VIP visits Old Buckenham

Supporting the Raise the Roof campaign
The crowd had gathered outside the Church Rooms. The camera is in position and eyes are looking down the road to the Green.

Here comes something, looks like a pony and trap

And it's driving right down to the entrance of All Saints Church.

Ah, it's the Right Reverend Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, who has come from the Rogation Sunday service at Wilby. He has come to talk to those who are helping to raise money towards re-thatching the church roof.

After leaving the church it was time to make a short walk across the Green. Perhaps you saw three men out walking in sober suits and wondered why they were so dressed on such a glorious, sunny and warm day. They were off to take part in a fund-raising meal at the Gamekeeper pub. The blog editor was not attending so he will have to rely on a report from someone else for the next part of the story...

Picking up in Old Buckenham

Litter pick on village Green
Villagers of all ages were out in force this morning to clear up all the rubbish they could find on the Green. The weather was very pleasant and many bin bags seemed to get filled up. Thank you to all involved.

Money raised in Old Buckenham

Walking in the rain

Just one week ago, Old Buckenham Women's Institute  organised a local walk as a fund raiser for ACWW - Associated Country Women of the World. This is a worldwide organisation to which the Norfolk Federation WI belongs and is dedicated to raising the health and standard of living of women and their families.
A six mile walk around Old Buckenham started from All Saints church in Old Buckenham in not very promising weather. There was also be a shorter walk, around two miles of local footpaths, that left from the Village Hall car park at 11.30am.

When the walks finished, a lunch consisting of a choice of homemade soups followed by fruit pie and cream was served in the Memorial Room at the village hall for those who had braved the rain  and those other WI members who had come along to help raise funds for ACCW.

The total raised was £90.

Great sign for Old Buckenham

Looking brighter
The Old Buckenham village sign is back in position and looking much brighter in the sunshine on Tuesday.
Many thanks to all those who have been involved in this restoration.

Catching up with Old Buckenham

Colourful covers
For the last ten years the Old Buckenham village newsletter has been using coloured photos to illustrate the front cover. This year the two other local newsletters have caught up and you have to look more carefully to tell which is which.

Old Buckenham events in May

Diary dates for May

Tuesday 1          Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards

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

Wednesday 2    Academisation talk, High School, 7pm

Thursday 3        Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 5         Litter pick on Green from 10am

Saturday 5         Barbecue and mini cider festival, Gamekeeper, 1pm to 6pm .

Sunday 6         Meet the Bishop, All Saints Church, 12 noon

Wednesday 9    Ladies meeting, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Thursday 10      Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 10      Silver Band concert, Methodist Chapel,7.30pm

Thursday 10      Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.30pm 

Friday 11           Visits from Mobile Library during morning

Sunday 13         Windmill open to public, 2pm to 5pm

Wednesday 16  Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Wednesday 16  Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Wednesday 16  OB2000 Trust AGM, Church Rooms, 8pm

Thursday 17      The Tempest, OB players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 18           The Tempest, OB players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 19     Gamekeeper birthday celebrations, from 1pm

Saturday 19       The Tempest, OB players, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Sunday 20         Christian Aid stall, Church Rooms, 10.30am

Monday 21        Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Wednesday 23  Pre-school open event, 3.30pm to 4.30pm

Thursday 24      Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

  Wednesday 30 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Latest Old Buckenham newsletter

Got your copy yet?
The May issue of the newsletter has been spread around ready for you to read the latest village news, check on the parish council minutes before their meeting on Thursday 3 May and see what events are in store for the next few months.

There have also been lots of 'Yard Sales' in Old Buckenham today. It was cold and damp but there were people going around and buying things.

This really was a garage sale...

Old Buckenham bags a bishop

Meet up with Bishop Graham
All Saints PCC invite you to an informal gathering with light refreshments on Sunday 6 May between 12 noon to 1pm at All Saints Church.

The Right Reverend Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, will be visiting Old Buckenham on that Sunday and has kindly agreed to spend time at All Saints Church before going on to have lunch at the Gamekeeper.
This won't be a church service or a fundraiser, just a chance to get together in an informal setting and hear what Bishop Graham has to say. All are welcome. It will provide a chance to say thank you to everybody who is engaged in the 'Raise the Roof’ effort but also to all those who make a difference to life in our village by working on committees, organising, helping out and supporting the many groups, organisations and activities that exist in Old Buckenham.
This is an opportunity to meet Bishop Graham - prominent in religious life (as the longest serving Bishop in the Church of England) of course but also a member of the House of Lords, a regular visitor to the Queen at Sandringham, a broadcaster and entertaining speaker, rumoured to have a keen interest in amateur dramatics. He is a patron of many charities and may provide words of inspiration and perhaps a bit of a pep-talk to encourage everyone, whatever they are working for.
Drinks and light refreshments will be served so an rsvp would be helpful for catering numbers but not essential should you make a late decision. Children and other family members are welcome – it will be delightful if you are able to come along. Please contact Sarah Dye to rsvp or for more details. Ring 01953 860865 or email sarah.dye@hotmail.com

If you want to know more about the meal with the bishop at the Gamekeeper the people to contact are Ray Bayfield (01953 860593 or Terry Cracknell (01953 860747).

Finding bargains in Old Buckenham

Update on yard sales locations

There are now 23 places who have said they will be having a yard sale next Sunday 29 April. Here is a list of them. 

4 St Andrews Close

28 St Andrews Close

28b St Andrews Close

28c St Andrews Close

17 Hargham Road
28 Hargham Road

29 Hargham Road

3 Fen Street

5 Fen Street

39 Fen Street

50 Fen Street

57 Fen Street

62a Fen Street

Tye Cottage, Attleborough Road

The Beeches, Attleborough Road

Meadow Croft, Doe Lane

Rest-a-while, Doe Lane

The Gables, Cake Street

Blessings, Crown Road

Acer House on the Green

Tamworth House on the Green.

Ashtree Cottage on the Green

1 Old Post Office Terrace

The Ox and Plough will be doing teas, coffees, bacon rolls and sausage rolls on the day. Also free squash for children. 
Grab your bargains and then you can relax with a cuppa and rolls.

Old Buckenham's great race

10K in pictures
Today Old Buckenham had its first 10K road race, the aim being to raise money towards the cost of re-thatching the village's All Saints Church. It was part of the 'Raise the Roof'campaign which has been fund-raising though all sorts of ways.
The sun shone throughout the day making it better for the organisers but the high temperatures causing some problems for the runners.
Below is a photo essay of the day giving some idea of what went on behind the scenes. You can find the technical stuff like winners, their times and photos of runners crossing the finishing line at https://www.totalracetiming.co.uk/raceresults/67
You can enlarge these pictures by just clicking on them.

Gathering outside the village hall

Signing in

Trying to push a tree over? No just stretching before the run

Ready for the start

Reaching the finishing line

Another sprint to the finish

Gemma makes it ten out of ten (completing her tenth 10K run in the last ten days)

Local runners take on liquid after the race

Massaging those tired legs

Homemade cakes go down well

Awaiting the medal ceremony

Collecting a medal

Another medal winner

Celia gets her own special medal for all her organising

Old Buckenham Parish Council in April

Latest discussions

These notes have been written by the blog editor from  the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later date.  The full minutes are available to read in the notice board outside the village shop.
The meeting of the Old Buckenham Parish Council was held on Thursday 5 April in the Village Hall. The councillors present were Adrian Joel (Chairman), Ben Devlin, Gemma Frost, Jon Hicks, Phil Little, Andy Nichols and Steve Milner along with Andy Emms (temporary Parish Clerk) and thirteen members of the public.
The chairman said that Tom Johnson had passed away since the last meeting. Tom was a parish councillor for a number of years. He represented the council on the Village Hall committee and made a big contribution to health and safety issues. The Parish Council then observed a moments silence in memory of Tom Johnson.
Co-option of parish councillor. The chairman said that only one application had been received and this was from Lauren Wiseman. It was unfortunate that she was unable to attend the meeting and would need to make the formal declaration of acceptance of office in due course. It was resolved, unanimously, to co-opt Lauren Wiseman as parish councillor. Minutes of March meeting. These were approved.
Public participation relating to agenda items. A parishioner said that he was attending to support his planning application for Homestead, The Green. Approval had already been given for the erection of a dwelling which would be sited towards the rear of the property and this ‘reserved matters’ application related to the final design.
A parishioner who lived in Barbers Yard commented on how well organised the Two Wheel Tuesday event was. It was run efficiently and safely and although he was one of the closest residents to the Ox and Plough pub and the site of the event, he had no issues about it. Another parishioner said she was concerned about the Two Wheel Tuesday event. As a nearby resident she had not been asked if she was happy about it or not and she queried the benefit it brought to the village. She said there was noise pollution and fumes and the event this week had not been marshalled. She said that there was a danger to people and pets on the highway and queried if there was public liability insurance in place. A further parishioner welcomed the fact that Two Wheel Tuesday was carrying on this year. He said he was pleased to see the Green being used and appreciated by so many people. Regarding public participation at meetings, he believed that there should be provision for the public to raise any matters of concern and not be limited to commenting only on items that were on the agenda. A parishioner said he believed that Two Wheel Tuesday was a massive asset to the village. He queried whether the police had been contacted regarding the event and if they were happy with the way it was organised.
The Landlord of the Ox and Plough said that he had public liability insurance which covered Two Wheel Tuesday and would be happy for anyone to see details of it. He said that the latest event had been cancelled due to the Green being waterlogged although some bikers did turn up who had not been aware that it had been cancelled. There were five stewards in attendance so it was not correct to suggest that it had not been marshalled.
A parishioner said that he did not believe that his concerns regarding the requirement for dogs to be under control on the Green and the legality of the signs on the bins had been adequately addressed. The Chairman said he would respond under his report later in the meeting.
Declarations of interests. The temporary Parish Clerk said that Ben Devlin had declared a ‘Disclosable Pecuniary Interest’ in Two Wheel Tuesday which was a substantive item on the agenda for this meeting. As the host of the event, only he could provide information to the council on some of the detailed arrangements in place and he had therefore submitted a request (under paragraph 13 (d)-(h) of the Parish Council Standing Orders) to take part in discussion on this item and anytime it is discussed in the future within the next four years. The application met the required criteria and had therefore been granted.
New Parish Clerk and councillor vacancies. The chairman said that there were still three vacancies for parish councillors. The statutory notices would be advertised again. If any members of the public were interested in applying they could contact him if they required more information. Phil Little said interviews for the position of parish clerk had been held and a formal offer would be made shortly.
Planning applications. Firfields, Fen Street. Certificate of lawfulness re proposed extension.The council resolved, unanimously, not to submit a view.
Homestead, The Green. Erection of dwelling and garage (reserved matters). The council resolved, with six voting in favour and one abstention, to support the application.
East View, Attleborough Road. Extension to garden store. The council resolved, with five voting in favour and two abstentions, to support the application.
Dairy Barn, Cake Street. Internal alterations These applications had already been approved by Breckland District Council.
Whitehands Farm, Stacksford. Variation of condition two of previous planning approvals to allow parking of additional vehicle. The council resolved, with five voting in favour and two abstentions, to support the application.
Peacehaven, 29 Fen Street. Extension to existing property to form snug/dining room. The council resolved, with six voting in favour and one abstention, to support the application.
Financial matters. The current account balance is £33,529.45 and the premium account balance is £2,873.20. The sum of £500 had been received from the Green Right Holders in respect of a wayleave.
The Buckenham Pre-School and Nursery had informed the council that its proposed “adoption” by the primary school had been delayed and asked if the grant application to purchase a farm play set, which had been refused, could be reconsidered. Councillors commented that the intention to change status remained and resolved, unanimously, not to reconsider the grant application.
Payments approved included £84 for grit blasting the village sign and £29.95 for the annual charge for the parish council’s website. The precept grants totalling £2301.57 had now been paid to New Buckenham Junior FC, Senior citizens Christmas party, Old Buckenham WI, Fete Committee, the Monday Mardle Group and Old Buckenham Cricket Club.
The Chairman said that as the council currently did not have a permanent parish clerk, support was needed to prepare the year end accounts and resolved, unanimously, to appoint Donna Oakley, Gemini Accounting Services to check and complete the year end accounts.
The council agreed a fee of £500, payable in two instalments of £250, for the Ox and Plough for benches and the use of the designated area on the Green.
Chairman’s report. The chairman thanked Andy Nichols for carrying out his role as Vice- Chairman and chairing the March meeting. Although she was not in attendance, he formally welcomed Lauren Wiseman to the parish council and hoped that she enjoys her time as a councillor.
On the matter of dogs, the parish council has considered and discussed the matter of dogs being on leads and under control whilst on the Green and has provided further bins around the Green for dog waste. On each of these bins there is a sign, as used by the National Trust, requesting that owners clean up after their dogs and keep on them on leads. This is purely an advisory or a request as the council have no intention of trying to police this, in the same manner that many public spaces and open access areas request it but are unable to police it. Furthermore, there is a legal requirement for owners to have their dogs under control in any area, not just on the Green, and this puts any liability squarely with the dog owner should any incident occur. This being the case, the council are happy that these arrangements have been adequate and therefore as far as it reasonably practicable, legally acceptable.
District Councillor’s report. The chairman said that Breckland District Council had agreed to invest over £1million in providing new temporary accommodation to help meet the needs of those who experience homelessness in the district to ensure families are kept together. During the heavy snow in February/March, Breckland officers ensured that there were no rough sleepers in the street or in the forest. To mark the centenary of the WW1 armistice, Breckland District Council had set up a fund to support local organisations and communities who wish to stage events and develop projects that explore, share and conserve the heritage of the Great War in the district. Up to £500 was available for projects that could include documenting the war through film/audio recordings, collecting personal stories or memories of those affected by the war, staging exhibitions, organising talks, etc.
Village Green Management Committee. A summary report of action completed and proposed had been circulated. The chairman said that the village sign, which had been removed for restoration, should be back in two months. He had also received a request from David Power to remove and repair the seat sited near the Gamekeeper pub, which his family had donated in memory of their mother. Permission was given for this.
Road Safety. Steve Milner said that the issue of large vehicles, including tractors, had been raised at the last meeting. He said that verges were being eroded and the tractor/trailer combinations, in particular, sounded loud and menacing. However, he had found that they were usually within the speed limit. The Speedwatch would commence again soon and the three sites authorised for this were Cake Street, on the Green by the war memorial and in Hargham Road. Jon Hicks said that large HGV vehicles were ignoring the weight limit on Hargham Road. He had reported this to the police with photographic evidence but they said it was an enforcement matter for Norfolk County Council. Andy Nichols suggested that this was a matter that should be referred to County Councillor Stephen Askew for action. In reply to a question, Steve Milner said that Norfolk County Council’s report following the highways study regarding a crossing on the B1077 was expected to be published in the near future.
Play Area. Jon Hicks said he had inspected the play area and there were no issues requiring expenditure. He would paint the tractor soon and the toddler area would need to be closed whilst this was carried out. He said that his employer, Richard Johnston Logistics, was willing to sponsor planter boxes for the fencing and he would discuss with the Pre-school if they would like to help with the planting and looking after the plants as a school project. Councillors welcomed this proposal.
Recreation Area. The chairman said that the public footpath was being surfaced and the fencing repaired by Chapel Green School. Also the fencing by the roadway would be repaired by Norfolk County Council. The fencing at the front had been damaged. Jon Hicks said that timber worth £1000 had been donated by Browns of Tibenham to build a shelter and some of this could be used to repair the front fence once a decision had been made where the new gate would be sited. The grass would be cut by the contractor as per the previous year.
Councillors’ reports. Steve Milner said that together with the chairman he had attended the burial of the time capsule at Chapel Green School. He had raised the issue of lighting with the site manager who had indicated they were having technical issues with some of the lighting control systems. Phil Little said that lighting in the corridors of the new school were often left on at night and the Village Hall lights were also left on. It was reported that the High School lighting was also an issue and Jon Hicks said he would raise this with the High School when he next attended a school council meeting. He added that the High School was preparing designs for painting the inside of the bus shelter and a shortlist of three would be agreed which would be presented to the parish council. Steve Milner referred to the increasing number of queries that were being submitted via the website. Councillors considered that this should be discussed at the next meeting.
Two Wheel Tuesday. Ben Devlin said that he had been surprised to see that this was on the agenda as he wasn’t sure what there was for the parish council to discuss. Two Wheel Tuesday had been running for several years already and had become an established event not only with bikers but with many parishioners who attended every week to enjoy it. Mediation meetings had been held with the police and concerned residents and the police had indicated that they supported the event and were happy with how it was organised. Regarding noise, the police had indicated that the bikes were road legal so any noise from them was not an enforcement issue. He confirmed that appropriate public liability insurance was in place. The area of the Green used was maintained to a higher level than the rest of the Green, it provided income for the upkeep of the Green and the event was vital for the continued viability of the Ox and Plough pub. Andy Nichols suggested that the parish council request to receive a copy of the public liability insurance and it was agreed.
Fireworks and bonfire. The temporary parish clerk said that the council had given permission, in principle, for a fireworks display on the recreation area subject to receiving details regarding organisational/safety issues from the OB2000 Trust. Ben Devlin had suggested that consideration could also be given to having a free event on the Green instead if costs could be underwritten and sponsorship found. It was agreed to ask Ben Devlin to discuss these proposals in detail with the OB2000 Trust and report back to the next meeting.
Grievance and disciplinary procedure. It was resolved, unanimously, to adopt the new Grievance and Disciplinary procedure, as circulated to councillors in advance of the meeting.
Storage of parish records. It was noted that the more recent parish records would be stored by the chairman and the new parish clerk while the older records will be archived with Norfolk County Council.
Highways. Councillors discussed the problems with potholes generally but particularly at Grove Road/Mill Road and the flooding at Cake Street and Ragmere Road. Steve Milner said he would raise these issues with County Councillor Stephen Askew. The chairman said he had reported the missing road name sign at Abbey Road and the damaged sign for Leys Lane to Norfolk County Council.
Agenda items for the next meeting. No further items were suggested apart from those identified earlier in the meeting, ie fireworks display and the council website. 

The next meeting will be the AGM to be held on Thursday 3 May commencing at 7.30pm at the village hall.

History on Old Buckenham plinth

Plaques record village activity
If you look on the four sides of the newly-cleaned plinth for the village sign, this is what you will see:

Old Buckenham Women's Institute raised the funds and organised the design and installation of the sign back in 1979.

Various members of the village took part in this exercise to record what was going on in here in Old Buckenham some 900 years after the original Domesday Book was produced.

Old Buckenham was the winner of a Norfolk County Council competition to find the best communities in the county (under 2500 inhabitants).

Old Buckenham repeated its success in the competition the following year. This was the last time the competition was held, the County Council deciding it could not afford to fund it any more.

(Click on the images to see them more clearly)

Yard sales in Old Buckenham

Where to find bargains

Here is a list of the places that have said they will be having yard sales in the village on Sunday 29 April.

4 St Andrews Close

28 St Andrews Close

28b St Andrews Close

28c St Andrews Close

17 Hargham Road
28 Hargham Road

29 Hargham Road

3 Fen Street

5 Fen Street

39 Fen Street

50 Fen Street

57 Fen Street

62a Fen Street

Tye Cottage, Attleborough Road

The Beeches, Attleborough Road

Doe Lane

The Gables, Cake Street

Blessings, Crown Road

Acer House on the Green

Tamworth House on the Green.

Ashtree Cottage on the Green

1 Old Post Office Terrace

The Ox and Plough will be doing teas, coffees, bacon rolls and sausage rolls on the day. Also free squash for children. 
Grab your bargains and then you can relax with a cuppa and roll.