Whatfield

Whatfield
240px St. Margarets Church
Whatfield  Whatfield shown within Suffolk
Population	335 (2011)
OS grid reference	TM025464
District	Babergh
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Ipswich
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
List of places UK England Suffolk

Whatfield is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Located around two miles north of Hadleigh, it is part of Babergh district. The Calves Wood, a County Wildlife Site (CWS) in the north of the parish is classed as Ancient Woodland, whilst the parish's south-western border is delineated by the River Brett. The Parish Council holds two meadows and a piece of rough woodland in trust for the villagers. The woodland is on the left-hand side of a pleasant walk down to the river Brett.

The first meadow, known as Buckle's Meadow, or Buckledees Meadow by some older parishioners, was purchased in the 1960s with money raised in the village and a grant. It is a county wildlife site. Access is by public footpath from Rectory Road.

The second meadow, also accessible by public footpath, is called Hunty's Vale. It was the kind gift to the village by the sisters Edith and Francis Vale who were parishioners. A programme of conservation is on-going to maintain and improve the area for plants, animals and birds as well as being a pleasant place to walk.

The village was awarded the title Suffolk Village of the Year 2014 in a competition organised by SALC, Suffolk Radio, EADT and Network Power to acknowledge the community spirit amongst the residents of this small village and how Whatfield CEVCP School integrates with the village.

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons