Events in Old Buckenham to start the year

Diary dates for January

Thursday 3         Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 4               Crib, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Sunday 6             Winter Fly In, Old Buckenham Airfield

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

Monday 7           Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

Tuesday 8           Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

Thursday 10       Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

Thursday 10       Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm

Monday 14         Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

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

Wednesday 16   Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Thursday 17    Sleeping Beauty pantomime, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Friday 18         Sleeping Beauty pantomime, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Saturday 19     Sleeping Beauty pantomime, Village Hall, 2.30pm

Saturday 19     Sleeping Beauty pantomime, Village Hall, 7.30pm

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

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

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

Treasure found in Old Buckenham

BBC come to All Saints Church
It is the last BBC Treasure Quest of 2012 and Becky has been searching for a clue in Old Buckenham (again).
The listeners had decided that the clue was on a memorial inside All Saints Church. She quietly opened the door into the church, hoping that there was not a service going on, and started looking around. It didn't take long to find the large memorial to Lionel Robinson who had brought top class cricket to Old Buckenham by providing a wonderful cricket ground at his home at Old Buckenham Hall.
Solving clue 3 didn't appear to be that easy and a while was spent outside the Church Rooms waiting for instructions before the BBC radio car drove away to another location.

 

You can listen to the programme for the next week on

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0122hk0/Treasure_Quest_Sunny_South_Norfolk/

about 1 hour 20 minutes in for the local bit

It's been raining in Old Buckenham

Take care when out walking
The ditches are now so full that water is flowing out onto the roads. Make sure you are wearing wellies if you want to walk into the Primary School. And take care if walking down some of the pavements, motorists are not that keen to slow down...

Boxing Day in Old Buckenham

Weather for walking
The sun has been shining all morning, sheep are safely grazing, the sunlight angles down on the war memorial and there are interesting reflections on Rod Alley pond. Just the morning to walk around the village after all the food consumption on Christmas Day.

Happy Christmas from Old Buckenham

Christmas wishes

No frost or snow to be seen but the seasons greetings to all our readers wherever in the world they may be.

Next year in Old Buckenham

Looking forward to 2013
Some dates for events in Old Buckenham during 2013 are already decided so here is some information for your new diary. Put the dates in now and it should help if you want to organise something and avoid clashing with some other village activity.
Thursday 17, Friday 18, and Saturday 19 January.Old Buckenham Players pantomime at Village Hall.

Saturday 23 February.
Senior Citizens Lunch, Village Hall.

Saturday 16 March.
Talk on the history of All Saints church (title yet to be finalised) in the church.

Saturday 27 April.
Garden Event at Village Hall.

Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May.
Vintage weekend at Airfield.

Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June.
Old Buckenham Airshow.

Saturday 31 August.
Village Fete.

Sunday 8 September.
Produce and Handicraft Show, Village Hall.

Friday 4, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October.
Military Revival at Airfield.

There are probably other dates to add to this list. Feel free to pass on the information using the 'post a comment' facility below and then the list can be updated.

Christmas Eve at All Saints, Old Buckenham

Tin cans and carols

The Church Rooms next to All Saints Church in Old Buckenham will be open throughout Christmas Eve to receive donations of non-perishable food. This is then taken to the St Martins charity in Norwich who are now accommodating over 140 people each night who otherwise would be homeless within Norfolk.
Perhaps you have collected things up now. Bring them along on Christmas Eve, they will all be put to good use.
Christmas Eve is also the time for the annual candlelit service of Carols and Lessons in  All Saints Church, starting at 7pm. The service will include participation by local schools, the Cubs and Beavers and members of the local community. The Venerable Steven Betts, Archdeacon of Norfolk will give the Christmas message.
It has become necessary to cater for the increasing number of the congregation with people coming to attend this service. So again this year additional seating will be available in the Church Rooms and people will be able to take part in the service via a video link from the Church. This arrangement was most successful last year and the possibility of adding a further tv screen to ensure a good view for all attending is being considered.
The collection will be given to the Norwich Night Shelter.

End of year party

Social and Wine Circle
The Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle met on Thursday 13 December for their last meeting of the year which, by tradition, was the Christmas party. Sherry was handed to all the guests on arrival to start the ball rolling. Three quizzes - to keep brains moving on a cold winter's evening - were organised by Doris Monkhouse and the chairman. One quiz offered a cash prize and the winning team received a bag of chocolate money to share. Whilst Alistair Monkhouse and John Frost went to collect the usual fish and chip supper, Brian Stone became the bingo caller for a fun half-hour. After this, there was the raffle to bring to an end a very happy evening and to round off 2012. The programme for 2013 gets under way on the Thursday 10 January in the Church Rooms at 7.45pm with a talk about the New Buckenham Silver Band.

What Old Buckenham parish council said

Last meeting of 2012
These notes were produced by the blog editor using the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended at a later date.
A meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council took place on Thursday 13 December. All parish councillors were there apart from John Frost, Akis Chrisovelides and Carol Marshall who had all sent their apologies. Ten members of the public were also present.
Derek Smalley, Sarah Dye and Old Buckenham Parish Council, all shareholders in Old Buckenham Green Right Proprietors, declared an interest in items on the agenda.
The meeting was suspended for a short while to allow members of the public to ask questions.
Minutes of the November Parish Council Meeting. These were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes. None.
Request for dispensation. Tim Ing proposed that under the powers granted to parish councils under s33 of the Localism Act 2011, having taken into consideration s31 of the Act, a dispensation be granted for all councillors, to allow councillors to take part in discussions and voting on Precept Matters as, without the dispensation, the number of persons prohibited by section 31(4) from participating in any particular business would be so great a proportion of the body transacting the business as to impede the transaction of the business. This resolution is to remain in force until the date before the Annual Meeting of the Council at the next ordinary election. The proposal that the parish clerk grants this dispensation was agreed with 7 for and 1 abstaining and the dispensation was then granted by the Parish Clerk.
Planning applications. The Finches, Cake Street. Extension and alterations to roof and new garage. It was agreed unanimously that there were no objections.
Land off Fen Street. Erection of new dwellings. It was proposed to object on grounds that the development is outside settlement boundary, width of the road is too narrow and no proper bus services from development so the development is not sustainable. There were also concerns over possible flooding and drainage. The objection was agreed with 7 for and 1 abstaining.
Alice Cottage, Ragmere Road. Conversion of integral garage into bedroom and bathroom. Also a side extension for car lodge. It was agreed unanimously that there were no objections.
Abbey Farm, Abbey Road. Conversion of outbuilding to annex. It was agreed unanimously that there were no objections.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Cottage Barns, Cake Street. Extension to provide new family room. Permission granted.
Roughlands, Grove Road. Erection of menage and horse walker including change of use of land to equine use. Permission granted with strict restrictions.
Roughlands, Grove Road. Alterations and extension to existing stables to provide 11 stables, tack room, tea room, stores and farrier’s workshop. Permission granted with strict restrictions.
Adoption of Precept. Following the granting of the dispensation by the Parish Clerk it was proposed by Tim Ing and seconded by Steve Milner that the precept set in October for the amount of £16,341.65 be confirmed. This was agreed with 7 for and 1 abstention.
Senior Citizens’ Christmas Lunch. It was proposed that a donation of £350 be given to the organisation. This was agreed unanimously.
Village Emergency Plan. Steve Milner thanked Derek Smalley for his contribution to compiling the revisions to the plan. Steve Milner then went through the plan explaining the different areas and actions covered by the plan in cases of certain emergencies. Tim Ing asked if councillors had any questions on the matter. Tim Ing then thanked both Derek Smalley and Steve Milner for their work on the plan. The final draft of the plan would be ready for adoption at February parish council meeting.
Street lights in Old Buckenham. Paul Boggia said he would like to see two street lights on the B1077, one near the war memorial and the other at the junction of Abbey Road and Hargham Road to provide better safety. Adrian Joel said New Buckenham had recently got a new street light and it had cost them nearly £2,000. Paul Boggia suggested solar powered lights but the Parish Clerk informed the meeting that all street lights had to comply with certain regulations and that solar powered ones were not included. Adrian Joel suggested putting the item on the Annual Parish Meeting agenda to seek the views of villagers.
Parking at Play Area. Tim Ing reported that the area was very muddy due to the recent rainfall and more ground material was needed. Matting had been put down but since then a lorry had caused extensive damage to it. Some villagers have indicated they would make a contribution towards the costs of the works. Sarah Dye thanked Tim Ing and John Frost for their hard work in putting down the materials currently installed at the area.
Chairman’s report. Tim Ing said that he attended a recent site visit at Eel Farm with Breckland District Council and the Planning Inspector. He also said that dog walkers in the village do not seem to appreciate the dangers of vehicles whilst walking their dogs. A letter had been received from a resident which had been circulated to all councillors regarding a number of issues in the village. Tim Ing then reported that twelve Jubilee mugs are still available for sale at £2.50 each. He reported that he had received a number of telephone calls and letters regarding the recent firework display and the noise it caused. A local farmer had lost some bird stocks and had now started legal proceedings against the company who provided the display. Tom Johnson suggested moving next year’s event to the airfield. Steve Milner said 300 people had attended the event and he had received a number of comments on how good the display was.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel reported that the Chief Executive Officer of Breckland Council was due to retire at the end of January and a replacement would be sought. All seven District Councils will be getting together to make available to residents in Norfolk a scheme to switch energy providers with the opportunity to save money on their bills. Breckland Council are also currently looking at the number of wards and councillors that they will need up to 2019 based on the number of residents and a mean average for each ward. This has to be submitted to the Boundary Commission by March 2013 for them to make decisions following full consultation with residents.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Tom Johnson reported that he attended a meeting of the Village Hall Committee in December where it was disclosed that the acting Chairman and the Treasurer would not be seeking re election in March 2013. Volunteers are urgently needed to sit on the committee otherwise the village hall may have to cease its activities. Paul Boggia asked what is happening with the bales of hay still on the Green. Old Buckenham Green Right Proprietors will write to Mr Davey to make arrangements to have them removed. Derek Smalley raised the matter of horse riding on the footpaths on the Green as it is causing problems with damage to surface of the footpaths. Derek Smalley also reported that dog fouling in the village is increasing. He then said that the rubbish bin speed signs had been received and they would be put on suitable bins in different areas of the village. He reported that the Oil Purchasing Scheme would still operate up to March 2013 when it would be reviewed. Jonathan Kemp said they had one quote for work to be carried out on the Recreation Area and would be getting two more quotes. Steve Milner reported that the Community Speed Watch in the village was up and running. Three sites had been approved from which speed checks could be carried out. The team have already carried out four one-hour sessions and had reported two people for speeding. Steve Milner thanked all the volunteers for their work in making the scheme a success. Tim Ing thanked Steve Milner and his team of volunteers for their hard work. Adrian Joel reported that the High School went out early in December litter picking on the Green. The High School are looking to obtain Academy Status by April 2013 following consultations with teachers and parents. He then reported that only one allotment tenancy had not been renewed and an advertisement had been placed asking if anyone wishes to take over the allotment.
Parish Clerk’s report. He stated that a safety scheme involving resurfacing work would be carried out soon by Norfolk County Council at the Puddle Dock Corner junction with Fen Street.
Highways. Steve Milner reported that an accident had happened at the junction of Grove Road and Mill Road recently involving motor vehicles. Steve Milner would put together some proposals for improving the junction . It was reported there is a deep gouge in the verge in Wilby Road, off Hargham Road going out of the village. Parish Clerk to contact highways. It was also reported the grass verge in Ragmere Road outside the allotments is damaged.
The Green. The footpath, which is on the ‘safe route to school’ and actually on the Green, is in need of repair. The Green Right Proprietors will contact Highways to see if they will assist with repairs. The new contract for haymaking on the Green will soon be put in the village magazine.

The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be on Thursday 3 January 2013 in Old Buckenham Village Hall and starting at 7.30pm.

Slow news days

All quiet on the Old Buckenham front
Things seem to have been very quiet in the village over the last few days. The temperature has remained at or below freezing all day today so the trees have been looking good in the sunshine as they have been covered in frozen hoar frost. 
Even the traffic has been slow as the Community Speed Watch team has again braved the weather to carry out their observations in Cake Street.

Slow down through Old Buckenham

Community Speed Watch starts in the village

The first members of Old Buckenham's Community Speed Watch team were in action at 8.30am today along Hargham Road. The speed of over 150 cars was monitored during the next hour and it was surprising how the presence of a couple of warning signs and some people in high-viz  jackets ensured that virtually every car driver came by at between 25mph and 30mph.
Watch out, they will be at several locations within Old Buckenham throughout December.

Father Christmas in Old Buckenham

Fundraising at the Windmill and the Village Hall
The Old Buckenham Village Recycling and Environment Group (VERG) had organised a table top sale in the village hall today. There were nearly twenty 'tables' offering homemade crafts as well as lots of household items for resale - anything from a large lawnmower to some small painting canvases. Money from the raffle is to be given towards the Senior Citizens party that will be held early next year.

Meanwhile at Old Buckenham Mill Father Christmas had arrived in an old Post Office van and taken up residence on the first floor. Over fifty children had booked in to go and see him, to have a chat and receive a present. On the ground floor there were plenty of activities to keep both young and old busy -  playing games, having their face painted or doing some colouring while perhaps sampling some hot punch and handmade mince pies. Everyone was enjoying themselves (including the wonderfully attired elves who were in attendance) and raising money to help with the Mill's maintenance at the same time.

 

 

Old Buckenham High School activities

High School on a high
Old Buckenham High School is celebrating after winning a prize worth £1000 for doing one of their favourite things - reading books. Andrea Hassan, the School Librarian, heard about a campaign run by the Siobhan Dowd Trust (a trust set up by the award-winning author Siobhan Dowd shortly before she died) to encourage the joy of reading and to help provide books to young people. Early in 2012, the Siobhan Dowd Trust launched a campaign to find out what was being done in schools to spread a joy of reading. The competition ran until the end of the summer term and got hundreds of submissions. A special judging panel, chaired by Michael Rosen, met recently to decide which ten schools had the most vibrant, lively school libraries and the most imaginative ideas to encourage reading for pleasure. Ten schools were chosen to win the prize of £1000 worth of books each and Old Buckenham High School was one of them.
Old Buckenham High School was picked out for the innovative ways in which they nurture a love of reading. Their Reading Star Awards encourages children to read at least 25 books a year with badges, certificates and prizes for everyone but they don’t leave the staff out as they take home teen fiction in the holidays and share their opinions with students when they return.

Students were really excited to see the piles of books the school had won commenting "wow, this will keep me busy for a while" and "I can’t wait to read all these books!”

 

There was more activity at the High School last night when they held a Christmas Market to raise funds for a new minibus.There were over thirty stall filling the hall and selling a wide range of gifts including jewellery, homewares, candles, hats, scarves, handbags, books, old fashioned sweets, cupcakes and much more. The place was crammed with people spending their cash so hopefully a decent sum of money will have been been raised.