Vote on Thursday

Vote for the village future
Twelve people have put themselves forward for election to the parish council (and there are eleven places to fill) and there are also three candidates for the job of District Councillor.
Old Buckenham Village Hall is the polling station on Thursday 5 May where you can go to help decide who will be eligible to serve as our District and Parish Councillors until May 2015. You can also vote in the referendum on the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections.
The polling station at the village hall is open from 7am to 10pm.

May keep you busy

Sunday 1 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Tuesday 3 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

Wednesday 4 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Friday 6 Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 6 Debating Society, Church Rooms, 10am

Gardening event planned for Saturday 7 May has been cancelled this year.

Sunday 8 Askew Agricultural Museum, open 2pm to 5pm

Sunday 8 Old Buckenham windmill, open 2pm to 5pm

Monday 9 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Tuesday 10 Village Fete meeting, Church Rooms, 7.30pm

Wednesday 11 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 12 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 12 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Thursday 12 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm

Sunday 15 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 16 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Wednesday 18 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Thursday 19 'It runs in the family', OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 20 'One Stop Bus' outside Village Shop, 10am to 12 noon

Friday 20 'It runs in the family', OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 21 'It runs in the family', OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Tuesday 24 Allotment Society AGM, Church Rooms, 7.30pm

Wednesday 25 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 26 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Remembering at Easter

Lots of lilies
Many villagers in Old Buckenham took part in requesting lilies in remembrance of departed relatives or friends at Easter. In total 153 requests were received together with donations for All Saints Church.  Several flower arrangements using the 153 lilies were distributed around the church and a leaflet was available after the Easter services giving a record of all the names of those who have been remembered.
A main project in the future is to restore some of the stained glass windows on the south side of the church, some of which goes back to the fifteenth century. The cost is estimated to be in the region of £20,000 so donations received this year will be allocated to this project.
Once this work is completed it is proposed to dedicate one of the windows in memory of the departed.

May contain useful information

Inside this issue
Here is your guide to all the candidates that will be standing for election as District or Parish councillors on Thursday 5 May. As there are more candidates than places, you can go along and vote for those you would prefer and also give your preference in the referendum on the voting system for future UK parliamentary elections.
The polling station is at Old Buckenham Village Hall and it will be open from 7am to 10pm.
Also in this issue is a copy of the schedule for the Old Buckenham Open Produce and Handicraft Show in September. Just click on the images to bring them the pages to reasonable size.

What the councillors said

April Parish Council
Eight members of the public came along to the April meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council. All the councillors attended.
The minutes of the March Parish Council meeting were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. Tim Ing said that the village had been awarded £500 in the Pride in Norfolk Village competition and suggested that the Parish Clerk should contact those involved in winning the award asking for their suggestions how the money should be spent. Adrian Joel raised the matter of the PAYE outsourcing and the cost. Parish Clerk gave an explanation as to why he considered it to be best solution and the reasons for choosing the outsource company who were a middle cost for the type of service. The matter would be reviewed in a year’s time.
Allotments. Adrian Joel said a new lease agreement had been signed and he thanked Tim Ing for all the work he had put into the project. Tim Ing said water is in and stand pipes have been fitted. Amendments to tenancy agreements will have to be made in October. Fencing of the allotments will be carried out next week. The increased rent from £600 to £650 per year was discussed and also the new overall plot size of the allotments. The entrance to the site will be improved with hardcore being put down and the matting installed for parking vehicles.
Doe Lane Meeting notes. Adrian Joel said this should be taken forward by the new Parish Council. Tim Ing said there were things that could be brought forward and that they could be prioritised and Parish Council look at them. The item to be put on May agenda.
War Memorial. Gerald Norton raised this matter that had been discussed at the Annual Parish Meeting. He said there was only £18 left in the fund and it cost approximately £500 to clean the memorial every three years. He asked if they could have a grant for this work. It was suggested that an application to the Former Highway’s Surveyors Land trust could give a grant. Gerald Norton asked it the Parish Council could precept for the cost. Tom Johnson referred the meeting to the February issue of Breckland Council news which had an item on war memorials in it. The Parish Clerk gave details of funding of war memorials under the Local Government Act but said there was no provision for taking ownership. He would contact the War Memorial Trust on the whole matter.
Youth Council. Adrian Joel said a young member of the village spoke at the Annual Parish Meeting about possibly starting a Youth Council. It was agreed to put the matter on the May agenda for the new Parish Council to look at.
Play Area photographs. Adrian Joel raised the possibility of archives at Scales Farm which could house interesting things relating to Old Buckenham. An item would be put in monthly newsletter to see if anyone would volunteer as an archivist to look after them and residents could go look at what was being held.
Planning applications. Crown Lane Cottages. Erection of two small wind turbines. No objections from the Parish Council.
31 Oaklands. Demolish old wall and erect new wall. No objections from the Parish Council.
Ragmere Farm. Erection of single story extension. No objections from the Parish Council.
Tall Trees. Install small wind turbine. No objections from the Parish Council.
Dairy Barn, Cake Street. Minor materials change. No objections from the Parish Council.
Harlingwood Lane. Erection of dwellings and garages. Objected to as outside village boundary, this was agreed with 6 for, 1 abstention and 3 against.
Dairy Barn, Cake Street. Glazed screen to kitchen on rear elevation. Parish Clerk to tell Breckland no objections.
Planning decisions received from Breckland.
5 St Andrews Close. Alteration and extension to dwelling. Permission granted.
Davarac, Cake Street. Change flat roof to pitched roof. Permission granted.
District Councillor's report. Breckland have completed the formation of a Joint Management Team with South Holland District Council and now have expected savings of £500,000 per year with the reduction of 35 to 17 managers. With effect from April, Breckland’s Anglia Revenue Partnership had added St Edmundsbury to the group which already includes Forest Heath and East Cambridgeshires District Councils. This should bring in extra revenue to Breckland.
Parish Councillors' reports. Trevor Crook said he had the planning application book and emergency plan for the new Parish Council. Adrian Joel said that George Aitken wanted to pass on his thanks to Parish Council for their hard work over the past four years. Adrian Joel also said that Crown Road still had a water leak, the Parish Clerk to speak to Anglia Water on matter. He then raised the matter of the sign on village green and said it was maybe a permanent item and had permission been obtained from theGreen Right Proprietors? Carol Marshall said a recreation area working party had been held recently and three main items were discussed including the maintenance contract for the area where they were trying to get prices down. A business plan was nearly completed and just awaiting some final figures. They are also going to see some goals posts that have been offered to see if they are suitable. Adrian Joel said there is some ‘Section 106’ money available for recreational purposes and Carol Marshall said they would look into it. She then asked if the Scouts could do a stone picking session on the area. Mike Craven-Romain said he would ask them and also an item would be put in the village newsletter asking for volunteers to assist. Gerald Norton said Old Buckenham Village Hall would be having a fete this year and asked if they could have the use of the Recreation Area for this event. Carol Marshall said it would be discussed at the next working party meeting. Derek Smalley raised matter of voting at an Annual Parish Meeting and the Parish Clerk explained the system and also that any vote was not binding on a Parish Council but they would look at any matter. Derek Smalley also attended a meeting of local SNAT meeting in March and saw the co-ordinator of the Home Watch team. The ACT thank you letter is to be put in the circulation folder. Tom Johnson said that he attended a Town and Parish Forum meeting at Breckland and found it very informative. Tim Ing said the play area would need an annual inspection in June and Mike Craven-Romain said one will be carried out, this item to be put on the May Agenda. The meeting was informed by Mike Craven-Romain that vandalism was carried out at the play area the previous week and damage was done to fencing. Some repairs have already been carried out but he was awaiting some parts to complete the work. Also a new catch had been fitted to the gate as the last one was stolen. Derek Smalley raised the matter of oil consortiums and said Banham had a scheme up and running with approx 24 members. Norman Cawston said this was also his last meeting having been on the Parish Council for 20 years and the last four years as Chairman. He thanked all the councillors for their hard work and wished new council well. He also thanked the Parish Clerk for his work since joining the Parish Council.
Highways. Adrian Joel said Norfolk County Council (NCC) had extra money for pothole work and suggested asking NCC to inspect roads in Old Buckenham and carry out repairs. The Clerk informed the meeting that Norfolk County Council were prioritising pot holes in terms of size and depth. The budget was not enough to fill all pot holes and the Clerk would raise matter with Highways on the next visit of the Rangers Team.
The Green. Tim Ing said a meeting will be held by the Green Right Propritors (GRP) in April. Adrian Joel raised the matter of the ‘fish & chip’ sign on the Green and said that planning permission would be needed for a permanent sign. Adrian Joel asked what the situation was in regard to the maintenance of the Green between the Parish Council and the GRP. Carol Marshall raised the matter of parking at Barbers Yard and asked if the GRP could increase the parking space available. Tim Ing will raise the matters at the next meeting. Tim Ing then said that there could be a public meeting on Saturday 21 May with the GRP and residents. Norman Cawston agreed to cut the grass along the footpaths on the Green.
The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 12 May in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.

On screens of old

Going to the pictures
John Lee was back as the speaker at the Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle’s April meeting in the Church Rooms. This time it was for a nostalgic evening with the title ‘Let’s go to the movies’.
John brought back memories as he described the days when there were two complete programmes each week, each one having a main film, a supporting short film, a newsreel and possibly a cartoon as well. There were the special Saturday morning shows for children with their own club songs and serials like Flash Gordon or Tarzan to keep the audience enthralled.
John described the six cinemas he remembered in Harrogate with the best one having the cinema organist arising from the depths to entertain between films. He also quoted from Alan Bennett’s descriptions of cinema going in Leeds - the regular queues, cigarette smoke rising from the audience and the attempts to get into ‘A’ rated films. Many of the members remembered their days doing National Service and the Astra cinemas that existed on site then.
Twenty-seven of John’s friends had also been persuaded to provide their memories of cinema going in their youth. This brought more nostalgia and tales of unusual happenings. There were the open air cinemas abroad, days when you could gain entry by taking along clean jam jars for recycling, projectors breaking down, bombs dropping and even someone’s mother who took the washing along to dry on the cinema radiators while the film was showing.
Most of John’s audience remembered it all but no doubt a younger audience for this talk would have found it hard to believe at times.

Village Hall AGM

The village hall matters
There was a better attendance at the Old Buckenham Village Hall AGM in April this year with 16 members of the general public attending as well as seven members of the existing Village Hall management Committee.
Apologies were received from Pauline Cattermole, Sheila Freake, Joan Jenkins, Terry Cracknell, Bev Giles,and Beryl Watts.
The minutes of the 2010 AGM were agreed and signed by the chairman, Dennis Packham, as correct. The Chairman mentioned the repairs to the toilets and the car park resurfacing that had been completed in the last year and thanked all those concerned.
In his chairman’s report Dennis thanked Michael Bartlett carrying out the chairman’s duties during his recent stay in hospital.
The meeting discussed various forms of heating for the hall with many suggestions from Brian Parish who also mentioned the Carbon Trust and the new technologies available. The cost would be the main problem. The question of small loans from the village to be paid back over 5 years was suggested but these could not be gift aided. Gift aiding is available for charities but not for loans. Roof insulation was also discussed. Heating would be a main concern for 2011.
The treasurer, Jill Emms, presented the accounts and supporting figures. Questions were raised regarding comparisons with 2009/10. Jill mentioned the loss of various hirers over the past three years. Recycling profits were also down because price per tonnage had decreased. The hall was still owed money from the Parish Council for car park, recreational area and toilet repairs. This money would be paid over in May.
Fund raising was discussed. Alison Frank reported that the annual Garden Event had not been so popular with entries because of the later date in May rather than April. Alison was thanked for her work during the year for fund raising.
David Hannah reported a good, if late, response from the village for the fete on Saturday 3 September. It had been decided that all profits should be given to the village hall, ring fenced for the lighting project.
There was an election for three officers from the community as independent representatives. Pat Shearing, Richard Crawley and Gerald Norton were elected unopposed. Ron Brewer made the comment that all organisations should be encouraged to have a representative.
In general discussion Michael Bartlett mentioned the sub-committee for the lighting project which has been meeting with input from various advisers. It is now awaiting estimates for the cost of the work that needs doing. Adrian Joel suggested contacting the Norfolk Foundation which will have new funding in June of up to £2,000 per project. However it will be on a matched funding basis. Ron Brewer said that the new kitchen had been much admired. There were other comments in agreement even though it had been a most expensive project for the Village Hall.
There being no further business the Chairman thanked Jill Emms for all her work during the year. He also thanked the caretaker and minute secretaries. Michael Bartlett mentioned the other responsibilities that Jill undertakes and wondered whether it was time to think about paying a small sum for a booking clerk. Gerald Norton thought that the Parish Council could put the Village Hall on the precept. He felt that if a poll were to be taken, most of the village would support the suggestion.

The provisional date for the next Village Hall AGM is Wednesday 4 April 2012.

Tuesday for chips

Fish and chips available
Each Tuesday at 4.15pm, Ben now comes and parks beside the Green to cook fish and chips (and other typical chippy produce) for all those villagers that come along. There were plenty of customers enjoying the sunshine today while their meal was being freshly cooked.
Frying continues until 7pm.

Passion and nostalgia

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
Helen Bird visited the club for its April meeting and she ably demonstrated her 'Passion for Flowers' using lovely spring colours of yellows and reds together with some unusual containers.
The competition 'Nostalgia - a tribute to the founder of modern-day flower arranging Julia Clements using a pin holder - was won by Shirley Penfold (Old Hands) and Janet Skidmore (New Hands). The best exhibit award also went to Shirley Penfold.
Members decorated 'hats for Easter' for the table show which was won by Margaret Smith whose creation included woven willow and spring flowers.
The May meeting will be held at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 12 May starting at 2pm when 'Feel the Passion' will be the title of Ann Colny's demonstration. The competition - a continental design - 'Maytime' and the table show will be for a stem of blossom.
Visitors are always welcome to the meetings. Further information from Pat on 457305 or Sally on 788712.

A nice view across Old Buckenham Green

Just click on the picture to see it in all its glory.

Support for village fete

Yes, there will be a fete

There was an encouraging attendance at the meeting on Tuesday 8 April about the village fete. With some twenty people coming along it was decided to go ahead with the village fete in and around the Village Hall on Saturday 3 September.
All the basic arrangements will be as in 2010, with improvements of course. It is hoped to add a dog show and a small car boot sale to all the regular stalls, pony rides, Punch and Judy show, miniature steam engines, art show, book stall, refreshments and a grand draw.
It was agreed that any profits from the event would go to the village hall to be spent on the necessary improvements to the stage lighting system.
The next planning meeting will be on Tuesday 10 May in the Memorial Room at the Village Hall so why not go along and see if you can help with the running of this event?

Choosing your district councillor

More voting to do
There will also be an election on Thursday 5 May for the district councillor to represent Old and New Buckenham. There are three candidates and they are listed at:
http://www.breckland.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Uploads/STATEMENT%20OF%20PERSONS%20NOMIATED%20DISTRICT.pdf
under the heading of 'Buckenham'.

Choosing your new parish council

Election needed
Although some of the present Old Buckenham parish councillors have decided not to stand for re-election, there have been sufficient nominations from other people to ensure that there will a need for elections on Thursday 5 May.
The full ist of those nominated can be seen by clicking on:
http://www.breckland.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Uploads/Old%20Buckenham.pdf

Afternoon teatime

Spring tea party
After recent Old Buckenham Women’s Institute’s annual garden parties had been held in less than pleasant weather, the WI decided to break with tradition and invite villagers to a Spring Tea party instead. It was held indoors at the Church Rooms so the weather outside was quite good!

There were stalls and games with the refreshments consisting of neat little sandwiches (with the crusts cut off) and a wide selection of homemade cakes. The competition for the best dressed Easter Bonnet attracted some very colourful entries with the winner being made and worn by Nancy Hunt.
In the other competitions, John Frost was best at leaf identification with Olive Shickle and friends showing that they knew most about royalty.
With around fifty people taking part this was a most enjoyable event which also raised useful funds for the WI.

Village quiz

Trying to find the answers
The first village quiz of the year took place in the village hall on Saturday 26 March. The nine teams that entered had a most enjoyable evening trying to provide answers to ten rounds, each of ten questions, on a wide variety of subjects. There were also two other ‘table quizzes’, one on sisters and the other on phobias, that had to be attempted at the same time as the other questions were being asked.
When all the points were added up the winners were the team of Jill, Maddie and Cynthia who called their team ‘The three stooges’ (as they had originally just come along to help rather than take part). They were very closely followed in second place by the Old Buckenham WI team of Susan, Doris, Pat and Barbara.
Many thanks are due to Roy and Pat Dickenson for setting and asking the questions, marking them and keeping everyone thinking hard all evening. As a result of the entry fees and a well-supported raffle, the village hall funds benefited to the tune of £81.48.

Going for a world record

All together now
In an amazing show of co-operation many of the people from organisations in Old Buckenham will be getting together today, Friday 1 April, to try to break the world record for communal Morris dancing and get themselves into the Guinness Book of Records. They will be gathering in the area outside the village shop just before 12 noon for a quick rehearsal before the real record attempt begins.
Members from the Women’s Institute, the Breckland Flower and Garden Club, the Carpet Bowls Club, the Luncheon Club, the Social and Wine Circle, the Debating Society, Old Buckenham Allotment Society, the Monday Mardlers, the Cubs and Scouts, the Parish Council, the Wargames Club (the Bone Crushers), people from both the Gamekeeper and the Ox & Plough, the Green Right Proprietors as well as members of the congregations from All Saints Church and the Methodist Chapel are all expected to be there.
Rumour has it that the Lord of the Manor will be on hand to do the timekeeping and that you can get refreshments in Old Buckenham Stores and Post Office.
This will be such an unusual occurrence that we are expecting the local press to attend and maybe even the local and national television cameras will be in action.
If you have not been invited to take part then you can still turn up about 11.30am on the first of April to get your instructions. You can click on the word ‘comments’ below to leave details of your intention to take part.

Remember outside the village shop before 12 noon, you’ll never see anything like it…