If you want to get working on your entries, all the details are here on the schedule.
(just click on the images to read the small print)
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Thursday, 17 May 2012
Old Buckenham Produce Show 2012
All the schedule details
If you want to get working on your entries, all the details are here on the schedule.
(just click on the images to read the small print)
.jpg)
If you want to get working on your entries, all the details are here on the schedule.
(just click on the images to read the small print)
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Enjoy a flower festival
Breckland Flower and Garden Club, 1982 to 2012
The Breckland Flower and Garden Club was formed around the kitchen table with a cup of coffee by the founder chairman Joan Barrie and nine ladies in 1982. The club, now in its anniversary year and with over fifty members, will be celebrating 30 years of flowers and gardens in April 2012.
One special event will be a flower festival from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 June at All Saints Church, Old Buckenham, entitled ‘Year of Celebrations’. It will be open between 10am and 5pm on the Friday and Saturday and 11am to 5pm on the Sunday with Songs of Praise at 6.30pm. All are welcome, there will be refreshments in the Church Rooms, a raffle and any money raised will go to a local charity and the All Saints Old Buckenham fabric fund.
At the regular club meetings they have flower arranging demonstrations and garden talks. Also at the meetings they run a sales table with flower arranging accessories, plant stall, raffles, bring and buy, etc. There are well supported monthly competitions with a cup presented each month for the best overall arrangement with some cups in memory of past members. There are also table competitions for the gardeners amongst the members.
Fund raising for the Club is enjoyable with garden parties, afternoon teas or lunches and sometimes 'themed' garden suppers and visits. With some very good cooks in the Club these fund raising times together are most enjoyable.
Members have taken part in many flower festivals, raising money for local churches and chapels. They also enter competitions both in the area and at the Chelsea Flower Show as well as having arranged flowers for Royal visits and special occasions in Norwich.
The Club has a workshop about twice a year for members and also a Christmas workshop for non members. This activity brings in new members.
One special event in 2010 was a visit for twenty members to Highgrove, home of HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Now everyone is ready to celebrate 30 special years in 2012 and looking forward to many more years to come.
Further details can be found at www.brecklandflowerandgarden.clubbz.com, on the Club’s Facebook page or for general flower arranging information go to www.nafas.org.uk
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Breckland Flower and Garden Club
Elements of flower arranging
Pat Barton was certainly 'In Her Element' at May's meeting of the Breckland Flower and Garden Club. Her flowers included wonderful roses, gerbera and deep maroon carnations with anthurims also being featured. Her arrangements depicted her visit to the wholesalers, the Olympic Games and the Queen's Jubilee.
The competition called 'Down the Garden Path' produced a very colourful table. The New Hands class was won by Margaret Haycroft and the Old Hands was a tie between Joy Tunmore and Shirley Penfold. Shirley also won the cup for the best use of foliage.
The June meeting will be held on Thursday 14 June starting at 2pm in Old Buckenham Village Hall when Frank Lambert will talk on ‘Growing Fuchsias My Way’. The competition title is 'Celebrating the Queen's Jubilee' and the table show is for the 'First Rose of Summer'.
Visitors are always welcome at these meetings. Further information from Sally on 788712.
Friday, 11 May 2012
Old Buckenham swings
In memory of the owner of Old Buckenham Hall
Lionel Robinson died in 1922 and this brass plaque is all that remains of the children's swings from some ninety years' ago.
Lionel Robinson died in 1922 and this brass plaque is all that remains of the children's swings from some ninety years' ago.
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Old Buckenham Parish Council minutes
Parish Council in May
These notes are written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later meeting.
The May Parish Council meeting took place after their AGM on Thursday 3 May. Three members of the public were present and all the parish councillors except for Carol Marshall and Paul Boggia who had sent their apologies.
Minutes of the April Parish Council meeting. With an amendment to the stated date of the present meeting, these minutes were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. The Parish Clerk said he had received an email from Tim Bornett stating that at no time did he say that he had advice from the Association of Local Councils that the Parish Council could fund maintenance of the Green. Tom Johnson raised the issue of HGVs using Hargham Road in spite of signs showing restrictions. It was agreed that the Parish Council would look at signs and report back at the next meeting. Derek Smalley said the police had not responded to the speeding problem on Hargham Road. Contact had been made with Norfolk County Councillor William Nunn who said he would try to assist in the matter. Adrian Joel raised matter of budgetary controls and the Parish Clerk said this information would be available at next meeting as figures would be compiled on a quarterly basis. Tim Ing raised the matter of the footpath on the Green alongside the B1077 and said it was a Parish Council responsibility as they had received grant money for its maintenance. He also raised the matter of pig lorries appearing to speed through the village. He had contacted the owners who said speed governors were fitted to all their lorries and tachometer readings could identify any speeding vehicles.
Adoption of accounts. The accounts for the year ending March 2012 were agreed unanimously.
Annual Governance statement. The Parish Clerk explained what this related to in conjunction with the year end accounts and what was required by government auditors. The statement was signed, agreed unanimously.
Loan to Village Hall. The Parish Clerk said he had received a request from the Village Hall for a loan of £1,500 which would become repayable in April 2013. It was proposed that the loan be granted, this was agreed unanimously.
Neighbourhood Plan. Sarah Dye said although she favoured a plan she said that, having looked deeper into the matter along with the Parish Clerk, she felt that at this time it would not be beneficial for the Parish Council to do one. She explained that it would be extremely time-consuming, need some expertise in planning matters and could cost over £20,000 to compile. The Parish Clerk gave details of Cringleford Parish Council who were doing a plan as a trial and, after six months of hard work, they had only reached the preliminary stage and would need another 18 months plus to finish the project. They had three members on the working party that had planning experience and they still found the whole process difficult. Tim Ing said the matter would be discussed again at the September meeting.
Parish Council Insurance. The Parish Clerk said he had discussions with the insurance providers to try to get savings in the annual premiums made by the Parish Council. The Insurers had offered a fixed term and fixed price agreement covering either one year, three year or five year rates. The Clerk explained the one year rate was £1,343.36, two year rate was £1,277.53 and five year rate was £1,211.65. It was proposed that the five year price be accepted and this was agreed unanimously.
Planning applications. 35 Hargham Road. Erect double garage, convert existing garage to hobbies room with additional vehicular access. No objections from the Parish Council, agreed unanimously.
Old Buckenham Priory, Abbey Road. Alterations and improvements. No objections from the Parish Council, agreed unanimously.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Land at St Andrews Close. Change of use to amenity land and installation of soakways for adjacent residential dwelling. Permission granted.
4 Chattergate. Bay window and porch, two additional windows, replace existing conservatory with ground floor extension. Permission granted.
Old Buckenham Airfield. Continued use of land for clubhouse for use in connection of the airfield. Permission granted.
High Bank Farm, Fen Street. Erection of single storey timber framed conservatory. Permission granted.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel said that William Nunn had been re-elected as leader of Breckland Council with Michael Wassell elected as deputy leader. Breckland Council have been working alongside some of the housing associations looking at Breckland’s policy on social housing and their homelessness and tenancy strategy. Discussions have taken place with regard to new home developers being required to supply wheeled bins on all future new developments. This could save Breckland Council about £30,000 per year.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing informed the meeting that a cycle race would take place on Sunday 10 June and it would pass through the village with about 100 riders taking part. Old Buckenham Village Hall had asked if they could use the Recreation Area for the yearly fete as they wished to use it for the dog show. This was agreed by councillors as long as the area was cleaned up after the event. He read out a letter from Terry Cracknell which expressed concerns about future development in the Attleborough area which would impact on Old Buckenham. Concern was also expressed in the letter that there was not sufficient proportionate or economically sustainable infrastructure services being provided in advance of any development. Tim Ing said he and Adrian Joel had attended a meeting with Breckland Council planning department which he thought was very useful. Tim Ing said that some of the allotments are not being kept up to an acceptable level of maintenance and the Parish Clerk is to write to the Old Buckenham Allotment Society on the matter. The litter picking event held on the Green the previous Sunday was successful but he was disappointed with the turn out of volunteers. The Parish Clerk to write to Ron Brewer Mr Goode, and Colin Phillips thanking them for their work in the litter clearing.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Tom Johnson said that he had attended a meeting of the Village Hall committee and they had obtained costs for repairing the car park. To fully tarmac the area would cost £17,000 and to mend the current surface would cost £9,600. Also concerns were expressed regarding the parking of cars facing the Recreation Area. It was said that people do not use it as it is too slippery and perhaps gravel could be mixed into the grass to attempt to give grip to tyres. Tim Ing said the Parish Council was not responsible for the car parking area concerned. He then asked if a new committee had yet been formed by the Village Hall. Tom Johnson said none had been formed. Sarah Dye said that John Hicks had repaired the damaged parts at the play area quickly and at no charge. The Parish Clerk to send a letter thanking him for his work. Derek Smalley said he had contacted the police and they would provide extra patrols around the play area. He could not attend the last meeting of ACT to which our MP George Freeman was in attendance and the proposed link road looked like the preferred route. Steve Milner said the final working party meeting for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations was being held on Saturday 5 May. They are having a stall on the Green outside the village shop that day to sell raffle tickets, barn dance tickets and give out information on the celebrations. The Village Hall had received a grant of £165 for the celebrations. Jonathan Kemp said that a grant of £2,800 had been received for the Recreation Area from Breckland Council. They are looking at eight further streams of funding and would advise the Parish Council of the results. Adrian Joel said that he had received a letter from the Old Buckenham Allotment Society stating the shed that was due to be painted to a conforming colour would be done in the next few weeks. It had not been done yet because of the weather and the health of the allotment holder. He also said there was a leak on the first stand pipe and Tim Ing said he had looked at it and would get the required part to stop the drip. Adrian Joel said the entrance to the allotments needs some attention. Tim Ing is to look at the parking problems at the school and village hall car park as there was no improvement in the situation. Adrian Joel is to arrange another meeting with the school and the matter will be discussed at the June meeting.
Highways. Steve Milner said the Grove Road/Mill Road junction needs improvement. Tim Ing said some work had been done by the landowner to improve visibility and the Parish Council is to write a letter thanking him for his co operation and assistance in the matter. The Parish Clerk is to contact the Highways department about potholes in Stacksford near Prosperous Road and he also informed Derek Smalley that Highways have the matter of the missing markers in Cake Street in hand.
The Green. Tim Ing said he had received an email from Sally Bishop saying that she thought the two councillors who held shares as Green Right Proprietors may influence decisions of the council and that the responsibility for maintaining the Green was the Green Right Proprietors’ and not the Parish Council. The Parish Clerk said he had replied to Sally Bishop’s comments saying that the two parish councillors, having declared an interest in the matter, could not vote on these matters. Steve Milner pointed out that no request for funding had ever been received from the Green Right Proprietors. Tim Ing said a digger would be at the Green in early May to carry out work to assist with parking around the play area. A quote had been received by the Green Right Proprietors for roping off an area near the play area. The next meeting of the Green Right Proprietors was scheduled for Tuesday 19 June.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be on Thursday 7 June in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.
These notes are written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later meeting.
The May Parish Council meeting took place after their AGM on Thursday 3 May. Three members of the public were present and all the parish councillors except for Carol Marshall and Paul Boggia who had sent their apologies.
Minutes of the April Parish Council meeting. With an amendment to the stated date of the present meeting, these minutes were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. The Parish Clerk said he had received an email from Tim Bornett stating that at no time did he say that he had advice from the Association of Local Councils that the Parish Council could fund maintenance of the Green. Tom Johnson raised the issue of HGVs using Hargham Road in spite of signs showing restrictions. It was agreed that the Parish Council would look at signs and report back at the next meeting. Derek Smalley said the police had not responded to the speeding problem on Hargham Road. Contact had been made with Norfolk County Councillor William Nunn who said he would try to assist in the matter. Adrian Joel raised matter of budgetary controls and the Parish Clerk said this information would be available at next meeting as figures would be compiled on a quarterly basis. Tim Ing raised the matter of the footpath on the Green alongside the B1077 and said it was a Parish Council responsibility as they had received grant money for its maintenance. He also raised the matter of pig lorries appearing to speed through the village. He had contacted the owners who said speed governors were fitted to all their lorries and tachometer readings could identify any speeding vehicles.
Adoption of accounts. The accounts for the year ending March 2012 were agreed unanimously.
Annual Governance statement. The Parish Clerk explained what this related to in conjunction with the year end accounts and what was required by government auditors. The statement was signed, agreed unanimously.
Loan to Village Hall. The Parish Clerk said he had received a request from the Village Hall for a loan of £1,500 which would become repayable in April 2013. It was proposed that the loan be granted, this was agreed unanimously.
Neighbourhood Plan. Sarah Dye said although she favoured a plan she said that, having looked deeper into the matter along with the Parish Clerk, she felt that at this time it would not be beneficial for the Parish Council to do one. She explained that it would be extremely time-consuming, need some expertise in planning matters and could cost over £20,000 to compile. The Parish Clerk gave details of Cringleford Parish Council who were doing a plan as a trial and, after six months of hard work, they had only reached the preliminary stage and would need another 18 months plus to finish the project. They had three members on the working party that had planning experience and they still found the whole process difficult. Tim Ing said the matter would be discussed again at the September meeting.
Parish Council Insurance. The Parish Clerk said he had discussions with the insurance providers to try to get savings in the annual premiums made by the Parish Council. The Insurers had offered a fixed term and fixed price agreement covering either one year, three year or five year rates. The Clerk explained the one year rate was £1,343.36, two year rate was £1,277.53 and five year rate was £1,211.65. It was proposed that the five year price be accepted and this was agreed unanimously.
Planning applications. 35 Hargham Road. Erect double garage, convert existing garage to hobbies room with additional vehicular access. No objections from the Parish Council, agreed unanimously.
Old Buckenham Priory, Abbey Road. Alterations and improvements. No objections from the Parish Council, agreed unanimously.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Land at St Andrews Close. Change of use to amenity land and installation of soakways for adjacent residential dwelling. Permission granted.
4 Chattergate. Bay window and porch, two additional windows, replace existing conservatory with ground floor extension. Permission granted.
Old Buckenham Airfield. Continued use of land for clubhouse for use in connection of the airfield. Permission granted.
High Bank Farm, Fen Street. Erection of single storey timber framed conservatory. Permission granted.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel said that William Nunn had been re-elected as leader of Breckland Council with Michael Wassell elected as deputy leader. Breckland Council have been working alongside some of the housing associations looking at Breckland’s policy on social housing and their homelessness and tenancy strategy. Discussions have taken place with regard to new home developers being required to supply wheeled bins on all future new developments. This could save Breckland Council about £30,000 per year.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing informed the meeting that a cycle race would take place on Sunday 10 June and it would pass through the village with about 100 riders taking part. Old Buckenham Village Hall had asked if they could use the Recreation Area for the yearly fete as they wished to use it for the dog show. This was agreed by councillors as long as the area was cleaned up after the event. He read out a letter from Terry Cracknell which expressed concerns about future development in the Attleborough area which would impact on Old Buckenham. Concern was also expressed in the letter that there was not sufficient proportionate or economically sustainable infrastructure services being provided in advance of any development. Tim Ing said he and Adrian Joel had attended a meeting with Breckland Council planning department which he thought was very useful. Tim Ing said that some of the allotments are not being kept up to an acceptable level of maintenance and the Parish Clerk is to write to the Old Buckenham Allotment Society on the matter. The litter picking event held on the Green the previous Sunday was successful but he was disappointed with the turn out of volunteers. The Parish Clerk to write to Ron Brewer Mr Goode, and Colin Phillips thanking them for their work in the litter clearing.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Tom Johnson said that he had attended a meeting of the Village Hall committee and they had obtained costs for repairing the car park. To fully tarmac the area would cost £17,000 and to mend the current surface would cost £9,600. Also concerns were expressed regarding the parking of cars facing the Recreation Area. It was said that people do not use it as it is too slippery and perhaps gravel could be mixed into the grass to attempt to give grip to tyres. Tim Ing said the Parish Council was not responsible for the car parking area concerned. He then asked if a new committee had yet been formed by the Village Hall. Tom Johnson said none had been formed. Sarah Dye said that John Hicks had repaired the damaged parts at the play area quickly and at no charge. The Parish Clerk to send a letter thanking him for his work. Derek Smalley said he had contacted the police and they would provide extra patrols around the play area. He could not attend the last meeting of ACT to which our MP George Freeman was in attendance and the proposed link road looked like the preferred route. Steve Milner said the final working party meeting for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations was being held on Saturday 5 May. They are having a stall on the Green outside the village shop that day to sell raffle tickets, barn dance tickets and give out information on the celebrations. The Village Hall had received a grant of £165 for the celebrations. Jonathan Kemp said that a grant of £2,800 had been received for the Recreation Area from Breckland Council. They are looking at eight further streams of funding and would advise the Parish Council of the results. Adrian Joel said that he had received a letter from the Old Buckenham Allotment Society stating the shed that was due to be painted to a conforming colour would be done in the next few weeks. It had not been done yet because of the weather and the health of the allotment holder. He also said there was a leak on the first stand pipe and Tim Ing said he had looked at it and would get the required part to stop the drip. Adrian Joel said the entrance to the allotments needs some attention. Tim Ing is to look at the parking problems at the school and village hall car park as there was no improvement in the situation. Adrian Joel is to arrange another meeting with the school and the matter will be discussed at the June meeting.
Highways. Steve Milner said the Grove Road/Mill Road junction needs improvement. Tim Ing said some work had been done by the landowner to improve visibility and the Parish Council is to write a letter thanking him for his co operation and assistance in the matter. The Parish Clerk is to contact the Highways department about potholes in Stacksford near Prosperous Road and he also informed Derek Smalley that Highways have the matter of the missing markers in Cake Street in hand.
The Green. Tim Ing said he had received an email from Sally Bishop saying that she thought the two councillors who held shares as Green Right Proprietors may influence decisions of the council and that the responsibility for maintaining the Green was the Green Right Proprietors’ and not the Parish Council. The Parish Clerk said he had replied to Sally Bishop’s comments saying that the two parish councillors, having declared an interest in the matter, could not vote on these matters. Steve Milner pointed out that no request for funding had ever been received from the Green Right Proprietors. Tim Ing said a digger would be at the Green in early May to carry out work to assist with parking around the play area. A quote had been received by the Green Right Proprietors for roping off an area near the play area. The next meeting of the Green Right Proprietors was scheduled for Tuesday 19 June.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be on Thursday 7 June in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.
Monday, 7 May 2012
Taking on responsibilities
Annual General Meeting of Parish Council
The AGM of Old Buckenham Parish Council was held on Thursday 3 May at the Village Hall.
All councillors were present except for Carol Marshall and Paul Boggia who had sent their apologies.
Tim Ing was unanimously re-elected as Chairman.
Adrian Joel was re-elected as Vice Chairman.
It was agreed that those councillors currently serving on working parties would remain as at present with exception of Carol Marshall who would continue to serve on the Recreation Area working party but would stand down from the Allotments Liaison Group and be replaced by Paul Boggia.
Those carrying out policy document reviews would be:
Freedom of Information Publication Scheme, Steve Milner.
Parish Council Standing Orders, Tim Ing with the assistance of all councillors.
Financial Regulations, Akis Chrisovelides.
Governance and Accountability Policy, Tim Ing.
Equal Opportunities Policy,Carol Marshall.
Village Emergency Plan, Steve Milner.
Health and Safety Policy, Tom Johnson.
Both the Chairman and the Parish Clerk gave their annual reports which were virtually the same as those given at the Annual Parish Meeting held in March (posted on this blog on Thursday 19 April).
The AGM of Old Buckenham Parish Council was held on Thursday 3 May at the Village Hall.
All councillors were present except for Carol Marshall and Paul Boggia who had sent their apologies.
Tim Ing was unanimously re-elected as Chairman.
Adrian Joel was re-elected as Vice Chairman.
It was agreed that those councillors currently serving on working parties would remain as at present with exception of Carol Marshall who would continue to serve on the Recreation Area working party but would stand down from the Allotments Liaison Group and be replaced by Paul Boggia.
Those carrying out policy document reviews would be:
Freedom of Information Publication Scheme, Steve Milner.
Parish Council Standing Orders, Tim Ing with the assistance of all councillors.
Financial Regulations, Akis Chrisovelides.
Governance and Accountability Policy, Tim Ing.
Equal Opportunities Policy,Carol Marshall.
Village Emergency Plan, Steve Milner.
Health and Safety Policy, Tom Johnson.
Both the Chairman and the Parish Clerk gave their annual reports which were virtually the same as those given at the Annual Parish Meeting held in March (posted on this blog on Thursday 19 April).
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Win a plane flight for just £1
Jubilee attraction and fundraiser
Between now and the Old Buckenham Jubilee celebrations on the village Green on Tuesday 5 June you can choose one or more squares on the board (just £1 a square) and have the chance of winning a flight from Old Buckenham Airfield in a WW2 Boeing Stearman biplane. There is a second prize of £50 and a third prize of £25 should you miss out on the flight.
The draw will be made on the Green during the afternoon of Tuesday 5 June.
Between now and the Old Buckenham Jubilee celebrations on the village Green on Tuesday 5 June you can choose one or more squares on the board (just £1 a square) and have the chance of winning a flight from Old Buckenham Airfield in a WW2 Boeing Stearman biplane. There is a second prize of £50 and a third prize of £25 should you miss out on the flight.
The draw will be made on the Green during the afternoon of Tuesday 5 June.
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Gardening in the rain
Gardening Event at Old Buckenham
Despite the less than ideal weather conditions (it rained quite a bit last Saturday), the Gardening Event at Old Buckenham Village Hall event was well supported. The outside stalls included colourful displays of plants for sale from local garden centres which brightened the morning and the wood turner’s demonstrations were interesting and informative. There were more stalls inside the Village Hall including the Old Buckenham Allotment Society now in its second year of existence. Visitors and stall holders alike warmed up with bacon rolls and cups of tea.
The entries for the photo competition were displayed in the Memorial Room at the Hall. There were 42 entries altogether, many from people outside Old Buckenham. The youngest entrant, Kimberley Hipperson aged 13, also entered three of the adult categories and won the ‘Visitors’ Favourite’ prize for her flowering plant photo.
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Free books and Chinese pagodas
WI April meeting
Old Buckenham WI’s April meeting started with a surprise visit from Amanda Cockburn (reception teacher at the village Primary School) who presented a copy of The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger to each WI member. The book was a gift and was one of a million given as part of World Book Night 2012 to spread the joy and love of reading.
The evening’s speaker, Alan Durand, took members on a journey through Yunnan and Sichuan, two provinces of South West China. His slides illustrated life in these rural provinces. Yunnan is the most south western province of China and shares borders with Burma, Laos, Vietnam and Tibet. The eastern half of the province is a limestone plateau with unnavigable rivers flowing through deep mountain gorges and the western half is characterised by mountain ranges and rivers including the Salween and Mekong rivers. The rugged vertical terrain produces a wide range of flora. The province includes the famous Burma Road which was a vital transportation route for wartime supplies to the Chinese government from Rangoon. The Burma Road’s importance diminished after World War II but it has remained a link in a 3,400 km road system from Yangoon, Burma to Chongqing. The province of Sichuan lies to the north of Yunnan and Alan showed slides of important pagodas in the region. The Yangtze River and its tributaries flow through the mountains of western Sichuan. One of these ranges, Daxue Shan, includes the highest point of the province – Gongga Shan, 7,556 metres in height.
Sheila Freake presented her report on the County Annual Meeting which she and three other members had attended in March. Speakers included Sue Spoerer from the National Pharmacy Association, who urged members to make more use of their local pharmacist, and the Deputy Chief Constable of Norfolk, Simon Bailey. He gave members an insight into the world of policing in Norfolk and the encouraging statistics which show that Norfolk is a very safe place to live. The afternoon speaker was Carol Bundock, a BBC presenter and newsreader. Carol enthralled her audience by sharing with them her personal experiences with the BBC and her appointment as Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk.
Old Buckenham WI are of course sending a congratulatory card to HM Queen on her Jubilee and the card, based on the wall hanging in the village hall, was on display for members to see.
Some of the keen Scrabble players took part in the WI county competition in April and members were pleased to congratulate Susan Hunter and Gill Freitag on coming third out of 20-odd teams.
Old Buckenham WI gives an annual bursary of £150 to a member attending a course at Denman College (the WI’s own college in Oxfordshire) and the evening concluded with a draw for this year’s recipient who is Pat Shearing who can use this money towards a course any time in 2013.
Sunday, 29 April 2012
May be coming
Diary dates for May
Tuesday 1 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon
Wednesday 2 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 2 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Thursday 3 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 4 Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 5 Diamond Jubilee planning meeting, Village Hall, 10am
Sunday 6 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Tuesday 8 Village Fete planning meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Thursday 10 Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 10 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm
Saturday 12 Debating Society, Church Rooms, 10am
Sunday 13 Askew Agricultural Museum, Scales Farm, 2pm to 5pm
Sunday 13 Windmill open, 2pm to 5pm
Monday 14 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm
Monday 14 Buckenham Pre-school Open Event, 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Wednesday 16 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 16 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Thursday 17 'Comic Potential', OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 18 'Comic Potential', OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 19 'Comic Potential', OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Sunday 20 American Taildraggers Fly In, Old Buckenham Airfield
Monday 21 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Thursday 24 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Wednesday 30 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Another Ayckbourn from Old Buckenham Players
Actoids come to the village hall
(to read the small print just click on the image)
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Village problems and progress in Old Buckenham
Annual parish meeting minutes
The minutes for this meeting held on Wedesday 21 March were over 2,500 words long so this is a slightly edited version produced by the blog editor.
The Norfolk County Councillor William Nunn, Breckland District Councillor Adrian Joel and 28 members of the public were present along with the Chairman of Old Buckenham Parish Council, Tim Ing, and the Parish Clerk James Watling.
Tim Ing, Chairman of the Parish Council, welcomed everyone to the meeting and the minutes of 2011 Annual Parish Meeting were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said that in May last year a new Parish Council was voted in, following on from possibly what had been the most successful Parish Council for many years. They had created a new children’s play area, a footpath beside the B1077, started the recreational project, put benches around the Green and several smaller projects. Many new younger councillors were elected in May and were bringing a fresh enthusiasm and appetite to serve the village and to move existing projects forwards. The coming year holds many challenges for the Parish Council particularly in planning issues with the Localism Act and where the need for new properties for our parishioners will come under scrutiny. It’s not always possible to satisfy everyone’s requirements but the Parish Council does try to resolve issues in a democratic way.
Parish Clerk’s report. The Precept for 2012/13 was set at £14,525. This is an increase of £1,869 on the previous year because of the purchase of extra grit bins and an increase in Council’s insurance because of extra cover for the play area and the recreation area. Also the Parish Council awarded grants to local organisations of £670. It is hoped that budget proposals for financial years 2013/14 will be at the current level of expenditure (or even a reduction). The Parish Council are fully aware of the harsh economic times for a large part of the villagers who are on fixed incomes. The Parish Council will therefore ensure strict financial and monetary controls are in place at all times and that all expenditure is within budgetary limits. During the year ending 31st March 2012 the Parish Council received grants totalling £4,397 for the play area and the recreation area. In addition Breckland contributed approx £1,350 towards the Community Car Scheme and gave a grant of £1,000 for the allotments. Expenditure for the year totalled approximately £18,462 net of VAT from a total income of £20,530. The Parish Council were obliged to comply with HRMC regulations and make the Parish Clerk a PAYE employee. This has resulted in the Parish Council having to draw up a Disciplinary and Grievance policy document along with a contract of Employment which apply to the employment of a Parish Clerk. The Council has also drawn up and adopted an Equal Opportunity Policy document which was required by legislation. The Clerk said he would like to take this opportunity of thanking the Parish Councillors for their hard work and commitment to their responsibilities as Parish Councillors and for the support they have given him over the past year.
Village group reports. The Old Buckenham Allotment Society (OBAS) are now into the second year of allotments in the Parish with all plots filled by tenants. OBAS was recognised by the Parish council earlier last year in which the latter agreed that representations can be made by allotment holders relating to the wording of the tenancy agreement and the management of the allotments. The Parish Council established a liaison committee to assist in the management of the allotments consisting of three councillors and three members of OBAS. Any final decision rests with the full Parish Council.
The Green Right Proprietors (GRP) had a relatively quiet year but have had a variety of issues to contend with including regular maintenance, dog fouling, the proliferation of parked cars and the number of new footpaths being created across the grass. The Green is currently managed as a registered traditional hay meadow which brings with it certain restrictions including when the grass may be cut. This is also a designated Conservation Area and the GRP always have to be mindful of this and the impact of everything it does on the abundance of flora and fauna and the biodiversity of the Green. Having said that, the Green is a resource for all parishioners to be proud of and hold as a unique feature of our village and a place for recreation. The on-going cost of maintenance of the Green and provision of insurance does concern the GRP and they have to look for ways to provide a sustainable income to fund this in the future. They held a public meeting in July 2011 which was not particularly well attended but they will continue to listen to the concerns and suggestions of all those with an interest in the Green. At the recent AGM they said farewell to Mike Read who has given an enormous amount of time and commitment in his role as Chair of the Green Right Proprietors and for which they are extremely grateful. Sarah Dye is proud to be taking over the Chair from Mike Read.
Old Buckenham Airfield. The airfield has been under new management since August 2011. They are determined that the airfield should play more of a role in the community and be a part of village life. They are hosting a day at the airfield as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, including a fly in, a 6-gun salute and a barn dance. Further they have donated a flight in a 1940s Biplane as a prize in the Jubilee raffle. Since the new management took over, the airfield has become immensely popular and is doing well. They have events at least once a month and details of them are on their website. The Old Buckenham Airshow will make a return on the 24th June and advice to villagers is that the best way to come to the show is by walking (pedestrian tickets are on sale now at the airfield). The Airfield are also pleased to announce that they are now the home of the East England Military Museum.
Village Hall. Mike Bartlett asked why the Village Hall was not on the Parish Council’s asset register. The Parish Clerk said the Village Hall was not an asset owned by the Parish Council and therefore could not appear on its register as such.
All Saints Church. The Christmas service was attended by 500 people. The Church has had its five year survey and the thatch needs to be done along with cracks in the walls and work on stained glass windows to preserve them. The tower also needs re-pointing as flints are loose and dangerous. The church porch pillars have been repaired. The total cost of future work is around £80,000 and church is hoping to get some grants. The main expenses are the Parish share to the Diocese which is £16,072 and insurance at £1,550. The church is hoping to be involved in Wispire which uses parish church towers as the platform to deliver high speed reliable wireless broadband internet access to local communities.
Old Buckenham Newsletter. The newsletter has continued to appear throughout the year, normally with 28 pages of news and advertising between the covers. On the financial side, income from advertising has covered the cost of producing the 400 printed copies (the cost of the paper is met by the parish council). The Old Buckenham “blog” publishes many items destined for the newsletter which are ‘posted’ every couple of days on the worldwide web. Over 700 items about the village have been posted since the blog was set up just over three years ago. For the last three years the editor has also taken the initiative for entering Old Buckenham into the ‘Pride in Norfolk’ village competition. The village was runner-up the first year and has won its category for the next two years, bringing a £1000 in prize money into the village.
District Councillor’s report. Breckland Council needed to save nearly £3 million pounds over next five years and there is a possible merger of shared management with Breckland, South Holland and Great Yarmouth Borough Council which could save Breckland an additional £100,000. Breckland have continued with match funding grants and have given £2,950 to the Village Hall lighting project and £100 towards the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The new houses proposed by Cotman housing are now progressing and, when completed, should provide affordable housing for residents of the village.
County Councillor’s report. William Nunn reported that £16 million pounds had been taken off budget this year and despite this there was no increase in council tax this year and it was hoped no increase next year. There are 111 change programmes going on at present time to try to reduce administrative costs. Norfolk County Council are hoping to have 90% of Norfolk on high speed broadband. There has been a £10 million investment in the Fire Service and no reductions in front line services. No libraries in Norfolk will close following public consultations. Public transport links still appears to be a problem as they are underfunded by central government. It was at first decided that £250,000 would be reduced from footpath budgets but £150,000 is going back in to maintain as many footpaths as possible in the county. William Nunn then took questions from members of the public.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Play Area - Sarah Dye said the play area continues to be a well-used and popular resource for Old Buckenham. They are extremely grateful to John Hicks for the immense amount of time and effort he puts in on a voluntary basis to regularly maintain the play area and make it an attractive and safe place for children to play. She was disappointed to report that the site had experienced vandalism and damage to the gates and fences and some of the equipment. Car parking in the areas used by the Ox & Plough, the Church and the play area has caused some issues for local residents and, in response, the Parish Council are working with the Green Right Proprietors to improve parking. The provision of toilet facilities has also been discussed but unfortunately there is no feasible way to make specific and regular provision for play area users. Planning - Derek Smalley pointed out that the Localism Act may bring unwanted pressures on development in the village. The Parish Council will engage with residents to seek their views. With regard to the Attleborough Development Plan, the concerns of residents regarding increased use of B1077 and the infrastructure of the village including schools and doctors capacity are being raised. Concerns of the villagers are raised with Norfolk Police at regular meetings including speeding on Hargham Road and parking in Abbey Road outside the school. Derek Smalley also gave details of usage and prices with the oil buying scheme and the intention is to continue with scheme for another year. Allotments - Adrian Joel reported that these were now in their second year with 17 allotments holders. An additional stand pipe had been added along with parking matting. Village Hall - Tom Johnson gave details of the people running the village hall and asked that residents support them as funds are greatly needed. Diamond Jubilee celebrations - Steve Milner gave details of funding received and an overview of what they hoped to achieve at the celebrations. Recreation Area - Jonathan Kemp said the first phase was completed and effort was now concentrating on planning and funding of the second phase for the supply and installation of sports equipment on the site. Youth Council - Tim Ing said that it had been difficult to arrange meetings with interested young people because of circumstances including exams but the parish council were still going to work on the matter.
Public recess. A resident raised the matter of planning applications in the village and especially single dwelling applications which the Parish Council seemed to oppose. He suggested they look at this policy. Tim Ing responded saying the Parish Council is looking at future development in the village. Another resident raised the matter of broadband within Norfolk and the Say Yes campaign to bring high speed broadband to the County. County councillor William Nunn responded to the question. A resident raised the matter of speeding in Hargham Road and planning applications along with non-compliance of HGV restrictions within the village. Derek Smalley said the matter would be raised at the next SNAP meeting in April. A resident raised concerns about two planning applications that were going through at the present time and expressed concerns that not enough consideration was being given in the plan to improve infrastructures in the village before development took place. Another resident raised the matter of horses on the Green and asked if there were any regulations in place to cover the matter. Sarah Dye said the Green Right Proprietors would look into the matter. A further resident raised concerns saying that Breckland Council’s expenses were amongst the highest in the country and also raised the matter of affordable housing not only being funded by housing associations. One resident raised matter of accounts not being on the agenda. He also said he would like to see a budget on a year-by-year basis. A resident said he had concerns that Parish Clerk did not live in village and was not in tune with the residents and seem to concentrate on the legal position of the Parish Council too much. Both the Parish Clerk and Tim Ing responded on the matter. Another resident raised the suggestion of a five-year budget forecast and the Parish Council would discuss the matter at their April meeting. A resident raised the matter of a footpath on the Green which he thought was in a terrible condition. He had spoken to both the County Council and the Parish Council who said they could not do anything about it. Another resident raised the matter of the war memorial which he thought should be taken over by Parish Council. Tim Ing responded on both matters. One resident raised the matter of car parking at the Village Hall and asked if the County Council could not help to fill in the potholes. County Councillor William Nunn responded saying it was private property and they could not assist. A resident then thanked the Parish Council for their hard work while another resident asked if a list of the allotment holders could be made available.
The minutes for this meeting held on Wedesday 21 March were over 2,500 words long so this is a slightly edited version produced by the blog editor.
The Norfolk County Councillor William Nunn, Breckland District Councillor Adrian Joel and 28 members of the public were present along with the Chairman of Old Buckenham Parish Council, Tim Ing, and the Parish Clerk James Watling.
Tim Ing, Chairman of the Parish Council, welcomed everyone to the meeting and the minutes of 2011 Annual Parish Meeting were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said that in May last year a new Parish Council was voted in, following on from possibly what had been the most successful Parish Council for many years. They had created a new children’s play area, a footpath beside the B1077, started the recreational project, put benches around the Green and several smaller projects. Many new younger councillors were elected in May and were bringing a fresh enthusiasm and appetite to serve the village and to move existing projects forwards. The coming year holds many challenges for the Parish Council particularly in planning issues with the Localism Act and where the need for new properties for our parishioners will come under scrutiny. It’s not always possible to satisfy everyone’s requirements but the Parish Council does try to resolve issues in a democratic way.
Parish Clerk’s report. The Precept for 2012/13 was set at £14,525. This is an increase of £1,869 on the previous year because of the purchase of extra grit bins and an increase in Council’s insurance because of extra cover for the play area and the recreation area. Also the Parish Council awarded grants to local organisations of £670. It is hoped that budget proposals for financial years 2013/14 will be at the current level of expenditure (or even a reduction). The Parish Council are fully aware of the harsh economic times for a large part of the villagers who are on fixed incomes. The Parish Council will therefore ensure strict financial and monetary controls are in place at all times and that all expenditure is within budgetary limits. During the year ending 31st March 2012 the Parish Council received grants totalling £4,397 for the play area and the recreation area. In addition Breckland contributed approx £1,350 towards the Community Car Scheme and gave a grant of £1,000 for the allotments. Expenditure for the year totalled approximately £18,462 net of VAT from a total income of £20,530. The Parish Council were obliged to comply with HRMC regulations and make the Parish Clerk a PAYE employee. This has resulted in the Parish Council having to draw up a Disciplinary and Grievance policy document along with a contract of Employment which apply to the employment of a Parish Clerk. The Council has also drawn up and adopted an Equal Opportunity Policy document which was required by legislation. The Clerk said he would like to take this opportunity of thanking the Parish Councillors for their hard work and commitment to their responsibilities as Parish Councillors and for the support they have given him over the past year.
Village group reports. The Old Buckenham Allotment Society (OBAS) are now into the second year of allotments in the Parish with all plots filled by tenants. OBAS was recognised by the Parish council earlier last year in which the latter agreed that representations can be made by allotment holders relating to the wording of the tenancy agreement and the management of the allotments. The Parish Council established a liaison committee to assist in the management of the allotments consisting of three councillors and three members of OBAS. Any final decision rests with the full Parish Council.
The Green Right Proprietors (GRP) had a relatively quiet year but have had a variety of issues to contend with including regular maintenance, dog fouling, the proliferation of parked cars and the number of new footpaths being created across the grass. The Green is currently managed as a registered traditional hay meadow which brings with it certain restrictions including when the grass may be cut. This is also a designated Conservation Area and the GRP always have to be mindful of this and the impact of everything it does on the abundance of flora and fauna and the biodiversity of the Green. Having said that, the Green is a resource for all parishioners to be proud of and hold as a unique feature of our village and a place for recreation. The on-going cost of maintenance of the Green and provision of insurance does concern the GRP and they have to look for ways to provide a sustainable income to fund this in the future. They held a public meeting in July 2011 which was not particularly well attended but they will continue to listen to the concerns and suggestions of all those with an interest in the Green. At the recent AGM they said farewell to Mike Read who has given an enormous amount of time and commitment in his role as Chair of the Green Right Proprietors and for which they are extremely grateful. Sarah Dye is proud to be taking over the Chair from Mike Read.
Old Buckenham Airfield. The airfield has been under new management since August 2011. They are determined that the airfield should play more of a role in the community and be a part of village life. They are hosting a day at the airfield as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, including a fly in, a 6-gun salute and a barn dance. Further they have donated a flight in a 1940s Biplane as a prize in the Jubilee raffle. Since the new management took over, the airfield has become immensely popular and is doing well. They have events at least once a month and details of them are on their website. The Old Buckenham Airshow will make a return on the 24th June and advice to villagers is that the best way to come to the show is by walking (pedestrian tickets are on sale now at the airfield). The Airfield are also pleased to announce that they are now the home of the East England Military Museum.
Village Hall. Mike Bartlett asked why the Village Hall was not on the Parish Council’s asset register. The Parish Clerk said the Village Hall was not an asset owned by the Parish Council and therefore could not appear on its register as such.
All Saints Church. The Christmas service was attended by 500 people. The Church has had its five year survey and the thatch needs to be done along with cracks in the walls and work on stained glass windows to preserve them. The tower also needs re-pointing as flints are loose and dangerous. The church porch pillars have been repaired. The total cost of future work is around £80,000 and church is hoping to get some grants. The main expenses are the Parish share to the Diocese which is £16,072 and insurance at £1,550. The church is hoping to be involved in Wispire which uses parish church towers as the platform to deliver high speed reliable wireless broadband internet access to local communities.
Old Buckenham Newsletter. The newsletter has continued to appear throughout the year, normally with 28 pages of news and advertising between the covers. On the financial side, income from advertising has covered the cost of producing the 400 printed copies (the cost of the paper is met by the parish council). The Old Buckenham “blog” publishes many items destined for the newsletter which are ‘posted’ every couple of days on the worldwide web. Over 700 items about the village have been posted since the blog was set up just over three years ago. For the last three years the editor has also taken the initiative for entering Old Buckenham into the ‘Pride in Norfolk’ village competition. The village was runner-up the first year and has won its category for the next two years, bringing a £1000 in prize money into the village.
District Councillor’s report. Breckland Council needed to save nearly £3 million pounds over next five years and there is a possible merger of shared management with Breckland, South Holland and Great Yarmouth Borough Council which could save Breckland an additional £100,000. Breckland have continued with match funding grants and have given £2,950 to the Village Hall lighting project and £100 towards the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The new houses proposed by Cotman housing are now progressing and, when completed, should provide affordable housing for residents of the village.
County Councillor’s report. William Nunn reported that £16 million pounds had been taken off budget this year and despite this there was no increase in council tax this year and it was hoped no increase next year. There are 111 change programmes going on at present time to try to reduce administrative costs. Norfolk County Council are hoping to have 90% of Norfolk on high speed broadband. There has been a £10 million investment in the Fire Service and no reductions in front line services. No libraries in Norfolk will close following public consultations. Public transport links still appears to be a problem as they are underfunded by central government. It was at first decided that £250,000 would be reduced from footpath budgets but £150,000 is going back in to maintain as many footpaths as possible in the county. William Nunn then took questions from members of the public.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Play Area - Sarah Dye said the play area continues to be a well-used and popular resource for Old Buckenham. They are extremely grateful to John Hicks for the immense amount of time and effort he puts in on a voluntary basis to regularly maintain the play area and make it an attractive and safe place for children to play. She was disappointed to report that the site had experienced vandalism and damage to the gates and fences and some of the equipment. Car parking in the areas used by the Ox & Plough, the Church and the play area has caused some issues for local residents and, in response, the Parish Council are working with the Green Right Proprietors to improve parking. The provision of toilet facilities has also been discussed but unfortunately there is no feasible way to make specific and regular provision for play area users. Planning - Derek Smalley pointed out that the Localism Act may bring unwanted pressures on development in the village. The Parish Council will engage with residents to seek their views. With regard to the Attleborough Development Plan, the concerns of residents regarding increased use of B1077 and the infrastructure of the village including schools and doctors capacity are being raised. Concerns of the villagers are raised with Norfolk Police at regular meetings including speeding on Hargham Road and parking in Abbey Road outside the school. Derek Smalley also gave details of usage and prices with the oil buying scheme and the intention is to continue with scheme for another year. Allotments - Adrian Joel reported that these were now in their second year with 17 allotments holders. An additional stand pipe had been added along with parking matting. Village Hall - Tom Johnson gave details of the people running the village hall and asked that residents support them as funds are greatly needed. Diamond Jubilee celebrations - Steve Milner gave details of funding received and an overview of what they hoped to achieve at the celebrations. Recreation Area - Jonathan Kemp said the first phase was completed and effort was now concentrating on planning and funding of the second phase for the supply and installation of sports equipment on the site. Youth Council - Tim Ing said that it had been difficult to arrange meetings with interested young people because of circumstances including exams but the parish council were still going to work on the matter.
Public recess. A resident raised the matter of planning applications in the village and especially single dwelling applications which the Parish Council seemed to oppose. He suggested they look at this policy. Tim Ing responded saying the Parish Council is looking at future development in the village. Another resident raised the matter of broadband within Norfolk and the Say Yes campaign to bring high speed broadband to the County. County councillor William Nunn responded to the question. A resident raised the matter of speeding in Hargham Road and planning applications along with non-compliance of HGV restrictions within the village. Derek Smalley said the matter would be raised at the next SNAP meeting in April. A resident raised concerns about two planning applications that were going through at the present time and expressed concerns that not enough consideration was being given in the plan to improve infrastructures in the village before development took place. Another resident raised the matter of horses on the Green and asked if there were any regulations in place to cover the matter. Sarah Dye said the Green Right Proprietors would look into the matter. A further resident raised concerns saying that Breckland Council’s expenses were amongst the highest in the country and also raised the matter of affordable housing not only being funded by housing associations. One resident raised matter of accounts not being on the agenda. He also said he would like to see a budget on a year-by-year basis. A resident said he had concerns that Parish Clerk did not live in village and was not in tune with the residents and seem to concentrate on the legal position of the Parish Council too much. Both the Parish Clerk and Tim Ing responded on the matter. Another resident raised the suggestion of a five-year budget forecast and the Parish Council would discuss the matter at their April meeting. A resident raised the matter of a footpath on the Green which he thought was in a terrible condition. He had spoken to both the County Council and the Parish Council who said they could not do anything about it. Another resident raised the matter of the war memorial which he thought should be taken over by Parish Council. Tim Ing responded on both matters. One resident raised the matter of car parking at the Village Hall and asked if the County Council could not help to fill in the potholes. County Councillor William Nunn responded saying it was private property and they could not assist. A resident then thanked the Parish Council for their hard work while another resident asked if a list of the allotment holders could be made available.
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Breckland Flower and Garden Club
From small beginnings...
Thirty years ago ten ladies formed the Breckland Flower and Garden Club. Over the ensuing years the club has flourished and now boasts over sixty members, most of whom gathered to celebrate the club's pearl anniversary held in Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 12 April.
The vestibule and tables were beautifully decorated with 'pearl arrangements' (thanks to Christine Hewson and Ann Norris). After a welcome coffee, Tracy Hemstock from Bullens Jewellers, Norwich told how pearls were formed and also brought along samples of the different types of the pearls available including a string of sea pearls - desirable but unfortunately rather expensive.
Following a buffet lunch prepared by the committee, Nick Grounds (national demonstrator) interpreted his title 'Inflorescence' with larger-than-life arrangements full of colour and movement.
The birthday cake was cut by the president and chairman and everyone enjoyed a slice of Jean Wade's creation with their cup of tea.
The competition was 'Celebration Cocktail'. The New Hands class was won by Alison Walker and the Old Hands class by Shirley Penfold who also won the trophy.
Many thanks are due to everyone who made this such a special day.
The May meeting will be held at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 10 May starting at 2 pm when Pat Barton will be demonstrating 'In my element'. The competition title will be 'Down the Garden Path' and the table show will be for one stem of blossom from your garden.Visitors will be welcomed. Further details from Sally on 788712.
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Treasure found in Old Buckenham
Treasure Quest visits yet again
Today being the Titanic anniversary, it provided the Quest Master at BBC Radio Norfolk the opportunity to write a clue based on the Titanic survivor who once lived in Stacksford on the outskirts of Old Buckenham.
Ellen Bird was born in April, 1881, the daughter of Samuel Bird (shepherd) and his wife Maryann and was one of 11 children. She was living in London when she was employed as a maid by Mrs Isidor Straus just prior to their return to New York and boarded the Titanic at Southampton. After the collision Mrs Straus dithered over whether or not to enter a lifeboat but decided to stay with her husband. Encouraged by her steadfast employers Ellen Bird boarded Lifeboat 8 and was saved.
The Treasure Quest clue eventually brought Becky Betts and Graham Barnard to the Askew Agricultural Museum in Stacksford which had opened up especially for the visit. A quick look around and the 'treasure' was found on a notice board full of awards that the the Askew Farm had won over the years.
That's four Treasure Quest visits in under two years, this village must have something...
ps If you have never seen the real treasure, it looked like this today...
Today being the Titanic anniversary, it provided the Quest Master at BBC Radio Norfolk the opportunity to write a clue based on the Titanic survivor who once lived in Stacksford on the outskirts of Old Buckenham.
Ellen Bird was born in April, 1881, the daughter of Samuel Bird (shepherd) and his wife Maryann and was one of 11 children. She was living in London when she was employed as a maid by Mrs Isidor Straus just prior to their return to New York and boarded the Titanic at Southampton. After the collision Mrs Straus dithered over whether or not to enter a lifeboat but decided to stay with her husband. Encouraged by her steadfast employers Ellen Bird boarded Lifeboat 8 and was saved.
That's four Treasure Quest visits in under two years, this village must have something...
ps If you have never seen the real treasure, it looked like this today...
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Old Buckenham Village Hall
Report on Village Hall during 2011
The year ending December 2011 was a success in relation to bookings which provided an income of £10,169. The hall is almost fully booked for midweek evenings, reasonably utilised at weekends and improving with day time usage. This is despite several alternative venues being available for hire within the village.
Against the income, essential maintenance amounted to £5,295, water £1043, heating and lighting £4,275, and insurance £1,310, resulting in a trading loss of approximately £1,800. This is overcome with fundraising, including the village fete, which, together with various grants, finances capital expenditure.
With the support of Old Buckenham Players, new digital stage lighting has been installed. The Trustees are appreciative of the Players’ efforts, both in time and materials, which have made considerable improvements to the stage itself. Financial support for this project was also given by Breckland Council and Norfolk Community Foundation.
The year 2011 was the third consecutive that hiring charges have not increased despite considerable increases in maintaining the building (which is now in its thirty-fourth year). It is planned later this year (2012) to hold an open meeting in the hope that residents will come along and discuss the way forward for their community centre. This is in addition to the AGM which took place on Wednesday 4 April. In maintaining the existing hiring charges the Trustees do take very seriously the importance of the building to the many senior citizens within Old Buckenham, some without transport.
The Trustees are most grateful to Jean Norton and Joan Jenkins who kindly give their time to take minutes at the monthly management meetings. They also thank caretaker Peter Rhodes for the wonderful work he does in taking care of the building. Further thanks have to go to local tradesmen Graham Turner, Paul Boggia and John Smith who have all provided some labour during the year without charge.
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Easter lilies
Arrangements of lilies at Easter
All Saints Church at Old Buckenham was again decorated over Easter with lilies provided by people in memory of departed loved ones and friends. Money was donated towards the purchase of a total of 165 lilies and these were used to produce some eight floral decorations throughout the church.
A booklet was produced listing all the names of those being remembered and a few copies are still available to be picked up in the church.
Here are some photos of the various arrangements for those who cannot pop in and see them.
(Remember that you can enlarge the individual images just by clicking on them)
All Saints Church at Old Buckenham was again decorated over Easter with lilies provided by people in memory of departed loved ones and friends. Money was donated towards the purchase of a total of 165 lilies and these were used to produce some eight floral decorations throughout the church.
A booklet was produced listing all the names of those being remembered and a few copies are still available to be picked up in the church.
Here are some photos of the various arrangements for those who cannot pop in and see them.
(Remember that you can enlarge the individual images just by clicking on them)
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Old Buckenham deliberates
April Parish Council minutes
These notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended later.
All the parish councillors were in attendance at the April meeting except for Carol Marshall who had sent her apologies. There were also 22 Members of the public who had come along.
After the public recess to allow members of the public to ask questions the meeting resumed and the minutes of the March Parish Council meeting were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matter arising from the March minutes. John Frost said he had looked at the paths on the Green and especially along the B1077. The surfaces are loose and needed attention. Tim Ing said the Green Right Proprietors would look at the matter. Derek Smalley informed the meeting that he had obtained the parking signs to be used at the play area part of the Green and they would soon be erected.
Planning applications. Derek Smalley said that there were six applications to deal with at the meeting and the Parish Council would concentrate on the Fen Street, Hargham Road and Shrublands applications. He said it was difficult judging these applications against the new National Planning Framework which has just come out during the week. Some decisions made by the Parish Council will be unpopular with one group of residents and welcomed by another. Old Buckenham is a designated service centre by Breckland Council because there are shops, schools, village hall, pre school facilities, etc but there was no requirement for housing under the 2008 LDF plan produced by Breckland. If development is to take place in Old Buckenham then there is a need to agree new development boundaries and agree where future development is likely to take place. House prices in Old Buckenham exceed the reach of young people or couples who wish to remain in the village so the issue of affordable social housing needs to be addressed now.
The Granary, Mill Rd. Install wood-burning stove to first floor. Proposed by Cllr Smalley and seconded by Cllr Chrisovelides and. No objections, agreed unanimously.
Old Buckenham Airfield. Continued use of land for stationing of clubhouse for use in connection with airfield. No objections, agreed unanimously.
4 Chattergate. Bay windows and porch, two additional windows, replacing existing conservatory with ground floor extension. No objections, agreed unanimously.
Land at Hargham Road. Erection of five dwellings. Tim Ing informed the meeting that Parish Council had discussed the application in detail at a working party meeting held the previous week. Councillors then expressed their various views on the application. It was proposed to object to the application as it was outside the development boundary, the road was too narrow, there was no footpath and the local school is over subscribed. This objection was agreed with 7 for, 1 against and 2 abstentions.
Land at Fen Street, erection of five dwellings. Councillors had also discussed this application at a previous working party meeting in detail and after councillors had expressed their views it was proposed to object to the application as it was outside the development area, also there was no footpath and there are no sustainable transport links in the area. This objection was agreed with 6 for, 3 against and 1 abstention.
Land at Shrublands, Puddledock. Removal of steel grain store, demolish four bungalows, convert agricultural barns to eight residential units and erect ten new dwellings. It was proposed to object to this application on the grounds that it was still outside the settlement boundary, had no access to key local services, there was over reliance on private cars and also no adequate access to public transport. This was agreed with 8 for and 2 abstentions.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Snetterton Farm. Single storey lean-to extensions to front elevation. Permission granted.
Park Farm, Abbey Road. Installation of two small wind turbines. Permission refused.
Loan to Village Hall. Tom Johnson asked if the Parish Council would make a loan of £1500 to the village hall against a grant application that they would be making. Tuim Ing pointed out that the Parish Council had already voted on the matter and that, under standing orders, no new vote could take place.
Budgetary control and forward planning. Adrian Joel said the matter was raised at the last Annual Parish Meeting and he thought the idea of a monthly expense analysis against budget was a good idea. Tim Ing asked for the views of the Parish Clerk who stated that a monthly analysis was too much for the amount of expenditure incurred each month by the Parish Council, the amount being approximately £700 after the fixed costs of insurance, grants and salary were taken into account. Sarah Dye said the forward planning was more important and she was concerned that the Parish Council could get bogged down with small variances in the budget forecast. It was agreed that a quarterly budget analysis would be provided by the Parish Clerk for the Parish Council.
Recreation Area. Jonathan Kemp said a working party meeting held at the end of March had agreed to work closely with Monster Play who had put forward excellent suggestions for the play area. It was also agreed that investigating the possible funding streams available was the next step forward and each member of the working party is working on specific funding sources. These would include Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury, Sports England, Big Lottery, Co-op, Norfolk Community Foundation, Section 106, Breckland match funding, Awards for all, Wooden Spoon, Landfill,etc The next meeting of the working party will be in mid April.
Localism Act and village planning. Sarah Dye said she had attended a meeting on future planning within villages and it was said that villages should look to develop their own village development plan. She stated that the process would be time consuming and could prove expensive to produce. Akis Chrisovelides said he had a person who is qualified in this area of expertise and is willing to produce a plan for the village. Adrian Joel explained the way the Neighbourhood Plan would work in conjunction with Breckland Council. He also said that it may be good if local villages could group together to produce plans for each village and reduce costs. Tim Ing said that the item would be put on the May agenda for more discussion. The Parish Clerk to contact NALC and Norfolk Rural Community Council for more information on the subject.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said that the Annual Parish Meeting was not well attended but two issues raised at the meeting are being dealt with. These were the question of budgetary control and that future Annual Parish Meetings should be different and engage more of the residents in the village rather than just receive written reports from groups in the village. The Parish Council would look at this well before the next Annual Parish Meeting and he asked councillors to think about it and come up with suggestions. He then addressed the point raised by a villager who expressed concern that the Parish Clerk did not live in the village and therefore could not understand the general feelings of the residents. Tim Ing said that previous clerks residing in the village had people knocking on their doors at all hours. He said the present clerk is well qualified to do the job without the need to live in the village. His job was not to know the feelings of the village, that was a matter for the Parish Councillors. The clerk was there to advise them on how they can carry out their duties as councillors. The meeting was informed that a previous parish clerk, Cecilia Wardman, who had served in the position for ten years had passed away. The Parish Clerk to send a letter of condolence and it was suggested that councillors might make a donation to the church in her memory. The damaged dog bin had now been replaced with a new one and moved to a better site to make emptying more accessible.
Parish councillors’ reports. Paul Boggia raised the matter of street lighting in the new development at St Andrews Close. The Parish Clerk responded that the Parish Council had asked for street lighting to be provided as the new development could house elderly people and lighting could help combat any vandalism. Norfolk County Council had refused the request. John Frost said that the Easter service was coming up at All Saints church and this year was asking people to sponsor lilies. Over the years this scheme has raised over £12,000 for the church funds. Steve Milner said the Diamond Jubilee celebrations now have barn dance tickets available and that everything was in place for the airfield celebrations. Paul Boggia said that a section of road would be closed in the village on the day of the celebrations. A further working party meeting was planned for Saturday 14 April. Adrian Joel said there had been a meeting of Old Buckenham Allotment Society (OBAS) and the matter of shed colours was raised. A colour called Willow Green was suggested as a suitable colour and approval for this was given. The Parish Clerk is to send letter to Mrs Cawley and Tim Bornett on matter. OBAS are still looking for funding for eco-toilets and it was agreed that OBAS would do the research and Parish Council would sign off the grant applications. John Frost suggested a best allotment competition which was thought by councillors to be a good idea. Akis Chrisovelides said he had finally made contact with the young people in the village who were interested in setting up a Youth Council. It was agreed that further contact would be made after exams were finished. Tom Johnson said that he had attended the AGM of the Village Hall where the issue of the car park surface was discussed including the possible resurfacing of the area including the grass around the Recreation Area. Sarah Dye said the play area was due for its annual safety inspection and she would arrange it. Derek Smalley said he attended the SNAT meeting with police where he raised the question of speeding in Hargham Road and HGVs not observing the weight restrictions. The police have made them a priority issue over the next two months. Also the police will make efforts for extra patrols to the village in relation to vandalism. He has delivered another welcome pack and would be seeking feedback on the contents of the packs to see how people receiving them feel about them.
Clerk’s report. The Clerk asked for permission to enter into discussions with the insurance provider to see if they will offer the Parish Council a three or five year fixed premium deal when insurance comes up for renewal in June. The Parish Council agreed to this. The Clerk then said he hoped to get draft accounts to councillors during the next week and they would have to adopt them formally at the next Parish Council meeting.
Highways. Tom Johnson raised matter of road signs at the junction of Hargham Road and the B1077 as the signs for weight restrictions do not seem to apply to Hargham Road. The Parish Clerk is to talk to Highways on the matter. Derek Smalley said that reflector posts in Cake Street are missing and that the grass verge in Grove Road at the junction of Mill Road and Crown Road has been severely damaged. Tim Ing said the landowner of the land at the junction of Hargham Road and Grove Road has put in a wire fence and removed some hedges to improve visibility. In Barkers Lane some of the potholes have been repaired but not all. The Parish Clerk is to raise these matters with Highways.
The Green. Adrian Joel raised the matter of Parish Council funding for maintenance of the green as Tim Bornett had said he was told by NALC that the Parish Council could fund the Green. The Parish Clerk said that he had written legal advice from NALC saying that at present the Parish Council could not do this as the Green Right Proprietors was not a formally registered non-profitable organization or a registered charitable trust. Adrian Joel said he had seen two 13 year old children clearing rubbish from Prince Harry’s Wood which he thought was excellent on their part.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council, which will also be their AGM, will be held on Thursday 3 May in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.
These notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended later.
All the parish councillors were in attendance at the April meeting except for Carol Marshall who had sent her apologies. There were also 22 Members of the public who had come along.
After the public recess to allow members of the public to ask questions the meeting resumed and the minutes of the March Parish Council meeting were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matter arising from the March minutes. John Frost said he had looked at the paths on the Green and especially along the B1077. The surfaces are loose and needed attention. Tim Ing said the Green Right Proprietors would look at the matter. Derek Smalley informed the meeting that he had obtained the parking signs to be used at the play area part of the Green and they would soon be erected.
Planning applications. Derek Smalley said that there were six applications to deal with at the meeting and the Parish Council would concentrate on the Fen Street, Hargham Road and Shrublands applications. He said it was difficult judging these applications against the new National Planning Framework which has just come out during the week. Some decisions made by the Parish Council will be unpopular with one group of residents and welcomed by another. Old Buckenham is a designated service centre by Breckland Council because there are shops, schools, village hall, pre school facilities, etc but there was no requirement for housing under the 2008 LDF plan produced by Breckland. If development is to take place in Old Buckenham then there is a need to agree new development boundaries and agree where future development is likely to take place. House prices in Old Buckenham exceed the reach of young people or couples who wish to remain in the village so the issue of affordable social housing needs to be addressed now.
The Granary, Mill Rd. Install wood-burning stove to first floor. Proposed by Cllr Smalley and seconded by Cllr Chrisovelides and. No objections, agreed unanimously.
Old Buckenham Airfield. Continued use of land for stationing of clubhouse for use in connection with airfield. No objections, agreed unanimously.
4 Chattergate. Bay windows and porch, two additional windows, replacing existing conservatory with ground floor extension. No objections, agreed unanimously.
Land at Hargham Road. Erection of five dwellings. Tim Ing informed the meeting that Parish Council had discussed the application in detail at a working party meeting held the previous week. Councillors then expressed their various views on the application. It was proposed to object to the application as it was outside the development boundary, the road was too narrow, there was no footpath and the local school is over subscribed. This objection was agreed with 7 for, 1 against and 2 abstentions.
Land at Fen Street, erection of five dwellings. Councillors had also discussed this application at a previous working party meeting in detail and after councillors had expressed their views it was proposed to object to the application as it was outside the development area, also there was no footpath and there are no sustainable transport links in the area. This objection was agreed with 6 for, 3 against and 1 abstention.
Land at Shrublands, Puddledock. Removal of steel grain store, demolish four bungalows, convert agricultural barns to eight residential units and erect ten new dwellings. It was proposed to object to this application on the grounds that it was still outside the settlement boundary, had no access to key local services, there was over reliance on private cars and also no adequate access to public transport. This was agreed with 8 for and 2 abstentions.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Snetterton Farm. Single storey lean-to extensions to front elevation. Permission granted.
Park Farm, Abbey Road. Installation of two small wind turbines. Permission refused.
Loan to Village Hall. Tom Johnson asked if the Parish Council would make a loan of £1500 to the village hall against a grant application that they would be making. Tuim Ing pointed out that the Parish Council had already voted on the matter and that, under standing orders, no new vote could take place.
Budgetary control and forward planning. Adrian Joel said the matter was raised at the last Annual Parish Meeting and he thought the idea of a monthly expense analysis against budget was a good idea. Tim Ing asked for the views of the Parish Clerk who stated that a monthly analysis was too much for the amount of expenditure incurred each month by the Parish Council, the amount being approximately £700 after the fixed costs of insurance, grants and salary were taken into account. Sarah Dye said the forward planning was more important and she was concerned that the Parish Council could get bogged down with small variances in the budget forecast. It was agreed that a quarterly budget analysis would be provided by the Parish Clerk for the Parish Council.
Recreation Area. Jonathan Kemp said a working party meeting held at the end of March had agreed to work closely with Monster Play who had put forward excellent suggestions for the play area. It was also agreed that investigating the possible funding streams available was the next step forward and each member of the working party is working on specific funding sources. These would include Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury, Sports England, Big Lottery, Co-op, Norfolk Community Foundation, Section 106, Breckland match funding, Awards for all, Wooden Spoon, Landfill,etc The next meeting of the working party will be in mid April.
Localism Act and village planning. Sarah Dye said she had attended a meeting on future planning within villages and it was said that villages should look to develop their own village development plan. She stated that the process would be time consuming and could prove expensive to produce. Akis Chrisovelides said he had a person who is qualified in this area of expertise and is willing to produce a plan for the village. Adrian Joel explained the way the Neighbourhood Plan would work in conjunction with Breckland Council. He also said that it may be good if local villages could group together to produce plans for each village and reduce costs. Tim Ing said that the item would be put on the May agenda for more discussion. The Parish Clerk to contact NALC and Norfolk Rural Community Council for more information on the subject.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said that the Annual Parish Meeting was not well attended but two issues raised at the meeting are being dealt with. These were the question of budgetary control and that future Annual Parish Meetings should be different and engage more of the residents in the village rather than just receive written reports from groups in the village. The Parish Council would look at this well before the next Annual Parish Meeting and he asked councillors to think about it and come up with suggestions. He then addressed the point raised by a villager who expressed concern that the Parish Clerk did not live in the village and therefore could not understand the general feelings of the residents. Tim Ing said that previous clerks residing in the village had people knocking on their doors at all hours. He said the present clerk is well qualified to do the job without the need to live in the village. His job was not to know the feelings of the village, that was a matter for the Parish Councillors. The clerk was there to advise them on how they can carry out their duties as councillors. The meeting was informed that a previous parish clerk, Cecilia Wardman, who had served in the position for ten years had passed away. The Parish Clerk to send a letter of condolence and it was suggested that councillors might make a donation to the church in her memory. The damaged dog bin had now been replaced with a new one and moved to a better site to make emptying more accessible.
Parish councillors’ reports. Paul Boggia raised the matter of street lighting in the new development at St Andrews Close. The Parish Clerk responded that the Parish Council had asked for street lighting to be provided as the new development could house elderly people and lighting could help combat any vandalism. Norfolk County Council had refused the request. John Frost said that the Easter service was coming up at All Saints church and this year was asking people to sponsor lilies. Over the years this scheme has raised over £12,000 for the church funds. Steve Milner said the Diamond Jubilee celebrations now have barn dance tickets available and that everything was in place for the airfield celebrations. Paul Boggia said that a section of road would be closed in the village on the day of the celebrations. A further working party meeting was planned for Saturday 14 April. Adrian Joel said there had been a meeting of Old Buckenham Allotment Society (OBAS) and the matter of shed colours was raised. A colour called Willow Green was suggested as a suitable colour and approval for this was given. The Parish Clerk is to send letter to Mrs Cawley and Tim Bornett on matter. OBAS are still looking for funding for eco-toilets and it was agreed that OBAS would do the research and Parish Council would sign off the grant applications. John Frost suggested a best allotment competition which was thought by councillors to be a good idea. Akis Chrisovelides said he had finally made contact with the young people in the village who were interested in setting up a Youth Council. It was agreed that further contact would be made after exams were finished. Tom Johnson said that he had attended the AGM of the Village Hall where the issue of the car park surface was discussed including the possible resurfacing of the area including the grass around the Recreation Area. Sarah Dye said the play area was due for its annual safety inspection and she would arrange it. Derek Smalley said he attended the SNAT meeting with police where he raised the question of speeding in Hargham Road and HGVs not observing the weight restrictions. The police have made them a priority issue over the next two months. Also the police will make efforts for extra patrols to the village in relation to vandalism. He has delivered another welcome pack and would be seeking feedback on the contents of the packs to see how people receiving them feel about them.
Clerk’s report. The Clerk asked for permission to enter into discussions with the insurance provider to see if they will offer the Parish Council a three or five year fixed premium deal when insurance comes up for renewal in June. The Parish Council agreed to this. The Clerk then said he hoped to get draft accounts to councillors during the next week and they would have to adopt them formally at the next Parish Council meeting.
Highways. Tom Johnson raised matter of road signs at the junction of Hargham Road and the B1077 as the signs for weight restrictions do not seem to apply to Hargham Road. The Parish Clerk is to talk to Highways on the matter. Derek Smalley said that reflector posts in Cake Street are missing and that the grass verge in Grove Road at the junction of Mill Road and Crown Road has been severely damaged. Tim Ing said the landowner of the land at the junction of Hargham Road and Grove Road has put in a wire fence and removed some hedges to improve visibility. In Barkers Lane some of the potholes have been repaired but not all. The Parish Clerk is to raise these matters with Highways.
The Green. Adrian Joel raised the matter of Parish Council funding for maintenance of the green as Tim Bornett had said he was told by NALC that the Parish Council could fund the Green. The Parish Clerk said that he had written legal advice from NALC saying that at present the Parish Council could not do this as the Green Right Proprietors was not a formally registered non-profitable organization or a registered charitable trust. Adrian Joel said he had seen two 13 year old children clearing rubbish from Prince Harry’s Wood which he thought was excellent on their part.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council, which will also be their AGM, will be held on Thursday 3 May in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.
Friday, 6 April 2012
Litter pick by parish councillors
Give your councillors a hand
The Old Buckenham parish councillors have arranged to do a litter pick on the Green on Sunday 15 April. They will be meeting by the almshouses at 10am and would be grateful if parishioners would come along too to give a hand.
'Pickers' will be provided, just bring along a couple of bin bags to fill up and help make the village a nicer looking place.
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Museum opening
Agricultural history in Old Buckenham
Don't forget that the Askew Agricultural Museum has its first opening of the year on Sunday 8 April. You can find more details on their new website
www.askewagrimuseum.co.uk
Don't forget that the Askew Agricultural Museum has its first opening of the year on Sunday 8 April. You can find more details on their new website
www.askewagrimuseum.co.uk
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Busy time for WI
March madness for Old Buckenham WI
It isn’t only hares that have a frenzy of activity in March, Old Buckenham WI have too. Activities ranged from providing refreshments for two Village Hall fund-raising events, scrabble evenings, darts competitions, a Craft Day, Village Hall quiz, a monthly meeting and a Spring Fair. The WI pulled out all their creativity by organising a second Craft Day in the Village Hall for sixty WI members from around the county [see post on Wednesday 14 March]. The tutored crafts included embroidery, patchwork, box-making, beading and pewter work. The students were provided with refreshments and a lunch by a team of cooks in the kitchen. The event was much enjoyed by all those who attended.
The same week, Old Buckenham WI entered three teams into the Village Hall quiz and the A team were declared champions [see post on Tuesday 20 March]. The team were awarded a silver cup and an Easter egg each.
The speaker at this month’s meeting was Sister Pamela with her talk on being a nun in the 21st century. The All Hallows convent was started over one hundred and fifty years ago in Norwich and continues today with premises in Ditchingham. Initially the sisters took care of the poor and destitute. They founded a hospital near Bungay, which now provides respite care. They opened and ran an orphanage and school, now closed. Today the order runs retreats, helps the homeless back into work and is involved with the Julian shrine in Norwich. Sister Pamela spoke of their website and keeping up with the times whilst still providing spiritual guidance for those seeking it.
The WI finished the month on Saturday 31 March with a Spring Fair held in the local Church Rooms [see post on Sunday 1 April]. A homemade, traditional afternoon tea was included in the entrance fee. Visitors then had a chance to enter the raffle, try their luck at the tombola stall or quiz or just have a mardle over their tea.
Hectic? Yes. Rewarding? Of course. Tiring? Naturally. March has been a challenging month but well worth it.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Egg-cellent afternoon
Spring Fair
It's just before Easter so it is time for Old Buckenham Women's Institute to hold their Spring Fair in the Church Rooms. There were plenty of activities to help you part with your money but the admission fee also included an high-class Afternoon Tea (best china plates, cups and saucers, sandwiches with the crusts cut off, a scone and a choice of homemade cake washed down with some freshly brewed tea).
There was also a prize for the person wearing the best fashion accessory incorporating an Easter egg or eggs. One of the male visitors had the affrontery to win this but wishes to remain anonymous (although there is a clue to his identity in the background of the photograph above).
This was a most enjoyable afternoon and hopefully it was a good fund-raising activity too.
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Potential comic potential
Coming soon from Old Buckenham Players
Old Buckenham Players next production will be Alan Ayckbourn’s “Comic potential”
The action of this play takes place in the near future when ‘Actoids’ have replaced human actors and one, JC- F31—333, appears to have a glitch as she keeps breaking into laughter.
JC- F31—333, or Jacie as she becomes known, has a comedy specially written for her but this just leads to jealousy especially when Jacie and the comedy writer fall in love…
The play will be performed at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 17, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 May. More details later.
Old Buckenham Players next production will be Alan Ayckbourn’s “Comic potential”
The action of this play takes place in the near future when ‘Actoids’ have replaced human actors and one, JC- F31—333, appears to have a glitch as she keeps breaking into laughter.
JC- F31—333, or Jacie as she becomes known, has a comedy specially written for her but this just leads to jealousy especially when Jacie and the comedy writer fall in love…
The play will be performed at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 17, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 May. More details later.
Friday, 30 March 2012
Look what's coming
Monday 2 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Tuesday 3 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon
Wednesday 4 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 4 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Wednesday 4 Village Hall AGM, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Thursday 5 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 6 Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Sunday 8 Askew Agricultural Museum, Scales Farm, 2pm to 5pm
Sunday 8 Windmill open, 2pm to 5pm
Monday 9 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm
Thursday 12 Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 12 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm
Friday 13 Village Fete planning meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 13 Village Fete planning meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 14 Diamond Jubilee planning meeting, Village Hall, 10am
Monday 16 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Wednesday 18 Luncheon Club outing
Wednesday 18 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Saturday 21 Debating Society, Church Rooms, 10am
Thursday 26 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 28 Garden event, Village Hall, 10am to 1pm
Sunday 29 RV Fly In, OB Airfield
Monday 30 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Early for April
This is the cover to look out for
All the news from Old Buckenham in that old-fashioned printed way.
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Players say thank you
Around three year's ago it became obvious to Old Buckenham Players that the stage lighting equipment installed at Old Buckenham Village Hall was getting to the end of its useful (and safe) life. Now, after much fundraising, the new equipment and lighting rigs have been installed and the Players felt it was appropriate to say thank you to all those involved.
This thank you took the form of an evening's "light entertainment", provided free to all who wanted to come along and enjoy it.
After a couple of introductory speeches from the Players' chairman Laurence Barnett and from Lynda Turner (Breckland Council Member for Localism, Community and Environmental Services) to explain the background and where all the money (over £10,000) had come from, the entertainment started.
There was a mixture of short sketches, songs and 'radio plays' to enjoy over the next couple of hours. A break was taken to savour homemade cakes provided by the Old Buckenham Women's Institute and to distribute the prizes from a worthwhile raffle.
Most of the cast managed to get on stage for the final radio play "This was their finest flower", an item so full of vegetable puns that it was impossible to keep up with them.
After the final curtain, a further thank you to all involved was given by Jill Emms from the Village Hall Committee.
If there was anything disappointing about the evening it was the lack of Old Buckenham people who bothered to come along and support the event. If, as Jill Emms suggested, they had stopped at home to watch so-called talent shows on television then they certainly missed seeing some of the great talent that exists on their own doorstep.
Friday, 23 March 2012
Grants from Parish Council
You need to think ahead
Any voluntary organisation within the village of Old Buckenham seeking a grant from the parish council in the next financial year (commencing 1 April 2013) needs to submit their application in writing to the Parish Clerk before Sunday 30 September this year.
Any voluntary organisation within the village of Old Buckenham seeking a grant from the parish council in the next financial year (commencing 1 April 2013) needs to submit their application in writing to the Parish Clerk before Sunday 30 September this year.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Results of the Old Buckenham quiz
Quiz statistics
There was some careful counting up of points before the winners of the village quiz held on Friday 16 March were announced as being ‘Table 7’. This turned out to be the Women’s Institute A team who had 79 points (out of a possible 110), just one point in front of ‘Table 9’. Close behind were ‘Table 10’ and ‘Table 11’, both with 75 points.
Perhaps it is better to keep the teams anonymous for those sharing last place who were teams 5 and 17, each with 51 points.
Team 10 was the only team to achieve a perfect score of 10 on a round which they managed on “It happened in 2011”. Team 20 achieved the highest score of 17 out of 20 on the word equations table quiz.
Thanks need to go to Roy and Pat for all their work in setting the questions and keeping all the scores. As mentioned in the earlier post on this quiz, one of the most important numbers for the evening was the £210 raised for village hall funds.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Frederick Duleep Singh and Old Buckenham
Hall filled for local history talk
For the second night running the Old Buckenham Village Hall was packed with people. On Saturday 17 March it was for the talk by Peter Bance on 'The Prince who lived in Old Buckenham'. There can't be many small villages in the country that can claim to have had a prince and three princesses living there at the same time.
But then Prince Frederick Duleep Singh came to live at Old Buckenham Hall in 1897 followed soon after by his three sisters, the princesses Bamba, Catherine and Sophia, at the Manor House beside Old Buckenham Green. How this all came about was all explained by Peter Bance as he gave the history of the Duleep Singh dynasty, how members of the family were forced to leave India and then came to England where they were befriended by Queen Victoria.
Frederick settled in his new home in Old Buckenham and set about improving the house and gardens. He was a keen shot and, along with his elder brother Victor, set up local records for the amount of game shot in one day. He moved on to other houses locally, first to Breckles and then to Blo' Norton where he died and is buried.
All this, and much more, was illustrated by the speaker's collection of old photographs and other family items. He answered questions from the audience and also heard their stories of Prince Frederick, even down to the wonderful handwriting he had when recording the minutes of the Old Buckenham Green Right Proprietors.
The aim of this evening's event was to raise money for the village hall funds and, with all 120 seats taken, it was successful raising over £400. The local Attleborough Heritage Group provided excellent projection facilities and the Old Buckenham Women's Institute served up wonderful homemade refreshments.
Perhaps even more important was that the audience seemed to enjoy it, probably spoke to people from the village that they had never met before and went home knowing more about their village history than they did when they arrived.
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