Permissive society in Old Buckenham

Habeas corpus
The newsletter editor went along to the second night of the latest production put on by the Old Buckenham Players. The following are his own personal comments on the evening’s entertainment, Alan Bennett’s ‘Habeas Corpus’.
This was a most delightful way to spend an evening. A play by one of the country’s best living playwrights performed by a group of local talented actors. It was a production of the highest standard that had the audience laughing out aloud throughout as the plot unfolded.
Technically the evening went without any obvious boobs. Well that’s not really true as there were several pairs forming an integral part of the plot. With one character unable to cope with his lack of height, another upset about being flat-chested, one hypochondriac and a fourth who was seriously depressed, it is a surprising funny play. Describing the plot is difficult. Alan Bennett is a high class writer who is able to describe things in words that this reviewer is unable to paraphrase without making it sound trite.
The housekeeper, Mrs Swabb, keeps the audience aware of what is going on with the Wicksteed family, Canon Throbbing, Lady Rumpers and her daughter Felicity, Sir Percy Shorter, Mr Shanks and Mr Purdue as they move on and off the stage. Most of the men lose their trousers at some time or another, without the action collapsing into farce, and the phrase “so this is what they mean by the permissive society” is regularly heard.
It would be inappropriate to pick out individual members of the cast – they all played their parts to a high standard and brought out the best in a wonderful script. The set was deliberately kept simple, again to allow the dialogue to speak for itself.

Now we can look forward to the autumn show of one act plays on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September.

Money for old books

Book sale
Thanks to all those who supported the book sale in the Church Rooms on Sunday 18 May, particularly those who assisted in the organising, and the Old Buckenham WI for providing the refreshment facilities. At the time of this post, something in the region of £350 was raised by the Village Environmental and Recycling Group for the village.

Decorating the tables

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
A busy afternoon was had by all members at the May meeting in the village hall creating a table decoration on a ring using tulips or roses, sticks, foliage and beads resulting in a very colourful display.
In the monthly competition, ‘petite - in or with a cup and saucer’, first in the new hands class was Janet Skidmore and first in old hands (and winner of the Betty Warburton trophy for best use of garden material) was Pat Wells.
The June meeting will be held at Old Buckenham Village Hall on Thursday 11 June starting at 2pm. The demonstrator will be David Wright whose title will be 'Summer Wedding' . The competition is for a white and green wedding table arrangement - with or without candle/s and the Renee Hambley Tropy will be awarded for the best use of colour.
If anyone would like to come on the Club's outing to Hyde Hall and Braintree (£10 for RHS members and £14.50 for non members) please contact Sheila on 01953 888710.
Visitors are always welcome to come to the meetings. Further details can be obtained from Pat on 01953 457305 or Sally on 01953 788712.

Money matters

More funds raised
The Spring Fair held on Saturday 9 May raised a total of £305 towards the cost of the Senior Citizens Christmas party. Thanks to all the helpers that gave their time to help at this event and also to those members of the public who came along and spent their money.
A further fund-raising event for the party will be a cream tea to be held on Saturday 11 July. More details will be given later.

High level talk raises money

Nepal Plus
The Village Hall in Old Buckenham was filled with around eighty people on Saturday 9 May who came to listen to David Hannah talk about his experiences on a trip to Nepal. His illustrated talk started off at Diss railway station and followed his journey to Kathmandu, the flight to Lukla, then trekking to Phortse via Namche Bazaar. While in Phortse he had been present at the formal opening of their new community centre, a building that had been masterminded by another Old Buckenham resident, Tony Freake. The final part of his journey from Phortse to Gokyo, way up into the Himalayas and to heights of over 5,500 metres, was where the effects of altitude sickness finally caught up with David and he was grateful to move down to the lower altitudes once more.
The main highlights of his trip included the friendliness of the Nepalese people, some exhilarating plane flights, the many precarious bridges he had to cross and the fortuitous meetings with people he had met while on a T’ai Chi course back in Wymondham. There were a number of people in the audience who had been to Nepal themselves and they enjoyed reliving memories of their visits to this amazing country.
The second half of the meeting involved an ‘auction of experiences’. There was strong bidding for some high speed laps around the Lotus test track at Hethel and for the pairs of tickets for various concerts at the High Lodge Centre in Thetford Forest as well as the other dozen items.
Thanks go to all the people who turned out to support the evening which resulted in a profit of £870 which will go towards the upkeep of All Saints Church in the village.

Fund raising Saturday

Parting with their money

Saturday in Old Buckenham was a day for raising money for two local good causes.

In the afternoon there was a Spring Fayre in the Church Rooms to provide some funds for the Senior Citizens Christmas lunch that will take place early in 2010. Many of the people who will enjoy the free lunch were there manning the stalls or spending their money to buy raffle tickets, plants, refreshments and bric-a-brac.

In the evening the Village Hall was filled with around eighty people who came to listen to David Hannah talk about his experiences on a trip to Nepal and to bid for items in an auction of 'experiences'. Initial calculations show that this event raised £870 which will go towards the upkeep of All Saints Church. A longer report will appear on the blog within the next few days.

Unfurling the banner

Celebration time

It was time for a bubbly celebration at Old Buckenham Stores when they received further recognition of their recent success in being voted the best independent village store in the whole of Breckland.

Becky Jefcoate, Economical Development Officer at Breckland District Council was there to pass over a specially-made banner to allow the shop to advertise its success to all those passing by. The Londis Regional Manager Jon Chapman was also there along with John Miller, Regional Director of Musgrave Retail Partners, to pass on their congratulations to Old Buckenham's village shop.

Adrian Joel, Old Buckenham's local councillor, helped the shop staff and some of their regular customers to show off the banner to the photographers and to open a suitable celebratory bottle of bubbly on this important occasion.

The top picture shows, from the left, John Miller (Musgrave Retail Partners), Doug Baker (customer), Venuka (from the shop), Adrian Joel (local councillor), Lavanya (from the shop) and Janet Moore (customer).

Celebrations

Now what was going on outside the village shop earlier today?

More details of this event will be on the blog tomorrow morning.

A new red coat

Pretty postbox

A new coat of red paint and the clematis in flower. Shame that the sun wasn't out on this picturesque post box in Ragmere Road, Old Buckenham.

Go and fetch it

May has arrived

It may be a few days late but the May issue is now available to pick up at the village shop, the Ox and Plough, the Gamekeeper and the Clinic on the Green. There are also a few copies at the Airfield.

Those lucky numbers

Crib and Numbers Club
The prizewinners of the crib drive held at the village hall in May were Mary Parker, Olive Fuller, Dave Livingstone, Muriel Large, Joyce Goodey and Jean Rush.
The Numbers Club winners were drawn at the drive and they were Stuart Barker, Adrian Brinded, Joyce Goodey, Tommy Mack, J Eagling, Jean Garwood and Den Packham.
It is still not too late to join the club for this year. Next month sees an extra prize of £25 being drawn so please do your little bit to help the Village Hall. It only costs £1 each month to belong. If you want to know more just contact any committee member or Jill on 01953 860551.

Bargains in books

Book this time and place

Whether you are interested in gardening, crafts, biography, travel, romance, recent best sellers, sport, or just books in general, you are sure to pick up a good read at a very keen price at the fifth VERG (Village Environment and Recycling Group) book sale on Sunday 17 May between 11am and 3.30pm in the Church Rooms. Children will have lots of old favourites to choose from as well, with space to browse. The WI will be on hand with light refreshments in an area set out for rest and chat and the raffle will provide chances to win, among other things, shopping tokens (and even a token for two tickets for a Norwich City home football match of your choice).The village hall kitchen refurbishment project needs plenty of money to give the village a kitchen fit for the beginning of the twenty- first century.

Thank you to all those who have or are donating books and hopefully many of you will pop in for a browse and to purchase a stock of books to last until the next sale. If you would like to come but find it difficult to get there please let VERG know (telephone 01953 452716, the same number for collection of books).

Royalty and the WI

WI goes to Sandringham
For their April meting, Old Buckenham WI had a visit from Mrs Watt (also known as Maureen Rispin from Sandringham). She told them of her visit to Sandringham in February 1919, at the invitation of Queen Mary. They had met before this at the first meeting of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes in Caxton Hall, London. Queen Mary had invited Mrs Watt, a Canadian from British Columbia, to come and speak to the ladies of Sandringham to tell them about the WI which was, of course, founded in Canada.
Mrs Watt looked very smart in her costume of jacket and full-length skirt, with a hat. She had been enchanted with her visit to Sandringham, being shown round the estate, the stud farm and seen the flock of Southdown sheep. The meeting was held in West Newton Village Hall, to which the Queen and the Princess Royal also came. By having the Queen take an active interest at Sandringham, Mrs Watt saw that this would do wonders for the WI movement nationally and internationally. Later she wrote an article about this inaugural meeting for the first edition of ‘Home and Country’. She said she had realised her childhood dream of meeting the Queen, not in a palace but in her more homely surroundings. At that meeting the Queen agreed to be President and 60 ladies became members.
Meetings followed a format which many WI members would recognise today – talks, plenty of time for social chat, and refreshments. From a Minute Book Mrs Watt read that there had been outings by charabanc to Norwich and Cromer, six hostesses were in charge of refreshments at meetings, a talk had been given by someone from the Brooke Bond tea company, and many people who worked on the estate and in the gardens were asked to talk about their lives . They also had time for games though musical chairs could present a problem if there was one chair left and one other member besides Her Majesty – history did not relate who won!
To end her talk Mrs Watt read the Alberta Creed which sets out very simply and clearly the WI ethos. Doris Monkhouse thanked Maureen Rispin for her most interesting and novel way of bringing early WI days to life.
Pride of place at this meeting was given to Old Buckenham’s Cator Cup entry which had won second place. This was a lovely reward for all the hard work that had gone into producing the exhibit entitled ‘Wild, Wild Women’. With third place last year, second this year, what about 2010? At the end of the meeting the annual draw for the Denman Bursary was taken and future meetings were planned for the ‘floral’ themed Garden Party on Saturday 6 June at Susan Hunter’s home and also planning for the Village fete later in the summer.
The next meeting will be the annual resolutions meeting held on Thursday 28 May and the competition will be for a pretty cup and saucer.The June Lynn Barrow will be talking about the language of flowers and the competition is for a posy of five flowers with foliage.

Things you may do

Diary dates for May
There are lots of things you can do in Old Buckenham
Friday 1 Crib Drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Sunday 3 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 4 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm
Tuesday 5 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon
Tuesday 5 Induction of Revd David Hill as Rector, All Saints, 7.30pm
Wednesday 6 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Thursday 7 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 8 Mobile Police Station outside village shop, 9am to 10.30am
Friday 8 Netgamers computer games, Village Hall, 7pm to 9pm
Saturday 9 Spring Fayre, Church Rooms, 2pm to 4.30pm
Saturday 9 Nepal plus, Village Hall, 7.30 pm
Wednesday 13 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 13 Fete meeting, Village Hall Memorial Room, 7.30pm
Wednesday 13 Request Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Thursday 14 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 14 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm
Thursday 14 Habeus Corpus, Old Buckenham Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 15 Habeus Corpus, Old Buckenham Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 16 Habeus Corpus, Old Buckenham Players, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Sunday 17 Book sale, Church Rooms, 11am to 3.30pm
Sunday 17 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 18 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Friday 22 Netgamers computer games, Village Hall, 7pm to 9pm
Wednesday 27 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 27 OB 2000 Trust AGM, Church Rooms, 7.30pm
Thursday 28 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

What the Parish Council said

Parish Council in April
These notes of the parish council meetings are a summary prepared by the editor of the newsletter from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is corrected later at the next month's meeting.If you wish to read the full, unedited minutes, then they are posted on the notice board outside the village shop prior to the next parish council meeting.
The acting chairman (Tim Ing) welcomed Stephen Thorley as the new co-opted member.
Children’s Play Area. Kerry Talbot reported that the Spring Grand Draw had so far brought in £1471.50 and the draw will take place on Saturday 4 April at the Ox & Plough. Grant applications have been acknowledged but decisions on them will not take place until June. It may be necessary to extend the start date to September 2009 if all funding is not secured. There is a further application to submit to Norfolk Rural Communities Council for up to £20,000 which will be completed during the Easter break. Special thanks to everyone for their efforts with the Spring Grand Draw. The amount raised has exceeded the target of £1000 by a long way.
Recreation Area. The completion of the lease took place on Monday 23 March. The clerk has received a copy of the document and the cheque for the first year’s rental will be approved and signed at this parish council meeting.The council resolved to ring-fence £5,000 towards this project as agreed in 2007.
The Green. Unfortunate circumstances were noted regarding the haymaking on the Green. Some dispute exists over the way in which the proposal from the Parish Council concerning the letting of the Green was dealt with. The clerk reported on his on-site meeting with Norfolk County Council regarding funding from County for the second footpath. He is pleased to report that the Parish Council has secured grant funding from the County Council in the sum of £9,800. This money will be paid direct to the Parish Council and may be utilised at its discretion for construction and ongoing maintenance costs. Parish Council chairman Norman Cawston has instructed the clerk that matters should proceed quickly to take advantage of the time of year which is ideal for construction.The various tenders were considered and Trell Contractors (Watton) Ltd was chosen as the contractor to carry out the work. There is a revised specification for the surface dressing to take conservation issues into consideration.
Planning applications. Mr and Mrs Gedge, Twitchers Cottage, Stacksford. Ground floor extension for entrance hall, shower room and sun lounge, and first floor extension to form bedroom and bathroom. No objections from Parish Council.
B & M Developers Ltd, Stone Cottage, Fen Street. Insert two windows in ground floor lounge (amendment to previous applications). Observation from parish council members included that windows might become a door. There was no linkage from the existing property and will it become a separate property? The parish council cannot object to application as it stands. Only one councillor was in favour, the rest abstained from voting. An explanation of the doubts expressed by the parish council to be conveyed to Breckland Council.
Planning decisions by Breckland. Old Buckenham Parish Council, land adjoining Village Hall, Abbey Road. Change of use from agricultural to playing field and creation of car park. Passed with conditions by Breckland.
B & M Developers Ltd, Stone Cottage, Fen Street. Construction of two-bedroom cottage. Planning permission refused at Breckland.
Mr and Mrs A Medley, Ottomer Cottage, The Green. Proposed dwelling - two-storey with 1st floor as rooms in roof. With parking space. Planning permission granted at Breckland.
Mr and Mrs Seaman, Eel Farm, Fen Street. Annexe. Planning Enforcement Office warning that the extension is being let contrary to the planning permission originally given. A retrospective planning application from Mr and Mrs Seaman has been called for.
Financial. The items considered during this part of the meeting included payment of the first rent to the village hall for the recreation area (£385), the sum of £200 to the 1st Old Buckenham Scout Group for litter picking in the village and a donation from the Old Buckenham Newsletter of £500.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel said how pleased everyone was that Old Buckenham Stores had won the Breckland Local Independent Store Star award. The Site Specific Consultation has now finished and this will be brought back for further public consultation with recommendations in October/November. Breckland is now offering free swimming for the over-60s in their Thetford and Dereham pools.
Councillors’ reports. A ‘lollipop’ person needs to be appointed. The County Council could be contacted about this. The waste material smelling in Fen Street needs investigating as some could be coming from kennels. The Environmental Health officer must be contacted for advice. The Annual Parish meeting minutes to be circulated as soon as possible. There had been a letter concerning a commercial sign outside a property on Green. It was not thought that this had been authorised. The Parish Council were awaiting to hear from Dave Newell who will report on the Youth Club scheme. A letter about litter dropping was required for the schools. Queries on the maintenance of the Village Hall car park will need to be addressed to the County Council as soon as any construction plant for the recreation area has done the bulk of its work. Trevor Crook will look into the Community Speed Watch issue with the police.
Clerk’s report. The Chairman had asked the clerk to obtain information on benches for placement on the Green. These were circulated for consideration as items to be purchased from the Allotment to Highways Charity fund.There is a new NCC Highways initiative - the Community Rangers Team. It should be easier and quicker to get minor road repairs, etc, dealt with in future.
Correspondence. A letter from Terry Cracknell regarding the annual parish meeting was distributed. Details of the CPRE litter picking initiative were passed to Mike Craven-Romain. Alison Frank has acquired a Green Right. Any views on the Boundary Committee Draft Unitary proposals, Structural review of Norfolk must be registered by Thursday 14 May.
The next meeting of the Old Buckenham Parish Council will be at 7.30pm on Thursday 7 May.

Bake a cake, buy a cake

Christian Aid needs help

As well as the Christian Aid house-to-house collection around Old Buckenham during the week starting Sunday 10 May there will also be a cake stall at All Saints church after the 9.30am service (about 10.30am) on Sunday 10 May. If anybody could either help with the house-to-house delivery/collection and/or provide some cakes then Helen or Alison would be very grateful. Please contact Helen on 861353 or Alison on 860692. Thank you.

Along the garden path

Today in pictures

The sun has been shining on the Garden Event at the Village Hall and there has been cosiderable progress this week on the new footpath alongside the Green.

Change of date

Later fete
The date of the fete to be held at the village hall has been re-arranged for Saturday 5 September to coincide with the fairground that will be set up on the Green at that time.

What an experience this will be

Nepal Plus - an Evening of Experiences
Do you fancy an evening of experiences? Some to hear about – some to buy?
On Saturday 9 May in Old Buckenham Village Hall, David Hannah will be giving an illustrated talk of his experiences in the foothills of Everest plus auctioning off some great experiences for you to try yourselves. The full list is given below. There will also be a bar, refreshments and a surprise gift for you and your family.
Why not take this opportunity to have an interesting and relaxing local night out, as well as raising money for our Parish Church.
Admission is £2.50 per ticket available from the village shop or phone 01953 861261.
Doors will open at 7.30pm and the talk will start at 7.45pm.

The Auction of Experiences will include:
One pair of tickets to the following Thetford Forest Concerts:
James Morrison Thursday 4 June
Paul Weller Friday 5 June
Jools Holland Saturday 6 June
The Human League Thursday 9 July
David Gray Friday 10 July
Sugarbabes Saturday 11 July
Plus
The Proclaimers Sunday 12 July – University of East Anglia
Plus
Ride and Drive Lotus car on Lotus Test Track (with Lotus test driver)
Annual season ticket to High Lodge - Thetford Forest
Tickets for ‘Go-Ape’
Family ticket for ‘Bike Art’ (cycling in the forest)
Ticket for 8 people to swim at Harlingwood Leisure
An enjoyable day of tuition for 1 or 2 people in 15th Century methods of egg tempera painting with Maz Jackson (based in East Harling)
2 tickets to see Rick Wakeman + Nicholas Parsons (an interesting combination!)

Awaiting opening date

Windmill information
Earlier this blog contained a short note to announce the delay to the opening of the Windmill for the 2009 season. The reason for the delay was the need to finalise work shown to be necessary by the recent health and safety risk assessment undertaken for Norfolk Windmill Trust, who own and oversee the mill.
The local volunteer Windmill Committee stands ready to assist, where appropriate, in the revised arrangements but will not be able to open the mill until the arrangements have been agreed with the Trust and volunteer rota duties arranged. This is likely to include any necessary training for specific fire, and other, duties.
At the present time, a date for completion of this preparatory work has not been set. Accordingly the Committee is unable to prepare volunteer rotas and to set a date for opening again. As soon as there is a firm plan in place a further note will be put in the Village Newsletter and also on the http://www.banhamandthebucks/ website.
Any member of the Windmill Committee (Murray Curtis, Gerald Norton, Alan Blakey, Pete Twissell and John Frost) will be pleased to give the up-to-date position to anyone who needs to know or wishes to enquire about a possible future group visit. The Windmill Committee apologise for the delay and any inconvenience this has caused.

Walking round the gravestones

Burial ground pathway
Because of the adverse weather during the winter months, the underfoot conditions in the village burial ground were unpleasant for those visiting. The Parish Council have undertaken to have a path constructed to Norfolk County Council standards at the time of the pathway construction along the B1077, subject to a contribution of £500 from the Church.
The Churchwardens invite donations towards the £500 in order to minimise its commitment as the Quinquennial Inspection is due this autumn and is expected to recommend urgent restoration to the stained glass windows at a possible cost in the region of £30,000.
Should members of the community wish to contribute towards the cost of this pathway, please forward any amounts to Sheila Freake, treasurer to All Saints' Church, at 36 Hargham Road, Old Buckenham. Cheques should be made payable to All Saints Church and, if you are a taxpayer, please authorise gift aid reclaim. If the contributions exceed the sum of £500, any surplus will be passed on to the Parish Council.
For further information please telephone 01953 860462.

Your fete in your hands

Village fete in September
As there is no fete planned to be held on the Green this year, the Village Hall Management Committee have been approached to hold a similar event on the grounds at the front of the building (or inside if wet) on Saturday 5 September.
The committee are very pleased to co-operate but, taking into account their average age which is well above retirement, they are desperately seeking assistance in the planning, particularly from younger members of the community.
Stallholders will be charged £5 a table, with an additional charge for extra space, with all their takings/profits retained by them. It has now been confirmed that the Gray Fairground will be in the village that weekend.

A raffle will be held with the funds raised being for the kitchen refurbishment.
An open meeting will be held on Wednesday 13 May in the Memorial Room at the Village Hall commencing 7.30pm. Please come along as a supporter, a prospective stallholder, ideas person, an individual or a member of an organisation, to help make the event in August a success. There is a need for young bodies and young ideas to maintain our village community spirit - visitors welcome of course. Please make the effort.
The information from the meeting will be reported on this blog and in the next newsletter but please come along and take part in this meeting if you can.

World trip in flowers

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
Julie Barham demonstrated at April's meeting – “Take a Break” was the title - and her designs depicted cycling in Holland with pink gerberas, memories of Poland that included wonderful yellow chrysanthemums, a very colourful arrangement from Disney Florida, Aphrodite's statue with white lilies and eustoma from Cyprus, and a trip down the Nile which included lilies and orchids.
Janet Skidmore won the New Hands class in the competition and she was also presented with the Rachael Tarry Spring Trophy; Sally Westrup came first in the Old Hands class.
Next month's meeting will be on Thursday 14 May at Old Buckenham Village Hall, starting at 2pm for a Teach- in. If you are coming, don't forget your ingredients, table cover and secateurs.
The monthly competition will be for a petite arrangement on,or with, a cup and saucer.
Visitors are always welcome at the meetings, further information from Sally (01953 788712) or Pat (01953 457305).

Village Hall matters

Report of the Village Hall AGM
The AGM of the Village Hall Management Committee (VHMC) was held in the Memorial Room at the beginning of April. The following notes are taken from the minutes of that meeting.
The committee members present were Dennis Packham (Chairman), Michael Bartlett, Bridget Burton, Jill Emms, Pat Shearing, Beryl Watts and Gerald Norton. Five members of the general public also attended. Apologies were received from Carol Marshall and Pauline Cattermole. Tony Freake has been unwell and the meeting wished to register its concern and to send good wishes for his speedy recovery.
Before the formal start of the meeting Colin Phillips asked to speak to those attending to say that the Green Rights Proprietors’ committee would like to join with the VHMC in organising a joint fete on Saturday 29 August. Any profits would be shared, particularly with regards to the bar. There was unanimous agreement from those present and this subject will be on the agenda at the next VHMC meeting.
Minutes of the AGM were circulated, agreed as correct and signed by the Chairman.
Matters arising from the minutes included a report from Michael Bartlett that the initial application to Breckland for a grant had been turned down. It appears that the applicant must apply on behalf of their own organisation so he had re-applied on behalf of the Village Hall and should hear later in April. There had also been an application to Norwich Foundation for £5000. He also reported that at a recent Breckland Council meeting matched funding of up to a third of the cost had been suggested and this seemed a favourable outcome.
The chairman’s report was also circulated. In spite of having a relatively small committee, the finances are in good shape because of good housekeeping by the treasurer and the income from local hirers. Thanks go to Alison Frank for organising the annual garden event and to Michael Bartlett for organising the draw and selling raffle tickets to coincide with the fete.
The agreement lease for the recreational area had been completed on Monday 23 March.
Michael Bartlett continued to work hard for the kitchen refurbishment project. The car park continues to be in need of repair. The parents bringing and collecting their children from school are daily users but pay nothing towards the upkeep.
The need for more committee members is urgent. Some long standing members are due for retirement.
The report ended with thanks to the committee, to Peter Rhodes (caretaker), Sue Cottee (who unlocks and locks the hall) and to the minute secretaries.
The treasurer presented the accounts and supporting figures. She explained the various amounts already committed leaving £10,000 cash available. The meeting discussed fund raising events and how to make them more popular; suggestions included film shows and quizzes run on a different format. Julian will supply a contact for the film shows but he also mentioned that all village halls were having the same problems. Ron Brewer will publicise events in the newsletter if he can have the dates as early as possible.
The treasurer’s report was accepted and signed by the Chairman who thanked Jill for her work on behalf of the VHMC.
There were vacancies for three members to be elected to the VHMC. Michael Bartlett accepted nomination and was re-elected to the committee. Beryl Watts also accepted nomination and was elected to the committee.
Representatives from organisations were agreed to be as follows: Women’s Institute - Pat Shearing, Parish Council - Gerald Norton, Old Buckenham Players - Lesley Evison, Luncheon Club - Bridget Burton, Carpet Bowls Club - Jill Emms, Methodist Chapel - Dennis Packham, All Saints PCC - Tony Freake. The Scouts’ representative is still to be confirmed and the Breckland Flower Club is not at present represented.
Amongst the other points raised, Julian Goodey reported that all Village Halls throughout the County are losing committee members. Dennis Packham will definitely be retiring at the end of this year. Bridget Burton thanked him for all his concern and commitment and for all his hard work over many years. All agreed.
The provisional date for next Village Hall AGM is Wednesday 7 April 2010.

Show support for the OB2000T

The top men at the Country Fayre

Trust AGM is next month
The Annual General Meeting of the 'Old Buckenham 2000 Trust' will be held in the Church Rooms on Wednesday 27 May. Why not go along and show them that their work is appreciated.
The Old Buckenham 2000 Trust was set up as a result of a very successful millennium 'Country Fayre' held on the village green. The Green had not seen a summer fair for a number of years and a group of villagers wanted to organise something special for the village to celebrate the millennium and between them managed to put on a show that was enjoyed by young and old alike. The 'Committee' wanted to ensure that any money raised was put back into the village and set up the 'OB2000T' as a vehicle for that purpose.
The Country Fayre had a further six years of success, continued to raise funds for the Trust and to date grants and donations have been made to local organisations of over £11,000.
Although the Country Fayre has not happened for the last few years, the Trustees of OB2000T want to keep the charity status and continue to raise money through other activities. The Trustees would welcome your interest and support so please put the date in your diary now.

New words have appeared above the door

You must have the body

Forthcoming performances
Old Buckenham Players will be presenting Alan Bennett’s Habeas Corpus at the Village Hall in May.
“More innuendo than you can shake your stick at!” is one way of describing this play. It is from one of England’s finest playwrights and this saucy comedy of the 1960s so-called ‘permissive society’ is hilarious from start to finish. It concerns the aging Dr Arthur Wicksteed and his pursuit of a nubile patient, Felicity Rumpers. Wicksteed's wife, Muriel, is, in turn, lusting after the vertically challenged head of the BMA, Sir Percy Shorter, who, as well as being Wicksteed's old rival, turns out to have other intimate liaisons hidden away in the closet. Meanwhile, Wicksteed's spinster sister Connie, ashamed of her flat-chestedness, has schemes of her own. Mrs Swabb, the housekeeper, pushes the action along in league with the audience.
Bennett knows how to take the joke so far and not beyond the point of acceptability while bringing the audience back to earth with a bump occasionally. All this should end up making for an exhilarating, and occasionally thought-provoking, evening of huge enjoyment.
The players will have a licensed bar for their three performances on Thursday 14, Friday 15 and Saturday 16 May, starting at 7.30pm in Old Buckenham Village Hall.
Tickets will cost £6 and be available from Old Buckenham Post Office, Nuts ‘n’ Bolts in Attleborough or by calling 01362 697260.

An oak for Alfred

Special tree planting on the Green
Members of the Frost family gathered together on Old Buckenham Green on Sunday 5 April for the planting of a special oak tree. It was to commemorate the life of Alfred Frost who would have celebrated his hundredth birthday a couple of days earlier. The three children of Alfred and Rosa Frost with other family members and friends were there to plant the tree close to one they had planted last year in memory of Rosa. Alfred and Rosa had lived nearly all their lives at their house in Mill Lane, very close to the tree planting site.
John Frost and his two sisters, Lorna Gedge (on right) and Mary Early, are shown planting the tree on Old Buckenham Green.

Cator cup success

WIld, WIld women

The ladies of Old Buckenham Women’s Institute are again feeling very pleased with themselves after their success in the annual Norfolk WI Cator Cup competition held at the Norfolk Showground over this last weekend, Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April.
The competition, which is open to all the WIs in Norfolk, tests the skills of the members who have to produce a co-ordinated display on a particular theme that is changed each year.
For 2009 the theme was ‘w.w.w’ and Old Buckenham chose to portray “Wild, wild women”. The items on display had to be selected from a given list covering cookery, handicraft, painting and flower arranging – all to be displayed on a baseboard 70cm wide by 55cm in depth. Each item on display was individually judged by independent experts with further marks being given for both the interpretation of the theme and the staging of the exhibit.
Last year Old Buckenham entered this competition after a break of several years and were surprised and delighted to come third out of some forty entries. They were also encouraged to find that their display had been chosen as the “people's favourite” by visitors to the exhibition who had been asked to vote on the display that appealed to them most.
This year they did even better, coming second out of 39 entries, losing only seven points out of the possible maximum of 140 points.

The latest news is that they were also voted the "people's favourite" for the second year running.

Money for playing

Spring Grand Draw
It was one o’clock in the Ox & Plough and time for the picking out of the winning tickets in the Spring Grand Draw. It had been organised by the Bucks Just Play Group who are raising money for the refurbishment of the Old Buckenham children’s playground.
There were 24 prizes to be won, starting with £100 cash and continuing with other cash prizes and vouchers for all sorts of items from pub meals, museum entrance, a tour of a whisky distillery, theatre tickets and a trip on a narrow gauge railway.
Landlady Sally Bishop picked out the first ticket and other regulars at the pub and supporters of the Bucks Just Play Group took their turns to pick out the rest.
There were plenty of cheerful people in the village who had been rewarded for their generosity in buying tickets but the biggest cheer was for the announcement that the draw had raised the sum of £1579 towards the playground refurbishment.

Really hot cooking

Help from Grassroots
Old Buckenham Luncheon Club are delighted to have received a cheque for £669 that was awarded to them by Norfolk Community Foundation to fund the purchase a large hot cupboard to use to keep food warm prior to serving.
This grant came from the Grassroots Grants Programme who wished the Luncheon Club every success with their project and were pleased to support the good work of the organisation.
The Old Buckenham Luncheon Club was formed 27 years ago for the elderly residents of the surrounding villages who live alone. Four outings are held during the year and these are always enjoyed by the members. They usually hold a New Year's Lunch Party when they welcome the volunteer drivers who do such a wonderful job in transporting members to and from the Village Hall. The Club depends on volunteers who cook and serve the meals to the members at their lunches on alternate Wednesdays and is funded mainly by generous donations.

Recycling helps repairs

Useful savings
The collection at the end of March of unwanted textiles by the people of Old Buckenham and those involved with the Junior and High schools amounted to 1258 kilos in weight. This clothing, bedding, shoes, etc will be most useful for those in need in the Third World. As it also saves all the material going off for landfill, the recycling credits for this have amounted to a payment of £308.08 which will be used to help pay towards the maintenance of the Church Rooms in the village.

Have a busy month in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for April
Wednesday 1 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 1 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Wednesday 1 Village Hall AGM, Village Hall Memorial Room, 7.30pm
Thursday 2 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 3 Crib Drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 4 Bucks Just Play Grand Draw, Ox and Plough, 1pm
Sunday 5 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 6 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm
Tuesday 7 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon
Thursday 9 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 9 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm
Friday 10 (No Mobile Police Station as Good Friday)
Friday 10 Netgamers computer games, Village Hall, 7pm to 9pm
Saturday 11 Table top sale, Church Rooms, 2pm to 4pm
Wednesday 15 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 15 Request Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Thursday 16 Women's Institute Group meeting
Saturday 18 Coffee morning, Methodist Chapel, from 10am
Sunday 19 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 20 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Thursday 23 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 24 Netgamers computer games, Village Hall, 7pm to 9pm
Saturday 25 Gardening event, Village Hall, 10am to 1pm
Wednesday 29 Luncheon Club outing

Starring the village shop...

Pick up your copy now

The April newsletter is in the village shop and the village shop is on the front of the newsletter.

East Anglian bird life

Wild birds at the WI
One or two of the Old Buckenham WI members had heard their March speaker, Steve Lovell, at an Auditions Day and so he came highly recommended. They were not disappointed. Steve spoke about the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and, in particular, the birds of East Anglia. His slides were very good and slickly presented, and his talk ranged through the East Anglian habitats of some of the most attractive and least common British birds. He also covered the winter visitors to this part of England.
The RSPB aims for biodiversity – caring for birds, some insects and animals, their habitats and the management of these areas. East Anglia has a huge diversity of different habitats – sand dunes, heathland, wetlands and arable land - which all help to encourage wild life. The Wash is particularly spectacular in the winter months, attracting some 33,000 waders and wildfowl.
Farmers and landowners are encouraged to manage their land sympathetically to encourage the right breeding and rearing conditions for birds. Of particular interest to East Anglia are the stone curlews, bitterns, little terns, corncrakes, bearded tits, marsh harriers and the well-known success story of the flocks of avocets which feature as the RSPB’s emblem. Members also discovered what a wide remit the RSPB has, not merely caring for birds but also the swallowtail butterfly and the Norfolk Hawker dragonfly in East Anglia. The Society also has connections with Birdlife International and the Indonesian government in helping to save a part of the rain forest where the rare Sumatran tiger lives.
Old Buckenham WI were lucky to hear Steve speak as he told them that this was his final speaking engagement for the RSPB. He had finished work for them that day and was about to start his own garden design business in Lincolnshire. He was thanked for his talk by Margaret Pearce, a keen bird-watcher who has braved the freezing early mornings at Snettisham and the Wash and who can thoroughly recommend the thrilling experience of seeing thousands of geese flying in to the mudflats to feed.
After a refreshment break, Susan Hunter gave a full and interesting account of the Federation Annual Meeting in Norwich. Four members had attended and heard witty, interesting and thought-provoking speeches by Baroness Shephard and Ann Widdecombe. A party of members had also been to see ‘Calendar Girls’ at the Theatre Royal in Norwich and thoroughly enjoyed the outing. Members were also encouraged to go to the Norfolk Showground to support Old Buckenham’s entry in the competition for the Cator Cup.

Enjoy a mardle

Talk, eat and now read
The Monday Mardlers are planning to add a Book Swop to their chat and cakes afternoons and would like to welcome some new faces. The idea is for people to chat to each other and to have the chance to talk about anything they have enjoyed reading and to informally exchange books. The Mardle organisers have a small collection of novels, a few biographies and books on several other subjects and they are planning to obtain more second hand (probably paperbacks) to vary the selection.
There is a minimum of formality at the Mardle. The cost is just £1.50 a time which covers home-made scones, tea and cakes, a free raffle, an occasional quiz and of course the book swop.
They meet every other week on a Monday in the Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm except when Bank Holidays, for instance, get in the way. The exact dates are published well in advance in the village newsletter. The next Mardle will be on Monday 20 April and then again on Monday 18 May.
Do come and join in if you feel like a convivial afternoon. Everyone is welcome, phone Jenny on 860176 if you would like to know more.
If transport to the Mardle is likely to be a problem they will also do their best to help with this.

One hundred not out

The first century
Yesterday we reached our first small milestone - one hundred posts. We look forward to the next few hundred and hope you are enjoying what you are reading about our village.

A year is a long time in parish politics

Annual Parish meeting
The Annual Parish meeting was held in the Village Hall last Friday. A fuller report will have to wait until the minutes become available to read.
There were not many people in the audience to hear what the parish council has been up to over the last twelve months. There were plenty of projects that had been completed or moved on significantly during the year such as the safe route to school, the entrance to the burial ground and the recreation area behind the village hall. Little progress had been made on the management of the Green and this subject did provoke much lively, even heated, discussion. As you can see in the photo, the parish clerk, the chairman and vice-chairman followed the discussion with interest.
Reports on the community car scheme, management of the village hall, village newsletter and the village charity showed that there are people in the village giving their time and energy to making this a better place to live. Also on the positive side, two village mums made a point of thanking the parish council for getting the new piece of footpath installed and said how much it had improved their journeys.

Up at 4,500 metres

Nepal Plus
On Saturday 9 May David Hannah will give an illustrated talk in the village hall on his trip to the Everest region in Nepal. Here is a photo of David in situ just to whet your appetite.
The evening will also include an ‘Auction of Promises’, a raffle, a bar and refreshments. Admission is £2.50 per ticket, available from the village shop or by phoning David on 861261. Doors will open at 7.30pm and the talk will start at 7.45pm.

Further details are on the post for 17 March.

Top of the Shops

New star seen in village

Last night Breckland Council hosted a reception to present awards to various people and organisations. One award was for the best village shop as part of the BLISS initiative (Breckland Local Independent Shop Stars).

Shoppers thoughout Breckland were invited to vote for their favourite shops and the best village shop category was won by our own Old Buckenham Stores and Post Office.

Congratulations to Nathan and Venuka who were there to pick up the trophy and who enjoyed showing it to their customers today.

Opening delayed

Delayed re-opening of Windmill
Regrettably the opening of Old Buckenham Windmill will be delayed this year. There is essential work to be done at the mill, and a review of safety procedures to be finalised, before the local Committee can feel reassured that all the required safety arrangements are agreed with Norfolk Windmills Trust and have been put in place.

The mill will not open until May at the earliest. Future plans will be announced on this blog and in the next village newsletter and it is hoped that many visitors will be able to look around the mill later in the season.

High level flying

Raising thousands for charity
The Old Buckenham Air Show has supported the East Anglia Children's Hospices (EACH) for many years with the profits from its annual Air Show. The year 2008 was no exception.
Airfield manager William Layzell recently handed over a cheque for £4771 to Danielle Clarke from EACH who said they were so grateful to everyone involved – the organisers, the pilots and, most of all, the public who go to the show every year.
This money will be a real help in caring for children with life threatening illnesses. William Layzell said how those at the airfield get a real kick out of supporting EACH. The Air Show is exciting and great fun for all of them but raising cash for the hospices is the cherry on the cake.
The annual Air Show at Old Buckenham has been a local summer highlight for nearly ten years being one of the best flying displays in the region. In 2008 it was the 90th anniversary of the RAF and the show had the famous Battle of Britain Memorial Flight of Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft and many other exciting aerial displays.
Will they be doing it again this year? William Layzell can only say maybe. They are at an early planning stage for the 2009 show but this year’s show is not certain as they are very dependant on sponsorship to cover the considerable cost of staging the event. So if there are people or organisations out there who would like to be associated with the show and will help with the costs, please contact him at the airfield. The airfield web address is www.oldbuck.co.uk

High level talking

Nepal Plus
Do you remember David Hannah’s ‘Peru Plus’ evening at Old Buckenham village hall in 2007? Well on Saturday 9 May he is repeating the experience but this time it’s ‘Nepal Plus’. Following the same format as before, David will give an illustrated talk on his trip to the Everest region in Nepal.
The evening will also include an ‘Auction of Promises’, a raffle, a bar and refreshments. So far the ‘Auction of Promises’ includes a chance to bid for tickets to all the ‘Concert in the Forest’ events this summer at High Lodge – namely Paul Weller, Jools Holland, The Human League, David Gray and the Sugarbabes (more information on these concerts can be found at www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7M7J3X). There will also be an annual family season ticket to the High Lodge Forest Centre and a family ticket to ‘GoApe’. An updated list will appear on this blog next month.
Make sure you take this opportunity to have an interesting and relaxing local night out, as well as raising money for our Parish Church.
Admission is £2.50 per ticket, available from the village shop or by phoning David on 861261.
Doors will open at 7.30pm and the talk will start at 7.45pm.

Changes at the top

Breckland Flower and Garden Club
The Annual General Meeting was held in March at Old Buckenham Village Hall. Christine Hewson was retiring after her term as chairman and she thanked everyone for the help and support she was given during that busy time. She presented representatives from the Big C charity with a cheque for £125 raised from the sale of a Handy Tips and Recipes booklet and also presented the club with a table frontal. The new chairman, Pat Wells, thanked Christine for all she had done for the club during her term in office. Marion Beasley was welcomed as president for the coming year and was awarded a cup and voucher for the most points for competition work during the past year.
For the afternoon’s project, bookmarks and cards were made from pressed flowers, and then laminated.
The competition winners were: New Hands - Margaret Smith and Old Hands - Ursula Jackson.
The next meeting will be held at 2pm on Thursday 9 April in Old Buckenham Village Hall when Mrs J Barham will demonstrate 'Take a Break'. The competition will be for a basket arrangement with fruit or vegetables included.
Further details from Sally on 01953 788712. Visitors are always welcome.

Coffee, fellowship and singing

Old Buckenham Methodist Church

A coffee morning with various stalls will be held in the Chapel on Saturday 18 April from 10am. A warm welcome awaits all who come.

The Women’s Fellowship meets at the Chapel on the first Wednesday of each month (up until December) starting at 2.30pm. There is usually a speaker and the meetings end with a cup of tea and a chat. New members are very welcome.

Request Songs of Praise takes place on the third Wednesday of each month and continues to be popular. If you would like to sing with others in a friendly atmosphere then why not come along and try it, you will be most welcome.

High level building sites

The rooks are building

Nest building is in full swing alongside Cake Street in Old Buckenham. And the birds are making a lot of noise as well...

Advance notice of fundraising

Spring Fayre
Each year events are organised to raise money for the Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party. This year there will be a Spring Fayre on Saturday 9 May in the Church Rooms in Old Buckenham. It will run from 2pm to 4.30pm and there will be many stalls including bric-a brac, plants, cards, tombola and a raffle. Refreshments will be on sale too.
If you would like to run a stall of your own you can book one through Janet on 01953 452847 for the sum of £5. Or if you have items that you would like to donate for any of the stalls the Janet would be pleased to hear from you.

One hundred and one

Charlie Styles

Yesterday was the funeral of Charlie Styles and about a hundred people gathered in All Saints Church for the service. The following is taken from the address given by the Revd Alistair Monkhouse during that service.

During his 101 years he lived through twenty prime ministers and five reigning monarchs. He saw twenty-one clergy serve this church. He lived in a time before the first aeroplane flew across the English Channel, before the Titanic set sail on her fateful journey and before the British Empire broke up. He also saw the R101 airship break away from her mooring mast at Pulham and drift away to Belgium where it was recovered.
Charlie was born at Winfarthing on 25th August 1907 and he was the third eldest of six children and the last surviving. As one drives quickly through the villages of Norfolk it is often difficult to realise that a time existed when all the hustle and bustle of this present hectic life did not exist. The countryside was based on agriculture with the gradual change from horsepower to mechanical power. With no television and radio in its early stages of development, each had to make their own entertainment.
Charlie’s father died quite young. His mother, always dressed in black, used to frighten the grandchildren. She was the village person that all the villagers turned to. She looked after all their needs from cradle to grave. Acted as midwife, treating most of their medical needs, caring for young and old and laying out those who had died.
Charlie had a village education at the nearby village of Winfarthing and left school at 14. As agriculture was the only employment on offer he worked on a farm as horseman. There he learnt his skill to plough using heavy horses and to plough a furrow straight and neat.
In the 1920s he was married to Dorothy and enjoyed seventy happy married years of life together. With the ability of earning a little extra money they moved from Winfarthing to Old Buckenham in 1929. They moved into Hargham Road, when the council houses were built in 1931, which was to remain his home for the next seventy-six years. There four children were brought up - Betty, Brian, Jane and Richard.
He was in the Home Guard during the war protecting the village against enemy invasion.

Charlie worked for the Gaymers cider company in Attleborough from 1929 until his retirement in 1971. During this time he worked in every department producing this worldwide known cider. During his last few years he was in charge of the filtration plant and his number of friends increased dramatically as they visited him with their empty jugs to go away with a sample of the filtered brew.
He had probably the best garden in the village for many years. He always had a tremendous display of standard roses. Passers by would always stop to look at his wonderful handiwork. It was always totally weed less and immaculate - no weed dared to grow. His rows of vegetables were like lines of soldiers at the Trooping of Colour. He was known at times to go out into the garden at night with a light so that he could complete the scheduled digging. He kept up his gardening until he was 97 years old. A wonderful achievement. And he re-roofed his shed when he was 87!
He was able to make or mend virtually anything. He was equally well skilled in wood or metal. He was also a very good inventor and made many things in his well equipped shed. His forte was rat traps of which he made many.
He loved his dogs which he had after his retirement. He would walk miles with them. He could always be seen walking on the Green at all times of the day.

Until he had to move to the care home in October last year he was the village's oldest resident. Thanks to his great friend Billy Large and Pat he was able to stay in his own home, where he wanted to be, beyond his 101st birthday.
Another Charlie trademark was his smelly old pipe. He smoked it from age 15 until he went into the home aged 101. He had a wicked sense of humour and often played tricks on his friends and family. He had a stuffed ferret which he used many times in his trickery.

He was probably one of the few people in this neighbourhood who flew on Concord. A day trip to the Bay of Biscay and back. Not many people can say they have travelled from horsepower to supersonic in their life. Holidays with the kids were taken at Great Yarmouth in a static caravan and later he enjoyed holidays in Tenerife and especially Norway.
He was a charmer who liked everyone, was never stressed out and was a character of the village who will be deeply missed by his family and the village. He did not want any fuss and when he reached one hundred years of age he did not want any celebrations. Although receiving congratulations from the Queen he considered it just a normal day. He is recorded as saying when I go ‘I don’t want anyone ‘snotting or slavering’ over me.
A truly wonderful genuine "old Norfolk boy".

Hire your own table

Table top sale
There will be a table top sale on Saturday 11 April in the Church Rooms at Old Buckenham between 2pm and 4pm. There will also be a raffle and refreshments will be available.
It is being run to raise funds for All Saints Church.
You could have a table for a mere £5 and you can book one by ringing Janet on 01953 452847. If you have stuff to dispose of but don’t want to book a table then items can be donated for sale on the Church’s stall.

All the local winners

Crib
In March the format of the crib drive at Old Buckenham village hall was changed slightly. By no longer stopping for a tea break, the number of games played was increased to ten. A good turnout was shown for the new changes with five full tables.
The prize-winners were Bill Cheesley, Alan Staniforth, Olive Fuller, Tommy Mack, Bev McAnulty, Jill Emms and Iris Lancester.
The Village Hall numbers club winners (that were drawn at the crib evening) were Frank Peck, Rhona George, Gerald Norton, John Walker, Mike Read, Mary Parker and Diane Packham.

What's on the agenda?

Meet your parish councillors
You are reminded that the Annual Parish Meeting of Old Buckenham will be held on Friday 20 March in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm. This is the chance for villagers to find out what their parish councillors have been doing during the last year.

The Agenda is expected to be:
1. Welcome by the Chairman of the Parish Council Norman Cawston.
2. Notice to convene the meeting.
3. To confirm the minutes of the annual parish meeting held on 28 March 2008.
4. Matters arising from that meeting.
5. Chairman’s annual report on the activities of the Parish Council.
6. Financial report on the Parish Council’s accounts.
7. Open forum with reports from Robert Ziman (Community car scheme), Old Buckenham Green Right Proprietors, Den Packham (Village Hall Management Committee), Ron Brewer (Village Newsletter), Joan Jenkins (Charity matters) and Mike Bartlett (Village Hall funding).
8. Norfolk County Councillor’s report (John Baskerville).
9. Breckland District Councillor’s report (Adrian Joel).
10. Councillors’ reports.
11. Electors’ comments on the above reports.
12. Any other Parish issues.

Refreshments will be served at the end of the meeting.

Less landfill and fairer trading

Two lots of thank you
A big thank you to all those who have brought their old batteries along for recycling. The result is that 3000 batteries have now been saved from landfill by being placed in the green container in the back of All Saints church. There are still some in there so the total is now on the way to the next hundred!
Another thank you is due to those who bought from the Fair Trade stall after church on Sunday 7 February. A total of £24.85 was raised which will go to help give a fair wage to those who produce Fair Trade produce all over the world.
The next stall will be on Sunday 29 March in the church after the morning’s service (about 10.30am).

How flexible can the bus be?

When is the bus coming?
Judith Powles from Norfolk County Council spoke to about fifty people who attended the meeting in the village hall on Wednesday 25 February to explain all about a proposed flexi-bus service for this area. Very pertinent questions were dealt with by her in an expert manner. The one surprise for many of those in the audience was that the current 51 bus service to Attleborough on Thursdays is not expected to continue. There may have had a bigger attendance if people in the village had known about this beforehand.
Two buses (carrying 14 passengers each) are scheduled to come on line in May and this will be a six days a week service between 9am and 6pm. Basically there will be local rate phone number where people can book their ride on the day before. Fares will be at “competitive rates” and valid senior citizens' bus passes will be accepted. Further information is expected to be made available for distribution in the next few weeks.

Lots of hats

Women’s Institute
On a rather cold and wet evening in February, Old Buckenham WI listened to a talk given by Julie Hirst on the history of hats. She had brought a large selection of hats with her, ranging from a cloche of the 1930s to a baseball cap of the present day. She also had a colourful selection of her own handmade raffia hats, beautifully made and dyed in a variety of natural dyes.
The talk began with a brief history of hats and hat-making, from the earliest hats worn for warmth, for identification, for tribal distinction, or occupation, or religious belief. Hats worn by Pearly Kings and Queens with masses of pearl buttons sewed on in particular patterns to denote which part of London you hailed from, bowler hats originating from the Earl of Leicester’s estate at Holkham as worn by the gamekeepers and flat tweed caps from the north of England which showed by the tweed pattern where their wearers hailed from.
One early historical mention of hat making came from Milan in the seventeenth century – milan:millinery. The Italian salesmen did a good promotional job in selling their wares around Europe which helped trade and hats began to be used for more decorative purposes and not merely warmth or local identification.
Hat-making was based on three areas in England; Luton, Stockport and London. After the 1930s, hat making declined as fewer people wore their hats to work in or when going out. Today they tend to be special occasion wear. John F Kennedy is often blamed for the decline in mens’ headwear as he declined to wear a hat when campaigning during his presidential election campaign. Conversely, his wife Jackie is credited with helping to keep the fashion alive for ladies. Princess Diana also did a great deal for the industry during her lifetime.
All this information was demonstrated by Julie whilst wearing the hats she was talking about. She demonstrated her method of plaiting and making her raffia hats and members saw a hank of raffia, which comes from the 7ft to 8ft long leaves of the raffia tree and is then dried. Dyeing, plaiting and stitching together to make the hats takes about 8 hours work. They are packable, very easy to wear and will last a long time. With the request to wear hats at the coming Federation AGM, several members gave those on show a careful look.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham WI will be on Thursday 26 March in the village hall when Steve Lovell will be talking on the RSPB in East Anglia and the monthly competition is for a four to six line poem entitled ‘Birds in my garden’.

Which way to the Palace?

Sign of the times

The editor was tempted to leave this until the first of April but the first day of March will have to do instead.

Old Buckenham Parish Council has spent the last few years trying to get the village properly signposted at the Dambrigg crossroads (where the B1077 crosses the B1113).

Extra signs have now been installed but they don't mention Old Buckenham at all...

Things to do this month

Diary dates for March
Sunday 1 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 2 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Tuesday 3 Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon
Wednesday 4 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 4 Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm
Thursday 5 Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 6 Crib Drive, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 7 Roadside textile collection, from 9am
Monday 9 Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm
Thursday 12 Breckland Flower and Garden Club, Village Hall, 2pm
Thursday 12 Social and Wine Circle, Church Rooms, 7.45pm
Friday 13 Mobile Police Station by Village Shop, 9am to 10.30am
Friday 13 Netgamers computer games, Village Hall, 7pm to 9pm
Sunday 15 Wargames club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm
Monday 16 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm
Wednesday 18 Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 18 Request Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm
Friday 20 Annual Parish Meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Thursday 26 Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm
Friday 27 Netgamers computer games, Village Hall, 7pm to 9pm
Monday 30 Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm