Quiet month in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for February

Friday 1    Crib, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Sunday 3    Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 4    Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Tuesday 5   Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

Thursday 7   Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Monday 11    Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Wednesday 13    Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Wednesday 13    Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Thursday 14    Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 14   Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm

Sunday 17    Valentines Fly in at the Airfield

Monday 18   Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Saturday 23   Senior Citizens Lunch, Village Hall, 1pm

Wednesday 27    Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 28    Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Old Buckenham Newsletter for February

Printed copies available
You will be able to pick up copies in all the usual places in the village now. In addition there should be some copies in the Village Hall and in the Church Rooms.

If you are driving through Old Buckenham today...

Lots of water
Yesterday afternoon everywhere was covered in snow. This morning there was hardly any snow to be seen. It has melted overnight and water is now covering some of the local roads. So drive with care...

 

From Old Buckenham to Nepal

Aiming high

Who is this crazy person, seen running around the lanes of Old Buckenham between 6.30am and 7.30am in the mornings, even running on ice? It’s Old Buckenham resident David Hannah and he’s training for his second attempt at summiting Gokyo Ri (5357 metres) in the Everest region of Nepal.

He leaves in April, and is asking people if they would be kind enough to sponsor him to raise money for St Martins Housing Trust. St Martins provide outstanding help for the homeless of Norfolk. To sponsor David or just to read his story, please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/DavidHannah1. In return David promises to put on an event at the Old Buckenham village hall to feed back on how he got on in Nepal.

Photo competition in Old Buckenham

Calling all gardeners/photographers
The Old Buckenham Gardening Event will be held in the Village Hall on Saturday 27 April. As the photo competition was successful last year the organisers (the Village Environment and Recycling Group) are running it again and would like even more entries from people of all ages. Basic details of the rules and the entry form are here on the blog and a printed version will be available at the village shop, Old Buckenham Stores.
So that you can start thinking about it now,the basic rules are just one entry per category, all entries must be submitted as prints and all photographs must be taken in a garden.
Prizes will be awarded for the winner and runner-up in each category with an overall winner and special children's prize. Also, visitors to the Gardening Event will be able to vote for their favourite photo.
It may seem a long time until April when you need to put your entries in but as one category is for a "winter wonderland" you may want to take a picture or two before all the current snowfall has melted away.
The full list of the six categories is:

• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Winter wonderland
• My favourite spot in the garden
• Wildlife in the garden
• Gardeners
• Blowing in the wind

(you can just click on the image of the entry form to enlarge it to a more readable form)

 

 

 

 

  

 

Old Buckenham Parish Council

Parish Council meeting in January
The following notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later meeting.
All parish councillors attended the January meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council except Akis Chrisovelides and Sarah Dye who had sent their apologies. Kerry Talbot attended to take the minutes as the parish clerk was unable to be there. One member of the public also attended.
Minutes of December meeting. These were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. Adrian Joel advised that a decision on the outline planning application for houses in Fen Street would be delayed until the planning meeting on Thursday 14 February because of Highways reports. Derek Smalley asked if the allotment vacancy had been filled; it had not and Adrian Joel would continue to advertise the matter.
Planning applications. Crown House, Stacksford. Erection of front porch. It was agreed unanimously that there were no objections.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Alice Cottage, Ragmere Road. Convert integral garage into bedroom and bathroom, and side extension to form cart lodge. Permission granted.
Land off Fen Street. Outline application for five houses. Decision delayed until Thursday 14 February.
The Finches, Cake Street. Front and rear extensions, raise roof to create rooms in roof including Juliette balcony. Permission granted.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said that a rebate of £983.50 will be paid to the Council in respect of the Government passing back funding. A discussion took place regarding the affect on the precept. All councillors were happy to retain the rebate for future use as this would be a one-off payment. A decision on how the extra money could be used will be made at a later date. Tim Ing asked for an update on the Recreation Area quotes. Jonathan Kemp had not received any so far, a further update will be given in the parish councillors’ reports. Providing a tree guard was mentioned but Steve Milner said that this was no longer required.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel reported that the current Chief Executive Officer at Breckland Council was retiring at the end of January and a new CEO had been appointed. He would be Trevor Holden from Luton Borough Council, on a three-month secondment. Trevor Holden was a previous CEO at Breckland and will be responsible for Breckland, South Holland and Luton Councils during this period. Derek Smalley asked if anyone was running the local CCTV. Adrian Joel replied that West Norfolk Council were monitoring the cameras through their offices, thus reducing the cost by sharing this resource.
Parish Councillors’ reports. John Frost reported that the Christmas Eve carol service at All Saints, Old Buckenham, was again very successful and raised £540 for the St Martins charity. Donations of food for the homeless were extremely generous including contributions from both local schools and 700 tins of soup from an anonymous donor. Fuller details will be available following the next PCC meeting. It was also mentioned that the Radio Norfolk Treasure Quest programme included a visit to a clue held within the church. Steve Milner reported that five Speed Watch sessions were held in December with five more planned for January. Steve Milner had also drafted a letter to the chief engineer of the County Council Highways Department to ask for advice on the Grove Road/Mill Road junction. Councillors all agreed this draft should be sent to parish clerk to send on behalf of the parish council. Adrian Joel raised the issue of large pot holes running along Post Office Terrace and round to the Hargham Road – this is deemed the responsibility of Green Right Proprietors. Tim Ing suggested waiting for clarification from Highways before taking any further action. This item will be placed on the agenda for the next parish council meeting. Tom Johnson reported on a meeting of the Village Hall Management Committee. The Chair, Treasurer and Secretary will be standing down at the next AGM. Tim Ing offered the help of the parish council to assist in keeping the Village Hall viable. An open meeting is to be held on Saturday 2 March at 11am in the Village Hall entitled “The future of the Village Hall is your hands”. This meeting will be publicised in the Six Parishes Newsletter. The Charity Commission has been consulted and they anticipated that if no officers were forthcoming, the Hall and car park should be locked and the keys handed to the parish council as custodian trustees. This process should take about six weeks to complete. Tom Johnson also asked if sign posts could be erected along the B1077 to advertise the meeting. Adrian Joel suggested contacting the Norfolk Association of Village Halls and inviting them to the meeting. Other suggestions included a leaflet drop to all dwellings in the village and door-to-door canvassing. Jonathan Kemp suggested a copy of the job descriptions for each role so that parishioners could be made aware of what is required for each role. All councillors agreed that this was an urgent issue and would support the Village Hall in any way they could. Paul Boggia advised that he had emailed Breckland Council regarding street lighting for junctions within the village to aid safety. Adrian Joel said that each village pays for their own costs of street lighting through the precept and suggested that Paul Boggia speaks to New Buckenham Parish Clerk for advice. Paul Boggia advised that the cost would be in the region of £1600 for purchase and installation. The general consensus of the Parish Council was that this issue will be on the agenda for the Annual Parish Meeting in March. Jonathan Kemp reported that the grant application for the Recreation Area to Norfolk Community Foundation has been rolled over to the next round in March (a total of £2m was awarded in the first round). Three pieces of further information had been requested and Jonathan Kemp is to organise submission of these to the Norfolk Community Foundation. Tim Ing is to provide a copy of correspondence from Breckland Council regarding planning. Carol Marshall will organise further quotes and Mike Bartlett confirmed (by invitation from the Chair) that the Village Hall had 100% agreed the bins could be moved once work commences on the Recreation Ground. Derek Smalley reported he had received the “Slow down in our village” posters for distribution and placing on wheelie bins at various points around the village. Tim Ing thanked Derek Smalley for his efforts in securing these posters at minimal cost to the Parish Council. Derek Smalley also reported on ASHAP and ACT and the lack of infrastructure planning in respect of the 375 houses being built in Attleborough. He stressed how important it will be for Old Buckenham to pull together to lobby Breckland Council as this new development will affect Old Buckenham and he will continue to copy all correspondence and information he receives to all councillors. He asked that Attleborough Town Council and Old Buckenham Parish Council become more involved. Adrian Joel advised that Section 106 money has been agreed for new housing and ASHAP is on the cabinet agenda for their next meeting. Derek Smalley will ensure information is available for the Annual Parish Meeting on Wednesday 20 March.
Highways. Jonathan Kemp reported that lorries were eroding the bank in front of his house and neighbouring houses. This is mainly due to inconsiderate use of the road by farm vehicles. There is also excessive mud on Hargham Road. Tim Ing suggested contacting Highways and, if nothing is achieved, to notify the Parish Council at the next meeting. Tom Johnson reported that the 30mph sign was not working (near the Gamekeeper). Derek Smalley had checked recently and this is now working. Steve Milner reported deep potholes along the main through road in Stacksford (near to Stacksford Villa). There are also potholes beside the island outside the High School. Tim Ing noted that Highways had responded very quickly to the highways issues reported last month.
The Green. There was no update on the hay bales still on the Green and there was no update on the footpath repairs. The play area parking looks durable and is working well, the section damaged by a lorry will be dealt with once the ground has dried out. The Clerk is to write to the Green Right Proprietors to ask them to remove the bales.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be on Thursday 7 February in Old Buckenham Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.

Snow scenes around Old Buckenham Green

Village in the snow

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Whenever there is a fall of snow and the sun starts shining then you can be sure the blog editor will be out with his camera.
Whether it is just the sun shining through the trees, a sign on the pond, the almshouses, the village shop (always welcome when people don't want to drive far), a view across the Green, or the always picturesque All Saints Church there is always something to photograph and to share with the blog readers all over the world.

Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle

Over 125 years of local music making

Despite the inclement weather, there was a good turnout for January's talk at the Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle in the Church Rooms. The speaker was Pauline Bott who told the audience all about the New Buckenham Silver Band. Pauline had brought along a large collection of photographs, programmes and newspaper articles detailing the history of the band from inception in 1887 up to the present day, together with uniforms past and present. The talk illustrated the highs and lows experienced by the band - from the big concerts with guest celebrities such as Roy Castle and the grant of £65,000 from the lottery fund, to the subsequent theft of virtually all the valuable instruments shortly thereafter. Pauline then gave a brief demonstration on her tuba to the delight of all present. Joining the Band would be an ideal grounding in music for the young, said Pauline, and would be invaluable should any youngster wish to pursue a career in music - pop or classical.
Next month's meeting on Thursday 14 February will be a talk from Alison Hannah on "Life in a Victorian asylum". Alison's talk last year on a related topic was unexpectedly most informative and highly entertaining so members are looking forward to hearing more on this subject.

Slowing signs in Old Buckenham

Signs to remind people

 

Reminders on wheelie bins are the latest items in the campaign to get motorists to slow down while driving through Old Buckenham. The parish council has purchased a bulk order of the self-adhesive plastic signs which are being distributed to people around the village. They won't all be visible all the time but with general waste, recycling items and gardening waste being collected on different days of the week they should be seen by many passing motorists.

Old Buckenham High School help the homeless

Food boxes for the homeless

Four year 9 girls (Roseanne Rosher, Courtney Payne, Abigail Allen and Lizzie Musk) at Old Buckenham High School organised an inter-form competition to see who could come up with the most decorative (and full) box of non-perishable foods for the homeless. The most attractively decorated, completed box would be the winner. The girls organised whole thing from start to finish - from the initial phone calls right through to loading the van and doing the report for the school magazine.
This year there were so many excellent entries of boxes for the St Martin’s Homeless Trust that it was impossible to decide on a clear winner. Luckily, Mike Bartlett, representing St Martin’s, and Chrissie Smith, the girls’ English teacher, both contributed prizes so the joint winners were declared as classes 9T and 10 CR who are both to be congratulated on their generosity and artistic talents.
Well done girls!

Breckland Flower and Garden Club

Floral arrangements

Lois Gill treated members to a wonderful presentation at the club's January meeting. Her arrangements were interspersed with information about the unusual shrubs which can be used at this time of the year. These included ceanothus 'zanzibar' (a variagated variety with a central dark streak on each lime-green leaf) and a bergenia 'purple edge' whose leaves were dark burgundy with a crinkly edge. Her arrangements included an all-foliage design, another one with tulips and cornus, and concluded with a summer container with roses, stocks and carnations in shades of pink.
Included in the raffle prizes were baskets of pale blue muscari, crocus and hyacinth hinting that spring will shortly be here.
The competition was won by Alison Walker in the New Hands class and Chistine Hewson in the Old Hands. Christine’s vase of winter shrubs also won the table show.
The February meeting will take place on Thursday 14 February at Old Buckenham Village Hall starting at 2pm when Christine Hewson will demonstrate her title 'Cupid's Arrow'. The competition title is 'Romance in the Air' and the table show is for a vase of snowdrops.
Visitors are always welcome - further details from Sally on 788712.

Little bits of Old Buckenham history

Behind the mantlepiece
Several years ago an old house in Fen Street, Old Buckenham, was being renovated. When the mantlepiece around the fireplace was removed several items of card were found that must have slipped down a gap many years previously. Nothing world shattering but little pieces of paper that give an insight into life well over a hundred years ago.
The blog editor was able to borrow the items and scan them so that they can be looked at today. Here are some of them. The images may be a bit faded but they can be enlarged by just clicking on the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

>

Old Buckenham Players pantomime 2013

Village panto coming soon

All the details are here. Just click on the image to enlarge it and make it easier to read.

Old Buckenham newsletter for January

Newsletter now printed
Copies are now available all around the village.