Diary dates for January

Monday 1         Village New Year walk, Church Rooms, 10.30am

Tuesday 2           Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards

Thursday 4         Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Monday 8           Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

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

Thursday 11       Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 11       Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.30pm for 7.45pm

Monday 15         Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Wednesday 17   Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Thursday 18       Mother Goose, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 19            Visits from Mobile Library during morning

Friday 19            Mother Goose, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 20        Chapel Green School open morning, 9.30am to 11.30am

Saturday 20        Afternoon teas, Church Rooms, noon to 2.30pm

Saturday 20        Mother Goose, Village Hall, 2.30pm

Saturday 20        Mother Goose, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Wednesday 24   Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Thursday 25      Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Old Buckenham village newsletter for January

First edition in 2018
If you want to know about the events happening in Old Buckenham during 2018 then reading the latest newsletter will be a good place to start. Some villagers will get it through their letterboxes, others should be able to pick it up  from the shop, church, pubs, airfield, etc.

Postal service in Old Buckenham.

Special delivery
Look at what has just come though my letterbox. Our village post men and women are great.

(Just click on the image to see it more clearly)

Social life in Old Buckenham

Social and Wine Circle
Meetings of the Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle will start again at 7.30pm on Thursday 11 January in the Church Rooms when Keith Grisedale will be talking about the work of the Blood Bikers. All are welcome to come along.
There will be more interesting events throughout 2018. Our local detectorist Godfrey Pratt will be explaining ‘why he digs’ on Thursday 8 February.
The rest of the programme is:
Thursday 8 March, Famous people of Diss by Basil Abbott
Thursday 12 April, Radiation - part 2 by Dr Sarah Dorling
Thursday 10 May, Georgette Vale will portray Elizabeth Fry
Thursday 14 June, 1,000 years of Old Buckenham history by Alison Hannah
Thursday 12 July, out in the garden of John and Barbara Frost
Thursday 9 August, a visit to the museums at Old Buckenham airfield
Thursday 13 September, One woman and her dog by Pat Crawford and her guide dog India
Thursday 11 October, Porcelain and china repairs by Dr M Signy
Thursday 8 November, the History of Jarrolds by Carol Slaughter
Thursday 13 December will be party time and a fish and chips supper.
These evenings are open to all, it costs just £1 each time you come along (and perhaps a further pound on a raffle ticket). Why not come along and try it out?

Old Buckenham WI in 2018

Our local Women's Institute
Old Buckenham WI held their Annual Meeting in November and this is when they elect a new committee and President. It also provides the opportunity to look back over the previous year and to look forward to some of the events to be held in 2018. Pat Dickinson, the secretary, outlined some of the highlights of 2017, including the 50th anniversary Garden Party in July, which was followed the following week by the village annual fete. They organised the Village Produce Show in September - this is always a most successful and enjoyable day for members and villagers alike. The highlight of the year was the 50th Birthday Party in October.
They have played Scrabble on a monthly basis (some of the members are involved in the Attleborough Scrabble Ladder), have been involved with the local quizzes and have organised monthly walks with a pub lunch. They have also been enjoyed a visit to the Theatre Royal.
The new committee and President were duly elected and Kate Lloyd was welcomed as the new President. Susan Hunter, the outgoing President, was warmly thanked by members for her excellent leadership over the past fifteen years and she was presented with a Royal Botanic Gardens vase and garden vouchers.
The full programme of meetings for 2018 is:
Thursday 25 January, Jim Whiteside - The work of the Lowland Rescue
Thursday 22 February, Rev Jacqui Horton - Living Iona
Thursday 22 March, Fay Jones - The wonderful world of stinging nettles
Thursday 26 April, Cos Stephanides - An introduction to Tibetan Buddhism
Thursday 24 May, Resolution Meeting
Thursday 28 June, Liz Keable - You are what you think
Thursday 26 July, Jon Read - Stainless steel tableware
Thursday 23 August, Sue Sursham - The Trans Siberian Railway
Thursday 27 September, Roger Jones - The Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Thursday 25 October, Birthday Party
Thursday 22 November, Annual Meeting
Thursday 6 December, Christmas Lunch

Old Buckenham parish council minutes

December's discussions
These notes have been written by the newsletter editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later date.
The councillors present at the meeting on Thursday 7 December were Adrian Joel (Chairman), Rona Boggia, Sarah Hornbrook, Jon Hicks, Phil Little, Paul Philips, Andy Nicholls and Ben Devin.
Also attending were Gemma Frost (to take the minutes) and four members of the public.
Apologies for non-attendance were accepted from Steve Milner and the parish clerk Hilary Clutten who was on annual leave.
The Council approved the minutes as a true and accurate record of the meeting held on Thursday 2 November. The minutes of the meeting on Thursday 16 November were amended to read “The meeting was then adjourned by the Chairman as the Clerk had left the meeting”.
Sarah Hornbrook expressed disappointment that grant applications had not been circulated as expected. With the above amendment, the minutes were agreed as a true and accurate record of the meeting. 
Matters arising from minutes. It was agreed that having a defibrillator in the telephone kiosk is not too close to the Village Hall defibrillator. The telephone box is a more central location in the village and therefore deemed an appropriate location. Phil Little has looked at the glazing in the telephone box and confirmed he is still happy to replace the glass with polycarbonate. This was a minor amendment so listed building consent probably was not necessary but the Council must check before undertaking any work.
There has been no response yet from NCC regarding the upgrading of the path at the village hall. The Village Hall committee have confirmed they will not accept responsibility for necessary improvements. It was agreed buses could not use recreation ground behind the village hall as ground is not hard enough and could cause further traffic problems in the car park.
The next parish council meeting in January will be the precept meeting, precept details need to be with Breckland Council by Monday 29 January.
Public participation relating to agenda items. Members of the Green Management Working Party gave a report. It discussed the cost of ID tagging and mapping of every tree including ownership so that a database can then be formed for future use. The identification of every tree would help both the members of the public and the Council. John Davison has agreed to do the tagging. Owners would not be financially responsible but will be asked for contribution. 
Sarah Hornbrook reported that it was agreed a tree survey should have  been done before responsibility moved from Green Rights to the working party. Only ash trees had previously been mapped and there was no documented professional tree survey already completed. The working party wanted to confirm it had permission to pursue registering the Green with Defra - this is not to make a registration, purely to look into what is available.
Location of a village Christmas tree has been finalised and will be placed on the Green in front of the Ox and Plough. 
A date for a liaison meeting between the Village Hall committee and the Parish Council would be agreed in January. 
Planning. Rona Boggia and Adrian Joel attended the Attleborough ADP meeting and both expressed their thoughts to the developer. Adrian Joel had a meeting with Simon Wood at Breckland Council in November and expressed the concerns over land in the parish of Old Buckenham being in the Attleborough SUE. There was to be a meeting with the developers in December and this item was on the agenda. The proposal is that they will not build on this small piece of land in the Parish, this can be conditioned in the planning application.
Sarah Hornbrook and Ben Devlin suggested the original issue, which was the road and the traffic, has been lost and that we needed to talk to Breckland Council about the link road. The Chairman confirmed it is his understanding that there is a loan on the table from NCC to fund the link road and negotiations are taking place also with HCA regarding a loan. It has been confirmed that the link road won’t be dependent on building of houses.
Attleborough Town Council is looking to implement time-limited parking in Queens Square car park, possibly in the Spring 2018. At the same time NCC will be looking to turn Surrogate Street into to two-way traffic.
Local planning. Beckwood, Stacksford. Appeal against the refusal of Breckland Council to allow the erection of a house and garage. Council had voted to support but subsequently refused on lack of sustainability grounds. The application has now gone to appeal.
9 The Yard, Old Buckenham. Planning permission given for the office building. Council supported and Breckland has approved it.
Poplar Farm. Smaller single story building. Council agreed to support this application.
Chairman’s report. Susan Brown has resigned from the parish council. The Chairman has advised Breckland Council of the resignation, a notice of vacancy has been posted on the notice board and if there has been no call for an election by Wednesday 27 December, the position can be advertised to co-opt a new councillor.
District Councillor’s report. The Chairman confirmed that five new BT fibre optic boxes are being installed throughout the village. These are being phased in over the coming year.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Rona Boggia reported on Chapel Green School. They have 63 pupils currently but this will increase in future to 110 pupils. There are five pupils and two teachers per class and most children also have ‘one-to-one’ helpers. Ben Devlin added that when the Parish Council first looked at the figures, teachers and one-to-one helpers were not taken into consideration so numbers are higher than initially thought. This led to a discussion around the traffic increase caused by the school. Sarah Hornbrook asked if figures from a main road traffic count were available so that these can be used to compare to a count again after the school is open. It was confirmed that Steve Milner has such figures.
Andy Nicholls raised concerns regarding the burglaries and dog thefts which have happened both in Old Buckenham and surrounding towns and villages of late. The Council felt that there is nothing the council can do other than asking everyone to be extra vigilant.
Paul Philips raised two items. He had attended a meeting with the residents of Doe Lane and Ben Devlin regarding the Old Buckenham Country Park. Paul Philips explained that he had attended merely to observe in case any issues were brought to the Parish Council at a later date. He also asked if it was possible to put visibility mirrors to aid both walkers and drivers coming out of the stud and or Harlingwood Lane to Cake Street. Unfortunately if Parish Council put these mirrors up they would be liable if an accident occurred so this is not an option. Andy Nicholls noted that a hedge, previously requested to be maintained and taken back to boundary to improve visibility, had still not been done. The Council agreed to write to Highways and bring their attention to the lack of action being taken. The Chairman raised an email from Ray Bayfield regarding dogs on leads but it has previously been agreed not to discuss this topic again. The Chairman also gave recognition to children from the High School for cleaning the war memorial.
Working Parties. A report from the Green Working Party has been given earlier in the meeting by members of the Working Party and they were thanked for their work. 
The Council agreed to approve the supply and erection of a Christmas Tree on the Green at a cost of £480 plus VAT, to approve the purchase of lights for the Christmas tree, to approve a donation to the Ox & Plough for the cost of electricity for the Christmas tree and to agree a final cut of the Green this year at a cost of £500.
A quote for the resurfacing of Post Office Terrace at a cost of £1060 was also considered. Would the offer of 22 tons of stone reduce the final cost?  The Chairman confirmed that we should have three quotes but we we can proceed with two. There was some debate around the material choice and the look that this leaves. Sarah Hornbrook did not feel that this was the best option. The Council resolved to approve spend of up to £999 (eight in favour, one against), to spend £50 on producing feedback leaflets on the Green to be inserted in the Six Villages Newsletter, to spend £400 on obtaining ownership tags for the trees on the Green and to agree survey and recording and mapping of the Green. Sarah Hornbrook expressed concern that more and more money going was outdoors on the Green and queried if all this work really needed doing. Jonathan Kemp felt that an initial spend is needed to get the Green in a good state, after which costs would reduce. Ben Devlin questioned what the new map will provide as there is already a map of trees. Andy Nicholls added that this is more than just a map, all trees will be number tagged making identification easier and it will help resolve issues as to whom owns what. Some green right owners own trees on the Green, it will make identifying these easier. Ben Devlin suggested this is deferred to another meeting where Rosemary West’s map is brought in and Sarah Hornbrook asked for more details regarding what the survey includes to also be brought to the next meeting. The Council resolved to defer this subject to the January meeting (six in favour, three against). 
It was agreed that the Green Management Working Party should research Defra registration and grants as long as this was only research. The Council have no appetite to go back to the way it was before when Defra were involved (five in favour, one abstaining, two against).
Highways matters. Gemma Frost provided information on personal experience of a near miss. Suggestions raised to improve school road crossing situation included a 20 mph speed limit, speed humps, asking police to do a speed watch, school signs on Abbey Road and a parking exclusion zone. After a formal request from Andy Nichols it was agreed to contact local MP, Tom McCabe, NCC Highways and County Councillor Stephen Askew. All were in favour.
Welcome Pack. Someone needs to take this on board. Paul Philips agreed to help.
Village Odd Job person. Andy Nicholls has spoken to Ivan Kerridge and he is interested on an hourly basis. He has own public liability. Rates £20 per hour for first hour and £15 per hour thereafter. Andy Nicholls would manage the Handyman jobs. Council agreed to put on list for next meeting
Items for next meeting . These would include amount for handy man, tree tagging, welcome packs and a meeting with Village Hall management committee.
The next Parish Council Meeting will be held in the Village Hall, Old Buckenham at 7.30pm on Thursday 4 January.

Old Buckenham road works

New Year road closure

If you are down Cake Street way during the first week of the New Year you will find that there will be a temporary road closure at the beginning of Harlingwood Lane. It is scheduled to start on Tuesday 2 January. This is to allow for sewer connection works and is expected to be completed on or before Saturday 6 January.
If you wish to talk to the contractor carrying out this work, Garrod Construction, about the work being carried out including access to nearby properties then you are advised to contact them on 01379 741720. The traffic management including the road closure and diversion is being organised by TMO Highways who you can contact by ringing 01379 676462 or emailing enquiries@tmohighways.co.uk quoting reference TMO/17161.

Old Buckenham School nearly here

Latest on Chapel Green
The completion of the Chapel Green School project is now just weeks away. The building is looking great and the staff and students will soon be revelling in their wonderful new facilities.
Work on site has been going flat out leading up to the completion. Internally, all finishes are complete and are now undergoing tests and commissioning processes to ensure that the building will be working faultlessly for its new occupants.
Externally, the car park is taking shape with parking bays now installed, block paving progressing throughout and tarmac being laid to the roadways. External safety play areas and fencing are in position and the general feel of quality around site is coming to the forefront.
As Morgan Sindall work towards completion, there is a lot of activity taking place in all areas and they appreciate that this may cause some minor disruptions to everyday life. However they will continue to work hard to limit this as much as possible.
After a busy year in Old Buckenham, Morgan Sindall would like to take the opportunity to sincerely thank all local residents, schools, stakeholders and anyone else affected by the project, for their cooperation, understanding and patience during the construction process. The benefit that this building will provide to the children of Chapel Road and others throughout the region makes all of this hard work worthwhile.
The work continuing on site includes the soft landscaping and planting, completion of the playmound area, the final fencing and the removal of the site offices
Morgan Sindall personally wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

In just over four weeks time all villagers will get the opportunity to see around and inside the new school.

Carol singing in Old Buckenham

Out in the cold winter air
People of all ages gathered at the Church Rooms, Old Buckenham, last night to do some carol singing. Fortified by mince pies and mulled wine they moved outside to join members of New Buckenham Silver Band and then to sing their way through a wide variety of Christmas carols and other seasonal songs.The younger members of the group enjoyed giving their impromptu performances with all the appropriate actions to go with the songs.

Many thanks are due to the Old Buckenham 2000 Trust for their organising of this event.

Homeless help from Old Buckenham school

Decorated boxes
Each year the pupils of Old Buckenham High School  collect up lots of non-perishable foodstuff to be given to the St Martin's Housing Trust. St Martins, based in Norwich, provide help to the homeless and to those sleeping on the streets at this time of the year.
The different school classes are encouraged to decorate their boxes of seasonal goodies and these are then judged for their originality before the are collected by the charity for use this Christmas.

There were cardboard boxes disguised as such things as trains, houses and large chimneys - all crammed with packets and cans galore.

Lighting up time in Old Buckenham

Christmas tree on the Green
As dusk fell this evening villagers of all ages gathered around the tree that had been installed on the Green to witness the switching on of the Christmas lights. This was the first time a tree had been set up for all to see.
At 4pm the children present all helped in the countdown before Adrian Joel, chairman of the parish council, turned the magic switch and illuminated the branches.

Old Buckenham Cuttings?

Cutting local family history
David Cutting, who lives in Wymondham, has contacted the blog editor as he is trying to find any information about Walter Cutting who was married to his Great Aunt Caroline Cutting (one Cutting marrying another Cutting, probably distant cousins).
He understands that Walter was a grocer and draper in New or Old Buckenham, that his father farmed Abbey Farm at Old Buckenham (near the present airfield) and that Walter was born there. He has a photo of the house from the old gable end of the property.
Walter and Caroline had many children. One of them was Catherine Cutting and David has a copy of her invite to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations on 22 June 1897 in the market place of New Buckenham. He also has a photo of the shop and of Catherine although the shop may be the one he had in Foulsham, he is not sure.
There may be some of the Cutting relations still living locally (Banham?). David is making this request for a Karen Linderberg (she is Catherine's granddaughter and lives in California, USA). He believes Karen has lots of other photos and information that may be of interest to local historians.
If any readers know anything about the Cuttings or their shop then Karen would be delighted to hear about it. Her email is klindeberg349@gmail.com should you want to contact her directly but David would love to hear as well (davidcutting@btinternet.com) and so would the blog editor (oldbuckhistory@aol.com).

Lovely cakes in Old Buckenham

Raising money for 'Raising the Roof'
Did you miss this afternoon's opportunity to enjoy wonderful homemade cooking, plenty of time to chat to friends and the chance to sing Happy Birthday to the chairman of the parish council?
The display of cakes was more sparkling than ever and one of the sausage rolls with a candle added made a suitable birthday cake.

There were a few cakes left over so they may well be available at 4pm this Sunday when the lights will be activated on the village Christmas tree.

Switching lights on in Old Buckenham

Christmas tree lights 
These will be turned on at 4pm on Sunday 10 December. The tree is being put up near the Ox and Plough pub on the Green. Come along and help make this a great occasion which can be repeated in future years.
The tree is not there yet but they have been digging the hole for the permanent metal fixing that will be used again in future years.

More coffee and cake in Old Buckenham

Tasty afternoon ahead
Have a great time enjoying some great food and great company.

Free workshop in Old Buckenham

Make a Christmas wreath
There will be a free wreath-making workshop in the Church Rooms before Christmas.

This is a free event and any donations will go to the "Raise the Roof" campaign. Just come along at 10am on Saturday 9 December with a pair of secateurs and any seasonal greenery that you may have. The 'mechanics' of rings and wire will be provided (as will tea and coffee).
Please let Lydia know if you would like to come. Ring her on 861360 or email lydiadarrah@hotmail.co.uk 

Yet another Old Buckenham newsletter

Coming around the village
The December newsletter with details of all the Christmas events has been printed and will be available any day now.
Keep a look out for this cover:

Busy December in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for December

Tuesday 5   Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards

Wednesday 6   Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Thursday 7   Women's Institute Christmas Lunch

Thursday 7   Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 8   Christmas coffee and cake, Church Rooms, 1.30 to 4.30pm

Saturday 9   Wreath Making Workshop, Church Rooms, 10am to 12 noon

Monday 11   Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

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

Thursday 14   Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 14   Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.30pm for 7.45pm

Saturday 16   Carols on the Green, Church Rooms, 4.30pm

Wednesday 20   Festive Sing-a-long, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Sunday 24   Church Rooms open all day for food donations

Sunday 24   Candle-lit carol service, All Saints, 7pm

Old Buckenham WI's aprons

Special aprons available
As part of their fiftieth birthday celebrations earlier this year, Old Buckenham Women's Institute produced a batch of special aprons for their members. These unique aprons are decorated with coloured photographs of the village including the village sign, the churches and the windmill.

There are just a few of these aprons still available should you want to own one or give one to someone as a special present. They are priced at £10 each and you can contact Barbara Frost on 860841 if you would like one.

Old Buckenham charity run

Running in the dark
As darkness fell on Wednesday 15 November the runners of Old Buckenham were putting on their running shoes and heading for the door. They took 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.

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. The event was organised in the village by Chris Clarke, who is an old school friend of Mark Pollock. Chris has organised the event in Old Buckenham in previous years 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 over £900 raised for the Mark Pollock trust and Chris is aiming for over 50 runners next year.
If you're interested in taking part next year please join the Old Buckenham Run In the Dark Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RunInTheDarkOldBuck/

Old Buckenham Parish Council

Minutes of November meeting

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.
The November meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council was held on Thursday 2 November 2017 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall, Old Buckenham. Those present were Adrian Joel (Chairman), Rona Boggia, Sarah Hornbrook, Phil Little, Steve Milner and Paul Philips along with the clerk Hilary Clutten and sixteen members of the public.
Apologies for non-attendance had been received from Susan Brown, Ben Devlin, Jon Hicks, Jonathan Kemp and Andy Nicholls.
The minutes of the October council meeting were approved as a true and accurate record of the meeting. Matters arising from these minutes included that it was hoped to soon do some work to improve the track opposite Green Pond, Paul Boggia has agreed to check on the electricity supply in the BT kiosk, there has been no response yet from NCC regarding the upgrading of the path at the Village Hall and that Morgan Sindall will soon renew the fencing at the Village Hall.
Public participation on agenda items. A number of resident dog owners had attended the meeting to find out what was going to happen about dogs on the Green. It was pointed out that dog owners should be advised to keep their dogs on leads during the bird nesting season. It was agreed that the Green had been much cleaner since some advisory notices had been put on the multi-use bins. The issue of upgrading the path to the new school has not yet been resolved. It was agreed that the Road Safety Working Party should take on a study of residential parking in the village. Next month’s agenda would also include why the village is becoming a car park for buses, etc.
Green Management Working Party report. It is not possible for the free mowing of the Green to continue because of the mole hills but the contractor has stood by his agreement for the current year. There will be a final cut and strim in preparation for winter. The footpath opposite Green Pond is to be compacted to make it more accessible for walkers.
The Breckland Tree Officer has come to look at the trees and give advice and it is hoped to have a talk by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust on environmental issues. Next year it is hoped to do some work on Ottomer pond; an application has been made to remove some trees and branches. The Working Party is also proposing to the Parish Council that the path alongside Rod Alley Row be improved at a cost of £1060. The Working Party would like to carry out a survey of residents, perhaps in February 2018, to gain a sense of what people think has been done right or wrong and what could be done better. Gemma Frost has joined the Working Party.
Planning applications. 9 The Old Yard, Hargham Road. Erection of office building. The Council resolved to support this application.
Chapel House, The Green. Creation of a separate residential unit. The Council resolved to support in principle but did not believe that there was enough information about vehicle parking.
Chapel House, The Green. Listed Building application to form a flat in upper floor. The Council resolved to support in principle but did not believe that there was enough information about vehicle parking.
Other planning matters. The Chairman reported that Breckland Council did not have any problem with the removing of the marked trees around Ottomer pond. A new location has been found for a mobile telephone mast in Old Buckenham. The company involved is currently carrying out a consultation exercise. The Chairman also reported that a small part of the land in the Attleborough SUE was in the parish of Old Buckenham and that he will be talking to the Breckland Officers directly to clarify the use of the land and if necessary a meeting is to be arranged with someone from Breckland to make residents’ feelings known before the application goes to Planning Committee.
Financial report from the Clerk. The bank balance in mid-October was £33,498.69. The allotment invoices have been issued and a further sum of £450 has been received for Community Car mileage. Money is still outstanding from Enterprise Inns and the Green Rights’ Proprietors (wayleave payment) for the Green.
Recent payments included £96 for cutting the Recreation Area, £101 for purchase of litter bin, £496 for paper for the newsletter and £450 for the allotment rent.
Chairman’s report. The war memorial is being cleaned and the grass cut in readiness for Remembrance Sunday; Rona Boggia will lay a wreath on behalf of the village. The Chairman is arranging to visit the Norfolk Records Office with the Clerk and Jon Hicks.
District Councillor’s reports. Attleborough Town Council has requested that the main car park become a “Pay & Display” car park. Breckland Council has launched a more user-friendly website. The new broadband boxes will soon become live. Breckland has applied for funding from Highways England to locate four charging points for electric and hybrid cars near major routes in Breckland.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Steve Milner reported that the village has the use of the SAM Sign for a few weeks (installed in Cake Street and Hargham Road). He has taken a dash-cam photograph of an errant lorry and has submitted it to Norfolk Constabulary but no response has yet been received. A ‘Road Narrows’ sign has been requested for Hargham Road.
The village church has not been successful in getting funding from the National Lottery to re-thatch its roof. Sarah Hornbrook reported that there is a broken stile on the footpath from Doe Lane to Dam Brigg and the Clerk will advise NCC.
Attleborough Neighbourhood Plan. The Town Referendum will soon be carried out.
Road Safety Working Party. There has been no response from Norfolk County Council since the Clerk sent a letter; the Clerk was asked to contact County Councillor Stephen Askew. Rona Boggia will look at the car parking issue.
Play Area. Jon Hicks is to do some work to make the Play Area safer and will also do some painting.
Recreation Area. Morgan Sindall will be doing some repairs to the fencing in the next few weeks. The Council is still waiting for some ideas from the school pupils for the Recreation Area and also the bus shelter.
Chapel Green School. The new school will be opening in January.
Report on the Green. A report had been given earlier in the meeting by members of the Working Party and they were thanked for their work. The Working Party is proposing that the Parish Council improves the track by Rod Alley Pond and has obtained two quotations for the work. After some discussion the Council decided to defer the decision until further information is obtained. The Council agreed not to change its charging policy for the Ox & Plough until the next financial year.
Village sign. The Pride of Breckland awards are no longer available to fund the work on the village sign.The Council agreed to have the sign grit blasted and repainted in the Spring and to raise the cost, £815, through next year’s Precept.
Compilation of a welcome pack. The work on this is progressing.
Village Handy Person. Andy Nicholls is co-ordinating a list of possible contractors and a ‘to do’ list.
Items to be included in the December Agenda would include the telephone kiosk, parking in the village, the village sign, the Attleborough Development, progress on the welcome pack, the Rod Alley Row track, the village job list update, public participation at council meetings, communications, CPR courses and meetings with the Village Hall Management Committee.

The date of the next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 7 December in the Village Hall, Old Buckenham.

Workshop in Old Buckenham

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
The Chairman welcomed members and visitors to the November meeting, all eager to commence a workshop, taught by Joy Tunmore. Armed with spray carnations, roses and a small amount of foliage, Joy showed how to place the foliage, then the flowers followed by ‘sparkly embellishments’ to produce a teardrop-shaped arrangement on a shallow tray -and ideal for a Christmas table decoration. Everyone was pleased with their efforts which resulted in a very colourful display.
The table show for a collection of dried flowers and leaves was won by Allison Vivian and the arrangement competition, together with the monthly cup, were won by Maxine Mace who decorated a ring with a variety of dried material.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 14 December at Old Buckenham Village Hall starting at 2pm when Brenda Tubb, a very amusing demonstrator, will aim to get everyone into the Christmas spirit with her title ‘Another Fine Mess for Christmas’. The table show will be for three stems of seasonal foliage and the competition is entitled ‘Christmas Madness’ so unusual arrangements are expected.

Fundraising for Old Buckenham church roof

Raise the Roof 
Here is a breakdown of the funds raised so far this year for ‘Raise the Roof’.

• Coffee afternoons (three so far) £1095
• June Garden Party (including additional donations) £1620
• Flower Festival (donations and refreshments) £210
• Thatcher talk (donations) £160
• Norfolk Heritage Recovery event (plus refreshments) £560
• Profits from T shirt sales £45
• 2-wheel curry van donations £101
• Table Top book sale £46
• Individual donations: £921

This makes a total of £4758 and the restoration fund now stands at £9750 in total.
A new application is to be made to the Heritage Lottery fund (under a different scheme following the rejection of the previous application to the ‘Listed Places of Worship scheme’). 

There are more fundraising opportunities coming up. Special Church Christmas cards are available in All Saints church or from Alison Hannah (861261).
Also the next Coffee and Cake afternoon will be held in the Church Rooms on Friday 8 December between 1.30pm and 4.30pm. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy a tasty treat with friends

Old Buckenham remembers

Service in All Saints Church

There will be a service for Remembrance Sunday today in All Saints Church starting at 2pm. Participants will then move on to the war memorial on the Green at about 2.30pm for the laying of wreaths. 

Up at the Airfield
Here are a few photographs of the service that took place this morning at the memorial at Old Buckenham airfield.

Old Buckenham Precept meeting

Next year's spending
There will be a meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council at the Village Hall, Old Buckenham, on Thursday 16 November starting at 7.30pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.
Items on the agenda will be:

• To record declarations of interests not already recorded in the current Members’ Register of Interests
• Public Participation relating to agenda items only
• The Parish Council Budget 2018/19
• To consider a request from the Parochial Church Council for a Precept Grant for 2018/19 towards re-thatching the church roof
• To consider a request from the Pre-school for a Precept Grant for window blinds or a Children’s Farm
• To consider a request from New Buckenham Football Club for a Precept Grant for a weather shelter
• To consider the other Precept Grant Applications for 2018/19 – amounts suggested by Precept Grants Working Party
• To consider budgeting for the refurbishment of the Village Sign, £815, in 2018/19
• To consider how much to budget for the Green for 2018/19
• To consider any amendments to the 2018/19 budget figures prepared by the Clerk
• To consider a quote for £500 for cutting the Green before the winter.

Additions at Old Buckenham Airfield

Second museum to open at Airfield
The traditional Remembrance Service will be held this coming Sunday 12 November starting at 10.55am at the airfield's war memorial. The United States will be represented by a senior officer from Lakenheath Air Base. All are welcome to attend.

Old Buckenham Airfield has announced the opening on this Remembrance Sunday of a second Museum; the 8th Air Force Heritage Gallery. This new addition has been designed to complement the existing 453rd Bombardment Group Museum which houses the largest collection of 453rd memorabilia in existence. It will be formally opened following the remembrance service.
The new Gallery showcases some of the extensive collection of James Clarey. His collection, combined with that of the late Pat Ramm, is partly on display in the 453rd Museum, of which James is also curator. James, however, has not limited his collecting to the 453rd and has so many exhibits relating to the 8th Air Force (of which the 453rd was a part) that the decision was taken to create the 8th Air Force Heritage Gallery to provide a place where these exhibits can be on public display.
Based in the Airfield’s ‘Small Blister Hangar’, the Gallery contains a host of displays and exhibits. At its heart is a faithful recreation of the 'Post Exchange' which was a key feature of the lives of all the servicemen at Old Buckenham during the war. The Post Exchange was the place for parcels and letters to go back and forth between England and the US. For most servicemen this would have been the most tangible link with home and the Post Exchange also served as a shop and social centre on the base.
Remembrance Sunday will also see the unveiling of new ornamental railings to enclose the Memorial Garden. The railings were built in-house at the airfield and a new LED lighting system completes this latest update, the first major improvement since the Garden was created in 2012.

SAM measuring in Old Buckenham

A busy few days
SAM has been kept busy over the last few days indicating the speed of the traffic travelling along Cake Street by the junction with Harlingwood Lane. SAM is a Speed Awareness Monitor and it sits there for hours on time showing drivers just how fast they are going as they reach the blind bend in the road.
It is content when it shows readings like this:

Some drivers seem to forget this road is subject to a 30mph speed limit so SAM asks them to reduce their speed by telling them to 'slow down'.

A village Speedwatch team recorded considerably higher speeds early this morning just a bit further along Cake Street so these measurements were not unexpected. This afternoon even a passing hearse had to be reminded to slow down, perhaps they were just touting for more business.
Please keep to the speed limit and keep SAM happy.

Latest on Old Buckenham's new school

Progress at Chapel Green School

Considerable changes have taken place over the past few months and the building is looking great, both inside and out. Internally, the fit-out is going full steam ahead with floor finishes going down, final paint on the walls and the installation of fitted furniture.
Externally, the final shape is coming together as edging kerbs and footpaths are installed. The installation of the all-weather games surface has been completed and the seeds sown on the football pitch. The building façade is now complete and works are nearing completion for the garden area.
Final drainage is now being installed to the front of the site allowing the formation of the car park to get under way.
There have been many activities taking place outside of the site boundary, including footpath works, water connections, electricity cable installations and drainage connections. Morgan Sindall appreciates that this work will have caused disruption and thank everyone for their cooperation and persistence during these times.
The doors of the school have been opened recently to some of the staff and students of the present school. The atmosphere of excitement within the building was amazing and the contractors are looking forward to handing this project over to them so they can enjoy some wonderful facilities.

Things to do in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for November

Wednesday 1      Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

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

Thursday 2         Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

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

Tuesday 7           Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards

Thursday 9         Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 9         Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.30pm for 7.45pm

Friday 10            A special evening at Ox and Plough from 5pm

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

Sunday 12          Remembrance service, Old Buckenham Airfield, 11am

Sunday 12          Remembrance service, Church 2pm, Memorial 2.30pm

Monday 13         Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Wednesday 15   Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Wednesday 15   Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Wednesday 15   Run in the Dark, Ox and Plough at 7.30pm

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

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

Friday 24            Visits from Mobile Library during morning

 Wednesday 29    Luncheon Club outing