NEWS HEADLINES (from February 2018)
Monthly Wildlife Walks, July & August 2022 - IMPORTANT : updated 16th August 2022
The next wildlife walk, which was scheduled to take place on Wednesday 17th August at 10.30, has been put back a day to Thursday 18th August at 10.30 due to the bad weather forecast for Wednesday morning. Meet in the pavilion car park. Remember that if the weather is warm and sunny, a hat and sun cream may be a good idea - along with your binoculars of course. The report on the July 2022 walk is available via the Wildlife Walks page.Wick-ed Gardeners: next session - updated 16th August 2022
The next Wick-ed Gardeners session at the Wick Country Park will be on Thursday 25th August at 1.30pm. Please bring your own gardening gloves. Tools can be provided, but if you wish to bring your own that is fine.We look forward to seeing some of you then.
Skylarks Issue 69 now available (August 2022) - posted 9th August 2022
To access this issue on-line, please click here.Our next Event: Bat Watch and Night Walk on August 6th 2022 - updated on July 30th 2022
The start time likely to be around 8.30pm, but Martin Singleton will confirm full details nearer the date with everyone who has previously registered interest in attending with him. Ella Barnett from the Essex Bat Group will be leading the walk. Ella will be bringing some live bats for us to have a look and will also have some bat detectors too. The plan is that we will meet at the park gates, have a look at the bats and then set off for a walk around the park using the detectors. Let's hope the bats are out and active.If you are planning to attend please let Martin Singleton know asap, through the link above.
Picnic in the Park, June 11th 2022 - posted 8th July 2022
A report on this event is now available on this website: please visit this page.Moths and Stargazing evening, July 1st 2022 - posted 7th July 2022
A report on this event is now available on this website: please visit this page.OFFICIAL LAUNCH: The annual photographic competition - posted 23rd April 2022
Today we have launced our Annual Photographic Competition. Please click here for details - and get 'clicking' around the Park!!!CANCELLED: Our next event - the return of our annual Bird Song Walk on April 10th 2022 - amended 9th April 2022
Unfortunately, due to the leader of the walk testing positive for COVID earlier this week, and now his replacement also testing positive, we will have to cancel the Bird Song Walk scheduled for April 10th.
Apologies for the short notice.
More cherry trees planted alongside the access driveway into the WCP - posted 29th March 2022
Visitors will be aware that, thanks to a combination of the efforts of The Wickford Wombles and Basildon Council, a line of flowering Cherry Trees were planted in the right-hand verge of the access pathway in 2021. On Saturday, 26th March 2022 more trees were planted, this time along the left-hand side of the driveway! You can read about both the 2021 planting and this recent addition by going to Park entrance improvements (2021 & 2022).Two "Good News" messages from Councillor George Jeffrey - posted 25/02/2022
Source: FaceBookMessage 1: please click here
Message 2: please click here
Event Calendar Updated - posted, and also further updated, January 2022
A committee meeting was held in January 2022 to discuss a programme of events for the coming year. The Events Calendar has been updated to reflect those discussions, and then further updated after a meeting with the Wickford Wildlife Society. Two further events remain under active consideration and development. Please keep an eye on 'Events Calendar' page for news of further updates.One of the new events is to be an Annual Photographic Competition. Full details, including the rules and how to submit entries, are being finalised, but meanwhile, get 'clicking' around the Park!!!
Website Update - posted January 2022
The two most recent Annual Chair's Reports, as presented to the AGMs held in January 2020 and October 2021, can be accessed via this linkLitter Pick at the WCP - posted January 2022
The Wickford Wombles carried out a litter pick on Tuesday 18th January at 10.30am. The Group does an excellent job in keeping Wickford clear of litter, and we are all very grateful for their work at the Wick Country ParkFor full details, please visit our 'Litter Picks' page.
Programme of events for 2022 - posted January 2022
A committee meeting was held in January 2022 to discuss a programme of events for the coming year. The Events Calendar has been updated to reflect those discussions, and now includes two new agreed events, and also lists others that are under active consideration and development. Please keep an eye on this page for news of further updates.One of the new events is to be an Annual Photographic Competition. Full details, including the rules and how to submit entries, are being finalised, but meanwhile, get 'clicking' around the Park!!!
Wick-ed Gardeners - restart date for 2022 - posted January 2022
After the winter break, the next gardening session will be held on Tuesday 8th February, with a start time of 10.30am. Meet outside the Pavilion. Please bring a pair of gardening gloves. Tools are provided but you are welcome to bring your own.We look forward to seeing some of you there.
Reminder: VOLUNTEERING AT THE WICK COUNTRY PARK ....... - posted January 2022
All of the events at the Park that are described on this website are organised, managed, and run by volunteers. Without a good, vibrant group of people who are prepared to give up some of their time to 'give back to the community', none of this could happen. At the moment we are short of help at three different levels - as a Committee Member, as 'on the day helpers', and as members of the 'group within a group' - The Wick-ED Gardeners. If you enjoy the Park and enjoy the events that the Committee arranges, have you thought about helping us out to ensure that our events keep going into the future?To find out more about volunteering opportunities at The Wick Country Park, please visit the 'Volunteering' page.
New Event - Litter Pick at the WCP on Tuesday 18th January 2022: Please come and join in!
The Wickford Wombles will be carrying out a litter pick on Tuesday 18th January at 10.30am. They do an excellent job in keeping Wickford clear of litter. If you are able to help out please meet at the main entrance gate to the Wick Country Park on Tresco Way. It is suggested that you bring a pair of sturdy gloves to wear.New Management Arrangements for the Fishing Lake - posted January 2022
Basildon Borough Council has concluded a deal with S & A Watercraft Ltd to take over the management of four lakes that are owned by the Council, including the one at The Wick Country Park. More details of this new arrangement - including the implications for those who fish the lake - will appear on the Fishing Page on this website shortly.Monthly Wildlife Walks - Annual Summary, 2021 - posted January 2022
The report is available via the Wildlife Walks page.Website Update: The Virtual Tour of the Park - posted January 2022
The page available through this link has been updated for the first time since 2018 as part of a web-site tidy.Monthly Wildlife Walks - 2022 - posted January 2022
The date for the January walk has been changed - please see the Events Calendar link to the left.Provisional Events Programme, 2022 - posted December 2021
Please visit the 'Events Calendar link to the left.After suffering two years of devastation to our normal annual events programmes in both 2020 and 2021, the Committee will be meeting in January 2022 to consider a refreshed programme for the year. In addition to the difficulties caused by Covid-19, we have a chronic shortage of active supporters to plan and run our events. Unless we attract significant additional support to manage the Future Events Programme, we are likely to continue to adopt a 'low profile' well into 2022. If you have enjoyed our past events, or have ideas for future different events, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do volunteer to help to make them happen! Please visit the Volunteering page to read about ways in which you can become involved with the Friends' group, or contact us for more insight into what would be involved.
Monthly Wildlife Walks: December 2021 - posted December 2021
The report is available via the Wildlife Walks page.Welcome to the NEW Wick-ed Gardeners!!!! (November 2021) [UPDATED 15/11/2021] [Updated 05/03/2022]
After a long break the gardening sessions have restarted at the Wick Country Park. New arrangements, new name - welcome to the Wick-ed Gardeners! Marie, the group's convener, writes:The Autumn Walk and AGM (October 2021)
These events took place on October 10th. A report and some photos from the day are available here .Skylarks Issue 67 now available (September 2021)
Topics covered in this issue include the Autumn Walk; Wick Country Park - Wildlife Sightings; Wick Country Park Moth Night & Star Gazing; Planting of the Cherry Blossom Trees; and Improvements to the Wick Country Park Entrance. To access this issue on-ine, please click on 'The Past' then "Archive - Newsletters" links above.For more Information about local wildlife, please visit the Wickford Wildlife Society website.
Moths & Star Gazing Night
A very succesful event was held on Saturday August 21st 2021. Please visit the Moths Night & Star Gazing page for a report.Improvements to the Wick Country Park entrance
Three important upgrades to the entrance to the Country Park have been completed during 2021:- Repainting of the entrance gates
- Planting of a line of ornamental cherry trees - see below
- New driveway and refurbished car-park
Criminal Act of Cruelty to Wildlife at the Park, February 2021 [Posted February 2021, updated March 2022]
It is with huge sadness and annoyance that we record that an act of mindless cruelty has been reported at the Park; under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, this event is classifiable as a criminal act, and has therefore been reported to Essex Police. It has also been reported in The Echo, and it has 'gone viral' on local social media platforms.WARNING: by clicking on this link you will be confronted by a potentially distressing account of the incident, including a full colour image of a live wild Canada Goose in obvious considerable distress.
The Skylark Regeneration Project (April 2020)
There are many references to skylarks on this website - for a start, our logo is based on this irresistible and intriguing bird, and it is also provides the title of our quarterly newsletter. Back in the early days of the Wick Country Park, Skylarks were common flying high in the sky, but now they have sadly gone. You can read about our ongoing project to attract Skylarks back to the Wick Country Park here.General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) - May 25th 2018
The new GDPR regulations, effective from May 25th 2018, require us to make a 'Data Policy' statement available to all of our members. Please click here to access the policy. Please see the 'Why not Join us?' link to the left for details about membership.Litter at the Park - posted February 2018
Most visitors to the Park do as we all would hope they would do - take any rubbish or recycling generated while visiting the Park back home with them and to dispose of properly. It is a tiny minority of extremely thoughtless and lazy individuals who spoil the Park for everyone else.Please click here for more details, including some photos from the day.
The aerial video of the Park! [Posted March 2016] UPDATED February 2022
In February 2016, Keith Savill, having got the appropriate permissions, kindly took a second video of the Park. Please see the link in the list to the left!Regretably, the link is no longer valid and it has been removed.