Andy Merrick is cycling to John O'Groats
March 2008:

Andy Merrick, one of Suckley's postmen, is cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for Worcestershire's Air Ambulance and for Sport Relief ... and it's not too late to pledge your donation ... here.

The 1,000 mile ride by Andy and two friends - Julian and Mike - began at the start of the Easter weekend on Friday 21 March 2008 at Land's End. On day 3 they called in at The Royal Oak at Leigh Sinton. They expect to arrive at John O'Groats this coming Sunday. You can read (and see) further details here.

Footpath bridge damage
November 2007:

Most of the extensive damage caused by the unusually high July 2007 floods has now been repaired. Suckley Parish Council received a report at its 13 November 2007 meeting from Richard Harward, however, stating that footpath bridges are still down at Nightingales' Bower, Grove Hill and below Cedar Lawn. He has repaired and resigned various footpaths and has mended or replaced various footpath 'furniture' including pedestrian gates, stiles and finger posts. Richard Harward has also attended a one-day course on the identification, mapping and management of ancient trees. If you have or know of ancient trees in the parish, please get in touch with Richard.

Church tower repair work
October 2007:

The Suckley Church tower appeal launched in 2006 has raised its 65,000 pounds. Work has begun and is expected to continue until January or February 2008. In the meantime costs have gone up, and the total cost of the project has increased to 70,000 pounds. So another 5,000 pounds needs to be raised. If you can help with fund raising, please use the link above for contact details.

Worst floods ever?
July 2007:

20 July 2007 saw what might turn out to be Suckley's worst floods ever, and it's still raining (and looks set to continue into the night, with the flood waters still rising)!

Pictured above, Roger Blackburn (in orange) from Suckley Post Office, after an attempt to rescue residents from a cottage near Batchelors' Bridge, on the edge of a Longley Green cut off to all but high wheel-arch traffic.

If you have any photos of Suckley or the floods which you want to share, our new forum, just launched, allows uploading of photos.

Suckley Post Office
June 2007:

Suckley Parish Council has written to Malvern Hills District Council stating its concern about the possible closure of Suckley Post Office and rural post offices generally. A reply has been received stating that MHDC will await government announcements (now postponed from June until September) and then determine what action should be taken. County Councillor Clive Smith and the new District Councillors are also voicing concerns at a higher level and will be backing campaigns to stop the closures.

New Parish Councillors
June 2007:

Following Suckley Parish Council elections in May, Michael Jackson has been elected as a new Parish Councillor and David Hughes and Anthony Warburton have been elected as new District Councillors.

'Aspects of Suckley'
March 2007:

Suckley Local History Society launched its new book, Aspects of Suckley, available at £7.50 (£6.50 to members), at the season's first open meeting on Thursday 19 October 2006. Due to unexpectedly high interest, the book sold out, but more copies have been printed and these are now available from Suckley and Alfrick Post Offices, or direct from the Society's Chairman, Richard Harward (884611).

Since the Society was formed over five years ago, many members have attended courses at the Record Office in Worcester or in the village hall to research various aspects of Suckley's past. A few members also formed an oral group to try to obtain tape recordings from local residents who remember the area in years gone by. The result of this work is a book of fourteen chapters - over 112 pages - with many illustrations. The subject of the chapters varies from 'Suckley School' to 'Tippling in Suckley' and also includes transcripts of several of the tape recordings.

Sphere Bus
March 2007:

The taxi bus service is being used, but not nearly enough to warrant further funding to keep it going after March 2007. Suckley Parish Council is hoping that a way will be found to keep the service running, but in the meantime, please use it as much as possible, so that the service can continue to run. Further details.

Thank You from the Carol Singers
January 2007:

A big thank you to everyone who contributed to making the carol singing in Suckley (on Saturday 16 December 2006) a welcome success. Thanks to the generosity of Rev Andrew Bullock and his son, to visiting singers from London, to Suckley parishioners and to customers at The Nelson and The Cross Keys, we raised 120 pounds for the Suckley Church Tower Appeal. A special thank you to Jim and Michelle and to Rod and Belinda for welcoming refreshments!

Councillor vacancy
October 2006:

Marnie Caine resigned from Suckley Parish Council at the meeting on 9 May 2006, and the Chairman and Councillors agreed that her resignation was a great loss to the council and that she would be greatly missed.

Three applications were received for the vacancy, and after a paper vote, Mrs Rosemary Harward was selected by an absolute majority. More elections take place in April 2007, and the council hopes that the unsuccessful applicants will be reapply then.

Richard Lewis
July 2006:

Richard Lewis from Suckley cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats in May 2006 to raise funds for the new St Richard's Hospice, which is currently being built and is due to open for patients in Autumn 2006. The building will include all the current free services, plus fifteen specialist hospice beds, desperately needed, but not currently available in this area. 2.8 million pounds is needed, annually, to provide specialist care and support for patients and their families.

Richard has been cycling to work at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and back for a couple of years, and his regular weekly commute of about 125 miles by bicycle helped to ensure he was in shape for the ride.

He has been a governor of St Richard's for the same length of time, and Vice Chairman for the past seven years. During this time he has seen the hospice grow from very humble beginnings to the current exciting stage of opening a new 5.25 million pound bedded unit in the autumn. Although there has been huge growth in the work of the hospice, the philosophy behind the care has remained the same. This is a total dedicated commitment to the patients and their families.

The trip was dedicated to Desi Green MBE, the much-loved district nurse working in Knightwick and Great Witley, a family friend and former hospice patient, who died in September 2005. She touched the hearts of so many people she came into contact with. Desi's husband John was road manager for the cycle trip.

Richard would like to thank everyone who has helped him exceed his target of 10,000 pounds. Money is still flowing in - over 14,000 pounds collected already, and if you can add more to his sponsorship of the Hospice, his address is Crews Court, Suckley, Worcestershire, WR6 5DW.

Church Tower appeal
April 2006:

An appeal to raise 65,000 pounds for a full restoration of Suckley Church tower was launched at the Easter Day service on 16 April 2006. Read full details here.

Post Office website
February 2006:

Barbara and Roger Blackburn have launched a new website for their business, Suckley Post Office and Stores. The new site is at www.suckleypo.co.uk

The site is part of a campaign to increase awareness of the services provided by the Blackburns' business, and includes a community noticeboard with classified ads and a complete list of films available for hire on DVD.

Check out the news section for alarming details of the gradual withdrawal of government support for rural post offices, the latest blow being that over-the-counter payment of benefits might cease.

Please support Suckley's Post Office and Stores by using as many of the services available as you can. Most household bills can be paid at the Post Office by cash, cheque or debit card. Commission is free on all foreign currency and buying back is free of charge. Travel insurance, personal loans and car insurance are available at excellent rates. Personal banking is available for customers of Alliance and Leicester, Lloyds TSB, Co-op, Barclays and Cahoot, including cashing of cheques and making deposits.