Short road closure in Old Buckenham

Getting ready for cycle racing
Advance notices are now around Old Buckenham Green to remind people of the traffic arrangements on Saturday 3 September.

Flower festival in Old Buckenham

Shakespeare celebrated in Methodist Chapel
Make the effort to go along to the Methodist Chapel in Hargham Road to see their flower arrangements with a Shakespearean theme. It is open until 4pm today, from 1pm to 4pm tomorrow and from 10am until 4pm on the bank holiday Monday.
As well as the arrangements there are Shakespearean memorabilia and, of course, homemade cakes for refreshments. Entry is free (donations are welcomed) and there is plenty of convenient parking behind the Chapel.

Details of cycle races in Old Buckenham

Those Crit races
Details are now available of the times of the 'crit' cycle races around Old Buckenham Green on Saturday 3 September.
Road closures around the Green start at 11.30am. The B1077 across the Green will be reduced to a single lane from that time and controlled by traffic lights.
The circuit will be open for riding/training until 11.50am.
Race 1 – Start time 12 noon, 15 minutes duration. Youths under 12 and under 10 (British Cycling Youth C/D) - Entry/signing on opens at 10.30am and closes at 11.30am.
Race 2 – Start time 12.45pm, 25 minutes duration. Youths under 16 and under 14 (BC Youth A/B) – Entry/signing on opens at 11.30am and closes at 12.25pm.
Circuit open for riding/training until 1.50pm.
Race 3 – Start time 1.45pm – 45 minutes duration. BC Senior and Junior 3rd and 4th Category licence holders.
Race 4 – Start time 3pm – 1 lap Time Trial. Open to all . Entry on the day only £2. Entry/signing on opens at 10.30am and closes at 2.30pm with a maximum of 40 riders.
This race, riding individually, is for anyone who can ride a bike and would like to see how long it will take to ride one lap! The entry fee is to cover the insurance cost.
Race 5 – Start time 4pm – 50 minutes duration. BC Elite/1st/2nd/3rd Category licence holders.
All races except the Time Trial, Race 4, will be for the stated number of minutes plus one lap.
Old Buckenham residents living around the edge of the Green and possibly affected by the road closure will be able to access their homes between races but please ring 07775 615360 so that riders can be stopped from training on the circuit.

Open garden in Old Buckenham

View Pat and Roy’s garden

Pat and Roy Dickinson will have their garden at 59 Fen Street (NR17 1SR) open from 11am till 3pm this coming Sunday 21 August to raise money for Age UK Norfolk. 
They say it isn’t a perfect garden but a work in progress so do come and have a look round. You can also sit and enjoy tea and cakes sold by Old Buckenham WI. 
The Dickinsons' are just asking for donations for entry (suggested £3) and they look forward to seeing you there.

Update
The Open Garden raised a total of £160, which included £40 from Old Buckenham WI for the sale of teas and cakes.Two further donations have been promised. The total sum of money will be delivered to AGE UK Norfolk Head Office as soon as possible.
Pat and Roy would like to record their thanks to the Women's InstituteI for their support and to all those who took the time to attend this fundraising event. THey hope everyone who attended enjoyed their visit to their garden.

Murder mystery in Old Buckenham

Who killed the headmaster?
Why not book your place at a murder mystery evening provided by Old Buckenham Players? The play is set in the Headmaster’s Office and the year is 1932. Bartholomew Rex is the Headmaster of Hornchurch Private School for Young Gentlemen. He’s a pleasant, diplomatic sort of man but he’s beset by problems. The school is rapidly going downhill and a lot of people are very angry with him.
But who would be angry enough to kill him? Could it be…

Helen, his overly dedicated personal secretary,
Judy, his overbearing, jealous wife,
James, the inept school caretaker,
Brian, the ambitious, plain speaking Deputy Head,
Harry, the studious, withdrawn Science Master,
Barbara, the eccentric Head of English,
or even Martin, the frustrated Head of the School Governors?
Detective Spence has got his work cut out unravelling a particularly unpleasant, brutal and perplexing murder case - as have the audience. A quiz, prizes for best-worked solution and most comic solution, along with nibbles, a reasonable bar and the audience grouped in round tables of eight people.
It is on for two nights only with performances on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 September at 7.30pm in Old Buckenham Village Hall. Entry by ticket costing £8 and available by calling 01603 810373. 
There are limited numbers due to the table format so book early to make sure you can help solve the mystery. 

The Broadside Boys at Old Buckenham

Folk from the East
There was a well-attended musical evening in Old Buckenham Village Hall last night. The music was supplied by The Broadside Boys (Matt Bayfield and Eric Sedge) ably supported by the Gamekeeper's Lad (Stephen Bayfield) with his tales of local country life. 
The Broadside Boys use their folk music to tell stories of local tragedy and heroism. There were songs about a wartime plane crash, of merchant seamen on the Arctic convoys, of gamekeepers and even a one-armed headmaster.
Although it was a warm evening, everyone enjoyed a meal of sausages and mash as well as plenty of liquid refreshment from the well-stocked bar.
There was talk of a return visit sometime in the future so  more villagers will be able to enjoy this particular brand music and the associated humour.

Speeding round Old Buckenham

Racing around Old Buckenham Green

One of last year's races

Before you go on the gentle village cycle ride on Sunday 4 September, there is the chance to see some really speedy cycle racing on the previous day.
Diss and District Cycling Club and Breckland District Council were impressed by the large crowds that watched the Tour of Britain flash through Old Buckenham in 2015 and the success of the first ever Crit Racing on closed roads around the village green. Now they have decided to make Crit Racing an annual event as part of a two-day cycling festival in 2016.
The Crit Racing will be on closed roads on a 1.1km circuit around the Green and will be held on Saturday 3 September. 
This is serious cycle racing. The National B event is the Eastern Road Race League Criterium Championships,the Ladies Race will be part of the Womens Eastern Race League and the Youth races part of the Eastern Region Youth Racing Series (ERYRS).
Electronic race results will be by Norfolk Cycle Race Judging and will ensure that every rider is given a finishing position using the MyLaps transponder system.
The Crit Racing is being organised by Diss and District Cycling Club, with the support of Breckland District Council, and under the rules of British Cycling.

Gentle cycling around Old Buckenham

Old Buckenham Cycling Festival
The weekend of Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 September will be a great couple of days for anyone with even the slightest interest  in cycling.
People of all ages with access to a bike are invited to join in a couple of gentle rides around the village on the Sunday morning starting at 10am. You will find maps of the routes at
https://www.facebook.com/obcycling
The photos below were taken of the similar event in 2015.

Time to start getting the family machines in good condition for a ride the children won't forget.

Old Buckenham performance nearly here

The Broadside Boys are coming 
A Country Show with music from the Broadside Boys and comedy from Stephen Bayfield, will take place in Old Buckenham Village Hall on Saturday 13 August starting at 7.30pm. 
Tickets are £10 which will include a bangers and mash supper as well as all the vocal entertainment.
Don't leave everything to the last minute - pop along to the Old Buckenham Stores and get your tickets while there are still some available.

Cutting back in Old Buckenham churchyard

Early morning working party
Where were you at 8am this morning? Some parishioners were already hard at work clearing back the vegetation in the churchyard of All Saints, Old Buckenham.

With up to four strimmers on the go, there was plenty of material to rake up and put into wheelbarrows. Then it was loaded onto the trailer, compacted down and eventually driven off to pastures new.

Car park improvements at Old Buckenham Village hall

The machines roll in
There have been plenty of comments on how much it has cost to resurface much of the car park at Old Buckenham Village Hall. When you see how much big equipment and how many people are involved in doing a professional job then the sums of money involved are not so surprising.
We now look forward to the spaces being marked out on the nice smooth surface.

News from Old Buckenham Women's Institute

Touring the world
Old Buckenham WI were pleased to welcome Louise Casson (the new Norfolk Federation Secretary) and 25 members of New Costessey WI to their July meeting. Old Buckenham’s association with this WI started over thirty years ago and they still meet up once a year to share an evening together.
After supper and a glass of wine, they were entertained by two Thetford WI members, Marilyn Bartrup and Lynn Ready, who told members about what they term their “pension gap year”. This proved to be twelve months of pure adventure. They purchased a round-the-world air ticket and firstly flew to Tokyo and spent several weeks in Japan, including a visit to the Peace Park at Hiroshima which they found deeply moving. They then went on to visit other countries in the Far East including Singapore and Malaysia. While in Borneo they went on a boat trip to a remote island and found themselves in the position of having to wade ashore only to find a large notice warning them of the presence of crocodiles. They hired a camper van in Australia and spent five months touring the country from Darwin in the north to Cairns and then further south, including a camping adventure near Ayers Rock. They also spent some time in Tasmania in the jungle before flying on to New Zealand for two months. Their next stop was Fiji before flying on to Los Angeles and San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Boston and Toronto. Apart from the initial flight to Tokyo, they had no firm plans of where they were going or for how long they would be staying. An incredible journey lasting twelve months for two ladies of pensionable age.
The next major event for Old Buckenham WI is on Sunday 11 September for the Village Produce Show. Entries can be taken to the Village Hall between 9.30am and-11am. The show opens to the public at 2.30pm with prize giving at 4pm. If you have mislaid your schedule, please telephone 01953 860845.
The speaker at the August meeting, to be held on Thursday 25 August, will be Denise Janes who will be talking of her experiences as a Tourist Information Centre Officer.
The following monthly meeting is on Thursday 22 September when the speaker will be Brian Heard on the subject of Forensic Science.

Things to do in Old Buckenham during August

Diary dates for August

Tuesday 2    Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am onwards

Wednesday 3    Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Wednesday 3    Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

Saturday 6    Churchyard clear up, All Saints, 8am to 11am

Sunday 7    Wargames Club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

Monday 8    Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

Thursday 11    Breckland Flower Club outing

Saturday 13    Broadside Boys, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Sunday 14    Windmill open, 2pm to 5pm

Wednesday 17    Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Wednesday 17    Social and Wine Circle trip to Stanford Battleground

Wednesday 17    Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

Sunday 21    Open garden for Age UK, 59 Fen Street, 11am to 3pm

Thursday 25    Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Wednesday 31    Luncheon Club coffee morning, 10.15am

Old Buckenham newsletter for August

Copies have been spread around
As it is the beginning of another month, you now have your chance to pick up a copy and to read all the latest village news.