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Crime updates for May

See the latest updates on crime incidents affecting Wickhambrook and the surrounding areas...

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Take a look at all the items we have for sale and see if you can find yourself a bargain. You can also post requests for items you are looking for.  It's free and we have sold lots of items over the years from cars to sofas!

For Sale 2 bikes excellent condition and 2 pairs of curtains like new - bargains!

more info...

PDF Files

You will need the Adobe Reader to view some documents on the website. You can download it for FREE from the Adobe Website

I'm Philippa Taylor and I'm BBC Radio Suffolk's West Suffolk producer. It's my job to search out stories that will be of interest to the county - so if there's an issue that's got you talking in Wickhambrook - then contact me. You can email me - philippa.taylor@bbc.co.uk - or ring me on 01359 271865.

Did you know that each day we broadcast a What's On diary for charity and community events too? Just give us ten days notice in writing - with contact details and useful information like wheelchair accessibility - and your event will be advertised free of charge. Phone our receptionists on 01473 250000 if you'd like to know more or check out our Suffolk website.

Wickhambrook News and Events

Annual Parish Meeting
Thursday 16th May

The Annual Parish meeting has been been arranged for Thursday 16th of May and will be held in the MSC Pavilion starting at 7.30pm where various organisations will provide a short report on the previous year.

Bring and Buy
20 May 2013

Bring along your plants and vegetables. Great event for building up plants in your garden. Plants generally range from 10p up to about £2.50.

Hidden Gardens of Bury St Edmunds
16th June 2013

New hidden gardens to discover in 2013 The Hidden Gardens of Bury, the annual event which raises money for St Nicholas Hospice Care, will be held on Sunday 16 June. Of the 32 gardens included this year, one third are taking part for the first time or are regular supporters opening again after a break. All the gardens featured are within walking distance of each other in the heart of Bury St Edmunds and are hidden behind high walls, houses or businesses bordering the historic streets.

Many gardens will be offering teas and refreshments or have plants and produce for sale and four churches or chapels will be open for visitors who want to eat their lunch or take a rest. The Hidden Gardens has raised more than £270,000 for the hospice which serves West Suffolk.

The event is open from 11am to 5pm and tickets will be available in advance from the Tourist Information Centre in Bury St Edmunds from mid April or the Angel Hill on the day.  View the poster

Lidgate Open Gardens
Sunday 23 June 2013

19 Gardens open.  Unveiling of the official plaque to John de Lydgate, paella-fest at the Lidgate Star, craft stalls, table top sales, tea/coffee, bacon rolls and cakes plus a giant raffle.  All proceeds to go to Lidgate Village Hall Restoration.  Garden entry £5 for adults, children under 8 free and 8 - 16 year olds £2.50.  10am - 5pm - a great day out.  See poster

Wickhambrook Flower Show and Events
13 July 2013 - starts 2pm

Come along to the annual Wickhambrook Flower Show at the MSC Hall with Carnival and other great events at the Recreation Grounds.

Speed Limit on the A143

Read the latest on the speeding campaign in the EADT.  The campaigners have joined with Wickham Street who are also campaigning to have their speed limit reduced to matched Chedburgh.  Please sign the Petition here.  You can also join us or find out more by looking for SaferA143 on Twitter and Facebook.

Photo of the Month - May

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Update 10.05.2013

Suffolk County Council have agreed to postpone any further action by the Council Council until the 15th of June to enable the Residents Group to obtain Counsel's Opinion.  They have also agreed to arrange a meeting with the Residents Group, Matthew Hancock MP, Mary Evans and the Borough once Opinion has been received.

URGENT APPEAL

Kelly's Meadow Action Group

Over the last 5 years we have been fighting to prevent the development of six plots for 3 Caravans per plot. During this time we have spent over £20,000 fight the council over this development. Permission was granted approx. 2 years ago by moving the entrance to the north end of the site, however this is dependent on the developer ( St Eds Council) having full control of the sightlines for the vehicle entrance. We have disputed this strongly as the sightline north passes over ground and a ditch which we maintain is owned by the adjoining land owner.

The Council have now spent well in excess £150,000 of tax payer's funds to force this through, include a Barrister Opinion re the land and 2 extensive surveys. They have still not been able to conclusively prove ownership and control of the sightline despite this huge expenditure and will neither meet with us nor give us sight of their Barrister's opinion. This to us indicates that they are far from confident of their position and cannot proceed with the development until this matter is resolved.

As of Thursday last week we find ourselves in the invidious position that the council is prepared to go to court ( with a possible cost of £50,000) to get a judge to decide who is the owner of the land. We have already written to the council with our own report which clearly proves the ownership is with the adjoining landowner, however if we do not contest this then the development will go ahead.

To fight this we desperately need funds which must be raised over the next 10 days if we are to continue the fight.

We need to raise £9000 in order to obtain our own Barrister's opinion, this will provide us with the % chance of success if we continue. We are also hopeful that if we obtain a strong opinion then we persuade the council to meet.

If this development goes ahead this may have a profound effect on the value of our houses, particularly if the council fail to control the size of the site.

If you decide to support us in the fight please make your cheques payable to Kelly's Meadow Fund C/O PO Box 62 Newmarket Suffolk, CB8 9YH.

Alternatively if you would like to pay electronically the bank details are:-

NatWest, High St, Newmarket
Sort code : 60 15 47
Account Number : 70568529
Name of Account : Kelly's Meadow Fund

If you do decide to support the cause could you please respond to kellysactiongroup@wickhambrook.org and secondly could you please forward this information by email on to anyone else that you feel might be interested.

The Kelly's Meadow Action group was formed approx 5 years ago to represent villagers who were concerned about the council's proposed plans for Kelly's Meadows.

[Please note this is an appeal by the Kellys Meadow Action Group and is published on the website for general information purposes.  The group is an independent group of people not associated with the Parish Council or the Wickhambrook website.]

EADT AWARDS

Medium/Large Business of the Year

Medium/Large Business of the Year category of the EADT Business Awards, sponsored by Larking Gowen.

The award is open to any business with an annual turnover exceeding £1million, with the judges looking for:
• Growth in sales and profitability over the past three years
• Details of the strategies through which this growth has been achieved
• Evidence of best practice in HR and recruitment
• A commitment to staff training and develop
• Details of corporate social responsibility strategies in areas such as the environment, community engagement and support for charities

If you believe your business has what it takes, enter the Medium/Large Business of the Year award here ››

Customer Care

Customer Care category, sponsored by Greater Anglia. The judges will be looking for evidence of a passion for delivering excellent customer service, including:
• A clear focus on customers' needs
• Examples of customer-drive initiatives designed to raise service standards
• Evidence of a measurable increase in customer satisfaction
• Examples of how employees are consistently doing their best for customers
• Evidence of a commitment to continuous improvement

If you think your business can measure up, enter the Customer Care award here ››

Family Business

Family Business award, sponsored by Birketts.

The judges for this award will be looking for family-owned businesses (including first-generation businesses) which can demonstrate excellence in the following areas:
• Business structure, including succession planning and conflict resolution
• Promotion and marketing
• Employee development
• Strategy – how is success measured and is there a clear vision for the future?
• Financial results (copies of the current balance sheet and profit and loss accounts for the past two years are required)

Enter your business for the Family Business award here ››

Young Business Person

Also featured will be the Young Business Person award, sponsored by Suffolk New College.

This award is open to individuals born after July 4, 1978, with the judges looking for someone who has demonstrated exceptional vision and leadership, either in running his or her own business or in a managerial position within a larger company.

Among the areas in which the judges will be seeking evidence are:
• Personal – a personal biography, demonstrating experience gained and training and initiatives undertaken
• Business Flair – examples of how your skills are used to best effect and how the resulting benefits can be demonstrated
• Success – what success has been achieved and how do you measure this?
• Development – evidence of exceptional entrepreneurship, vision and leadership
• Forward Planning – clear identification of a market opportunity or innovation and evidence of strong financial outcome

Enter your business for the Young Business Person award here ››

›› Don't forget to pre-register for your tickets today!

Could you be in line to join our stellar list of past winners?

If you have any useful information to add or notice anything incorrect about this page, please contact the Webmaster - it is very much appreciated.

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