What's on in June

 Diary dates for June

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

Thursday 2        Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 3              Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 4         Debating Society, Church Rooms, 10am

Sunday 5           Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 6       Roadside clothing collection from 9am

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

Tuesday 7          Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

Wednesday 8    Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 9       Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm

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

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

Sunday 12         Askew Agricultural Museum, open 2pm to 5pm

Sunday 12         Old Buckenham windmill, open 2pm to 5pm

Monday 13        Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Tuesday 14        Village Fete meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Wednesday 15   Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Sunday 19          Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

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

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

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

Saturday 25   Cheese and Wine party, 1 Mill Lane Cottages, 6.30pm

  Monday 27          Buckenham Pre-school open event, 3.15pm to 4.30pm

Parish Council report for May

May parish council
The attendance was that for the Annual Parish Council Meeting (see previous post). No apologies for absence had been received.
The minutes of the Parish Council meeting in April were agreed.
Matters arising from the minutes. Adrian Joel said the allotments had the water installed and available now, also a tree had to be removed from the site by the land owner. He said some allotment holders would like to see water further down the site. A liaison meeting will be held soon and amendments to tenancy agreements will need to be made to include water charges. The question of funding for the war memorial was raised and the clerk said it would be dealt with by a meeting of the trustees of the Former Highway’s Surveyors Land after the Parish Council meeting. Adrian Joel then raised the matter of the old play area photos and said that Roger Wilson may display them if he can get some help and there is a need to agree a place to display them so they are available to residents.
Adoption of accounts. The accounts were agreed.
Governance and Accountability statement. The Annual Governance and Accountability statement relating to the accounts signed as the council had fully complied.
Play Area. A quote had been received from Playdale to carry out the annual inspection of the play area for £195, the benefit being that any faults founds could be fixed straightaway. ROSPA would charge a similar amount but would need to schedule another meeting to fix any problems. The Parish Clerk asked for the council’s permission to allow Playdale to carry out the inspection, this was granted. Adrian Joel gave details of a recent accident involving a child on a piece of equipment but the Parish Clerk said he had no details of the incident as he has an accident record book for the play area. The meeting was informed that some more fencing was broken but Mike Craven-Romain said he had fixed the problem.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Crown Lane Cottage. Installation of two wind generators. Permission granted.
Tall Trees, New Buckenham Road. Installation of a small wind generator. Permission granted.
Ragmere Farm. Erection of single-storey extension and rear including garaging rebuild and rear building range connected. Permission granted.
Cart Lodge, Cake Street. Ground floor single storey extension, glazed door to replace window in kitchen west elevation. Permission granted. 31 Oaklands. Demolish existing wall and erect new wall. Permission refused.
Cart Lodge, Cake Street. Ground floor single storey extension, glazed door into kitchen replace window on west elevation and internal alterations. Permission granted.
Old Dairy Farm. Minor material alteration to planning permission Permission granted.
Doe Lane meeting notes. Adrian Joel gave out copies of the notes to the new councillors and asked them to read them and consider two items for discussion at next month’s meeting. The item to be put on the June agenda.
Youth Council. Adrian Joel said he had spoken to Breckland on the matter of starting a youth council. He said he had a DVD for the working party showing how to start a youth council and asked if they would look at it. It was explained that the purpose of a youth council was a liaison between the young of the village and the Parish Council.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel said that he was pleased to be re-elected as District Councillor and looked forward to serving residents for the next four years. The Buckenham ward had the highest turnout of voters in Breckland at 53.7%. He then said Cotman Housing Association have applied to the Homes and Communities Agency for a grant to build the fifteen new homes in St Andrews Close. They should have an answer by July this year and he will keep the Parish Council and residents updated on the situation.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Tim Ing said he wanted the new Parish Council to be a receptive and pro-active council, listening to the community and working together to take the village forward. Derek Smalley welcomed the four new councillors and hoped they would all work together to take the Parish Council forward and support the Chairman and Parish Clerk. He then said Homewatch was having a meeting in May and he hoped to have more on ‘cold calling’ in the village. They also hope to get more areas in the village covered by the Homewatch scheme and set up a village co-ordinator for the scheme. He also raised the matter of setting up a bulk oil purchasing scheme in the village. He said he would continue to supply welcome packs to new residents in the village. The meeting was then informed that the Village Hall car park was being used as a skid pad by youngsters. He then asked if stone picking was going to take place on the recreation area after ground maintenance had taken place. Carol Marshall gave an overview of the present situation regarding the recreation area. She said they would need to purchase new goal nets as the proposed second hand ones were not suitable. They have a quote for £500 for ground maintenance and one for £516.99 from the original contractor but the best one was for £400 and asked if the Parish Council would agree to this. This was agreed unanimously. They also have three quotes for MUGA and they will discuss the matter of the village hall using the area for its fete at their next working party meeting. Jonathan Kemp said the business plan for the recreation area would hopefully be ready for the next Parish Council meeting. Tom Johnson suggested the Parish Clerk send a letter to the person who failed to get elected suggesting her as a first alternative if a new parish councillor is required. The Parish Clerk is to arrange. Tom Johnson then said as the road past the play area now had tarmac laid on it, the Parish Council should try to get a permanent 20 mph speed limit introduced (the Parish Clerk to write to Highways on the matter). Tim Ing asked if a letter could be sent to Carriageman thanking them for the free gate on the allotments, the Parish Clerk is to arrange.
Highways. The matter of a water leak in Crown Road was raised.The Parish Clerk explained that he had contacted Anglian Water who said they have no pipes there so it was not their problem. The Parish Clerk to write to Highways on the matter. Adrian Joel said the local highways engineer had done a great job since taking over and he would go thank him personally. Sarah Windle raised the matter of speeding vehicles in the winter at Crown Road and Ragmere Road. The traffic sign at Grove Road/Ragmere Road has graffiti on it and the Parish Clerk agreed to write to Highways on the matter.
Parish Clerk’s report. An email was read out from the Allotment Society asking for new amendments to the tenancy agreements before their AGM on Tuesday 24 May. The Parish Clerk gave details of new councillors’ training courses, he will circulate details to all new councillors to see what dates were best for them to attend. He then read out a letter of a claim for ruined plants suffered by an allotment user (totalling £45.45) when allotments were adjusted in size and asked for council’s permission to pay, this was granted.
The Green. Tim Ing said a meeting would be set up as soon as possible between Old Buckenham Green Right Proprietors (OBGRP) and the Parish Council to find a way forward for the maintenance of the Green. John Frost suggested having a survey of the Green. Tim Ing and Sarah Dye would arrange a meeting with OBGRP to resolve some of the outstanding issues.
Items for next agenda. Recreation Area and Youth Council.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be at 7.30pm on Thursday 2 June in Old Buckenham Village Hall.

Parish AGM

Annual General Meeting

The parish clerk and all the newly elected parish councilors (except Akis Chrisovelides) were present on Thursday 12 May along with eleven members of the public.
Election of chairman. It was agreed unanimously that Tim Ing would be chairman.
Election of vice-chairman.Adrian Joel was elected to this post (agreed with nine for and one against).
Appointment of working parties.The following areas of responsibility were agreed:
Play area.

Sarah Dye

Recreation area.

Jonathan Kemp, Carol Marshall and Adrian Joel

Allotments.

Adrian Joel, John Frost and Carol Marshall

The Green.

Tim Ing

Planning.

Derek Smalley, Paul Boggia and Sarah Windle

Emergency Plan co-ordinator.

Sarah Windle

Village Hall.

Tom Johnson

Youth Council.

Carol Marshall, Adrian Joel and Derek Smalley

Amenity area.

Adrian Joel and John Frost

Attleborough Task Force.

Tom Johnson

South Norfolk Action Panel (SNAP).

Derek Smalley.

Chairman’s annual report. Tim Ing said that several major achievements have been completed within the year including the play area at a cost of £75,000 of which the Parish Council donated £5,000 from its reserves. He thanked the Play Area working which had committed to over 2,000 man hours to complete the project. Also the allotments had been set up in a very short period of time and were now being used. The Recreation Area is still being worked on and four more benches had been provided for the Green. The village had also won first place in the Pride of Breckland Award Scheme being the best village in its category in the whole of Norfolk. The Parish Council had received a £500 award under the scheme and was seeking suggestions as to how best spend the money. He thanked all the parish councillors for their hard work during the year.
Parish Clerk’s annual report.The Precept meeting for the financial year 2011/12 was held in October 2010 and the precept was set at £12,656 which equates to a 3.5% increase on the previous year. The increase was due to grants being given to the Village Hall, a total of £1700 towards repairs. All Saints Church received £500 to assist with the felling of a dangerous tree. Without these grants the precept would have decreased by 15%. As Responsible Finance Officer the Parish Clerk will be putting forward budget proposals for the financial years 2012/13 and 2013/14 at the current level of expenditure and, if possible, even a reduction in the budget expenditure for recommendation by the Parish Council. The Parish Council are fully aware of the harsh economic times for a large part of the villagers who are on fixed incomes. The Parish Council will therefore ensure strict financial and monetary controls are effected at all times and that all expenditure is within budgetary limits. During the year ending March 2011 the Parish Council received grants totalling £47,419 for the play area, recreation area and the allotments. In addition Breckland also contributed approximately £894 towards the Community Car Scheme. Expenditure for the year totalled approximately £73,535 (net of VAT) from a total income of £71,009. All these figures are subject to audit. The Parish Council gave grants from it reserves of £5,000 to the play area and £5,000 to recreation area. The Parish Council also carried out a full review and adopted new standing orders which bring it into line with current legislation along with a risk assessment of all its assets. The Parish Clerk would like to take this opportunity of thanking the parish councillors for their hard work and commitment to their responsibilities as councillors and for the support they have given over the past year.
After the Annual General Parish Council Meeting closed, it was followed by the monthly parish council meeting.

June is coming early

More for you to read
The June issue of the Old Buckenham village newsletter is ready to read a few days earlier than usual. All the latest news including the local parish and district council results.

Is this progress?

So what has the village got now?

How have things changed since the Domesday survey?
There is just one shop remaining in Old Buckenham but it still has the post office and a full off-licence. It has now changed its allegiance to Londis. All the other shops have gone, the last one twenty years ago.
There are still two pubs. The Ox and Plough and the Gamekeeeper (the new name for what was the White Horse).
There are no garden centres or nurseries, no garden machinery and repair shop or antique shop. There are no garages and the nearest place to buy petrol is now in Attleborough, some four miles away.
In the last month a fish and chip van has started coming to the village one day a week. There are two chances on a weekday to catch a bus into Norwich and a Flexibus service now exists that can be booked in advance to get to Attleborough or Diss.
No working phone boxes exist. To go to the doctor or dentist it is still necessary to go into Attleborough, Wymondham or Diss. A community car service, run by volunteers, is helpful for these journeys for those without their own transport.

Only 25 years ago...

What the Domesday project told us
Twenty-five years ago the BBC Domesday project collected basic information from all over the country, often from schoolchildren and local organisations. The entries for Old Buckenham make interesting reading today. Those living in the village now  might like to compare this description with what exists now.

In Old Buckenham there are four shops:
Whelan's sell frozen food, bicycles, 
confectionery, and does dry-cleaning 
and hairdressing.  Mr. Oliver's is the
butchers.  Spar sells groceries, has a
full off-licence and Post Office.    
Bloom's sells groceries, hardware,   
drapery, footwear, frozen foods and  
green-grocery. There are two pubs, the
White Horse and the Ox and Plough.   
The village also has a Garden Centre 
and two nurseries. There is also a   
Garden Machinery and repair shop.    
There are two garages which sell     
petrol and do repairs and an Antiques
shop. There is a Fish and Chip van   
which comes round 4 times a week.    
There is a once daily bus service    
to Norwich.  There are 3 bus stops, 2
telephone boxes and 6 post boxes. For
a doctor or dentist we have to go to 
Attleborough, Wymondham or Diss.

You can read more about the Old Buckenham of (not very) long ago by visiting the BBC website.

It runs in the family

Fun for all, thanks to Old Buckenham Players

The blog editor would like to thank Geogette Vale from Wymondham Players for this review of “It Runs in the Family” performed by  Old Buckenham Players in the Village Hall on Thursday 19, Friday 20 and Saturday 21 May.

Heartfelt congratulations to Old Buckenham Players for a wonderful performance of “It Runs in the Family”, a good old traditional farce by Ray Cooney, with all the trimmings of misunderstandings and cover-ups. They were not afraid to play up to the knicker jokes and the window-ledge dramas.

It was slick and fast but I could still hear every word. The actors showed throughout that they could all master the timing for laughs and there were lots of one-liners which need full concentration to get just right.
The play is set in a hospital in the early 1980s, with a background story of a boy finding out that his real father is a pillar of society who cheated on his wife. Judging by recent news reports this story will still have relevance in the future too.
Laurence Barnett’s strong direction was clearly evident, with lots of nice visual gags added in. It was well cast with no weak links. The lead double act of Tom Key and Chris Morter, playing Dr David Mortimore and Dr Hubert Bonney, were a real treat to watch. Jennie Harrison and Sharon Butcher were also good foils as Mrs Mortimer and Nurse Tate, the lover of 18 years (and nine months) ago.
Playing young Dr Connolly gave Sam Mann the chance to show that he has got just what it takes – great promise there. Josh Francis was Leslie, the18 year old punk with a range of volatile emotions, and the pompous Sir Willoughby-Drake was played steadily and firmly by Malcolm Robertshaw. Margaret White certainly did not disappoint as Matron – not too much “Carry-on film” but very much her own comedy character.
We all enjoyed the performance of Richard Crawley playing Bill – the old man confused when it suits but coming up with well placed truths. Josh Lincoln as the Police Sergeant gave a mature comedic performance, They always say you know you are getting older when policemen look young! It was a shame that the role of Sister was such a small part as I am sure Francesca Izzo would have been able to carry a larger role. At the end of play we were treated to Chris Allen’s delightful dippy old lady.
The behind-the-scenes preparation was clearly evident too. The set worked well, with lots of doors to rush in and out of and it’s not easy to get hold of hospital trolleys and nurses uniforms in sizes to fit big blokes!
All in all, a good choice of play with a great cast and the audiences loved it.
Profits from these performances will help finance the improvement of the stage lighting system in the Village Hall. It is in urgent need of replacement, this latest show was nearly cancelled as some equipment started melting during the last rehearsals...

Hilarious play

Players have everyone laughing
Last night Old Buckenham village hall was full of fun and hilarious laughter when the Old Buckenham Players put on their second night of Ray Cooey's 'It runs in the family'. If there are any tickets left for tonight then go along and see it.
So take a bow everyone.
It is hoped to include an independent review of the performance in the next few days.

Looking after others

Pact with animals
George Rockingham was the latest speaker to talk to members of Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle. At the May meeting in the Church Rooms he gave an impassioned talk about the People for Animal Care Trust charity that he and his wife set up some fifteen years ago. Their animal sanctuary, now situated at Woodrising near Hingham in Norfolk, is one of the largest in the country.
PACT rescues, rehabilitates, and where possible re-homes, neglected, injured and abandoned animals. Their specialty is 'problem animals', victims of physical or mental abuse. The animals are coaxed back to health, overcoming their distress and restoring their dignity. Many are re-homed. In most cases these poor creatures would have had no option other than euthanasia. In all cases the philosophy is 'What is best for the animals?’ and PACT has a strict ‘no kill' policy.
Running the sanctuary now costs around £700 per day and this money is raised in many ways. They have nearly 10,000 people on their mailing list and run five charity shops with more to be opened.
During 2010 they rescued and re-homed dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, rodents, ducks and geese. Other animals were added to their ever-growing resident population including rabbits, chickens and donkeys.
The next Social and Wine Circle meeting will be on Thursday 9 June when Patrick Thompson will be back to tell more about “Catering the royal way”. All are welcome at the Church Rooms for the meeting that starts at 7.45pm.

Passionate demonstration

 

Breckland Flower and Garden Club

The demonstration at May's meeting in Old Buckenham Village Hall was well attended when Ann Colby presented her title 'Feel the Passion'. Her love of garden flowers led her to becoming a demonstrator and her enthusiasm for colour was enjoyed by all members.
The competition for a continental design was won by Shirley Penfold (who was awarded the trophy for best use of garden plant material) with Margaret Smith and Sally Westrup in joint second place.
In the table show the winner was Joy Tunmore with Margaret Smith second and Shirley Penfold third.
Next month's meeting will take place on Thursday 9 June at Old Buckenham Village Hall starting at 2pm when Jane Steel (a national speaker) will give her talk ' My Claim to Fame'
The competition will be for an arrangement with the title 'Television Celebrity' to have a title card with the trophy being awarded for best use of colour. The table show will be for 'The First Rose of Summer' - a stem from your garden.
Visitors to this meeting will be made most welcome. Further details available from either Pat on 457305 or Sally on 788712.

Old Buckenham recycles books

Start sorting now

The Old Buckenham Village Environment and Recycling Group (VERG) is hoping that those "must read" books that you have are being steadily transferred to the "for the bookstall" piles or boxes, to enable them to raise a lot of badly needed cash for the new stage lighting system in Old Buckenham village hall. If anyone has taken to reading e-books and now has a lot of redundant paper volumes then VERG would be delighted to reuse them for you. They are also hoping to have another donation of brand new ‘but not passing quality control’ books at super bargain prices.

The VERG bookstall will be at the village fete, inside the hall at the stage end, on Saturday 3 September from 2pm to 5pm.
Those "must read" piles will need replenishing so come and get a good supply for the winter and, as a result, look forward to the Old Buckenham Players new productions with updated, and safe, lighting. Whilst the importance of getting children enjoying books right from the beginning of life is being stressed as never before, VERG hope to have plenty for the lower age ranges and at very low prices for children to browse.
Boxes to receive your books will be placed outside the post office/village shop nearer the event but those books that must be got rid of before then can be collected now. Make the arrangements by ringing 452716.

The last post

Waiting
There have been problems with the blogger system so two posts written since last Sunday have yet to appear on the blog for all to see.
We just have to wait...

Ready, get set and go

   Now part of the Get Set

Students and teachers at Old Buckenham High School can celebrate as they have been officially welcomed in to London 2012’s Get Set network, in recognition of their commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic values. To celebrate the London games, Old Buckenham High School is holding an ‘Olympic Day' and students will be coached in various Olympic events ranging from fencing to archery. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) awarded the High School a plaque and a certificate to acknowledge their involvement in the London 2012 education programme. They now join schools and colleges across the UK as members of the special London 2012 community – the Get Set network - and will receive access to exclusive competitions and 2012 Games related opportunities over the coming years.  As Sebastian Coe, chairman of LOCOG, said when London won the right to host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games there was a clear promise to use the power of the 2012 Games to inspire young people. The headteacher at Old Buckenham High School, Peter Whear, feels this wonderful accolade is another example of the school “achieving excellence together” and makes all at the school incredibly proud.

Pretty posting

The flowers are out again all around the postbox in Ragmere Road, Old Buckenham.

Old Buckenham election results

Who has been chosen?
The results of the elections for our District councillor and members of the Old Buckenham parish council have now been declared.

The result for the district councillor to represent Buckenham ward is at http://www.breckland.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Uploads/elections/district/buckenham.pdf

The basic details are
Tim BORNETT 127 votes
Roger FRYATT 95 votes
Adrian JOEL 520 votes (elected)
This is from an electorate of 1392 giving a turnout of just over 53%.

The parish council results are on the Breckland Council website
http://www.breckland.gov.uk/content/parish-council-results

The votes cast were:

Paul BOGGIA 260 votes

Akis CHRlSOVELlDES 170 votes

Sarah DYE 210 votes

John FROST 332 votes

Timothy lNG 239 votes

Adrian JOEL 415 votes

Tom JOHNSON 173 votes

Jonathan KEMP 203 votes

Carol MARSHALL 230 votes

Joanne PEAKS 158 votes

Derek SMALLEY 177 votes

Sarah WINDLE 188 votes

All are therefore elected to the Old Buckenham parish council apart from Joanne Peaks.

There was a turnout of just over 51% from an electorate of 1030.

Go back in time

Milling and farming history
Sunday 8 May provides a chance to see something of the rural heritage of Old Buckenham. The Old Buckenham windmill re-opens to the public for the first time for a couple of years between 2pm and 5pm.
The Askew Agricultural Museum is also open at Scales Farm from 2pm to 5pm on Sunday 8 May so why not get a double dose of hetitage on a sunny(?) afternoon walk?
For those of you who need a satnav to find your way around then NR17 1SG should get you to the Mill and NR17 1PE to the Museum.

Pictorial Breckland

Busy April meeting for WI

Old Buckenham Women’s Institute were delighted to welcome Trevor Burlingham to their April meeting. His talk was entitled ‘A walk through Breckland’ and was enhanced by some excellent photography. He described the flora and fauna of the "brecks" and made mention of the Scots pines which were planted some 100 to 150 years ago to act as hedges. Two ancient paths cross Breckland, the Icknield Way and the Peddars Way. Flint, of course, features in many Breckland's buildings, especially in a lot of the churches.

Trevor took his audience on a journey through the "pingo" trail - these are ponds surrounded by mounds of earth or gravel formed through pressure from a layer of water trapped between newly-frozen ice and underlying permafrost during the Ice Age. The walk is known officially as the Great Eastern Pingo Trail - an eight mile walk starting at what used to be Stow Bedon railway junction. He also mentioned the fact that four villages in the area (part of the Stanford Battle area) were taken over by the military during the last war. Wild flowers abound throughout the area and the Army do a lot of conservation work.

After the usual break for tea and chat, Susan Hunter reported on her recent visit to Norwich for the Annual Meeting of the Norfolk Federation. She was pleased to report that the recently formed WIs in the heart of Norwich are thriving - it certainly seems that the formation of WIs in cities has taken on in a big way. This year there were three main speakers at the meeting. Barbara Stevens (Chief Executive of Dementia UK) told the meeting of the work of Admiral Nurses who provide support for carers and family members. The second speaker was Professor Stephen Holgate from Southampton University who gave members an insight into new advances in treating conditions such as cancer and dementia. The third speaker, Deb Jordan, is the co-owner of Pensthorpe which is well known to many television viewers through its broadcast of the BBC Springwatch series.

Two of the Old Buckenham members - Pat Shearing and Barbara Ives - gave their reports on a recent visit to Denman College, the WI’s own college in Oxfordshire. Pat said she had a wonderful time on her four-day course studying Georgian England: an age of elegance. The course included one day spent in Bath. Barbara Ives’ course involved her in making silver jewellery and members were able to admire the wonderful items she had made during her course. Both of them recommended a visit to Denman College. The Old Buckenham WI gives an annual bursary of £150 to a member attending a Denman course and, in the draw held this year, this year's bursary recipient was Nancy Hunt who can use the money towards a course any time in 2012.

The WI had entered the recent Norfolk-wide ‘Cator Cup’ competition held at the Norfolk Show Ground. This year the theme was ‘A Night at the Movies’ and Old Buckenham had chosen to portray the Ascot scene from ‘My Fair Lady’. They came joint 8th out of 39 entries and the entry was re-created at the meeting for members to see.

The speaker at the next meeting on Thursday 23 June in Old Buckenham village hall will be Charles Garland and the title of his talk is ‘From Vicar's son to BBC producer’.

Watch them fly in

Visit Old Buckenham airfield
On Sunday 8 May there will be a ‘Fly-in’ at Old Buckenham Airfield that villagers might like to go along to see. Vans RV aircraft will be free from landing charges on that day.

This event is open to everyone and visitors are welcome to come by foot, by cycle or by road. There is free entry and food and drink are available all day.

Is this modern art?

No
It is just a stack of picnic tables on the recreation area being set up behind Old Buckenham village hall.

Vote on Thursday

Vote for the village future
Twelve people have put themselves forward for election to the parish council (and there are eleven places to fill) and there are also three candidates for the job of District Councillor.
Old Buckenham Village Hall is the polling station on Thursday 5 May where you can go to help decide who will be eligible to serve as our District and Parish Councillors until May 2015. You can also vote in the referendum on the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections.
The polling station at the village hall is open from 7am to 10pm.

May keep you busy

Sunday 1 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

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

Wednesday 4 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Friday 6 Crib drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 6 Debating Society, Church Rooms, 10am

Gardening event planned for Saturday 7 May has been cancelled this year.

Sunday 8 Askew Agricultural Museum, open 2pm to 5pm

Sunday 8 Old Buckenham windmill, open 2pm to 5pm

Monday 9 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Tuesday 10 Village Fete meeting, Church Rooms, 7.30pm

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

Thursday 12 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 12 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

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

Sunday 15 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

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

Wednesday 18 Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Thursday 19 'It runs in the family', OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 20 'One Stop Bus' outside Village Shop, 10am to 12 noon

Friday 20 'It runs in the family', OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 21 'It runs in the family', OB Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Tuesday 24 Allotment Society AGM, Church Rooms, 7.30pm

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

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

Remembering at Easter

Lots of lilies
Many villagers in Old Buckenham took part in requesting lilies in remembrance of departed relatives or friends at Easter. In total 153 requests were received together with donations for All Saints Church.  Several flower arrangements using the 153 lilies were distributed around the church and a leaflet was available after the Easter services giving a record of all the names of those who have been remembered.
A main project in the future is to restore some of the stained glass windows on the south side of the church, some of which goes back to the fifteenth century. The cost is estimated to be in the region of £20,000 so donations received this year will be allocated to this project.
Once this work is completed it is proposed to dedicate one of the windows in memory of the departed.

May contain useful information

Inside this issue
Here is your guide to all the candidates that will be standing for election as District or Parish councillors on Thursday 5 May. As there are more candidates than places, you can go along and vote for those you would prefer and also give your preference in the referendum on the voting system for future UK parliamentary elections.
The polling station is at Old Buckenham Village Hall and it will be open from 7am to 10pm.
Also in this issue is a copy of the schedule for the Old Buckenham Open Produce and Handicraft Show in September. Just click on the images to bring them the pages to reasonable size.

What the councillors said

April Parish Council
Eight members of the public came along to the April meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council. All the councillors attended.
The minutes of the March Parish Council meeting were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. Tim Ing said that the village had been awarded £500 in the Pride in Norfolk Village competition and suggested that the Parish Clerk should contact those involved in winning the award asking for their suggestions how the money should be spent. Adrian Joel raised the matter of the PAYE outsourcing and the cost. Parish Clerk gave an explanation as to why he considered it to be best solution and the reasons for choosing the outsource company who were a middle cost for the type of service. The matter would be reviewed in a year’s time.
Allotments. Adrian Joel said a new lease agreement had been signed and he thanked Tim Ing for all the work he had put into the project. Tim Ing said water is in and stand pipes have been fitted. Amendments to tenancy agreements will have to be made in October. Fencing of the allotments will be carried out next week. The increased rent from £600 to £650 per year was discussed and also the new overall plot size of the allotments. The entrance to the site will be improved with hardcore being put down and the matting installed for parking vehicles.
Doe Lane Meeting notes. Adrian Joel said this should be taken forward by the new Parish Council. Tim Ing said there were things that could be brought forward and that they could be prioritised and Parish Council look at them. The item to be put on May agenda.
War Memorial. Gerald Norton raised this matter that had been discussed at the Annual Parish Meeting. He said there was only £18 left in the fund and it cost approximately £500 to clean the memorial every three years. He asked if they could have a grant for this work. It was suggested that an application to the Former Highway’s Surveyors Land trust could give a grant. Gerald Norton asked it the Parish Council could precept for the cost. Tom Johnson referred the meeting to the February issue of Breckland Council news which had an item on war memorials in it. The Parish Clerk gave details of funding of war memorials under the Local Government Act but said there was no provision for taking ownership. He would contact the War Memorial Trust on the whole matter.
Youth Council. Adrian Joel said a young member of the village spoke at the Annual Parish Meeting about possibly starting a Youth Council. It was agreed to put the matter on the May agenda for the new Parish Council to look at.
Play Area photographs. Adrian Joel raised the possibility of archives at Scales Farm which could house interesting things relating to Old Buckenham. An item would be put in monthly newsletter to see if anyone would volunteer as an archivist to look after them and residents could go look at what was being held.
Planning applications. Crown Lane Cottages. Erection of two small wind turbines. No objections from the Parish Council.
31 Oaklands. Demolish old wall and erect new wall. No objections from the Parish Council.
Ragmere Farm. Erection of single story extension. No objections from the Parish Council.
Tall Trees. Install small wind turbine. No objections from the Parish Council.
Dairy Barn, Cake Street. Minor materials change. No objections from the Parish Council.
Harlingwood Lane. Erection of dwellings and garages. Objected to as outside village boundary, this was agreed with 6 for, 1 abstention and 3 against.
Dairy Barn, Cake Street. Glazed screen to kitchen on rear elevation. Parish Clerk to tell Breckland no objections.
Planning decisions received from Breckland.
5 St Andrews Close. Alteration and extension to dwelling. Permission granted.
Davarac, Cake Street. Change flat roof to pitched roof. Permission granted.
District Councillor's report. Breckland have completed the formation of a Joint Management Team with South Holland District Council and now have expected savings of £500,000 per year with the reduction of 35 to 17 managers. With effect from April, Breckland’s Anglia Revenue Partnership had added St Edmundsbury to the group which already includes Forest Heath and East Cambridgeshires District Councils. This should bring in extra revenue to Breckland.
Parish Councillors' reports. Trevor Crook said he had the planning application book and emergency plan for the new Parish Council. Adrian Joel said that George Aitken wanted to pass on his thanks to Parish Council for their hard work over the past four years. Adrian Joel also said that Crown Road still had a water leak, the Parish Clerk to speak to Anglia Water on matter. He then raised the matter of the sign on village green and said it was maybe a permanent item and had permission been obtained from theGreen Right Proprietors? Carol Marshall said a recreation area working party had been held recently and three main items were discussed including the maintenance contract for the area where they were trying to get prices down. A business plan was nearly completed and just awaiting some final figures. They are also going to see some goals posts that have been offered to see if they are suitable. Adrian Joel said there is some ‘Section 106’ money available for recreational purposes and Carol Marshall said they would look into it. She then asked if the Scouts could do a stone picking session on the area. Mike Craven-Romain said he would ask them and also an item would be put in the village newsletter asking for volunteers to assist. Gerald Norton said Old Buckenham Village Hall would be having a fete this year and asked if they could have the use of the Recreation Area for this event. Carol Marshall said it would be discussed at the next working party meeting. Derek Smalley raised matter of voting at an Annual Parish Meeting and the Parish Clerk explained the system and also that any vote was not binding on a Parish Council but they would look at any matter. Derek Smalley also attended a meeting of local SNAT meeting in March and saw the co-ordinator of the Home Watch team. The ACT thank you letter is to be put in the circulation folder. Tom Johnson said that he attended a Town and Parish Forum meeting at Breckland and found it very informative. Tim Ing said the play area would need an annual inspection in June and Mike Craven-Romain said one will be carried out, this item to be put on the May Agenda. The meeting was informed by Mike Craven-Romain that vandalism was carried out at the play area the previous week and damage was done to fencing. Some repairs have already been carried out but he was awaiting some parts to complete the work. Also a new catch had been fitted to the gate as the last one was stolen. Derek Smalley raised the matter of oil consortiums and said Banham had a scheme up and running with approx 24 members. Norman Cawston said this was also his last meeting having been on the Parish Council for 20 years and the last four years as Chairman. He thanked all the councillors for their hard work and wished new council well. He also thanked the Parish Clerk for his work since joining the Parish Council.
Highways. Adrian Joel said Norfolk County Council (NCC) had extra money for pothole work and suggested asking NCC to inspect roads in Old Buckenham and carry out repairs. The Clerk informed the meeting that Norfolk County Council were prioritising pot holes in terms of size and depth. The budget was not enough to fill all pot holes and the Clerk would raise matter with Highways on the next visit of the Rangers Team.
The Green. Tim Ing said a meeting will be held by the Green Right Propritors (GRP) in April. Adrian Joel raised the matter of the ‘fish & chip’ sign on the Green and said that planning permission would be needed for a permanent sign. Adrian Joel asked what the situation was in regard to the maintenance of the Green between the Parish Council and the GRP. Carol Marshall raised the matter of parking at Barbers Yard and asked if the GRP could increase the parking space available. Tim Ing will raise the matters at the next meeting. Tim Ing then said that there could be a public meeting on Saturday 21 May with the GRP and residents. Norman Cawston agreed to cut the grass along the footpaths on the Green.
The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 12 May in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.

On screens of old

Going to the pictures
John Lee was back as the speaker at the Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle’s April meeting in the Church Rooms. This time it was for a nostalgic evening with the title ‘Let’s go to the movies’.
John brought back memories as he described the days when there were two complete programmes each week, each one having a main film, a supporting short film, a newsreel and possibly a cartoon as well. There were the special Saturday morning shows for children with their own club songs and serials like Flash Gordon or Tarzan to keep the audience enthralled.
John described the six cinemas he remembered in Harrogate with the best one having the cinema organist arising from the depths to entertain between films. He also quoted from Alan Bennett’s descriptions of cinema going in Leeds - the regular queues, cigarette smoke rising from the audience and the attempts to get into ‘A’ rated films. Many of the members remembered their days doing National Service and the Astra cinemas that existed on site then.
Twenty-seven of John’s friends had also been persuaded to provide their memories of cinema going in their youth. This brought more nostalgia and tales of unusual happenings. There were the open air cinemas abroad, days when you could gain entry by taking along clean jam jars for recycling, projectors breaking down, bombs dropping and even someone’s mother who took the washing along to dry on the cinema radiators while the film was showing.
Most of John’s audience remembered it all but no doubt a younger audience for this talk would have found it hard to believe at times.

Village Hall AGM

The village hall matters
There was a better attendance at the Old Buckenham Village Hall AGM in April this year with 16 members of the general public attending as well as seven members of the existing Village Hall management Committee.
Apologies were received from Pauline Cattermole, Sheila Freake, Joan Jenkins, Terry Cracknell, Bev Giles,and Beryl Watts.
The minutes of the 2010 AGM were agreed and signed by the chairman, Dennis Packham, as correct. The Chairman mentioned the repairs to the toilets and the car park resurfacing that had been completed in the last year and thanked all those concerned.
In his chairman’s report Dennis thanked Michael Bartlett carrying out the chairman’s duties during his recent stay in hospital.
The meeting discussed various forms of heating for the hall with many suggestions from Brian Parish who also mentioned the Carbon Trust and the new technologies available. The cost would be the main problem. The question of small loans from the village to be paid back over 5 years was suggested but these could not be gift aided. Gift aiding is available for charities but not for loans. Roof insulation was also discussed. Heating would be a main concern for 2011.
The treasurer, Jill Emms, presented the accounts and supporting figures. Questions were raised regarding comparisons with 2009/10. Jill mentioned the loss of various hirers over the past three years. Recycling profits were also down because price per tonnage had decreased. The hall was still owed money from the Parish Council for car park, recreational area and toilet repairs. This money would be paid over in May.
Fund raising was discussed. Alison Frank reported that the annual Garden Event had not been so popular with entries because of the later date in May rather than April. Alison was thanked for her work during the year for fund raising.
David Hannah reported a good, if late, response from the village for the fete on Saturday 3 September. It had been decided that all profits should be given to the village hall, ring fenced for the lighting project.
There was an election for three officers from the community as independent representatives. Pat Shearing, Richard Crawley and Gerald Norton were elected unopposed. Ron Brewer made the comment that all organisations should be encouraged to have a representative.
In general discussion Michael Bartlett mentioned the sub-committee for the lighting project which has been meeting with input from various advisers. It is now awaiting estimates for the cost of the work that needs doing. Adrian Joel suggested contacting the Norfolk Foundation which will have new funding in June of up to £2,000 per project. However it will be on a matched funding basis. Ron Brewer said that the new kitchen had been much admired. There were other comments in agreement even though it had been a most expensive project for the Village Hall.
There being no further business the Chairman thanked Jill Emms for all her work during the year. He also thanked the caretaker and minute secretaries. Michael Bartlett mentioned the other responsibilities that Jill undertakes and wondered whether it was time to think about paying a small sum for a booking clerk. Gerald Norton thought that the Parish Council could put the Village Hall on the precept. He felt that if a poll were to be taken, most of the village would support the suggestion.

The provisional date for the next Village Hall AGM is Wednesday 4 April 2012.

Tuesday for chips

Fish and chips available
Each Tuesday at 4.15pm, Ben now comes and parks beside the Green to cook fish and chips (and other typical chippy produce) for all those villagers that come along. There were plenty of customers enjoying the sunshine today while their meal was being freshly cooked.
Frying continues until 7pm.

Passion and nostalgia

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
Helen Bird visited the club for its April meeting and she ably demonstrated her 'Passion for Flowers' using lovely spring colours of yellows and reds together with some unusual containers.
The competition 'Nostalgia - a tribute to the founder of modern-day flower arranging Julia Clements using a pin holder - was won by Shirley Penfold (Old Hands) and Janet Skidmore (New Hands). The best exhibit award also went to Shirley Penfold.
Members decorated 'hats for Easter' for the table show which was won by Margaret Smith whose creation included woven willow and spring flowers.
The May meeting will be held at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 12 May starting at 2pm when 'Feel the Passion' will be the title of Ann Colny's demonstration. The competition - a continental design - 'Maytime' and the table show will be for a stem of blossom.
Visitors are always welcome to the meetings. Further information from Pat on 457305 or Sally on 788712.

A nice view across Old Buckenham Green

Just click on the picture to see it in all its glory.

Support for village fete

Yes, there will be a fete

There was an encouraging attendance at the meeting on Tuesday 8 April about the village fete. With some twenty people coming along it was decided to go ahead with the village fete in and around the Village Hall on Saturday 3 September.
All the basic arrangements will be as in 2010, with improvements of course. It is hoped to add a dog show and a small car boot sale to all the regular stalls, pony rides, Punch and Judy show, miniature steam engines, art show, book stall, refreshments and a grand draw.
It was agreed that any profits from the event would go to the village hall to be spent on the necessary improvements to the stage lighting system.
The next planning meeting will be on Tuesday 10 May in the Memorial Room at the Village Hall so why not go along and see if you can help with the running of this event?

Choosing your district councillor

More voting to do
There will also be an election on Thursday 5 May for the district councillor to represent Old and New Buckenham. There are three candidates and they are listed at:
http://www.breckland.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Uploads/STATEMENT%20OF%20PERSONS%20NOMIATED%20DISTRICT.pdf
under the heading of 'Buckenham'.

Choosing your new parish council

Election needed
Although some of the present Old Buckenham parish councillors have decided not to stand for re-election, there have been sufficient nominations from other people to ensure that there will a need for elections on Thursday 5 May.
The full ist of those nominated can be seen by clicking on:
http://www.breckland.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Uploads/Old%20Buckenham.pdf

Afternoon teatime

Spring tea party
After recent Old Buckenham Women’s Institute’s annual garden parties had been held in less than pleasant weather, the WI decided to break with tradition and invite villagers to a Spring Tea party instead. It was held indoors at the Church Rooms so the weather outside was quite good!

There were stalls and games with the refreshments consisting of neat little sandwiches (with the crusts cut off) and a wide selection of homemade cakes. The competition for the best dressed Easter Bonnet attracted some very colourful entries with the winner being made and worn by Nancy Hunt.
In the other competitions, John Frost was best at leaf identification with Olive Shickle and friends showing that they knew most about royalty.
With around fifty people taking part this was a most enjoyable event which also raised useful funds for the WI.

Village quiz

Trying to find the answers
The first village quiz of the year took place in the village hall on Saturday 26 March. The nine teams that entered had a most enjoyable evening trying to provide answers to ten rounds, each of ten questions, on a wide variety of subjects. There were also two other ‘table quizzes’, one on sisters and the other on phobias, that had to be attempted at the same time as the other questions were being asked.
When all the points were added up the winners were the team of Jill, Maddie and Cynthia who called their team ‘The three stooges’ (as they had originally just come along to help rather than take part). They were very closely followed in second place by the Old Buckenham WI team of Susan, Doris, Pat and Barbara.
Many thanks are due to Roy and Pat Dickenson for setting and asking the questions, marking them and keeping everyone thinking hard all evening. As a result of the entry fees and a well-supported raffle, the village hall funds benefited to the tune of £81.48.

Going for a world record

All together now
In an amazing show of co-operation many of the people from organisations in Old Buckenham will be getting together today, Friday 1 April, to try to break the world record for communal Morris dancing and get themselves into the Guinness Book of Records. They will be gathering in the area outside the village shop just before 12 noon for a quick rehearsal before the real record attempt begins.
Members from the Women’s Institute, the Breckland Flower and Garden Club, the Carpet Bowls Club, the Luncheon Club, the Social and Wine Circle, the Debating Society, Old Buckenham Allotment Society, the Monday Mardlers, the Cubs and Scouts, the Parish Council, the Wargames Club (the Bone Crushers), people from both the Gamekeeper and the Ox & Plough, the Green Right Proprietors as well as members of the congregations from All Saints Church and the Methodist Chapel are all expected to be there.
Rumour has it that the Lord of the Manor will be on hand to do the timekeeping and that you can get refreshments in Old Buckenham Stores and Post Office.
This will be such an unusual occurrence that we are expecting the local press to attend and maybe even the local and national television cameras will be in action.
If you have not been invited to take part then you can still turn up about 11.30am on the first of April to get your instructions. You can click on the word ‘comments’ below to leave details of your intention to take part.

Remember outside the village shop before 12 noon, you’ll never see anything like it…