Sidney Frederick Wicks (6 March 1882 – 13 February 1956) was a Congregational minister, public speaking trainer, advertising and business manager, and newspaper executive.
Their fourth son, Hereward Whitfield Wicks, was born at South Hylton in August 1924 but died at the age of 20 months, on 30 May 1926.
On his return he took up the role of educational officer for YMCA at the Shoreham Army Camp, traveling to London and the Welsh border.
He left The Guardian in 1925 to become joint managing director of Cross-Courtney Limited, advertising agents, business advisers and printers in Manchester.
In his forties, due to ill health his doctor advised that he move to the country side away from the Manchester smog.
[12] Wicks was at times a newspaper correspondent writing articles such as the "Future of Greek", and "Closing Churches".
[13] He also wrote letters to the editor on a number of topics; In 1947 Sidney was appointed to the Dovedale Committee of the National Trust.
The YMCA initially commissioned Sidney to provide 10 sessions of "Business Man's Class for Public Speaking".
Sidney, already committed to a second series of 10 sessions for beginners on Fridays, continued with an advanced course on Wednesday nights where he would act as teacher and critic.
The scant records of the club include agenda with topics such as "That tradition is a bar to progress", "Is an enduring peace possible?
", "The importance of increased pleasure time", "Preservation of the Fauna of Australia" and "That women should participate in industry on an equal basis to me".
[22] As part of a business trip, Alan Crook paid a return visit to Sidney F Wicks at Buxton and The Rostrum Club in Manchester in 1946.
After the death of his wife Dorothy in September 1954, Sidney moved to Still Cottage, Alvescot, Oxfordshire where he planned to grow a beautiful rose garden.