Starting the year in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for January

Sunday 1   New Year Day walk, from Church Rooms at 10.30am

Tuesday 3   Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards

Thursday 5   Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Monday 9   Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

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

Thursday 12   Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 12   Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.30pm for 7.45pm

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

Thursday 19   OB Players pantomime 'Aladdin', Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 20   OB Players pantomime 'Aladdin', Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 20   Visits from mobile library during morning

Saturday 21   OB Players pantomime 'Aladdin', Village Hall, 2.30pm

Saturday 21  OB Players pantomime 'Aladdin', Village Hall, 7.30pm

Monday 23   Planning meeting for 2017 village fete, Village Hall, 7.30pm

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

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

Saturday 28   Senior Citizens' Party, Village Hall, 1pm

Saturday 28   Film 'Absolutely Fabulous', Village Hall, 7.30pm

Start 2017 on the Old Buckenham walk

Walk into 2017

On the 2016 walk there were even daffodils out on 1 January

The New Year's Day walk will again take place on Sunday 1 January 2017. It will start at 10.30am from the Church Rooms and and will be approximately three miles long. It is being held in aid of Parkinson's UK and soup and rolls will be served in the Church Rooms after the walk. Please register your interest to take part in the walk at Old Buckenham shop or by email at foulger.oaklodge@gmail.com
Everyone is welcome to come along and also bring their well behaved pets.

Latest Old Buckenham newsletter

First issue in 2017
Copies have now been taken around to our volunteer deliverers and placed around in the various village pick-up points. Time for a little read.

Decorations in Old Buckenham church

After the candlelit carol service
Lots of effort had gone in to decorating the inside of All Saints church, Old Buckenham, prior to the candlelit carol service on Christmas Eve. Why not take the opportunity to look inside the church now that all the candles have long been extinguished?

Christmas wishes from Old Buckenham blog

Progress on Old Buckenham school site

Chapel Green School activities

Here is an update on where the school site has got to prior to the Christmas holiday period. Progress along the new access road has been very good. All drainage has been installed, kerbs have been laid and they are now trimming up to the final levels in preparation for the tarmac finish in the start of the new year. 
The main site has seen lots of activity with various machines working across the area removing and stockpiling topsoil to the south of the site. Following on from this they have excavated down to the required reduced level within the car park area and also stockpiled the raised material to the south.
This has created a level area where the main building will be constructed, allowing preparation of the ground ready for the start of construction. Drainage installation has also continued through from the access road and into the main site area.
An entrance hoarding has been erected along the B1077 main road. This will shortly be populated with various signage to help keep everyone informed about the project’s progress.
With the Christmas holiday period shortly coming up the builders, Morgan Sindall, would like to remind all parents to advise children of the dangers of building sites and that the area must not be entered. As well the builders will be doing everything they can to eliminate any risks within their area as a matter of course.
For information, site will be closed from end of play on Friday 23 December and re-opening on Tuesday 3 January. There will be a contact number displayed at the main entrance for any out of hours queries over the holiday period.

Old Buckenham Parish Council

December's discussions
These notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later date.
Old Buckenham Parish Council met on Thursday 1 December and all councillors were present along with the parish clerk and eight members of the public. Apologies had been received from Jonathan Kemp who would be arriving late because of public transport issues.
Minutes of the Council meetings held in October and November 2016. These were agreed as true and accurate records of the meetings.
Public participation relating to agenda items. Two members of the public were present because they had submitted a planning application to Breckland Council to build a two-storey extension at 5 Hargham Road. One member of the public had come to object to the planning application for 5 Hargham Road because he lived in the neighbouring property and believed that the extension would lead to a loss of light to his property.
A resident expressed concern about the entrance to the new school site. Sarah Hornbrook said that the current entrance is likely to be temporary and erected for health and safety reasons on the site. There appear to be no viewing points so that residents can see how work is progressing on the site. Steve Milner noted that the public footpath adjacent to the new school site appeared to be inaccessible. It was thought perhaps that this might be temporary until the new roadway was constructed and Steve Milner will take a further look and let the Clerk know if she needs to contact the Footpath Officer about this.
The Clerk was given the name and address of the person who had attended to the milestone so that she could write a letter of thanks on behalf of the Parish Council.
A member of the public expressed the thanks of the residents for the time spent on village matters by the members of the Parish Council who are all volunteers.
Planning applications. 9 Old Yard, Hargham Road. For reserved matters following outline permission in relation to issues of access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale. The Council supported this application with 9 votes in favour and 1 abstention.
5 Hargham Road. Erection of two storey extension. Sarah Hornbrook said that the building had been designed in such a way as to lead to no loss of light to the neighbouring property. The Council supported this application with 9 votes in favour and 1 abstention.
Doe Lane. Change of use of an agricultural building to a dwelling, permitted development under current planning legislation. Ben Devlin gave information on his application then left the meeting during the Council’s deliberations. The Council supported this application with 8 votes in favour and 1 abstention. (Ben Devlin returned to the meeting.)
Planning permission received from Breckland. Breckland Council has given planning permission for the demolition of a grain store and the erection of two barn-style dwellings with detached double garages for the site at Shrublands, Attleborough Road.
Financial matters. A financial report was given by the Clerk which explained the VAT aspects of the Parish Partnership’s Grant from NCC. The Council resolved to give retrospective permission to pay the invoice from MW Surfacing Ltd for the Village Hall Car Park using the Parish Partnership’s Grant received by the Parish Council from NCC for this purpose. The Council also resolved unanimously to close the Santander Bank account and add the proceeds to the Barclays Bank account and to continue to ring fence the money as part of the reserve for recreation.
Chairman’s report. The Chairman thanked the councillors for all their hard work for the village in the last year.
District Councillor’s report. The next Parish and Town Forum was being held at Dereham on Thursday 8 December 2016 at 6pm. No councillor was able to attend on this date. He thanked Sarah Hornbrook for her excellent contribution to the Parish Council’s response to the Breckland Local Plan consultation. He is part of the working party for the Breckland Local Plan and will continue to support what the Parish Council wants from the Local Plan consultation. The next phase of the consultation will be in the Spring of 2017 when the next version of the Local Plan will contain details of the recommended development sites. Breckland is looking at how it provides housing advice so as to provide a better service than just adding residents to the Housing List.
Working parties. Old Buckenham Neighbourhood Plan Working Party – nothing to report.
Attleborough Neighbourhood Plan – nothing to report
Attleborough Development Plan – Terry Cracknell will be attending a meeting on Tuesday 13 December.
Road Safety Working Party – Rona Boggia reported that the Working Party had met earlier in preparation for a meeting with George Freeman MP the following morning. The Working Party has sent the MP an outline of what the problems are and what it would like to achieve from the meeting. The Headmaster of the High School is also attending the meeting and will speak first. The Working Party has obtained a quotation for a zebra crossing which is likely to cost a total of £25,000 but it would also eventually like to see a crossing on Hargham Road to the local shop.
(Jonathan Kemp arrived at 8.25pm.)
Andy Nicholls is also attending the meeting with George Freeman MP and wants to point out that if the new school is to use all the village’s facilities as it had indicated, such as the Green, then the pupils would need a safe way of crossing the road particularly as some of the children will be in wheelchairs.The preference is for all the cost of a new crossing to be paid by Norfolk County Council because of the additional burdens it is placing on the village by building yet another school. The Council could also apply for a grant under the NCC’s Parish Partnership’s Scheme to help with the cost of a crossing but the application has to be in by Thursday 15 December for the next awards. The Council resolved to make an application to the Parish Partnership’s Scheme, the Clerk will obtain the necessary documents and information and then liaise with Steve Milner who has offered to complete the application.
Play Area. Three quotations have finally been obtained to replace the fencing. After discussion, the Council decided unanimously to appoint G & G Fencing to carry out the work at a total maximum cost of £11,500 plus VAT. Graham Hart agreed to try and negotiate a discount with the contractor.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Terry Cracknell reported that the Chairman of the Village Hall Committee was attempting to resolve the flooding issue in the Village Hall car park. The Village Hall Committee is also hoping that Morgan Sindall (the new school contractor) will remove the BMX track as part of some work it has agreed to do in the village. There is the possibility of having more work carried out on the Village Hall car park as there are still some funds available under the Parish Partnership Scheme for 2016/17.
Steve Milner reported on the dangerous junction of Grove Road and Mill Road. A number of years ago the Parish Council had requested the installation of mirrors to improve visibility but the County Council had declined as this was not their policy. However he has noticed that mirrors are being used for visibility purposes at the new school site entrance and must have been approved by NCC. The Council agreed that the Clerk should contact Highways to renew the original request.
Tom Johnson reported that the minutes from the last SNAP meeting had been received and circulated. He has advised the SNAP group about the traffic difficulties the village is facing due to the building work for the new school. The road is getting dirty despite the wheel washing facilities and he wondered if these are being used or adequate. The first new broadband box in the village will be called New Buckenham 4 and will be sited opposite the telephone box. An offer by J C Frost & Co to reduce the rent on the allotment site to £450 per annum from December 2017 had been received. The Clerk reported that she had queried the rent reduction date, it appears that the letter should have said from December 2016 ie for 2016/17 onwards but only at such time as most of the allotments are let again.
Terry Cracknell wanted the Council to keep its allotment provision options open in respect of the charity-owned field.
Highways. The Highways Engineer for the village had sent a report to the Clerk. He has been working hard on trying to resolve the water problem in Cake Street. A tanker will be used to remove the water and a camera put down the pipe to see if there is a break somewhere. Some other gullies are to be looked at on Attleborough Road from opposite the Gamekeeper up to the new school development as they do not appear to be draining properly. Some routine maintenance work is to be carried out to fill in holes on the track between the old clinic and the primary school and a section in front of the old butcher’s shop, near the Green. There is to be some patching work along Hargham Road and Abbey Road. There was an enquiry from the public about the salting of the roads in the village but Highways have their own schedule to work to but have been known to do some additional work when pressed. Terry Cracknell commented on the long running issue with the hedge at the Harlingwood Lane junction. The Council has tried to resolve the matter with the owner of the property. He had now erected a willow fence which Andy Nicholls thought could eventually end up in the road during inclement weather. Also the hedge could just continue to grow around the fence and still cause a visibility hazard. The Clerk was asked to contact Highways about this matter and to request that firmer action be taken. Terry Cracknell also reported on the large amount of rubbish that has to be picked up near the junction of the Old Buckenham and New Buckenham Roads, this appears to be mostly fast food containers from Attleborough eateries. Adrian Joel asked to be informed when this was a problem so that he could contact Breckland Council to come and remove the rubbish.
Correspondence. The response from Attleborough Surgeries to the request from the Parish Council for a possible part-time surgery in the village had not been met with success.
Items for the January meeting. Several subjects were suggested. These included revision of Standing Orders, the Chairman’s priorities list, defibrillator/telephone box, The Green, the bus shelter, road safety, loan to football club, broadband, Chapel Green School and highways.
Appointment of Clerk. The Clerk gave a short report on how things had gone over the last six months and then left the meeting. In the Clerk’s absence the Council resolved unanimously to appoint Mrs Hilary Clutten as the permanent Clerk to Old Buckenham Parish Council following the satisfactory completion of a six month probationary period.

The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be on Thursday 5 January in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.

Old Buckenham carols

Songs for all
The Old Buckenham 2000 Trust once more organised the singing of carols on the village Green and this year it was on Friday 16 December. The area outside the Church Rooms had been decorated with strings of lights and the New Buckenham Silver Band was there to provide the music.  Mince pies, mulled wine, tea and coffee were available in the Church Rooms beforehand to fortify the participants before they ventured outside to sing.
The singers of all ages worked their way through the songbook of carols before retiring back into the Church Rooms to chat and to finish off the refreshments.

(The floodlit tower of All Saints has gained a star this year)

Old Buckenham High School helps homeless

Generous contributions
Old Buckenham High School finished off the autumn term with their annual collection of food to donate to St Martins Housing Trust in Norwich. Every year students fill and decorate hampers for a competition before the food is delivered to people who are trying to get back on track after being homeless. 
This year the hampers were judged by Adrian Joel (chairman of Old Buckenham Parish Council), the deputy manager and staff from the Sainsburys store in Attleborough, volunteers from St Martins Trust and Ron Brewer who edits the Old Buckenham Newsletter. 
The boxes of food were decorated in many ways. One had wheels, another legs while another portrayed a table set for Christmas dinner. The first place for decoration went to students in class 8T followed by 10T and 7CR in joint second place. Class 9T also received a prize for the 'Most-filled hamper' and all winners received chocolates kindly donated by Sainsburys.
After judging had taken place, all the contributions were packed into the back of a van and transported off to Norwich where the St Martins Housing Trust will be able to make good use of them in the run up to Christmas.

Students had also produced their own personal Christmas cards to go to those being helped by St Martins.

Panto coming to Old Buckenham

January performances
Old Buckenham Players are back with their pantomime offering for 2017. This time it will be 'Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp' by Ron Hall.
Transporting you back in time to Peking, the brave Aladdin along with his cheeky-chappy brother Wishee Washee and his voluptuous Mother Dame Widow Twankey set out to avenge the kidnapping of his true love, Princess Lotus Blossom, by the evil Abanazar. Meeting loveable and not so loveable characters along the way, only the Genie of the Lamp's magic can help save the day as they embark on their intrepid journey.
The riches on offer to the audiences include colourful costumes, eye catching scenery, lots of special effects and show-stopping musical numbers. Whether you're an 'Old' or 'New' Lamp, there's something for everyone in this most classic of family shows.
Performances start at 7.30pm on Thursday 19, Friday 20 and Saturday 21 January 2017 with a matinee performance at 2.30pm on the Saturday. It's all taking place at Old Buckenham Village Hall where there'll be a raffle and a very reasonably priced bar serving a range of soft and alcoholic drinks.
Tickets are on sale from Sunday 18 December and cost just £8 for adults or £4 for the under 16s. They can be purchased by calling 01953 861336 or in person from Old Buckenham Village Stores or Nuts 'n' Bolts in Attleborough.

Carolling choice in Old Buckenham

Enjoy your favourite carols
There will be several opportunities to do some carol singing in Old Buckenham between now and Christmas.

The Old Buckenham 2000 Trust is again organising the singing of carols on the village Green. Meet outside the Church Rooms at 6pm on Friday 16 December. The carol singing will start at 6.15pm. Mince pies and mulled wine will be available beforehand. It's free and everyone is welcome.
Do you have a favourite Christmas carol? Come and join in at the Methodist Chapel on Wednesday 21 December at 7.30pm for a Festive Sing-a-long of the carols of your choice as well as other festive songs. Get ready for Christmas by having a lovely sing of all your favourite music for Christmas. Children are especially welcome. You too can choose a song to sing. There will also be refreshments afterwards. Come along and help make this a very happy evening.
There will be the annual candlelit carol service in All Saints on Christmas Eve which will start at 7pm. This is always a very popular event and you are advised to come along in good time. This will be a service of lessons and carols with church members, children and representatives from community organisations being involved in presenting the Christmas story in a special act of worship.

Flooding in Old Buckenham

Trying to clear the Cake Street flooding
The latest news from Norfolk County Council Highways is that their jetting company were able to clear the existing flood water just over a week ago. They have identified an area outside 'Cefalu' in Cake Street which they believe is where there is either an obstruction or the pipe is damaged.
They are now in the process of resourcing a gang and obtaining a permit to erect two way traffic lights on the road while they excavate the footway and clear the blockage. While on site they will also clear the mud from the footway, clear the outfall of the drainage system, and re-set two gulleys that have been identified as defective.

(Work started on Tuesday 13 December)

On completion of the job, the jetting company to return to jet the system once more to ensure that everything is free from obstruction.

Party time in Old Buckenham

Definitely social and with wine
Last night was time for the Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle to get together in the Church Rooms for their own bit of party time. It was the now established format of quizzes, a little bingo, a raffle, some poetry readings and of course a fish and chip supper. An extra attraction this year was a rendering by our local singing postman.
This year the fish and chips arrived freshly cooked by Paul's Plaice who were parked nearby outside the Ox and Plough.

The Social and Wine Circle will be starting its meetings in 2017 on Thursday 12 January. During the year they will be hearing talks on a wide range of subjects from a history of sewage treatment to listening from a 'Pam Ayres' of Norfolk.
All are welcome to come along to these meetings so why not come out for an evening once a month for a convivial experience and make new friends?

Eight years of the Old Buckenham blog

Who else reads this?
You may find some of the following statistics of interest. 
This blog first started at the beginning of December 2008 and has been posting about three or four times a week ever since.  
It has a relatively small audience compared with many other blogs as not everyone in the world is that interested in what goes on in our little Norfolk village. But there have been instances of Old Buckenham  residents getting to know what's going on here when contacted by their relatives in Australia or New Zealand.
Blogger states there have been 455,000 page views since the blog started. A more reliable measuring site puts the number of visitors so far at some 84,200.
The most popular time for readers to log in is between 11am and 12 noon (GMT).
The most popular day for visits is Monday and least popular is Saturday.
Some 82% of readers are from the UK with the USA coming next with 7%. Over twenty counties, from Angola to the Virgin Isles, have only visited once in the eight years since the blog went live.
The most number of readers in one day was 161 on Saturday 8 October this year (mainly to see photos of the car that ended up in Manor Pond).
The highest number of visits in a week was 436 when people logged in to check on arrangements for our Queen's Jubilee celebrations (June 2012).
The highest number in a month was 1426 in September 2015. 

December activities in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for December

Thursday 1         WI Christmas lunch

Thursday 1         Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 3          Christmas Bingo, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Sunday 4             Wargames Club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Tuesday 6           Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards

Wednesday 7      Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Wednesday 7      Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Thursday 8         Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 8         Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.30pm for 7.45pm

Saturday 10        Film 'Our kind of traitor', Village Hall, 7.30pm

Monday 12         Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Friday 16            Carols on the Green, by Church Rooms, 6pm for 6.15pm

Wednesday 21   Carols at Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Friday 23            Visits from mobile library during morning

Saturday 24        Church Rooms open during day for food donations

  Saturday 24       Candlelit carol service, All Saints Church, 7pm

Old Buckenham newsletter for December

Available now
Copies have been placed around in the shop, church, pub and airfield so if you don't get one delivered then pick one up in time for the start of a new month.

Dementia talk for Old Buckenham Scouts

Learning about dementia

As part of the Scout Association's Million Hands initiative, the 1st Old Buckenham Scouts were visited by Gill Wells who came to Old Buckenham Village Hall to talk about the issues of dementia and Dementia Friends.

Gill explained to the scouts, and some of their parents, that dementia is caused by diseases which affect the brain, the most common of which is Alzheimer's. In addition to the physical issues caused by this, Gill also explained about the emotional effects that these have both on the sufferer and their loved ones supporting them.
Dementia Friends is all about understanding the issues facing people who suffer from dementia and the little things to help and support them. At the end of the evening the scouts and their parents present became Dementia Friends. If you would like to learn more about Dementia Friends you can visit their website - www.dementiafriends.org.uk

Pressing ahead…..

Since the last update, works have progressed well on the Chapel Green project (despite some poor weather conditions). There is now an entrance into the site off of Attleborough Road, which was actually completed four days ahead of schedule in order to minimise the traffic disruption. The topsoil has been stripped along the length of the road, followed by the installation of surface water drainage. Works are now pressing on to install the road sub-base and kerbs in preparation for Tarmac finishing.

(Looking toward the main school site)

(Looking toward Attleborough Road)

On the main school site, works have commenced stripping the topsoil and reducing the levels down to the correct formation to install the building foundations. Following this the contractors Morgan Sindall will then begin the installation of the ground source heat pumps – underground coils of pipework used to heat the building naturally and therefore improving the carbon footprint of the building over its lifetime.

(Some earthmoving has taken place, click on the picture to enlarge it)

Installation has started on permanent fencing along the access road and also temporary fencing to the site perimeter to ensure everyone is kept safe, both inside and outside of the site area.

(Where the public footpath to Bunns Bank crosses the new road)

There have been several visits from the children of Chapel Road School and it is clear that they are all very excited to see works have started. Morgan Sindall have also been in contact with several local residents who have taken an interest in the project since work started and continue to welcome people to come and have a look what is happening – there is a safe viewing area from the village hall car park. 
Finally, thank you from Morgan Sindall to everyone for their patience and understanding during these first few weeks of starting work on site.

Old Buckenham Precept 2017

Parish Council Precept meeting
Old Buckenham Parish Council met on Wednesday 16 November, primarily to agree the Precept for the next financial year. As part of the process the Parish Council considered the proposals put forward by the Precept Grants Working Party in relation to the grant applications that the Council has received.
The following grants were agreed for the next financial year starting on Saturday 1 April 2017:
Buckenham Pre-school - £120.60 (empathy dolls)
Old Buckenham Village Hall Fete Committee - £250 (fee for entertainer)
Monday Mardle Group - £100 (refreshments and outings)
Almshouses Charity - £200 (contribution to expenses)
Old Buckenham Village Hall - £250 (CCTV)
All Saints Church - £1,500 (roof alarm)
New Buckenham Football Club - £640 (mobile lighting)
Age Concern Norfolk - £120 (contribution to Advice Line)
Total £3,180.60
The Clerk will be contacting all these organisations to advise them about their awards and what arrangement will be made next year to distribute the grants.
The Parish Council also agreed to include a sum of £2,500 in the budget for the future purchase and siting of a defibrillator in the village.
At the meeting, the Council heard from John Fernihough and Sarah Dye about the position of the Green Rights Holders in relation to their request to the Parish Council to consider taking over the maintenance of the Green. The Parish Council agreed to enter into discussions with the Green Rights Proprietors to take over the maintenance of the Green; it was agreed that the Clerk and the Chair would start the negotiations as well as take legal advice from Norfolk ALC. The Council is setting aside £2,000 in the 2017/18 Budget for expenses incurred with those negotiations. When considering how to proceed in this matter the Parish Council will be considering many things including the results of the Village Survey, the costs and the legal implications before any firm arrangements are entered into.
The annual Contingency Fund of £2,000 was allocated as a fund for minor village maintenance expenses.
A further sum of £808.25 is being allocated in 2017/18 for the Neighbourhood Plan expenses to bring the reserve up to £1,000 again.
Taking the above changes into account the Parish Council agreed to request a Precept from Breckland Council of £21,400 which represents an increase of just under 7.5% compared to 2016/17. The effect of this increase is that the Parish Council’s share of the Council Tax will increase by on average of about £3 per property for the next financial year.
Following a request from the New Buckenham Parish Council Neighbourhood Plan Working Party, Old Buckenham Parish Council agreed to allow the inclusion of a small area of land containing the castle (which is situated in Old Buckenham) in the New Buckenham Neighbourhood Plan.
The Road Safety Working Party wishes to have a professional road traffic survey carried out in the village in advance of a meeting with George Freeman MP. The Parish Council endorsed this suggestion and agreed to set aside a budget of £600 for the survey.

Dark running in Old Buckenham

Part of a worldwide run
As darkness fell last Wednesday 16 November, and as most people were settling down in front of their televisions, the runners of Old Buckenham were putting on their running shoes and heading for the door. They were taking part in the "Run In The Dark" charity event - a global community of runners who are supporting the effort to find a cure for paralysis due to spinal cord injury and to reduce the impact paralysis has on people's lives.

The Run In The Dark is a global event that happens in November every year and consists of a 5 or 10 km run in the dark. This year there were over 25,000 runners around the world taking part in the event from Brisbane, Dubai, Moscow, Belfast, New York, Los Angeles and of course Old Buckenham. 

The event is in aid of a charity set up by Mark Pollock to fund research into finding a cure for paralysis due to spinal cord injury. Mark Pollock was born with an eye disorder but that did not stop him from enjoying life to the full. An avid rower, he won bronze and silver medals for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 2002. At the age of 22 he lost his sight completely. He became an adventure athlete and motivational speaker. He was the first blind person to ever to walk to the South Pole. But a second tragedy struck in 2010 when he fell from a 2nd storey window and broke his back and was left paralysed. Mark is now fighting through life, deciding how to overcome this second tragic turn of events. He is a pioneer of medical science, exploring the frontiers of spinal cord injury recovery through aggressive physical therapy and robotic technology.
The event was organised in the village by Chris Clarke, who is an old school friend of Mark Pollock. Chris wanted to support his friend and his charity 'The Mark Pollock Trust', in support of the cause of finding a cure for paralysis. Chris organised the event in Old Buckenham last year and on each occasion there have been about 45 participants. The run started at the Ox and Plough pub and proceeded along a route past the windmill, through Stacksford, along Fen Street and then back to the pub. This year was a great success with over £900 raised for the Mark Pollock trust (which matches the amount that was raised last year). Chris hopes that the event will become an annual one in the village and is aiming for over 50 runners next year.
You can find out more about Mark Pollock here https://www.markpollocktrust.org/ or if you're interested in taking part next year please join the Old Buckenham Run In the Dark Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RunInTheDarkOldBuck/
Chris Clarke would like to say thank you to Ben Devlin at the Ox and Plough for allowing his pub to be used as as the start and finish, to Roger Peacock and David Hannah for being safety marshals, and to Anna and Rebecca Bennett for helping with the organisation on the night.

Wish list in Old Buckenham

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
Old Buckenham Village Hall was once again full of enthusiastic flower arrangers and gardeners for the November meeting. With the weather growing increasingly colder a warm welcome was given to Adele Kent as she made a return visit to the Club to present her demonstration titled “I Have a Little List”. She said many people make lists – shopping lists, to do lists, do not forget lists. Adele has a wish list and using foliage and flowers she created her wish list – the first arrangement a meadow using grasses and gerberas, the second a kitchen garden using a wooden trellis, apples and beautiful red roses, the third a herbaceous border, with tall blooms at the back and shorter at the front (as they should be but often aren’t) followed by a classical design, a Hogarth curve and a tropical garden. Whilst delighting everyone with her flower arranging she also shared family memories and the new love in her life, her granddaughter. Once again several members went home with beautiful arrangements as raffle prizes.
Winner of the competition for November titled “Autumn Glory” was Jean Carnwell.
The next meeting will be at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 8 December at 2pm (this is a members only Christmas meeting).
If you would like further details contact Christine on 01953 454528 or Sally on 01953 788712.

Birthday celebrations in Old Buckenham

Old Buckenham Women's Institute
Members of Old Buckenham WI welcomed friends and guests from neighbouring WIs to their Birthday Party on Thursday 27 October.

 After a bring and share supper and a glass of wine, they were entertained by Rachel Duffield, who told her audience about the life and times of Matilda Wood, professionally known as Marie Lloyd, who was born in London in 1870. She made her professional debut in 1884 as Bella Delmere and changed her name to Marie Lloyd the following year. 

She frequently topped the bill in London’s West End theatres. By the mid 1890’s she was in frequent dispute with Britain’s theatre censors due to the risqué contents of her songs. Marie Lloyd had a turbulent private life that was often the subject of press attention – she was married three times, divorced twice and frequently found herself giving court testimony against two of her husbands who had physically abused her. Privately, she suffered from bouts of ill-health and became alcohol-dependent. In 1922 she gave her final performance at the Alhambra Theatre, London, during which she became ill on stage. She died a few days later at the age of 52.
In addition to highlighting Marie Lloyd’s career, Rachel interspersed her talk with the songs that are always associated with Marie Lloyd.

After the entertainment the birthday cake, made by Jean Wade, was cut and sherry served and Mike Bartlett toasted the WI. He said that Old Buckenham WI had achieved a lot in their 49 years and there was much to look forward to in their 50th year.

Old Buckenham remembers

On the Green today
Villagers of all ages gathered at the war memorial for the wreath laying ceremony before going back for a service in All Saints Church.

Unusual parking in Old Buckenham

Been ditched?
Stephen recorded this intriguing picture along Cuffer Lane earlier today.

Remembrance services in Old Buckenham

Remembrance Sunday

Services for Remembrance on Sunday 13 November at All Saints Church are a Remembrance Eucharist at 9.30am commencing with commendation and two minutes silence. At 2.30 pm there will be the laying of wreaths at the war memorial on the Green followed by a service in All Saints Church.
Also a traditional Service of Remembrance will be held at Old Buckenham airfield around their war memorial, starting just prior to 11am. The 453rd Bombardment Group Museum will be open all day. This is an important day in the Airfields’ calendar and they are expecting to be honoured with the presence of veterans and relatives of those who fought and died while at the airfield during World War 2.

A light lunch in Old Buckenham

November market
Come along to the Church Rooms on Saturday 12 November and enjoy the traditional annual November Market. It will run from 11am to 2pm with stalls including Fairtrade, bric-a-brac, tombola, books and a raffle. Light lunches of soups and rolls are served from 12 noon providing a good chance to sit and enjoy talking to others from the village.

Old Buckenham history

The history of our local market town
A chance to learn about Attleborough over the years and how this has affected the local villages such as Old Buckenham. Also a look into what the future might bring.
Come along to this talk on Saturday 12 November in Old Buckenham Village Hall by members of the Attleborough Heritage Group.

(click on the image to enlarge it)

Old Buckenham school site work has started

Start of access road
The digger has been at work today, starting to create the entrance to the Chapel Green school site off of the B1077.

Work starts on Old Buckenham school site

On site at Chapel Green School
On behalf of Norfolk County Council, Morgan Sindall are carrying out the construction of the new 110 place special educational needs (SEN) school in Old Buckenham, which will replace the old school in Attleborough. The work will involve the construction of new teaching facilities, a hydrotherapy pool and extensive external works including soft landscaping and a new access road. 

The initial works will include the formation of the entrance bellmouth into the site off Attleborough Road. For this period of time a full Highways Approved traffic management system will be in place Following this, the main focus will be installing the access road leading up to the main site area whilst also commencing installation of perimeter fencing and commencing the site strip.
To minimise disruption to the local area Morgan Sindall have submitted a traffic management plan as part of the planning requirements which has been approved. As part of this plan the 30 mph sign will be moved closer towards Attleborough. 

It will also prohibit construction traffic from using Hargham Road (the road leading to the A11) and Abbey Road. Wheel washing facilities will also be present on site to prevent contamination of the highways.

Read the latest Old Buckenham newsletter

Latest news on our village
The November issue had been printed and taken round to all sorts of places in the village for you to pick it up and read the news.

Coming soon in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for November

Tuesday 1    Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards

Wednesday 2    Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Thursday 3    Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Sunday 6    Wargames Club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 7    Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Wednesday 9    Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 10    Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 10    Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.30pm for 7.45pm

Saturday 12    November Market, Church Rooms, 11am to 2pm

Saturday 12    Talk on local history, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Sunday 13    Remembrance service at Airfield, 11am

Sunday 13    Remembrance wreath laying at war memorial, 2.30pm

Monday 14    Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Wednesday 16    Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Wednesday 16    Run in the Dark, starts from Ox and Plough, 8pm

Saturday 19    Pre-school shopping event, Village Hall, 10am to noon

Monday 21    Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Wednesday 23    Luncheon Club outing

Thursday 24    Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Old Buckenham in 2017

Important dates for next year
Various dates for regular events that will happen in Old Buckenham during 2017 have already been announced. If you are starting to fill things in next year's diary, then here is some information.
Old Buckenham Players will be performing their pantomime on Thursday 12, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 January in the Village Hall.
Saturday 28 January is the date for the Senior Citizens party at the Village Hall. If you need to know any more details then please contact Eileen Oliver on 01953 860664, email feetease@outlook.com
Saturday 8 July is the day chosen for next year’s village fete, again at the Village Hall
The fete will open at 12 noon and go on until 4pm. Please contact Alison Frank on 01953 860692 or at andrew.frank@btinternet.com if you would like to take part or require other information.
The Old Buckenham Airshow will be at the airfield on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 July.
The Old Buckenham cycling weekend will go ahead on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 September 2017.

Chapel Green to Old Buckenham

First activity on Chapel Road School move
This afternoon many people gathered in Old Buckenham Village Hall before moving out to the adjacent field to celebrate the starting of the building of a new school. Chapel Road school in Attleborough is, after many years of planning and setbacks, to rise up on a site near to the existing pre-school, junior school and high school.

Children from those schools were in the hall with the Chapel Road school pupils have a last minute practise of the song they were to sing later on.

The rain started just as it was time to venture outside so the multi-coloured umbrellas soon appeared. Short speeches took place before local MP George Freeman was handed a shiny spade and invited to do the 'turf cutting' ceremony. The Chapel Road pupils then made sure there really was a hole in the ground to portray the start of building work.
Soon it was back into the village hall for tea and cakes and time for school head Karin Heap to be able believe that, after so many years, things really were happening.