Village

Westleton is situated some 2 miles in from the Suffolk coast, roughly mid-way between Ipswich and Lowestoft and approximately 100 miles from London.

It is set in a landscape of Outstanding Natural Beauty and within the parish lies the internationally renowned Minsmere Reserve, owned and managed by the RSPB.

Westleton Heath National Nature Reserve and parts of Dunwich Forest also lie within the parish.
The majority of the 342 inhabitants live close to the B1125 Blythburgh to Leiston road, the remainder living in scattered cottages and farmhouses in this otherwise agricultural landscape.                                     

Photo: Westleton Camera Club

The Village Hall and St Peters Church are the focal points of village activities, whilst The Crown Inn is the main social centre.

The parish of Westleton is bounded by the parishes of Dunwich, Darsham, Middleton cum Fordley and Theberton cum Eastbridge.

The place name Westleton (or Westledestuna as it appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086) is believed to derive from the Old Norse Vestlithi (a personal name) and Old English tun i.e. Vestlithi's homestead.

Westleton Parish Council has published its Website Accessibility Statement which can be found in the left hand column of this page. Contact the Webmaster for any questions about this site.

Events

The Village hosts of plethora of events every month, details of which can be found within the monthly Yoxmere Fisherman magazine, digital copies of which can be found on the Church section of this website. The Village Hall is at the heart of most activities with a full listing on their Facebook page.

Latest News

The Westleton Village Survey is now live! For more details on how to access & complete the survey please see the Village Survey page on this website.

Parish Clerk

As I write, I’m making the final preparations for Westleton’s Annual Parish Meeting, which will take a slightly different approach to previous years – a variety of organisations and groups from across the parish have been invited to present a report, with more than 20 organisations signing up to the meeting so far. I’m looking forward to hearing what they’ve been up to so I can update you in next month’s report.

On the administration side, the Parish Council’s accounts have now been wrapped up for the 2025/26 financial year and show a slight surplus, which will be used to help bolster the council’s reserves over the years to come.

Turning to the Common, the BTO has been surveying the site and recorded nightingales singing. A ringing programme is now underway to monitor the birds going forwards. As we head into summer, the Common poses a substantial fire risk, with residents and visitors close to the Common now reminded to use barbecues and have bonfires with extreme caution, especially given the dry April we’ve had.

At the Community Field, repairs and general maintenance are underway and it is hoped that the pétanque court can be refreshed to support the 19-team pétanque league that hopes to use the site. New signage has been approved for the Community Field which will also pave the way for card/mobile donations to be made when using the facility.

Looking at well-being, I am exploring opportunities to participate in a nationwide “Silver Sunday” event in October with hopes of restarting the Westleton Walkers group. I am also working with the Village Hall to establish a pop-up healthcheck hub in partnership with the NHS – more to follow on all of this, once I know more!

We’ve welcomed some new plot-holders at the allotments, and there are now only a few beds left for this season before they will be seeded with a cover crop. Anyone interested in taking on a plot this year should email allotments@westletonparishcouncil.gov.uk.

As always, I’m always contactable at clerk@westletonparishcouncil.gov.uk and the latest meeting minutes can be found in the Parish Council noticeboard or at the meeting minutes on this site.

Richard Green - Clerk to Westleton Parish Council