Friday 31 August 2018

Old Buckenham September newsletter

More words to read
All the local news is in the September issue.


Wednesday 29 August 2018

Old Buckenham Produce Show

Just ten days to go
Have you started getting ready for the Open Produce and Handicraft Show in Old Buckenham on Sunday 9 September? Perhaps you have children aged eleven or under who might like to enter (their entries are free).
There are two age groups, 7 and under and 8 to 11 years. 

Just the thing to do on these days at the end of the school holidays.


Tuesday 28 August 2018

Detecting in Old Buckenham

Discovering the local past

The Norfolk Heritage Recovery Group (NHRG) returned to visit Old Hall Farm on Saturday 25 August to detect on two different fields to those they were on last year. They found many more interesting objects which were then put on display so that villagers could go to the farm up Harlingwood Lane on Saturday afternoon and see what had been discovered. 

Ready for battle
Out in the field
Seeing what has been found





Young detector
Looking at the finds

Some, like this old coin, were very small
(just click on the image to see it at a larger size)
If you missed this dig, on Saturday 8 September the NHRG will be setting up near the Hargham Road end of Fen Street on land kindly made available by Stephen Askew. Once again, villagers are invited to come along and view any finds recovered on the day. These will be displayed in the dig registration tent. Someone will be on hand to help with identification and interpretation of what’s been discovered. The finds can be viewed from 12.30pm to 4.30pm in the registration tent accessed from the grassed area about 100 yards on the right going down Fen Street from the Hargham Road end.



Saturday 25 August 2018

Old Buckenham flower festival

Childhood memories at the Methodist Church
You have Sunday (1pm to 4pm) and Monday 10am to 4pm) to pop in and see the flower arrangements in the Methodist Church along Hargham Road,


With the theme of "Childhood Memories" you too can look at the displays and be transported back to those holidays at the seaside, some favourite sweets, your Rosebud doll and those evenings of reading your popular books under the covers by torchlight.
Here are some of the arrangements:











And there are refreshments including homemade cakes if you need any more persuading to go along.

Friday 24 August 2018

Digging up Old Buckenham

Finding is sometimes exciting


The fundraising metal detectorists from Norfolk Heritage Recovery Group (NHRG) are having a return visit to Old Buckenham. Last year they ran a very successful dig on two fields at Old Hall Farm (courtesy of Tom Baron) and the entry fees from the NHRG members attending the dig enabled them to write a cheque for £500 towards the Raise the Roof fund. That dig produced a surprising quantity of interesting artefacts and coins, including some late-issue Charles I shillings which may have been associated with military action by the Roundheads against the Royalist occupants of the nearby castle at New Buckenham.
This year they will be returning to visit to Old Hall Farm on Saturday 25 August to detect on two different fields. Hopefully they will find many more interesting objects. You can call in at the farm, which is about a mile up Harlingwood Lane, between 2pm and 5pm on Saturday where the items that have been discovered will be on display for you to see.
Then on Saturday 8 September the NHRG will be setting up near the Hargham Road end of Fen Street on land kindly made available by Stephen Askew. Once again, villagers are invited to come along and view any finds recovered on the day which will be displayed in the dig registration tent. Someone will be on hand to help with identification and interpretation of what’s been discovered. The finds can be viewed from 12.30pm to 4.30pm in the registration tent accessed from the grassed area about 100 yards on the right down Fen Street when coming from the Hargham Road end.
NHRG wish to make known that their metal detecting digs are only open to NHRG members and that all archaeological finds are reported to the Finds Liaison Officer working for the Norfolk Historic Environment Record associated with Norwich Castle Museum.
Anyone who would like any further information is invited to contact Godfrey Pratt, the NHRG Chairman, who lives in Old Buckenham and can be contacted at godfrey.pratt@mail.com

Tuesday 21 August 2018

Old Buckenham Luncheon Club

Coffee morning on Wednesday
The Luncheon Club have their main fund raising event tomorrow, Wednesday 22 August, when you are all invited to come along to the village hall to join them for coffee, buy a few raffle tickets and see what else interests you on the various stalls. The action starts from 10.15am so why not pop in and support them.

Sunday 19 August 2018

Summer time in Old Buckenham

Breckland Flower and Garden Club


On Thursday 9 August Breckland Flower and Garden Club members gathered in Old Buckenham Village Hall for their monthly meeting. After weeks of unprecedented hot weather, the long awaited rain had arrived. But as the rain poured down outside once again the sun was shining inside. This month’s meeting was a flower demonstration by the “girls”, the club’s very own chairman, Joy Tunmore, president Christine Hewson, secretary Sheila Bullen and Maxine Mace (publicity) with a title “Summer time and the living is easy”. Christine began proceedings with a short recording of the song from which today’s title was created. She worked her magic creating beautiful arrangements with a summer garden in mind, every design was full of beautiful flowers. She also used a small wheelbarrow for an arrangement and finished her staged display with a piece of garden fencing. Joy selected a wedding theme for her arrangements and worked in her own style producing arrangements using an array of white flowers and masses of green foliage. Joy also created a pedestal and a posy all in keeping with the colour scheme of white and green. Next was Sheila who had decided on an outdoor buffet, using a steel bucket encased in wire with ivy threaded through. She chose cerise pink for her main colour with green for contrast and her arrangement ‘bubbled’ out from the top of the bucket. Then it was Maxine’s turn, her first time ever on stage doing an arrangement. 
Maxine arrived on stage wearing a bright multi-coloured dress, floppy summer hat and sunglasses, hoping to lighten the mood and to help her feel at ease. Using a small camping barbecue she created a parallel design, using a selection of foliage and flowers with red and yellow tones to represent heat and flames.
The afternoon concluded with refreshments and the raffle with several lucky ladies winning all the arrangements on stage. The competition for the month was “Summer table design” and the winners were Sylvia Briggs (advanced) and Jean Carnwell (new hands). The table show for three stems from the flower border was also won by Jean Carnwell.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 13 September with a talk by Melanie Collins on hostas.
On Thursday 6 September members and guests will be visiting RHS Wisley. Non members are welcome with a few places still available. The cost is £15 and for further information please contact Christine Hewson on 01953 454528 or on Sally Westrup 01953 788712.

Saturday 18 August 2018

Tower talk in Old Buckenham

Old Buckenham WI July meeting
At the July meeting of Old Buckenham Women’s Institute the business included detailed instructions of what to do in case of fire at the hall and reports on the recent village fete and the progressive supper with thanks to everyone involved.
Due to illness there was a last minute change of speaker and members were treated to an excellent talk on the Tower of London given by David Morton. The tower was first settled by Hadrian in AD50 when he chose Londinium as his capital and it was expanded throughout the centuries by most kings. William 1 built the White Tower as well as many other castles including Windsor and Arundel and employed 600 Jews to control finance and tax.
Over the years the Tower has been a palace, a prison, a mint, a treasury, a public records office, an armoury, a menagerie and the home of the Crown Jewels. Notable prisoners included Sir Walter Raleigh, Guy Fawkes, Anne Boleyn, Rudolf Hess and the Kray brothers.
The Tower was opened to the public during the tourism boom of the late 1700s but closed again by the Duke of Wellington when he was gifted it after the Battle of Waterloo.
In 1974 it became a World Heritage site.
After a break for refreshments the competition and flower of the month results were announced, the birthday posies distributed and the raffle drawn.
At the next meeting, on Thursday 23 August, Sue Sursham will be talking on the Trans Siberian Railway and the competition will be for something from Russia.
The following month the meeting is on Thursday 27 September when the speaker will be Roger Jones from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust with the competition subject being a pencil drawing of a tree.

Saturday 11 August 2018

Old Buckenham airfield trip

Learning local history
The Social and Wine Circle left the confines of the Church Rooms for their August meeting. The members met at Old Buckenham Airfield to be shown around the museum to the 453rd Bomb Group that is in a purpose-built building on the site. They were shown round by the curator James Clarey who, at the age of ten, had started collecting memorabilia from the US 8th Air Forces based in East Anglia during the closing months of WW II. Over the decades his efforts have expanded the collection into a moderately-sized free museum. 
Members then adjourned to Jimmy’s CafĂ© adjacent to enjoy tea, coffee and cake as well as discussing what they had seen.

Bob Coman looking to see if he was in photos of Christmas parties
at the airfield taken when he ten years old. 

Enjoying a mardle in Jimmy's cafe



Thursday 9 August 2018

Improving things in Old Buckenham

There is always work to do
The seat around the Oak tree on the Green is being renovated. The metal structure is being repaired and new wooden seating will be fitted.



Meanwhile redecoration of the Memorial Room at the Village Hall has started and will continue until early next week.



Saturday 4 August 2018

Fish rescue in Old Buckenham

With a little help from our friends
There has been concern that fish are dying in Rod Alley pond as a result of the continual hot weather leading to lack of enough oxygen in the water. The local retained fire brigade came to the rescue this morning using their pumps and hoses to re-oxygenate the water. It was a 'training exercise' that they fitted in between what has been a very busy time with so many grass fires in the area. Our grateful thanks to them all.





Just across the road from the pond you can see the result of the voluntary work by Susan and Colin Brown on the bus shelter. It is now clean and graffiti-free, let's try to keep it that way. Thank you to them too.






Wednesday 1 August 2018

Current Old Buckenham village newsletter

Have you read it yet?
Copies now around the village or being delivered to your door. Read about the last parish council meeting and also some reactions to those Open Gardens over four weeks ago. Plus all those events due to take place during August.