Recycling textiles in Old Buckenham

New clothes bank has arrived
Another member of the recycling family has arrived in the Village Hall car park. Now you can put your old clothes, shoes, curtains, blankets, towels and sheets into this brightly-coloured container and know that it will not just end up as landfill. In fact the stuff you put into the textile bank will be sorted and go to be reused in Third World countries while the Village Hall will benefit from the recycling credits paid as a reward for ensuring that this material does not end up as landfill. 

And while you're visiting the car park, why not bring along all your glass bottles and those heaps of newspaper to feed the other containers? All the money raised through this recycling helps to raise funds for your village hall.

Lots to do in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for June

Wednesday 1    Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Thursday 2    Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 4    Spring Fayre, Church Rooms, 2pm to 4.30pm

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 onwards

Tuesday 7    Flower arranging demonstration, Methodist Chapel, 7pm

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, 7.30pm for 7.45pm

Friday 10    Boogs music and tv quiz, Village Hall, 7.30pm for 8pm start

Sunday 12   Windmill open, 2pm to 5pm

Monday 13    Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Wednesday 15    Women's Cycle Tour speeds through village about 12.50pm

Wednesday 15    Jazz at the Gamekeeper, 8.30pm

Saturday 18    Strawberry Fete, Primary School, 10am to 3pm

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

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

Thursday 23    European Referendum Election, Village Hall, 7am to 10pm                                                                                                                                                                       

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

Saturday 25    Table top sale, Methodist Chapel, 10am to 12 noon

Saturday 25    Evening garden party, 1 Mill Lane, 6pm

Wednesday 29    High School Summer Concert, 7.30pm

Old Buckenham newsletter for June

Latest version for you to read
Copies should be around in the village now for you to pick up and find out what has been happening and what is due to come during June.

Old Buckenham and Norwich

Social and Wine Circle
Members learnt the connection between shawls, newspapers, shoes, beer, mustard, wire netting, chocolate and aircraft at their May meeting. The evening’s speaker was Rob Spokes (a Norwich Blue Badge guide) who explained how they were all important things that had been made over the years in Norwich. Lots of other industries had also been vital in the growth of Norwich as a very important city, things such as weaving, insurance and banking. Even today the shopping facilities and the hub of scientific knowledge keep Norwich high in the rankings within the UK. Much of his talk was illustrated by pictures of some of the buildings where these activities took place and that still remain today.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 9 June when Sarah Doig will be talking on Victorian village schools. It will take place in the Church Rooms in Old Buckenham starting at 7.30pm and all are welcome.

Old Buckenham Women’s Institute

Toys through the ages
Old Buckenham WI were pleased to welcome Amanda Cockburn from Old Buckenham Primary School to their recent meeting. For the fifth year, Amanda had chosen Old Buckenham WI as recipients of the World Book Night selection and this year she presented members with copies of “Whispering Shadows”, the third book written by Jan-Philipp Sendker.
The evening’s speakers were David and Angela Knock who gave a fascinating insight into the history of toys. They brought with them an extensive selection of toys from the past which evoked childhood memories. These items included marbles (which have been around since Roman times – although in those days they would have been made from clay), Plasticine which is about 100 years old, French knitting (made from cotton reels) to name but a few. They also brought a vast collection of toys and teddy bears (including a modern one bought from the Dad’s Army Museum – dressed as Pike with his trade mark scarf in Aston Village colours). They also brought along a “Golly” a traditional toy from 1896.
Old Buckenham WI gives an annual bursary to a member attending a course at Denman College and this year’s winner in the ballot was Alison Frank who can use the money towards a course any time during the next 12 months.
Alison also organises the “Waste Not, Want Not” table and she said that it has raised £939 over the last eight years. This money forms part of the donation to Associated Country Women of the World, of which the Women’s Institute is a member.
The June meeting is on Thursday 23 June when the speaker will be Helen Reeve. The subject of her talk is “For the Love of Cows (how to turn a hobby into a business)”.

Monthly jazz in Old Buckenham

Jazz at the Gamekeeper pub
A regular monthly jazz evening at the Gamekeeper Pub, Old Buckenham, will be starting on Wednesday 15 June at 8.30pm. It will feature music from the famous Rat Pack, the great American Song Book and swing music enjoyed by many. The musicians are a group of ex-professionals who no longer play for a living but get together to enjoy one and others playing. They have played for many years in all the genres which has put them individually with many famous artists and musicians which has included Tom Jones, Matt Munro, Van Morrison, Chuck Berry and bands such as the BBC Radio Big Band and American jazz musicians such a Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Jimmy Witherspoon and John Bunch who resided here in Old Buckenham. The musicians featured are Tom Melvin – vocals, Nigel Portass – keyboards, Jeff Burbidge – bass, and Bob Doré – drums.
For more information you can contact Daryne Gerk by email at glitch1970@gmail.com

Parish Councillor needed in Old Buckenham

Vacancy for councillor
A notice, dated Wednesday 11 May and signed by the chairman of the Parish Council, has been posted on the noticeboard outside the village shop. It states:
NOTICE OF VACANCY IN THE OFFICE OF PARISH COUNCILLOR
Notice is hereby given of a vacancy that exists for ONE Parish Councillor to serve on the Old Buckenham Parish Council caused by the resignation of Councillor Mike Farrington.
Unless within 14 days of the date of this notice, ten electors for Old Buckenham (named on the Electoral Register) have requested to hold an election, the Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option as soon as practicable.
All requests (in writing) for an election to fill the vacancy should be sent to:
The Returning Officer
Breckland Council
Elizabeth House
Walpole Loke
Dereham
Norfolk NR19 1EE

Fencing for Old Buckenham Play Area

Your help and opinions needed
There is a need to replace the fencing that encloses the much appreciated children's Play Area near All Saints Church in Old Buckenham. As part of the fund raising for new fencing, there has been a consultation with users and villagers on the style of fencing to be used which needs to provide a secure, sustainable and aesthetically pleasing surrounding for all the play equipment.
Today members of 'Bucks Just Play', the group responsible for setting up the play area, held a consultation meeting in the Church Rooms to get views on the wooden or metal fencing that could be used.
The play area has come a long way since some of the earliest equipment was installed and Bucks Just Play are looking for help fundraising, site preparation and clearance. If you think you could help in any way then please contact Kerry on kerry.talbot@btinternet.com 

Could you represent Old Buckenham?

Show your sporting abilities

Last year Old Buckenham entered the Norfolk Village Games at the UEA Sportspark for the first time. It was great fun and people are keen to enter again this year. We didn’t take it too seriously last year but still came back with a couple of trophies. So now is our chance to prove that our village is the best small sporting village in Norfolk.
Michelle Willford did much of the organising last time and will do it again, hopefully with lots of help from others in getting the various sports teams organised. The event will take place throughout the day on Sunday 10 July (the day after the village fete).
The competitions have been announced and are slightly different from last time. Here is the list in alphabetical order:
Archery: Both an adult and a junior competition Two adults are needed and also two who are under 16. Trophies will be awarded for both categories.
Athletics fitness challenge: A new event combining the aspects of the athletics and fitness challenge. There will be four activities across the day including a run, a cycle, a throw and one still to be announced (full details prior to the event). A team of four is needed, at least two of which must be under 16.
Badminton: Mixed doubles pair, open to anyone over 11 years old.
Darts: Individual competition open to anyone over 11 years old.
Gymnasticators – ‘This Girl Can’ competition: We will need a team of four to compete in this fun competition. Every team member will complete in a number of different challenges. More details on request prior to event.
Five-a-side football: Over 16 male-only competition, squad of up to seven players allowed.
Rounders: One mixed team of nine people (from a squad of twelve). Starting nine must consist of five under 16s and to include a minimum of two under 12s. A maximum of four adults at anyone time.
Short Mat Bowls: One team of three players, squad of four allowed, and open to anyone over 11 years old.
Table Tennis: Both an adult and a junior competition. Adult will be a singles competition. Competition for under 16s will be a skills challenge including a variety of different games and challenges. Villages can enter more than one player into both competition but only the highest finisher will count in the overall scoring.
Tennis: For a mixed doubles pair. Open to anyone over 11 years old.
This looks as if this will be the last year that this competition will be run so Old Buckenham needs to show what it is capable of.
If you are interested in taking part then please make contact with Michelle at michelle.wilford@btinternet.com without delay. If you can help by organising a team for one of the categories then that will be a great help. This could be an opportunity to learn a new sport. For instance the Short Mat Bowls team would be happy to try out some potential new players beforehand if someone wants to learn (contact Ron at obnewspostbox@aol.com if you are interested). For some of the events the whole family could be involved.
If you need any further persuasion, there will be special tee shirts printed for members of the Old Buckenham team, a once in a lifetime chance.

Bargains in Old Buckenham

Come and look around on Sunday
Around thirty sites to look at so get a map and start investigating.

Old Buckenham Parish Council minutes

May Parish Council meeting
These notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that may be amended at a later date.
At this meeting, held on Thursday 5 May following the Annual Parish Council meeting, those present were councillors Adrian Joel, Carol Marshall. Ben Devlin, Graham Hart, Tom Johnson, Rona Boggia, Terry Cracknell along with James Watling, the Parish Clerk.
Seven members of public were present and three other councillors (Steve Milner, Jonathan Kemp and Sarah Hornbrook) had given their apologies for not being able to attend.
Public recess. A resident raised the matter of the email he wanted circulated to all councillors regarding his five points he had previously raised with the parish council. Rona Boggia read out the email including the new crossing for road safety. Rona Boggia thanked Mr Bayfield for clearing out a ditch in the village. Tom Johnson raised the matter of having a 20mph speed limit through the village at all times. A resident raised the matter of the Junior School becoming an academy which he thought was a bad idea and he then raised various other points of concern on the matter. A resident raised the matter of the new crossing which he thought was not well situated. A resident raised the matter of a letter he had received from Norfolk County Council (NCC) about the verge outside his house which instructed him to remove the posts which he had replaced when previous ones were knocked down. He asked why NCC should want them removed when they had installed the original ones ten years ago.
Minutes of the April Parish Council meeting. With a small amendment these were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. Adrian Joel said he was surprised at the statement read out by the clerk at the April meeting naming a councillor in his statement. Adrian Joel also raised the question of commemorating the Battle of the Somme. The church could hold a service on Friday 1 July at 11am which must be supported by the Parish Council. He suggested that a flag be flown at half mast and candles be lit over three days.
Planning applications. Cherry Tree Cottage, Loss Wroo. Proposed motor home garage, store and workshop. No objections from parish council, agreed with 6 for and 1 abstention.
Puddled Cottage, Puddledock. Demolish existing porch and erect new porch. No objections from parish council, agreed with 6 for and 1 abstention.
9 The Old Yard, Hargham Road. Static caravan as temporary accommodation whilst new house is constructed (retrospective). No objections from parish council, agreed with 6 for and 1 abstention.
Planning decision received from Breckland. 5 Fen Street. Oak-framed cart lodge, garage and store room. Permission granted.
Play Area fencing. Adrian Joel informed the meeting that consultation with users had to take place to agree what type of replacement fence was best suited for the play area. A meeting will be held in the Church Rooms on Saturday 14 May from 9.30am to 11.30am for people to give their views.
Adoption of accounts. It was agreed unanimously that the Annual Return be approved.
Annual Governance Statement. It was agreed unanimously that the Governance Statement on the Annual Return be approved.
Refund of hall hire. It was agreed unanimously that the hall hire charges incurred by Terry Cracknell for a recent meeting at the village hall be refunded to him by the Parish Council.
Queen’s 90th Birthday celebration. Adrian Joel asked if the Parish Council were organising anything to celebrate this event. It was agreed to let local organisations arrange their own celebrations.
Appointment of new Parish Clerk. Adrian Joel explained how the job had be advertised. Two applicants had already been interviewed and he asked for permission from the Parish Council for the Human Resources Personnel Committee to make a decision following three more interviews with other applicants. This was agreed unanimously. Terry Cracknell and Graham Hart would now join the committee following the resignation of Mike Farrington and Steve Milner standing down as chairman.
Parish maintenance tasks. Adrian Joel said a lot of small tasks around the village need doing. Graham Hart offered to allocate up to eight hours a month unpaid labour to do some of the tasks.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel reported that residents will now have received a new publication which informs them of changes that Breckland Council is making to its services, how they are delivered and how they can be accessed. The publication is called Transforming Breckland. Breckland is currently in process of updating its services and making them more accessible to residents including making it easier to submit applications, raise issues or ask questions via their website. The Local Plan is moving forward and the next step will be it going out to public consultation in July. A pre-submission document will be out for consultation in Autumn 2016. This will then be submitted to the Inspector and confirmation is hoped for by early 2017.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Carol Marshall reported that the village garage sale will have some thirty pitches and is due to take place on Sunday 15 May between 10am and 1pm. Ben Devlin reported that next Green Right Proprietors’ meeting will take place on Tuesday 14 June. Tom Johnson reported that the Village Hall Management Committee met in April and is still unable to appoint a Chairman. He also gave a thank you from the Pre-school group for the recent grant given by Parish Council. There will be a free film show on Saturday 21 May at 7.30pm at the village hall. Rona Boggia distributed a recently undertaken traffic census to all councillors. She recently attended the Attleborough Development Partnership meeting and had passed on Sarah Hornbrook’s comments regarding the suggestion of building the link road before other development takes place but this suggestion was not taken up. The next meeting is due to take place on Wednesday 15 June between 2pm and 4pm at Attleborough town hall. Terry Cracknell supported Rona Boggia’s view on the Partnership. Terry Cracknell then raised the matter of the lake and weir which he believes is causing some flooding issues in the village. Adrian Joel said the lake level has risen by five inches and that three residents are assisting with the matter supported by the Parish Council. Adrian Joel then reported on the Neighbourhood Plan Working Party who will be sending out a survey form to every household soon to obtain views of residents.
Parish Clerk’s report. The Clerk reported that Mike Farrington had resigned with immediate effect. The Clerk was asked if Mike Farrington had given a reason. The Clerk responded that he had stated his reason but he did not have permission to reveal details. The Clerk is to inform Breckland Council of the resignation. The Clerk reported that NCC Highway Engineer Mr Overland would be taking on new duties with immediate effect and would no longer be available for the reporting of problems. He thanked Mr Overland for all his assistance and excellent work over the last six years within the village. Adrian Joel also wished to record the thanks of the Parish Council for Mr Overland’s work over the years.
Highways. Adrian Joel raised the matter of posts in Crown Road originally supplied by NCC over ten years ago. He also said there are similar instances of other verges in village having items put on them to try to protect the verges. A letter to be sent to NCC on the matter. The Clerk is to report to NCC on the matter of potholes along Harlingwood Lane on the bend between Old Hall Farm and Cuffers Lane.
Public Recess. A resident raised the matter of clerk leaving and the appointing of a new clerk. A resident informed the meeting that a flag could be flown from the church tower to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The church has decided not to do an event of their own to commemorate this event. A resident raised the matter of the £4,000 paid by the Parish Council under 50/50 Partnership Scheme for a road crossing and also the resurfacing of the Village Hall car park. The Clerk informed the meeting that any VAT due on the resurfacing would have to be paid by the Village Hall and could not be reclaimed by Parish Council (the Clerk will circulate VAT Notice 49 which is a HMRC notice which clearly states why the Parish Council cannot reclaim the VAT). A resident referred to the April minutes which referred to someone as a resident under the public recess when in fact they no longer lived in the village but did own a property in village. A resident raised the matter of verges and suggested using the County Councillor to take up the matter. Adrian Joel said that Highways claim the first 1.7 metres of verges to provide for essential services.
Closed session. Adrian Joel then said that members of the public and any press would have to leave as the Council was going to go into a closed session to discuss a confidential matter. Following the departure of public a discussion took place regarding events around a recent confidential personnel matter.

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

New chairman for Old Buckenham Parish Council

Annual Parish Council meeting
These notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that may be amended at a later date.
At this meeting, held on Thursday 5 May, those present were councillors Adrian Joel, Carol Marshall. Ben Devlin, Graham Hart, Tom Johnson, Rona Boggia, Terry Cracknell aas well as James Watling, the Parish Clerk.
Seven members of public were present and three other councillors (Steve Milner, Jonathan Kemp and Sarah Hornbrook) had given their apologies for not being able to attend.
Election of Chairman. It was proposed and seconded that Adrian Joel be elected chairman for three months with the possibility of Jonathan Kemp then being elected. This was agreed unanimously.
Election of Vice Chairman. It was proposed and seconded that Jonathan Kemp be elected and this was agreed unanimously.
Appointment of Working Parties. This was deferred until the parish council meeting in June.
Policy Document review. Health and Safety will be looked at by Tom Johnson and a working party set up at the June meeting to review all other policy documents.

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

Ancient music in Old Buckenham

Hurdy gurdy, crumhorn and ukulele
This afternoon there was entertainment in All Saints Church, Old Buckenham, by the duo Elizabeth and Malcolm Ecclestone, better know as Chanter's Jigge.
Their programme of songs and music was entitled 'Blow ye Winds', and found them in the Tudor courts, singing the odd sea shanty, dancing an Irish jig, visiting the Scottish highlands, walking the Norfolk coast and praising a sheep of huge bigness!
The variety of instruments played included the hurdy gurdy, bagpipes, small pipes, keyboard, guitar, ukulele, recorders, curtal, saxophones, whistles, crumhorn, rauschpfeife, chalumeau as well as the human voice.
Malcolm and Elizabeth have performed together for thirty years and Chanter's Jigge brings together some of the diverse styles of music with which they have entertained countless audiences over the years.
They invited the audience to join in with the choruses of the well-known folk songs, to clap their hands, stamp their feet or to rattle their jewellery to the lively jigs. During the interval there was a chance to have a closer look at the instruments being played in the performance.

Table top sale in Old Buckenham

Bargains at the Primary School
Even if you don't have a table, why not come along from 11am until 2pm and see what you can find?