Quick links

Hawstead on film:

To watch a short video made by Andy and Janet Taplin in support of our bid for Suffolk Village of the Year (2014), visit our Picture Gallery page. 

Parish council and other village information:

Including meeting minutes and agendas, visit our Documents page where you'll also find previous copies of the Village Voice and its predecessor, The Hawstead Journal.

Upcoming parish council and community council meetings. For all other village events and updates, take a look at our Events page.

Parish council meetings: 

The next Parish Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday 9th May 2024 7.30pm to follow the Annual Parish Meeting at 7pm.  The Agenda will be avaiable HERE nearer the time

Please note that archive material posted onto the website before 25 May 2018 may include limited personal data for which consent to publication has not been given.

The parish council wants to continue to make such material, which is of local interest, easily available to residents, but has not had the capacity to review the content fully.

Please contact the clerk to the council if you have any objection to your name or other personal data appearing in this archive material in order that it might be removed forthwith.

Hawstead Parish Council

E-mail

catherine.hibbert@hawstead-parish-council.co.uk
 

Or use our contact form.

Also on the Contacts page you'll find MAPS!

Welcome to our village website where we hope to keep you updated with local projects and events. Our website also includes historical information and data about Hawstead.

Please note that there is a separate website for village hall bookings: www.hawsteadvillagehall.co.uk

"The Hawstead Parish Council will work to make Hawstead an even better place in which to live."

John West - Former Chairman, Hawstead Parish Council

You can find Hawstead Parish Council objectives on our documents page: Hawstead documents

Elections 2 May - Poll Clerks Wanted

The West Suffolk elections team has some vacancies for poll clerks at the election being held on Thursday 2 May and would love to hear from you, or your friends or family, if you're interested in being involved.

Poll clerks are employed to work at a polling station in the West Suffolk area and support the presiding officer with the voting process, issuing ballot papers and making sure voting procedures are correctly followed. On election day, staff must have their polling station set up and ready to open for 7am, working through the day until after the polls close at 10pm. It’s paid employment and all staff receive training as part of their role.

More information on working at a polling station, and other election roles, along with a short application form (also attached to this email) is available on our website at Working at elections (westsuffolk.gov.uk)

If you are unable to work at this election but would like to be added to database in order to be notified of future elections, please complete the attached application form.

Please contact elections@westsuffolk.gov.uk if you would like more information.

Easter bin collections

Collections will be slightly later over Easter, the full table of changes can be seen here:www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/bins

Calling local history enthusiasts

Over the past three years an archaeological company has been conducting excavations in the field on the left of the road into Bury immediately beyond the last houses of the village.

They have annoucned that they’re coming again this summer and will be hosting open days and lectures.

For more information see: Prehistoric Suffolk - Past to Present Archaeology

Save the dates!

Get your diaries ready, upcoming Hawstead village events for 2024 include:

Sunday 12 May: Tractor rally in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Starts at Whepstead Community Centre. The procession will travel through villages collecting money, returning to Whepstead for lunch and drinks.

If you would like to join the rally please contact Richard Ford at rf1976@googlemail.com. It costs £10 to enter a vehicle.

The route is as planned:

Monday 13 May: Community Council AGM 5.30pm at the village hall.

Saturday 25 May: Hawstead plant fair at the village hall.

Saturday 6 July: Village BBQ

Sunday 1 September: Hawstead Fete.

Work on the pipeline continues along the Lawshall Road. For anyone that doesn't regularly drive that way, the project is well underway.

Most documents posted on this site are in PDF format. To view, you'll need Adobe Reader which you can download for free at Adobe.com

Connecting Communities - help with travel

This is a transport service provided by Suffolk County Council. Its aim is to help people get around the county who might otherwise struggle because of limited bus services. 

You can use the service to travel locally, whether that's to visit friends and family, go to the shops, or to get to school, college or work. 

To access the service, you'll need to call 01638 664304. The service runs from Monday to Saturday between 7am and 7pm.

You can find more information at Suffolk on Board, connecting communities  

Bus timetable updates

Suffolkonboard has updated some bus timetables. You can find updates at Suffolkonboard, timetable updates. 

The route from Hawstead is the 375. To see changes, click on the route number in the link above.

Here is also a PDF (correct as of 31 December 2023 for January 2024). Please refer to the Suffolkonboard website to check for any alterations if you're relying on this route. 

Anglian Water pipeline - UPDTAE

For news and updates about the pipeline works, please go to our Local News and Information page.  

A new pipeline will be constructed from North Lincolnshire to Essex and there may be some impact as of early 2024 when work begins. 

History recorder updates

You can view our history recorder's updates for 2022 at: History recorder reports

Village Voice

The latest issue of Hawstead's Village Voice is now available to download and read: Village Voice Spring Edition 2024

Regular Hawstead events

Regular events taking place at the village hall include (visit the Hawstead Village Hall site for details):

• Breathe Easy - every Tuesday at 9.15am
• Hawstead Carpet Bowls Club - every Tuesday at 7.30pm
• Rest and Reset - Wednesdays from 4.30pm, the session is 90 minutes and focuses on mindfulness and meditation (go to kalmerkarma.com for more details). 
• Fitness classes with Michelle - every Thursday between 7-8pm
• Saffron Yoga - every Thursday at 9.30am

Cost of living help: to find out what help you may be entitled to, visit:

• GOV.UK, help for households
• Suffolk.gov.uk, cost of living support

West Suffolk Council has also prepared this PDF information sheet for local residents:

Report a scam: if you think someone has called you to trick you into giving them your personal details or money, you should hang up and dial 159.  The number will enable you to speak to your bank directly, for more information and a list of the banks taking part, visit: Stop scams UK

Cyber security: if you're looking for more information about staying safe online, visit: Cyberhood watch, Avast

Identity theft and fraud: if you think you've been a victim of fraud or identity theft, you can report it at: Action fraud

You should also report any suspected phishing attempts to: Action fraud, phising 

Useful phone numbers (only dial 999 in a genuine emergency):

• Non-emergencies - call 101 or visit https://www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us/report-something
• Susipicious activity - call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or visit https://www.crimestoppers.org.uk/
• Cold callers - call Suffolk Trading Standards 0808 223 1133
• Fraud - call Action Fraud 0300 123 2040
• Scam texts - forward to 7726