Bus Service to Stowmarket

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.  

New Grant from District Council

The Cosy Homes installation project  includes funding for loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and draft proofing works. For more information visit: https://www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/web/mid-suffolk/w/mid-suffolk-cosy-homes

Update on flood support payments

The District Council is currently contacting all householders who registered a flood onto the County Council  reporting tool. So no further action is needed as long as you reported that your property was flooded. Register here by end December if not done so: https://highwaysreporting.suffolk.gov.uk/

Wickham Skeith Oil Syndicate - how it works

Our oil scheme has been running for 13 years now and over that period has saved the village tens of thousands of pounds.  The vast majority of oil users in the village are already members but if you’re not and want to join, just drop me an email with 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

Before each of these dates I’ll place a reminder in the village newsletter and also send you an email reminder.  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 - eg 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