Heather Phillips represents Wenhaston in the Queens Jubilee Torch Relay - 28th May 2022

A Year Younger Than Her Majesty

Heather Phillips has lived in Wenhaston all her life. She went to the village school until 1939. She got a Scholarship to the John Leman grammar school in Beccles and studied there until July 1945.

‘The war was on every day I was at school. I got there despite the railway line being bombed! I cycled from Wenhaston to catch the steam train at Halesworth that went to Beccles. Then I walked over a mile to school from Beccles Station'.

After school she took the same long journey back again. All this dedication to her education got her a place at teacher training college in London after which she taught in Ipswich, Rendham, Yoxford and Saxmundham.

Heather’s great grandfather was elected councillor in Halesworth in 1894 when Parish Councils first were first started. Her grandfather was Wenhaston Parish Clerk for 40 years. Her uncle was then the next parish clerk for 40 years. It could be said parish counselling was in her DNA as Heather too became a parish councillor. She was elected to Wenhaston Parish Council in May 1955 (which was also the year she was married) and she has been on the council ever since.

She received an MBE for 50 years of services to the community in 2005 and she is still going strong. Could she be oldest continuously serving Parish councillor in the UK?

Heather has been instrumental in improving village life with such projects as the playing field, the village hall, The Footpaths Walkers Team, the Commons Conservation Team, the Wenhaston Millennium Map, the Jubilee hedge and much more besides.

She will turn 95 on 3 June 2022.

Heather has been chosen by the Parish Council to represent Wenhaston in the county wide Suffolk Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations by riding on a rickshaw through the village.

Heather’s brainchild was The Millennium Map — a copy was given to every Wenhaston resident at the time. Quite a few still are still available FREE to any past or present village resident. They are currently stored in the village hall. If you would like one please ask for one. Contact Jill Danes jill.daines@btinternet.com .

Or, leave your name and number at the Wenhaston Post Office and Jill will contact you. Any donations should go to the Commons Group that organised the printing of the map.)