Mid-Norfolk Times April 2010

Issue No. 156 incorporating The Wayland News, Attleborough & District News and The Wymondham News April 2010

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Katie’s running to beat bowel cancer Watton girl, Katie Adcock is running the London Marathon in memory of a very brave man. Nathan Bray was

diagnosed with Bowel Cancer in March 2009. Just months later, he discovered his cancer was terminal and sadly died

aged 32, just 5 days after his wedding to Katie‘s best friend,

Aneliese McCain. On April 25th 2009, which would have been

Nathan‘s 33rd Birthday, Katie will be running the 26.2 miles in his

honour and raising money for the Beating Bowel Cancer campaign.

If anyone would be kind enough to sponsor Katie a form is available

in Adcocks in the High Street in Watton or you can donate on line at

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/katieAdcock

Pictured below - Katie (left) at Nathan and Aneliese‘s wedding.

A special St . Mary‘s parish

performance of Stainer‘s Crucifixion

will take place on Palm Sunday, March

28th at 6.30 p.m. Given by St. Mary‘s

Church Choir and guests.

Many people came to share in our

c h o i r ‘ s m a g n i f i c e n t A d v e n t

Procession, which made a thoughtful

start to the approaching Christmas

season. It was promised then that the

choir would make another significant

contribution to the spiritual and

musical life of our church, and here it

is – Stainer‘s ―Meditation on the

Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer‖

– or to give it its usual title ―The

Crucifixion‖.

This great work was originally written

for Marylebone Parish Church choir

from where it became a favourite over

the entire English Speaking world.

Thousands of performances would be

given throughout the country in every

sort of church, usually in Holy Week.

Some of the hymns, written within the

work, became widely used in churches,

indeed we sing them still at St. Mary‘s

including the beautiful ―All for Jesus‖.

However, during the second half of the

20th Century the work became less and

less sung, dismissed by some experts

as being too popular and no more than

worthless Victorian tosh. But in recent

times there has been an amazing

revival of interest with many

competent church choirs making it the

centrepiece of their Lent work. Now,

here in St. Mary‘s, we have the chance

to judge for ourselves what a moving

and deeply spiritual work this is. It

will not only please you musically, but

it will enable you to enter fully into its

significance as you join in with the

hymns dispersed throughout the piece.

We have secured the help of two

soloists and some members of another

church choir are hoping to join us. If

you have enjoyed singing then this

would make a fine Lenten offering for

yourself.

We want everyone who wants to hear

good music, support our fine choir and

understand what Jesus did for us on

Good Friday to come and listen and

bring friends and neighbours with you.

I know that you will find it a moving

approach to understanding more

clearly the meaning of the Cross.

Stainer’s Crucifixion at St Mary’s, Attleborough

The presentation of a cheque for

£367 marked the final act for what

was Watton Round Table and 41

Club. Whilst Watton Round Table

was disbanded some 10 years ago,

the tradition has been kept alive by

ex Round Tablers in 41 Club (you

had to leave Round Table on

reaching 40 years). However, with

dwindling numbers 41 Club has also

disbanded and the members voted to

donate the remainder of their funds

to the Rainbow Project in Watton.

Noel Abel, aged 80, was nominated

by his fellow 41 Club members to

present the cheque as he is the only

surviving founder member of Watton

Round Table – which was formed in

1954.

Mr Abel said ―This cheque marks

the end of an era. Over the years

Watton Round Table raised tens of

thousands of pounds for local

charities and organised events such

as the Carnival and Senior Citizen‘s

Christmas Parties.‖

―As we bow out it seemed

appropriate to pass what funds we

had to the youth of the town, to our

future. The Rainbow Project is doing

so much for our young people in

Watton and I understand that they

need as much support as they can get

- and we are very pleased to help‖.

The cheque was received by Claire

Mower, one of the youngest

members of Project Rainbow, and

the project Chairman, Rev. Geoff

Garrett who commented that the

baton had been passed on together

with the cheque and he looked

forward using the money to help

continue building Project Rainbow

for the betterment of the community.

Watton Round Table and 41 Club - the final cheque

Noel Abel presents a cheque for £367 to Amy Mower and Geoff Garrett of Project Rainbow

Picture Supplied

Mid-Norfolk Times News

When you have taken all the time and

effort to set money aside, you want to

be sure those savings are working as

hard as they can for you. This guide

lays out some of the main points you

might want to consider when planning

what to do with those savings – and

some general rules you might want to

follow to keep then on track to meet

your goals.

Build a firm base The general rule of

thumb is that before you do anything

else, you should build up an amount

equal to between three and six months‘

salary and place it in a deposit account.

This should be easily accessible so that

you can get hold of what you need,

should an emergency arise.

There are two benefits to having an

amount set aside in this way. First, you

can feel assured that, should the worst

happen – for example you need to

undertake significant repairs to your

house or car or you lose your job –

there is a fund readily available to help

you financially whilst you deal with

other issues.

Second, this frees you up to make the

right decisions about any additional

savings. If you invest in the stock

market, for example, the value of that

investment can go down as well as up.

It is therefore no place for money

which you might need to use in an

emergency. Building funds on deposit

means you can then begin to consider

longer term investments without the

worry that you might have to take

money out of the market at the wrong

time. (But more of that later……)

Whilst interest rates are currently low,

careful study of the best buy lists and

interest rate surveys can help you

maximise the rate you earn on this

money. You can also spread your

money between a number of accounts –

some on immediate access; some on 30

days notice, some perhaps even on 90

days notice. Spreading your money

between institutions also increases the

guarantee coverage you receive from

the Financial Services Compensation

Scheme (FSCS). Currently, the FSCS

will pay compensation up to 100% of

£50,000 per institution.

Diversify As with your deposit account

cushion, if you are averse to the idea of

exposing your entire portfolio to the

whims of the stock market you can

build a further cushion into your

investment by spreading money across

different asset classes. There are not

just equities but also property, gilts and

corporate bonds to choose from.

In this way, when equities are suffering,

one of your other choices might be

doing better and can compensate for

some of that loss. Even if they all have

a bad day, they will not all do equally

badly.

Buy low, sell high

This is a basic tenet of investing but,

sadly, is a lot more difficult than it

looks. Calling the top or bottom of

markets has proved impossible to do

with any consistency, even for experts

– if it were easy, there would be many

more Warren Buffets around. Generally

speaking, it would be unwise to adopt

this as an investment strategy.

Diversification is the key to a

successful portfolio. Even in a

recession, not all companies suffer,

some might even prosper. A simple

way to increase the diversity of your

portfolio is to invest in a collective

investment, such as a unit trust or an

OEIC. In this way, your investment is

spread across a range of companies,

thus the risk is lessened.

Invest Regularly Probably the best

way to benefit from the swings and

roundabouts of the stock market

without even thinking about it is to

invest regularly. If you do this, as

opposed to making a single or

occasional lump sum investment, you

benefit from what is called ‗pound/cost

averaging‘ i.e. buying shares at a range

of different prices as the market moves

up or down over time. A monthly

savings plan is a particularly efficient

way to do this because it disciplines

your budgeting and after a while, the

money will disappear from your

account without you even noticing.

When prices are high you will buy

fewer shares or units, but when prices

are low, you get more for your money.

Your average buying price is therefore

likely to be lower in volatile markets

and will benefit overall when markets

rise again. This is another

way of mitigating risk within

your portfolio. You can stop

worrying about when is the

right time to invest – and

when is the wrong time – and

you can continue the good savings

habits you created whilst building your

deposit account cushion.

Look to the long-term We consider

investing in equities because over the

long-term, they have traditionally

outperformed all other asset classes.

However, by long term we mean at

least five years and preferably longer.

The downside to equities is that short-

term, stock market investments is a

volatile business and you need to be

prepared to see the value of your

investment fall from time to time. The

trick is to remember why you invested

and look through any short-term issues

towards your longer term goals.

However, there is one final rule which

overrides all of these…

Don’t push your luck Markets are

constantly changing so, just as long as

you prepare your portfolio at the outset,

you also have to plan for the final goal.

Therefore, as that date gets closer, you

might consider consolidating some of

the gains you made so that you can

actually carry out your plans. After all,

you do not want to see all your hard

earned savings cut in half by a market

downturn in the final six months before

you need to access the money in your

portfolio.

Better, therefore, to consider moving

money out of the stock market, bit by

bit.

Similarly, during the life of your

investment, watch out for market peaks.

Depending on your goals, you will

likely have to consider this

repositioning several years before you

actually want the money. It is usual for

a person to move from equities and

property into fixed interest and cash,

but it is imperative that you take

professional advice on this, as this

period represents the culmination of

many years‘ savings.

If you would like help and support with

any investment decision, from starting

your deposit account through to

consolidating your long held pension

plan, please do not hesitate to give

Smith & Pinching a call on 01953

885904. Their advice can help you

make the most of your money, plan for

the future and free your time, allowing

you to get on with making plans.

Please note: the value of any

investment can go down as well as up

and you may not get back the amount

you originally invested.

It is with great sorrow that we have to

say that we have lost one of our much

cherished and respected brothers, Chris

Horn. Born during the last war in

Beachamwell, Chris lived his early

years at Swaffham until the family

moved to Watton in 1952, when his

father, Wilf Horn, took up a teaching

post here. Associations with Swaffham

continued as Chris Attended Hamonds

Grammar School travelling daily on

the train.

In 1961 he joined the RAF, attending

No 1 Radio School at Locking, in

Somerset. Chris married a Somerset

girl, Veronica and after a long career in

the RAF he then worked for British

Aerospace developing guided missile

technology after the Falklands war.

After attending university where he

earned a degree, Chris morphed his

career into Health and Safety in which

he became a specialist trainer. Just

recently while working in Kazakhstan,

he suffered a ruptured appendix which

sadly led to his death on March 6th

2010 aged 65years.

Chris and Vron had two children, Sven

who recently emigrated to Australia

with his wife Sarah and who are

expecting their first son in a few

weeks, and Martin who, following in

Chris‘s footsteps is also a specialist in

the RAF and is married to Kate.

From the tributes we have received and

heard he made an impact on many

people‘s lives – world-wide! He died

in the knowledge that he would soon

be having his first Grandson. We know

that he was very proud of his two sons,

their wives and would have been proud

of his future grandson. He will leave a

great hole in the family but especially

in the life of his very dear and loving

wife. His funeral will take place in

Weston Super Mare on Monday 29th

March at 2pm Donations will be taken

for the Weston S M Lifeboat which is a

RNLI boat and can be sent to Elms

Funeral Directors, 50 Baker St, Weston

Super-Mare, Avon. BS23 3AQ

From Robin, Adrian, Julian,

Nicholas and Bryony Horn.

Christopher Horn Making the most of your savings

Young people in and around Watton

are being encouraged to engage with

police and the wider community by

becoming involved in Project

AWESOME, which aims reduce crime

and disorder by developing a sense of

pride in their surroundings while at the

same time participating in positive

activities over the coming months.

Working in partnership with Watton

Town Council, the Youth Focus

Group, Wayland Youth Council,

Project Rainbow and the Wayland

Partnership, the project ―Activities

With Engagement Summer Of Mega

Events‖ is to engage with young

people who don‘t normally relate well

to authority and to encourage them to

take on tasks they wouldn‘t normally

do such as litter picking etc with the

reward of positive activities by

bringing facilities such as a climbing

wall, mobile skatepark and archery to

the area for day long events.

Sergeant Lance Ogbourne of Watton

Safer Neighbourhood Team said ―We

hope the young people will get a great

deal from this summer‘s activities. It is

a real opportunity for them to

participate in fun and exciting activities

by putting something back into the

community themselves.‖

Dates for the forthcoming events and

activities will be advertised locally

nearer the time in order for young

people to attend and enjoy.

An AWSOME project

Are you one of the many people

who shout answers at the TV

screen during quiz shows? Do you

think you could compete with the

Eggheads? Then do something

about it: form your own quiz team

and come along to Ovington

Village Hall for the Annual Quiz

on Saturday, 24th April at 7.30pm.

We can promise you an evening of

teasing the grey matter, of

rummaging in the lost recesses of

your memory while raising money

for the Village Hall. All this

entertainment, with a cold buffet

supper thrown in, for only £6 per

person - how do we do it? Call

Christine on 01953 885848 to find

out and book in your team of 4

people. Hurry as space is limited.

Ovington Village Hall Annual Quiz

Coffee at the Queens Hall 9.30am to 11.30am

Farmers Market Day-

Saturday April 3rd

News Mid-Norfolk Times

Attleborough High students

spent an exciting day creating the

news when a class of Year 8

s tu d ent s sp en t a d ay

experiencing what it was like to

be a reporter and produced

written articles and filmed

reports on school events.

On 11 March Attleborough High

School was involved with the

BBC School News Report

national project. The aim of this

BAFTA nominated project -

which won the Royal Television

Society (RTS) award for

Innovation in Education 2008

and was shortlisted for the

Innovation in Journalism award

2007 - is to interest young

people in news of all sorts, and

the world around them, by giving

them the chance to make their

own news.

The Attleborough High Students

enjoyed the experience of

creating news and the challenge

of writing reports to a tight

deadline. Class 8A1 worked with

their English teacher, Mrs

Graham, and Miss Lane to write

news articles about school issues.

They produced a range of articles

which could then be accessed by

students all around the world. On

the day the students filmed their

reports using the school‘s new

green screen staging 14. They

then went live to the nation with

their video broadcasts at 14.00

on the day. They received superb

technical support from Garry

Baisden, the school‘s ICT

Network Manager and last

minute troubleshooting from

three Sixth Formers, Brett

Knights, Joshua Buck and

Richard Perkins in the last tense

hour of preparing their work for

the final deadline.

Assistant Headteacher Mrs

C a r m i n a M c C o n n e l l

commented: ―This was a

wonderful experience for the

students; it gives them a taste of

the pressures and excitement in

producing the news..

―It was such a positive

experience and all the students

are eager to get involved in the

pro j ect n ex t year ; a t

Attleborough High we are

already planning how to involve

more members of the school in

the BBC News Report in the

future.‖

To view some of the

Attleborough High students

work, click on the BBC logo on

the top left corner Attleborough

High School website home page

at www.attleboroughhigh.org.uk

Making the news at Attleborough High Community Safety Taxi hailed as success The Community Safety Taxi

initiative that caused so much

interest some months ago has been

hailed a success by Norfolk Police.

The scheme, which was set up in

response to increasing anti social

behaviour resulting from late night

drinkers returning home on Friday

and Saturday nights, transports

drinkers direct from the town centre

to estate entrances in Watton and

Carbrooke.

Since its introduction there has been

a significant reduction in instances

of petty vandalism and rowdy

behaviour on the route home along

the Norwich Road corridor, which

has freed police resources for

deployment elsewhere.

Speaking about the scheme Sgt.

Ogbourne said ―Although it

attracted a lot of criticism for Police

and Watton Town Council, who

provided the first round of funding,

the scheme has been a great

success. With the ever increasing

pressure on resources these days,

the success of the Community

Safety Taxi has been a great help in

reducing crime and disorder.‖

―We do need more funding but

since the scheme only costs £27 per

weekend, it is such good value that

I‘m hoping that local businesses

will support it; it‘s a service in the

community for the community.‖

If you would like to help support this

positive initiative, Sgt Ogbourne can

be contacted by email to:

[email protected] or

by phone on 0845 456 4567

On your PVCu Replacement Windows, Doors and Sunlounges. Plus!We have no pushy sales reps, all appointments are undertaken by

Ray Harman(Proprietor)

Unit B, Yaxham Rd,

Dereham (behind Halfords)

Lusher Coach Excursions 2010

Sunday 28th March Lunch at The Stag, Attleborough £25.00 Monday 5th April Mini Mystery Tour £9.50 Sunday 25th April Nene Valley Railway, Peterborough includes train ride with steam locomotive £23.50 Sunday 16th May Colchester and Beth Chatto Gardens including admission to gardens £17.50 Monday 31st May Suffolk Coastal Tour £12.00

Our 2010 Excursion List – is now available To get your copy – please call us on 01760 440589

or e-mail: [email protected]

e-mail: [email protected]

Picture Supplied

An Inspector Calls The Birlings are enjoying a family

dinner party to celebrate the

engagement of Sheila and Gerald

when the door bell rings. It is an

inspector who announces that he is

investigating the suicide earlier that

day of a young woman. At first the

family deny any involvement but all

is not quite what it seems!

The Wayland Players will be presenting

J.B Priestley‘s classic thriller from 15th-

17th April starting at 7.45pm in the

Queen‘s Hall, Watton. Tickets, priced at

£6.50 are available from Adcocks, 32-

34 High Street, Watton Tel 01953

881248. Website:

www.waylandplayers.org.uk

Can't face the gym or jogging, can't

swim and don't think bowls is quite

for you? Why not come and have a

go at Table Tennis? I bet you

played when you were young - it's

not such a hard game to pick up

again. Watton has an excellent

Club at the Sports Centre, lots of

tables so you won't have to hang

around waiting to have a go. Lots

of bats and balls so until you know

if you like it there's nothing to buy;

no special clothes except soft soled

shoes. No heels!

Friendly people to get you started

and show you how. If you have

played a lot before there's

competition available. We're all

over 50 some of us over 70! We

can do it - so can you!

Come to the Sports Centre on

Thursday afternoons between 2 and

4pm we'll make you welcome.

Ring David on 880027 or Brenda

on 881792 if you want to know

more. See you there!

50ish? thinking of getting fit?


We held our March meeting on

Thursday, 18th in the Village Hall.

Our speaker was Mr Barry Wade,

Chairman of the Norfolk Growers

Group of the Delphinium society,

who had come all the way from

Caister-on-Sea to talk about

delphiniums. The delphinium is

queen of the herbaceous border,

probably because of its majestic

height, as most grow to 4-6 feet.

Obviously they need supports. The

most common is the old method of

three stakes and string but Mr Wade

makes his own from wire mesh

fashioned into a ring at about 3ft high

and diameter. The plants are so

vigorous that fully grown they hide

these completely.

He addressed the issue raised of

plants flowering one year then

disappearing. Mulch is the answer.

These perennials are shallow-rooted

so whilst they need lots of water in

the growing season they are

vulnerable to cold and water logging

in the winter. Mr Wade

uses well-rotted horse

manure autumn and spring

and his plants survived

even the harsh winter we

just experienced. Other

problems were solved.

Delphiniums are not fussy

about the soil type. Many

originate from Asia where

they grow on mountainous

dusty soil but hybridising

has meant they will

happily take to clay.

Delphiniums attract slugs.

Wrong. If you have a slug

problem you have a slug

problem. Simple as that.

The little critters don‘t

come from miles around

for the delphiniums. All

gardeners have their own

methods of dealing with

them and let‘s face it

we‘ve all wondered where

our lovingly-tended seedlings went

overnight. Having dealt with soil,

aspect came next and it came as no

surprise that they enjoy full sun. They

do not do well under trees. In a

garden setting they do best with a

backdrop - wall, fence, evergreen

hedge but they also do well in open

ground provided they have been

properly staked against their main

enemy, wind. Delphiniums also need

feeding as all herbaceous plants do

and there seemed to be no magic

secret about it.

These plants are easily raised from

seed and it is recommended that you

buy plants or seeds from well-

established growers, the most famous

is Blackmore and Langdon. There is a

specialist nursery called Larkspur at

Spalding, owned by Ashley

Ramsbottom who was head of the

propagation department at Wisley. He

should know a thing or two about

raising plants! This brought us to

propagation which is done in spring

by removing the soil from the sides of

the plant and removing a cutting

section with a sharp knife. Division is

possible but may check the plants as

they are not keen on being moved.

However, once the plants reach 4-5

years it is likely the centres will be

rotted, so this is a good time to take

the cuttings and discard the middle

bit.

This brought us to showing. The

Norfolk Show is the Delphinium

Grower‘s annual Show and this year

they are also hosting the East Anglian

Championship. This should be well

worth a visit. For showing the stems

Mr Wade fills the hollow stems with

water and plugs them with cotton

wool. The flowers are then wrapped

in tissue paper or cotton wool or

bubble wrap and packed in cardboard

tubes - he uses tubes that held

fluorescent lamps. A bit of recycling

there as well.

Unfortunately due to a broken

projector we were unable to see his

collection of slides but there was a

display of poster-size photographs of

perfect delphiniums. This display was

a real inspiration, as was the fact that

they are not at all difficult to grow.

I‘m sure members will be getting

started soon.

The meeting continued with the

usual raffle and the results of the

mini-show which was an 8‖ pot of

mini-narcissus. This was won by

Ralph Kinsley with Geoff Twelftree

second, Michael Simmons third and

Vic Cossins Highly Commended. A

special mention should go to a new

member, Peter Hicks, who had

interpreted the brief as one bulb.

His display off that one bulb was

truly impressive with several

perfect blooms, all the same height

and all fully out. We ended with

Geoff's Tips for April and these

were mainly to bear in mind how

late everything is after the winter so

included jobs that would normally

be done in March: pruning roses

and starting the lawn off. Geoff

does give us lots of pointers for the

following month but to take

advantage please come to one of

our meetings where you will be

given a real Bradenham welcome.

There will be no meeting in the

Village Hall in April, but please do

come along to our Spring Show on

Saturday 10th, also in the Village

Hall, when the doors open at 3.30pm

for viewing the exhibits and teas.

Bradenham & District Horticultural Society

Picture: Wikipedia Creative Commons

Ashill Senior Youth Club

The club is open every Wednesday

night and is open to youngsters at

any high school. We meet 7.30pm -

9.30pm at Ashill community centre.

The club offers a safe environment

for the young people to meet their

friends, to join in activities or just sit

around for a chat. Please remember

we are closed Wednesdays 31st

March, 7th and 14th April and we

reopen on 21st April.

Over the last month two months the

members have enjoyed making

pizzas, pancakes, darts tournament,

gory make over night and a trip to

strikes bowling alley.

In April we are going to the cinema,

filming round the village for a

horror film we are making. We are

looking for extra's of all ages to join

in the fun. Filming will be taking

place from Monday 12th April.

Ashill Junior Youth Club

We meet twice a month on a Friday

and are open to 8 years old until end

of year 7 at any high school from 7 -

9pm at Ashill Community Centre.

Dates for March to May are as

follows: April 9th club night with

disco, April 23rd spring clean, May

7th sports competition, May 21st,

June 4th sponsored walk, June 18th

For more information on both of

clubs or if you can offer any help or

have any ideas on how we can

improve the clubs for the future

Please contact mark on 01760

440577.


Education Sunday at Watton Methodist Church (Editor‘s note: this item was

inadvertently missed last month)

January 31st was a very special day

in the life of Watton Methodist

church because it was Education

Sunday, the day when members

traditionally remember and celebrate

the work of the schools in our town.

Representatives from Westfield

Nursery and Infant School and

Watton Junior School took part in the

s e r v i c e d e m o n s t r a t i n g

enthusiastically some of the things

they have been learning and doing in

school in recent weeks. A large group

of children from Westfield Nursery

and Infant School explained about the

Solar System and sang songs which

fitted with their theme. Watton Junior

School Choir contributed two lovely

songs from their repertoire. Again

this year the service was enhanced by

photographs from the two schools

projected onto large screens enabling

the congregation to appreciate

something of what it means to go to

school in the 21st century. Worship

songs were chosen by some of the

children and included ‗He‘s got the

whole world in His hands‘ and ‗Live

Live Live‘ This very lively service

was led by Rev. Barbara Winner and

her new friend, Poppy, a puppet who

wanted to learn to sing! It was well-

attended and greatly enjoyed by

many of the children‘s parents and

friends as well as by the older

members of the congregation.

32 - 34 High Street, Watton Tel: 01953 881248

email: [email protected]

THE COUNTDOWN

TO DIGITAL

SWITCHOVER

IS ON!

call in and we’ll be happy to explain what

you may need

Watton Town Council

Councillor’s Surgeries

Come and talk to a Councillor and make your views known in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere at The

Surge, behind the Co-Op

Farmers Market Day Saturday 3rd April from 10am to 12 Noon

Wayland Short Mat Bowls Come and join us at the

Youth and Community

Centre in Harvey St. Watton.

We are a small friendly bowls

c lub th a t we lco mes

experienced or new bowlers.

We play Wednesday morning

9.30 - 12.30 in the rear hall,

with a break half time for

refreshments. Why not come

and give it a try. For more

information you can ring

Betty on 01953 883600

Pupils at Watton Westfield Infant and

Nursery School have been enjoying

National Science Week. Classes have

been making telephones, magnetic

pictures, doing magic painting, looking

for the signs of Spring and measuring

the flight of paper aeroplanes.

Everyone has had a most enjoyable and

informative week which culminated in

a ‗Show and Tell‘ Assembly.

In the photograph above you can see

some of the children learning about

food and scientific changes as they

made a vegetable pasta bake. Local

chef and parent governor Dan George

was able to teach the children how to

prepare an easy but delicious healthy

meal.

Westfield Science Week

Th e Wa yl a n d Ch a mb e r o f

Commerce is aware that there are

many more businesses within our

district, than those visible on

Watton High Street and within our

Business Parks. We are keen to

assist each and every one of them

regardless of how big or small they

are.

With this is mind, we are setting up

quarterly Breakfast Forums with the

aim of giving individuals the

opportunity to build business

relationships and to listen to short

talks by guest speakers, who may

be able to offer solutions or ideas to

move your own business forward.

The first Breakfast Forum, kindly

sponsored by Smith & Pinching is

on Monday 26th April at Watton

Sports Centre from 7.30am until

8.45am to ensure that you should be

back in your office for the start of a

working day. Attendance for the

first delegate from a Chamber

Member Business is free, additional

delegates from that business the

charge is £3.00. Non Chamber

members £5.00 per delegate.

Bacon butties or Danish pastries

along with tea, coffee or juice will

be served. Free Business Card

Draw.

For more information or to request

an invitation/reply slip, please

contact the Wayland Chamber of

Commerce at: secretary@wayland-

chamber.org.uk

Working home alone - how about breakfast together?


Something different in our Letter

from Australia this month.

The arrival of the Queen Mary 2 in to

the main harbour of South Australia,

saw thousands of Adelaidians line the

coast between North Haven and

Outer Harbour to witness the arrival

of one of the biggest passenger ships

ever to visit there.

The ship, which joined the Cunard

fleet in December 2003 and was

formally named by Queen Elizabeth

on 4th January 2004, has 19 decks

and a gross tonnage of approximately

150,000 tons. She is 345 metres long

with a beam of 41 metres and carries

around 3,000 passengers.

Adelaide sightseers were treated to a

splendid vision as the sun rose over

the Adelaide Hills to cast its glow on

the QM2 as she glided through the

breakwater of the Harbour.

It is estimated that visitors to

Adelaide injected somewhere in the

vicinity of 500,000 Australian Dollars

in to the local economy as a result of

the vessel‘s short stay.

Local media had a field day,

conducting interviews with everyone

from the Captain to the ship‘s guests

as well as filming the opulence of the

ship.

It is anticipated the QM2 will make a

further 2 trips to South Australia over

the next 12 months

Queen Mary 2 visits Adelaide

The early morning sun shines on the Queen Mary 2 as she enters Adelaide harbour. Picture by Maurice Berry © 2010 M.Berry

Breckland Harmony in concert at Ovington On Saturday, 17 April at 7pm, St

John‘s Church, Ovington, will be

resounding to a concert of music

with an international flavour

performed by Breckland Harmony

and instrumentalist friends.

Breckland Harmony, under the

direction of Julia Grover and

accompanied by Mr John Richens,

will be performing songs from around

the world, including some old

favourites. Tickets cost only £5 each

and include refreshments after the

concert. All proceeds go to the church,

which like so many beautiful old

buildings, is in great need of much

refurbishment work. Ring Christine

on 885848 for details and tickets.

East Harling Bowls Club You are warmly invited to our

COFFEE AND BRIC A BRAC MORNING

(with cake stall, etc) on

Saturday 24 April from 10 am to 12 noon

at the Bowls Club, Church Road, East Harling (opposite the church)


Wretham residents joined the

Breckland-wide Blitz clean-up that is

part of Breckland Council's Pride in

Breckland initiative designed to set

new standards in safety and

cleanliness across the whole District.

The council has already made major

strides in tackling environmental anti-

social behaviour – such as littering, fly

posting and graffiti – but is committed

to continuing to reduce this, because

of the major impact it has on people‘s

quality of life.

The ‗Breckland Blitz‘ was launched

on 1 March when Breckland Council

staff gave up their lunch hour to tackle

everything from chewing gum on

pavements to clearing litter from grass

verges.

In mid-March 11 strong volunteers

from Wretham managed to collect 47

sacks of litter, a motorcycle seat, a

chemical sprayer and a few empty

DVD cases from a 10 mile stretch of

the A1075.

East Wretham parish clerk Julian Gibson,

who helped to organise the event said; ―If

only we had a few more volunteers. We

would really love to be able to extend the

range down to the A11. I know this is

outside our parish, but we regard the

A1075 as "our street". Perhaps next year

we'll top the 20 volunteer mark and get

more covered!‖

More litter picks have been organised over

the next five weeks, together with pond

clean ups, graffiti removals and the

additions of new litter bins. Environmental

Services staff and Spike the Hedgehog

will also be giving 'litter talks' to pupils at

Primary Schools in the district, urging

them to bin their rubbish rather than

dumping it on the streets

The Campaign to Protect Rural England

Director James Frost said; "CPRE is

pleased to see Breckland Council taking

the initiative on litter and fly tipping

through its Pride in Breckland scheme.

Our local countryside needs all the help it

can get and springtime is a good time of

year to clear litter hidden in hedgerows,

roadsides, lay-bys, parks and gardens. If

everyone does something then we'll

achieve a lot - the Breckland Blitz is the

perfect way to get started."

Cllr Theresa Hewett, Executive member

for communities who is spearheading the

initiative, says, "Pride in Breckland is all

about making our communities safer,

cleaner places to live.

"We want to create an environment where

it's socially unacceptable to drop litter,

spray graffiti on walls or vandalise public

facilities. However, if the Breckland Blitz

is going to work, we need the support of

everyone who lives and works in the

district.‖

If you would like to get involved in the

Breckland Blitz please contact Richard

Wills, Pride in Breckland coordinator on

01362 656870.

FINE BOOKS BOUGHT AND SOLD

BOOKS J.C. & Applestore Gallery

Telephone/Fax 01953 883488 55 High Street, Watton

For quality out of print books, Fine Bindings and Collectable Editions. New Books including local and children’s classics.

Visit the Applestore Gallery on the first floor, exhibiting the Paintings of Kevin Robinson and his complete range of East Anglian prints including Watton and Wymondham.

Spring Art Exhibition (Mixed Media) April 10th - 17th The Dragonfly Gallery, Wayland House, Watton

Opening times: Weekdays 10.00 - 4.00pm, Saturday 10.00 - 1.00pm

Spring Art Exhibition, 12 talented artists. Mediums to include, watercolour, pastel, graphite pencil, oil, photography and acrylic.

New seasons gifts to purchase also available. Free admission. Contact Susan Hollingworth 01953 880205

East Harling Bowls Club is offering a

series of FREE INFORMAL LESSONS

on our outside bowling green to anyone

(of any age) interested in this popular

national sport, which is easy to learn,

friendly and sociable.

The first lesson will begin at 5.00 pm on

Saturday 24th April. Bowls will be

provided, but please wear soft, flat soled

shoes.

Ring Pauline on 01953 717275, or

Arthur on 01953 717482 to reserve a

place, or just turn up at the clubhouse in

Church Road, East Harling (opposite the

church) on 24th April at 5.00 pm.

The Breckland winter indoor league

draws to a close at the end of March and,

after a much improved season, our

thoughts now turn towards a summer of

playing outdoors. It is hoped that the

weather will be kind in order for us to

complete a full schedule of games in

both the Norfolk County EBA and Ashill

mixed triples leagues as well as several

local friendly matches and our usual

Saturday evening club nights.

We have steadily increased our

membership over the year, but are still

looking to welcome new members who

wish to join a friendly and sociable club

(based behind the car park opposite

Harling Church). If you would like

further information, then please contact

either Pauline (01953 717275) or Arthur

(01953 717482), we look forward to

meeting you.

Dates for your Diary: Saturday 24th

April from 10.00 to 12.00 Bowls Club

Coffee and Bric a Brac morning

Saturday 24th April at 5.30 pm Bowls

Club first outdoor meeting for 2010

Free lessons at East Harling Bowls Club

Wretham joins in 'Breckland Clean up' blitz

Only a few weeks to go for Marathon runner

Geoff Ray as he prepares for The 2010

Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 25th

April. Whilst the rest of us are probably

tucking into chocolate eggs at Easter, local

pharmacist Geoff Ray is pounding the

pavements in preparation for the marathon.

After 4 previous marathons and having

vowed never to run the London Marathon

again, Geoff is steadily working towards his

goal of raising £2,000 in aid of the East

Anglian Air Ambulance. The charity

provides a vital emergency service to our

rural area 365 days a year and receives no

government or lottery funding.

Training has gone well and so far Geoff has

had no injuries, just the usual sore muscles.

Says Geoff ―I have to keep reminding myself

that I just need to finish and that it isn‘t a

race! I‘ve put a lot of miles into my legs so

hopefully they will be strong enough to carry

me all the way. I‘m looking forward to

standing at the start with all the other

thousands of runners and hope that I can take

in some of the views of London on the way

round. Finishing in front of Buckingham

Palace will be amazing!‖

There is still time to support Geoff and help

him to reach his target. Sponsorship or

donations can be made at Total Health

Pharmacy, 14 Gregor Shanks Way, Watton

(opposite the Watton Medical Practice‘or by

visiting www.justgiving.com and entering

Geoff Ray

D Day Is Here For Marathon Runner

NORTHUMBRIAN CLOG DANCER

I am trying to contact a Northumbrian Clog Dancer. She is a local teacher

who has been teaching youngsters to dance around the Maypole but she is

also a dancer in her own right. If you are that dancer or you know

who she is please get in touch.

Tel 01 953 8854090

Book of the Month from your Library Horatio Clare, A Single Swallow:

Following an Epic Journey from South

Africa to South Wales (non-fiction)

Clare has been described as a modern

day Laurie Lee with his wonderful

account of the migration of a swallow

and the countries it passes over on its

long journey. It leaves you completely

in awe of how this little bird can fly so

far. The next time you see a swallow

arrive in the spring imagine its journey

and you will be amazed.

A journey of 6,000 miles across two

continents and 14 countries is nothing

to swallows: they do it twice a year.

But for a writer and birdwatcher, this

is the expedition of a lifetime.

By trains, cars, buses, motorbikes,

trucks, canoes, planes, one camel and

three ships, Horatio Clare follows the

journey of the migrating birds.

Mid-Norfolk Times Advertising


SALEC TRAVEL LTD Thursday 15th April Fakenham 9.30am & 1.30pm Return Adult & Child £5

Saturday 17th April Oxford 8am & 4pm Return Adult £20 Child £15 Sunday 18th April Dominic Kirwin at Hunstanton Adult £27

Saturday 24th April Aylsham & Train to Wroxham 9.30am & 4pm Return Adult £15 Child £12

Mon 3rd May Shepreth Wildlife Park 9am & 4pm Rtn Adult £20 Child £12 Sat. 15th May Bury St Edmunds 9.30am & 3pm Return Adult & Child £5

Sunday 23rd May Houghton Hall & Bircham Windmill 9.30am & 4pm Return Adult £19 Child £11

Sunday 25th April Kensington Palace 8.30am Adult £27 Child £20 Saturday 29th May Southwold & Dunwich for Fish & Chips 9.30am & 4pm

Return Adult £20 Child £15 Sunday 30th May Southend Airshow 8am & Return After Last Display

Adult £15 Child £12 Saturday 5th June Johnny Marks Showboat Adult £28

Saturday 17th July Country Company Showboat Adult £28 Saturday 14th August 50's & 60's Evening with Cardy & Coke Adult £28

Saturday 28th/Monday 30th August BBQ Cruise Evening Adult £24

Holidays 2010 (Please ring for Itineraries) 16 – 19 April Country and Western Break

Sunday 30 May – Saturday 5 June Lake District Friday 23 – Tuesday 27 July Isle of Wight

Friday 10 – Sunday 12 September Emmerdale Weekend Friday 26 – Monday 29 November Turkey & Tinsel at Folkestone

2010 Brochure Out Now! For more details please phone:

01953 881159 PRIVATE COACH & MINIBUS HIRE ALSO AVAILIBLE

By David and Carolyn Jessup

Snakes galore!! Snakes are not

everyone‘s cup of tea but it has always

been my desire to get a closer look at

some of these creatures in the wild. Of

course they can be extremely dangerous

and many of these reptiles in Africa are

to be avoided. For the casual visitor it

can be a problem as they are not easily

identified, hence it is better to be safe

than sorry. There are 130 species of

snakes in southern Africa, 34 are

venomous and 14 others have been

known to have caused human deaths. I

believe that unless they are cornered or

surprised there will be no problem, as

they will just slither away and out of

sight quickly; more frightened of you

than you are of them.

In our previous six visits to Africa we

have never really had a good view of

snakes, only occasionally seeing one

dash away, twisting and turning into the

undergrowth. This time it was quite

different. The best sighting was an

African Rock Python which was lazing

across the road in Kruger National Park

in the blazing sun. It was massive, about

four and a half metres long and almost

touching one edge of the road with its

head and the other side with its rear. The

Rock Python is the largest snake in

Africa and although it is not venomous it

is, nevertheless, still very dangerous.

They catch their prey by wrapping

themselves around the body of the

unfortunate animal and squeezing it ever

tighter so that it eventually cannot

breathe. One of our acquaintances in

South Africa has actually witnessed a

Rock Python swallowing an Impala - it

must have been an awesome sight. We

saw quite a few other much smaller

snakes (dead and alive) although some of

them were still well over a meter in

length. We were not able to make any

positive identification although some of

them were almost certainly venomous

and perhaps highly dangerous.

Sometimes snakes basking on the road in

the sun would dart unexpectedly under

our car and one such reptile had a very

lucky escape. The car went right over the

snake but it obviously escaped death as I

could not see a dead body in the rear

view mirrors. At the first opportunity to

stop I checked under the car bonnet, as

snakes have been known to attach

themselves to a moving vehicle and then

make their way inside through the

smallest of holes and into the car. Not a

prospect to look forward to!!

On one same day we saw two different

snakes with just their head sticking out of

the thatch inside two different viewing

hides. Every time we stopped at one of

these hides after these experiences, we

made a thorough visual check to make

sure there was no danger. The most

terrifying moment was when Fifo (our 10

year old Zulu friend) and I were leaving

the swimming pool. Fifo was walking in

front and just going down the last of a

few steps when she screamed out in an

extremely frightening manner. She had

trodden on a snake which I just managed

to see scuttle away and into the

undergrowth. We will never know what

it was but imagine it was not venomous

as it would otherwise surely have turned

on her. A very, very lucky escape and a

good lesson learnt - ALWAYS LOOK

WHERE YOU ARE WALKING.

Snakes apart our overall wildlife viewing

was not quite as good as the previous

trip, although we still had some amazing

experiences in Kruger National Park. We

again got our money‘s worth from our

―Wild Card‖ (annual membership), as we

went into the Park 53 times. Most

people‘s favourite is the Elephant and we

certainly saw our fair share of these

magnificent creatures. On our early visits

to Kruger we learnt a little about how to

respect these giants - you don‘t perhaps

realise just how big they are until you are

sitting in a vehicle a few feet away. They

can, of course, be extremely dangerous

so there are times, like when they are in

musth or have young, that you must take

extra care.

We have enjoyed many ―cabarets‖ from

Elephants, usually family groups but

occasionally individuals. They will find a

patch of muddy water and spend ages

lying, rolling and spraying themselves -

the mud helps to keep them cool and to

keep the ticks away. An agitated

Elephant can be frightening and we had

an experience of one such animal. We

came unexpectedly upon a small family

group in the bush at the edge of a dirt

road. I didn‘t notice that there were also

babies and as I drove past the mother,

she shook her head vigorously from side

to side in protest and made the loudest

Elephant ―screams‖ that you could

imagine. Head down and foot down, we

escaped unscathed, but with a much

quicker pulse rate.

On at least three separate occasions we

were approached by massive Elephants

walking in the road. Its certainly not safe

to drive past an Elephant in the road,

especially if they are facing you. We

normally sit, reverse, sit and reverse until

they move into the bush, but this can

sometimes be 30 minutes or more. The

alternative option recommended by some

Safari Guides is to pull up on the side of

the road, switch off the engine and wait

for the Elephant to walk past. That‘s ok,

but what happens if they take a sudden

dislike to the vehicle and/or the

passengers ????

We had already been waiting for ages on

a narrow dirt road for a large Elephant to

stop eating and move off. It was very

reluctant to amble away and I didn‘t

want to chance driving past. The road

was so narrow, it was difficult to turn.

Another larger vehicle appeared behind

us, he was impatient and after a few

minutes, drove past. The Elephant

showed its obvious displeasure so we

still didn‘t take any chances. We

reversed well back, did a 10-point turn

and went the longest (and safest) way

round. We are still here to tell the

story !!!

Most Park visitors are desperate to see a

Cheetah. We also have never been lucky

enough to get good views of them in past

years, but this was our lucky

trip. We saw a few pairs of

these elegant, slick and very

fast ―cats‖ but usually lying

under the shadow of a tree,

and never really close

enough to photograph. Our

best sighting was a mother

and her two babies walking

together in an open area - a

good view but not that

close.

Leopards were most

r e l u c t a n t t o s h o w

themselves, getting only

fleeting and, usually distant

sightings. Lions were also

not playing the game,

except that we came across

a male and female lying on a quiet dirt

road and with no other vehicles around.

Plenty of time to watch their antics and

to take some decent ―shots‖. After some

time we also noticed another male lying

in the long grass nearby. Lions, of course

spend up to 18 hours a day resting and

sleeping. We had driven past two males

lying about 100 meters from the road,

but in the open. We were alerted to their

presence by two Park Rangers on foot, so

we turned back to look at these

wonderful creatures. When we were

leaving the Park 9 hours later these Lions

were still lying in the same place.

Giraffes are also quite fascinating and it

seems you either see all or nothing. On

one day alone we counted 58 sightings of

Giraffes, other days very few. The bulls

fight by swinging their heads at each

other, fascinating action that we have

witnessed on a few occasions. They are

the tallest living animal and it is difficult

to imaging a Giraffe being taken down

by Lions, but the sight of 2 or 3 carcasses

in Kruger shows that it happens quite

often.

Another magnificent sight is a large herd

of Buffalo which we saw on at least 4

occasions. We followed a trail of fresh

Buffalo dung on a tar road for about

three kilometres and luckily this led to a

large herd lying under the shade of the

bush. On 3 separate drives we picked out

a small herd of quite shy Sable - a very

attractive antelope varying in colour

from mid to dark brown, but with white

markings. We had our first ever sighting

of (Common) Reedbuck and were also

lucky to see some quite rare and shy

Black Rhinoceros.

There are also many attractive and

colourful birds and its quite amazing just

how close you can get to some by

driving up quietly and with extra care.

One of our favourites is the Saddle-billed

Stork, a large and very tall bird, with

mainly black and white plumage, a

mainly red bill with a black band across

and a yellow ―saddle‖ at the top. In the

past we have been lucky to watch one of

these amazing birds catch and swallow a

large frog, and less than 2 meters from

the car. They are very much endangered

in South Africa with a population of

around only 100 birds.

Another endangered bird is the Southern

Ground Hornbill and although they can

fly, are more usually seen foraging on

the ground for food, which can be small

animals up to squirrel or hare size, and

reptiles such as lizards, snakes and

tortoises They are turkey sized and

mainly black with red face and neck.

They have a very strong bill and we saw

one trying to prize the meat from a

Leopard Tortoise shell. (Pictured)

South Africa again with a touch of Mozambique and Swaziland

Picture Supplied

Norfolk Wildlife Trust

To ask a question about the Norfolk’s Wildlife please call the Norfolk Wildlife Information Service. Wildline 01603 598333 9am to 5pm Mon - Fri. E-mail [email protected] Website http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/naturalconnections Further details and Membership enquiries 01953 498467 Tuesday, 20 April 7.45pm. Local Group Annual Review followed by a talk from NWT Education Manager David North followed by refreshments and raffle. Venue: Watton Christian Community Centre, High Street, Watton. Cost £1.50 members and £2 non-members for NWT funds.

Breckland Flower and Garden Club The Annual General Meeting was held in March when Pat Wells

was re-elected chairman and eleven members voted onto the

committee plus one co-opted member. The chairman thanked

everyone for all their help during a busy twelve months including

two charity events which raised a total of £2500! Our out-going

president Marion Beasley thanked the committee for all their hard

work and passed the president's badge to Joyce Woodward.

Winners trophies for the year were presented to Margaret Smith

(New Hands) and Ursula Jackson (Old Hands) and the President's

cup for most points gained during the year went to Margaret Smith.

After the AGM Christine Hewson gave a demonstration using spring

flowers - daffs, tulips and hyacinths - light, fresh designs suitable for

any home. During tea members took part in a light-hearted quiz.

The March competition winners were Janet Skidmore - new hands

and Ursula Jackson - old hands.

April's meeting will be held on Thursday 8th at 2p.m. Old

Buckenham Village Hall when 'The Flower Girls' will be

demonstrating. The competition will be for a modern arrangement

using three flowers and foliage.

Visitors are always welcome. Further details from Pat 01953 457305

or Sally 01953 788712


EDWARDS OF WATTON

WATTON’S SPECIALIST NEWSAGENT

"Pick & Mix Sweets" now

available in store

We are also pleased to offer News Deliveries

7 days a week in the following areas Griston,

Northacre, Caston, Stow Bedon, Breccles, Great

Hockham, East Wretham, Larling, Snetterton,

Shropham and Mount Pleasant

50 High Street, Watton. Tel: 881234

Established in Watton for four generations

Has Your PC Slipped a Disc? Netted a virus? Mouse trapped and

wont work now?

For all manner of computer repairs and support

Call Julian Horn on 01953 881885 “Silver Surfer” support a speciality!

WAYLAND CMA Tel 01953 889890 for details

April 24th Longshot “The Best In Country Music” 8 ‘til late

WATTON BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP APRIL Weds 7th 2pm Meeting at Watton CCC

Mon 19th 12.30pm for 1pm Lunch at Griston Wagon & Horses

SUNDAY AFTERNOON TEAS Hosted by St. Mary’s Church in April

Sun 18th Watton Christian Community Centre 2.30pm until 4pm

All welcome—please come along and bring family and friends

Ladies Fashion Show

At Great Hockham Village Hall

Monday 10th May @ 7.30pm Outfits by She Fashions, Attleborough

Admission £4.00 Free Refreshments & Nibbles, Raffle. In aid of Great

Hockham Yoga Group Tickets from

June on 01953 498343

The annual Houston Livestock Show and

Rodeo took place in March. The

festivities were preceded by a grand

parade of floats, clowns and horses, and I

sure wish I had access to all the horses‘

―leftovers‖ for my garden! I watched

the parade on television and didn‘t see

anyone out there with a shovel!

Speaking of soil enrichment, I have

discovered a new bagged compost of

100% natural cotton burrs, which is

touted to be great for growing. Cotton

burrs are the outside husks of the cotton

boll, and are supposed to contain all the

nutrients that the cotton plant was fed

whilst growing. I grew a few cotton

plants in the flower bed one year, and

harvested several bolls – hardly enough

to make anything other than an

interesting flower arrangement! Cotton

is actually a very interesting and useful

plant, related to the mallows, hibiscus

and hollyhocks, and was one of the main

reasons communities developed back in

the 1800‘s. The rich river-bottom

blacklands attracted the cotton growers,

the settlements grew, and along came the

railroads to carry the cotton bales to the

major cities. Cotton is still grown around

Navasota, but many farmers have turned

to the more lucrative grain sorghum

crops. Over-planting of cotton resulted

in the land being infested with a soil

borne fungal disease called Cotton Root

Rot, which unfortunately also affects

many of my favourites, such as apples,

grapes and roses.

Tree pollen is really heavy now, especially

from Junipers and Oaks, and my fish pond

has a film on it. As soon as the water

warms up I‘ll have to catch the fish and put

them in a holding tank while I clean out the

pond. Maybe once all the ―stuff‖ in the

bottom has gone, Tennyson Turtle will

leave to annoy someone else. Speaking of

Tennyson, it seems he must not be a boy-

turtle after all. I have recently spotted two

little baby turtles scurrying around in the

murky water, and have created a big

division among my friends and neighbours.

―Let them stay, they are so cute‖, ―surely

you wouldn‘t make a family homeless‖, ―if

you take them down to the creek they will

come back (like I am going to lead a parade

of turtles down the street to the creek like

the Pied Piper!) and so on!!

How I love spring, despite the back-leg-

arm-everything aches after overdoing it

the first time the sun shines, the itchy

eyes and sneezing. The spring flowers

make it all worthwhile. The bush beans

are up, and the tomatoes, jalapeno and

sweet bell peppers, cucumbers and

aubergines are out of the dining room

and hardening off on the porch where it

is sheltered. An interesting way to plant

tomatoes in this climate, where water is

an issue in summer, is setting them on a

slant, or in such a manner as to

encourage root growth out of the stem.

A good way of doing this is to lay the pot

on its side a few days before planting out,

and the tomato in its wisdom will turn up

at a right angle towards the sun. Then

you take it out of the pot, lay the root ball

horizontally in the hole, with the shoot

pointing up – stronger roots = better

crop! Another thing they are doing now

with tomatoes is grafting heirlooms on to

hybrids to try to regain the big juicy

flavourful tomatoes of old, with the

benefit of hybrid disease resistance. It is

a delicate operation!

Pictured: White Iris and gaillardia - early

spring flowers in my garden.

Tomato – Tomayto Gardening in Navasota, Texas with Helen Quinn

Here Lyeth

the Body of Christ*

Burraway, who depar-

ted this life y* 18 day

of October, Anno Domini

1730.

Aged 59 years.

And their Lyes

Alice, who by hir Life

Was my Sister,

my Mistress,

My Mother and my Wife.

Dyed Feb y* 12 1729

Aged 76 years The extraordinary epitaph on the

memorial to Christopher Burraway in the

church of St. Mary, Martham, has

aroused great interest in all who have

seen it, leaving them wondering how his

wife Alice could also have been his

sister, mistress and mother.

The origins of Christopher Burraway are

shrouded in mystery. He is said by some

to be the result of an incestuous union

between an unnamed man and his

daughter, was sent away to be brought up

and years later happened to return to his

native village.

From the information on his tombstone,

Christopher Burraway was born in 1671.

On 21 October of that year another

earlier Christopher Burraway married

Mary Jane of Potter Heigham. It just may

be that this particular Christopher had

been married before and was the father

of young Christopher but I have been

unable to find any documentary evidence

to prove this speculation though it may

be significant that they both have the

same name. Alternatively, young

Christopher may have been the result of

al illicit relationship between the older

Burraway and an unknown lady two

years before his marriage to Mary Jane.

There appears to be no documentary

evidence for either assumption and

arduous searches by a good friend, an

expert in family history, have so far

proved fruitless and young Christopher

disappears from the scene for some 30

years.

Christopher Burraway senior died in

1673 and Mary Jane, who was still only

21, married Gregory Johnson in 1674.

When Mary Johnson died, Gregory,

Christopher Burraway's putative step-

father married Alice Ryall, a widow with

a young son and when he died in 1700,

she married in 1702 the young

Christopher Burraway, who had now

turned up in Martham. He was aged 30;

Alice was 49, old enough to be his

mother.

For 20 years, Christopher and Alice lived

at the Hall and like his step-father before

him Christopher filled the posts of

Churchwarden and Overseer of the Poor.

In 1729 the thrice married Alice

Burraway died at the age of 76 and is

buried near her second husband, Gregory

Johnson, in the south aisle of the church.

Christopher died in October 1730 aged

59. He too is buried beside his wife.

In trying to make some sense of the

inscription it could be that Christopher

called his wife 'my mother' since she was

his step-father's widow. If he managed

the farm for her after his step-father's

death he might well call her 'my

mistress', but I cannot see any family

connection whereby he might call her

'my sister'.

Interesting as Christopher's epitaph

undoubtedly is, there is more to Martham's

church than one memorial. It is a large

church with a substantial early

perpendicular (c1350) tower and a

correspondingly very tall tower arch. As

with many, if not most, Norfolk parish

churches, architectural details change over

the centuries but the most striking feature

of this church is the chancel which is a

complete rebuild in Victorian Gothic (1855

-61) with a riot of carving everywhere –

roof, chancel arch and especially the tomb

of the Rev. Jonathon Dawson of Rollesby

Hall, as a memorial to her husband by the

vicar's daughter. The architect of this work

had previously carried out restoration work

in the nave, principally to the hammer

beam roof with its 22 angels. Good 15th C

stained glass of red, yellow and blue in the

east windows of the aisles and 15th C

seven sacrament font. A fine painted chest

may be 14th C.

St. Bilda, mother of St. Walstan of

Bawburgh and patron saint of farm

workers is said to be buried here.

This fine church rising above the flat

solitude of the Broadland marshes is

often called the Cathedral of the Fleggs,

the name given to this part of the county,

a title it fully deserves.

By Frank Wilder

The Historic Parish Churches of Norfolk


Old Buckenham looking back A successful Archive Evening was

held on Saturday 13 March at the

village hall in Old Buckenham. The

local rector David Hill was the

compere for the event. There were

two main attractions for the evening

which resulted in nearly a hundred

people turning up. The East Anglian

Film Archive was there to show a

specially selected program of local

films ranging from an early 1926

commercial for Coleman‘s starch to

the 1970s when someone in Old

Buckenham was featured making

sculptures from scrap iron.

Morecombe and Wise were seen

wise-cracking in a TV interview

promoting their summer show, a

wartime special showed how a hard-

working Norfolk farmer was using

all the ‗latest‘ techniques to provide

the country with corn and other

crops while another newsreel item

recorded customers in Old

Buckenham‘s ―Sun‖ pub in

Ragmere Road on their last evening

before it closed down.

Many people and local organisations

had also brought along memorabilia

for others to see. They were mainly

photographs showing how Old

Buckenham used to be – collections

of local postcards, the log books of

Old Buckenham Women‘s Institute,

reports of village shows pictures of

the children‘s playground and some

of the official parish records of

births and deaths. Further support

showing local people and places

was provided by the Attleborough

Heritage Group and material from

the New Buckenham archive.

There was also a short prize-giving

when the winners in the recent

competition for the best photos of the

village‘s specially-designed cloth

shopping bags in use were presented

by the editor of the village newsletter.

With the help of a large raffle and

some tasty refreshments this was a

most enjoyable and educational

evening that has raised useful funds

of around £400 to be shared

between the upkeep of the village

hall and All Saints Church. Story

and picture from

http://oldbuckenham.blogspot.com

Recycling centres to become part-time Starting on 20th April the recycling centres at

Snetterton and Wymondham will be closed

on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays

although the sites will open normal hours

from Fridays to Mondays inclusive.

All other recycling centres will remain open

seven days a week, closing only on Christmas

Day, Boxing Day and New Year‘s Day.

Normal opening hours are: October to March

from 8am to 4pm and April to September

from 8am to 6pm.

Recycling centres are for the recycling and

disposal of household waste, not trade waste.

As well as recycling a wide range of

materials, Re-use Shelters now operate at

Caister, Hempton, Ketteringham, King‘s

Lynn and Mayton Wood. These allow visitors

to buy reusable items for a small charge.

Proceeds from sales are split between the

Council, the site contractor and local

charities.

Further information can be found at

www.norfolk.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.

Proposals for a new £1m Dereham Recycling

Centre are at the planning application stage

and subject to planning consent, the centre

should open later in 2010/11.

The plans are part of the Council's strategy to

increase the efficiency of its network of

recycling centres and modernise it by

opening more best practice sites, as at King's

Lynn, which offer a wider range of recycling

facilities to a larger number of people.

Local charity Age Concern Norfolk

is once again joining forces with

theatrical organiser Pip Jenkinson

to host a fundraising matinee

performance of Sandy Wilson‘s

―The Boy Friend‖ on Saturday 9

October 2010 at the Maddermarket

Theatre, Norwich.

The musical romance is set in the

1920s at Madame Dubonnet‘s

fashionable finishing school on the

sun-kissed French Riviera, where

young ladies are schooled in the

finer arts of ―marrying well‖.

Here Polly Browne, a millionaire‘s

daughter, tries to escape the stern

influence of her father and find true

love encouraged by Madame

Dubonnet – but when Polly falls for

the Tony the delivery boy, and so

pretends to be a mere working girl

herself, matters become rather

complicated!

Pip is looking for young amateur

actors and actresses who can sing

and dance to audition for the

production, which will run for a

week commencing Monday 4

October 2010. Each performance

will benefit a different local

charity. Auditions will be held on

Sunday 11 April 2010 between

5pm and 9pm and participants will

be required to perform a set

audition piece.

For further information and to

request audition pieces please

contact Pip Jenkinson on 01603

4 3 6 5 1 0 o r e m a i l

[email protected].

If you are holding a fundraising

event and would like to help

support older people in need across

Norfolk, please contact Gemma

Pendleton on 01603 785251 or

email

[email protected]

Calling all budding Thespians . . .

Age Concern Norfolk to benefit from charity performance of The Boy Friend

Watton SNT delighted at Bill Barrow success Watton Safer Neighbourhood Team are delighted with the response to

their ―Bill Barrow‖ initiative which has seen hundreds of members of

the public talking to team representatives at their stall on the Farmers

Market in Watton High Street.

Sergeant Lance Ogbourne of Watton SNT said ―The scheme has been a

huge success and information received has led to arrests.‖

―It is a superb example of partnership working between the police and

the community together with the Wayland Partnership and Watton

Town Council.‖

Information and feedback received at the stall is used both to solve

crime directly and to help shape the policing priorities for the SNT. The

Bill Barrow has been highlighted to the rest of the country as an

example of good policing practice.

―We aim to give the public an accessible means of engaging with local

officers to say what particular concerns they have and also to pass on,

confidentially of course, any information they may about crimes being

committed in their area‖ said Sgt Ogbourne.

―We want to work with the community, addressing crime and disorder

at all levels by this novel means of community engagement.‖

Picture courtesy Old Buckenham Blog


Petrified of Your Computer? You don’t need to be!

Ring Lesley Horn For 1 to 1 beginner’s support in your own home

Friendly, patient and knowledgeable help with using your computer to find things on the Internet, email your family &

friends, “Listen Again” on the BBC® iPlayer® and do your shopping without leaving your home

01953 881 885

HJC Ltd Motor Engineers

Servicing & MOT preparation to all makes of

modern cars & light commercials

Tyres, Exhausts, & Batteries supplied and fitted

Courtesy cars available

Ask for Steve at: 5 Linmore Court Threxton Rd

Industrial Estate Watton

Tel: 01953 889924

60’s Disco Saturday 10th April 7.30pm till Midnight

The Old Hall Leisure Centre, Ashill Tickets - £5.50 pp

From Marcia , Colin , Maureen 01760 440604 or 440134 Peter The Old Hall Leisure Centre, 01760 440448.

Proceeds to St Nicholas’ Church, Ashill

THE WESTEND

WAITERS

The firm favourites from Watton’s ‘The Good Old Days’ are now available to entertain.

A gentlemen's group singing humorous songs. To discuss contact Ken Davis on 01953 881792

Summer Classes Two new 6 week classes are planned for after Easter at Wayland

House. Computer classes for beginners will run on Monday

afternoons from 1.30 - 3.30 from April 12th - May 24th Cost £5 per

session £10 deposit required.

Creative Writing: classes will run on Friday mornings 10 - 12 from

April 16th - May 21st.

Anyone interested in either of these classes should contact Wayland

House 01953 880202

Future voters in Breckland can get a unique

first opportunity to question the main

candidates at a hustings event on 21 April

at the Breckland Council offices weeks

prior to the announcement of the next

General Election.

Prospective Parliamentary Candidates from

the major parties have been invited to

attend and as a result George Freeman, the

Conservative party‘s candidate, Elizabeth

Hughes the Labour party‘s candidate and

Tim Birt, the Green Party‘s candidate, will

be on the panel for the Question Time-style

debate.

The constituency is currently held by the

Conservatives after a majority of 7,560

over Labour at the last election in 2005.

Elizabeth Hughes, currently a local

councillor in Hounslow, west London, was

the Labour parliamentary candidate for the

Conservative North Essex seat in 2005 and

was beaten by an 11,000 majority by the

incumbent Bernard Jenkin. Currently living

in Hounslow with her husband, Elizabeth

said she would move to Norfolk if she was

elected.

For the 2010 general election she will be up

against the Conservative's prospective

parliamentary candidate Cambridgeshire-

based George Freeman in the Mid Norfolk

seat, which is a new seat after boundary

changes has resulted in a new ninth

constituency. The newly created Broadland

constituency will mean that people will be

able to elect nine MPs for Norfolk when

they go to the polls.

This general election is the first time the

Green party has stood in all the county's

constituencies, Timothy Birt, a town

councillor in Dereham, is stepping up to

contest the Mid Norfolk seat. He is a 44-

year-old electronics engineer and has

developed a fast electric sports car for the

Ecotricity company.

Caroline Cox, Breckland Council‘s Youth

Engagement Officer, who is organising the

event, said: ―This is the young people of

Breckland‘s opportunity to question local

candidates about the issues that really

matter. It‘s important to give our young

people a chance to question the candidates

face to face and it‘s a great opportunity for

them to learn more about political

campaigns‖

The hustings event takes place on

Wednesday 21 April at 4:30pm at the

Anglia Room, Elizabeth House, Breckland

Council, Dereham.

After the hustings event the attendees will

be invited to stay on for the Breckland

Youth Council meeting where they will get

an insight into how young people have their

say in the running of their local area.

Teens’ chance to question politicians

AS you know this is the year SSAFA

Forces Help celebrates its 125th year of

helping Servicemen and their families.

You have probably already donated when

we were at the Coop In February and only

a few days later our Chairman, Stuart

Fidler, attended the Service of Celebration

at Westminster Abbey. Perhaps you would

like to read his account of the day.

― . . . The band music was played by the

Band of the Grenadier Guards and you

can‘t get any better than that.

It was particularly touching to hear the

testimonies from Zoe Charlton, a young

caseworker from Lancashire Branch and

Major Simon Shirley, Royal Irish

Regiment. Zoe‘s father was killed in a

civilian accident when she was young

and SSAFA helped her with her

education, supplying such needs as lap

top. SSAFA was there to help her and

her mother during every stage of her

growing up and on completion of her

education she decided to help SSAFA by

becoming a caseworker. I understand

she intends to join the armed forces and

will continue to support SSAFA in

whatever way she can.

Major Shirley was on active service in

Afghanistan when he was blown up by a

roadside bomb; he suffered severe

injuries and had to have dozens of

operations to get him back on his feet. It

was difficult to see from where I was

how badly injured he was but physically

he looked fairly healthy. What was

apparent was the psychological effect on

him when he started to talk about one of

his men who was less fortunate with his

injuries. Major Shirley had to choke

back the tears and I think we all had a

lump in our throats at that stage. Major

Shirley was full of praise for the support

that SSAFA gave to him and his family

during his time in hospital and during the

recovery phases. In all, the two

testimonies showed how appreciated and

vital the services of SSAFA Forces Help

are . . . ‖

SSAFA Forces can help in many, many

ways. If you have served for only one

day on full pay then you and your family

are entitled to approach SSAFA FH for

assistance – and many do. The money

raised at the recent collection in Watton

will stay in Norfolk to help Norfolk cases

> 500 last year.

If you would like to talk to us about your

case or you would like to be volunteer

then please ring the number below. We

have several fund raising events this

summer, come and see us or ring in to

help! Tel 01603 403322

SSAFA FH helps

Ola a todos Desta vez trago-vos uma informacao que

podera ser util para os seus filhos.

Sabia que todas as Segundas-feiras e

Quintas-feiras esta aberto um centro para

jovens dos 11 aos 16 anos.

As portas abrem das 7 ate as 9 horas da

noite e so pagas £1 para entrares .

Temos a disposicao deles Sala de Arte ,

Maquinas de desporto , Sala com Consola

para jogarem, Sala com Instrumentos

Musicais, Mesa de Snoker e outras.

Eles que venham divertir-se e tragam

amigos ou familiares com eles. Aproveita

este espaco para passares um bom

bocado.

Quero tambem desejar uma Feliz Pascoa a

todos e nao esquecer de dar as Amendoas

e/ou o "Folar da Pascoa " aos nossos

pequeninos .

Polish: Cześć wszystkim

Tym razem przynoszą informacje, które

mogą być przydatne dla ich dzieci.

Czy wiesz, że wszystkie poniedziałki i

czwartki jest otwarte Centrum Młodzieży

do 11 do 16 lat.

Drzwi otwarte od 7 do godziny 9 i po

prostu zapłacił £ 1, na wjazd.

Mamy do ich dyspozycji pokój Art, pokój

sportowy, pokój WII, pokój muzyczny z

instrumentami, pokój Snooker i inne.

Zapraszamy do zabawy i doprowadzić

przyjaciół lub krewnych z tobą.

Korzystanie z tej okazji przekazać

odpowiednim czasie..

Chciałbym także, Wesołych Świąt dla

wszystkich i nie zapomnij podać Sweet

orzechów i / lub "Pisanka

Cake" (Portugalski Tradycja) do naszego

maluczkich.

English: Hello to everyone This time I bring you an information that

may be useful for their children.

Did you know that all Mondays and

Thursdays is open a Youth Centre for 11

to 16 years.

Doors open from 7pm until 9 pm and you

just paid £1 to enter.

We have available to them Art room,

Sport room, WII room, Music room with

instruments, Snooker room and others.

Come to have fun and bring friends or

relatives with you. Use this opportunity to

pass a good time.

I also wish a Happy Easter to all and do

not forget to give the Sweet Nuts and / or

―Egg Easter Cake― (Portuguese Tradition)

to our little ones.

Events at Watton Library Go Wild in Watton library - Go wild in

half term at Watton library with our

free family fun morning. Monday 12th

April 2pm - 3pm. There will be

wildlife stories and crafts to make.

There's no need to book but children

must be accompanied by an adult.

Watton Audio Book Club - Do you

have sight problems? Are you no

longer able to enjoy reading? Why not

come along to a new group at Watton

library and re-discover the joy of

books! The group, supported by The

Norfolk and Norwich Association for

the Blind, will be meeting in the library

between 2:00pm and 3:30pm on the 1st

Wednesday of the month for friendly

chat and discussion on a wide variety

of audio books. Please call Mark or

Simon on: 01603 629558 or email them

at [email protected] for further

details.

Bradenham & District Horticultural Society Barnsdale Gardens Visit We have now finalised the details and the

charge for non-members is £19.50 per head.

This includes the coach and entry to the

gardens. The coach will leave Bradenham

Village Hall at 8.30am on Thursday 8th July

and will return to arrive early evening. We

have space available and would be pleased

if you could join us.

Please contact: Belinda Ashman Events

Organiser 01362 821442 or Marianne

Kilmartin Publicity Officer 01362 820744


Picture Supplied

Carbrooke Sequence Dance Club

The Sequence Dance Club has been

meeting at the village hall in Carbrooke

since 1982. The number of members

increased steadily until the late nineties

after which there has been a slow decline

in membership. The dances are the same

tempos as used in ballroom dancing but

all the dancers are dancing a set sequence

of steps at the same time. The first

sequence of a named dance is danced by

the dance leaders. The club‘s leaders are

Michael and Peggy Rowe who are

professional qualified dance instructors.

We use specially recorded compact discs

that are at the correct tempo and played

on a quality Hi Fi system that is pleasant

to listen to. The club meets every

Thursday at 7.30 pm at the Village Hall,

Church Street. Carbrooke.The first 30

minutes is tuition which is included in the

admission charge of £1.50. New

members are very welcome and would

help to ensure the long term future of this

friendly club. For more details please

phone Brian Wells 01603 412809 or

email [email protected]

When you think of a librarian you may

have wonderful childhood memories of

a helpful and happy librarian, or

perhaps you came across the 'shushhh!

Lady' who frowned at your choice of

books? Being a librarian today is very

different and attracts people from a

variety of backgrounds. I joined

Norfolk Library and Information

Service as a library manager, having

previously worked in banking and retail

management. My previous knowledge

of libraries was as a customer but I am

an avid reader and really wanted to

make a difference to the service we

offered.

Norfolk was at the forefront of opening

up librarian posts to a wider range of

people, not just qualified librarians.

The role of librarian had changed and

my time as a library manager prepared

me when I applied to be a community

librarian. I had wonderful support from

librarian colleagues and training which

helped me to complete my qualification

with the Chartered Institute of Library

and Information Professionals.

I cover two libraries, Watton and

Downham Market and all the areas in

between and out to the Cambridgeshire

and Suffolk borders. I visit community

groups, schools, Children's Centres, day

care centres, young offenders, nursing

homes and anyone else who wants to

discover what the library service has to

offer.

We also have lots of groups who visit

the library as well as talks, events and

learning opportunities. I read stories,

lead reminiscence sessions, teach

computing, make crafts, train staff and

develop promotions as well as a whole

host of other things. We have activities

in the school holidays and talks and

events for adults in the library as well.

A lot of my time is spent evaluating

what we do and writing reports to

demonstrate the difference we make.

We also do a lot of consultation with

different groups and work with partner

organisations and other county council

departments to deliver the best service

we can.

Libraries are now much more vibrant

places as well as still offering quiet

areas for study where possible. The

days of the shush lady are gone and you

can even bring your lunchtime

sandwich in to eat as we have lots of

seating where you can spend time

reading a book, magazine or

newspaper. If you haven't visited your

local library or mobile library for a

while, why not come in and see the

changes for yourself? Our friendly

staff are always on hand to help and if

you have a community group who

would like a visit please get in touch.

Details of all our services can be found

on our website at . . .

www.library.norfolk.gov.uk or contact

Watton Library on: 01953 881671

When I'm not in work I enjoy lots of

other activities apart from reading. I'm

currently in my second year of a part time

degree in ecology and countryside

management and spend a lot of time

outdoors watching wildlife and walking.

My partner David and I are walking our

way across Norfolk this year, doing a

section of Peddar's Way and the Norfolk

Coast Path every month. When not on

two feet I enjoy being on two wheels on

my Triumph Thunderbird, having been a

biker since I was old enough to ride. I'm

also a keen organic gardener and like to

have a go at most things from basket

making to snowboarding!

I hope this has given you an insight in

to being a librarian today and look

forward to seeing you in the library.

Jayne Winterbone (Community

Librarian)

A Day in the Life of a Community Librarian

Picture Supplied

Grandmas Patch sends balaclavas to Afghanistan For some months we have been collecting Balaclavas for soldiers in

Iraq and Afghanistan. Many ladies have come in for a free pattern

and the obligatory khaki green wool (Sold at a special rate of £1.25

per 100g) and to date we have collected and distributed over 500.

The first batch went to Swanton Morley, the second Territorial Army

and the third batch are bound for Bodney Camp (organised by

Mayor Margaret Holmes). Today we came into the shop and

received a letter of thanks from Private D Jacobs who is serving in

Kabul, fantastic to think with everything going on around him he

took time out to thank all the ladies – his letter follows:

Dear Knitters, I am writing to you in regard to the parcels of hats,

balaclavas and scarves you have sent us. It's always a pleasure to

receive parcels but when it is something hand made, it adds a

special something!

Yours parcels actually caused quite a stir, with many of the platoon

almost fighting amongst themselves! It was quite funny and a good

lift and distraction to life out here.

So may I say many thanks again for your parcels, thoughts and

support. Many thanks and kind regards.

Darren Jacobs PTE. Kabul, Afghanistan

We thought this was a story well worth sharing and to say thanks to

all those who have knitted items to date. They are very much

appreciated. We are still collecting, balaclavas, scarves, gloves or

pull on hats and all will be given a very good home, please call in for

details.

Mid-Norfolk Times Looking Back

Now In Our 6th

Successful Year

The Right ‘Plaice’ to get the best!

THE WATTON PLAICE 9 Middle Street, Watton

Frying on Tuesday to Saturday from 11.30am to 1.45pm and 4.30pm to 8.00pm

Closed Sunday and Monday “Gone fishing!”

Don’t forget our Thursday Lunchtime Delivery Service for the Housebound and Elderly only.

There is no charge for delivery - you pay only the normal take-away prices.

Plaice your order before

11am on a Thursday

WET FISH available from 9am daily

Telephone 01953 882 401

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Karen Bales ACCA MAAT Bsc (Hons)

Telephone 01953 884019

118 Norwich Road, Watton, Thetford, Norfolk. IP25 6DU

Email: [email protected]

Accounts preparation for Sole traders, Limited Companies and Partnerships

Personal, Limited Company, and Partnership Tax Returns Book-keeping PAYE VAT Returns

Bales Browne Accountancy Services Limited

DY-FIT FOR LIFE EXERCISE TO MUSIC CLASSES

Watton Sports Centre, Dereham Road. All the sessions are designed to promote stamina, strength and flexibility whilst taking into account

the fitness level and ability of participants.

General Aerobics Mondays 7pm An hour long, as energetic as you wish!**

Nifty Fifties Fridays 11am A challenging workout for

"recycled teenagers"**

Gentle Option Fridays 10am 40 minutes duration, no floorwork. Problems such as

arthritis and joint replacement are taken into account.

** Please bring a mat for floorwork

Easter Holiday Dates Please note there will be no classes between

Thursday 1st and Monday 19th April inclusive

For further details, please contact

Diane Cuthbert

01953 850275 RSA/YMCA Qualified Teacher

It‘s official! The Fishermans

Mission have suggested that the

Watton Plaice not only have the

best customers but also the best

fish and chips in Norfolk.

Writing to thank Paul and Steve

for their donation to the work of

the Mission, Andy Malcolm,

Fishermen's Mission Regional

Organiser East Anglia said:

On behalf of the Fisherman's

Mission I would like to thank you

very much for your brilliant

donation of £269.70. Once again

The Watton Plaice has surpassed

itself in its fundraising efforts for

the UK's Fishermen.

Thank you for organising a

Christmas raffle for the Mission

and for supplying the prizes. I can

definitely see a connection here

between the great amount of

money raised and the prizes on

offer. Your customers will

obviously go to great lengths to

try and win a £10 voucher for

your fish and chips. This not only

proves you have the most

generous customers but also the

best fish and chips in Norfolk!

As you know our UK fishermen

risk their lives on a daily basis to

feed our nation. As I write this

letter the families of nine UK

fishermen lost at sea over the past

three months are facing up to a

very difficult New Year. It has

been one of the toughest winters

in recent memory for our

fishermen and their families. Our

mission men are caring closely for

these devastated families as they

try to come to terms with their

loss.

So once again, let me thank you

personally for your splendid gift. I

can assure you it will be used

directly where it is needed most.

To give our fishermen, their

families and communities the

pastoral, practical and spiritual

help they so desperately need.

Andy Malcolm.

Paul and Steve would like to pass

on the thanks to their customers for

all the support they have given in

helping to raise this fantastic sum

for those who work daily in some

very dangerous conditions to being

us our favourite national dish.

Probably the best customers and fish & chips in Norfolk . . .

School numbers are on

the increase and we are

delighted to welcome a

further two pupils to

the school.

All pupils have started

a health and fitness

scheme; The Golden

Mile. Children are

g i ven th e i r o wn

progress card to record

the number of laps of

the playground they

walk, speed walk or jog

during the school

breaks. One lap of the

playground equals a

twentieth of a mile, and

therefore 20 laps is a

mile. Parents are

encouraged to sponsor

the children. The

money raised is going

towards the £150 that

pupils need to raise to

enable the school to

benefit from a sizeable

energy grant.

World Book Day was celebrated in the

school on 4th March. All pupils were

encouraged to dress as a favourite

character from a story (see picture

above), and bring in well-loved books

to exchange. All parents, pupils and

staff were invited in extra early (8am)

for a breakfast; tea, toast and cereal

were served with a selection of books

and newspapers, all had a nutritious

and enlightening meal.

On Wednesday 24th February in the

afternoon, the school was alive with the

sound of singing as all took part in

‗Sing Up, helping kids find their

voices‘. All three classes learnt new

songs at the beginning of the afternoon,

which were later performed with great

gusto. Class 1 performed African call

and response songs, Class 2 sang a

beautiful unaccompanied song called

Little Bird (see our website http://

www.rocklands.norfolk.sch.uk), and

Class 3 sang a number of rather loud

songs, including 'Rowdy Round'.

Everyone enjoyed it immensely.

Many thanks to those who have offered

instruments to the school. We are now

the proud owners of an electric organ.

We are still looking for smaller

instruments such as percussion

instruments, a clarinet and a flute. If

you have any of these please contact

the school. It is so important to

encourage pupils to practice every day,

but not cause them to lose enthusiasm,

even ten minutes a day can result in

improvement.

Mini sagas: Class 3 are entering a

Young Writers competition. They had

to write adventure stories using just

fifty words. You can read a selection

of their work on our school website.

The school has signed up to the Potato

Council‘s ‗Grow It‘ campaign and has

recently received their potato growing

kit. As a result of this Class 1 may

well have been featured on the

gardening show on the 19th March on

Radio Norfolk.

The school is very much looking

forward to the forthcoming events:

Class 1 is visiting the East Anglian

Transport Museum which relates to all

the work they have been doing on

vehicles and their history; Class 2 has

been studying JR Tolkien‘s The Hobbit

in school and are off to see the stage

show of the Hobbit at the Norwich

Theatre Royal and Class 2 and 3 will

also be taking part in a Gandalf

Storytelling workshop. The final event

planned so far, is a school visit to the

dress rehearsal of Sleeping Beauty by

the English Youth Ballet at Norwich

Theatre Royal. All these trips would

not be possible without the support of

our enthusiastic and hardworking

Parent-Teacher Association. We are

very grateful for their invaluable

contribution to our school.

A very successful cake sale was held

on Friday 12th March, particularly as a

bunch of very hungry students returned

from their weekly swim and were able

to feast on delicious (pretty healthy)

homemade cakes. We hope to make

this a regular event, and all are

welcome to buy or donate. Keep an

eye out for notices at the school and

shop.

On the penultimate day of this term the

PTA is hosting an Easter Crafts

afternoon followed by Easter Bingo,

with the opportunity to practise maths

and win chocolate eggs. School

finishes on Thursday the 1st of April

for a well deserved rest for all pupils,

staff and parents. Have a very restful

and chocolate-filled break.

For further information about school

activities, student projects and the

opportunity to keep up to date with

e v e n t s , v i s i t o u r w e b s i t e :

www.rocklands.norfolk.sch.uk Visit

the Parent page for school term dates,

and the calendar for information and

school events throughout the year.

Rocklands School news

Looking Back Mid-Norfolk Times

At the History of our area . . .

I thought you would like to see some more of the pictures taken by Ruth Dwornik, and

scanned from the negatives she has recently given me. There are virtually no

Attleborough related items except for the two pictures here (left and above).

They are marked as ―Attleborough Children‘s Pantomime‖ and I have identified the date

as the 2nd November 1950. So what was the pantomime and where was it?

There some lovely shots of Hingham, which for me is a town that seems to retain its

dignity, and continues to look pretty much as it did despite continuous development.

The picture below is of course the Market Place and below left is Bond Street.

Left is an

unusual picture

taken I imagine

from the tower of

St Nicholas’s

Church. The

area depicted

above is on the

right hand side of

t h e M a r k e t

Square.

Mid-Norfolk Times Looking Back

The Rendezvous Fire 1st May 1973

Pictures that will, I am sure, bring a tear to the eye of many an old Watton Rocker! The aftermath of

the fire at the Rendezvous Café in Watton High Street. The Rendezvous was the ‗headquarters‘ of the

local motorbikers and I think I am probably right in saying was viewed in fear by many Vespa riding

Mods and the parents of ‗nice‘ children!

In the today‘s context, the place was fairly innocuous of course. How times have changed.

Looking Back Mid-Norfolk Times

Watton Youth Club Dance 1968 - 1969

If you are between fifty five and sixty something (as I

am!) there should be some familiar faces here - but if

like me, the memory is not as good as it was then you

may have trouble remembering the names.

Although I can name a few - for example right is

Adrian Horn, Jan Goodwin and Julian Horn, the rest

have slipped into the dim and distant corners of my

mind. So if you name them please get in touch and I‘ll

do my best to record them for the future.


The quick thinking and prompt action of

three Dereham Leisure Centre pool

lifeguards was recognised officially

recently, when they were presented with

Royal Life Saving Society Certificates of

Meritorious Action by Breckland

Council Chief Executive, Trevor Holden.

On 3rd July last year, 65 year old Beryl

Hunt became unwell and lost

consciousness whilst swimming in the

Centre pool. Parkwood Leisure pool

lifeguards Holly Stillwell and Paul

Robson immediately raised the alarm and

went to her assistance. On recovery by

the poolside, Holly and Paul commenced

cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and

Duty Manager Pasquale Guida contacted

the emergency services who arrived five

minutes later. Thanks to their specialised

lifeguard training, all three members of

staff were able to treat Beryl until the

paramedics arrived.

Trevor Holden praised the professional

response of the three lifeguards, which

helped prevent a potential tragedy;

―Holly, Paul and Pasquale remained

calm and focussed and followed the

Centre‘s Operating and Emergency

Action Plan procedures in an exemplary

manner. Thanks to their leadership that

day, Mrs Hunt made a full recovery‖.

Mrs Hunt said: ―These certificates are

very well deserved and I‘m delighted to

see that their efforts that day have been

recognised‘

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Picture Supplied

C o m p r i s i n g C h r i s t i a n

Meditation and Bi Monthly

Worship. For those seeking

reflective prayer, mid week

worship with a more reflective

and contemporary feel, and

those who enjoy exploring

their faith by reading spiritual

books old and new. Christian

Meditation 7.45pm in the

Vestry on Tuesday 6th and

Monday 19th April. Next

Monday Evening Worship

28th June 7.30pm in the

Vestry Spiritual Journey Book

Club—more dates later. Two

special dates for the future:

Monday 17th May ‗Walking

the Labyrinth‘ with Rev Mary

Cousins

Monday 7th June Anne

McDonnell of the World

Community for Christian

Meditation will be with us to

speak briefly about WCCM and

John Main. We would like to

welcome new folk to all our

meetings.

Prayer of the Heart Activities at Watton Methodist Church

I would like to begin with a great big

thank you to all the parents/carers and

children who supported our Valentines

Disco during the half term holiday. A

special thank you to Hannah for

providing the music.

I also wish to thank the Great Eastern

Lodge for their excellent donation. New

toys and equipment have been purchased

or ordered with this money, so thanks

from the staff and the children.

Congratulations to Carley (Deputy

Supervisor) for completing her NVQ

level 3, well done!

By the time that you read this our

playgroup children will have enjoyed the

end of term Easter Egg Hunt and will

have taken part in an Easter bonnet

parade, wearing hats that they made

themselves.

We will also have chosen a winner for

the colouring competition. Hopefully,

during the Easter holidays the children

will be able to enjoy some warm weather

before returning to playgroup on 20th

April.

We currently have a few spaces in our

morning and afternoon sessions. If you

have a child/children between the ages of

2 and 5 years old we would love to meet

you. To enable parents and carers to

view our setting we are holding an Open

Day on Monday, 19th April from 11am

to 1pm. Just come along, bring your

child/children and meet the staff and

committee members. Refreshments will

be available. If you are unable to come

on this date, please telephone 07743

097618 to arrange an appointment or just

pop in, you will be very welcome.

We are open between 9.15am and

2.45pm Monday to Friday, term time

only. We can be found at the Blenheim

Centre, Tedder Close, Watton on the

Royal Air Force (RAF) residential

housing estate.

Looking forward to seeing some new

faces and hoping you will join our

playgroup.

Treetots is a long established, Ofsted

registered (No. EY37946) pre-school,

with more than 20 years service to

Watton families. We are committee run

and a registered charity (No. 1090725).

Thank you for reading this.

Treetots Playgroup

March was another interesting month for

Watton Rotary. We had two excellent

speakers, one on the subject of motor

neurone disease, the other a farmer from

the west of the county where he

specialises in the production of ‗essential

oils‘. He grows, distils and trades in both

the oils and the by-products, such as

scented water. Who would guess a local

farmer buys from South Africa to sell to

China?!

On 3rd March we had our first bric-a-

brac market stall of the year and raised

over £65 to go into our general charity

fund. On 8th March, Richard Akister was

interviewed on Radio Wayland and gave

a rundown on the club‘s fundraising

activities during his extended year as

President. The club has a regular

monthly slot on Radio Wayland – at

5.20pm (approx) on the first Monday

each month.

On 12th March we welcomed back, for

the third time, Simon Nelson‘s

DixieMix; it was 5th in our twice-a-year

series of ―Jazz at the Queens Hall‖

events. There was a good turnout and

club funds benefited by a profit of £480,

a figure enhanced due to an excellent

draw and the auction of some old jazz

and big-band vinyl LP records. DixieMix

has been going for just over a year and

are steadily building a reputation for the

excellence of their showcase

performances throughout the county. We

are very fortunate to have a substantial

following of jazz lovers locally, and

thankful for their support for our twice-

yearly jazz concerts.

Watton Rotary roundup


Centenary Thinking Day Service at Carbrooke Church

Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Senior Section

and Guiders from the Watton District

Guiding Units travelled to Carbrooke to share

their Centenary Thinking Day Service on a

very cold and snowy Sunday in February

2010. Fun was had by everyone who

attended, playing games and decorating cakes

after a lovely Church service. Thanks to

Jayne Eastwood and Becky Hood for

organising the event and thanks to the adults

and girls for turning up on such a miserable

winter‘s day.

The Watton & District Royal

British Legion held its annual

dinner at The Hare & Barrel

Hotel on Saturday 6 March 2010.

Guests included Mr and Mrs

Hubbard who so caringly look

after the War Graves in St Mary‘s

Churchyard, Mr and Mrs Richard

Sample and the Branch Chaplain

Rev Geoff Garrett.

After the meal an illustrated and

informative talk on old Watton

was given by Mr Julian Horn who

was accompanied by his wife.

This was the second part of Mr

Horn‘s talk on Watton & District

from the past and the members

and guests look forward to a third

chapter.

Thanks once again go to the

Landlady Mary and all her staff

for the superb meal and service,

also to Mr Alan Chilvers and Mr

and Mrs Knight for organising the

attendance of the Branch

Standard and the superb raffle.

And last but not least to the one

and only Mr Ron Wheeler for his

excellent organisational skills yet

again for a most enjoyable

evening.

Watton & District Royal British Legion

Annual Dinner

By Edith Pleasance

Thank goodness the long Winter seems to

have loosened its grip, although I‘m sure

many readers will recall snow falling after

Easter. This year Easter is on the early

side! The icy weather and perilous roads

reminded me of a friend‘s experience

during similar conditions one year.

―I really don‘t want to go to pictures this

evening‖ Joan pleaded ―there‘s been a bad

weather warning and it‘s a fair way to

drive.‖ However, Tom, was used to having

his own way so reluctantly Joan was

persuaded but she was not happy during

the journey nor, indeed, while watching the

film. She always seemed to give way and

was getting just a bit fed up with Tom‘s

selfishness.

Finally the evening‘s show ended and they,

together with the sparse audience, made

their way out to the car park. Just as she

feared, the forecast had proved correct and

all the cars were covered in a couple of

inches of snow. Tom fumbled with his

keys. ―Oh blast!‖ he exclaimed, ―now I‘ve

dropped the damned thing.‖ Bending down

he scraped around in the snow while Joan

became colder and shivered as she watched

the other drivers slither their way through

the exit.

―Haven‘t you got a torch?‖ she exclaimed

as the car park light went out.

―Yes, of course I have but . . . it‘s in the

car.‖

The weather took on blizzard proportions

as they realised that by now no-one was

around to help. The key could not be

located and the only course left was to

walk the two miles home.

An hour and a half later, exhausted, sodden

and thoroughly fed up, Joan turned on Tom

and gasped, ―That‘s it – we‘re finished.

You just wouldn‘t listen when I told you I

did not want to go out this evening. Here‘s

your ring – the engagement‘s off.‖

My friend eventually married a much nicer

fellow and as far as I know they are still

together. Edith Pleasance © 14.03.10

The last straw Letters to the Editor Thanks from a serving soldier in Afghanistan My name is Duncan Chalklin, I am a

serving Lance Cpl in the Household

Cavalry Regiment C Sqn, 3 Troop on a six

month tour of Afghanistan. I would just

like to say three big thank you‘s. Number

one goes to Chris Edwards, the newsagent,

for sending out the News of the World and

Sun newspapers to me so I can keep up to

date with the page 3 LOL.

Number two goes out to the Watton

Methodist Church for praying for me and

my mates and number three goes out to

everyone who has supported me and sent

me parcels out here.

Thanks once again to you all. Wishing

you all a Happy New Year.

Thanks from Sylvia On Marie Curie Daffodil Day collection

on Saturday March 6th in Watton, raised

£672.85 A collection from the Saham

Samsen Club raised £16.58 making a

total of £689.43. Many thanks to all our

collectors and to everyone that

contributed. Sylvia Frazer

Ovington Gardening Club The garden visit to a spring garden has

been postponed due to the adverse

weather which has delayed the onset of

spring.

The April meeting will be held in the

Village Hall on Wednesday 7 April at

7.45pm when we shall be informed about

‗Setting up a Wormery‘ by Jan Hunt.

Visitors are welcome (at the cost of £1)

and if you require any further

information, contact Ed on 01953

885848 or Carole on 01760 440719.

Members took part in the Heritage Day at

the Queen‘s Hall on 26th February

exhibiting and answering questions

about quilts and old photographs etc

printed on fabric, the latter produced at a

Wayland Heritage workshop.

On 24th February there was a

demonstration of making a folded fabric

coaster. On 8th March fifteen members

had a most enjoyable and informative

day at an appliqué workshop led by the

internationally renowned tutor and author

Shirley Bloomfield.

On 27th April there will be a

demonstration of various techniques for

making borders to finish quilts.

We continue to meet at the Christian

community Centre in Watton High Street

on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday in each

month, apart from August, from 7 to 9

p.m. For further details look at our Blog

on: http://htsqgroup.blogsptot.com or

ring Sue on 01362 822536 or Jane on

01953 884215.

Hackers, Tackers and Stuffers


SUPPORT YOUR ATTLEBOROUGH

AREA LOCAL SHOPS And get your copy of the

Mid-Norfolk Times at these businesses

Great Ellingham Village Stores & P.O.

Long St, Gt Ellingham 01953 452 155

Post Office, Fresh Bread & Milk Daily

Rocklands Post Office & Stores

The Street, Rocklands 01953 483 217

Car Tax, Lottery, Fresh Milk

Quick Stop Church Street, Attleborough

01953 458 036 Italian Wines 2 for £5 Wide range

of Polish Foods available

Old Buckenham Stores The Green, Old Buckenham

01953 860219 If you purchase goods from the shop costing over £40 (excluding the post office, cigarettes, lottery and Paypoint) in one transaction then you will be entitled to claim a bottle of Italian wine (worth £5)

Lovells Post Office & Stores

Market Place, New Buckenham

01953 860 351

Village Stores Market Street, East Harling

01953 860219 A wide range of products in stock

Clare and Kevin Ledgard

Londis News Extra

High Street, Attleborough, (Opposite Sainsburys)

01953 453 257 Newspapers & magazines

Wide range of confectionery, tobacconist Wide range of Wines, Beers and Spirits

Londis Banham 01953 887320

Your Local Village Supermarket

Watton Westfield Infant And Nursery School Say Thank You To Barclays

The photo above shows the Watton

Westfield School Council who

would like to say a big ‗Thank you‘

to Barclays Bank for the very

generous £750 of matched funding

that has been given to ‗The School

Friends‘.

The school is most grateful to Mrs

Tamsin Dye, who is a committed

employee from Barclays Corporate

in Norwich. Tamsin, who is also the

mother of a Year Two pupil, took

time out from her day job recently to

get involved in the school‘s

fundraising activities to support ‗The

Friends of Watton Westfield Infant

& Nursery School‘. In total Tamsin

Dye helped to raise an incredible

£819.04 at the School Christmas Fair

and Raffle.

Furthermore, the money raised will

be matched pound for pound, up to

£750, as part of the Barclays

Community Investment ‗Charity

Begins at Work‘ programme,

bringing the total to £1569.04.

Jeannie Marsh, community relations

officer for Barclays said, ―At

Barclays we strive to strengthen local

communities in which we live and

work by supporting a range of causes

from local schools to centres for

older people. This is a fantastic

example of Barclays‘ staff

fundraising with the local community

to achieve something which we hope

will make a real and lasting

difference.‖

Roxanne Atkinson Chairwoman of

Friends of Westfield Infant and

Nursery School said: ―Thanks to

Tamsin and Barclays, the funding

will now be able to provide

additional play equipment to add to

that already bought through previous

Friends fundraising activities.‖

Roxanne is in the picture above with

the School Council.

Picture Supplied

Were you at Watton Secondary Modern ’67 to ’69? Did you go to Watton Secondary

Modern School? Were you in the 4th

year in ‘67, ‘68 or ‘69? Yes? Well,

Dave, Dougall, and Julian would like

to hear from you.

Recognising the approach a

‗significant‘ birthday, and while

reminiscing about the happiest days in

our lives, (well that‘s what they told

us they would be!), it became clear

that we each knew what had happened

to some of our school friends but even

after pooling all we knew, it was

lamentably little.

So we would like to make contact

with you again – initially to build a

shared database of old schoolmates

and with a view organising a reunion

in the not too distant future. Then we

can all marvel at how incredibly old

everyone else has become while

maintaining the belief that we still

look as young as we used to!

So Coral, Karen, Beany, Hoppy and

all the others . . . where are you now?

Get in touch again and let‘s find out

how life worked out for us all. Email

us on: [email protected]

Would you share your hobby? St Mary‘s Church, Watton, invite

you to share your hobby with us and

others by exhibiting at our Annual

Hobbies Exhibition at the Queen‘s

Hall, Watton. This will be held on

Sunday 13th June as part of Watton

Carnival Celebrations.

We welcome all enthusiastic people

with an interesting hobby. For

further details and application form

please phone or visit St Mary‘s

Church Office, Church Road,

Watton (01953 881252). Tues, Wed,

Thurs 9.00am – 1.00pm. We look

forward to hearing from you.

Wayland Happy Circle It was nice to welcome Gill Buckley

and her husband Frank to our March

meeting her talk gave us all a surprise

ABOUT life and made us realise what

a small world it is.

We were also able to welcome our

Mayor Margaret Holmes, and it gave

us great pleasure to present her with a

cheque for Project Rainbow Our next

meeting will be held on April 6th, at

2.pm at the Watton Christian

Community Centre. High Street,

when our speaker will be Yvonne

Harrold who will talk to us about her

life as a 'Jenny Lind Junior'.

For our May meeting our speaker will

be Penny who will give us a talk

about 'Break' the children's charity.

Hope to see you all there.

Memories at the RSPCA

Keep an eye on the RSPCA shop window in Watton after Easter as they

will be displaying a changing selection of pictures from Mrs Dwornik.

They are all unidentified (as is the above) and if you see yourself there

you can obtain it a copy in exchange for a donation.

Watton University of the Third Age (U3A) The Annual General Meeting of the

Watton &District U3A was held on

Thursday 25th March. A full report

will be published in the next issue of

The Mid Norfolk Times.

The visit to the BBMF at RAF

Conningsby returning via Springfield

Gardens is on Friday 23rd April. The

coach will depart the Queens Hall car

park at 8.30 am.

The speaker at the meeting on

Thursday 22nd April will be Yvonne

Harold ―Little Cressingham School in

Victorian Times. The Membership

Secretary can be contacted on 01953

881109. For further information on

the National U3A go to www.u3a.org


Wayland High School recently

played host to author Will

H ad cro f t an d exp e r i en ce d

firsthand how he believes writing

really can make a positive

difference. Pupils also discovered

how an author goes about writing

a book from the initial idea right

through to getting a book

published

Will Hadcroft spent the day at the

school talking to different Year

groups about his great passion for

writing, explaining how something as

simple as writing a letter had enabled

him to win a competition, get a Blue

Peter badge and also appear on

television, as well as publish two

novels and his autobiography.

Will wrote his first ‗book‘ aged 10 in

an exercise book, after discovering

how much his friends enjoyed reading

his stories became determined to

become an author and now enjoys

being able to get children interested in

reading and writing for pleasure by

visiting schools throughout the

country.

He explained to the pupils how he

developed the ideas for his children‘s

novels Anne Droyd and Century

Lodge and Anne Droyd and the

House of Shadows. They all received

an insight into the processes involved

in writing a novel and the excitement

of seeing your own work in print.

‗To me, writing is something that can

really make a difference‘, commented

Will, ‗I am always thrilled to be given

the opportunity to inspire young

people to have a go themselves. I

hope today‘s visit will encourage the

students to believe they too can

achieve something by writing‘

The pupils were also treated to an

exclusive reading from Will‘s latest

novel The Blueprint, which he

finished writing last month and

hopes to publish later this year.

By the end of the day many pupils

were keen to borrow the signed

copies of Anne Droyd from the

school library.

HARMONY QUILTING

A Professional Machine Quilting Service

!!! You do the patchwork !!! I do the quilting

For Quilting Wadding & Backing Prices

www.harmonyquilting.co.uk

Tel: 01953 882484

Attention All

Gardeners! Improve your soil, keep weeds

down and keep moisture in with

Sterilized Mushroom

Compost

The ideal mulch and

soil improver

Only £1.40 per Bag Delivered free (min 5 bags)

Watton area

01953 881969

‘Writing is Exciting’ author Will Hadcroft tells Wayland pupils

Picture Supplied

Watton & Wayland Visitor Centre At the Annual General Meeting of

the Wayland Tourism Association,

which took place on Tuesday 9th

March, Simon Rowling (Broom

Hall Hotel) and Dave Green

(Visitor Centre Staff Volunteer)

were confirmed as chairman and

vice-chairman respectively, and

Martin Anscombe continues as

Administrator.

The Visitor Centre will open for

the summer season on Good

Friday 2nd April and continue, for

mornings only (9am-1pm), during

Easter Week until Friday 9th April

when our normal opening hours

will pertain: 10am to 4pm Monday

to Friday, and to 1pm Saturdays.

The first exhibition of the year in

the renamed Dragonfly Gallery

will be the Spring Art Exhibition

from 10th - 17th April.

So far, our plea for volunteers to

help staff the Visitor Centre cum

Dragonfly Gallery has not borne

fruit. Surely there must be several

souls who would like something

different to do for as little as half a

day a week? No experience

necessary but common sense and

an enquiring mind will be useful!

Contact Mar t in Ansco mbe,

Administrator on 01953 884224.

Snowdrop walk to Walsingham

Abbey: We re-arranged this for

Sunday 28th February and yet again

the weather was so dreadful, freezing

cold and blowing a gale that we left it

up to the members to decide and no-

one dared venture out! We hope for

better next year.

ON WEDNESDAY 10th MARCH

our programmed speaker, Nick

Bailey, let us down at late notice and

so our snow-thwarted speaker from

February managed to make the

journey this month and got us out of

a hole. Anne Etheridge told us of her

job at Blooms of Bressingham and

how she had always had a ‗Passion

for Plants‘. She showed us lots of

plants that are favourites in her own

garden and brought along lots of well

-priced plants to sell.

The flower competition was won by

David Peachey, 2nd was Shona Levy

and 3rd Patsy Peachey. 28 members

attended.

On Wednesday, 14th APRIL,

DEREK ARCHER will talk to us

about his ORCHID collection and

how we can grow these beautiful

plants. Held at the village hall, doors

open at 7.45pm and we get started by

8pm.

There are refreshments, a raffle and a

fun flower competition.

Free to members, £2.50 guests.

For more information look us up on

our website which you can see at:

www.greathockhamgardeningclub.or

g.uk or ring me on the number

below. We are a very active, friendly

club, always keen to increase our

membership and now is a great time

to join.

If anyone would like a lift to

meetings please give me a call.

Please Note: It is not long until the

HORN FAIR on SUNDAY, MAY

30th. Members are asked to grow

extra plants to sell on our plant stall

and to volunteer their services for

help to me as soon as possible. We

will need cakes for the cake stall too.

Thank you. Jane Dalton (Secretary)

01953 498694

GREAT HOCKHAM GARDENING CLUB

New Book Club in Watton Library The Six Book Club is an informal

and friendly new reading group for

adults starting at Watton Library on

Wednesday 5th May 6pm - 7pm.

It will be held the first Wednesday of

the month and initially run for 6

months. We will be reading popular

fiction and sharing our thoughts on

these books and others we've

enjoyed. It's open to everyone so

why not come along for a cuppa and

a chat to see what it's all about? It's

free and there's no obligation to

come again, though we hope you do!

Please contact Watton Library on:

01953 881671 for further

information.

Nominations are invited for the

Wayland Agricultural Society

Young Achiever of the Year

2010.

The award is designed to

recognise outstanding dedication

and contribution to agriculture,

horticulture, wildlife or any

other rural related sector or

industry. All entrants must be

under 21 years of age.

All entrants will be required to

demonstrate and share their

commitment and involvement to

their related subject. This should

include their achievements and

their aspirations. Applicants

will be required to show passion

and enthusiasm as well as a

sound knowledge of their

category.

The award is sponsored by

Weco Engineering of Watton.

All nominations must be made

in writing to: Attn: Mrs Bridget

Hall, Wayland Agricultural

Society, Broom Hall, Richmond

Road, Saham Toney, Thetford,

Norfolk IP25 7HJ

Wayland Agricultural Society Young Achiever

of the Year 2010


COUGHTREY BDK Ltd.

01953 881243

Unit 2, Coughtrey Industrial Estate

Church Road, Griston. IP25 6QB

Fitted Kitchens

Bathrooms

Internal Doors

Free Quotations &

Full Planning Service

BROOM HALL Country Hotel Saham Toney Your Local Three Star Hotel

Wednesdays Steak Night Sirloin or Rump with chips £10.00

Fridays Pie & Mash Night Pastry Pie & Mash with Dessert £9.95

New Ivy Room for Bar Meals

Monday to Saturday 6.30 – 8.30 Tuesday to Saturday 12.00 – 2.00

01953 882125 www.broomhallhotel.co.uk

Caston Village Hall The Street, Caston. NR17 1DD

The Village Hall is available for short and long term hiring.

Hire it for an hour or two to practice dancing, play table tennis

(equipment supplied), darts or carpet bowls (equipment available) or maybe for your children’s party.

Very Reasonable Rates Contact Stephanie on

01953 488 495 or email [email protected]

Wayland Scout Group

The Cubs and Scouts have both had a

busy month. We have taken up the

Shelter Box Challenge which helps

highlight the great work of Shelter

Box. They have set 10 months of

challenges to celebrate their 10th

anniversary. We hope to complete

these challenges over the coming

months.

The Group has been lucky enough to

receive two marvellous donations.

Watton Council very kindly donated us

£500 which will be used to buy new

flags for both the Cubs and Scout

Sections,the rest of the money was put

towards our Group neckers.

The Wayland Show also kindly

donated £275 which will be used

towards new camping equipment. We

would all like to thank Watton Council

and the Wayland Show for these

donations. It is wonderful to receive

such support.

Our new neckers finally arrived and we

have been able to present all the Cubs

and Scouts with them. All invested

members re took their Promise as the

neckers were presented to remind us all

of the values and ethics of Scouting.

We also invested new Cubs and Scouts

into our Group. We hope they enjoy

their time in Scouting with us. Photo

shows the Cubs with their new

neckers.

As the lighter evenings and the spring

approach we hope to get outside more

and start preparing for our forthcoming

camps. If you are interested in your

child joining Cubs or Scouts, please

contact Paul Cutts on 01953 884243 or

email [email protected]

Organisers of the Wayland

Young Riders Club are looking

for a bike dealership or someone

connected with the motorcycle

trade to help get the club on right

road.

'Wayland Young Riders' - the

new bike club, has been set up by

Watton Safer Neighbourhood

Team (SNT) and The Wayland

Partnership to educate young

motorcyclists about safe riding

and bike maintenance. The group

is aimed at youngsters between

the ages of 16-25, who live in the

Wayland area.

Watton PCSO Joe Jermy said:

"We are encouraging young bike

enthusiasts to get involved in this

exciting new project in the town.

We hope that the project will

improve their bike security

measures as well as educating

motorcyclists about road safety."

Jan Godfrey from The Wayland

Partnership said: "This is another

example of The Wayland

Partnership and the SNT working

together for Wayland and is a

follow up to the young people's

project to raise awareness of bike

safety with ITV Fixers."

Partner agencies also need

volunteers with specialist skills

and knowledge of motorbikes to

help out at the Wayland Young

Riders Club. If you are able to

assist and provide some of your

spare time to support the project

contact Watton SNT on 0845 456

4567 or e-mail

[email protected]

Young Rider Club needs helping hand to get on the road

I ask people to record exactly what

they do and how long they spend

each day on their job search. It's

remarkable how each day looks

much the same as the previous -

newspaper, internet job pages,

send a few copies of your CV in

the post . . .

I then ask - 'did you make any

progress?'; the answer is usually

'no'. 'So, do you plan to do the

same tomorrow? Do you expect a

different result?'

If you want a different result, do

something different. Get out and

meet people, volunteer for part

time charity jobs, attend the job

fairs which are advertised locally.

It's remarkable how much time

you really have for extra activities,

and every person you meet could

be a connection to a real

opportunity.

David Bridge is a Career Coach

with Mayfair Coaching Practice

www.mayfaircp.com

Telephone 01379 650045

Your Job Search Thoughts from a Career Coach

New Centre Opens in Watton Wednesday 10th March saw

the opening of the Colin

Mackenzie Centre in

Watton. Colin‘s widow,

Jan, was moved to open the

centre after his death in

January 2010. Jan feels

very strongly that had the

r igh t faci l i t ies been

available, Colin might have

been able to cope with his

life much better and he

would still be with her

today.

So, to help prevent further

similar tragedies, Jan has

set up a trust and opened a

centre at 13b High Street

Watton (access besides Browns

Estate Agents) to offer a range

of activities including training

for both personal & professional

development and community

based activities. The centre is

open 9am to 6pm Monday to

Saturday.

Support will also be offered to

people needing advice in their

lives. There will also be

educational training for anyone

with concerns ranging from

anger management to a lack of

self confidence, these and a

variety of courses will be run in

future.

The centre will be running

courses by approved trainers

f r o m B a r n a b a s Tr a i n i n g

International, an organization

affiliated to the Association of

Christian Counsellors (ACC).

These courses will give people

who are interested in becoming

p r o f e s s i o n a l C h r i s t i a n

counsellors a qualification.

Posi t ive Impact Train ing

Services will be running courses

from the building and all trainers

have a Teacher‘s qualification.

There is an age limit on the

training services of 18+,

however, the centre will run

courses in drug and alcohol

awareness and self esteem etc -

training for people over the ages

of 14 on specific days with

parental permission.

Getting the centre open has

needed the help of dozens of

people and a wide range of

businesses . Al though too

numerous to mention here, Jan

would like to say a big thank you

to everyone who has helped get

the Colin Mackenzie Centre

open.

Pictured from Left to right

are: Misty Wood, Katelyn,

Mike Callagam, Jan holding

Holly, Steve Moser, Steve Scott

and the Rev Geoff Garret

The Surge Needs you . . . Since celebrat ing its ‗first

birthday‘ in December the Surge

young people‘s centre is going

from strength to strength. Over

sixty young people are regularly

attending the Surge on a Monday

and Thursday evening. The new

Wednesday evening session for

younger members is growing in

numbers too. At the other end of

the age scale the SATS (Seniors

At The Surge) group is well

a t t ended every Wednesday

morning.

As the numbers of young people grow

our loyal band of volunteers are

becoming more stretched as sixty

energetic teenagers ‗take a little

managing‘. Therefore if you‘re equally

energetic, charismatic and patient and

can relate to and engage with our young

people we‘d like to talk to you about

becoming a volunteer. If you would like

more information please call Marion on

01953 881248 or Gina on

01953 883920


cv

James Ball CARPETS SHOWROOM: 49 High Street, Watton

01953

883288

Very Competitive Prices

Most Makes of carpets

& Vinyl Supplied and Fitted

Watton Town Council Notice is hereby given that the

ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Is to be held at The Youth and Community Centre,

Harvey Street, Watton on

Thursday 22 April 2010 at 7pm All parishioners are invited to attend and the business as

set out below will be transacted: 1. Apologies for Absence

2. To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting held

on Thursday 24th April 2009

3. To receive the Chairman‘s report of the work of the Council

4. To receive the Council‘s Accounts

5. To receive reports from the County Councillor for Watton

Councillor John Rogers

6. To receive reports from District Councillors for Watton

Councillor Claire Bowes, Councillor Keith Gilbert and

Councillor David Myers

7. Questions and Comments from members of the Public

8. To receive reports and accounts from representatives from the f

following local Organisations

a Meals on Wheels and Wayland Luncheon Club

b Watton Sports Centre

c Queens Hall Management Committee

d Citizens Advice Bureau

e Twinning Association

f Watton Society and Watton Festival

g Community Car Scheme

h Loch Neaton Trustees

i Wayland Partnership Development Trust

j Youth Council

k Watton relief in Need

9. To consider any resolution of which written notice has been

given

NOTE: Any written resolutions for consideration under item 9 at

the meeting must be duly handed in to the Town Clerk at the Town

Council Office, Wayland Hall by noon on the day of the meeting 22

April 2010

Signed: Jacqui Seal Town Clerk, on behalf of Town Mayor and

Chairman of Watton Town Council

R.S. Plumbing & Heating

All your plumbing and heating needs

Boiler Servicing, Installations and General Plumbing All work undertaken.

CORGI Registered

Telephone 01953 883829 07836 267 419

Watton Ballroom

Dancing Association

Queen’s Hall, Watton

8 to 11.00 Admission £3.00

Saturday April 3rd and Saturday May 1st

Mike 01953 882799

Women’s World Day of Prayer

Some fifty people celebrated Women‘s

World Day of Prayer on Friday 5th

March, with a Service which was held at

St. Mary‘s Church, Watton. This year

the annual service had been prepared by

Christian women from Cameroon, an

African country twice the size of the UK,

but where hardship exists in the form of

malaria, poverty, malnutrition, child

trafficking and problems in delivering

education. The theme of the service was

‗Let Everything That Has Breath Praise

God‘, which in spite of their difficulties

is the message coming from the women

of Cameroon. Mrs Angela Pye, our

speaker, ably related that theme to our

lives here in Watton and district.

Margaret Cator WWDP Committee

Picture Supplied

Mrs Jean McLean was our speaker in

March when she took us on a mini tour of

the inside of St. Mary‘s Church and gave

us an outline of its history. I expect you all

know that St Mary‘s is almost unique in

that it is wider than it is long and it has had

many additions and alterations in its long

history and is due to have more in the near

future. After an absolutely absorbing talk

we then enjoyed social time when Carol

and guest, Angela, were joint winners of

our little competition and correctly

identified the most objects in the sealed

bags.

On 8th April we will be back in our usual

meeting place - 7.30 pm in Watton

Christian Community Centre when Linda

Kerr will tell us about the Redwings Horse

Sanctuary.

Recently I was asked if there was an age

limit for joining the W.I. as it was thought

you had to be 45 or over. Ladies, that is

NOT the case! There is actually no age

limit, either upper or lower. If the thought

that you have to be getting on a bit in years

has been stopping you coming along to

find out more about the WI you can cast

that aside with confidence. There have in

fact been quite a few new WIs formed

around the country recently by ladies

mostly in their twenties.

Subscription for 2010 is £29.50 which

covers attendance at all meetings and

includes a cup of tea or coffee. Any lady

can come along as a guest up to three times

in any one year and this costs just £2 per

meeting. We always plan to have a wide

variety of speakers throughout the year and

members also take advantage of various

events and activities organised by the WI

Federation. For example, in May the

Federation is having a Garden Party in the

garden of the Bishop of Norwich, there will

be the usual WI marquee at the Norfolk

Show and in October there is an organised

trip to Cardiff, not to mention the darts,

scrabble and bowls tournaments that will

be taking place around the County.

Any organisation has to have young, new

members in order to move forward and

keep up to date with the changes in our

ever evolving society. New members are

always welcome – just come along to a

meeting (7.30pm any 2nd Thursday of the

month) or ring Pat on 01953 882275 or

Barbara on 01953 882595

The W.I. in the 21st Century

Well what a busy month it has been

again. By the time you read this we will

be on our Easter holidays. This will be a

well deserved rest for us all especially

our teachers. Our year 5 and 6 have had

their Holt Residential weekend which

everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Year 2

will have been to the Sea Life Centre in

Great Yarmouth. Our parents will have

all seen our teachers for parent

consultations. Sports Relief on the

Millennium Green will have raised some

money.

When we return from Easter we will be

doing a Bags2School collection.

Anybody with unwanted clothes, soft

toys, blankets or bedding can put them in

a plastic bag and leave them at school on

Wednesday 28th April before 3.30. This

raises money for the school and all the

things get sorted and goes to poorer

countries for distribution.

New to the school is a Stay and Play run

by Watton Sure Start Children‘s Centre.

This is on Thursday Mornings 10am till

11.15am starting from 22nd April.

A big THANK YOU to Rix Petroleum

and Carbrooke Consortium. They have

given us a lovely cheque for £321.66

If you would like to know more about

our school please go to our website

http://www.schooltest.2upltd.co.uk/

news.html

St Peter And St Paul C.E V.C School Carbrooke

Church Times Mid-Norfolk Times

Thought for the Month By the Rev. Barbara Winner, Watton Methodist Church We were fortunate to have tickets to see the performance of

Le Miserable at Norwich recently. I knew some of the songs

but not the story. It begins with a prologue which shows us

how Jean Valjean who has served a long and cruel sentence

for stealing some bread to feed his starving family is released

on parole. He tries to make his way in the community but

because of his status is rejected and condemned as an out

cast.

He is however welcomed into the home of the Bishop who

offers him food and a bed for the night. In his desperation

steals some of the Church silver. He is promptly

arrested and when the officials ask the Bishop if

Jean Valjean has stolen the silver he says instead

that it was a gift. The Bishop promptly goes and

finds two silver candlesticks which he gives to

Valjean as well.

From this one gift of forgiveness and love comes

a story of reformation and redemption which

influences many lives.

On Good Friday you can see Churches Together

in Watton walking silently together behind a

cross. As we walk we remember and think about

another gift of forgiveness and love – the gift of

one life for all people – the gift of Jesus Christ on

the cross for our redemption.

Why not join us? Why not come and hear more at

a church near you this Good Friday and Easter

Day? It‘s a story which could become your story

too.

WATTON CHURCHES TOGETHER Service Calendar for April 2010

St. Mary’s Church, Watton 1st, 3rd & 4th Wednesday at 9.30am Holy Communion

2nd Wednesday Morning Worship Church Office opens Tues, Wed

& Thurs 9am-1pm Tel: 01953 881252

[email protected] www.stmaryswatton.org

Thurs 1st 7.00pm Five Parish Bring & Share Supper

including Holy Communion & Vigil

Fri 2nd 10.30am Good Friday Silent Procession from

St Mary‘s Church for

11.00am Service at the Methodist Church

Sun 4th 8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Easter Holy Communion


10.00am Holy Communion


10.00am Holy Communion


10.00am All Age Worship & Holy Baptism

6.30pm Praise and Worship with Shine

Watton Methodist Church Every Wednesday the Church is open for quiet reflection and prayer

between 10am & 12 Noon It’s your quiet place.

At 10.30 there is a half-hour Midweek Service in the Large Vestry

led by the Minister or a Church Member.

www.wattonmethodist.btik.com

Fri 2nd 10.30am Good Friday Silent Procession

from St Mary‘s Church for

11.00am Service at Methodist Church

Sun 4th 8.30am Rev Daphne Lloyd Holy Communion

10.45am Rev Daphne Lloyd

Easter Holy Communion

6.30pm Mr Brian Lawrence

Sun 11th 10.45am Section Service at Watton Mr B Lawrence

6.30pm Mr Alan Warby

Sun 18th 10.45am Bright Hour Anniversary

6.30pm Bright Hour Anniversary

Sun 25th 10.45am Mrs Sonia Mann

6.30pm Mrs Janet Roebuck

Roman Catholic Community Each Sat 5.30pm Mass at Watton Methodist Church

Thur 1st 9.30am Morning Prayer & Confession, Swaffham

7.30pm Eve Mass of the Lord‘s Supper, Swaffham

Fri 2nd 9.30am Good Friday Morning Prayer, Swaffham

10.00am Children‘s Station of the Cross, Swaffham

3.00pm Celebration of the Lord‘s Passion, Swaffham

Sat 3rd 10.00am Morning Prayer followed by

Video Show, Swaffham

No Saturday Evening Mass at Watton

8.30pm Easter Vigil, Swaffham

Sun 4th Easter Day

8.30am Mass at Swaffham

10.30am Mass at Swaffham

Pentecostal Church, Dereham Road, Watton There is a Noah's Ark Sunday and King's Kids for children during

the Sunday morning services

Fri 2nd 11.00am Good Friday Communion

Sun 4th 10.30am Easter Day Celebration ―The Evidence of

Easter ―The Evidence of the Bible‖

Sun 11th 10.30am ― The Evidence of Easter

―The Evidence of the Witnesses‖

Sun 18th 10.30am Alpha introduction -

Is there more to life than this?

Sun 25th 10.30am ―The Evidence of Easter -

―The Evidence of Modern History‖

St. Nicholas’ Church, Ashill Fri 2nd 2.00pm Good Friday Meditation

Sun 4th 9.30am Easter Holy Communion

Sun 11th 9.30am Lay Led Morning Worship

Sun 18th 9.30am All Age Worship


St. George’s Church, Saham Toney Fri 2nd 10.00am Procession of Witness leaves the

Wells CCC to St George‘s Church for

10.30am Good Friday Meditation

Sat 3rd 8.00pm Group Service of Light - Preacher

The Ven John Ashe, Archdeacon of Lynn


Sun 11th 10.30am Benefice Service of Holy Communion

Sun 18th 11.00am All Age Worship


S.S. Peter & Paul’s Church, Carbrooke Fri 2nd 2.00pm Good Friday Meditation



Sun 25th 10.30am Methodist Service

St John the Evangelist Church, Ovington Thursdays at 8.00am Said Holy Communion


Sun 18th 12.30pm Holy Baptism

Sun 25th 9.30am Lay Led All Age Worship

Breckles, Caston, Great Hockham, Griston, Merton, Stow Bedon, Thompson

Worship Calendar: April 2010

Maundy Thursday - 1st April

7:00 pm Commemoration of Institution of the Lord‘s

Supper (Holy Communion) Gt. Hockham

Good Friday - 2nd April

12 - 3 pm Stations of the Cross: Seven Churches Pilgrimage:

12 Noon Thompson, 12:20 Merton, 12:40 Griston, 1pm Bring your

packed lunch to the Rectory; 1.45pm Caston; 2.05pm Stow Bedon;

2.25pm Breckles; 2.45pm Great Hockham

2 - 3 pm Hour of Meditation Gt. Hockham

Holy Saturday - 3rd April

8.00pm Service of light on the Eve of Easter Breckles

Easter Sunday - 4th April

9:00 am Holy Communion (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Caston

Sunday 11th April

9:00 am Matins (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Caston

Sunday 18th April

10:20 am Sunday Club Gt. Hockham

(ages 4-11, church room)

10:30 am United Holy Communion Gt. Hockham

Sunday 25th April

9:00 am Holy Communion (BCP) Merton

10:20 am Sunday Club Griston

(ages 4-11, ‗Manorcourt‘ Day Centre, Manor Rd.)

10:30 am United Holy Communion Griston

Sunday 2nd May

10:30 am United Holy Communion Stow Bedon

For all our parishes… ‘The WAY’ Youth Group (ages 11+)

Sunday, 18th April, 7-8:00 pm, Rectory

Pram Services: Wednesdays, 10:15 am (no service on 7th April) 14th April at Chase Farm, Caston;

21st and 28th April at Caston School Hall

For parents or carers with children aged 0 - 5

Enquiries: The Revd. Bob Nichols: Tel.: (01953) 483222;

Email: [email protected]

All Saints Church, Threxton Easter Service

Sunday 4th April at 10am

ST. MARY’S CHURCH ATTLEBOROUGH

with ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH BESTHORPE

HOLY WEEK & EASTER SERVICES

Sun 28th March PALM SUNDAY

8a.m. Holy Communion

10a.m. Sung Eucharist for the joint-benefice

with distribution of Palms

6.30p.m. 'The Crucifixion' by John Stainer, sung by

the Mary's Choir and guests, with Nicholas

Jackson (Tenor) and Samuel Eglington (Bass)

Mon 29th 7.30p.m. Holy Communion with address

10p.m. Compline

Tues 30th 7.30p.m. Holy Communion with address

10p.m. Compline

Wed. 31st 7.30p.m. Holy Communion with address

10p.m. Compline

1st April MAUNDY THURSDAY

10a.m. Holy Communion

7p.m. Maundy Thursday Supper in the Church Hall

8p.m. Sung Eucharist with the stripping of

altars and Watch until Compline at midnight

Fri 2nd GOOD FRIDAY

8a.m. Matins and Litany

10a.m. Children‘s activities and worship

11.30a.m. Act of Witness at Queen‘s Square

2p.m. The Last Hour

10p.m. Compline

Sat 3rd EASTER EVE

8 p.m. Vigil & renewal of baptismal vows

Sun 4th EASTER DAY

8a.m. Holy Communion (1662)

10a.m. Sung Parish Eucharist with Easter Egg

Hunt for children following the service

11.30 a.m. Holy Communion at All Saints‘ Besthorpe

6.30 p.m. Choral Evensong


IAN WILTON

GENERAL BUILDER

For all your building needs....

NEW BUILD, EXTENSIONS

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ALTERATIONS, ROOFING

FASCIAS, GUTTERING

PLASTERING, DECORATING

CERAMIC TILING, PATIOS

FENCING

No job too small

Local friendly service

Call Ian for a free estimate 07917 284098/01953 483192

80 Brandon Road, Watton.

Tel: 01953 882752

The Hare & Barrel Hotel

Originally an old manor house dating back to 1806, we offer 16 en-suite bedrooms, 10 of which have been converted from

the old Coach House Stables

‘Noted for Good Food’

Extensive Bar & Restaurant Menu bookings advisable at all times

A relaxing Conservatory ~ Beer Garden Patio ~ Bar ~ Restaurant

Games Room ~ Car Park ~ Courtyard

Try our Traditional Sunday Lunch

Discounts for large bookings always negotiable

Children Always Welcome

ROGER TURNER 07759 948 830 01953 881 382

Ashill Village Yard Sale & Car Boot Sale

Sunday 25th April 9am till 1pm

Car boots in the hall £6 per table in the community

centre. Yard sale £5 To book your yard sale or car boot

please ring Mark on 01760 440577

Spring is here! The Met Office

says the first day of Spring is 1st

March. I prefer the equinox on

21st but let‘s not split hairs. After

the winter we just had it‘s to be

hoped that most of the catching

up was done in March so the soil

is warming up nicely and in

theory we have sunshine and

showers, perfect growing weather.

The traditional test for the soil is

to see if you can sit comfortably

on it without protection. It‘s

advisable not to drop your kecks

in public! The hand will do just as

well, or buy a soil thermometer to

be accurate. Some of these also

give the ph.

The clocks have gone forward so

we have longer evenings to spend

i n o u r g a r d e n a s w e l l .

Unfortunately in Britain, we have

weather not a climate and April

can go from being positively

summer hot to snow. If I

remember rightly last April was

very warm indeed. Usually Easter

falls in April and you may be

surprised to know that there is

more chance of snow at Easter

than Christmas. Oh no! Please

not. Easter is traditionally time to

plant potatoes. This may have

started when workers had most

time to spare but it‘s a good rule

of thumb. Some gardeners

traditionally only start gardening

at Easter when the garden centres

really stock up.

The rule for successful gardening

in April is not to be in too much

of a rush to plant out tender

young plants. This is the one most

gardeners break, even the most

experienced among us can

succumb to the ritual Easter visit

to the garden centre and buy those

attractive trays of bedding plants,

put them out and go to get some

more when they get frosted.

We‘ve all done it. So, it's

important to keep the horticultural

fleece handy to protect against

frost and to watch the weather

forecasts.

Cloches really come into their

own in April, not only do they

protect from frost but the micro

climate they create means plants

will leap ahead, even if the

weather is poor. One good tip

with a cloche is to place it a week

or two before you plant out. This

will cause the soil temperature to

rise by a couple of degrees and

helps to avoid shocks to your

plants when they leave the

greenhouse or cold frame. This

could be a temporary shelter for

those bedding plants (still in their

trays), avoiding the otherwise

inevitable.

If you bring things on in a

greenhouse or even on a

windowsill, don't make the

mistake of planting out directly,

even into a cloche covered patch.

Plants need a little time to get

used to the great outdoors and

need to use 'hardening off' for

this. It‘s pretty self-explanatory

and is really not complicated, you

move them from a windowsill or

heated area of a greenhouse to a

cooler part of the greenhouse for

a few days and then move them

into a cold frame. Leave the cold

frame shut for the first couple of

days, unless the weather is

wonderful and sunny, which

would over-heat them. After this,

open the vent in the day for a few

days and finally leave the vent

open overnight. It will still give

them some protection but it's not

as exposed as outdoors. If you

don‘t have a cold frame or

greenhouse it gets a little more

labour-intensive. Take the plants

grown on the windowsill outside

to a sheltered spot on sunny days

and bring them in again at night

to somewhere cool. Keep doing

this until they‘ve been out for a

few days according to the weather

then put a bit of protection over

them at night until they can be

left to their own devices. Then

plant them out.

If a cold snap develops whilst

you are hardening off, you can

insulate your cold frame to keep

them warm. In an emergency

newspapers laid several sheets

thick and weighed down to stop

them blowing away will do the

job but a length of folded fleece is

easier and more effective. By the

end of a week or so, your plants

will be ready to brave the world

and better equipped to cope if it

snows.

Having covered your plants

against the weather, do remember

now is the time when gardener's

worst enemy is coming back to

drive us mad. These evil

creatures can make a row

of tender seed ling

disappear overnight or

reduce a plant to a

skeleton in hours. The

slug, of course.

I'm sure slugs must serve

some purpose in the

greater scheme of things,

but to the gardener they

are just the enemy. In the

old days we just scattered

metaldehyde slug pellets

around by the bucket load

and killed them that way

but there have been

concerns about the

potential effects on pets

and wildlife with those.

N o w w e m o r e

environmentally friendly

methods of dealing with

slugs and the good news

is that these are actually

more effective in many cases.

If you grow potatoes, you may

have had the experience of

digging up a wonderful crop only

to find holes occupied by horrible

little slugs munching away. The

best cure is to use nematodes slug

killer from the start. This

biological control is comprised of

thousands of tiny worms that

cause no problem at all to

anything except our enemy. They

are, however, a little delicate as

regards to temperature and

moisture. Because they get under

the surface, they get all the slugs

unlike pellets. You can still use

pellets in a lot of situations but if

you have pets be very cautious

and only use the advanced

ferramol based pellets. They're

more rain resistant as well so

b e t t e r v a l u e f o r mo n e y .

Incidentally, only ever scatter

slug pellets very thinly. Piles are

ineffective and wasteful. If they

all disappear overnight, then

scatter thinly again and smile. It

means the slugs have eaten the

first lot and crawled away to die.

Another way to defeat the little

blighters is to grow plants on until

they are more robust than is usual

for planting out. Slugs are,

surprisingly, fairly fussy eaters

and will go for very young tender

stems and leaves. Not being a

biologist I don‘t know if this is

due to lack of ability to chew

anything a bit stronger than baby

growth or choice but it does work.

If you‘ve read the instructions for

nematodes and given up and are

disinclined to go chemical the

only other way is physical

removal. Some recommend the

torch and squish method after

dark. This is unpleasant in more

w a y s t h a n o n e . O t h e r s

recommend scissors. Ugh! My

personal favourite is the pub. I

make one or more for the slugs.

Empty margarine or cream

cartons with a small amount of

beer or milk in the bottom will

attract slugs. How you dispose of

them is up to you. At least they

die happy and don‘t survive long

enough for the hangover.

There are lots of safe and

environmentally sound solutions

to pests and problems now, thank

goodness. Some older gardening

books read like chemical warfare

manuals.

Sweet peas can be sown outside

this month. Plant out autumn-

sown sweet peas that have been

raised in pots, and prepare your

wigwam supports for them to

climb, using a light twine to tie

the plants in. You can sow other

hardy annual seeds for display

and cutting.

Plant summer-flowering bulbs, if

not done already. Prepare the soil

first, to ensure that drainage is

sufficient to prevent the bulbs

rotting. You can still plant

herbaceous perennials such as

Geranium, Astrantia and Oriental

poppies. Check that the plants you

buy have strong, green shoots and

plant them into well-prepared

soil. If you are crafty, pick the pot

that shows several separate small

clumps, knock the whole thing

out of the pot and divide it.

Sometimes you can get as many

as four for the price of one. The

little ones will need to be potted

up for a while before planting out

but will very soon get away for

planting out. The same way

existing perennials that are

showing new shoots from the

crown can be can be propagated

via basal stem cuttings. Shoots 8-

10cm (3-4in) high are cut from

the parent plant with a sharp

knife. Sometimes a piece of root

can be taken with the cutting

(which speeds establishment), but

stems can be cut without root, and

then dipped in hormone rooting

powder before striking into

growing medium. An easier

method to increase stock while

rejuvenating old plants is to

divide clumps of herbaceous

perennials - those that have

become too large for their allotted

space, flowering poorly or have

lost their shape. Bamboos and

clumps of bulbs or rhizomes can

be divided in the same way. Just

make sure that the transplanted

divisions have roots, shoots, and

are given adequate water to settle

into their new positions. At the

same time as dividing perennials,

make sure weeds are removed, so

doing two jobs at once.

Prune penstemons and other

slightly tender plants such as

lavender. Make the cuts just

above fresh, new shoots.

Apply a general-purpose fertiliser

to borders and beds. Take care not

to damage emerging shoots, or to

burn them with fertiliser.

Put supports in place for

perennials before they get too

large. Criss-crossing strings from

hidden or decorative posts work

well, allowing stems to grow up

in the gaps between strings. There

are also many supports available

either from garden centres or mail

order.

Remove faded daffodil and tulip

flowers, nipping off the heads and

seed pod at the same time.

Deadhead pansies, primulas and

other spring bedding plants.

Pansies will carry on into the

spring and even to early summer,

if attended to frequently.

Check whether containers need

watering. Even at this time of

year, they can dry out.

Pots and tubs benefit from

topping up with fresh compost.

Old compost can be removed and

replaced with new to a depth of

5cm (2in) if there is not much

room for topping up.

Pot on plants showing signs of

being pot-bound. You can tip out

the root balls of unhappy looking

containerised specimens, to see if

they are indeed pot-bound or if

they are suffering from some

other problem such as vine

weevil.

One final bit of advice, if you

didn‘t do a lot of gardening in the

winter (as if that was possible!)

do take care of that precious bit of

equipment - your back. Little and

often is the way to do it. Try to

ignore all the other pressing

overdue jobs until tomorrow or

you‘ll be looking at it through the

window while your poor old back

recovers.

In your garden with Lotta Potts

Look Out Ashill the

Zombies are coming!

Young people of the Ashill youth club are making an original zombie Film which they

have written and will star in. They desperately need extra's of all ages to make the film a success. Filming will take place the

last week of the easter holidays.If you can help or would like more information please

call 01603 628367 or

Email [email protected]. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.

You will then be invited to a free cinema screening of the film in Norwich


Scribble Pad

Across 7 Search for food (6) 8 One had an accident face to face (4-2) 9 able to bundle hay (4) 10 A vessel to save others (8) 11 Is excited (5,2) 13 Boost for your footwear (5) 15 Aromatic resin that is burned as incense (5) 17 Progress against the tide (7) 20 soft woollen fabric from goat hair (8) 21 Wogan's duvet measurement system (4) 22 Two-dimensional - not one who smooths wood! (6) 23 Long time ago (3-3)

Down 1 The Indic language of the Gypsies (6) 2 Tear down to the ground (4) 3 Green-eyed (7) 4 The wheat needs sorting from this (5) 5 Ill will (3,5) 6 Element number 27 (6) 12 Use ape or hen to listen to the radio (8) 14 Even art gave long service (7) 16 Annual (6) 18 Diamond shaped knitting pattern (6) 19 Oyster's jewel (5) 21 Journey as in Star - (4)

PUZZLE CORNER

£10 PRIZE CROSSWORD

Would you like to win a £10 Adcocks Voucher to spend? Simply

complete the crossword on the right and drop it in to The Wayland

News bin at (or post it to) Adcocks, 32 High Street, Watton,

Norfolk. IP25 6AE before the paper deadline. All correct entries

will be put into a draw and the winner will receive a £10 Adcocks

voucher to spend. In the event of any dispute the decision of the

Editor will be final. The clues are a mix of cryptic, and easy with

one or two anagrams thrown in just to make it more interesting!

The correct solution will be published in the next issue.

LAST MONTH’S PUZZLE The winner of the £10 prize last month was Mr & Mrs

Muskett of Carbrooke

Hockham History Group

Hockham has now formed a History

Group to help with its own village

history research for the Wayland

heritage Project. A healthy 21 people

attended the first meeting and members

of the group have now gone away to

think about the particular field of

research that might interest them and

also help work towards achieving

something that will last into the future.

The work of constructing an all new

village website has been happening for

sometime and anyone interested can see it

at www.greathockham.org

In the meantime the above 1904

photograph of Hockham village centre,

has been submitted to the editor to

hopefully gain some interest from

outside Hockham, so if anyone has any

information, photographs, or interesting

stories, or would like to come along to

the next meeting, please either contact

the group via the website contact page,

by phone to Chris Garrod on 01953

498447 or to Sue White the Wayland

Heritage officer on 01953 880216

Diabetes UK 30 members attended our March

meeting where we welcomed PCSO

Rachael Tussington from the Watton

Safer Neighbourhood Team, and PC

Chris Newberry. Although they could

not stay long because of their work

commitments, they were able to talk

about the WSNT, what they had

achieved, what they were achieving and

what they would like to achieve in the

future. It was an informative meeting.

At our April meeting, we will be

welcoming Mike Wabe who will be

speaking to us about "Life & Death in a

Victorian Gaol". This should be very

interesting and if Mike is looking for a

couple of people to demonstrate

anything on, I shall have great pleasure

in recommending John and Rod!! The

meeting is on 12th April, 10.15am at the

Pentecostal Church, Old Dereham Road,

Watton, whom we thank for the use of

their facilities.

If you have any questions about this

meeting or the group itself, please phone

Helen 01953 884713 and leave a

message and I will get back to you as

soon as I can.

Inner Wheel Club of Watton The March meeting held at the home of

member Val Semlyen a business

meeting, where the future trip to Kew

Gardens was discussed and a date set for

June. A speaker had been arranged but

was unable to attend, so a quiz was

arranged at short notice. Arrangements

for the Strawberry Tea were discussed

the date for this being 17th June 2010, at

the home of member Brenda Davis, we

look forward to seeing you there.

Stella Leonard- Club Correspondent.

We are introducing a new system called

‗Gateway‘ assessment, which is designed

to improve the service we are able to

offer our clients. This is particularly

important at a time when more and more

people are seeking advice. It is designed

to make our service more efficient and

should enable us to deal with most of the

enquiries more quickly and effectively.

Introduction of this change in our service

is a requirement of Citizens‘ Advice and

must be implemented by October 2010.

We do, however, have the option to adapt

and refine the system to best suit the

circumstances at each of our offices.

What does it mean for our clients?

Gateway assessment means that all

clients will get a short focussed interview

– the gateway assessment – to find out the

problem and how best to deal with it.

This will take about 10 minutes and there

will be a number of possible outcomes

from this first contact:

You could be given information to take

away to help you to help yourself to

resolve your problem

You could be asked to get further

information to help us give the best

advice possible for your problem

You could be given an appointment for

specialist advice – with a Debt or Welfare

Benefits adviser for example

You could be given contact details for

another agency – perhaps one of the

Benefits Helplines or the Housing Advice

Section of the Local Authority

If none of the outcomes listed above are

appropriate or helpful for the issue on

which you want advice, we will ask you

to wait to see one of our generalist

advisers for an interview. You will be

given a number and will be called when

an adviser is available. The adviser will

be made aware of the basic details of your

problem and will be able to quickly focus

on how this could be resolved. If you are

unable to wait you will be offered the

opportunity for a telephone advice

contact and you will be asked to say what

time would be suitable.

Will it be a better service?

That is our aim - experience at other

Bureaux has shown that as many as half

of those waiting for advice can be

provided with the information they need

through the gateway assessment, without

the need for what can often be a lengthy

wait for advice.

We shall always try to offer you the best

service we can with the resources at our

disposal. With that in mind we shall be

considering carefully how best this

service would operate in each of our

offices. There are different layouts and

resources in each of our locations and we

shall be working out what will work best

in each.

When will it start?

We shall be training our advisers over the

next few months and plan to start the

gateway assessment system in September.

We shall initially run it for a four week

trial and assessment period. We shall

make a continuous evaluation of the

service during this time and we may call

on you to give your opinion in that

process. We shall then fully introduce the

service but we shall remain open to learn

from experience and adapt and improve

the service accordingly.

Citizens’ Advice Gateway Assessment - A Change To The Way We Operate


Massage Treatments

Swedish Massage and Hot Stone Massage

Appointments available at

BROOM HALL Country Hotel

Saham Toney Your Local Three Star Hotel

Telephone: 01953 882125 www.broomhallhotel.co.uk

Dear Sah

Thort I orta let yu know

Ovington hev got a lot ter be

thankful for, cos we hent quite

bin flooded out like sum o‘ them

por folk. Mind yu thet ware a

cloose run thing, cos arter thet

snew an thet rearn we wos hevin

sum wet a runnin down tha ole

dykes, thas ware thar‘s a dyke

left o corse.

They keep a fillin on em in ter

days, thas wot ole Horry say,

―Tha ole boys din‘t dig orl tha

ole dykes fer suffin ter du of a

Satdy mornin, thare wos a parpus

onnit,‖ he say

―Yu hev gotta hev a drearn or tu

aside tha rood or fild, du else yar

gooin tu be orl of‘ a mash‖

I rekkon he‘s right, cos yu doon‘t

half see sum grate ole fleets inna

tha filds tha days.

Tha ole Cownsil are gonna arsk

ifen tha kin change tha nearm o

―Church Rood‖ tu ―River Rood‖

cos tha water wos a hossin down

it is like a young river.

Thas nowares else fer it ter goo

now the dykes ha bin filled in.

Cos thas orl rite for them as goo

up n down in thar mooters, but

ifen yu draw along steady yu

need yor hi lows on.

Horry he say ―We orta tearke

ower didles along a thar of a nite

time and dig em owt agin‖ I say

―Doont worrit Horry, thet‘l dry

up afore long‖

Torkin of tha ole Cownsil, I

reckon thar gittin worrit bowt

now, cos thas allus sum rum‘uns

at this time o year, doont fare to

hare tha ole buds a singin arly

mornins. ‗N tha allus wont tha

cownsil tu du suffin abowt it,

which git tha owd boys on tha

cownsil a bit flummoxed, cos

thet ent easy tu arsk ter buds to

hold thar duller. Abowt as daft as

keepin tha ole cocks quiet I

reckon.

Now abowt them taters, ifen yu

ent got yor seed taters on a tray

under yor ma‘s bed by now then

yu orter do so. Leave em thar till

tha shoots git gooin, an tha

garden mowld warm up, then dig

a grate ole trench acrorse yor

garden, fill it full o muck, stick

yor taters in it a foot an a bit

apart, then hale em up, an keep a

halin em up as thar growin.

Tha allotments are a movin at

larst, sum good ole boys hev dug

a loke inta tha fild, and set it to

tha plow, (an dint he draw a

streart furrer too) and so it‘ll

sune be a sproutin wittles.

Tha Church yard hev bin full a

snowdrops ter year, an no end of

folk hev bin along tu tearke

piktures an hev bin wholly

stammed tu see tha little darlins.

I see tha cownsil hev set sum

more daffs along a tha rood sides

ter year; they‘ll sune be a shig –

shugging abowt. Jest hoop we

doont git em pinched like we did

larst year.

Well I‘m gooing to shack orf

now, cos thars a pint o Bullard‘s

mild waitin fer me in tha pub.

Fare y‘ well tergether. Boy Sid.

The Ovington Crower

Recent Government changes to the

state pension age will have a direct

impact on local residents' eligibility

for free bus passes.

From 6 April 2010, the government

is gradually changing the eligibility

to apply for a free English National

Bus Pass. This is in line with their

changes to the state pension age for

women, increasing from 60 to 65.

The rise will be staged over the next

ten years. Eligibility for bus passes

will rise by two months each month.

This means that residents, who turn

60, on or after 6 April 2010, will no

longer be eligible for the scheme on

their 60th birthday. Details on when

they will now qualify are shown

below:

If you were born before 6 April 1950

you now qualify on your 60th

Birthday

If you were born between 6 April

1950 – 5 May 1950 you now qualify

on 6 May 2010

If you were born between 6 May

1950 – 5 June 1950 you now qualify

on 6 July 2010

If you were born between 6 June

1950 – 5 July 1950 you now qualify

on 6 September 2010

If you were born between 6 July

1950 – 5 August 1950 you now

qualify on 6 November 2010

If you were born between 6 August

1950 – 5 September you now qualify

on 1950 6 January 2011

If you were born between 6

September 1950 – 5 October you

now qualify on 1950 6 March 2011

If you were born between 6 October

1950 – 5 November you now qualify

on 1950 6 May 2011


November 1950 – 6 December you

now qualify on 1950 6 July 2011


December 1950 – 5 January 1951

you now qualify on 6 September

2011

Councillor Lady Kay Fisher,

Portfolio Holder for Environmental

Well being and Customer Contact,

says: "The government have decided

that this would be the fairest method,

rather than introduce a one-off rise

which would leave those currently

close to retirement age facing a full

five-year delay."

"However, the changes will have an

impact on those residents in the

district who are approaching their

sixtieth birthday and were expecting

to qualify for a bus pass. Current

holders over 60 years old, and other

qualifying residents, will not be

affected by these changes. Current

pass holders will be eligible for a

renewal pass when their pass

expires."

Should you require further

information please contact Breckland

Council on 01362 656870.

Government announce changes to bus pass scheme

At the Annual General Meeting of the

Wayland Chamber of Commerce the

outgoing Chairman, Richard Crabtree,

talked about the changes and

difficulties experienced by Wayland

businesses over the last two years and

the Chamber‘s continued commitment

to work for local people in business.

Salena Dawson was elected

Chairman for the forthcoming year

and Janina Dingwall Vice -

Chairman. Committee members

elected were Richard Crabtree,

John Paul McCarthy, Krissy

Marwood-Cross, Adrian Goldring,

Norman Wilson, Wendy Carr, Sam

North, Wayne North and Tania

Petkova. Additional co-opted

Committee members were Lifetime

H o n o r a r y M e m b e r M a r t i n

Anscombe, and Iain Cockburn. It

was agreed that Churches Together

and Wayland Community High

School should also be offered

Honorary membership for the year.

The Annual Accounts for 2009

were presented and adopted.

Following fifteen years of the

annual membership subscription

remaining at £25 it was agreed to

raise it to £27 for 2011. This would

help with the work the Chamber is

currently doing to raise its profile

and develop a new website; as well

as other initiatives for people in

business in Wayland, such as the

new quarterly Business Breakfast

Forum.

At the Co mmit tee meeting

following the AGM new members

were agreed and welcomed: M&J

Carpet Cleaning, Bailiwick IT

Services, Des Hartnell Electrical

Services and Stohn Ltd. (natural

stone products) and Norfolk

Country HIP (handmade gifts and

decorations).

The 2010/11 Wayland Chamber of

Commerce Information, Trade and

Services Directory (28th issue) is

n o w b e i n g c o m p i l e d a n d

publication is anticipated around

Easter. The Directory will be

delivered free to all homes and

businesses in the Wayland area

over the period. If you can‘t wait…

updated local information and

members are al l online at

www.wayland-chamber.org.uk

All enquiries please contact the

Secretary, secretary@wayland-

chamber.org.uk, 07979 264047 or

01760 440837 or write to Wayland

Chamber of Commerce, Wayland

House, High Street, Watton, IP25

6AR.

From the Wayland Chamber of Commerce…

As I write in the middle of

March it is hard to realize that

Easter is only three weeks

away. Hopefully we shall have

plants on sale throughout April,

although the extremely cold

winter and late, soggy spring

have meant that the plant and

produce stalls, normally well

stocked in March, have been

sadly lacking in goods for sale.

We have continued with just a

few late root vegetables and

potatoes and a few apples. We

look forward to presenting our

normally well laden stalls in

April.

Our cooks always produce

special delicacies for Easter

and our crafters are ever busy.

Beautifully made wooden toys,

a large selection of very

reasonably priced jewellery,

knitted goods, greetings cards

for all occasions, hand turned

wooden gift items and pens are

all included in the goods on

offer. Our fresh eggs come

from a local farm. All our

goods are produced within a ten

mile radius of Watton. All our

cooks have their kitchens

in sp ect ed b y th e lo cal

environmental health authority

and all have up to date food

hygiene certificates.

We are open every Wednesday

morning from 8.30 a.m. to

11.30 a.m. in the Watton

Christian Community Centre.

Please come and see us and if

you want a cup of coffee after,

or before, doing your shopping

in the Country Market nothing

could be easier: the Methodist

ladies serve coffees in the

smaller rear hall until 12 noon.

Happy Easter to all our customers from the Country Market Producers

Mid-Norfolk Times Sport News

Watton Junior Hockey Club hosted

their annual tournament at Watton

Sports Centre and clubs from around

the County converged on Watton for

the U11 and U13 Boys and Girls

Tournament.

It was a superb tournament for

Watton‘s U11 Girls who won their

Tournamen t . Having gained

confidence and experience through

the season, but never any placings in

earlier Tournaments, the girls

‗worked some magic‘ for this

tournament.

The hockey was played in a very

positive manner, with great effort

and lots of enthusiasm to secure 4

wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. Defensive

pairings were all solid, Poppy

Williams played well in every

game, capably supported by Megan

Taylor and Lorna Brett-Greenacre.

Po l lyann Bat ty made so me

outstanding saves (not only for

Watton but also playing for

Dragons). There was good passing

through the midfield with Amy

Church and Haidee Anscombe

showing good control making

frequent runs up the wings. Having

played with their usual amount of

effort Chelsea Collinson, Tamika

Bustin, Taylor Cassidy and Jasmine

Vincent all claimed much sought

after goals leading to the deserved

first tournament win.

In their first game Watton played

Dereham which was an evenly

matched game with neither team in

full flow and ended in a 0-0 draw.

Game 2 saw Watton‘s first win with

great work by Tamika Bustin on the

right who passed across goal for

Chelsea to score in a crowded D,

resulting in Watton 1 Norwich City

B, 0. Next Watton faced Magpies and

lost 1-0. The winning streak

continued in game four with a 1-0

win over Pelicans with an individual

goal from Tamika Bustin, running

into the D to shoot past the keeper.

Game five saw another Watton win,

beating Dragons (from Norwich) 1-0.

A great run down the right wing by

Haidee Anscombe and well timed

pass across goal was finished off by

an unmarked Taylor Cassidy who

scored a great goal. In their final

game Watton beat Norwich A 1-0

with the hard working Jasmine

Vincent scoring a well deserved goal

in a busy D.

In the U11 Girls Tournament Watton

were the winners, Dereham runners

up, Norwich City A third. Magpies

were fourth, Pelicans 5th, Dragons

6th and Norwich City B 7th.

Watton‘s U13 Girls played well and

finished their Tournament in third

place. They lost 1-0 to Dereham A,

drew 0-0 with Pelicans,and beat

Norwich City B 1-0 with Cerys

Adcock scoring. Watton beat

Magpies 1-0 with Chantelle

Samuels scoring, lost 2-0 to

Norwich City and won 1-0 against

Norwich City B with Ellen Fulham

scoring.

Dereham A‘ were the tournament

winners and Norwich City A‘ runners

up. Pelicans were 4th, Magpies 5th,

Norwich City B 6th and Dereham B

7th.

The U13 Girls squad was : Fran

Kirkpatrick, Lauren Fitzgerald,

Chantelle Samuels, Megan Colley,

Cerys Adcock, Ellen Fulham, Beth-

Anne Singer, Shelby Redfern, Ellie

Philpott.

FR: Natalie Smee (GK)

In the U11 Boys Tournament

Watton again played well and also

finished in third place. They got off

to a good start with a 1-0 win over

Dereham with Steven Gale scoring.

Game two saw another 1-0 win for

Watton over Norwich City with

Steven Gale scoring again. They

next drew 0-0 with Magpies then

lost 2-0 to Pelicans. Watton

finished their last game on a high

note with Thomas Barber and

Steven Gale both scoring for a 2-0

win over Dragons. Coach, Sean

Billington, was very pleased with

all the boys performance giving

them their best result of the season.

At the end of the tournament the

first three placing‘s were very close

With Pelicans winning on goal

difference and Magpies runners up,

both with 11 points. Watton were

third on 10 points ! Dereham were

4th, Norwich City 5th and Dragons

6th.

The U11 Boys squad was : Thomas

Hazell, Thomas Barber, Thomas

Redfern, Sam Holland, Callum

H a g g a r t y , M i ch e a l , S t e v e n

GaleSean McCarthy and Owen

Hughson.

Watton‘s U13 boys joined forces

with the Dragons team from

Norwich to make a squad. Matthew

Russell, Craig Ellis, Josh Holland,

Henry Garner and Jake Hargreaves

represented Watton. In their first

game they drew 0-0 against

Magpies B, beat Norwich City 1-0,

lost 2-0 to Magpies, lost 1-0 to

Dereham and lost 1-0 to Pelicans. It

was a good joint team performance

considering the boys have never

played with their Dragons team

Super junior hockey at Watton Sports Centre

Picture Supplied

Steven Gale showing some nifty footwork to the opposition

U11 Girls Winners Standing L to R: Jasmine Vincent, Poppy Williams, Taylor Cassidy, Lorna brett-Cassidy, Takika Bustin, Amy Church, Haidee Anscombe. Front row: Chelsea Collinson, Polyann Batty, Megan Taylor.

Picture Supplied

Picture Supplied

Racing to defend for the Watton U11 girls are (back to front) Taylor Cassidy, Amy Church and Lorna Brett-Greenacre.

mates before. Dereham were the

Tournament winners, Magpies A‘

runners up, Magpies B‘ third,

Pelicans 4th, Watton 5th and

Norwich City 6th.

Home James Taxis from Watton

were the Boys Tournament

sponsors.

Thanks to the hard work of the

Junior Club Committee and the

great co-operation from the senior

hockey clubs the Tournament was a

great success. It was also a great

success for the development of the

Club as two former junior members

Kim Ashby and Sean Billington

were now coaching two of the

junior teams. In addition former

junior Liam Healy lead and co-

ordinated the umpiring. In addition

Bea Hinchliffe, Amy Childerhouse

and Roxy Samuels assisted in

umpiring through most of the day.

Sport News Mid-Norfolk Times

First Team Match Reports Saturday 6th March League Watton United 0 Sheringham 2 A poor performance from Watton in

this home fixture, with Sheringham

moving above Watton in the table.

The opposition hit the bar twice in the

first half, and probably deserved to

lead at half time, and even with a

number players missign from their

ranks, still showed why they secured

the league title last season, with some

composed passing and movement off

the ball.

Watton rarely troubled Sheringhams

defence, but a solid performance from

Stu Chrystall and James Brown at

centre back limited Sheringham to

few clear cut chances.

Sheringhams opened the scoring with

a fine chip after a mistake by

Cruikshank, and secured a second in

the dying stages when their height

advantage finally paid off from a

corner, when Jordan nodded down for

Clarkson to finish from close range.

Watton must show improvement mid

week to high flying Brandon to avoid

losing further ground at the foot of

the table. Man of the Match: Stu

Chrystall.

Tuesday 9th March League - Watton Utd 2 Brandon Town 4 After suffering the embarrassment of

a 8-0 thrashing in January to the

visitors, Watton‘s management team

of Harwood and Hunt urged the

greens to ensure they compete for 90

minutes in this fixture, and again

deployed sweeper to combat the

opposition goal threat of Waites

upfront.

As with Watton‘s early season form,

midweek games seem to suit the

home side, and in an much improved

performance, Watton came back to

lead 2-1 in the first half with a

penalty from Chris Bray and great

move finished off with a Kevin

Bloomfield header from a Mark

Woods cross.

A goal just before half time deflated

the Watton players, who showed

much more composure in the first

half on the ball, helped by the return

of Mike Callaghan to the side at left

back.

Watton had chances to take the lead

in the second half, but 20 minutes

Paul Woods stumbled on making a

pass to put Bloomfield in on goal,

Brandon broke away and slid in a 3rd.

Enforced changes with Watton tiring

saw Woods replaced by Fincham, and

Bray replaced Allibone, and

Callaghan by McCullouch. Further

Watton pressure was thwarted, and

they conceded a 4th in the dying

stages.

It was harsh on Watton, as the

opponents were not 2 goals better

than the hosts tonight, but as with

your luck when you fighting a

relegation battle, Brandon took all 3

points to move up to second in the

table.

Man of the Match: Mike Callaghan

Saturday 13th March League Loddon United 1 Watton Utd 1 After the impressive but unlucky

performance midweek, Watton

travelled to Loddon at the weekend,

looking to secure 3 points. 20 months

ago, this fixture was between two

teams fighting it out at the top of

division 1 in a promotion battle, and

is the harsh reality of the demise grass

roots football, Watton only fielding 3

players who were present that day,

and Loddon 5 players from their title

winning side.

Watton always struggle on Loddon‘s

tight sloping pitch, and with a 5-2-3

formation deployed from the

management team , coped well with

Loddons direct counter attacking

approach in the opening 20 minutes.

In a first half of few chances, with

Chris Bray , Jimmy Walker and Kev

Bloomfield as the three strikers

Watton were always confident of

scoring.

On 70 minutes man of the match

Bloomfield finally broke the deadlock

at the second attempt, after a great

header from Ben Smart stuck the post

half way through the second half.

They held on until the 94th minute,

when a kick by the keeper deceived

the impressive Merv Brown, who was

drafted in at the last minute from

Reserve team duty, and the on

rush ing s t r iker slo t ted past

Cruickshank.

Man of the Match: Kev Bloomfield

Reserve Team Match Reports Saturday 13th March League Watton United Reserves 0 Bungay Town Reserves 2 Watton‘s reserve team returned to

action this weekend at home to

Bungay, who were promoted to

Division 4 with Watton last year.

Without a fixture since the 13th

February, Watton looked sluggish

first half, and were undone by two

sloppy goals in the first 45 minutes.

Chances for striker Reeve could have

put Watton closer at half time.

Wat to n ‘ s man a g e men t t ea m

introduced two new signing this

weekend, and it was 16 year old

James Lawrence drafted in from the

under 18s who impressed in a better

second half performance. Its hoped

the team and new faces can build on

this performance, as with only 8

games left, /Back page

01

95

3 8

84

14

1

BUY ONE PIZZA &

GET 1 PIZZA FREE with this voucher

Collection or Delivery. Valid on Mondays to Thursdays until 30th April 2010

Terms and Conditions apply

LARGE CHEESE &

TOMATO PIZZA £5.99 with this voucher

Collection only Valid until 30th April 2010

Terms and Conditions apply

Full Takeaway Menu at: www.italianjobs.co.uk

Voucher Terms and Conditions: You must mention the voucher when ordering and present the voucher when paying. Offers available for delivery are subject to a £1 delivery charge.

Drome Garage

Norwich Road, Watton, Thetford, Norfolk. IP25 6HW

Tel: (01953) 881343 Fax:(01953) 882923 For servicing and MOTs for all

makes including diesel

Watton United roundup

Two more team photos from days gone by. Above are Watton Sunday (date unknown) Back Row: R Haines, G Pitcher, S Shipp, J Sisto, M Upton, R Hewitt, N Highfield, S Cross. Front Row: P Sales, P Reetz, K Kitteridge , C Bristow , B Pawsey

Below looking a little like a 118 advert audition are a team from 1973/74 Thetford Rovers (away) Back Row: D Binks , N Highfield , J Sisto , D Woodward, T Mouncer, G Pitcher, Not Known. Front Row: P Scott, Colin Skipper, B Taylor, Chris Girdleston, A Shipp


EVENTS DIARY ACC = Ashill Community Centre, Hale Road, Ashill; Watton CCC =

Watton Christian Community Centre; Wells CCC = Wells Cole Community Centre, Saham

April Thurs 1st Prize Bingo at Gt Ellingham Recreation Centre See Ad

Sat 10th 60‘s Disco The Old Hall Leisure Centre, Ashill See Ad

Sat 10th } Spring Art Exhibition at Wayland House

Sat 17th } Mixed Media 10-4pm Weekdays, 10 - 1pm Sat.

Sat 17th Car Boot & Crafts at St Mary‘s Church, Watton. See Ad.

Tues 20th 7.45pm - 9.30pm NWT Group review of the year and talk

by NWT Director Brenda Joyce. Watton CCC See ad.

Sat 24th East Harling Bowls Club Coffee & Bric a Brac See Ad

Sun 25th Ashill Yard and Car Boot Sale see ad.

May Mon 10th Fashion Show by She Fashions, Gt Hockham. See Ad

Tues18th 7.45pm NWT Talk. The Breckland Reserves and

their Management. Watton CCC.

Written estimates always provided Memorials supplied

Personal supervision Pre-Paid Funeral Plans available

Arrangements may be discussed in the privacy of your own home

Tel: (01760) 440269 (24 hrs) Established over 60 years

FUNERAL DIRECTORS SERVING WATTON & DISTRICT

W.C. LITTLEPROUD & SON of BRADENHAM

‘A genuine, family owned & run business

offering a caring, traditional & affordable service’

H. BRETT & SON Monumental Masons ~ Craftsmen in Stone

Call for our Brochure or

Visit our SHOWROOM and WORKSHOPS

Home visits can be arranged

also Fireplaces, House Names etc.

75 NORWICH ROAD, WATTON,

NORFOLK, IP25 6DH Tel: 01953 881501

MID-NORFOLK TIMES The deadline for the May issue will be

12 Noon on the 16th April Page space is allocated strictly on a first come, first served basis.

Deadline is the latest date and time that copy will be considered

for inclusion. Arrival of copy before deadline does not guarantee

inclusion, if you wish to be certain your entry gets to print then

please make sure it arrives in plenty of time.

If you are submitting on paper you MUST sign and include

your contact details with each item. If you do not, the item

will NOT be published.

You can contact Julian by ringing (01953) 858908. You can

write to 32 High Street, Watton IP25 6AE Or you can leave

copy in the bin at Adcocks, 32 High Street, Watton.

The e-mail address is [email protected]

All views expressed in the Mid-Norfolk Times are those of

the contributors and not the publishers. While every care and

effort has been taken to ensure accuracy the publisher cannot

accept responsibility for errors or omissions.

This issue of the Mid-Norfolk Times was published by: Julian Horn, 32 High Street, Watton IP25 6AE and printed

through www.quotemeprint.com 0845 1300 667

THE WATTON SOCIETY

Programme – March, April & May 7.45 p.m. at the Watton Christian Community Centre

Weds, April 21st.Robert Maidstone - Woodland Wonderland Weds, May 19th. Visit to Azsu Alpacas near Shipdham. Weds, June 16th. Barbara Miller - The Norwich Shoe Trade. For more information on the Watton Society and a programme to December 2010 telephone Judy Kerr 01953 882613 or email [email protected].

it looks like Watton may get drawn into a

relegation battle unless they can put a

couple of wins together in the

forthcoming weeks.

Man of the Match: Chris Hayward

Tue 16th March League Watton Utd Reserves 1 Thorpe Rovers 1 A midweek game for the reserves is a

rarity with only 15 teams in their

league, but since the bad weather call

offs in January gave them a fixture

backlog, Managers Wilkins and

Griffith were able to show some of

their emerging youngsters the benefits

of playing on Watton‘s award winning

surface under floodlights.

With a few call offs from the weekend

due to work commitments, Watton

lined up with a 4-4-2 formation,

deploying Mark Allibone and Luke

Jones as central strikers. After 20

minutes, with Watton controlling much

of the possession, a long ball caught

Sam Fincham napping, and Thorpes

strike pairing combined to slot past

keeper Bridges. Further pressure

almost put them 2-0 up, with Hayward

clearing off the line

Watton quickly changed to a 3-5-2

formation and went in 1-0 down having

rarely been troubled since the change,

and almost levelling through chances

from Jones, McCullouch, Allibone and

Lawrence, who was making his first

start of the season.

In the second half Reeve was brought

on to trouble the Thorpe backline with

his pace, and his direct running

released Allibone 15 minutes in, who

levelled with an impressive left footed

strike in off the bar.

Further chances came and went, but

Watton‘s young side performed

admirably right to the final whistle,

and credit must go to the under 18

players of Brown , Lawrence , Fincham

and Jones, who tireless running and

assured passing epitomised Watton‘s

performance against a strong Thorpe

side who are likely to secure a mid

table finish.

Richmond Park Golf Club . . . Seniors Section The weather slowly improved during

February and March so the Seniors were

able to play more golf and the February

Stableford competition winners were

Glyn Long, Keith Flitcroft, Ben Stone,

Rod Whyatt, George Travi and Ken

Cundy.

The first event of the season was held

over two days in March- the annual

Captain versus Vice Captain match. 44

players took part in a 'Ryder Cup'

format and the Captain's team emerged

triumphant again (third year running),

although only 4 points separated the

teams at the end. The first inter-club

matches take place later this month and

reports and results will follow during

the summer.

Ladies’ Section Due to the continuing inclement

weather, not much golf has been played

by the ladies of Richmond Park Golf

Club. At least 2 competitions were

cancelled, with the March medal the

only one to be completed.

The results were: Division 1 Anne Bell

Division 2 Liz Johnson Divison 3

Eileen Chard

Five ladies were lucky enough to

achieve a birdie, with one lady

managing 2! What a great achievement

- well done to Karen Ralph. The other

ladies were Dilys Gibbs, Mary

Wakeford, Anne Bell and Margaret

Lockwood.

Lesley Matthews and Julie Ellis won the

club's qualifying competition of the

Daily Mail Foursomes last August, and

were entered into the main draw . They

played their first knockout match at

Richmond Park against two ladies from

The Links Country park (West Runton),

and were successful, winning 4 and 2.

Congratulations to them - they now

await their next opponents.

Junior Section The next competition will be held on

Wednesday 14th April with 6 prizes to

be awarded. Open to all existing

members plus any newcomers wishing

to join.

The day will also incorporate the

Richmond Park Golf Club Juniors Open

Day - which will be extended to all the

players‘ parents and sponsors. This will

take place from 3.00 pm until 6.00 pm.

This will include a tour of the Club's

facilities taken by PGA Professional

- Keith Capindale-Scott. Also

included will be the presentation of

the trophies etc, for the day‘s

competition, free light refreshments

and of course Keith will be happy to

answer any questions regarding the

Junior Section.

PLEASE DO NOT MISS THIS

GREAT OPPORTUNITY

For further details please contact Junior

Club Secretary on 01953-882872

YOU ARE INVITED TO A

Photographic Exhibition of

African Wildlife & Culture by David Jessup

at Woods Restaurant, Richmond Park Golf Club, Watton on

Saturday 5th June 10 - 4pm Sunday 6th June 10 - 3pm

Entrance by donation only All proceeds will go to helping improve the

life of Zulu families in Africa

CAR BOOT & CRAFTS Sat 17th April 9.00am St Mary’s Church Car Park,

Watton Contact 01953 882936

Car Boots £4.00

No Need to Book

Mid-Norfolk Times April 2010

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Transcript of Mid-Norfolk Times April 2010