An Old Buckenham Flower Festival

Your favourite British person

The Old Buckenham Methodist Church are holding their flower show this year, carrying over the original theme of ‘Famous British People’ that they couldn't use last year. It will be held on the August Bank Holiday weekend (Saturday 23 to Monday 25 August).

If you are intending to do a display this year please think about what size of  plinth, small table, large table you may need and what ‘Famous British Person’ you want to do your display on (to make sure we don’t get 10 displays on Churchill!).

More details will appear later but if you have anything about a famous British person (such as books, pictures, figures, etc) the organisers would like to include other non-flower displays as they can set up a display cabinet, book stands, etc.

  

Lilies on display in Old Buckenham

Come in and see the arrangements

The Easter lilies in remembrance of those no longer with us are now on display in All Saints Church. The lilies were not fully open when the arrangements were completed so it should be worth popping in to see them for quite a while yet.

 April Parish Council meeting

These notes have been written by the newsletter and blog editor and so may include information that is changed at a later date.

Old Buckenham Parish council met on Thursday 3 March in Old Buckenham Village Hall. Those present were councillors Naomi Bailey (Chair), Stan Burton, Steve Gowers and Pete Twissell. Apologies for non-attendance had been received from Doug Irons (Vice Chair), Lesley Evison, David Taylor, Megan Elvin (Clerk) and Donna Oakley (RFO). Also attending were Terry Cook (Acting Clerk) and nine members of the public. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 6 March were agreed (4 in favour) with one amendment to say that there was a need to appoint another Trustee for the Eleemosynary Trust. The Chair requested the editor of the Village Newsletter to run a paragraph in the next newsletter to explain what the ‘Eleemosynary Trust’ is.

Financial matters. The Community Account balance stands at £22,492.84. Payments totalling £1678.59 were agreed (4 in favour). These included £675.79 to the Clerk, £270 to the RFO, £61.50 to P Little, £456 to Broadland Tree Services, £88.80 to NALC Training and £126.50 to the community car drivers.

Councillors’ reports. Steve Gowers confirmed that the CPR and defibrillator training was completed. He reported back about potholes by the Post Office and expressed frustration with Highways as little being done by them in the Village about traffic apart from repainting “Slow signs”. Speed watch data showed that on average the sessions are showing 15 motorists exceeding the 34 mph speed limit for the recording period. SAM data for Fen Street indicates that there is no future need for Speed Watch there. SAM sign data shows that its use appears to slow the traffic; it informs the Speed Watch team of areas to focus upon and it receives positive reaction in the village.

Stan Burton reported on the work that councillors had undertaken to clear the drainage pipe leading from Ottomer Pond. However, the pipe will need jetting to make sure it remains clear. He detailed verbal quotations obtained from a range of contractors. Work would not be able to be undertaken until July by contractors and said he would now obtain three written quotations. At this point there were verbal questions raised by members of the public in attendance. The first related to their view that it needs to be proven that the pipe is in good repair. This would future-proof the site and if building does take place and then damages the pipe this could be proven. It was stressed there was to need to be sure the pipe is secure. Stan Burton replied that it would up the costs considerably as the water is dirty and so difficult to get a clear picture. To get clear water running through the pipe would need extra work. He was of the opinion if the water jet goes through the pipe, it demonstrated it was secure. A further point was put by a member of the public - it would be beneficial to utilise the use of a camera as per the “Ottomer Pond Project Plan”. Further discussion took place. The Chair proposed jetting the pipe to ensure a clear flow and if needed to utilise a camera one should be hired. This was agreed by councillors.

Pete Twissell had asked the question posed by Breckland on whether the Hall would be available for opening "in the event of emergencies"?’ Under the proposed new constitution of the Hall as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) they are required to work with outside agencies and so the answer is yes. The Village Hall Committee also agreed to the Council request for a new post box at the Village Hall. At the Village Hall meeting there was a request to reseed an area of the grounds with wildflower seeds. Discussion took place re the proposal and a councillor offered to purchase a kilo of seed for £26 to be paid for by the Council. All Councillors were in favour. He asked for advice from the Parish Council in relation to the dwindling number of people willing to serve on the Village Hall Committee. If it came to the point where numbers on the committee were not sufficient to efficiently run the Hall what would be the position of the Hall? The answer was that the Hall would be run by the Parish Council. It was recommended that the recruitment of Village Hall Committee members would be included on the agenda for the Village AGM.

Naomi Bailey has arranged a meeting for various parish council members and Sarah Dye in relation to charity accounts and assets. She has also had a meeting with Stuart Barker re village job list. In relation to car parking outside the Village Shop, who has responsibility for fixing the potholes? There is a need to investigate. Doug Irons has asked what is happening regarding the Bank Account. Should the Parish Council employ the RFO to sort out the problem?

Planning applications. All planning applications are available for viewing on the Breckland District Council planning portal – www.breckland.gov.uk/article/2933/Search-Planning-Applications - Parish Councillors have been asked by the chairman to view the new applications in advance of the meeting.

New planning applications. Old School Bookshop, Church Rooms, The Green. Continued use of Church Rooms to include Class E (Bookshop/Café and sale of related merchandise) and change to opening hours (PL/2025/0261/FMIN). There were no issues and it was agreed to support the application (4 in favour).

64 Fen Street. Renewal of planning permission 3PL/2021/0102/HOU - Construction of Swimming Pool and Erection of Pool Building including gym, changing room and lounge area ( PL/2025/0314/HOU). There were no issues and it was agreed to support the application (4 in favour).

Land Off Attleborough Road. Certificate of Lawful Existing Development - carrying out works comprising of site access (labelled ‘Access track (West)’ and ‘Access track (East)) as the lawful implementation of planning permission 3PL/2021/0236/F (PL/2024/0886/CLEUD).

Green Working Committee update. Cut brambles have been chipped and removed, posts on Sunnyside side of The Green are having topsoil put around their bases and wildflower seeds spread to stop weed incursion, the sandbags at Ottomer Pond will be having topsoil put over them – it will then require spreading. Damaged tree branches in Jubilee Wood (opposite the Gamekeeper) need to be addressed – a tree surgeon has been contacted but needs chasing up.

Several quotes have been obtained to undertake two cuts of the Green. It is proposed to cut certain areas and not the whole of the Green. The main Green will be cut all round edges. It is proposed to use grass cutters instead of tractors so the surface of the Green can be protected, and cuts can be made under the trees. Issue to be resolved is how to pay as the Green Committee have approximately £2000 but the cheapest quote is £4000. Wayleaves were mentioned and will be offered as they appear during the year as appropriate. The new proposals will improve the Green and allow for wildflower growth. The volunteer/working party proposal has already had several people come forward. Key immediate tasks include brambles need clearing the Mill Road end of the Green and around the bus shelter, a tidy up pond near to the post office, clear up fallen wood, Crown Road and Church Lane areas require suckers from trees to be addressed.

Hedge rows at Puddledock. This matter was raised last August by Mr and Mrs Avis. Hedgerow requires thinning around Puddledock Corner area. This would improve visibility at the corner and the turn into Fen Street. Quote of £600 to do this and Highways will not pay. Proposed that the Parish Council pay and this was agreed (4 in favour).

Church Yard update. A meeting was held with two members of the Church (minutes available) to devise a way forward. Next meeting will be on Wednesday 7 May and will look at costs, funding sources, options available, procedures to get firm arrangements and costs and bring back to the Parish Council for further discussion.

Solar Farm update. The Clerk is waiting for a reply from PACE which is the company who are dealing with the Solar Farm. They have allocated the Clerk to go to a named person, Mark Kelly. The Clerk has tried to get in contact with him over the phone but now she is waiting for an email update. A key question will concern possible funding implications for the village and what funding can be used for.

Weather Radar update. The main works contract (for the construction of the radar tower and communications cabin) has been awarded to Brody Forbes Ltd with the main phase of construction expected to start on site in May this year. Some site clearance has already been carried out at the Anglian Water Drilling Yard on Abbey Road. In advance of the main works the project team are progressing with some infrastructure work (power and communications) on site. The tower top install of the radar parts is planned for the autumn of this year with a period of testing and commissioning before the radar becomes fully operational in the early summer of 2026. The project team have made Brody Forbes Ltd aware of the sensitivities around the site and of the restrictions around using some of the local roads. Brody Forbes Ltd will liaise with local stakeholders, including Old Buckenham Parish Council, in advance of and during the works to minimise any disruption.

VE and VJ Day celebrations. We have unfortunately missed the deadline for applying for a grant from Breckland Council to help pay towards the celebration. The cut off date was Sunday March so if we do want to do something for VE/VJ day it would be out of the parish’s pocket. An idea that the Clerk has had was that we could consider is an “Old Buckenham VE/VJ Day Bake Off”. Contestants can pay a small entry fee to participate. We could have two competitions, one for savoury foods that were popular in World War II and one for sweet foods that were popular in World War II. We can come up with a list of foods for each side; give this to the contestants and then they can choose what food to make at home to then bring to the judging in the village hall on the day that we celebrate. Some of the income from the entry fee will be kept back for the council and can be used to pay for the Village Hall, the other part can be put into a cash prize for the winner. We can have two of the councillors as judges for the food. The Parish Council approved the idea (4 in favour).

The Green Lease. Concerning the benches on the Green outside the Ox and Plough, initially the insurance certificate required by the applicant was not forthcoming. It has now been received. Everything is now in place; agreement reached in principle and just requires the agreement to be signed and fee paid. Now that the policy is in place there is a need to ensure regulations are followed.

Public participation. There was a request for email addresses for all Councillors so that they could be forwarded a copy of the Ottomer Pond Project Plan. There was a feeling for the need to move forward from the cleaning of the pipe to following the key points in the Project Plan. This would then allow the Chair to release funds if in agreement with the Project Plan. Further discussion took place on the needs of the Project Plan and possible contractors who could undertake the work.

The squeaky swing on the Children’s Playground is annoying to residents living nearby. An assurance was given that this was in hand. Also a member of the Public came forward and volunteered to become a Trustee for the Eleemosynary Trust.

Items for next agenda. These will include Ottomer Pond (ongoing), areas of long grass and benches to be dealt with the handyman, updates on the Solar Farm and Weather Radar, date for Village AGM and Speed Watch update on speed signs.

The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 1 May in Old Buckenham Village Hall and starting at 7.30pm.

Blue look in Old Buckenham

 New look to Village Hall

You'll find the inside of the Village Hall is looking a lot brighter now. All the curtains are being replaced and those in the main hall are now a bright blue. Work has also started on the curtains in the memorial hall and the main stage curtains have now got brand new fire-resistant material being installed on improved tracking.

Visitors to Old Buckenham blog

 Our viewing figures

This blog stated in 2008 and has now had 160,000 total visitors according to the software measuring these figures (not really very big at all). These visitors come from all over the world and top readers have been roughly 85% UK, 6% USA and 1% Germany. But about three months ago there was lots more activity from both the USA (12%) and Germany (4%).

Perhaps this blog has been 'scraped' to help train all those AI sites in the future?  

Old Buckenham valuations

 What were your items worth?

Staff from TWGaze brought their expertise from Diss Auction Rooms to the Village Hall in Old Buckenham today. There was a steady stream of visitors who turned up clutching their items that might be worth something to one of the three tables of valuers to get them identified and also some idea of the possible value at auction. 

The man from Old Buckenham

In praise of John Loveday

This has been written for the blog and Old Buckenham newsletter by Tom Walshe

Old Buckenham has lost a favourite son and a dear friend with the passing of John Loveday, just a few weeks short of his 99th birthday.

Although John hadn’t lived in the village since the 1940s, it remained a very special place to him, one full of memories and family links going back to times most of us could only imagine.

John, though, really brought our imagination to life with his remarkable book, The Boy From Rod Alley, recounting great stories and recalling wonderful characters from his 1930s childhood. I learned things about my own family from John as, I’m sure, did others in the village. What made the book even more remarkable was that he started writing it when well into his 80s and published it aged 93.

His memory of people and events was amazing. Above all, he wanted his book to be true to life, and it certainly was that. "I was determined to get the child's experiences through the senses, rather than the usual self-congratulation of memoir," he said in an interview with the Eastern Daily Press when the book came out. "I think one of my aims was to make a truthful record of 'how it was' and celebrate lives, but quickly it also became an interest in a way of writing.”

John was born on the same day as Queen Elizabeth, April 21st 1926 at No. 4 Rod Alley Row. I learned only recently from his daughter Sharon that, 80 years later, he and his wife Evelyn were among those invited to join Her Majesty at a birthday celebration lunch in Buckingham Palace.

Back in the period between the wars, however, Old Buckenham was a very different place from how it is today. Its residents included those who had survived war or lost loved ones and endured financial hardship brought about both by the brutal 1914-18 conflict and the economic upheavals that followed.

To an inquisitive boy like John, though, many of them were characters who made a lasting impression – and had the nicknames to prove it, like Manny Bush, Naff Etteridge, Sudden Rudd, Stoot Loveday, Cuckoo Loveday, Podger Fisk, Tip Self, Fiddler Wright, Pippin Elvin, Wiggy Westfield…  And among his like-minded contemporaries, none was more important to John than his best friend Neville Petley whose sudden death from meningitis left him bereft and confused about life’s meaning and purpose.

Attending the village school, latterly the Church Rooms, now a welcoming bookshop and cafe, also made a deep impression on John, and particularly the two principal teachers in the village, Mr and Mrs Hart. John disliked Len Hart intensely for his aggressive strictness bordering on cruelty, but had a lot of time for his more considerate and approachable wife who looked after the infants. John’s experiences of the Harts shaped his own views on teaching when he became a schoolmaster himself after the war, and he determined to be everything that Len Hart was not.

Yes, above all John Loveday was a kind and perceptive man. His love for Old Buckenham and the strong family ties that the Lovedays have had with the village down the years remained as strong as ever right up to the time of his passing. And he enjoyed nothing more than hearing and talking about the places and the people that were so special to him. John’s daughter Sharon and his brother-in-law John Houchin will be coming to the village at the end of April for a visit planned before John’s passing. It will be a poignant time for them but I’m sure the village they themselves have got to know and love will give them a warm welcome in loving memory of the Boy from Rod Alley. 

An alternative Old Buckenham quiz

 Do something different

Increasing numbers at Old Buckenham school

 Have your say

This message from the governors  has been sent out by the school

Chapel Green School, Attleborough Road, Old Buckenham, NR17 1RF

Tel: 01953 453116 office@chapelgreen.norfolk.sch.uk www.chapelgreen.org.uk

We, the Governors, would like to hear your thoughts on our new plans at Chapel Green School, Attleborough Road, Old Buckenham, NR17 1RF.
We are proposing to increase the number of pupils with complex needs to 180 from 1st September 2025.
As the demand for school places for students with complex needs in Norfolk continues to rise, we are currently consulting on the necessary adjustments to our school. Despite increasing our numbers to 160 in 2022, the ongoing demand has highlighted the need for further change, we currently support 179 pupils. To better reflect our growth and meet the needs of our community, we are considering changing the number of pupils we can accommodate.
We are running a consultation on our proposals from Monday 24 March to Friday 23 May 2025.
Why we want to add more pupil places
By expanding the number of places available at Chapel Green School, we can formally provide more children and young people with the opportunity to learn in an environment tailored to their needs. This will benefit those who currently face long travel times to access appropriate educational resources.
How do I have my say in this consultation?
We value the input of our community and stakeholders in this process, your feedback is crucial.
This consultation is an opportunity to express your views and ask questions on our proposal to increase the pupil numbers.
You can do this by;
completing the online questionnaire via this link:
https://norfolk.citizenspace.com/childrens-services/chapelgreenincrease
or completing the attached questionnaire and returning it to Chapel Green School, for the attention of the Headteacher’s Personal Assistant, either by post or email to jcox@chapelgreenschool.org.uk
What happens after this consultation?
The Governors will consider all the responses to this proposal and decide whether to continue to the statutory stage, where we issue a public notice. The final decision is made by the Local Authority Decision-Maker, Sara Tough, Director of Children Services, Norfolk County Council.
The closing date for all responses is 12 noon on Friday 23 May 2025.

Lilies in Old Buckenham

Remember with your lilies

As in previous years at Easter time, would you like to commemorate the life of a loved one with a lily in the church? (All Saints, Old Buckenham). Flower arrangements in the church on Easter Day will comprise of lilies, each in memory of departed relatives or friends. It is estimated that each lily will cost in the region of £5 and any additional monies received will go towards the cost of ensuring that All Saints Church is able to continue providing for the needs of Old Buckenham. 

If you would like to contribute to this event could you please contact Mrs Sheila Freake, 36 Hargham Road, Old Buckenham, NR17 1SL, telephone 01953 860156, email sheilafreake@btinternet.com with your donation by the Sunday 6 April together with the name(s) of person/s to be remembered and the name(s) of the donor(s).

If you are a UK tax payer you could increase your donation by 25% (at no extra cost to yourself). Please ask Sheila for more details. Cheques should be made out to 'Old Buckenham PCC'.

Old Buckenham Mill

 Time to go around our windmill

The public open days for this year are on Sunday 27 April, Sunday 11 May (coincides with National Mills Weekend), Sunday 22 June, Sunday 3 August and Sunday 14 September. Put the dates in your diary now and then go round between 1pm and 4pm to enjoy the scrumptious cakes and a trip up inside the mill.

They will be conducting their annual ‘spring clean’ of the mill on the morning of Friday 25 April from 9am. If anybody is willing to give up a couple of hours to help, then volunteers would be greatly appreciated. They also welcome interest from local groups or schools who may wish to arrange private tours. Requests should be sent to contact@oldbuckenhamwindmill.org.uk and they will endeavour to accommodate your request.

Notes on March Parish Council meeting

 Meeting on Thursday 6 March

These notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is changed at a later date.

Old Buckenham Parish Council met on Thursday 6 March. Those present were Councillors Naomi Bailey (Chair), Doug Irons (Vice Chair), Stan Burton, Lesley Evison, Steve Gowers, Pete Twissell and David Taylor. Also present were Megan Elvin (Clerk), Donna Oakley (RFO) and Stephen Askew (District Councillor) as well as eight members of the public. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 6 February were approved (7 in favour).

Financial matters. Available funds were £29,340.95. Payments for approval totalled £3,118.11 and included Almshouses Trust Grant £500, TH Fencing & Landscaping £1,184, Clerk £304.20, community car drivers £95.80 and £18.51 for water at the allotments. Suggit Farm Services not been paid for last year as Parish Council did not have the invoices and £3,600 is outstanding. Once invoices have come through, approval was given for paying straight away (7 in favour).

Councillors’ reports. Steve Askew  said he will get an assessment done on Fen Street and 30mph limit through his own members budget. This should measure speed and types of vehicles. If assessment meets criteria needed then they can proceed further. Weight limit assessment is different all together and would cost more money. So for now just going through the speed limit assessment. Breckland Council have grant money available for VE and VJ day applications so need get applications in now. Devolution is currently up in the air’ As far as Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council are concerned it is business as usual. Both presented balanced budgets. Tough timelines given to the council to give preferred timelines. Final submissions in September 2025 and looking for 2026 elections.

Breckland’s local plan has new targets which has increased amount by half a million again. Will need to look for significant amount of housing throughout the district. Should this take place; what Breckland are envisioning to do is to put a call out for sites where people can assess. They would like to engage with parishes in a greater way and have an event at Breckland inviting a few parishes at a time where maps will be at tables and where they can take ownership with Breckland on where they can put more housing. Call for sites should go out by the end of March 2025. As a Parish Council he would suggest being pro-active about it rather than saying we don’t want anything as it could then be taken out of our hands when deciding where new houses would be.

Naomi Baily had attended meeting at Primary School regarding parking due to the posts being put in and parents not being able to park. Seems that it is starting to get sorted out. They asked what the solution would be. We do not have to provide them a car park but she has spoken to the landlord of the The Gamekeeper. They are going to allow parents to park there for pick up and drop off only, not all day parking. She is looking to arrange another meeting with the High School regarding parking. Spoken with Stuart Barker regarding the Handyman job. He is happy to do this again this year and would like to tie up with the Green Working Committee to discuss this and looking to the end of March/April time finalise this.

Stan Burton reported that he had cleared up broken silver birch by the phone box. Also cleared up some branches that were getting close to the road. There are twenty posts left over from those posts that were put into Reggies Way and are now at his house. Pump is now working.

Steve Gowers said the CPR and defibrillator training is going ahead on Monday 10 and Saturday 22 March. NARS is a charity and he proposed the Parish Council give a donation of £100 per session.  This was approved (7 in favour). Another volunteer had come forward for the Community Speed Watch and another is pending. He has been meeting with Highways regarding Cake Street and also given ok to do a weekend Speed Watch.

He had now done the Playground course. Inspections should be done weekly and records of the inspections to be forwarded to the Clerk and a hard copy kept in the office at the Village Hall. He asked if our insurance does cover the playground and Doug Irons is to check this.

The Clerk, Megan Elvin. has received a request to post the agenda in the phone box for residents who do not have access to the internet. This will be done in future. Also received a request for temborary signage to be put on the Green for the Station 144 Bistro Café at the Aerodrome. Councillors agreed that this can be done. She had her initial Clerk training in February. Was advised by the training to purchase book called ‘Arnold-Baker on Local Council Administration 13th edition’. This was referred to being a Clerk’s “bible” and has all the up to date legislation in it. It costs £178.40 direct from the manufacturer. Purchase was approved (7 in favour).

Our subscription to Office 365 on the computer has ended. If we renew on a business plan, there are two options to use. Basic which would just be access to the web apps of Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. Standard allows desktop versions of these that we have now. Both versions include Teams and identity, access and user management for 300 employees. Basic costs £55.20 per year + VAT and Standard is £115.20 per year + VAT. Agreed to go for the standard plan (6 in favour).

Planning applications. All planning applications are available for viewing on the Breckland District Council planning portal. Parish Councillors have been asked by the chairman to view the new applications in advance of the meeting)

New planning applications. Robert Cocks Armshouses. Raising of Ridge Line and Parapet Coping In Association With Proposed Re-Roofing & Removal of Modern Chimney Pots on planning permission 3PL/2021/1650/LB (PL/2025/0159/LB). No issues and proposal to support was approved (7 in favour).

3 Mill Cottages, Mill Road. Demolition of existing, fire-damaged outbuilding. Date of fire: 10th December 2024. Reinstatement of the outbuilding with the scale, form, overall height and footprint to match that of the existing building prior to the damage – light commercial level as a family-run business from home (PL/2025/0167FMIN). No issues and proposal to support was approved (7 in favour).

21 Hargham Road. Single Story Extension (PL/2025/0208/HOU). No issues and proposal to support was approved (7 in favour).

Decision on the allotments. Lesley Evison had spoken to Allison Hannah and apologised as unable to do anything. Steve Gowers had spoken to those who have allotment and who have advised to close it now or close it at the end of the year. It was proposed to give notice that the allotments will be closed by the end of 2025. This was approved (7 in favour). Invoice the holders that are there now for the year and also pay the land owner for this year. Formal notice when paying this invoice to be given by Doug Irons to land owner saying that we will no longer be carrying on with the allotments.

Green Lease Committee. Should use of the Green be required, the Lease agreement should be signed. Should any section of the lease not be carried out, then a fine can be carried out and termination of the lease agreement. The committee have taken on board the concerns from those in the village and have amended the lease accordingly. They have issued the following statement: "To whom it may concern: The Old Buckenham Parish Council is facing unwarranted criticism for a lack of support for local businesses. Remember we are always impartial. As leaseholders of the Green, we are simply seeking adherence to a signed lease agreements for use of the Green. The business in question, a lessee and not an owner, is failing to comply with the terms of that agreement. This discrepancy between their actions and contractual obligations is constant and time consuming, along with being difficult to reconcile or even understand. The Parish Council proactively revised the lease agreement through extensive behind-the-scenes work and collaborative discussions with all involved parties. These efforts have resulted in a mutually agreed-upon resolution of previous differences. Key terms and conditions, while consistent with prior agreements, are now explicitly defined, eliminating ambiguity and ensuring transparency for all. If a renewed agreement for TWT is approved, rigorous monitoring will be implemented, and any non-compliance is breach of that agreement and will result in immediate termination of said agreement."

The Solar Farm. The clerk is finding out the latest progress and will report back at the April meeting.

The Weather Radar Tower. The clerk is finding out the latest progress and will report back at the April meeting.

Update on the Church Yard. Steve Gowers is in the process of setting up the meeting regarding this and waiting for people to confirm when they are available. Naomi Bailey has spoken to a current tenant on the land. He can understand why we would want to have the land back however it would be a lot of money for the council to pay out. This is not an easy decision to make, we are trying to gather the facts before making a decision. Need to find out within the lease as the land we are proposing to use brings in money into the council or the charity. Doug Irons will be asked to confirm this. Have been asked that if we are looking to turn the parcel of land into the cemetery, would we be able to also put allotments on this area as well? Unsure if we can do this – will need to look into it. We will need additional funding from the church to cover the costs.  

Training for Councillors. The Clerk to keep an eye on new dates for suitable training.

Review of Lease Agreements. This is to be reviewed next month

Pump for the pond. The pump for the pond is now fixed and running. The sump now needs to be dug out and the water pumped out. If it empties where the drain is then we should know where the water comes from. Left for Doug Irons and Stan Burton to sort out.

Parish equipment. A list is being drawn up. Stan Burton has the trailer, pump, Christmas lights and posts. Stuart Barker has the lawn mower. The coffee shop has the strimmer. Stan Burton and Pete Twissell are to send a full list to the Clerk and Donna Oakley.

 Eleemosynary Trustee appointment. There is a need to appoint another trustee . Lesley Ivison and Naomi Baily are already trustees. No qualifications required but ideally someone that has lived in the village for at least ten years. Request to go into the village newsletter, on social media and websites to request this.

Village Hall as a Emergency Rest Centre. Breckland Council have asked if the village hall could be considered for use in a national emergency. The Clerk to pass this request on to the Village Hall Management Committee

Post box for Parish Council. Need to consider acquiring a new post box for the Parish Council at the Village Hall. The Clerk to liaise with Pete Twissell regarding this and confirm with the Village Hall if this would be allowed. It was agreed in principle to have a separate Post Box and this was approved (7 in favour).

Prince Harry’s Wood. There was a need to re-sign the Land Transfer of Prince Harry’s Wood confirming that the purple marking is also part of the land being transferred.  The document was signed by Naomi Bailey.

Pot holes near Post Office. The drain outside Wardman’s house was blocked up by leaves. The pot hole is on the bend where vehicles turn and they are pushing dirt up and into the drain and causing a blockage. Stan Burton to look at taking some rubble over to the pot hole to fill this up.

Approval of lease. The approval of lease of part of the Green to David Tranmer was agreed in principle when fees and paperwork in order.

Public participation. A member of the public asked what will the next step be once we have found where the water should drain out of Ottomer Pond. Once we have found out everything, we will need to liaise with the planners and land owners regarding the next steps to organise drainage. Putting six months maximum on this to get it sorted.

Next agenda. Items should include hedge rows at Puddledock, Churchyard update, Green Working Committee update, Solar Farm and Radar Tower updates and also VE and VJ day celebrations.

 The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 3 April at Old Buckenham Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.