Something to look out for

February has arrived
The copies of the February edition of the Old Buckenham newsletter are now about in the village.

Things to do in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for February 

Thursday 2        Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

 Friday 3            High School Library open to visitors, 3.30pm to 5.30pm

 Friday 3            Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm

 Sunday 5          Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

 Monday 6         Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

 Tuesday 7         Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

 Wednesday 8   Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

 Thursday 9       Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

 Thursday 9       Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm

 Sunday 12         Valentine's Fly in at OB Airfield, all day from 9.30am

 Monday 13        Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

 Saturday 11       Debating Society, Church Rooms, 10am

 Wednesday 15  Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

 Sunday 19         Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

 Monday 20       Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

 Wednesday 22 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

 Thursday 23     Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

 Saturday 25       Senior Citizens' party, Village Hall, 1pm for 1.30pm

A date to book and take a look

School library open to all
To celebrate National Libraries Day, Old Buckenham High School are opening the doors to their much loved school Library on Friday 3 February between 3.30pm and 5.30pm.
You might like to take a look at how the library has changed in recent years, find out what resources are available, talk to the Librarian about all things literary, see what work has been done by students towards their Reading Star Awards or help your child choose a selection of books to read over half-term.
Whatever the reason, all members of the local community as well as parents, carers, grandparents or siblings are very welcome to pop in.
The Food Technology department at the school are asking for tins or containers for storing food so if you have any spare ones at home they will be very pleased to hear from you.

More on the village schools

Background to Treasure Quest destination
The booklet 'Memories of Old Buckenham' (which now appears to be out of print) contains lots of information on the schools of Old Buckenham. The following text is about the Infant School built in 1865 when facilities for children were rather more primitive than they are today.
The absence of traffic and a much safer social climate meant that all the children, even quite small ones, could and in fact did have to walk to school. They walked in small groups of twos and threes to and from school, unaccompanied by adults, perhaps as much as two or three miles each way in all weathers and often in the dark. Each pupil carried his or her lunch sandwiches, unless fortunate enough to have friends near the school who would offer lunchtime refreshment.
There were two schools. The four to nine year old boys and girls, of whom there were about seventy, went to the Infant School facing the Green some four hundred yards south of the entrance to the Church. This school was built in 1865, given by Robert Cocks who also gave the almshouses. It was in continuous use as an Infant School until 1938.
It was essentially a one-room school with a high ceiling with a curtain dividing two classes. By modern standards conditions were harsh. Lighting in the winter was provided by oil lamps and there were only two fireplaces to provide heating. Those who remember that school have the abiding memory of the cold in winter. They also remember that the two lady school teachers frequently stood in front of the fireplace, so keeping what little heat there was from the children. Each lady teacher had her own class and taught all subjects.
Overcoats were piled on each other in the single cloakroom. This had a large grill over a drain in the centre so that it could be sluiced down to remove the mud that was brought in. The facilities consisted of a bucket with an enamel mug tied to it for drinking water for all the school and a single bowl of cold water for washing hands. As with most village houses, the toilets were separate structures out at the back.
There was no formal playground but the children did have a play area on the Green immediately in front of the school itself. When the older children in the Infant School reached the age of about eleven the whole class moved up to the Big School into what are now the Church Rooms at the entrance to the churchyard.
Both the Infant and the Big Schools were closed in 1938 when all schooling moved to a new Area School. The Infant School was sold to the local Young Farmers Club. When the Club moved to Attleborough the building fell into disuse and remained in this condition until 1972. It was then converted into a house and a first floor inserted to provide three bedrooms upstairs.
Outside this attractive little white house one can see the inscribed foundation stones recording the laying of the foundations by the Vicar‘s wife, Mrs Fulcher, in 1865. The Big School on the other hand became the Church Rooms for All Saints' Church.

Becky visits Old Buckenham again

BBC Treasure Quest comes to Old Buckenham
Listeners to BBC Radio Norfolk this morning will have heard Becky Betts rushing round Old Buckenham trying to find 'clue 3' as part of the popular Sunday morning Treasure Quest programme. The listeners soon realised that the answer to the clue was an educational establishment in Old Buckenham but they tried the High School, the Primary School, the Village Hall and the Church Rooms before eventually getting to the Old School House on the Green.

The village panto

Bright and busy Beauty and the Beast
There are two performances of the Old Buckenham Player's pantomime in the Village hall today.
The matinee is at 2.30pm and the final performance is at 7.30pm.
Here are some photos taken last night to give an indication of how bright and breezy it is. Everything you would expect from a village panto - lots of youngsters, plenty of action, outrageous clothes and occasional murdering of popular songs.
You may still be able to get along and see it.

Popular start for Flower Club in 2012

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
There were 50 members and guests at January's meeting of Breckland Flower and Garden Club and they enjoyed being entertained by four club members arranging a selection of spring flowers, gerberas, roses and garden foliage.
In the monthly competition Alison Walker - new hands - won the Kitty Patrick trophy for best use of garden plant material and the old hands class was won by Ursula Jackson.
The next club meeting will be held at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 9 February starting at 2pm when David Wright will demonstrate 'My Secret Garden'. The competition will be for a modern design 'Cupids Arrow' and the table show will be for 'any type of houseplant'.

Parish Council in January

Councillors' deliberations
The following notes have been prepared by the newsletter editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended later.
There was just one member of the public at the January meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council. All parish councillors were present apart from Akis Chrisovelides who had sent his apologies.
Minutes of the meeting of the December meeting. There was one minor amendment to the text and then these were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. Adrian Joel asked that development in Old Buckenham be put on the February meeting agenda. He then raised the matter of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. Tim Ing asked that all coucillors if possible attend the working party meeting being held on Saturday as a number of village organisations had indicated they would be attending. Derek Smalley said he had put some suggestions for discussion in the newsletter regarding the celebrations. The Village Hall had said there would be no charge to the Parish Council for the meeting on Saturday.
Breckland Council car parks. Adrian Joel said that Breckland Council were carrying out an asset review to help increase revenues due to cuts in funding from the government and had to make up a shortfall in the coming years. Breckland Council spend £300,000 per year on car parks and they were now considering introducing charges for their use. They would be undertaking a public consultation on the matter. Adrian Joel asked for parish councillors’ view on the matter. All parish councillors said there had to be free parking period before charges came in to force otherwise it would severely damage local shops.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Barkers Cottage, Ragmere Road. Proposed detached garage and store. Permission granted.
Cotman Housing Association. Land adjacent to St Andrews Close. Erection of 3 single storey dwellings and erection of 11 two storey dwellings. Permission granted.
Planning applications. Land at corner of Grove Road and Crown Road. Extension to existing stable block plus new hay barn/field shelter. There were no objections, Paul Boggia and Sarah Dye declaring an interest and not voting.
18 Oaklands. Garage conversion to bedroom with side porch extension and new single garage to front. No objections, agreed unanimously.
2 Chapel Loke. Replacement of glass roofed conservatory to rear of dwelling with facing brick and pantile kitchen/dining area. No objections, agreed unanimously.
East View, Attleborough Road. Decking area (retrospective). No objections, agreed with 9 for and 1 abstention.
Eel Farm, Fen Lane. Removal of condition 8 on planning application, new garage and alterations. No objections.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said that it was not possible to have a mirror sited at the junction of Mill Road at Stacksford. Norfolk County Council Highways have said they are illegal. He then said that the Parish Council were seeking advice on how grit bins could be used. The Parish Council had tried to get Hargham Road on the gritting route but Norfolk County Council had refused.
District Councillor’s report. Breckland Council are looking to put on a Jubilee exhibition as an archive to pass on to future generations and hope people will donate photos of their celebrations.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Tom Johnson had attended a meeting of the Village Hall management committee and they said that the village had won £500 and they wanted assurance the money would go to them, this was agreed. Also a quiz night would be held on Friday 16 March at 8pm in Village Hall at a cost of £4 per team of four. The Parish Council agreed to enter a team on the night. Sarah Dye said the playgroup held a meeting to decide what maintenance equipment to buy, Tim Ing is to arrange the purchase. John Frost thanked Tim Ing for doing the Christmas service reading. DVDs of the service, which was attended by about 500 people, were available from Sarah Dye at a cost of £5 per disc. Derek Smalley said there had been no meeting of the SNAP team. He had also attended the remembrance service on behalf of the Parish Council and on Monday 2 January had attended a fly in at the airfield. Jonathan Kemp said the Norfolk Games meeting was yet to be arranged. Tim Ing raised the matter of trees being planted on the recreation area and Carol Marshall said they would look at the matter Carol Marshall then raised the subject of a letter sent by a resident to which he had not received a reply. It concerned parking on the Green and the Parish Clerk to look into it. Adrian Joel raised the matter of the oil buying scheme and asked how it was progressing. Derek Smalley said they were used by about fifty residents and gave some details on prices being obtained. Adrian Joel also said that he had been contacted by a resident concerning the path which was full of pot holes which ran from the Clinic to the old Baptist Church. The Parish Clerk is to speak to Highways on the matter.
Parish Clerk’s report. The Clerk informed the meeting that he would not be available for the February meeting. Tim Ing said he had arranged for someone else to do the minutes at that meeting.
Highways. It was reported that the road sign at corner of the Green and Hargham Road was down outside ‘The Kenyons’. It was also reported that the gullies in Abbey Road from the High School all down the road were overgrown. The Parish Clerk would contact Highways on both these matters.
The Green. Tim Ing said parking issues had been raised and some ideas were being discussed. He was hopeful that matters could be resolved once a new Green Right Proprietors’ chairman had been found.

The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be on Thursday 2 February at the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.

Looking forward to June

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Lunching at Old Buckenham

Thanking the drivers
The first meeting of Luncheon Club in 2012 was an opportunity to thank those people who volunteer and bring along many of the members to Old Buckenham Village Hall. Every fortnight they go round and pick up people so that they can enjoy meeting other members and have a freshly cooked meal. And then early afternoon they come back to ferry the members home again.
So the drivers are all invited as guests to a special roast dinner as a big thank you to them all.
This event is also a chance to thank all the other helpers, whether those who prepare the vegetables, lay the tables, do the cooking, serve the meals or wash up. There are also those who look after the finances and arrange four outings to places of interest each year. Money to run the Luncheon Club comes in the form of donations from a variety of sources including the New Buckenham Recycling Scheme and someone who, this year, decided that they didn’t need their winter heating allowance of £200 so gave it to the Luncheon Club for their use.

Delighted

Old Buckenham Players say thank you very much
As a big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who helped raise money towards the new lighting equipment for the village hall, Old Buckenham Players will, in the next couple of months, invite everybody to an evening of free entertainment where the new system can be put through its paces for all to enjoy. The evening is expected to include sketches, songs and radio plays to suit all tastes and there will be no entry fees to pay. 
Refreshments will be available too and entry will be on a ‘first come, first served’ basis . The Players look forward to finalising a date for this event and seeing you there.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Old Buckenham celebrations in June
The Memorial room at Old Buckenham Village Hall was buzzing with ideas on the morning of Saturday 7 January when around thirty village people met to discuss what to do to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June.
Starting with a ten minute brainstorming session, many ideas were forthcoming and scribbled on to post-it notes. These were then sorted into groups for further discussion. Within an hour a draft programme for the weekend had been put together and this will be refined further at a meeting to be held on Saturday 28 January in the Village Hall at 10am.
The proposals so far are:
Saturday 2 June. Village quiz with a royalty theme in the evening at the Village Hall. A photographic/memorabilia display in the hall throughout the weekend and relating to Old Buckenham sixty years ago.
Sunday 3 June. Events to be based at the Airfield with a fly in and classic vehicles during the day and a barn dance/ceilidh in the evening, possibly in a hangar if wet.
Monday 4 June. A day to recover or for villagers to do their own thing.
Tuesday 5 June. Open air service on the Green near the village sign, village picnic with table on the road across the Green (that would be closed for the day) and informal rounders match afterwards. Aircraft flypast/aerobatics at picnic time.
This is all provisional and will depend on people taking on the responsibility of organising the various activities. So come along to the meeting on Saturday 28 January and see what you can do to help and to ensure that these turn out to be celebrations that the village will talk about for years afterwards.

Busy time at the airfield

New Year fly in
Everyone was absolutely delighted with the result of the fly in at Old Buckenham Airfield on Monday 2 January. The airfield was the talk of air traffic control stations everywhere and it was certainly one the busiest airfields in the East of England and probably the country as a whole.
The day was blessed with incredible weather and there was immense support from classic and military vehicle owners across the region. The Airfield has a full calendar of events in 2012 (details available online) and usually these include at least one fly in per month.
The big news from the Airfield is, of course, the return of the airshow. They have had enormous interest and have already booked half of the flying displays. The organisers aim to have one of the largest collections of classic and military vehicles assembled in years, including a runway parade during the day. It is highly recommend that you all put Sunday 24 June in your diaries now.
The cafe at the Airfield is under new management and there are plans for it to be open most of the week - and hopefully for seven days a week before too long.

Time for an old fashioned read

Paper version now available
Pick up a copy today.

2011 in pictures

A selection of seven of eleven
The blog editor has taken hundreds of photos in the village during last year.
Here is a selection  of some of his favourites to bring back memories of 2011.
There was the large tree being felled in the churchyard at All Saints, family activity at the new allotments, the Easter bonnets at the Women's Institute Spring Fair, the excitement and refreshments at the official opening of the Recreation Area, a study in blue at the allotments and interesting shapes and shadows at the back of Old Buckenham Stud.

[just click on any picture to see it in more detail]