Monday 31 May 2010

A busy month ahead

Diary dates for June

Tuesday 1 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon
Wednesday 2 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Thursday 3 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 4 Mobile Police Station outside village shop, 9am to 10.30am
Friday 4 Crib Drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 5 Environment Day, Village Hall, 10am to 1pm
Sunday 6 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 7 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Wednesday 9 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Thursday 10 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 10 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm
Friday 11 Netgamers, Village Hall, 7pm to 9pm
Sunday 13 Children's play area opening, 2pm to 4pm
Sunday 13 Askew Agricultural Museum, open 2pm to 5pm
Monday 14 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm
Wednesday 16 Request Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Sunday 20 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 21 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Wednesday 23 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 23 Old Buckenham 2000 Trust AGM, Church Rooms, 7.30pm
Thursday 24 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 26 Roadside collection, textiles and toys, from 9am
Sunday 27 Air Show, Old Buckenham Airfield, open 9am, flying 2pm
Monday 28 Textiles and toys collection, Village Hall car park, 8.30am

Sunday 30 May 2010

Twelve months in Old Buckenham

A year of progress
The Annual General Parish Council Meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council was held prior to the regular parish council meeting.
The Chairman and Vice-chairman resigned and the Parish Clerk chaired the meeting.
Norman Cawston was re-elected as chairman, and Tim Ing as vice-chairman, both receiving six votes for with one abstention. The Chairman then took over to chair the meeting.
Appointment of working parties.
Play area:
Mike Craven Romain
Recreation Area: Stephen Thorley, Gerald Norton, Adrian Joel, Trevor Crook, and Carol Marshall.
Allotments: Adrian Joel, Carol Marshall and Tim Ing.
Standing orders: All councillors and the Parish Clerk.
Chairman’s annual report. The Parish Council had completed the safer route to school footpath along with the B1077 footpath with help from the Green Rights Proprietors and Terry Cracknell. Norman Cawston thanked the Green Rights Proprietors for getting the probation service involved in tidying up the Green. He then said that all monies for the play area had been raised and hopefully it would be completed this month. The recreation area is still raising funds and he was looking forward to its completion later this year. He also said the Parish Council had been asked to look at a possible continuation of the footpath down Cake Street.
Clerk’s annual report. This has been a difficult year for the Parish Council as there was effectively no Parish Clerk for nearly five months of the year. Having taken over in September, the clerk’s first priority was to set the precept for the financial year 2010/11. The precept was set at £12,218 which equates to a 19% reduction on the previous year. It is anticipated that the precept for the financial year 2011/12 will show a further reduction. The Parish Council are fully aware of the harsh economic times for many of the villagers who are on fixed incomes and will therefore ensure strict financial and monetary controls are effectively applied at all times.
Also during the year the Parish Council has compiled several documents: a Village Emergency Plan, a Health & Safety Policy Document, Freedom of Information model publication scheme and a Financial Regulation Policy document, all this has been necessary due to legislation. The Parish Council are currently undertaking a review of its standing orders to bring them into line with current Government legislation. Also it has programmed in a full risk assessment to be carried out during the course of the next few months on all assets owned by the Parish Council. These programmes have involved the parish councillors in extra work and the clerk would like to take this opportunity of thanking them for their efforts during what has been a difficult year under exceptional circumstances.

Saturday 29 May 2010

Charity begins in the village

Old Buckenham 2000 Trust
The Trustees would like to thank the raffle organisers at the tractor rally for the kind donation and also those involved in the March textiles collection for their contribution to the Trust. It goes without saying that the monies will be put to good use within the village.
It is also a year since the last AGM and they will be holding this year’s AGM on Wednesday 23 June at 7.30pm in the Church Rooms. If anyone would like to attend please feel free to come along and hear what the Trust has achieved during the last twelve months.

Thursday 27 May 2010

Players' performance

Play review
The Old Buckenham Players recent production in the village hall was Second from the last in the sack race by Michael Birch. Charles Oxley kindly wrote the following review for the village newsletter and blog.
This play was adapted from a book describing the childhood and schooling of Henry Pratt, in a world that showed him little affection. The dramatisation has pared down the book’s characters and settings to make it workable on stage, but the original book’s lack of dramatic peaks and troughs is reflected in the script and possibly inevitably in this Players’ production.
Casting 15 players for twice that number of characters can’t have been easy and some anachronisms arose; Malcolm Robertshaw had to play a much younger character in Henry’s father and Phil Butcher’s Tosser was, I think, a schoolboy. Both were competently played but being ‘out of age’ was confusing for some in the audience. Matt Butcher seemed too nice for the thuggish yokel Eric but he was a perfect Irish Liam and danced elegantly in a toga.  Robertshaw's later cameo as the sergeant major was spot on.
Henry was ably played by Josh Francis, although he was rather flat emotionally. In spite of being the leading character the other players tended to put him in the shade. This reflects the storyline but some dramatic moments were missed. His line: “You don’t let me into your lives” was a key moment but the direction didn’t allow its full impact. 
Maria McCann’s Cousin Hilda was excellent. She was also very funny as the nightclub singer with a cough although her stage presence drew the audience away from the other characters’ dialogue. Norah, Ada and Auntie Doris were in the safe hands of Chris Allen, Margaret White and Jeanette Cruickshank respectively and Richard Crawly was an amusing spiv. The younger members of the cast did well, with Fran Izzo showing great confidence. I hope the Players will continue to encourage young talent.
The play wasn’t a comedy but it was very funny in places. Sometimes the spoken lines lacked pace but the Yorkshire accents mostly came off quite well with pleasingly clear diction. The background of projected images and bursts of soundtrack were highly effective in providing backbone to the narrative. With the well-chosen costumes they put the audience right in the mood of the period. The many changes of furniture were done smoothly.Technically this was a sound and rehearsed production, most difficulties I think being due to the script rather than the Players who performed well to an appreciative audience. 
The Players should be pleased with their production.
Charles Oxley

Saturday 22 May 2010

Remember, remember the fourth of September


Village Fete
At the initial meeting to discuss the possibility of another fete in the village this year, those in attendance were unanimous that the success of last year's event showed that there is enough interest for this to become an annual event. Also that as the community appeared to have enjoyed the format of 2009, it would be sensible not to change very much this year.
As it was just the initial gathering of representatives from the various bodies within the village few decisions were made, but since then bookings have been made for entertainment provided by Morris dancers, Punch & Judy, and the ever popular Drummers. The next meeting about the fete is on Monday 24 May, followed by a further meeting on Monday 5 July. Please come along, contribute your views and help make the event on Saturday 4 September even better than last year.

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Help with school playtime


Uncovering instruments
Our local school is always on the scrounge for funding to purchase new instruments for pupils to use in lessons and in extra-curricular work.
As you enjoy your spring clean, if anyone discovers any unwanted musical instruments of any kind in the loft or the garage (guitars, drums, keyboards, woodwind, brass, accordion, banjo, ukulele, didgeridoo, bagpipes, etc, etc) Old Buckenham High School would be very happy to find a home for them here in their Music Department. You can contact the school by phoning 01953 860233 or emailing them at office@oldbuckenhamhigh.norfolk.sch.uk
Thank you.

Tuesday 18 May 2010

What the parish council has been doing

A year of progress
The Annual General Parish Council Meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council was held on Thursday 6 May prior to the regular parish council meeting.
The Chairman and Vice Chairman resigned and the Parish Clerk chaired the meeting.
Norman Cawston was re-elected as chairman, and Tim Ing as vice-chairman, both receiving six votes for with one abstention. The Chairman then took over to chair the meeting.
Appointment of working parties.
Play area: Mike Craven Romain
Recreation Area: Stephen Thorley, Gerald Norton, Adrian Joel, Trevor Crook, and Carol Marshall.
Allotments: Adrian Joel, Carol Marshall and Tim Ing.
Standing orders: All councillors and the Parish Clerk.
Chairman’s annual report. Parish Council had completed the safer route to school footpath along with B 1077 footpath with help from Green Right’s Proprietors and Terry Cracknell. Norman Cawston thanked the Green Right Proprietors for getting the probation service involved in tidying up the Green and it was looking as good as ever. He then said that all monies for the play area had been raised and hopefully it would be completed this month. The recreation area is still raising funds and he was looking forward to its completion later this year. He also said the Parish Council had been asked to look at a possible continuation of the footpath down Cake Street.
Clerk’s annual report. This has been a difficult year for the Parish Council as there was effectively no Parish Clerk for nearly five months of the year. Having taken over in September, the clerk’s first priority was to set the precept for the financial year 2010/11. The Precept Meeting was held in October 2009 and the precept was set at £12,218 which equates to a 19% reduction on the previous year. It is hoped and anticipated that the precept for the financial year 2011/12 will show a reduction again on this year’s precept. The Parish Council are fully aware of the harsh economic times for the villagers, many of whom are on fixed incomes. The Parish Council will therefore ensure strict financial and monetary controls are effectively applied at all times and that all expenditure is within budgetary limits.
Also during the year the Parish Council has compiled several documents: a Village Emergency Plan, a Health & Safety Policy Document, Freedom of Information model publication scheme and a Financial Regulation Policy document. All this has been necessary due to legislation. The Parish Council are currently undertaking a review of its standing orders to bring them into line with current Government legislation. Also it has programmed in a full risk assessment to be carried out during the course of the next few months on all assets owned by the Parish Council. These programmes have involved the parish councillors in extra work during the year and the clerk would like to take this opportunity of thanking them for their efforts during what has been a difficult year under exceptional circumstances.

Friday 14 May 2010

Colourful gardening


Breckland Flower and Garden Club
Container gardening was the subject for May's meeting in Old Buckenham Village Hall when Rosemary Ward from Spixworth gave hints and tips for planting up containers. She also brought along a lovely selection of plants - examples of plants recently bred with new colours, for example a 'chocolate' coleus which would be a wonderful contrast with hot orange and yellows as well as petunias (purple tinged with green) and beautiful soft mauve diascias and nemesias.
The table show was awash with spring blossom. Ten points were awarded to Mellissa Sheldrake for her crab apple, nine points to Sylvia Briggs for philadelphus and eight points to Ann Dent with an unknown shrub.
The competition was for an all-foliage arrangement.-The New Hands class was won by Janet Skidmore and the Old Hands by Ursula Jackson who was also awarded the Rene Hambley Trophy for the best use of colour.
The next meeting will be at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 10 June starting at 2pm when Lee Berrill will demonstrate 'One Day'. The flower arranging competition will be for a 'Special occasion arrangement' and the table show will feature the ‘First rose of summer’ - one rose stem from the garden.
Visitors are always welcome to these meetings. Further information can be obtained from Pat on 01953 457305 or Sally on 01953 788712.

Tuesday 11 May 2010

Playground progress








Things are happening

The workmen have moved in. Along with the men there are mixers, an auger and a laptop working hard to erect things at the children's playground. The little spring chicken will not be lonely much longer.

Sunday 9 May 2010


Fund raising
A big thank you is due to all those who supported the Buckenham Pre-school Spring Grand Draw. The draw of the winning tickets was done by the village newsletter editor at the Pre-school on Monday 3 May. The final amount raised was£635 and this will be spent on outdoor play equipment.

Saturday 8 May 2010

The playground awaits


Ready and waiting
The children's play area on the Green is now grassed over, fenced in and just waiting for the imminent installation of new equipment.

Thursday 6 May 2010

Walking down the High Street


Talking on shopping

At their April meeting, Old Buckenham WI were treated to an illustrated talk by John Lee entitled ‘Changes on the High Street’. John is a self-confessed ‘nosy parker’ who can be seen taking photos of shop fronts and street furniture. Most people are aware of the closure of once vital shops in the local communities and John’s talk highlighted those very changes.
Once all High Streets could boast a butcher, a baker, a greengrocer and other small stores, often they were family concerns. Many of these stores have now closed their doors and the premises remain empty or taken on short-term leases. So many market town centres seem to comprise of charity shops, estate agents, banks and the odd coffee shop. These once thriving centres of our communities have seen the closure of Post Offices, Woolworths and other once familiar stores
Our cities are not immune to continuing change and any visit to the centre of Norwich will confirm this. The trend towards shopping malls and out of town shopping centres has accelerated the demise of the city specialist shops.
More changes will come, of course, as many people do their shopping and banking online. This might well become a nation that no longer ‘goes shopping’. But maybe, people will miss the gossip and the meeting friends at the shops. Maybe they will miss the advice of the butcher who really knows his cuts of meat. Maybe in future there will be space in the High Street for the specialist and the public will appreciate and support them.
So if you see John with his camera taking those shots of local streets, understand that he is preparing his next talk and not casing the local bank for his next blag.
This meeting is also the one where Old Buckenham WI have their Denman Bursary draw, every year giving £150 towards a course at the WI’s own residential college in Oxfordshire. Courses are varied and range from singing, embroidery, digital photography, reflexology and many more subjects. Accommodation is first class as is the catering. The College is not exclusive to the WI as it is intended to encourage and foster all women’s education.
The next meeting is ‘Resolutions’ on Thursday 27 May and the competition is for “something red”.

Monday 3 May 2010

How's your spelling?


Pond names
John is writing a book on growing up in the village of Old Buckenham in the 1930s and would be very grateful for a little help on a few points. Is the current spelling 'Ottomer' authentic? Everyone used to say 'Otmer', and mostly the 't' would be left out. Certainly, the o in the middle of the present written form does not sound authentic 'Norfolk'. Is there still a name for the pond on the left of the last bend in the road toward the Hargham Road crossing? It is a name I've forgotten but I used to fish there.

Send any information to oldbuckhistory@aol.com and it will be forwarded to John. Thank you.

Saturday 1 May 2010

What you may do this month

Diary dates for May

Sunday 2 Christian Aid talk and cake stall, All Saints Church, 9.30am
Sunday 2 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Tuesday 4 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon
Wednesday 5 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Thursday 6 Parish Council, Church Rooms, 7.30pm
Friday 7 Mobile Police Station outside village shop, 9am to 10.30am
Friday 7 Crib Drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Sunday 9 Askew Agricultural Museum, open 2pm to 5pm
Monday 10 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm
Wednesday 12 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Thursday 13 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 13 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm
Friday 14 Netgamers, Village Hall, 7pm to 9pm
Saturday 15 Allotment meeting, Church Rooms, 10.30am
Sunday 16 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 17 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Wednesday 19 Request Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Thursday 20 Old Buckenham Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 21 Old Buckenham Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 22 Old Buckenham Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Monday 24 Village fete meeting, Memorial Room, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Wednesday 26 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Thursday 27 Pre-school Open Event, 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Thursday 27 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm