The 999 service will then give you the access code to allow you to open the cabinet. The defibrillator is portable and so can be taken to wherever it is needed.
999 will talk you through how to use the device and, once switched on, the device will also give you verbal and visual instructions.
You do not need training to use the device and once the pads are attached it will tell you when to shock and if NOT to shock.
The defibrillator cabinet also contains a defibrillator responder’s kit, which has cleansing wipes, tissues, disposable gloves, a razor, scissors for cutting clothing and a res-Cue mask if it is needed for CPR.
AFTER USE Please let me know the defibrillator has been used and return it to me. If I am not in leave me a message and, if possible, give the defibrillator to another member of the Parish Council.
DO NOT let the emergency services take the defibrillator with them. I have spare pads and can get the device fully working again. Thank you. Julie Keable
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