Old Buckenham blog

A date to book and take a look

2012-01-26T20:52:00.001Z

School library open to all
To celebrate National Libraries Day, Old Buckenham High School are opening the doors to their much loved school Library on Friday 3 February between 3.30pm and 5.30pm.
You might like to take a look at how the library has changed in recent years, find out what resources are available, talk to the Librarian about all things literary, see what work has been done by students towards their Reading Star Awards or help your child choose a selection of books to read over half-term.
Whatever the reason, all members of the local community as well as parents, carers, grandparents or siblings are very welcome to pop in.
The Food Technology department at the school are asking for tins or containers for storing food so if you have any spare ones at home they will be very pleased to hear from you.

More on the village schools

2012-01-23T04:59:00.003Z

Background to Treasure Quest destination
The booklet 'Memories of Old Buckenham' (which now appears to be out of print) contains lots of information on the schools of Old Buckenham. The following text is about the Infant School built in 1865 when facilities for children were rather more primitive than they are today.
The absence of traffic and a much safer social climate meant that all the children, even quite small ones, could and in fact did have to walk to school. They walked in small groups of twos and threes to and from school, unaccompanied by adults, perhaps as much as two or three miles each way in all weathers and often in the dark. Each pupil carried his or her lunch sandwiches, unless fortunate enough to have friends near the school who would offer lunchtime refreshment.
There were two schools. The four to nine year old boys and girls, of whom there were about seventy, went to the Infant School facing the Green some four hundred yards south of the entrance to the Church. This school was built in 1865, given by Robert Cocks who also gave the almshouses. It was in continuous use as an Infant School until 1938.
It was essentially a one-room school with a high ceiling with a curtain dividing two classes. By modern standards conditions were harsh. Lighting in the winter was provided by oil lamps and there were only two fireplaces to provide heating. Those who remember that school have the abiding memory of the cold in winter. They also remember that the two lady school teachers frequently stood in front of the fireplace, so keeping what little heat there was from the children. Each lady teacher had her own class and taught all subjects.
Overcoats were piled on each other in the single cloakroom. This had a large grill over a drain in the centre so that it could be sluiced down to remove the mud that was brought in. The facilities consisted of a bucket with an enamel mug tied to it for drinking water for all the school and a single bowl of cold water for washing hands. As with most village houses, the toilets were separate structures out at the back.
There was no formal playground but the children did have a play area on the Green immediately in front of the school itself. When the older children in the Infant School reached the age of about eleven the whole class moved up to the Big School into what are now the Church Rooms at the entrance to the churchyard.
Both the Infant and the Big Schools were closed in 1938 when all schooling moved to a new Area School. The Infant School was sold to the local Young Farmers Club. When the Club moved to Attleborough the building fell into disuse and remained in this condition until 1972. It was then converted into a house and a first floor inserted to provide three bedrooms upstairs.
Outside this attractive little white house one can see the inscribed foundation stones recording the laying of the foundations by the Vicar‘s wife, Mrs Fulcher, in 1865. The Big School on the other hand became the Church Rooms for All Saints' Church.

Becky visits Old Buckenham again

2012-01-22T11:40:00.001Z

BBC Treasure Quest comes to Old Buckenham
Listeners to BBC Radio Norfolk this morning will have heard Becky Betts rushing round Old Buckenham trying to find 'clue 3' as part of the popular Sunday morning Treasure Quest programme. The listeners soon realised that the answer to the clue was an educational establishment in Old Buckenham but they tried the High School, the Primary School, the Village Hall and the Church Rooms before eventually getting to the Old School House on the Green.

The village panto

2012-01-21T10:35:00.000Z

Bright and busy Beauty and the Beast
There are two performances of the Old Buckenham Player's pantomime in the Village hall today.
The matinee is at 2.30pm and the final performance is at 7.30pm.
Here are some photos taken last night to give an indication of how bright and breezy it is. Everything you would expect from a village panto - lots of youngsters, plenty of action, outrageous clothes and occasional murdering of popular songs.
You may still be able to get along and see it.

Popular start for Flower Club in 2012

2012-01-17T10:41:00.001Z

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
There were 50 members and guests at January's meeting of Breckland Flower and Garden Club and they enjoyed being entertained by four club members arranging a selection of spring flowers, gerberas, roses and garden foliage.
In the monthly competition Alison Walker - new hands - won the Kitty Patrick trophy for best use of garden plant material and the old hands class was won by Ursula Jackson.
The next club meeting will be held at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 9 February starting at 2pm when David Wright will demonstrate 'My Secret Garden'. The competition will be for a modern design 'Cupids Arrow' and the table show will be for 'any type of houseplant'.

Parish Council in January

2012-01-15T02:41:00.003Z

Councillors' deliberations
The following notes have been prepared by the newsletter editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended later.
There was just one member of the public at the January meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council. All parish councillors were present apart from Akis Chrisovelides who had sent his apologies.
Minutes of the meeting of the December meeting. There was one minor amendment to the text and then these were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. Adrian Joel asked that development in Old Buckenham be put on the February meeting agenda. He then raised the matter of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. Tim Ing asked that all coucillors if possible attend the working party meeting being held on Saturday as a number of village organisations had indicated they would be attending. Derek Smalley said he had put some suggestions for discussion in the newsletter regarding the celebrations. The Village Hall had said there would be no charge to the Parish Council for the meeting on Saturday.
Breckland Council car parks. Adrian Joel said that Breckland Council were carrying out an asset review to help increase revenues due to cuts in funding from the government and had to make up a shortfall in the coming years. Breckland Council spend £300,000 per year on car parks and they were now considering introducing charges for their use. They would be undertaking a public consultation on the matter. Adrian Joel asked for parish councillors’ view on the matter. All parish councillors said there had to be free parking period before charges came in to force otherwise it would severely damage local shops.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Barkers Cottage, Ragmere Road. Proposed detached garage and store. Permission granted.
Cotman Housing Association. Land adjacent to St Andrews Close. Erection of 3 single storey dwellings and erection of 11 two storey dwellings. Permission granted.
Planning applications. Land at corner of Grove Road and Crown Road. Extension to existing stable block plus new hay barn/field shelter. There were no objections, Paul Boggia and Sarah Dye declaring an interest and not voting.
18 Oaklands. Garage conversion to bedroom with side porch extension and new single garage to front. No objections, agreed unanimously.
2 Chapel Loke. Replacement of glass roofed conservatory to rear of dwelling with facing brick and pantile kitchen/dining area. No objections, agreed unanimously.
East View, Attleborough Road. Decking area (retrospective). No objections, agreed with 9 for and 1 abstention.
Eel Farm, Fen Lane. Removal of condition 8 on planning application, new garage and alterations. No objections.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said that it was not possible to have a mirror sited at the junction of Mill Road at Stacksford. Norfolk County Council Highways have said they are illegal. He then said that the Parish Council were seeking advice on how grit bins could be used. The Parish Council had tried to get Hargham Road on the gritting route but Norfolk County Council had refused.
District Councillor’s report. Breckland Council are looking to put on a Jubilee exhibition as an archive to pass on to future generations and hope people will donate photos of their celebrations.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Tom Johnson had attended a meeting of the Village Hall management committee and they said that the village had won £500 and they wanted assurance the money would go to them, this was agreed. Also a quiz night would be held on Friday 16 March at 8pm in Village Hall at a cost of £4 per team of four. The Parish Council agreed to enter a team on the night. Sarah Dye said the playgroup held a meeting to decide what maintenance equipment to buy, Tim Ing is to arrange the purchase. John Frost thanked Tim Ing for doing the Christmas service reading. DVDs of the service, which was attended by about 500 people, were available from Sarah Dye at a cost of £5 per disc. Derek Smalley said there had been no meeting of the SNAP team. He had also attended the remembrance service on behalf of the Parish Council and on Monday 2 January had attended a fly in at the airfield. Jonathan Kemp said the Norfolk Games meeting was yet to be arranged. Tim Ing raised the matter of trees being planted on the recreation area and Carol Marshall said they would look at the matter Carol Marshall then raised the subject of a letter sent by a resident to which he had not received a reply. It concerned parking on the Green and the Parish Clerk to look into it. Adrian Joel raised the matter of the oil buying scheme and asked how it was progressing. Derek Smalley said they were used by about fifty residents and gave some details on prices being obtained. Adrian Joel also said that he had been contacted by a resident concerning the path which was full of pot holes which ran from the Clinic to the old Baptist Church. The Parish Clerk is to speak to Highways on the matter.
Parish Clerk’s report. The Clerk informed the meeting that he would not be available for the February meeting. Tim Ing said he had arranged for someone else to do the minutes at that meeting.
Highways. It was reported that the road sign at corner of the Green and Hargham Road was down outside ‘The Kenyons’. It was also reported that the gullies in Abbey Road from the High School all down the road were overgrown. The Parish Clerk would contact Highways on both these matters.
The Green. Tim Ing said parking issues had been raised and some ideas were being discussed. He was hopeful that matters could be resolved once a new Green Right Proprietors’ chairman had been found.

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

Looking forward to June

2012-01-14T04:27:00.001Z

[just click on the image to enlarge it]

Lunching at Old Buckenham

2012-01-13T10:39:00.001Z

Thanking the drivers
The first meeting of Luncheon Club in 2012 was an opportunity to thank those people who volunteer and bring along many of the members to Old Buckenham Village Hall. Every fortnight they go round and pick up people so that they can enjoy meeting other members and have a freshly cooked meal. And then early afternoon they come back to ferry the members home again.
So the drivers are all invited as guests to a special roast dinner as a big thank you to them all.
This event is also a chance to thank all the other helpers, whether those who prepare the vegetables, lay the tables, do the cooking, serve the meals or wash up. There are also those who look after the finances and arrange four outings to places of interest each year. Money to run the Luncheon Club comes in the form of donations from a variety of sources including the New Buckenham Recycling Scheme and someone who, this year, decided that they didn’t need their winter heating allowance of £200 so gave it to the Luncheon Club for their use.

Delighted

2012-01-10T01:27:00.003Z

Old Buckenham Players say thank you very much
As a big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who helped raise money towards the new lighting equipment for the village hall, Old Buckenham Players will, in the next couple of months, invite everybody to an evening of free entertainment where the new system can be put through its paces for all to enjoy. The evening is expected to include sketches, songs and radio plays to suit all tastes and there will be no entry fees to pay.
Refreshments will be available too and entry will be on a ‘first come, first served’ basis . The Players look forward to finalising a date for this event and seeing you there.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee

2012-01-08T11:25:00.001Z

Old Buckenham celebrations in June
The Memorial room at Old Buckenham Village Hall was buzzing with ideas on the morning of Saturday 7 January when around thirty village people met to discuss what to do to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June.
Starting with a ten minute brainstorming session, many ideas were forthcoming and scribbled on to post-it notes. These were then sorted into groups for further discussion. Within an hour a draft programme for the weekend had been put together and this will be refined further at a meeting to be held on Saturday 28 January in the Village Hall at 10am.
The proposals so far are:
Saturday 2 June. Village quiz with a royalty theme in the evening at the Village Hall. A photographic/memorabilia display in the hall throughout the weekend and relating to Old Buckenham sixty years ago.
Sunday 3 June. Events to be based at the Airfield with a fly in and classic vehicles during the day and a barn dance/ceilidh in the evening, possibly in a hangar if wet.
Monday 4 June. A day to recover or for villagers to do their own thing.
Tuesday 5 June. Open air service on the Green near the village sign, village picnic with table on the road across the Green (that would be closed for the day) and informal rounders match afterwards. Aircraft flypast/aerobatics at picnic time.
This is all provisional and will depend on people taking on the responsibility of organising the various activities. So come along to the meeting on Saturday 28 January and see what you can do to help and to ensure that these turn out to be celebrations that the village will talk about for years afterwards.

Busy time at the airfield

2012-01-06T04:36:00.002Z

New Year fly in
Everyone was absolutely delighted with the result of the fly in at Old Buckenham Airfield on Monday 2 January. The airfield was the talk of air traffic control stations everywhere and it was certainly one the busiest airfields in the East of England and probably the country as a whole.
The day was blessed with incredible weather and there was immense support from classic and military vehicle owners across the region. The Airfield has a full calendar of events in 2012 (details available online) and usually these include at least one fly in per month.
The big news from the Airfield is, of course, the return of the airshow. They have had enormous interest and have already booked half of the flying displays. The organisers aim to have one of the largest collections of classic and military vehicles assembled in years, including a runway parade during the day. It is highly recommend that you all put Sunday 24 June in your diaries now.
The cafe at the Airfield is under new management and there are plans for it to be open most of the week - and hopefully for seven days a week before too long.

Time for an old fashioned read

2012-01-02T12:04:00.000Z

Paper version now available
Pick up a copy today.

2011 in pictures

2012-01-01T00:12:00.002Z

A selection of seven of eleven
The blog editor has taken hundreds of photos in the village during last year.
Here is a selection of some of his favourites to bring back memories of 2011.
There was the large tree being felled in the churchyard at All Saints, family activity at the new allotments, the Easter bonnets at the Women's Institute Spring Fair, the excitement and refreshments at the official opening of the Recreation Area, a study in blue at the allotments and interesting shapes and shadows at the back of Old Buckenham Stud.

[just click on any picture to see it in more detail]

Birthday celebrations

2011-12-31T09:00:00.002Z

Worth a special mardle
Although not a regular meeting day, a special meeting of the Monday Mardle Club was organised for Violet Botwright (centre) on Thursday 29 December to celebrate her 90th birthday. Her friends gathered at the Church Rooms to mark this event for Violet who was born on 28 December 1921. She can also claim to have lived most of her married life in the village of Old Buckenham.

Diary dates for January

2011-12-30T14:45:00.000Z

First events of 2012 in Old Buckenham

Monday 2 Fly in at OB Airfield, all day from 9.30am

Tuesday 3 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

Thursday 5 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 6 Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 7 Church Rooms open for clothing donations, all day

Saturday 7 Queen's Jubilee celebrations meeting, Village Hall, 10am

Sunday 8 Church Rooms open for clothing donations, all day

Sunday 8 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

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, 7.45pm

Friday 13 Yogacise restarts at Village Hall

Saturday 14 Debating Society, Church Rooms, 10.15am

Monday 16 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms

Wednesday 18 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Thursday 19 Beauty and the Beast, OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 20 Beauty and the Beast, OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 21 Beauty and the Beast, OB Players, Village Hall, 2.30pm

Saturday 21 Beauty and the Beast, OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

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

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

Another voice from Old Buckenham

2011-12-28T10:34:00.000Z

Friendly Americans
Here is another short recording made at the Village Fete. You can hear one of the villagers remembering the Americans at Old Buckenham Airfield during wartime. We hope you enjoy listening and, if you have any problems, let the editor know in the comments.
Friendly Americans by Old Buckenham

Overflowing candlelit service

2011-12-27T02:23:00.001Z

Carols and lessons
The candlelit service of Carols and Lessons on Christmas Eve at Old Buckenham turned out to be very popular again. So popular in fact that around a hundred people needed to view the service by a video link to the nearby Church Rooms.
This was the first time that this had been tried so people were nervous about how successful the video link would be. Thanks to the kind donation of time and equipment by various people it all seemed to work.
Not only was it important that the technology should work but effort was put in to ensure that the Church Rooms should be as atmospheric as possible so, like the church, they were candlelit and decorated with holly, etc.
At first some people were understandably hesitant and disappointed about going having to go into the Church Rooms rather than the church itself. But people were given Orders of Service, joined in enthusiastically with the singing and even clapped after the solo performances. After the service many were very complimentary, saying that they had enjoyed the experience, they could hear and see better and were in the warm.
Even so some lessons have been learnt that it is hoped can make the experience even more meaningful next year.

Boxing Day in Old Buckenham

2011-12-26T14:01:00.000Z

Walking weather
The sun has been shining and people have been out and about (usually walking their dogs) in temperatures of around 12 C.
It has been nice enough for the editor to go out walking himself and take a few photos of life in Old Buckenham on the day after Christmas.

Season's greetings

2011-12-25T07:30:00.001Z

Best wishes for

Christmas and the

New Year

from

the editor of the

Old Buckenham blog

What ever the weather

2011-12-24T01:00:00.001Z

Grit bins
Two grit bins have been positioned in Old Buckenham. They have been purchased by the parish council and put there for your safety during hard weather.
One is at St Andrews Close and the other on Hargham Road near the Almshouses.
They should have by now been filled by Norfolk County Council and can be used by any member of the public to grit the nearby paths, (take your own shovel, none provided). They are not for gritting private house driveways or paths.
If you live nearby please report any problems, including damage or vandalism, to any of the parish councillors.

Looking forward to June 2012

2011-12-22T19:21:00.000Z

Diamond Jubilee celebrations

Next year there will be a meeting on Saturday 7 January starting at 10am in the Village Hall to discuss what the village would like to happen for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Many people have a day off work or school to celebrate the bank holiday on Tuesday 5 June. Moreover, the late May bank holiday will be moved to Monday 4 June giving a four-day long weekend.
Please come along to this meeting with your ideas. The Parish Council, together with other local organisations, have pledged some money and grants have been applied for.
Some ideas to start you off:
A street party?
A party on the Green?
An evening dance?
Events in and around the Village Hall?
Football match or sports on the Recreation Area?
Old Buckenham Airfield event?
All villagers are welcome to come along, those with offers of help will be particularly welcome. Let’s make this event a special time for Old Buckenham, one that will be remembered for years afterwards.

A time for thinking of others

2011-12-17T22:15:00.002Z

Worthwhile giving
Don't forget that you can bring non-perishable food items along to the Church Rooms in Old Buckenham all day on Christmas Eve. These will be made available through the St Martins charity for the homeless in Norwich and Norfolk.
The Church Rooms will be also open throughout the weekend of Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 January to receive contributions of warm clothing and toiletries, also for the homeless.
Time to look around in the larder and the wardrobe and see what you can bring along on these days for this worthwhile cause.

A busy year ahead

2011-12-15T22:58:00.001Z

Our inspired women
November was the month of Old Buckenham Women’s Institute’s annual meeting which gives members the opportunity to look back on the previous year and to review the coming year. In 2011 it was a busy year, with members taking part in darts and Scrabble tournaments, competing in the Cator Cup competition which takes place annually on the Norfolk Showground, supporting village events and organising the village Produce Show. They also held a Spring Fair which was well supported by the villagers. At this year’s birthday party (celebrating their 44th anniversary) they were pleased to welcome the Old Buckenham Players to entertain members and friends. The new committee was approved at the meeting and the President, Susan Hunter, was elected for 2012.
Members also heard a report from Nancy Hunt who was a member of the WI group which went on a three day trip to London. They called in at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge especially to see the Vermeer exhibition. Their trip to London also included one day spent at the Olympic site (including a visit to Woolwich Arsenal where the contact sports will be staged). Their third day was spent seeing the newly refurbished Albert Memorial and an in-depth tour of the Albert Hall where they were privileged to be able to sit the the ”Royal Box”. Barbara Stone also gave a report on a recent trip to Van Dal shoe factory in Norwich when twenty members enjoyed a tour of the factory plus of course the opportunity to make some purchases in the shop.
Everything the WI does is about empowering women. Their campaigns give every member the chance to highlight the issues that matter to her and bring some of the weight of the whole WI movement to bear on efforts to achieve lasting change in policy and practice.
Six resolutions have been short listed for next year and members will have a chance to choose the resolutions which they want to take forward at the annual general meeting in June 2012. This year’s short list includes airborne litter, reducing fuel poverty and the employment of more midwives.
The full programme of meetings for 2012 is listed below and new members are most welcome to come along. They take place in Old Buckenham Village Hall on the fourth Thursday of each month and start at 7.30pm.

Thursday 26 January Life and fashion in the 1940s
Thursday 23 February History and etiquette of toastmastering
Thursday 22 March Being a nun in the 21st Century
Thursday 26 April China – amazing flowers in Yunnan and Sichuan
Thursday 26 May Resolution meeting
Thursday 28 June World Horse Welfare
Thursday 26 July Norfolk Island – South Pacific
Thursday 23 August Conchology – the world of shells
Thursday 27 September Corn dollies and straw crafts
Thursday 28 October Mastermind and Who wants to be a Millionaire
Thursday 22 November Annual meeting
Friday 6 December Christmas party

Councillors' thoughts in December

2011-12-12T00:21:00.001Z

December Parish Council meeting
These notes were prepared by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may change later.
There were five members of the public at the December parish council meeting and apologies for non attendance were received from Akis Chrisovelides and Jonathan Kemp.
The minutes of the November Parish Council meeting were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. Adrian Joel said a resident had phoned him thanking the Parish Council for providing a new grit bin.
Co-opting of new councillor. There were two candidates to wishing to fill the vacancy on the parish council. Councillors were given the opportunity to ask questions of both candidates and then they completed voting slips. The majority of the votes went to Steve Milner who was then co opted as the new councillor and who, after signeding the Acceptance of Office form, joined the meeting.
Recreation Area. Carol Marshall said they were waiting for news on their grant applications and hoped to have some news in January.
New developments in Old Buckenham. Tim Ing asked the councillors how they wanted to take the matter forward. Adrian Joel circulated copies of the village settlement boundary and then referred to the Localism Act which could allow developments outside the settlement boundary. Under the bill Parish Councils would have more say in planning matters. The Parish Clerk then explained how the Localism Act would affect the Parish Council and planning matters. Derek Smalley suggested that Parish Clerk collate the councillors’ returns on future development in the village and circulate them to all other councillors. Sandra Dye suggested that the Parish Clerk try obtain more detailed demographics of the village through Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council.
Bribery Act 2010. Discussion on this topic was deferred to the January meeting.
Planning applications. Barkers Cottage, Ragmere Road. Detached garage and storage. It was proposed that this be objected to on the grounds the proposed development was too large for the site. This was agreed with 8 for and 1 abstention.
Queen’s Jubilee. Tim Ing said that the village would be holding a celebration next year to mark this event and could parish councillors please contact all organisations in the village to seek their views and suggestions. This was agreed by all councillors and a meeting would be arranged for Saturday 7 January at 10am in the village hall where residents could also put forward suggestions.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing referred to the fallen trees in Hargham Road and he said, having spoken to the landowners, the trees were removed within two days. He then said the school governors had expressed concern over parking outside the primary school. The Parish Clerk to contact the police, Norfolk County Council Highways and both schools on the matter. Additional car parking signs had been erected by the Recreation Area. He also informed the meeting that a load of pig muck would be delivered to the allotments very soon. The village had again won the Pride of Breckland Award for 2011 and the £500 prize would be given to the village hall. The plaque for the award would be mounted with the previous awards on the plinth of the village sign. White lines at Dam Brigg Crossroads had been done.
District Councillor’s report. Breckland Council are due to go through a public consultation period before setting the Breckland share of the council tax at a meeting of the full council on Thursday 23 February. All Saints Church had received £100 from the ‘Breckland 12 Days of Christmas’ grant towards the Christmas Eve service. Breckland Council will also be collecting Christmas trees with the brown bins in January. Breckland are trying to reduce their housing list which stands at about 4,000. Private Sector Housing have launched a new financial scheme to get empty dwellings back into use - called “Restore” a maximum grant of up to £5000 can be given to bring the property up to a let able standard. The grant covers everything from repairs, to replacing kitchens, bathrooms and central heating systems through to decorating and supplying new carpets. The dwelling must have been empty for at least six months and cannot be used for owner occupation. Once up to standard the property must be let at an affordable rent for a minimum of twelve months to an applicant on the housing list.
Parish Clerk’s report. He informed meeting that due to new legislation the Council needed to order a first aid kit compliant with BS 8599-1 and could he go ahead with this, permission was granted.
Highways. Derek Smalley said there was a manhole cover in the centre of Ragmere Road opposite the allotments that was loose. He also reported that the water leak at Shrublands had now been repaired. It was also reported that the junction of Grove Road and Mill Road on the approach from Old Buckenham was dangerous and Parish Clerk was asked to contact Highways to see if mirrors could be fitted. Tim Ing said he was waiting to hear from Highways as to when the grit bins were going to be filled. He confirmed that residents could only use them for pathways and they could not be used for private property.
The Green. The meeting was informed that no meeting date had been set by the Green Right Proprietors and the next meeting would likely be their AGM. There was also no money available to deal with parking problems on the Green.

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

Christmas events

2011-12-10T19:23:00.001Z

A busy week of celebrating
It has been the week when the clubs and societies in Old Buckenham decide to get their Christmas meetings over so that all their members can get started on their cooking, card writing and shopping.
Monday was the time for the Monday Mardle to have their Christmas lunch.
On Tuesday the Coffee and Chat did their bit.
Wednesday was the last Luncheon Club meeting of the year and the participants were treated to a roast chicken dinner with the usual trimmings.
Thursday the Breckland Flower and Garden Club had a workshop to demonstrate how to make your Christmas table decorations (see the blog post for yesterday). And in the evening the Social and Wine Circle had their Christmas party with quizzes, some bingo and a fish and chips supper (see pictures above).
Only a fortnight to go...

Christmas workshop

2011-12-09T00:18:00.001Z

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
Members and guests gathered at Old Buckenham village hall in December for their Christmas workshop. Sisal, twigs, leaves, roses, cones, etc, soon became lovely table decorations under Joy's instructions. A wonderful selection of sandwiches and cakes were then enjoyed together with a well-earned cuppa.
Alison Walker won the Novice trophy and Margaret Smith the Advanced trophy in the flower arranging competition entitled 'The Christmas Story' and Sally Westrup's seasonal foliage won the table show.
The next meeting takes place on Thursday 12 January when 'The Girls' demonstrate from 'What's in the box'.The competition title is 'Winter box of delights' and the table show will be for any type of houseplant from your home.

What a difference a year makes

2011-12-05T12:12:00.000Z

Village in the sun
This time in 2010 the village of Old Buckenham was white with snow (look back at the photographs in the archive of posts in December 2010). Today it has been bathed in sunshine as can be seen in the photos of the almshouses, the Methodist chapel and the rooks flying over the village Greeen.

The Keppels of Old Buckenham

2011-12-02T04:30:00.002Z

Golden wedding in 1914
The pictures above appeared in the magazine of the Keppel Association and one of them was used on the front cover of the December edition of the Old Buckenham village newsletter. These pictures and the following description are reproduced by kind permission of the Keppel Association secretary Miranda Villiers.
“The pages pictured are from the book presented to Major and Mrs William George Keppel of the Grange, Old Buckenham on the occasion of their Golden Wedding on 6 December 1914. The illuminations are beautifully done, as befits a presentation to a man who was a considerable craftsman himself. Major William George was the eldest son of the Rev Thomas Robert Keppel, the Rector of North Creake, and was a more than usually skilful amateur carver in wood; samples of his work can be seen on the organ case at Quidenham church and on the pulpit and lectern at Old Buckenham. The historian Brian Turner writes: "It is perhaps disappointing that Pevsner makes no mention of the pulpit, for .... it is a piece of superb craftsmanship". It was carved by Major William George Keppel who, with his wife, worshipped in the church for sixty years. Each panel is signed on the reverse with the stamp 'W G Keppel 1900' and shows a different type of vegetation. The central panel of the cross is adorned with a profusion of twining passion flowers. "The panel showing cereal crops is unusual in that maize takes a prominent place beside the more traditional wheat, oats and barley .... the lectern, bearing a motif of grapes and vine leaves, is also by this talented amateur craftsman".
The book was presented to the Keppel Association in 2008 by Olive Schickle.
The War Memorial at Old Buckenham records the names of thirty-seven residents who lost their lives in the First World War, and it is a sad thought that many of those recorded in this book were lost in the conflict, which in December 1914 had just broken out.”
These last comments are particularly apposite following the recent Remembrance Sunday service at the war memorial. And you may wish to pop into All Saints church (it is open every day) to see this wonderful wood carving at close quarters.

[just click on the images to see them in their full glory]

The run up to Christmas in Old Buckenham

2011-11-30T01:57:00.001Z

Diary dates for December

Thursday 1 Youth meeting, Village Hall, 6.30pm

Thursday 1 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Thursday 1 Silver Band concert at Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Thursday 1 Women's Institute, Christmas meal

Friday 2 Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm

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

Monday 5 Monday Mardle, Christmas lunch

Tuesday 6 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

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

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

Thursday 8 Breckland Flower Club workshop, Village Hall, 1pm

Thursday 8 Social and Wine Circle party, Church Rooms, 7.45pm

Saturday 10 Debating Society, Church Rooms, 10am

Sunday 11 Christingle service, All Saints Church, 4pm

Monday 12 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Wednesday 21 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Sunday 24 Candlelit carol service, All Saints, 7pm

Last one before Christmas

2011-11-28T13:30:00.000Z

Another issue out there
December is now done, printed and ready for you to read.

Old Buckenham carol service 2011

2011-11-27T10:17:00.001Z

Candlelit service overflowing?

All Saints Church, Old Buckenham, will be holding their ever popular annual candlelit service of Carols and Lessons on Christmas Eve starting at 7pm. The service will include participation by local schools, Scouts, Cubs and Beavers as well as members of the local community. The Rt Revd Dr Alan Winton, Bishop of Thetford, will give the Christmas message.
In recent years the number of people in the congregation has increased greatly and so this year, once the church is full, it will be necessary to provide additional seating in the Church Rooms. Here people will be able to participate via a video link to the service taking place in the church.
The collection will be given to the Norwich Night Shelter.

Walking with the WI

2011-11-25T15:41:00.001Z

Enjoying the sunshine
Most months of the year, on the Friday morning after their monthly meeting, Old Buckenham Women's Institute organise a walk around the 'local' footpaths. Today it was based around the village of Redgrave in Suffolk.
The sun shone all morning, the footpaths were all in good condition and the group stopped at the Cross Keys pub in Redgrave for a pleasant lunch after their two hours of exercise. A very nice way to spend a Friday morning.

What the judges decided about Old Buckenham

2011-11-23T19:44:00.002Z

Pride in Norfolk 2011
The presentation ceremony took place this afternoon at County Hall and we were obviously delighted.

Winner, under 2,500 category
Old Buckenham
"The Judges felt that Old Buckenham exemplified an excellent community of this size with exceptional facilities. In every criteria we were satisfied that there was true community involvement, and the numerous and varied activities on offer were well supported.
We were also pleased to see that initiatives that had been suggested at previous judging visits (2 years ago) have now been implemented. We had no hesitation in making Old Buckenham the winner of this category."

The trouble with winning a brass plaque is that it is not easy to photograph and shows up all the fingerprints and/or reflections. So here is the best photo managed so far of what was won (it did come with a very welcome cash prize too).

Charmed by Ivor Novello

2011-11-20T14:58:00.000Z

Filling the plush
Many people came along to the Old Buckenham village hall to hear all about ‘The charm of Ivor Novello’ on Saturday 19 November. There was room for many more and it is a shame that that they didn’t bestir themselves as they missed a great evening’s entertainment.
Ivor Novello could be considered as the Andrew Lloyd Webber of the 1930s, 1940s and the early 1950s. He wrote the music for all of his shows and often the lyrics as well. The productions played to full houses and made Novello a rich man. He believed in “filling the plush” which in today’s language meant getting bums on seats.
The evening was narrated by John and June Garratt who told the story of Novello’s life in words written by Richard Crawley. The narration was interspersed by performances of songs from the shows energetically sung by Susie Turner along to Annette Jude’s accompaniment. The performers were suitably dressed for the time of the songs’ popularity with Susie Turner changing dresses when appropriate. The audience were allowed to join in at times singing the choruses of ’Keep the home fires burning’ and ‘We’ll gather lilacs in the Spring again’.
The event was organised to help raise funds towards the Old Buckenham village hall lighting improvements which are expected to start in early 2012. Many people were involved in setting up the evening with the Old Buckenham Players providing the front of house staff and the Old Buckenham Women’s Institute supplying the homemade cakes that were much appreciated during the interval.
Next time such an event is put on let’s hope more village people can be convinced that they can forgo their tv programmes (they can always be recorded and watched later), come out to see a live performance and ‘fill the plush’ in the village hall.

Enjoyable lunchtime

2011-11-19T23:00:00.001Z

November market
The Church Rooms were full of the usual stalls today - and the usual people turned out to spend their money to raise funds for All Saints church. There was the raffle, tombola, books, beads, cards, bric-a-brac, FairTrade goodies and, of course, those lovely dishes of hot homemade soups to provide you with a light lunch.
It is a shame that more people from the village didn’t stroll across to the Church Rooms to see what was available but, just the same, a total of £603 was raised and an enjoyable time was had in the process.

Our local history

2011-11-18T01:20:00.000Z

Working locally
‘Working life in Attleborough’ was the title of the talk given by Cliff Amos to the Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle at their November meeting. Cliff Amos is the chairman of Attleborough Heritage Group and was able to show a wide selection of old photos of life over the last 150 years in Attleborough and the surrounding villages.
There were images of farming through the ages including harvest time, pigs, sheep being dipped, turkeys being fattened up and timber sawing. The local shops were pictured such as the butchers and International Stores. The opening of the railway station led to big changes with a busy goods yard bringing in coal and the post while allowing Gaymers cider to be delivered all over the country.
Even more photos showed the gas works, Dingles garage, the police, the fire brigade, the local ambulance and the staff that worked at Wayland hospital.
There was plenty of feedback from the audience, many of whom had their own memories brought back by scenes that were normal to them in their childhood.
The talk had been preceded by a short AGM where it was pointed out that although the accounts showed a very small loss for 2011, the meeting fee of £1 would remain the same for the forthcoming year. David Sallnow was re-elected chairman as were the committee members (Brian Stone, Peter Warren and Alistair Monkhouse).

Just more than last year

2011-11-17T14:32:00.002Z

Poppy collection
It was another successful village poppy collection, a gross total of £1102.52 was donated by the inhabitants of Old Buckenham.This was an improvement on last year by the princely sum of 27 pence.
This was a valiant collection by a dwindling number of collectors. The remaining collectors buckled round and every house was visited (if you were out at the time hopefully you donated at one of the static collection points at the village shop, the pubs, schools or at the airfield). Thank you all for your generosity and a huge “thank you” to all of the collectors, without whom this collection would not be possible.

Somethings for Saturday

2011-11-16T14:19:00.000Z

Market and music
Make the best of your weekend by participating in two fund-raising events.
Come to the Old Buckenham Church Rooms at 11am for the November Market arranged by members of All Saints Church. Ideal for a light lunch from noon, nice homemade soups on the menu.
Then spend the evening in Old Buckenham village hall and be charmed by the music of Ivor Novello (and more refreshments).
Just click on the poster images to read all the details.

Beauty and the beast

2011-11-15T06:20:00.000Z

The panto is coming
Old Buckenham Players will be performing ‘Beauty and the Beast’ by Ron Nicol, a classic retelling of the traditional 18th century fairy tale, in Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 19, Friday 20 and Saturday 21 January starting at 7.30 pm with a special matinee on Saturday 21 January at 2.30pm.
Tickets are priced at £6 (or £4 for the under 14s) and will be available in December from Old Buckenham Stores, Nuts ‘n’ Bolts in Attleborough or by phoning 01603 810373.

Remembrance Sunday

2011-11-14T01:11:00.001Z

Old Buckenham remembered

There were two services in Old Buckenham on Remembrance Sunday 13 November. The weather was bright and sunny all day which meant that a few hundred people gathered at Old Buckenham Airfield for a short service at their war memorial. A representative of USAF Lakenfield was amongst those who laid wreaths, a poignant reminder that although the 453rd Bombardment Group was only operational there for eighteen months, 366 aircrew lost their lives. A flypast of two planes from the last World War brought the service to a close and those attending could look around at the American vehicles and classic cars that were lined up for all to see.

In early afternoon there was the wreath laying ceremony at the war memorial on Old Buckenham Green. The last post was sounded for the second time during the day and representatives from the Royal British Legion, the Parish Council, the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts came forward to lay their wreaths while many villagers looked on.

Using renewable sources

2011-11-13T07:24:00.001Z

Energy explained
Over thirty people gathered at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Saturday 12 November to learn about the various ways that they could use renewable energy systems for their own houses or for community schemes. The event had been organised by the Village Environment and Recycling Group (VERG). Breckland Council were represented and providing general energy saving advice while two commercial suppliers were there to answer questions.
Much of the morning was then taken up by a presentation by Damien Baker of RenEnergy who gave a non-commercial talk covering many of the systems available such as photovoltaic panels, ground source heat pumps air source heat pumps, biomass boilers and wind turbines. Each was explained in basic terms, the pros and cons of each being pointed out. The importance of designing any system to the individual building properties was stressed and the financial outlay and potential monetary feedback explained.
There were plenty of questions from the audience to keep the speaker busy and discussions were continuing well after the event had theoretically come to an end.

More arranging

2011-11-12T05:32:00.002Z

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
More than 60 members and guests enjoyed a lively demonstration by Brenda Tubb at the November meeting. Her superb designs started everyone thinking of Christmas as they included baubles and a hint of glitter as well as a wonderful selection of foliage (some courtesy of a supermarket gardener) and roses of different shades. She also regaled us with tales from the days when she worked in a florists and of her husband’s efforts at soupmaking.
The competition entitled 'Advent' was won by Shirley Penfold in the Old Hands class and Janet Skidmore in the New Hands class. Janet also won the monthly cup for best use of garden plant material.
The table show was won by Shirley Penfold by half a point.
The meeting on Thursday 8 December at Old Buckenham Village Hall will start at 1pm for the workshop. Those attending should please bring a table cover and rubbish bag, scissors/secateurs, a dozen 2 inch ivy leaves and no more than a handful of cupressus - all other ingredients will be provided (free of charge). There will be afternoon tea so also bring a small plate of cakes.
The competition title is 'The Christmas Story' and for the table show it is 'Three stems of seasonal foliage'.
The first meeting of 2012 will be at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 12 January starting at 2pm. The demonstration will be by 'the girls' with the the title ‘What's in the Box'. The monthly competition is for an arrangement entitled 'Winter Box of Delights' and the table show will be for a photograph of winter colour.
Visitors are always made welcome, further details from Pat on 457305 or Sally 788712.

Silver Band performance

2011-11-11T10:25:00.000Z

Concert at Methodist Chapel

The New Buckenham Silver Band will be in concert at the Old Buckenham Methodist Church on Thursday 1 December starting at 7.30pm. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. Come along and get in the Christmas spirit, a warm welcome awaits everyone.

Councillors' discussions

2011-11-09T00:47:00.002Z

November’s Parish Council meeting
The following notes have been prepared from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at the next meeting.
Peter Whear, headteacher of Old Buckenham High School, and Darryl Smith, Principal Housing Officer at Breckland Council, attended as well as two members of the public. There were no apologies for non-attendance.
Minutes of the October Parish Council meeting. A amendment was made in the Parish Councillors’ reports to change Attleborough Council to read Breckland Council. With this amendment they were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Minutes of the Precept meeting in October. These were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Old Buckenham High School. Peter Whear, headteacher, gave an update of the school in which he said they had received an excellent OFSTED report and have achieved sporting academy status. Improvements to the school accommodation have taken place and are continuing to do so. Achievements at the school continue to rise including sporting and musical activities. Carol Marshall asked what sporting activities they have planned so the recreation area does not duplicate. Peter Whear responded with information that funding had been greatly reduced and this required a complete reassessment of what they could do. Lots of indoor sports are carried out in the school working with the local community. Akis Chrisovelides asked how many students were at the school. He was informed there were 598 and that the school has a school council ensuring representation of the students. Akis Chrisovelides said that it was hoped that the Parish Council would be involving young people in what happens in the village and he hoped the Parish Council and the school could work together on this. Peter Whear agreed to meet to discuss this matter. Sarah Dye asked how the school could be at the heart of the community and Peter Whear gave a response. Carol Marshall raised the question of the tennis courts being used by the village and Peter Whear said he hoped they could reach an agreement on this. Adrian Joel raised the problem of parking and Peter Whear said he had no problem with the school parking facilities being used, subject to an agreement. Derek Smalley raised the matter of the Attleborough Development Plan and how the school would fit into this and would a sixth form be created at the school. Peter Whear said he was currently talking to headteachers of other schools in the area on this matter but he felt there was no real clarification in the plan on the matter. Tom Johnson raised concerns on the expansion and that Old Buckenham may have to take up some of the overflow of pupils. Tim Ing thanked Peter Whear for attending the meeting.
New development in Old Buckenham. Mrs Darryl Smith of Breckland Council said she had responsibility for housing development within the Breckland Area. Breckland Council had been approached by developers with ideas for development in Old Buckenham. She said that planning concepts were changing and there was a move by Government to encourage developments. She asked for the Parish Council’s views on future development in the village. She said that the Localism Bill and the National Planning Framework would bring forward changes which will give greater opportunities for local councils to be more involved in the decision process. Various councillors asked questions and concerns to which Darryl Smith responded. Tim Ing said that the Parish Council would have to think on the matter and discuss it in more detail at a future meeting and he thanked Darryl Smith for attending.
Recreation area. Jonathan Kemp raised the question of the Norfolk Village Games and had spoken to Breckland Council on the matter. He hoped the Recreation Area working party would be preparing a list of events which would then be advertised and that Breckland would assist in this. Jonathan Kemp would look into how many sporting groups there actually were in the village. Carol Marshall said that a grant application had been submitted for two litter bins for the recreation area.
Policy procedures. Three documents had been drawn up by the parish clerk covering Grievance Procedure Policy, Disciplinary Procedure Policy and Equal Opportunity Policy. It was agreed that these documents should be adopted and this was agreed unanimously.
Grit bins. The Parish Clerk informed the meeting that he had sufficient funds to purchase two grit bins from this year’s budget and he had ordered them. They will be located at St Andrews Close and at Hargham Road near the Almshouses. The Parish Clerk will inform Norfolk County Council Highways of their location.
Planning applications. 32 Hargham Road, installation of source heat pump. It was agreed to object to this on grounds of being too near the neighbouring property and suggest movement of the unit further from property boundary.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Repair to Old Buckenham Mill, permission granted.
32 Hargham Road, installation of air source heat pump. Permission refused.
Old School House, erection of solar panels. Permission granted.
Ox & Plough, various signage. Permission granted.
Twitchers Cottage, Stacksford, erection of mobile home for use of as an annexe. Permission granted.
Eel Farm, Fen Road. Removal of condition 8 of previous planning application concerning occupation of annexe and new garage block and alterations. Permission refused.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said he and Adrian Joel had attended the Town and Parish Council Forum meeting at Breckland Council offices where issues relating to Town and Parish Councils were discussed and that things would be coming down the line. Tim Ing asked if there had been any progress in finding a suitable site for village archives. Paul Boggia replied that nowhere had yet been found.
District Councillor's report. Adrian Joel said the One Stop Bus service had been funded up to September 2011 by the Breckland Partnership. It had brought services and IT training to rural villages but with the end of funding the service would stop from November. The Overview and Scrutiny Commission have been asked to look at alternative and more cost effective way of providing a similar service. He then said Breckland Council is providing a one-off funding to assist groups to stage goodwill events over Christmas period under the banner of The Pride of Breckland 12 Days of Christmas giving scheme. Grants of £100 are available but application forms had to be submitted to Stephan Clifford of Breckland Council by Friday 11 November.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Carol Marshall informed the meeting there was a renewable energy event being held at the Village Hall on Saturday 12 November at 10.30am. Adrian Joel said the allotment renewable agreements had been sent out and only two tenants had not yet replied. He would contact them. One new tenant has taken over a vacant plot. He then raised the matter of the Remembrance Service being held at the war memorial this month, Paul Boggia is to lay a wreath on behalf of the Parish Council. Adrian Joel raised the matter of insurance for the war memorial. The Parish Clerk said that he had spoken to Gerry Norton of the War Memorial Trust and informed him that a grant may be available for insurance. Tim Ing said the water at the allotments would be turned off soon to enable a meter reading to be taken so bills for usage could be sent out to allotment holders. Tom Johnson said that a tree had fallen on the Green recently near the war memorial and asked who would be responsible in this instance if damage had occurred. He was informed that it would have been the responsibility of the Green Right Proprietors. Akis Chrisovelides said there would be a meeting for young people in the Village Hall at 6.30pm on Thursday 1 December and that he would arrange publicity for the meeting. Tom Johnson said he and Adrian Joel had attended a meeting of the Attleborough Task Force and said that things were moving forward and the Parish Council's views are being considered. Paul Boggia said that he attended a meeting in October organised by Breckland Council in relation to celebrating the Diamond Jubilee. He said it was a useful meeting and very informative with lots of suggestions for events. John Frost said that All Saints Church would be holding a service on the day of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. He then said the church has to have a surveyor’s report every five years and the latest one found the church tower to be in a dangerous condition and the base of the tower will be cordoned off in future. Also on there will be a service at the church on Christmas Eve and it is hoped a screen will be used to allow any overflow to watch the service in the Church Rooms. He asked for a volunteer to read the service on Christmas Eve and Tim Ing said he would do this. Derek Smalley will be attending a meeting of Homewatch in Attleborough in November and he also raised the matter of Jubilee Woods but Adrian Joel said no land had been found in the village to create such a wood.
Parish Clerk’s report. The Parish Clerk explained the procedures that had to be followed after the resignation of a parish councillor. He said there are two people who wished to be considered to be co-opted on to the Parish Council. Councillors would vote on the matter of whom is co opted at the December meeting.
Highways. It was reported that a tree was down in Hargham Road between Leys Lane and Burroughs Farm. The Clerk to speak to Highways on the matter.
The Green. Sarah Dye said that no date had yet been agreed for the next meeting of the Green Right Proprietors.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be on Thursday 1 December at the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.

Lighting improvements nearer to reality

2011-11-07T00:15:00.002Z

Village Hall news
At the November meeting of the village hall committee Sarah Dye was warmly welcomed. She proceeded to outline the possibilities of gift aiding some of the money which comes into the village hall coffers. Most of it is not able to be gift aided but some of it could be and this could provide a welcome extra small income for the hall. Sarah offered to be the gift aid co-coordinator for the hall and is going to acquire the appropriate forms from the Inland Revenue.
The Treasurer was pleased to report that the Norfolk Foundation had granted £1500 towards the new stage lighting project and Richard Crawley also reported that Breckland Council had also given a grant. This means the work to upgrade the lighting will commence early next year after the Old Buckenham Player’s pantomime.
The barn dance, which should have been held in October, had been cancelled bcause of a lack of support. The committee felt that it seemed to be an uphill struggle to come up with ideas which people would support. Anyone with ideas on what people want nowadays would be most welcome to share their ideas with the hall committee. The next fund raisers will be a quiz in March and the Garden Event in April and, of course, the Ivor Novello evening which is on Saturday 19 November (full details are given in the post on Friday 7 October).
Everyone is reminded that the village hall is available for hire from £6 per hour upwards, dependant on time of day and type of function.
At the November crib drive at the hall the winners were Joyce Goodey, Bill Cheesely, Alan Staniforth, Iris Lancaster and Muriel Large. The numbers club winners drawn at the crib drive means that £10 each goes to Bev McAnulty and the Allens with the £5 prizes being won by Bev Giles, Malcolm Wade, Gerald Norton, Jean Garwood and Berta Scott. The renewal date for the numbers club is Sunday 1 January and the committee hope that all existing members will carry on their subscriptions. There are several numbers which now have no owner so new members will be welcome. Any enquiries about the numbers club or hire of the hall can be directed to Jill on 860551.

Examination results

2011-11-05T20:01:00.001Z

Getting close up
Following the quinquennial inspection of All Saints Church at Old Buckenham it became necessary to carry out a more detailed inspection of the condition of the church tower (see the pictures on the previous post on Wednesday 3 November).
This inspection revealed that the tower had succumbed to excessive weathering over the years. This has caused much of the mortar to be eroded and this has resulted in some of the flint work not now being securely fixed to the tower. Already some flints have fallen off the tower and there is a danger that many more will become detached.
To protect the public the area around the tower has been cordoned off, restricting passage around the tower and for safety reasons has become a ‘no go area’.
It is estimated that this diversion may last for the next two years. First the required remedial work will be put out to tender and then it will be necessary to make applications for grants so that the work can be completed.

Up the tower

2011-11-02T06:58:00.001Z

Having a close look
This week saw an examination of the fabric of All Saints Church, Old Buckenham. To get a good look at the flintwork of the octagonal tower meant a ride in the sky for those involved.

Enjoyable birthday party

2011-11-01T07:51:00.002Z

Celebrate the forty-fourth
On Thursday 27 October it was time for Old Buckenham Women’s Institute to celebrate its forty-fourth birthday So husbands, friends, delegates from other local WIs and the county WI chairman were invited along to Old Buckenham Village Hall to enjoy the party. Members had been busy preparing a real finger buffet to be followed by the usual collection of mouth-watering sweets (that did need a spoon to eat them). Wine or non-alcoholic drinks were provided to wash it all down.
After the meal there was entertainment provided by members of the Old Buckenham Players with a collection of sketches that were ideal for the audience especially when they portrayed the church flower arranging group or the proposals for a forthcoming Old Buckenham WI calendar.
There was the usual large raffle and then the chance to have a piece of the beautifully iced birthday cake together with a glass of sherry.

Read the paper version

2011-10-31T13:12:00.000Z

More to read
The printed version of the Old Buckenham newsletter for November is now available. You should be able to find a copy (it's free) in the village shop, All Saints Church, the two pubs, the Clinic on the Green and at the airfield. There is also a copy in Attleborough library and at the Attleborough Heritage Group's office (open on Thursdays).

November activities

2011-10-30T07:55:00.003Z

Diary dates for November
Tuesday 1         Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

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

Thursday 3       Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 4             Crib drive, 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

Tuesday 8         Debating Society, Church Rooms, 7.15pm

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

Thursday 10    Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 10     Social and Wine Circle AGM, Church Rooms, 7.15pm

Friday 11          'One Stop Bus' outside Village Shop, 10am to 12 noon

Saturday 12      Renewable energy event, Village Hall, 10.30am

Sunday 13        Remembrance service and flypast at Airfield, 11am

Sunday 13        Wreath laying at Old Buckenham war memorial, 2.15pm

Monday 14       Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Wednesday 16 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Saturday 19      November Market, Church Rooms, 11am to 2pm

Saturday 19      Ivor Novello concert, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Sunday 20        Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

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

Renewable energy event

2011-10-29T01:49:00.002+01:00

Community and domestic energy schemes

With electricity, oil and gas prices continuing to climb and talk circulating of much less favourable terms for installing renewable energy schemes in the new financial year, the Old Buckenham Village Environment and Recycling Group (VERG) has arranged a Saturday morning session to look at possible domestic schemes but also investigate the feasibility of a community scheme centred on one of the community buildings in the village - the village hall, or one of the schools. Damien Baker of RenEnergy Ltd will explain what needs to be considered, how to design, plan, finance and maintain renewable energy schemes using whatever technology suits the site. For a community scheme the community can invest and divide up the proceeds, or it can use third party investment. He will also explain how it all works and how it could help the village reduce its carbon footprint.

Everyone is welcome to this meeting, whether their interest is purely with their own property, or in a community solution. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Representatives of other companies are being invited to attend and offer information also.

The event will be on Saturday 12 November in the main hall at the village hall. There will be free entry, coffee and tea (donations to costs if desired). It will open at 10.30am with the RenEnergy presentation at 11am. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the whole range of alternative technology solutions, explained in simple, understandable terms and should provide an opportunity to see if you could save yourself money by installing some appropriate equipment.

Where the money will go

2011-10-27T23:24:00.001+01:00

How the precept was set
At a meeting on Wednesday 19 October, the Parish Council met at the Village Hall to determine the precept (that is the money that the Parish Council needs to have to cover its commitments over the coming year).
The precept was set at £14,525 with the budget expenses given as follows:
Salaries, £5845. Increase on last year due to upgrading of Parish Clerk and increase of 1 hour per week extra. Community Car Scheme, £1200. Increase on last year due to greater use of the facility. Room hire,£245. Slight reduction from last year.Insurance, £1400. Increased from last year because of Recreation Area being added. Audit fees, £400. Same as last year.
Administration expenses, £300. Increase from last year due to outsourcing of PAYE.
Training, £75. Reduced from last year. Newsletter paper, £350. Slight increase from last year.
Inspection of play area, £200.
Inspection of recreation area, £200.
Maintenance of recreation area, £400.
Printing, postage and stationery, £225. No increase.
Rent of recreation area, £385.
Miscellaneous, £400. Reduced from last year.
Contingency fund, £1250. Increased from last year because of potential Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Travel expenses, £200. Reduced from last year.
Grit bins, £400.
Subscriptions, £300.
Grants awarded. £671to Old Buckenham PreSchool Group and Nursery, £40 to Norfolk Age UK and £39 to MacMillan Cancer Care.

Wind power

2011-10-25T19:25:00.000+01:00

The old and the new
Wind power has been used in Old Buckenham for many years and now more modern pieces of equipment are coming into operation.

Sound memories

2011-10-22T10:41:00.002+01:00

Motorcycle traders

So far this blog has brought you words and pictures - now we bring you sound. Here is a short recording made at the Village Fete. You can hear one of the villagers remembering traders who came to the village during her youth. We hope you enjoy listening and, if you have any problems, let the editor know in the comments.

Motorcycle traders by Old Buckenham

Council minutes

2011-10-20T15:05:00.000+01:00

Parish Council in October
Two members of the public were present and apologies received from two councillors, Sarah Windle and Sarah Dye.
The minutes of the September Parish Council Meeting were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting. There were no matters arising from the minutes.
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Adrian Joel said Breckland Council were holding a meeting regarding funding of the Diamond celebrations. John Frost said the church had been asked to hold some form of celebration. It was said that the meeting at the Village Hall had suggested the date of Tuesday 5 June as a day for holding the celebrations in Old Buckenham. Derek Smalley said an item should be put in the newsletter asking for suggestions to how best celebrate the occasion. The Parish Clerk is to contact local organisations to seek their views and see if they wish to join a working party being set up by the Parish Clerk.
Norfolk Village Games. It was agreed that the village would offer the use of the Recreation Area for this event. Jonathan Kemp to liaise with Breckland Council on the matter and report back to the Parish Council.
‘Funeral’ notice board. Derek Smalley showed the Parish Council the recently purchased notice board for the children’s play area which will enable details of funerals to be posted on appropriate days. The Parish Council thanked Derek Smalley for sourcing the board.
Attleborough development. Derek Smalley, Tim Ing and Adrian Joel attended a recent meeting of Attleborough Town Council. At the meeting it appeared there was a conflict of ideas between different parties Derek Smalley said that Attleborough Town Council has finally realised that a lot of houses are going to be built without proper infrastructure. Tim Ing said the Parish Council needs to consider the feelings of residents of the village and how these new houses will impact on the village. Derek Smalley said concerns were raised about the traffic levels on the B1077, schools, medical facilities,etc. The Parish Clerk is to write to the Town Clerk of Attleborough Town Council on the concerns of Old Buckenham.
Planning applications. Ox & Plough, outside signs. No objections from Parish Council.
59 Fen Street, Change of use for land from agriculture to garden. No objections from Parish Council but with a proviso that land not be used for future development.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. New Barn Farm. Installation of two small wind generators. Passed.
Abacus House, The Green. New rear sunroom extensions. Passed.
The Coal Yard. Erection of fuel storage building. Passed.
Crown Lane Cottage. Variation of conditions to earlier planning application. Passed.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel reported on the Jubilee Wood scheme being organised by Breckland Council. They are inviting community groups to come forward with proposed locations for the woods. He had also attended a new planning guidelines meeting and the effect on Breckland. They will now have to produce a local plan and Town and Parish Councils will be able to produce a neighbourhood plan which will be needed to be voted on by residents as more consideration will be given to residents’ views.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Tom Johnson said he had attended a meeting of the Village Hall management committee on in September and one of their main concerns was the lighting project which will have a shortfall in funding of some £2,000 and would Parish Council underwrite this. He also attended another meeting in October and the major concern was parking. They wondered if the Parish Council was going to build their car parking spaces at the Recreation Area. Tim Ing said the parking area was to be the grass verge facing the Recreation Area. John Frost said that residents stop at the edge of the normal car park and do not use the verge. Mats similar to those on the allotments were suggested but Tim Ing informed the meeting they would cost approximately £500 and a better solution was for signs to be erected on fence. Derek Smalley would look into the costs. Derek Smalley informed the meeting that one more welcome pack has been delivered. He then said there was a planning application in for 17 properties on the edge of Attleborough which he felt impacted on Old Buckenham. The Parish Clerk to write to Attleborough on the matter. Jonathan Kemp said the Recreation Area working party had looked at equipment and now had a preferred supplier and they would bring quotes to November meeting for approval. Akis Chrisovelides is looking at the Bribery Act 2012 and the impact it would have on the Parish Council. He is currently undertaking a risk assessment and is hoping to complete it ready for next meeting. He then went on to say there are two youth councils set up but setting up a village one is very complicated and could be very expensive. Akis Chrisovelides will be setting up an open forum meeting in December for young people to come to and express their views and suggestions. Adrian Joel raised the question of vehicles ignoring the weight limits in Hargham Road. The Parish Clerk explained it was very difficult to get them enforced by police. He then raised the matter of an allotment holder who had requested to erect a poly tunnel on their allotment. Tim Ing and Adrian Joel had visited the site and said they thought it should be allowed. A meeting of the Allotment Liaison Group had taken place and various items were discussed. Adrian Joel then distributed copies of the draft tenancy agreements for the year 2011/12 and asked for the views of other councillors before they are sent out. He then handed out copies of an email from Old Buckenham Allotment Society covering some points in the new tenancy agreement. Tim Ing is to read the water meter on the allotments and costs to be sent out to allotment holders. Tim Ing then raised the matter of maintenance equipment for the play area. It was explained that for the play area to acquire the grant, the Parish Council would have to purchase the equipment then have it refunded as a grant. He also informed the meeting that reflector posts had been placed alongside the footway close to the war memorial.
Highways. Road marking which had been promised by Norfolk CC Highways had not yet been done. The Parish Clerk to speak to the Highways Engineer on the matter. There is a water leak at Shrublands Farm entrance on the B1077 going towards Attleborough near Puddledock Corner. The Parish Clerk to inform Anglian Water.
The Green. Tim Ing said the latest meeting of Green Rights Proprietors had been cancelled and they hope to have one in December. Tom Johnson said a couple of trees had fallen down on the Green, Tim Ing said this was the responsibility of the Green Rights Proprietors and the Parish Clerk is to contact them on the matter.
The next parish council meeting will be on Thursday 3 November at the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.

Information to help you remember

2011-10-18T01:12:00.003+01:00

Remembrance Day service
The Old and New Buckenham & District Branch of the Royal British Legion has provided details of the local Remembrance Day service on Sunday 13 November.
At 2.15pm there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the Old Buckenham war memorial on the Green. This will be followed by a full service of Remembrance starting at 3pm in St Martin’s Church, New Buckenham.

Behind the tv quiz scene

2011-10-17T07:51:00.001+01:00

Mastermind in the Church Rooms
The inside story of television quiz shows was uncovered when Roger Canwell came to talk to the Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle at their October meeting. Roger didn’t go to university after her left grammar school but when he retired from a job in accountancy he decided to go to UEA and do a history degree after all.
His first attempt at quiz shows saw him eventually get on ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ after many phone calls. He described the time spent at the recording studio and how his first appearance was short-lived as he had not got the ‘fasted finger’. But having enjoyed the experience he managed to get on the programme again winning £1000 as he panicked and used up all his lifelines when he should have trusted his own memory.
Next he tried his luck on ‘Mastermind’. A first round win with a specialist subject of the late Stuart age led to the semi-finals where he was able to use his favourite subject of Norwich City Football Club. Here again he was successful and so appeared in the final. He found his chosen specialist subject of Britain between two World Wars was perhaps too wide-ranging and he eventually finished fifth out of the six finalists.
Many questions were then put to Roger and he explained how it was not easy to keep quiet after the programmes had been recorded but before they were shown on television. He also admitted thinking about what subject he would choose if he were to enter again.

The next meeting will be in the Church Rooms on Thursday 10 November beginning with a short AGM at 7.15pm followed by a talk on our local heritage by Cliff Amos.

Even more questions

2011-10-16T14:21:00.000+01:00

Success in big quiz

Five members of Old Buckenham WI (with the editor of the village blog to make up the numbers) entered a team in a county-wide quiz held in Dereham on Friday 14 October. This annual quiz, arranged by the Norfolk WI Advisors, attracted 27 teams each with six members.
There were eight rounds with twelve questions in each and ranging from money matters, pop music of the 1960s and TV sit coms. And there were two other quiz sheets on UK geography and songs from the musicals to be completed before the half-time break.
It was the sort of evening that really had you thinking and the break for a fish and chip supper was most welcome.
The Old Buckenham team, performing under the title of ‘Buckenham Brains’, did not let the village down. When the results of the main quiz were added up the team was in second place with 180 points to the leaders 182. Then came the agonising wait while the points from the other two quiz sheets were added on. The team in front, the ‘South Walsham Broads’, had done just as well as the Old Buckenham team on these sheets so the ‘Buckenham Brains’ had to be content with being runners-up scoring 208 points overall to the winners 210.
Well done Susan, the two Barbaras, Sheila and Doris.

A day to remember

2011-10-12T17:31:00.000+01:00

Old Buckenham Airfield remembers
A Remembrance Sunday service will be held at Old Buckenham Airfield starting at 11am on Sunday 13 November at their war memorial. It will be led by Pat Ramm and several volunteers from the High School and Wymondham College will be sounding the Last Post and Reveille. There may also be representatives from RAF Lakenheath and the service will conclude with a flypast of WWII US aircraft.
After the service there will be a wings and wheels celebration where all manner of aircraft can fly in. There will also be a classic car display.
The cafe/bar will be open all day with its new menu and serving beers and wines.
The airfield is open to all and is a wonderful venue to enjoy great scenery and aviation. The new management are very eager to make the Airfield an active part of the community and are looking forward to welcoming everyone there soon.

Trip to the sunshine

2011-10-10T19:14:00.000+01:00

Was this the south of France?
No, this was the Old Buckenham Luncheon Club on an outing to the north Norfolk coast (Walcott rather than St Tropez).

Music for your ears

2011-10-07T20:19:00.001+01:00

Another concert is coming along in aid of Old Buckenham Village Hall’s lighting improvements.
The Village Hall Committee and Old Buckenham Players present:

THE CHARM OF IVOR NOVELLO
A celebration of his music and his life with
music performed by Annette Jude and Suzie Turner
and commentary presented by John and June Garratt.

In a life-time that spanned little more than a half century, Ivor Novello’s talent lit up every career he touched. He started as a composer of songs, became a Hollywood film star, then a stage actor, later a playwright and finally a creator of spectacular musical plays. He was the matinee idol of his day, once described as the handsomest man in England. Underlying the good looks was his personal charm that won him the admiration of his friends and colleagues and the adoration of his audiences. The evening’s programme hopes to capture the charm of Ivor Novello in both words and song.
So make sure you come along to the Old Buckenham Village Hall on Saturday 19 November ready for the start at 7.30 pm.
Tickets £7 each (to include coffee/tea and cakes) from Old Buckenham Stores or by phoning 01603 810373.

What the residents think

2011-10-05T15:34:00.002+01:00

Open forum meeting

On Saturday 24 September the Parish Council held an informal forum to report back on their activities and achievements to the villagers of Old Buckenham. The councillors present at the village hall were the chairman Tim Ing, Adrian Joel, Derek Smalley, Jonathan Kemp, Sandra Dye, Akis Chrisovelides, Carol Marshall and the parish clerk James Watling.
Only ten members of the public came along.
Tim Ing welcomed members of the public and said he was disappointed with the turn out. He then went on to introduce the parish councillors and explained their particular areas of responsibility (all parish councillors sit on one of the working parties or have special tasks allocated to them).
Sandra Dye said the play area is up and running and a tremendous success. It is a project the village should be proud of. On-going maintenance is being carried out to keep it up to a high standard. Some issues have arisen with the play area and these include car parking, dog fouling and funerals at All Saints but these are being addressed.
Derek Smalley said the discounted oil scheme is up and running. There had been some issues on the price savings being achieved but he was talking to both Norfolk RCC and AF Affinity to improve the prices being charged. There was still the opportunity for more people to join the scheme which could generate better pricing rates and anyone interested in joining the scheme should contact him. Derek Smalley has also arranged Welcome Packs for new residents to the village which contain lots of useful information. So far five have gone out and he asked if anyone knew of any new residents to let him know. He welcomed any suggestions for new additions to the packs. He then went on to discuss the Community Car Scheme which over the past twelve months had completed nearly 1,000 trips to doctors, dentists, hospitals, opticians or to visit sick relatives at care homes. The scheme has around twelve volunteer drivers who work very hard. There has been a small increase in the cost of the journeys with the Parish Council paying a total of 10p per mile as their contribution of the total 45p per mile new rate.
Akis Chrisovelides said he was responsible for the Youth Council which the Parish Council said should be set up to allow young people in the village to have some representation and to provide a platform to put forward their views. He gave details of the issues facing the scheme which make it very difficult to set up. There were currently two Youth Councils already set up, one with Breckland District Council (BDC). He is in contact with BDC on setting up the Youth Council. He gave an over view of the different types of Youth Councils that could be set up and he will be continuing his work on the matter.
Adrian Joel gave an overview of the allotments that are up and running. He gave a brief history of the project which from the start took only a matter of months to completion because of the efforts of the Parish Council. Water has been installed with three stand pipes so all allotments have access to the facility and fencing has been completed. The school has a plot and will be using it for a school project. The Parish Council were grateful for the grants received from Breckland District Council and Old Buckenham 2000 Trust. The first year has been a learning curve and amendments to the tenancy agreement will be made in 2012.
Jonathan Kemp gave details of the Recreation Area. The work has been split into three phases following consultation with the residents. Phase 1 has now been completed with the obtaining of a 25 year lease from the Village Hall. The ground has been prepared and picnic tables installed, along with a football pitch. The cost of this phase was approximately £5,000. Phase 2 will be the installation of a multi-games area which will cost around £42,500 and it is hoped this will be completed in 2012. Phase 3, which will be for a BMX track is expected to cost about £30,000 and it is hoped this will be completed in 2013. Grant applications and funding activities will continue to take place throughout the year.
Finally Tim Ing introduced James Watling, the Parish Clerk, and said he was the person responsible for keeping the Parish Council informed of what they needed to do and what they could not do. He thanked the Parish Clerk for his work.
There was then an open forum for residents.
One resident raised the matter of toilets on the Recreation area. Carol Marshall said that following advice from the police no toilets would be provided as they could cause problems. A representative of Village Hall added that allowing the village hall toilets to be used would cause them considerable problems too. They had to consider the security of the hall, who would be responsible for opening and closing the hall and there was also the question of the cost of cleaning the toilets after use.
The secretary of the Old Buckenham Allotment Society said they fully support the Parish Council through the Allotment Liaison Committee and that there were a couple of issues that remained unresolved at this time. A resident raised the matter of verges being damaged by vehicles, especially large agricultural equipment and HGVs. Tim Ing said the matter would be raised with NCC Highways.
One resident raised the question of who is responsible for the maintenance of Prince Harry Wood. Adrian Joel said Breckland Council was trying to establish new woods under the Jubilee Wood Scheme and were looking for suitable land for the project.
A further resident said that he was impressed with the Parish Council and its professionalism in the running of the meeting and he also was disappointed by the attendance and said that residents should be more involved. He then raised the matter of the Attleborough expansion plan and the traffic problems it would cause. He then went on to say that a lot of expenditure was being made on the younger children of the village and more consideration should be given to older children. He also raised the matter of the Green. He commented on the level of the Parish Council precept which had been reduced from a previously higher level and which had not increased over the past couple of years. He felt this was wrong and the precept should be raised. He also mentioned the matter of the stage lighting for the Old Buckenham Players which it said was in need of replacement.
Tim Ing said the Parish Council was moving forward in a positive way and engaging with the High School and that the headteacher, Peter Whear, would be attending the November meeting of the Parish Council. He said the Parish Council have £500 to contribute towards any Diamond Jubilee celebrations being arranged for next year. He said the amenity area on the Green opposite the village shop would not be going ahead as it would only create six more parking spaces and would not increase trade at the shop. Tim Ing also said that as the Green Right proprietors were a private organisation, the Parish Council could not give them any funding. He then read out a letter from a resident regarding the present siting of the children’s play area. The letter then went on to express views regarding the recreational area where he felt that the response received in consultations with all residents was not high enough to move the project forward. He suggested further consultation with the village on the subject. Tim Ing responded on the location of the play area. The Parish Clerk explained to the meeting that the Parish Council (and he as Responsible Financial Officer) had strict guidelines as to how the financial affairs of the Parish Council were recorded and reported. He said the Parish Council would not deviate from them and would always fully comply with guidelines and legislation.
Tim Ing said he wanted to engage the community on the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the best way to spend the £500 allocated for this. A Village Hall representative said they would be having a meeting soon to discuss what celebrations they felt would be appropriate. A resident then raised the matter of funding for the war memorial. The Parish Clerk explained that funding had been provided for future cleaning and maintenance on the memorial and that further funding would be available. The Old Buckenham Allotment Society secretary raised the point that, under new legislation, Common’s Councils could be created to manage village Greens and he said that the Parish Council should look at this in the near future.

Here at last

2011-10-03T13:05:00.000+01:00

October's newsletter now available to read

Quiz time

2011-10-01T03:09:00.003+01:00

And the answer is...
The evening of Friday 30 September was a chance for those in and around Old Buckenham to see just what unusual facts they could remember. It was time for a quiz in the Village Hall and, although there were fewer entries than usual, the seven teams had an enjoyable time.
There were eight rounds of ten questions each, covering a wide range of subjects such as sport, nature, cooking, films, geography, medical maters and maritime facts. There was also a separate quiz to complete in any spare moments that involved identifying various sweets and chocolates from some devious clues.
This sweet quiz was eventually won by the ‘Oscars’ from Oaklands who had to win a tie break question against two other teams. The team taking away the trophy in the main quiz was the ‘Harling Bucks’ (two people from East Harling and two from Old Buckenham shown above) who were clear winners thanks to a judicious choice of when to play their’ joker’ to double their points in that particular round.
With the help of a well-stocked raffle table, the event helped raise some funds for the Village hall as well as providing an entertaining evening.

Looking ahead at Old Buckenham events

2011-09-30T01:12:00.001+01:00

Diary dates for October
Sunday 2 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 3 Textile roadside collection from 9am

Monday 3 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Tuesday 4 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

Wednesday 5 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Thursday 6 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 7 Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Monday 10 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Tuesday 11 Debating Society, Church Rooms, 7.15pm

Wednesday 12 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 13 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 13 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm

Friday 14 'One Stop Bus' outside Village Shop, 10am to 12 noon

Saturday 15 Coffee morning, Methodist Chapel, 10am to 12.30pm

Sunday 16 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 17 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Wednesday 19 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Saturday 22 Barn dance, Village Hall, 7pm to 10pm

Wednesday 26 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 27 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Chocolate heaven

2011-09-28T23:08:00.000+01:00

Tasty WI meeting
Chocolate making was the theme for the Old Buckenham WI meeting in September, with Angela Ruthven of ‘Saffire Chocolates’. What a treat it proved to be. Angela explained how she began to learn the art of chocolate making when she retired as a headteacher of a Norwich school. She had time on her hands and looked for a new hobby. Not like the other hobbies she had tried that ended up as ‘loft insulation’. She enrolled on a long distance course via the internet and three months later was in receipt of her certificate for chocolate making. Using the finest Belgian chocolate Angela proceeded to experiment with flavours and started to sell her wares at farmers’ markets. Business was good and next came a lease on a very small Norwich shop, and then a larger one. Angela can now be found in a unit at Taverham Garden Centre and has over fifty outlets in Norfolk and Suffolk selling her chocolates.
Next came the chocolate tasting and members were all willing participants. Angela explained that the finest chocolate should be tasted much like a fine wine should be appreciated. So one should look for shine, appreciate the aroma, hear the snap when the chocolate is broken and taste the smooth, creamy and silky texture.
During the tea break many members took the opportunity to buy some of the chocolates that Angela had brought with her. Some flavours are unique and the chilli and lime white chocolate was particularly enjoyed. Novelties were on display too, such as the winter scene and the mini chocolate pizzas in their own pizza boxes. Angela continues to experiment and her enthusiasm for her ‘hobby’ was infectious.
The next meeting is the Birthday Party on Thursday 27 October. This is an opportunity for husbands and friends to join in for a buffet supper followed by entertainment provided by the Old Buckenham Players.

Affordable housing moves nearer

2011-09-25T14:25:00.000+01:00

Housing in St Andrews Close
The long awaited new development of fifteen 'affordable' houses will begin the spring of the next year now that the land transfer between Cotman Housing Association and Breckland Council has taken place. Other works will be carried out to areas near the site before the actual development starts.
It will be some twelve months before they are ready to be occupied but all the applicants will come from the Breckland Key Select scheme which is the housing register. If you have a housing need and either live in the village of Old Buckenham or have a local connection to the village you should consider applying to the register. This can be done by going online at www.brecklandhousing.co.ukIf you do not have access to a computer then you can telephone the Breckland housing team on 01362 656833.
Should you have any concerns about the development then please contact the enabling team at Breckland Council on 01362 656238.

Recycled books

2011-09-20T07:51:00.001+01:00

Want to pick up a Penguin (or even a hardback)
The Old Buckenham Village Environment and Recycling Group would like to thank everyone who contributed to, or brought from, its book stall at the village fete. The sum of £193.50 was raised for the stage lighting fund at the village hall. Most of the un-bought books have been distributed to the charity shops in Attleborough, Diss and Wymondham as well as the National Trust at Blickling. But a small collection of books has now been put at the back of All Saints Church for anyone to help themselves to anything that catches their eye.
If you would like to make a donation in return, the church always needs money for fabric maintenance and there is a collecting box in the wall on the left hand side of the door.

Luncheon Club celebrates

2011-09-18T06:35:00.003+01:00

Thirty years young
At the September meeting of the Old Buckenham Luncheon Club there were some special celebrations. The Club had reached its thirtieth birthday having been set up in 1981.
People in the village had been contacted by church organisers in Norwich to see if it would be possible to start a luncheon club for those who were living on their own and residing within the church group covering Banham, New Buckenham, Quidenham, Eccles and Wilby as well as Old Buckenham. So discussions started with Old Buckenham WI and the Luncheon Club was formed, meeting fortnightly in the village hall. As well as the volunteer cooks and helpers, other people were recruited to provide transport to and from the meetings.
A coffee morning is held once a year to raise some funds as the only income in the early days was what the members paid for their lunches (75p when things started). Funds have come from other sources since such as the New Buckenham Recycling scheme, Old Buckenham 2000 Trust, Age Concern and various grants for items such as a heated food trolley.
There are also four outings held each year where members are taken out by coach to some interesting location and then have a meal out before returning home. One year the Club went to Hunstanton and was having a picnic lunch when rain looked likely. They asked at the Little Theatre if they could shelter there and were let in to see the show at a reduced rate!
So many people have been involved with helping run the Luncheon Club that it is difficult to name just some of them. They know who they are, whether cooks, vegetable preparers, table layers, ‘taxi drivers’, treasurers, tea ladies or general helpers, and they can all give themselves a big pat on the back for all the hard work that they put in.
This thirtieth birthday lunch was special in many ways – a roast chicken dinner with wine was followed by fresh fruit salad – and a beautifully iced cake was then cut to complete the celebrations. Finally the members were only charged just 75p for their meal, just as they had been thirty years before.
May the club continue for many years to come.

Turning things around

2011-09-16T22:44:00.000+01:00

Social and Wine Circle
The speaker at the Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle meeting in September was Natalie Hutchinson. After an extraordinarily challenged life, she took back control of her life and used her vast experience to help start a successful business called ’Simply Hair’ which she sold in 2007.
Five years earlier, at the age of 34, Natalie had faced it all and lost everything. Then she realised that she had always allowed other people to control her and this changed her life dramatically. She picked herself up and by changing her perception of herself, took control over her own life by starting her own business.
She was the winner of the Barclays Bank ‘Trading Places’ award in 2006 for achievement in the face of adversity. She met the Queen at an ‘Achiever’s Reception’ held at Buckingham Palace during December 2006 and also met with Gordon Brown when he was Prime Minister.
In 2007 she set up an internet page called ‘Help to move on’ for victims of rape and sexual abuse which aimed to give advice both to victims and their families. She also produced a book entitled “Trading places” in the hope that hearing of her experiences could help others who might find themselves with similar problems.
The next meeting, on Thursday 13 October, will start at 7.45pm in the Church Rooms when Roger Cantwell will tell of his experiences in taking part in the BBC Mastermind programme.

Autumnal flowers

2011-09-15T02:13:00.002+01:00

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
In-house entertainment was provided by four committee members at September's meeting who demonstrated 'Autumn Medley'. Mellissa's all-round arrangement with a candle featured autumn fruit, flowers and foliage gleaned from her garden and hedgerows, Sally's formal parallel design included golden astilbes, sunflowers, dahlias and lilies. Joy and Christine's designs - one in a giant martini glass - for an autumn wedding contained a lovely mix of foliage, gerberas, roses and spun sisal together with two hand-ties placed in sisal frames and presented in fancy boxes.
The competition table was very colourful with basket arrangements of 'Garden Harvest' . The ‘Old Hands’ class was won by Ursula Jackson together with the monthly cup and Janet Skidmore won the ‘New Hands’ class. Shirley Penfold's sedum won the table show.
The next meeting will take place on Thursday 13 October at Old Buckenham Village Hall starting at 2pm when Ben Potterton (of Blacksmith Nursery, Dickleburgh) will be talking on plants and flowers. The competition will be for an arrangement 'Inspired by a Fan' and the table show asks for three stems of from the garden.

Produce show part 3

2011-09-13T11:04:00.001+01:00

Everyone is a winner
The produce and handicraft items were displayed around two rooms in the hall and the judges were kept busy during the morning deciding on the best exhibits. There was some serious competition in most of the classes, particularly the handicraft and the vegetables, and this provided plenty for all the visitors to see in the afternoon.
The trophies and other prizes were presented by Terry Cracknell. Olive Shickle again collected the prize for the flower classes with the pot plant award going to John Frost. Barbara Frost came top in the preserves and Annette Winters the prize for cookery. The wine prize went to Geoff Rix. As usual it was very competitive in the vegetable and fruit classes with Ray Snow from Banham managing to score the most points and also taking the award for the best tray of vegetables. Betty Stacey from Attleborough retained the trophy for the handicraft section with Shirley Penfold from Attleborough collecting the cup for the flower arranging classes. The shield for the Art section was shared between Elaine Carr and Ron Brewer.
The children’s classes produced some imaginative, interesting and colourful entries. Martha Richardson won the section for children under 7 with Toby Richardson taking first place for those between 8 and 11. Megan Richardson was successful in the over-twelve category and she also collected the special award for the best exhibit in all the children’s classes.
This year the overall winner of the cup for the most points in the whole show was Barbara Frost with 59 points, followed by Ray Snow on 46 points.
Thanks to the generosity of many of the entrants, the prize-giving was followed by an enjoyable auction of produce conducted by Mike Bartlett. This provided many laughs, great bargains and raised useful funds in the process. The large raffle draw came next and the proceedings ended with Old Buckenham WI’s president, Susan Hunter, thanking all the WI members and others from the village who had worked so hard to ensure the event was both enjoyable and successful.

Produce show part 2

2011-09-12T19:41:00.000+01:00

The decision makers
One thing the visitors don't see is what goes on after all their entries have been put on the display benches and they have gone home to have some lunch.
This is when the panel of judges move in. Quietly they go round looking and examining all the individual entries. Using their own specialised expertise they decide on what has come first, second or third in each class. Following on behind are the stewards who are recording the results and completing place cards. Also behind the scenes there are others analysing the points in each group of classes and deciding who will win the various cups and prizes.
By the time the exhibitors come back in the afternoon, everything is ready for the public to see how well everyone has done and to consider how they might do better next time.
Of course not everyone agrees with the judges' decisions, just one look at some of the children's monsters made from fruit and/or vegetables shows how difficult the job of judging can be.

Produce show part 1

2011-09-11T21:29:00.000+01:00

Surprise visitor
It was setting up time at the Old Buckenham Produce and Handicraft Show today when a surprise visitor came rushing in, microphone in hand. It was Nanette from BBC Radio Norfolk who was trying to solve clue one of the Treasure Quest programme on Sunday 11 September. She was looking for a jar of strawberry jam and, when she found her way to the entries of preserves, there was the envelope containing clue two for her to open.
Not being able to hear what was being broadcast from the studio in Norwich made for some interesting conversations as the 'experts' in the hall tried to solve this clue. Eventually Nannette and driver/sound engineer Keith were told to go off to Forncett End, the BBC car left the car park and those bringing their entries for the Produce Show carried on as usual.
For the next week you can hear the programme by going to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00jz1ff/Treasure_Quest_11_09_2011/

Latest parish news

2011-09-09T19:38:00.001+01:00

September’s parish council minutes
The following notes have been prepared by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended later.
Two members of the public were present and all parish councillors except Sarah Windle and Jonathan Kemp who had sent their apologies.
Minutes of the July Parish Council meeting. These were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting
Matters arising from the minutes. John Frost said the Church Room toilets would not be able to be made available for users of the play area.
‘Doe Lane meeting’ notes. Tim Ing said he had concerns over the continuing referral to these notes. Having received comments from residents that the meeting was attended by only 30 residents it was not necessarily the views of the village. As chairman he sought the views of the other councillors who, in the main, supported his view. The councillors said that the open forum meeting being held on Saturday 24 September would address any concerns and the Doe Lane meeting notes no longer need to be discussed.
Health and Safety policy. It was proposed by Sandra Dye and seconded by Carol Marshall that the policy be adopted. This was agreed unanimously.
Governance and accountability policy. This was proposed by Adrian Joel and seconded by Sarah Dye that the policy be adopted, this was agreed unanimously.
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Tim Ing said Parish Council had £500 from the Pride of Norfolk Awards competition and, having heard from organisations in the village, it was the view of many that the money be spent on a celebration of the jubilee. It was suggested that the matter be discussed at the open forum meeting on Saturday 24 September.
Bribery Act 2010. The Parish Clerk gave a brief outline of this new legislation which came into force on 1st July 2011. It placed a responsibility on all public bodies and businesses to have a policy to ensure no corruption took place in their organisations. The Parish Clerk said that as the Parish Council had very strict financial regulations and Governance and Accountability policies there was a minimum risk of theParish Council or its employees being open to bribery. Akis Chrisovelides is to carry out a risk assessment on the matter and report back to the Parish Council.
Planning applications. Land adjacent to 12 Hargham Road. Three bedroom dwelling and garage. It was proposed by Derek Smalley seconded by Akis Chrisovelides that this be rejected. This was agreed unanimously.
Ashwood Farm, Stacksford. Change of use from agriculture. This was agreed with 8 votes for and with Tim Ing abstaining as he had declared an interest.
Eel Farm. Fen Street. Removal of condition 8 of earlier planning application and new garage block and alterations. Proposed by Derek Smalley and seconded by Paul Boggia that it be approved. This was agreed with 8 votes for and 1 against.
All the following applications were proposed by Derek Smalley and seconded by John Frost that there be no objections. This was agreed unanimously.
New Barn Farm. Installation of two small turbines.
The Coal Yard. Erection of fuel storage building.
Crown Lane Cottage, Crown Road. Variation to conditions of previous planning application.
Abacus House,The Green. Proposed new rear sunroom.
Old Buckenham Mill, Mill Road. Removal of old stocks and sails, replace and repair.
Old School House, The Green. Installation of solar panels.
Twitchers Cottage, Stacksford. Erection of mobile home for use as an annex.
Planning decisions received. The Shrublands, Puddledock. Refused by Breckland Council.
Approval of accounts payable. It was pointed out that all village organisations that wished to apply for a grant had to have a written application to the Parish Clerk by Friday 30 September 2011.
District Councillor’s report. Cotman Housing Association has confirmed that they will be starting on the site at St Andrews Close in June/July 2012. They will be doing drainage works in early 2012. Adrian Joel informed the meeting that Breckland councillors are looking for additional members for their Youth Council. This organisation allows young people to put forward their views and ideas to Breckland Council. Any young person interested should contact Steph Barnard on 01362 656870 by Friday 30 September. Breckland Council are making funding of up to £100 for organisations organising street parties to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, contact Adrian Joel on 01953 860663 regarding this.
Parish Councillors' Reports. Tom Johnson said he attended a meeting of the Attleborough Task Force in late July along with Adrian Joel. Tom Johnson had also attended a recent meeting of the Village Hall committe. He then raised the matter of the circulation folder taking too long to get round to councillors. It was agreed that all councillors would only keep the folder for a maximum of two days before passing it on to the next councillor. Paul Boggia raised the matter of village archives and said Roger Wilson was not able to part with his own archives. The Village Hall has offered space to store them. John Frost raised the matter of footballs being used on the Recreation Area hitting parked cars and causing damage. The Parish Clerk explained the legal aspects of this and suggested a notice be erected saying that the Parish Council did not accept any responsibility for damage caused to parked vehicles. The Recreation Area working party should carry out a risk assessment on this situation. Derek Smalley informed the meeting that there had been no meeting of Homewatch for two months. He had attended the Attleborough Community Trust meeting. Three welcome packs for new residents had been delivered during the month and any new residents who had not received one should contact him. He then said Community Car scheme rates had increased and that users of the scheme now had to pay an addition 2.5p per mile for the service. He also raised the matter of funerals at the church and the play area being used by large number of children at the same time. He suggested asking parents to make their children aware of the funeral taking place and to keep their children quiet whilst the funeral cortege passed the play area. The Parish Clerk suggested a letter be created and then handed out each time a funeral took place. He suggested a sign be put out whenever a funeral took place. Tim Ing sought other councillors’ views on the matter. Carol Marshall and Tom Johnson are to liaise on the matter. Derek Smalley then said that the oil buying group now had 50 members signed up and have started using the service. He requested feedback on the service to assess the savings made and to see if they could be improved. Carol Marshall said the Recreation Area was opened in July by Tim Ing and with a football match and she thanked all the volunteers who helped on the opening. Also a village-wide garage sale had been carried out on Sunday 23 August and raised £415 before costs for the Recreation Area funds. Akis Chrisovelides said he had concerns that the school had started a youth council and they already had people in place who could qualify to run it as they were CRB checked. He is in contact with Breckland Council on the whole matter. Adrian Joel said the allotments were in full use and being enjoyed by the residents. New tenancy agreements had to be agreed and he would draft amended ones and circulate to all councillors for their comments before next meeting. He then read out an email from the Old Buckenham Allotment Society (OBAS) on various points which he would deal with direct. A letter from a tenant had requested permission to erect a polytunnel on his allotment. Tim Ing and Adrian Joel are to arrange a site visit and contact the tenant in question. Adrian Joel said an allotment Liaison Group Meeting would be arranged for September. Tim Ing referred to the Open Forum Meeting being held on Saturday 24 September and asked all parish councillors to attend and for all working parties to have a presentation ready for the meeting. The amenity area would be discussed at the next Green Right Proprietors meeting. Tim Ing said he was trying to obtain a map of all footpaths within the village.
Parish Clerk’s report. A letter had been received from Breckland Council seeking the views of the Parish Council on future opportunities for development in the village. The Localism Bill will give more powers to parish councisl in respect of planning applications and Breckland wanted the views of what the Parish Council would find acceptable in terms of future development suggestions. The Parish Clerk is to invite Ms Darryl Smith of Breckland Council to the November parish council meeting.
Highways. Tim Ing raised matter of lorries encroaching on the footpath near the war memorial and had spoken to Norfolk County Council (NCC) on the matter and they will look into it and see if any measure could be installed to prevent it happening in future. He had also raised the matter of gritting of roads and tried to get it extended within the village but was told by NCC that this would not be possible. NCC had informed him that the budget was in place for year 2012/13 for possible surface improvements of roads near the play area.
The Green. Tim Ing said next meeting of the Green Right Proprietors would be on Tuesday 4 October and they would look at improvements to parking around the play area and public house. He had met with local fencing contractors Carriageman about the cost of post and rail fencing on the Green. Adrian Joel raised the matter of precepting for maintenance of the Green in the future if the Parish Council and the Green Right Proprietors entered into a partnership.
The next meetings of the Parish Council are the Open Forum meeting on Saturday 24 September at 10am and the normal monthly meeting on Thursday 6 October at 7.30pm. Both meetings will be held at the Village Hall.

Produce and Handicraft Show

2011-09-08T08:58:00.000+01:00

Come along and see what the people of Old Buckenham can produce

Old Buckenham village fete (part three)

2011-09-04T19:00:00.002+01:00

Photogenic dancers
When Kenninghall Morris come to perform at the fete it provides one of those colourful items that you just have to try to photograph. Here are some images of the dancing, helped by the fact that the sun was shining on their multi-couloured outfits.

More details at www.kenninghallmorris.org.uk/

More pictures of the Old Buckenham fete

2011-09-04T11:01:00.002+01:00

Some of the entertainment

There was Punch and Judy for the children (?)

Pony rides (really for the children)

A well-loaded raffle table

The dog show was well supported

One entrant was the same colours as his master's make-up

(but more about the Morris dancers in the next post)

A near perfect day

2011-09-03T20:41:00.000+01:00

Pictures of the village fete
The sun shone, the stall holders were enthusiastic, the entertainers entertained, the visitors visited and seemed to be spending their money at the Old Buckenham village fete today.
Here are some photos to show what you might have missed. More will follow tomorrow.

Mid-morning as setting up begins

Muriel performs the official opening...

...and then tries her luck on the stalls

The car boot gets going...

...while other drool over cars...

...or wait for their food to be cooked.

(to be continued)

Hearing dogs for the deaf

2011-09-02T09:15:00.000+01:00

WI in August
Assistance Dogs was the theme of Old Buckenham WI’s August meeting when Loiuse Brundell gave an illustrated talk about ‘Hearing Dogs for the Deaf.’ Most people are familiar with Guide Dogs for the Blind but unaware that dogs can be trained assist those with a hearing disability.
The charity was the brainchild of a police dog handler who, in 1976, visited the USA and witnessed working Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. In collaboration with a hearing therapist, Tony Blunt started to fund raise in earnest. By 1986 the first few Hearing Dogs were working and now there are over a thousand dogs around the country.
Many of the first dogs were rescue dogs though now most come from dedicated breeders. Labradors, retrievers, King Charles spaniels and poodles make the best Hearing Dogs. These dogs spend the first few months of their lives with a foster family undergoing socialisation. At six months they are assessed for their aptitude. They need to be obedient, sociable, calm, confident and curious. All dogs are sent to the training centre in Yorkshire where they are trained to respond to basic sounds – a doorbell, smoke alarm, telephone and clock alarm. The handler can request other responses too.
The trainer then works with the dog and the new owner for about a week to ensure the new relationship is established. After three months in its new home, the dog returns to the centre for a final test. On completion of this test the dog is given a special coat with the Assistance Dog logo and an identity card.
The headquarters in Buckinghamshire was opened in 2000 and is the centre of the fund raising team. One hundred and fifty dogs a year are trained and this is expensive. There is a huge demand for Hearing Dogs and the waiting list is long.
The members at the meeting were reminded of their participation at the Village Fete and also the annual village Produce and Handicraft Show, run by the WI and needing plenty of entries from members.
The next WI meeting is on Thursday 22 September when the speaker will be Angela Ruthven with a demonstration of chocolate making. The competition will be for an unusual teaspoon.

Old Buckenham village fete 2011

2011-09-01T08:38:00.000+01:00

Why not come along and join in?

(just click on the poster to enlarge it)

Another month, another cover

2011-08-31T13:38:00.000+01:00

Now available for all to read

Quiet month in the village?

2011-08-30T02:39:00.002+01:00

Diary dates for September
Thursday 1 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 2 Crib drive, Village Hall, 2pm
Saturday 3 Debating Society, Church Rooms, 10am to noon
Saturday 3 Village Fete, Village Hall grounds, 2pm start
Sunday 4 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 5 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Tuesday 6 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon
Wednesday 7 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Thursday 8 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 8 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm
Friday 9 Yogacise, Village Hall, start of weekly sessions, 9am
Friday 9 'One Stop Bus' outside Village Shop, 10am to 12 noon
Sunday 11 Harvest Festival, Methodist Chapel, Hargham Rd, 10.45am
Sunday 11 Produce and Handicraft Show, Village Hall, 2pm
Sunday 11 Askew Agricultural Museum, open 2pm to 5pm
Sunday 11 Old Buckenham windmill, open 2pm to 5pm
Monday 12 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm
Monday 12 Service and sale of produce, Methodist Chapel, 7.15pm
Wednesday 14 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 14 Kids' Street Dance, start of weekly sessions, 4pm to 6pm
Sunday 18 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 19 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Monday 19 Buckenham Pre-school AGM, Pre-school building, 7.30pm
Wednesday 21 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Thursday 22 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 23 A Hat Trick of Plays, OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 24 Open Parish Council Forum, Village Hall, 10am
Saturday 24 A Hat Trick of Plays, OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Tuesday 27 Village Fete 'wash up' meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Wednesday 28 Luncheon Club outing

Memories at the Fete

2011-08-29T12:22:00.002+01:00

The day war broke out

Wymondham and Attleborough Talking Newspaper (WATN) will be trying to collect up some interesting information at the Old Buckenham village fete on Saturday 3 September. Being the "3rd of September", the day that the war broke out, it is hoped that as well as informing people at the fete about the service that WATN provides, they will be able to record some of the local people telling of their experiences in the village during the last war. This is particularly appropriate as 453rd Bomb Group of the Amercan airforce was based at Old Buckenham Airfield during that time.
Members of WATN aim to record short features to go into the weekly summary of local news that they produce for those with limited or no vision. Their attendance at the fete, which opens at 2pm at Old Buckenham Village Hall, may also introduce this service to those who could benefit from it.

Keep moving

2011-08-28T01:30:00.002+01:00

Exercise for all ages
Two new activities will start in Old Buckenham Village Hall next month.
Eileen Oliver’s first Yogacise class will be on Friday 9 September. Normally these classes will start at 9.30am but this first session will need to start at 9am because of other hall bookings. Eileen is sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Meg Howard is starting weekly ‘Kids Street Dance’ classes in the Village Hall on Wednesdays. The first one is on Wednesday 14 September from 4pm to 6pm.

Genuine help for Third World

2011-08-26T04:52:00.001+01:00

Textile collections
Members of the local community are no doubt fully aware that from time to time the village, through the Old Buckenham Village Environmental and Recycling Group, arrange to collect textiles for the Third World. Any remuneration from this exercise through landfill payments, etc, is paid into village organisations.
Recently the situation arose where some households left collections for the Salvation Army and the collection failed to materialise. One resident telephoned the Salvation Army to be informed they had no knowledge of a collection taking place in Old Buckenham. It has since been established through Radio Norfolk that the proposed collection was not genuine.
Our village collections are genuine. Before committing ourselves to the operation our District Councillor, Adrian Joel, visited the premises at West Bromwich to satisfy himself of all aspects of their operation.
The next village collection is on Tuesday 4 October with kerbside collection commencing at 9am (or if you prefer at the Village Hall car park between 8.30am and 9am). If you have uncollected donations from another appeal please ring Mike on 860462 to arrange collection.

Answers on village issues

2011-08-24T22:56:00.000+01:00

Quiz your parish council
A special forum meeting arranged by Old Buckenham Parish Council will be held on Saturday 24 September at the Village Hall starting at 10am.
There will be an update by parish council members on various village projects and this will be followed by an open forum for residents to put forward their ideas and opinions. So you have just a month to think up those questions.

Six hundred up
Some irrelevant statistics. This is the six hundreth post on this blog since it started in 2008. The site now gets about 150 visits a week and three-quarters of these are from the UK.
The United States come next with 8% and all other countries are less than 2%. Visits have come from around 150 different countries all over the world and a third of all visits have arrived via a Google search.

Practical recycling

2011-08-21T23:20:00.000+01:00

Garage sales galore
There was activity all over Old Buckenham today with over thirty households having their own personal garage sales. People came from far and near to see what they could find, with one person's 'rubbish' often turning out to be just what they wanted. There was extra car traffic, plenty of people cycling around and even more walking from place to place and discovering parts of the village that they had never seen before.
The event was organised to raise funds to pay for more equipment on the recently opened recreation area. Over a hundred people bought maps to find where all the sales were taking place while the hot dogs, bacon rolls and other refreshments sold out quicker than expected.
Those households selling their unwanted goods seemed satisfied with the level of sales and so a lot of stuff that would have gone to landfill went away to live a little longer.
The weather just about managed to stay dry, the sun popped out occasionally and soon after lunchtime everything calmed down and the village returned to its near normal sleepy Sunday state.

Coming soon from Old Buckenham Players

2011-08-18T14:49:00.000+01:00

Just click on the image to enlarge it

Call my wine bluff

2011-08-16T23:03:00.001+01:00

Social and Wine sampler
The Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle meeting in August took the form of a “Call my Bluff” but with wine instead of words. The attendance was low but there were two teams in action as they tried to identify four mystery wines. Chairman David Sallnow and his wife Jenny had also provided three descriptions for each of these wines. The descriptions were of course full of the flowery language that ‘wine experts’ seem to revel in so deciding on the correct one was a difficult job.
Even so the teams managed to choose the correct wine in three out of the four bottles It was also interesting to find out that all four wines were from a local supermarket and had cost less than £4 a bottle.
There was time for some discussion on what wines the members preferred and thanks were given to David and Jenny for all the time and energy they had spent in preparing everything for the evening.
At the next meeting on Thursday 8 September the speaker will be Natalie Hutchinson with a talk entitled “Help to move on”. All are welcome to come along that evening at 7.45pm in the Church Rooms.

Swirls and Curls

2011-08-14T09:50:00.001+01:00

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
Rosemary Ward brought her slides of Southern France to the August meeting illustrating Roman fortifications and some of the flowers that managed to grow amongst the ancient stones, as well as colourful meadows found higher up in the mountains.
'Swirls and Curls' were much in evidence on the competition table - the winner of the new hands class was Janet Skidmore and Ursula Jackson won the old hands class as well as the monthly cup.
Jean Vernon won the table show with her vase of three stems of 'hot colour from the border'.
The next meeting will be held at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 8 September at 2pm when 'The Girls' will be demonstrating 'Autumn Medley'.
The competition title is 'Garden Harvest' - a basket to include fruit and/or vegetables; the Joan Fisher cup to be awarded for the best use of colour.
Any fruit, flower or vegetable can be brought for the table show.
Visitors are always welcome at the meetings. Further details from Pat on 457305 or Sally on 788712.

Victorian gentlemen

2011-08-10T12:02:00.001+01:00

Famous men in Norwich
At Old Buckenham WI’s meeting in late July the speaker was Barbara Miller from Norwich. The subject of her talk was "Three Victorian Gentleman and one other". The three gentlemen in question were Thomas Bignold, Jacob Henry Tillett and Jeremiah James Colman.
James Bignold, the founder of Norwich Union, ran an insurance business from a back room in a house in the Haymarket before moving on to premises in Surrey Street. He was Mayor of the City from 1843 to 1848 and was knighted in 1854.
Jacob Henry Tillett (1818-1892) was born into a non-conformist Norwich family. He became a solicitor in 1839 and was a Liberal Party politician. In 1845 he was one of the founder members of Norfolk News. When the paper was first published it consisted of four pages of local news. It came out on a Saturday and the concern was that people might read it on a Sunday! (The paper subsequently became the EDP as we know it today).
Jeremiah James Colman was of course the founder of the Colman Mustard empire. He was also a Mayor of Norwich and a Liberal MP. He was a great benefactor to the City of Norwich, giving money for the restoration of St Peter Mancroft and for the west front of Norwich Cathedral.
The fourth Victoria gentleman was William Houghton Clabburn. He was a major industrialist of Norwich, being a partner in the company, Clabburn Son & Crisp, which manufactured the famous Norwich shawls. This gentleman was the most generous patron of Frederick Sandys, a pre-Raphelite painter (also born in Norwich). Clabburn and Sandys were friends as well as patron and artist. Clabburn owned 23 paintings, many of which were portraits of the three Victorian gentlemen described earlier.
After the break for refreshments, members were pleased to welcome a member from Diss WI who had represented them at the National Annual General Meeting held in Liverpool in June. She reported back that 21,000 new members had joined the WI during the last 12 months. Plans are well under way for the WI Centenary Year (1915) including a 15,000-member capacity at the O2 Arena in London. Speakers at the Liverpool meeting included Erwin James (Guardian columnist and former prison inmate), Dr Rita Gardner, the first woman Director of the Royal Geographical Society and Sir Steven Redgrave, who talked about his worldwide charity work as Fairtrade Ambassador. He applauded the WI for its role as one of the founders of the fairtrade movement in the UK. The meeting ended with the appearance of the national WI singing group, The Harmonies, who performed a medley of hits from their album.

Fun for all

2011-08-07T00:35:00.002+01:00

A Party in the Park
Bucks Just Play invited everyone along to their Party in the Park at the Old Buckenham Children's Play Area on Saturday 6 August. It was a free event funded by a Sustainability grant from Community Spaces.
There were constant queues for the face painting while Stevie Spud entertained with items such as plate spinning and ballon animals.
It is just over a year since the play area was officially opened and it is proving very popular with the local children (as well as their mums, dads, carers, grandparents, etc). Well done to all concerned.

How much remains?

2011-08-06T01:47:00.001+01:00

The view today
Just compare this photograph of what is now "The Clinic on the Green" with the drawing done in 1947 of the same scene (posted earlier on Thursday 28 July).

Blooming better allotments

2011-08-04T17:48:00.000+01:00

What a difference nine months makes
Just compare the picture taken late in October 2010 with one taken at the end of July this year.

Still plenty to do

2011-08-01T06:56:00.000+01:00

Diary dates for August

Tuesday 2 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

Wednesday 3 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Wednesday 3 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

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

Friday 5 Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 5 Norfolk Balloon Meet, Old Buckenham Airfield

Saturday 6 Party in the Park, Children's Play Area, 2pm to 4pm

Saturday 6 Norfolk Balloon Meet, Old Buckenham Airfield

Sunday 7 Norfolk Balloon Meet, Old Buckenham Airfield

Sunday 7 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 8 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Tuesday 9 Oil scheme meeting, Church Rooms, 7pm

Thursday 11 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm

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

Friday 12 'One Stop Bus' outside Village Shop, 10am to 12 noon

Sunday 14 Askew Agricultural Museum, open 2pm to 5pm

Sunday 14 Old Buckenham windmill, open 2pm to 5pm

Tuesday 16 Village Fete meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Wednesday 17 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Wednesday 17 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Saturday 20 Garage sale at Karmel, the Green, 8am to 4pm

Sunday 21 Village Garage Sale, maps available from 10am

Sunday 21 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Thursday 25 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

A visit from The Upper Octave

2011-07-31T01:35:00.002+01:00

Songs from the shows at All Saints
Last night provided a most enjoyable evening’s entertainment in All Saints Church, Old Buckenham. Around eighty people, many from outside the village, came along to be entertained by The Upper Octave who performed their concert “Bizet to Broadway”.
The event was organised to raise funds for the church and turned out to be a most wonderful way to both raise funds and have a wonderful time. With the church rigged up with special sound and lighting equipment, the group performed a wide range of music from various operas and varied musicals.
Starting with the Phantom of the Opera (in costume) they travelled through Tosca, Iolanthe, Evita, South Pacific, The King and I, Carmen, and Les Miserables to mention just a few. They even managed to squeeze in a song by Victoria Wood before a finale of Love Changes Everything from Aspects of Love.
A standing ovation at the end meant that there had to be an encore to keep the audience happy.
Half time had provided the chance to have a glass of wine and some real home-cooked refreshments. As the evening drew on, the colourful but subdued lighting in the darkened church gave the performance that little something extra.
Should you have missed this show, the cast took the opportunity to tell everyone that they will be performing at the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich on Sunday 4 December. Why not book now, you’ll enjoy it as much as the singers enjoy their singing.
There is also a rumour that they may be back in Old Buckenham in the summer of 2012 – if so, you will read about it here…

The lighting levels during the show were not really conducive to photography but the group posed outside before the second half and were also pictured having some welcome refreshments after they had finished their singing.

Old Buckenham cricket pitch

2011-07-30T12:03:00.000+01:00

Archie MacLaren and Mr Porter
Can any of the blog readers expand on the links with Old Buckenham of Archie MacLaren. He was one of the leading players of cricket's Golden Age, heir to W G Grace as England captain and therefore the country's foremost sporting celebrity. After his Test match career ended and a string of business ventures failed, he was given the job of Lionel Robinson's cricket manager and provided with accommodation on the Old BuckenhamHall estate.
It is understood that Archie and his family lived at The Manor when he first came to Old Buckenham in 1911/12, but during or after the First World War moved to Warren House. An EDP article reveals he was still resident on the estate at the time of the 1921 Australian match (for which he was selected and captained Robinson's English XI). It says: "Groundsman Porter, who was wounded in the war, has had the benefit of the sound advice of Mr A C MacLaren, whose house is almost within a golf-shot distance of the cricket pitch."
Archie probably left Old Buckenham not long after, as Lionel Robinson's health was in serious decline and he died 14 months after staging the most prestigious cricket match ever played in Norfolk.
It would also be interesting to learn something more of Groundsman Porter, who was afflicted by a severe limp as a result of the wounds he sustained while fighting in France. Did he or members of his family have on-going links with the village?

If you can provide any information on this subject you can use the commenting facility below or send an email to oldbuckhistory@aol.com

More local history

2011-07-29T09:56:00.000+01:00

Our local garage
Here is more information connected to the drawing shown in the last post.
Herbert Westfield, moved to the village around 1924/5 from Essex and set up a garage and shop at the former Reading Room, now the Clinic on the Green. He repaired cars and cycles, sold petrol and paraffin, charged accumulators and so on. His wife Elsie ran the little shop next door until Herbert retired aged 80 in 1951 and they moved to Attleborough. They sold the business to Leslie Loveday.
The drawing illustrates of how the place looked in 1947. The (very) amateur artist was Maurice "Pally" Large, who lived across the road (his father was Will Large). It probably wouldn't win any prizes in the village art competition today but is an intriguing depiction of how the building, which has undergone many changes over the years, looked at the time.
Incidentally, in contrast to the present day, the village petrol station thrived in those days. In the 1930s, Westfield's sold the cheapest petrol for miles around - at a ha'penny under a shilling (5p) a gallon. That's about 1p a litre!

When we had a garage

2011-07-28T04:53:00.002+01:00

Sixty-four years ago
A reader of this blog has sent in a copy of a drawing done in 1947 of what is now the 'Clinic on the Green'. As was pointed out, this drawing by Maurice Large would not win any prizes in an art exhibition but it does give an idea of what things used to look like.