A note from your clerk – Alf Hicks Biscuit Barrel

It was with huge pleasure that Mike Lavelle presented Deirdre with the Alf Hicks Biscuit Barrel Award.

Deirdre was born in Wickhambrook and has been involved with village life for all of her life.  She has helped in the past with Jubilee celebrations and to raise funds to build the Pavilion, she has been helping with the Wickhambrook Carnival and Fete and Flower Show for the last thirteen years, and has been actively involved in the running of many of the village societies (such as the WI and Garden Club).

Somehow Deirdre found the time to work with Val Orange (2016 recipient of the Alf Hicks Award) in raising funds for MacMillan Cancer Support with an annual coffee morning, which started over 25 years ago, and ten years ago Deirdre took over the whole initiative.

These coffee mornings, with the usual excellent provision of cakes and pastries that Deirdre and her supporters create, have raised £27,800 over the years.

To put this in context, there are almost 3.5 million people living with cancer in the UK today, and more than 360,000 are diagnosed every year – someone you know may have called upon MacMillan for help.

Deirdre is also following in family footseps, her mum also having been awarded the Alf Hicks Biscuit Barrel – a real family link to the support of the lifestyle we all enjoy here in Wickhambrook.