The Wayland News December 2012

Wayland News digital on www.waylandnews.com Issue Number 195 - December 2012

Book Week at Westfield Infant & Nursery School

The children of Watton Westfield Infant

and Nursery School enjoyed a wonderful

enrichment experience celebrating Book

Week in November.

They have listened to a performing story

teller, walked to the public library,

enjoyed a visiting a theatre company and

learned lots about how books are made

and organised. The school is busy

developing their class book corners and

main library too. For Children in Need,

on the Friday of Book Week, every child

dressed as a book character and entered

into the national Fun Day.

How would you like over £400 to spend in

Watton High Street just before Christmas?

You would?

Well, the Watton Town Team thought so

too, and so we have organised our 2012

Christmas Crawl, and put up for grabs, in a

SINGLE Grand Prize, more than 20

vouchers, with a total value in excess of

£400 from many of our High Street

independent businesses!

Oh yeah, whats the catch? No catch but you

do have to be in it to win it!

All you have to do is to pick up a

Christmas Crawl entry form from our stall

at the 'Inside Out' market, or, if you cant

get to that, from Adcocks in the High

Street, after 1st December, and then visit

each of the participating businesses listed

and ask them to stamp your form.

That's it, that's all, nothing else. You don't

need to spend anything with the business

to get the stamp, though they would love it

if you did, just ask and they will stamp

your form for you.

Once you have filled it up with stamps

from all of the participating businesses,

return the form to Adcocks and put it in

the bin there for the Grand Draw.

The draw will take place at our Festive

Christmas Market on the 15th December,

when Father Christmas will pull the

winner's name from the hat . . . or

whatever size receptacle we can find if a

hat just isn't big enough

ONE winner will receive ALL the vouchers

which can be redeemed at the High Street

businesses who have given them.

Oh yes and if you have got a young one, put

their name down on the form because we

have 26 runner's up Pirate Treasure Chest

Prizes for them.

Businesses taking part this year are

Edwards, Adcocks, Grandma's Patch,

James Ball, Myhills, Lings, Doves, The

Bakehouse, Watton Plaice, Sandra's Cafe,

Total Health Pharmacy, Mark Bunning,

Top to Toe, Dutch Flower Parade, Steven

Smith Butchers, Amys Cards & Gifts, The

Golden Lantern, Studio Khyber, Little

Gary's, Spoilt for Choice, Smiths Clothes,

BWB Domestics and Buy Right (in

Rudlings old shop).

Please note vouchers can not be redeemed

for cash and certain conditions may apply to

some businesses (such as can not be used to

buy stamps or pay for dry cleaning etc.) may

apply.

Your local High Street businesses really do

care about you and you wouldn't want to be

without them now, would you?

Winner Takes All in our Christmas Crawl

The Town

Carol Service Churches Together are arranging the

Town Carol Service to follow on from

the Christmas Festive Market on the

High Street. The service this year is

going to be on Saturday 15th December

– 2.30 at Chaston Place and/or 3pm at

the SPORT’S CENTRE. The theme of

this year’s service is Looking for

Christmas? For those who want to

gather at Chaston Place (outside the Co-

op/Boots) we will begin with a couple of

carols followed by a short dramatic

presentation on the theme and then we will

make our way to the Sport’s Centre

through Nelson Court – you might even

want to join us on the way. For those

who would like to attend the carol

service only, please feel free to turn up

at the Sport’s Hall in the Sport’s Centre,

ready for the service to start at 3pm. The

change of venue is down to the change

of day, so do please come along and

bring a friend with you. In the hustle

and bustle of Christmas preparations it

is good to take time out and celebrate

what the festival is all about. It is a

slight change from the usual, but it is

going to be good and we look forward to

welcoming you to celebrate the true

meaning of CHRISTmas.

Any enquiries please to Rev.Geoff Garrett

881439 or Rev Steve Sowerby 881035.

Watton Senior

Citizens Party Takes place again on the 15th December at

Wayland Academy in Merton Road. Free

tickets will at Mullengers Estate Agents in

November and, as for so many years, the

evening will include good food,

entertainment from youngsters at the school

and the fellowship of old friends. With

around 100 people involved in looking after

our 200 visitors this is a true free community

event with the funding and staffing provided

freely from within the town and the school.

The first 200 will get the tickets for this early

Christmas evening, enjoyed by many over the

past 40 plus years.

The Wayland News News

It is comforting to know that the

fallen are remembered world wide.

Bradenham resident Adrian Horn

is currently working in South

Sudan, from where he sent The

Wayland news following report:

The weather was hot and sunny,

and sweat ran down

my face – a different

story to the cool

weather we have been

having around

Bradenham and

Watton. It was only a

couple of days ago we

were having a bonfire

party at our house,

and now I am back in

Juba, in South Sudan

– thankfully this time

with my wife by my

side!

I am working there as

a senior justice and

security adviser,

trying to help South

Sudan build a police

service and help them

build a peaceful

nation. South Sudan

are only just

emerging from a long, bloody and

violent war, so memories are very

fresh in the minds of many.

I have worked in many African

countries, and it is humbling to

know that Remembrance Day is an

important day wherever I travel to.

I have had the honour of laying

wreaths on behalf of the

Commonwealth in Sierra Leone,

and have been reminded that many

people from Africa gave their lives

supporting us in fighting wars. So,

standing there in the heat in front

of the British Embassy at 11am on

the11th of the 11th was nothing

compared to what millions of

others have been through in the

name of peace.

It was best described as a family

service – a good number of people

from several countries and several

organisations, including the UN

who have a large presence here.

Perhaps the relevance today of

Remembrance Day is highlighted

by the fact that the British Officer

who led the service had buried

three of his own soldiers over the

last 6 years.

Ballroom at the Queens Hall

Ballroom, Latin and Sequence Dancing at the Queen's Hall, Watton on 5th January 2013 8 p.m. to 11pm admission £4

Laying of Poppy Crosses on War

Graves, Saturday 10th November

A short service took place at St

Mary’s Church Watton at 12 o’clock

to place the Poppy Crosses on the

War Graves in the Churchyard. This

Parade was attended by the Mayor

and Mayoress, members of Watton

Town Council, representatives of the

Royal British Legion, RAFA,

detachments of the Army Cadet

Force and the Air Training Corps

and members of the general public.

The Last Post and Reveille were

sounded and the Two Minute Silence

observed. It was very refreshing to

see the numbers of the general public

attending and a very good turnout of

both the Army Cadets and Air

Training Corps.

Remembrance Sunday

11th November The Remembrance Sunday events

for the Royal British Legion started

at 10.00 hrs at Merton Parish Church

where the Standard was paraded

accompanied by Mr David Sell and

Capt Glyn Bellamy.

The Standard, accompanied by Mr

David Sell and Capt Bellamy then

proceeded to the Tottington War

Memorial where the wreath was

laid by Mr Sell and the Exhortation

and the Kohima were spoken by

Capt Bellamy.

The parade on the Sunday afternoon

at the Thetford Road car park under

the command of the Parade Marshal,

Mr Pat Murphy, marched on to

parade at 14.30 hrs and after a short

service wreaths were laid by the

Mayor, representatives of RAF

Honington and USAF Lakenheath,

Royal British Legion and RAFA and

the various voluntary organizations

of the town plus members of the

general public. The Last Post and

Reveille were sounded and the Two

Minute Silence observed.

The parade then marched past the

War Memorial, the representatives of

RAF Honington and USAF

Lakenheath and the Town Mayor,

Mr Paul Cooper, taking the salute.

The parade was lead by the Band

of 864 Sqn ATC and proceeded to

St Mary’s Church, Church Lane,

where the main Service of

Remembrance was held.

Once again the members of the

Royal British Legion would like to

thank the Mayor and Watton Town

Council for their support, the

representatives of RAF Honington

and USAF Lakenheath for their

attendance and all the town’s

voluntary organizations.

The final Service for this

Remembrance weekend is at Griston

Parish Church where the Watton &

District Royal British Legion Standard

will be paraded by Mr Alan Chilvers.

It is at this stage that all members of

the Royal British Legion would like to

wish Alan all the best as he has a major

operation on his ankle on 20th

November and will be off the road for

approximately three months. We are

sure in this time that he will continue

to write poetry and we look forward to

seeing his latest offering!

Finally, it is to the general public of

Watton and the surrounding area that

the Legion’s thanks are given for their

overall support over this weekend and

we know that this is truly appreciated

by members of our Regular and

Territorial Armed Forces.

Ed: Video of this event is available on:

www.waylandnews.com

Remembrance Roundup People from four local villages

gathered at St Ethelbert’s Church at

Wretham for an annual

Remembrance Day service bathed in

brilliant sunshine.

The Wretham and Hockham Royal

British Legion standard was paraded

to the war memorial, where the

names of war dead from the four

villages were recounted by Maj.

Richard Wilson and wreaths were

laid by representatives from the four

parishes – Wretham, Hockham,

Larling and Shropham.

The standard was then taken into

church and laid on the altar while the

service was led by Mrs Jean Rolph.

A collection was devoted to the

Royal British Legion.

Wretham and Hockham Royal

British Legion Poppy Appeal

A collection of £237.70 at the annual

Remembrance Service for Hockham,

Larling, Shropham and Wretham ,

held at St Ethelbert’s Church,

Wretham, brought the total amount

raised for the Poppy Appeal in the

four villages to around £1600.

Wretham and Hockham Royal

British Legion branch chairman Maj.

Richard Wilson described it as “a

marvellous amount”.

War dead remembered at Wretham

Men who came to Britain from

Czechoslovakia and Poland during

the last war and flew bombers

alongside their English comrades

were honoured in an annual

ceremony at a village church in

Norfolk.

The 14 graves of Czech and Polish

airmen stand in the corner of St

Ethelbert’s churchyard at Wretham.

The men flew Wellington bombers

with 311 Squadron from the airfields

at Wretham and Honington.

The service was taken by the Rev

Canon Bob Baker, Rector of the

Thetford team ministry and

chaplain to Thetford RAFA, who

organise the event.

Wreaths were laid at the war

memorial outside the church gate,

including those from military

attaches at the Czech and Polish

Embassies, Mayor of Thetford Terry

Lamb, Parish Council chairman Paul

Adams, Royal British Legion, RAFA

and RAF Honington.

The 60 or so people who attended

went away with an extra memento

this year. John and Eileen Kitson,

who help publish a monthly news

magazine for the village, handed a

special issue to everyone, based on

the life history of Frantisek Binder, a

Czech rear gunner, sent to them by

his grandson and containing pictures

of his burial at Wretham in 1942.

Czech and Polish comrades honoured at Wretham

Remembrance World Wide

News The Wayland News

Christmas Coffee Morning with Crafts and Gifts

at St Mary’s Church, Watton Saturday 8th December

9.30am – 12 noon

Come and enjoy a coffee and browse our craft, gifts, cake and

produce stalls.

Watton Relief

In Need

Charity The Trustees of this Charity will be

meeting on the 5th December to consider

applications from residents of Watton for

financial support this Christmas. It is

hoped, therefore, that applicants will

contact the Clerk to the Trustees prior to

that date so that the Trustees can fulfil

their duties.

The Charity is an amalgamation of

Charities set up many years ago to

support those in need. The Trustees have

a duty to distribute the income of the

Charity to relieve, either generally or

individually, persons resident in the town

of Watton who are in conditions of need,

hardship or distress by making grants of

money or providing or paying for items,

services or facilities calculated to reduce

the need, hardship or distress of such

persons. Institutions or organisations

which provide or undertake in return to

provide items, services or facilities for

such persons may also benefit.

In the past few years, grants have, in the

main, consisted of support for the elderly

to help with the extra costs of Christmas

and/or heating costs. However, the

Trustees are most willing to consider

applications from other age groups

provided they are residents of Watton and

they are in conditions of need, hardship

or distress.

No preference is given to any section of

the community but there will be times

when applicants will be required to give

full personal financial details and provide

whatever information the Trustees

require before decisions can be made.

Any information given will be treated in

the strictest confidence. Persons who

have already given their details to the

Clerk should still apply if further help is

needed.

Applications for assistance should be

addressed to:-

Derek I Smith, Clerk to the Trustees.

Watton Relief In Need Charity, 39

Dereham Road Watton IP25 6ER. Tel:

01953 884044

Email: [email protected]

The ‘Inside

Out’ Market On December 1st, our

wonderful independent Watton

retailers are planning to ‘do

different’ in true Norfolk style

on December 1st. Many of

them will be emerging from

behind their counters and

setting up stalls in the High

street. They understand that

many people will want to shop

on line or in bigger retail

centres, but they also know that

they have a great deal to offer

their customers and so they are

going to make it easy for you.

So let your curiosity get the

better of you! Come and see

your familiar friendly

shopkeepers in the unfamiliar

setting of the stripy market

stalls; come and support your

local High street on December

1st (and then come again for the

Festive Christmas market on

December 15th!)

Ovington

Bazaar Come along to the village hall

between 12 and 3pm on

Saturday 1st December and

sample the delights of a

traditional Christmas Bazaar.

Pick up a bargain or two on the

gifts and crafts stalls which will

be crammed with ideas to

inspire your festive shopping.

We have a variety of games and

competitions to keep you

occupied and refreshments to

sustain you. Lunch is available

in the form of rolls or delicious

home-made soups, as well as

plenty of tea and cakes. The

competition for the under 16s to

design a Christmas card will be

judged at 2pm. Entry to the

bazaar is free and all proceeds

are divided between the Church

and the village hall.

Car Boot,

Carols and

Bingo all

at Ashill

Community

Centre There are some really good

events being held at Ashill

Community Centre in December

starting on Sunday 2nd with a Car

Boot from 9 – 12.30 (in aid of the

Community Centre).

On Sunday 9th at 3pm there is a

Carol Concert in aid of Cancer

Research UK with Watton Silver

band. Entry is £2 for adults and

£1 for children which includes

home-made cakes and there will

be a raffle.

And on Tuesday 11th there is

Cash Bingo with eyes down at

7.30pm and includes a raffle.

Do not fear,

the Christmas

Indoor Market

is here

Christmas is almost upon us and as

December the 25th draws ever

nearer, we all have that daunting

problem of finding the perfect gifts

for our loved ones.

I imagine by now you're all planning

that trek to do the big Christmas

shop? Well this year you will have

to look no further than your local

high school, Wayland Academy.

With the lack of the usual Watton

Festive Market, a group of local

young people decided that an indoor

Christmas Market would be an ideal

opportunity to bring that festive

spirit into Watton once again.

The school hall will be full of local

crafts people selling their unique and

beautiful gifts at affordable prices.

The organisers, whom are mainly

attendees of The Surge, will be

donating all profits they make to

Project Rainbow in aid of organising

more excursions for the young

people of Wayland.

The day will commence at 11.30am

and Santa will be arriving at 1.30pm

to meet and greet all the local

children in his grotto (photos of this

magical moment will be available

for purchase).

There will be a wide variety of stalls

at the event to suit everyone's desires

including: festive tombolas; hand

crafted jewellery and traditional

Christmas tree decorations.

If whilst browsing the market you feel

a little peckish there will be

inexpensive refreshments on sale:

cakes, mince pies and hot/cold drinks

are just a few examples of the snacks

available until the event closes at 4pm.

We all look forward to seeing you at

the event on Sunday the 9th of

December and would like to wish

those we do not meet on the day a

very Merry Christmas.

Three West Norfolk Community

Choirs are coming together to sing for

their audience who will be seated at

candle-lit tables on Saturday 15th

December at Swaffham Assembly

rooms. Starting at 7.30pm the evening

includes a glass of wine on arrival and

a buffet supper later on. People are

also encouraged to bring their own

wine and drinks to carry them through

the rest of the evening and the choir

members themselves are preparing

delicious delights for the food table.

Proceeds from this event will go to

‘Operation Smile’ that is a charity

providing free surgery to repair cleft

lips, cleft palates and other facial

deformities for children around the

globe.

Swaffham, Snettisham and Fakenham

Community choirs are part of an

initiative by their Musical Director

Carol O’Neill who founded Sing For

Wellbeing in 2008. “When singing in a

traditional concert setting we don’t get

to mingle with our audience so at this

special time of year we thought we

would do something different,” said

Carol. “It is also an opportunity for us

to do something for the unfortunate

children in this world who cannot

smile so readily.”

“We plan to sing a short repertoire of

Seasonal & Winter songs and then

hand out song sheets and invite our

audience to sing traditional Christmas

Carols with us where they are seated.

For the rest of the evening we will

socialise in a convivial setting.” She

continued.

This proves to be a popular event so

early booking is recommended.

Tickets are £5 and can be got from

The Green Parrot and Ceres Bookshop

in Swaffham, Sweets ‘n’ Things in

Fakenham and Scrappy Cat Crafts in

Snettisham. Tickets can also be

reserved by calling 01328 838316 or

by visiting

www.singforwellbeing.co.uk

Operation Smile for

a Christmas Soireé

Christmas Art

Exhibition

The Dragonfly Gallery proudly

present Christmas Art Exhibition with

a seasonal theme from Saturday 1st

December – Saturday 15th December

Dragonfly Gallery, Wayland House,

High St, Watton.

18 artists, mediums to include: acrylic,

mixed media, silk, pastel, watercolour,

oil, textile, jewellery and collage.

Please join us for a trip around the

Christmas Cornucopia. Housed within

the gallery is Dragonfly Gifts and

Cards – a small retail area to support

both the artists and the Gallery.

Unique art cards and unusual crafted

gifts, all hand-made by local artists.

Opening Times: Weekdays 10 - 4pm,

Saturdays 10 – 1pm Contact Susan

Hollingworth for further information

01953 880205

Rocklands

December

Bingo The next Bingo will be held at

Rocklands Village Hall on Wednesday

19st December. Doors open 7pm for

7.45pm start. Have a great night out for

less than £5! As well as a warm

welcome, there will be cash prizes,

festive refreshments, raffle and a very

generous Jackpot on offer. All Proceeds

go to the Village Hall.

The Country

Market this

Christmas Country Market wishes all its

customers a Happy Christmas and

Prosperous New Year

All our producers thank you for your

custom over the past year and wish you

a very happy Christmas. The Market

will close for a well earned break in

January. We close at 11.30 a.m. on

Wednesday, 19th December, 2012 and

reopen at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 6th

February, 2013.

All customers coming to the Market on

5th and 12th December will receive a

free raffle ticket for a £10 voucher to

spend in the Market. The draw will be

made first thing on 19th December and

the winner can spend the voucher at any

time from then on. It can be used for a

mixture of items from our different

stalls - just tell the sales people that you

are going to use a voucher when you

make your selection.

Many lovely gift items are now

appearing on the stalls as well as all the

usual baked goods, produce, and fresh

eggs. Jewellery, small quilts, bags, tree

decorations, gift boxes, aprons, knitted

goods, including some really pretty

baby clothes, and some unusual gifts,

are all there for your interest and

delight. Greetings cards for all

occasions are readily available. Also

we hope to welcome our wooden

toymaker back for the last few weeks.

All our goods meet the high standards

required by the Environment Agency of

all retailers. You can buy from us

locally made products with the utmost

confidence in their quality and safety.

Happy shopping! Happy Christmas!


Norfolk Wildlife Trust

To ask a question about the Norfolk’s Wildlife please call the Norfolk Wildlife Information Service. Wildline 01603 598333 9am - 5pm Mon - Fri.

E-mail [email protected] Website http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/naturalconnections

Further details and Membership enquiries 01953 498467 Local group E-mail: [email protected]

Tuesday 18th December, 7.45pm-10pm In Search of Wild Orchids. A talk by Roger Jones, followed by Seasonal refreshments and raffle. Venue: Watton Christian Community Centre, 57 High Street Watton. Cost : Members £5 Non-members £6

Councillor's

Chat

With Michael Wassell

I am sure that we were all inspired by

the determination and success of our

British Olympic and Paralympics

athletes earlier this year. Now a new

generation of budding athletes will

have an opportunity to discover where

their sporting talents lie, thanks to

Breckland Council’s 2012 Olympic

Legacy Sportivate courses.

Running during November and

December in Attleborough, Swaffham,

Watton and Thetford, the courses offer

a variety of sporting opportunities for

residents aged 14 – 25 years. Young

people inspired by Britain’s cycling

success can try out the ‘Virtual

Velodrome’, an extensive workout

where young people can pit their wits

against the world’s finest cyclists in

virtual on-screen races. Other courses

include boxing, archery, table tennis,

dodgeball and trampolining.

The Sportivate courses have been

organised by Breckland Council in

partnership with Active Norfolk and

local schools, clubs and activity

providers. There are six sessions for

each sport and participants can attend

as many of these as they wish. The cost

is £2.50 per session and anyone

attending five of the six sessions will be

entered into a prize draw to win a £30

Amazon voucher.

For more information about the

courses, call Stefan Clifford on 01362

656870 or look for sports information

on the Communities pages of the

Breckland Council website

www.breckland.gov.uk.

Breckland Council is helping the old

and vulnerable stay warm and well this

winter.

The Council is working with partners

across the District to make sure those

most vulnerable are identified and

supplied with a pack of items to help

them keep warm as part of a Norfolk-

wide Warm and Well campaign.

The ‘Keep Warm’ kits are packed full

of goodies for the winter, including

fleece blankets, hot water bottles and

room thermometers.

Keep Warm and Well is a joint project

between Breckland District Council,

the county council, the NHS, and the

voluntary sector.

I have arranged for packs to be

available for collection from Watton

Town Council offices, and I am

grateful for their help in this matter.

These should be ready for collection by

the time that this article is published. If

anyone requires any information on this

please do not hesitate to contact me.

I was very pleased to represent

Breckland District Council at the

launch of an innovative programme

aimed at achieving a greater number

of new business starts throughout the

district. In collaboration with Norfolk

County Council, Enterprise Norfolk

in Breckland will provide people with

the necessary skills, knowledge and

confidence to take that big step into

starting a business and to potentially

turn an idea into a reality. The

program is free of charge and

individuals and businesses that sign

up to Enterprise Norfolk will benefit

from continuing support from

Breckland’s Economic Development

Service.

Enterprise Norfolk in Breckland will

include:

Training on things such as writing a

business plan, self-assessments,

financing, marketing etc.

One-to-one mentoring from business

coaches and mentors,

Advice and guidance from business

start-up professionals,

Awareness raising events; and much

more.

Courses, events and meetings will be

held in Watton and the other 4 market

towns in Breckland. For more

information please contact Dan Cox of

Breckland’s Economic Development

Service. ([email protected] or

01362 656235)

During the recent “Could We Should

We” meetings that were held

throughout the district, I was

encouraged that the attendance at the

Watton meeting was the largest at any

of the 5 events. You will have seen the

results that have been widely publicised

and are available on the Breckland web

site www.breckland.gov.uk.

I think that many were surprised at

some of results in particular that nearly

80% of the respondents felt that it was

appropriate to raise council tax, in order

to meet the current financial constraints

that all district councils throughout the

country are facing.

Part of my responsibility as a Cabinet

Member at Breckland is Finance, and I

am acutely aware of the pressures that

we are facing, in terms of providing

value for money. I have emphasised

these pressures to our representatives in

national government, meeting several

times with George Freeman MP, who

has confirmed his support, and who

will reinforce the representations that

we have already made at a high

Ministerial level. It might be of interest

to learn that if one were to move a few

miles or so along the road to Hingham

instead of paying £64.05 to Breckland

as a Band D council tax payer, you

would pay £130.68 to South Norfolk

District Council. The refuse bins there

must be gold plated! On a more serious

note, I want to assure residents that

when we produce our spending and

income proposals we will take into

account the main points that the public

have raised.

If you would like me to keep you

updated on what is happening in

Breckland then please email me with

your contact email address and I will be

pleased to do so. This will be the last

time that I write before Christmas , so I

just want to take the opportunity to

wish everyone, a very Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year, which I hope

brings all that you wish for.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if

you feel I can be of assistance on any

Breckland District Council matter.

My contact details: Email:

[email protected]

Phone: 01953 882884 or 07778 491569

Regards to all Michael Wassell

Diabetes UK We held our A.G.M. at our November meeting

and 18 members attended. We have had quite a

successful year, which included an extremely

generous cheque for our group, proceeds from

two of our members opening their gardens to

the public, (despite a problem with the road

outside their houses), and monies raised from

the carnival etc. We thanked all those who have

helped us over the past 12 months and members

both new and old - John & Rod!!! We also

thanked the Church for all they do for us and

how accommodating they are to our

requirements. The Committee stood down and

was re-elected back "en masse".

Our final meeting of the year will be on

December 10th at 10.15am. This will be our

Christmas Party and rumour has it that we could

be lucky enough to receive a visit from Santa

himself. Maybe if he brings one of his little elf

friends with him, they could help with the

washing up again!!!

If you would like details of this meeting, or

about the group, please phone Helen, 01953

884713, leave a message and I will get back to

you as soon as I can.

On behalf of Ron, myself, Susie, David & Jill

may I wish all our members and all readers A

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New

Year. We look forward to meeting mor new

people in the New Year.

He gives twice

who gives quickly Did you know the motto for SSAFA FH and

what does it mean?

Well this applies throughout life don’t you

think?

If your child is crying or upset the quicker

you can give them a kiss and a reassuring hug

the sooner they will recover and learn how to

cope.

If someone is unwell, the sooner you can give

them comfort and maybe a lift to the surgery

or to the hospital the better for them.

If one of your family is in financial trouble

the sooner you can give them a red one (£10

note) to tied them over the sooner you can

relieve their worry.

The sooner you put the bird feeders up in the

garden the sooner the birds and their young

will be ready to face the winter months.

If someone has worries and concerns the

sooner you get the kettle on and give them

some time to talk the sooner they can get

over their upset and try to get on.

The sooner you put anti freeze in your car the

sooner it will feel the benefit in the cold

months

The sooner you get your flu vaccination the

sooner you have the protection . you need.

The sooner you plant your Spring bulbs the

sooner you can go out in the New Year and

look for the first signs of end of winter.

And the sooner you contact SSAFA (Norfolk)

with your donation or with your request for

assistance the sooner SSAFA FH can help you,

your family or someone you know.

SSAFA FH are here all year round, not just at

Christmas. We are here to answer your call when

you need help and we will do it sooner rather than

later. Tel 01 603 403322 (Mornings)

SSAFA FH (Norfolk) wish all good Seasons

Greetings and a Happy and safe New Year.

Christmas Coffee Morning with Crafts and Gifts

at St Mary’s Church, Watton Saturday 8th December

9.30am – 12 noon Come and enjoy a coffee and browse our

craft, gifts, cake and produce stalls.


Ashill Youth Club

Christmas Fair 2pm Saturday 15th December

Ashill Community Centre

Raffle ~ Tomboloa ~ Cake Stall Games and Santa in his Grotto

Refreshments

To donate a prize for the Tombola or Raffle etc. please contact Mark on 01760 440 577

Great

Hockham

Gardening

Club Our club meeting on Wednesday 14th

November was attended by 25

members. Our Chairman, Ed, welcomed

everyone and introduced our speaker,

Barry Gayton (right), radio and

Countrywide Question Time broadcaster

whose garden, Desert World we will be

visiting in August. His talk, entitled

‘Weird and Wonderful’ was really

interesting and his photographic

presentation showed incredible

deviations and intriguing gifts of nature.

He brought along examples and plants

to buy too. He was also a great asset for

our own ‘Question Time’ problems.

We now have 3 competition

opportunities each meeting, a flower, a

fruit or vegetable and a seasonal

photograph, garden or nature inspired.

The winners for October were Flower:

1st Claudine Garrod, 2nd Jane Dalton,

3rd Jill de Ruyter; Veg/Fruit: 1st Chris

Halford, 2nd Sue Cunningham. 3rd Sue

Thomas; Photo: 1st Jane Dalton, 2nd

Chris Dalton

Hazel will take in orders for Fothergill’s

seed merchants at the December

meeting, from which we should get a

40% discount if we order up to £100 in

total.

Everyone was reminded to sign up for

the Annual Dinner at McTaggarts on

January 30th. Also please book in

advance for the Clematis Pruning at

Thorncroft Clematis Nursery on Sat

16th February. To book or for more

information please give me a call.

Our next Club meeting is on Wednesday

12th December and is a Quiz Night and

Social evening.

Teams of 4 to 6 max. Free to members.

£3 non-members.

Members are asked to bring along a

plate of finger food to share also a Xmas

raffle prize. Drinks provided.

It is an ideal time to join our club, make

new friends and learn new skills.

Membership fee just £10 per year. We

meet on the 2nd Wednesday of every

month.

Our indoor meetings are at the

Edinburgh Hall, Harling Rd. Gt.

Hockham and start at 7.45pm.

Look us up on our website:

www.greathockhamgardeningclub.org.uk

We would like to say how super the new

kitchen looks in the village hall and how

nice it is to have such improved facilities

for everyone who uses the hall to enjoy.

Well done to everyone concerned.

We would like to take this opportunity

to wish everyone a very happy

Christmas and all the best for the New

Year. Jane Dalton (Club Sec. Tel:

01953 498694)

Because of the election of Police

Commissioners we had to hold our

November meeting a week early on

8th. Our speaker was Coral Hoyos

from Gooderstone Water Gardens and

her talk was a fascinating mix of

history and the current gardens.

The Water Gardens were started by

Coral’s parents when they retired

from dairy farming. We were shown

a slide of a small herd of cows in

what appeared to be a very wet field.

This led to the youngest son’s

suggestion of a ‘river walk garden’

to keep Dad occupied.

Billy Knights (Dad) was so taken by

this idea the plans he drew up had to

be done on a roll of wallpaper.

Bearing in mind that Billy was 69 at

this stage, to get these plans up and

running and organise all the

machinery to dig out waterways and

ponds must have been as much hard

work as farming.

He made friends with the late Alan

Bloom who became a valued adviser

as Billy had no formal training. All

the while Coral showed us slides of the

progress of the gardens. Sadly they

became derelict after Billy’s death but

she inherited the 6.5 acres and in 2002

began a very tough restoration.

Not content with this area she

expanded the gardens to incorporate an

8acre natural area for wildlife. This

area is accessed via 13 various bridges

across the waterways, one of which

features in all her publicity material

and is called the Monet Bridge. Not

surprising if you see a photo of it! All

these bridges needed rebuilding.

The many slides showed us plants in

huge drifts but nothing exotic. The

sheer talent of putting the right plant in

the right place makes it all look

stunning and some of the varieties

have turned up all by themselves.

Coral has left these in many places as

they are obviously happy where they

are. This is the kind of gardening we

all do only on a rather grander scale.

What a nice surprise when some water

gardens tend to be terribly formal with

hard landscaping between ponds.

Thank you Coral. It was a real

pleasure. It was good to share the fun

with her as she (like all our speakers)

was asked to judge the mini-show.

Luckily she likes confectionery as this

month’s show was 6 pieces of

confectionery to give as a Christmas

gift, with one piece for the judge to

taste. The winner was Barbara

Steward with Anne Marie Haskey 2nd

and Sheila Sorrell 3rd. All the entries

looked delicious and must have been

so as Coral thought she’d like to go

round again to be sure! What a star.

We ended the meeting with Geoff’s

Tips which included plant bare root

trees and shrubs, prune apples and

pears by a third, remove hellebore

leaves and much more but you’ll

have to come to a meeting for the

full monty.

Marianne Kilmartin, Chairman

Bradenham & District

Horticultural Society

October’s guest speaker

was Allan Hale who gave a

presentation on “A Birder’s

Year in Norfolk” and

featured many spectacular

photographs from his own

garden in Beachamwell as

well as other parts of the

county.

Starting with winter birds,

he began with the familiar

pheasant and partridge

found in local gardens and

then moved on to the pink

footed goose, from Siberia

and Iceland, which are

found on the north Norfolk

coast. Allan not only

photographs birds but also

rings them, a process that takes

three years to secure a licence.

Using nets, he captures birds such

as the waxwing and goldcrest and

carefully weighs and measures

them before applying the ring. He

revealed that greenfinches have

become far less common in recent

years: he used to ring 400 of them

each year but a digestive disease

spread at bird feeders has reduced

numbers to about a quarter of this.

Blue tits and great tits readily

nested in garden nest boxes but he

advised members to ensure that

these boxes did not face the

prevailing wind and rain from the

south and west. The goldfinch was

probably the most common bird in

Allan’s garden and thrived on

niger seed from his many feeders.

In the reed beds on the north coast

wigeon and coot were common

winter birds. Starlings were

declining in number but are more

common in winter and some travel

from as far afield as from 300

miles the other side of Moscow.

Turning to springtime visitors,

Allan showed pictures of several

birds that are found on the coast at

that time such as the bearded tit,

sanderling, mediterranean gull,

avocet and black tailed godwit. He

showed a dramatic sequence of

photographs depicting a bittern

seeing off a heron that had strayed

into its territory. He finished this

section of his presentation by

showing several attractive

photographs of owls and kestrels.

Allan warned that gulls on roofs

were becoming a considerable pest

in places such as King’s Lynn in

early summer. Here in the docks

area could be found the spectacular

peregrine falcon with its three to

four foot wing span. In fact, he had

helped to place a metre square nest

box on a high building there and

falcons had used it by year three,

the first time these birds had bred

in the area for 150 years. He also

featured the ring plover,

woodcock, willow warbler and

wren as common at this time of

year. Members were surprised to

see that the kingfisher was little

larger than a house sparrow. Sedge

warblers and marsh harriers could

be found in wetland habitats in

summer and now buzzards were

more common at this time of year

over Norfolk. Woodpeckers, jays

and robins were also featured, the

last of these starting life with dirty

brown plumage before developing

their red breasts.

Autumnal visitors to Norfolk Allan

mentioned included the swallow,

hobby, knot and oyster catcher.

There were now breeding colonies

of egrets at Holkham and King’s

Lynn. By November tree sparrows

can be found although they are

becoming rare; snow bunting can

be seen at Cley and Salthouse. In

December waders and ducks are

common at places such as Wells,

as well as curlews and brent geese.

Allan finished by defending the

much maligned sparrow hawk that

is often seen as responsible for

killing garden birds such as the

blackbird and blue tit: he argued

that these two common birds

produced about 14 offspring

annually but about 12 of these are

destroyed by cold and starvation as

well as sparrow hawks before the

next breeding season, with the

sparrow hawk only being

responsible for helping to harvest

the surplus; certainly they are

infrequent visitors to his garden

where he rings several hundred

birds each year.

Allan concluded his presentation

with a humorous quiz which

perfectly completed a delightful

and informative afternoon for

which he was warmly thanked.

Ashill and Holme Hale

Garden Club

Chris Warren won the best single stem

flower competition, a stunning dahlia.

December AGM for the

Ovington Gardening Club The November meeting was given by Mrs A Bridge on the subject of

'Colour, Chaos and Curry'. This was a very interesting travelogue of a

visit to India and Sri Lanka which showed the differences in attitude to

road safety, hygiene, animal welfare and many other issues. This talk

was totally different to normal and was very well received by members.

The December meeting is the Annual General Meeting and will be

held at 7.45pm on Wednesday 5th December in the village hall.

There is an informal meeting following the AGM and the

programme for 2013 will be available as well as refreshments

provided by the committee and friends.


Ashill Community Centre

Car Boot Sale Sunday 2nd December

£6 per table

To book a table please contact Mark on 01760 440 577

Refreshments & Tombola in Hall

At last the weather turned a little

kinder in the middle of November.

Just for a day or two but it enabled

us to get out and tidy a bit. There’s

always a difference of opinion at

this time of year regarding tidiness.

One school of thought likes to ‘put

the garden to bed’ for the winter

with neatly dug beds and borders,

no weeds and all the fallen leaves

gathered and disposed of in proper

mesh bins or bags tucked in corners.

Another one thinks ’oh leave it till

spring - it’ll all die down anyway’

or ‘the dead stalks and seedheads

look wonderful covered in frost‘.

This view has a lot of merit as all

the dead stuff lying around gives

cover to small mammals and insects

(and slugs and snails). Then there’s

the middle ground. This bunch digs

as seems to be necessary to get rid

of perennial weeds and veg that will

never amount to anything after the

summer we had and leaves the

leaves on bare soil or sturdy plants. I

have to admit to belonging to this

last group and enthusiastically

embrace Monty Don’s advice on

Gardeners’ World the other week

that leaves can be swept off paths or

grass back under the shrubs or

hedges that dumped them in the first

place. Why didn’t I think of that

before? I bet most of you already

knew that but never told me.

Here’s the thing, if you tidy up a bit

then you have a little room for

something else. Now’s a good

planting time either for now or

spring. Bare root shrubs planted

now will flower next spring/

summer, probably better than those

planted at the time from containers.

You have to have faith in the

suppliers though as the only

information you have is in the

catalogue, on the website and/or on

the label. Container grown shrubs

are usually sold in flower so you

know exactly what you are getting.

Winter flowers tend to be on shrubs

or at ground level. Taller things

have the sense to wait until the

threat of heavy snow or gales is

pretty much over. Whilst browsing

for the Christmas Tree and lights

and shiny things to go on it it’s

worth having a look at garden

centres and sheds as they will all

have racks of plants for sale.

Pansies, violas and hardy cyclamen

are all available in December and a

cheery sight they are too.

Ornamental kale/cabbage plants

have become more popular over the

years and I have to say they are a bit

‘Marmite’ as one either loves or

hates them. They do pep up a

container though and have the

advantage (if you don’t much care

for them) of becoming very tatty

once spring starts so can be

composted with a clear conscience.

The shrubs that flower between the

end of November and February tend

to have small flowers that pack a

punch of scent. Winter honeysuckle,

wintersweet, Viburnum x

bodnantense ‘Dawn’, some

Daphnes and witch hazels all come

into this category and really need to

be planted near a path or doorway

so you can get the benefit of the

perfume. Some can be a bit

overpowering and spread the scent

far and wide. If that’s the case enjoy

something that someone else has

planted! If you are fortunate enough

to have a reasonably sheltered fence

or wall facing south or west you

could try draping it with clematis.

‘Freckles’ is probably the first one

developed for scent and availability

but new varieties are coming along

all the time. To get the best ones for

flowering in winter it might be best

to contact a specialist grower or

look on the internet. To list them all

would take up even more of Julian’s

space!

The best advice for winter - keep off

the lawn! The next best advice for

Christmas time is don’t buy tender

pot plants and poinsettias that have

been outside shops or on market

stalls for hours. They’ll get chilled

and won’t last long.

The advice I keep for the New

Year’s resolution list, every year, is

to tidy up the shed, garage and

greenhouse. Then clean tools, trays

and pots and store them neatly. I do

mean it but when it comes to it on a

cold and miserable day…

A very Merry Christmas to all and

do remember if you can get outside,

keep weeding!

In your garden with Lotta Potts

Gareth Malone has shown the

nation that Choirs can change

peoples’ lives and Swaffham

Community Choir runs on the

same principles. The Choir is

once again opening its doors to

new members as it moves into

its 5th year and offers everyone

the opportunity to sing for

wellbeing in a warm welcoming

group where auditions are not

necessary. Starting on 8th

January the 12-week term runs

on Tuesdays from 7pm – 9pm at

the Sacred Heart School on

Mangate Street and is accessible

to all ages and abilities.

“There is nothing like a

Community Choir for forging

friendships and having fun,” said

The Choir's founder and musical

director Carol O’Neill who has

been running choirs and groups

for 18 years. “The sessions are

designed to introduce people to

their own voices and enable

them to blend with others to

produce stunning results but no-

one ever has to sing on their own

unless they choose to.”

“Over time a great sense of

wellbeing and belonging develops

when a Choir works together to

achieve something that they

wouldn’t have thought possible.

Choir night becomes sacred to

many people because it adds

another dimension to their lives.

Singing is also a great way of

improving your health as the lungs

expand to support the heart,

oxygenating the blood, nourishing

our organs and lifting the spirits,”

continued Carol.

People who are interested in

belonging to the choir should call

Carol on 01328 838316 or visit

www.singforwellbeing.co.uk

Gareth Malone style choir

takes on new members

Watton Medical Practice

Winter Newsletter

Thank you to all of the patients who

have taken the time to complete our

latest Questionnaire. 366 patients

returned the surveys and the feedback

has been interesting, constructive and

given us a clear idea where we need to

improve.

Thank you also to the members of the

Patient Liaison Group who agreed the

initial survey and who took the time to

come into the surgery to act as

independent survey takers!

The latest survey means that with the

one done earlier in this year in the

summer; we have surveyed over 600

patients regarding the appointment

system and the surgery.

The results have been very conclusive.

95% of Patients said that the

appointment system worked for them.

90% of patients who expressed a

preference said that they would

recommend the practice.

90% of Patients are either Very

Satisfied or Satisfied with the care they

receive at the surgery

Areas for Improvement are mainly

around communicating the methods

and application of the existing

appointment system

Some patients did not know that a

phone call can be with a GP of choice.

Some patients told us that they did not

know that they can ask for a mutually

convenient time for a return phone

call.

Some patients did not know that phone

calls can be booked in advance for

early morning (Tuesday or Thursday)

or late evening (Wednesday).

Especially to assist those who are busy

during the day or have difficulty

receiving a call in normal working

hours.

Some patients have requested more

information on how the appointments

system works.

Some patients did not like having to

inform the call taker of the reason for

wanting to talk to the doctor.

We will aim to continue to produce

newsletters and information for our

patients and to try to disseminate the

information to as wide an audience as

possible, via newspaper, Parish

Magazine, local outlets, in surgery,

through personal distribution, and on

our website.

If you would like to receive the

quarterly newsletter by e-mail, please

pop your details into reception.

We also hope that many of

you will receive this

newsletter and be able to

spread the information to

those who do not have

access to it; to answer some

of the survey’s comments,

the details of the

appointment system are as

follows:

1. Phone in to the surgery

01953 881247, throughout

the morning to ask for an

appointment.

2. If you would like to speak

to a specific doctor or have a

specific time frame for the

return call, please make it

known to the call taker.

3. If you choose to do so (it

is not compulsory) please

give an indication for the

reason for your request to

the call taker, it may help

the doctor.

4. The doctor will call you

back and will discuss your condition

with you the patient, and together you

will agree an action plan. This may

include an appointment at the surgery,

medication, tests, referral, wait and

see, or a mixture of all of these.

5. It may be appropriate for the doctor

that you speak to, to book you an

appointment with another doctor or the

nurse practitioner, this is making the

very best use of clinical resources at

the practice

6. If you require a follow up

appointment, the doctor will discuss

this with you and if necessary the

doctor will make the appointment

themselves.

Finally and as an important note, we

do not have trainee doctors in the

building. Every doctor is fully

qualified but we may have doctors

who are continuing their training and

gaining experience whilst at the

practice.

The GP Appointment System - frequently

asked questions I can never get to see the doctor. Just

phone in to the surgery and the doctor

will call you back. If you need to see

the doctor, the doctor will organise it

with you. The discussion regarding a

plan for your health will be made

between you and the doctor.

I can’t get an appointment with a

specific doctor. Just tell the

receptionist your preference and they

will offer you a telephone call-back

with the doctor of your choice.

I don’t want to tell a receptionist

what is wrong with me. No-one has

to tell the receptionist what is wrong

with them, patients can say “Personal”

However, if you feel able to give a

brief reason for the call, it really does

help the doctor.

I can’t book in advance to see a

doctor. If you need to book a

telephone call-back in advance, just

tell the receptionist and they will

organise it on a mutually convenient

date in the following 2 weeks.

I work so I can’t have an telephone

appointment. You can specify a

convenient time for us to call you

back. We also offer early morning

calls on a Tuesday and Thursday and

late evening calls on a Wednesday,

which can be requested.


The picture above shows pupils of

Watton Westfield Infant and

Nursery School who have been

enjoying their new Musical

Garden Area. It has chimes, a steel

pan, a percussion stick, a

xylophone, a staging area, a story

chair and will soon have lovely

planters and a set of drums.

The school would like to thank the

Friends of Westfield, Wayland

Partnership, QTR, Mr and Mrs

Orford and EMI for their generous

grants and donations that made

this facility possible.

A very generous elderly Watton

couple, Mr and Mrs Orford gave

money for the project originally

and have recently donated a

further £1,500 to buy more. The

school would like to offer their

sincere thanks to Mr and Mrs

Orford for their kindness and

generosity.

Pupils of Watton Westfield Enjoy a

New Musical Garden

Watton Town Team launches plans for

an exciting 2013 in Watton High Street

The past year or so has brought

difficult times to the retail and

service sectors in every town, but

it is the independent shops in small

market towns such as ours that

have been the hardest hit. In recent

months the Town Team, formed

earlier this year to try to address

the problems facing local

independent traders, has been

working hard to make a difference

and they have some really positive

ideas to keep local

shoppers coming into the

High Street and to attract

visitors from outside the

Wayland area. The Town

Team has produced a

programme of events -

Wayland Weekends - for

2013 which they believe

will help to increase the footfall in

the town, if they can market and

publicise them well and make

them happen successfully.

How can Wayland News Readers

help?

First of all talk about what is

happening in our High Street

(which of course includes the old

Thetford Road, Norwich Rd and

Middle Street); word of mouth is

always the best form of advertising

– so tell your neighbours, and if

you are a part of the digital world,

tell your friends on Facebook,

tweet and re-tweet your followers

on Twitter; start a positive

conversation on Streetlife.

Secondly we need people who do

their shopping somewhere else, to

change their habits. We need to be

able to show existing retailers that

there is a loyal customer base and

that will also encourage potential

new retailers to take up space in

the High Street.

So what is the Town Team

planning?

Across 2013 they are planning a

series of themed events that will

highlight and promote as many of

our shops and services as possible.

For example almost every retail

business and most of the services

could be involved in the Wedding

Weekend in March because they sell

gifts or services for newlyweds and

those setting up a new home.

A Book Event which might include

quizzes and competitions to delight

the younger generation might focus

on the Bookshop, books stalls and

the library but through window

dressing and competitions would

bring shoppers into most High Street

businesses.

Similarly a ‘High Street in Bloom’

event could give a wonderful focus

to the High Street in summer with

flower and plant arrangements

everywhere. And to help manage the

cost to the Town Team Wayland

News readers who are gardeners and

allotment holders might consider

growing flowers and plants to help

with this event.

The following programme which

still at the planning stage and

which has been discussed with the

retailers, includes a wide variety of

themes to attract the interest of a

wide range of groups. It is not yet

set in stone as the final dates may

depend on a number of factors

beyond our control.

March 23rd (or 30th Easter Sat)

Wedding Weekend (An

Easter celebration for those

planning a wedding and/or a

new home)

April: Motorcycle event in

association with Lings.

May 4th (Bank Holiday

weekend) or 11th Wayland

Book Week For Adults and

children a Story Book Window

Competition Promoting our Book

Shop & the Library and Reading

June 22nd/23rd Classic Car

Weekend – Cars everywhere

July 13th The High Street in Bloom

– Shops and streets full of flowers

promoting our Florists

September 14th: Wayland Healthy

Eating Week Health Fair/Food

Festival/Food demonstrations

October 5th Wayland 40’s

Weekend Recalling our WWII

Heritage, Rationing, RAF Watton,

the Blenheims, the ‘Yanks’

December Celebrating Christmas

Please contact Beryl (882265) or

Chris (881234) of the Town Team if

you need more information or are

able to help.

High Street Saturday Markets 1st December - The ‘Inside Out’ Market

Come and meet some of the High Street

businesses you might never have visited!

15th December Entrepreneurs’ Market

and Charity Christmas Market

Watton blind people

need your help Norfolk’s leading charity for people with poor

sight is appealing for help to run its monthly

audio book club in Watton.

The Norfolk and Norwich Association for the

Blind is looking for a volunteer to lead the club,

which is held on the first Wednesday of each

month at Watton Library.

The charity’s leisure co-ordinator, Mark Smith,

said: “Audio books are a wonderful way for

people who can’t cope with print any more to

continue to enjoy the world of literature.

“We need someone perhaps with a literary

background, or a former teacher to lead our

discussion group in Watton to co-ordinate lively

debate and opinion, and make a real difference to

the lives of visually impaired people in the area.

“It’s only an hour and a half a month, but it can

be very rewarding.”

Ring Mark Smith on 01603 629558 or e-mail

[email protected] if you can help.

Macmillan Coffee

Morning Thanks Jenny and Dave Simons would like to thank

everyone who supported their coffee morning

by attending or by donations. The total raised

was £442.50, which included £103 from the

Esso Garage who had put a collecting box in

their shop on the official Biggest Coffee

Morning day. Many thanks to their customers

and our helpers on the day - Sue and Trevor

Bunce, Stella Leonard, Jill Beech, Lesley

Cowling, Pam Challand, John Carter and

Penny Simons.


Watton Hockey Club Christmas Bingo Weds. 5th December in the Gallery Bar

Doors open 7pm, Eyes down 7.30pm

Great Prizes - Everyone Welcome

The Watton Society celebrated the 20th

anniversary of their annual quiz in the Queens

Hall on 7th November. Mr Peter Walmsley

again showered the evening with wit and

information whilst being a generous and

kindly question master. Once more a very

close contest resulted in “The Team with no

Name” retaining the coveted wooden spoon

trophy with 148 points. However “The Likely

Lasses” ran them a very close second with 144

points, and they themselves were only 2 points

up on “Rotundas” with 142 points. Shown

holding the SPOON are Mr Barry Bethell, Mrs

Judith Bethell, Mrs Nancy Robert, and Mr

Daryl Woodward. This team now have an

unbroken run of 4 successive wins. We

should not forget the spirit of the evening in

that each and every team entered is very much

appreciated by everyone attending the event.

The “Co Operative” team manfully accepted

the prize for propping up the others and they

were as much applauded as any other for their

entry. Bryan H Wykes

(Vice Chairman Watton Society)

The Watton Society Quiz

Inner Wheel Club of Watton News

Since the last publication of the Wayland News,

the members of Watton Inner Wheel Club have

been busy. Very busy. The October meeting took

the form of a Cookery Demonstration by Ray

Lock who showed the ladies how to make exotic

desserts – Black Forest Gateau and Hazelnut

Meringue – in time for the Christmas Season.

Wine was served and the delicious desserts

sampled by those present.

November 2nd saw the return of the regular Barn

Dances organised by Inner Wheel. A good

company enjoyed trying to follow the Caller’s

instructions and dancing to the music of

Shinanikins. A Ploughman’s Supper was served

and the evening, which included a raffle, realised

£214 for Charities supported by the Club.

The following Wednesday the Queen’s Hall was

packed for the first of a season of Lunchtime

Concerts. The President welcomed the popular

‘Westend Waiters’ to entertain the audience and

they were ably supported by local Drama Group

‘Four by Four’. Following the Concert, which

was hugely enjoyed by those present, lunch was

served. After expenses, this event added a further

£372:66 to the Charities Account. In the evening

two teams from the Club took part in the Watton

Society Quiz.

The Club meeting in November was attended by

the District Chairman, Maria Raynor. After the

business meeting, which included making a

Christmas donation of £100 to each of the

following charities – The Thursday Club,Tapping

House Hospice, Nelson’s Journey, St Martin’s,

PACT, the Salvation Army and Star Throwers,

Maria gave an interesting talk entitled ‘From

Chieti Scalo to District 8’. This traced the journey

of her family from post-war Italy to Saffron

Waldron. She also outlined her hopes for Inner

Wheel and congratulated the Club on all

activities. Maria was thanked by President Jenny

Simons who presented her with a gift and a

cheque for her chosen charity ‘Acorn House’

On Tuesday 13th November 4 members attended

the District meeting at Diss.

Currently the ladies are preparing for the

Christmas Coffee morning on December 1st.

This will feature stalls, Tombola, raffle, and

delicious home made cakes and pastries.This

event supports Inner Wheel charities and the

Queen’s Hall maintenance fund. The ladies are

also rehearsing for the next Lunchtime Concert

to be held on December 12th at 12 noon, when

they invite everyone to join them for a Christmas

Celebration followed by lunch with a decidedly

festive theme. Both events take place in the

Queen’s Hall and tickets for the latter (£5) are

available from Mullengers. Proceeds for charities

supported by Inner wheel.

District Chair, Maria Raynor receives a gift from Watton President, Jenny Simons (right)

West Norfolk

Aviation Society For our last meeting of this year our

members gathered together in our usual

venue, Methwold Social Club, and were

royally entertained by one of our

members, Andrew Barnes, who gave an

illustrated talk on aviation over the last

one hundred years. Included were

brilliant illustrations and pictures of

aircraft portraying the growth of the

aircraft industry and the rapid advances

that have been made in aircraft design

and particularly performance during the

century of powered flight. Andrew was

warmly applauded and thanked for his

detailed research.

We shall be taking a break over

December to allow members to fully

involve themselves with their families

during the festive season and will

reconvene on Tuesday January 8th at

7.30 at the usual venue, where we shall

have the much travelled raconteur and

aviation expert, Chris Lucas, as our

guest for the evening.

All are more than welcome to come

along and enjoy the company of fellow

aviation enthusiasts. Or visit our

website: -

westnorfolkaviationsociety.co.uk

Local contact is Rod Rumsby on 882246

for more information on forthcoming

events and directions for finding

Methwold Social Club.

Chamber

Commentary

By Norman Wilson, Chairman of

Wayland Chamber of Commerce

There are a number of things happening

in the Wayland area and beyond that we

should bring to your attention. Firstly

the Town Team, initiated by the

Chamber, are running another

Entrepreneur’s market on 15th

December. This is the Festive market

with charity stalls as well with Middle

Street closed and Father Christmas

visiting as well!

There is some news on the general

business front. Changes are planned on

Business rates. At the moment the

business rates are collected by Breckland

on behalf of the government, the police

and the county. The government then

distribute the money back to local

authorities in grant. The government

plan to change this in the future. So

Breckland will be encouraged to

promote business to benefit from a

larger business rate base.

The government have announced that

they are postponing the 5 yearly

revaluations of business rates which

are based on rental potential.

Currently business rates are paid on

the valuations relevant in early 2008.

These were the high point of rent

valuations. It is in all our interests to

seek the government to rethink this

move!

A number of business rate payers do not

know that you can firstly check your

business rates to see if you are valued

correctly compared with others and the

currently use of the space see

http://www.2010.voa.gov.uk/rli

If you have a rateable value below a

threshold you can apply for a rebate

contact the Anglia Revenues Partnership

who manage the rates for Breckland.

Finally we are starting to see the effects

of the governments green deal for

businesses. This will enable qualifying

energy saving investments to be paid for

through the saving on the utility bill

without any outlay. In the next blog we

will explain more about this.


Wells Cole CC Christmas Bingo

Tuesday 18th December Prizes and Cash

Doors open 6.45pm eyes Down 7.30pm

Watton Rotary

Roundup The Rotary Club of Watton & District

celebrated the 68th anniversary of the

granting of its Charter by Rotary

International with a dinner in the Queens

Hall, Watton On Friday 12th October.

Rotary District 1080 Governor Trevor

Sayer and President of the Inner Wheel

Club of Watton, Mrs Jenny Simons, were

the official guests of honour; also in

attendance were the presidents of the

Diss, Swaffham and Thetford Rotary

Clubs.

After the dinner, President Peter Semlyen

presented the District Governor with a

special replica of the rare 1080 District

Banner designed by Pugin originally

produced as a limited edition in 1995 (see

picture), The evening was rounded off by

a great performance by the much-in-

demand, Watton Rotary-based West End

Waiters, who raise money specifically for

research into Motor Neurone disease, as

suffered by tone of the performers.

Two weeks later we hosted “Jazz at the

Queens Hall” which, for their 8th

appearance, featured DixieMix, the jazz

band gaining recognition as one of the

very best in the region. With the raffle, a

sum of £650 was raised, which goes into

our fund dedicated to the many local,

national and international good causes we

support, as frequently reported in these

columns.

On Saturday 15th December we plan to

have a stall on the Town Team’s market

in Middle Street, where we will be

offering some high-class and Christmas

related bric-a-brac. Father Christmas has

once again asked us to help with his

Christmas Day deliveries this year and

we have agreed to make the

arrangements. To have presents

delivered on Christmas day simply take

them ready-wrapped to either Watton or

Saham Toney Post Office by midday

Monday 17th December. Parcels should

be clearly marked with recipients name

and full address, including a postcode to

help pinpoint the precise delivery

address. There is a small cover charge of

just £1 per item, payable when

depositing parcels.

Wives of the Light Dragoons, who are based

in Swanton Morley, have created a charity

Calendar to raise money for the Light

Dragoons Colonel’s Appeal. The Calendar

features a series of amusing photos of

themselves wearing army kit and running the

army camp whilst the soldiers are away.

The women, whose ages range from 20s to

40s and have no previous modelling

experience, are contributing towards the

Charity which aims to give enduring support

to Light Dragoons wounded on operations or

in regimental service, to their families, and to

the families of those killed on duty.

One of the calendar's campaign organisers,

Justine Plant, whose husband Sam is the

Commanding Officer of the Light Dragoons,

said the models, who have 51 children

between them, were inspired by their

husbands' bravery. "As wives of the Light

Dragoons we are more than aware of the

risks our husbands take when deployed, and

as a small, family regiment where we all

know each other, when any of our soldiers

are injured it affects us all. For this reason the

Light Dragoons Colonel's Appeal is close to

our hearts. We wanted to do something to

show our support.

A group of 29 of us have got together to

produce an amusing - we hope! - calendar

which depicts us running the army camp

while our husbands are away. We have had a

great deal of fun putting it together, and hope

people will support us by buying it - and that

they will enjoy what we have produced!"

The calendar has been a totally Light

Dragoon affair, with ex Light Dragoon Chris

Jelf, now a professional photographer, giving

up his time to take the photos. In addition

Jenni Sime, a Light Dragoon wife, who runs

her own graphic design company, donated

her time to make the calendar look fantastic.

The 2013 Calendars cost £5 and from mid

November and will be available from various

outlets across Breckland and can also be

bought on-line via the Light Dragoons

Colonel’s Appeal website:

www.ldcolonelsappeal.com

The wives will also be selling the calendars

at the Light Dragoons Welcome Home

Parade on 5 December in Dereham. For

further information relating to the parade

including road closures, bus changes and car

parking see www.lightdragoonsparade.com

Calendar girls take over jobs for the boys! Hackers,

Tackers & Stuffers We continue to hack, tack and stuff with

great enthusiasm. Judging from the

results the apron demonstration was a

popular choice with several finished

articles shown at the following meeting

with others still in progress. Most were

designated as Christmas presents for

family members of various ages. We had

a successful Linus workshop in October

with another planned for 19th November.

The trip to the Fabric Guild on 18th

October yielded some lovely fabric

bought at reasonable price now laundered

by volunteer members ready for more

Linus quilts. I believe there were a few

personal purchases as well.

On 27th November there will be a

demonstration of how to make an

appliqué roll suitable for storing and

transporting small planned projects.

At the meeting on 11th December we

will enjoy tea or coffee and mince pies

with our usual ‘lucky dip’ of needlecraft

related surprises provided by

participants. Amazingly we will not be

meeting on 25th December. Our first

meeting of 2013 will be on 8th January.

This will be our AGM when

subscriptions are due. This is also when

we plan the programme for the year so

ideas and offers are much appreciated.

For further information contact Jane on

01953 884215 or check our Blog on

http://htsqgroup.blogspot

please mention

The Wayland

News

when shopping with

advertisers


The Royal British Legion Poppy appeal

has received a boast of £120 from the sale

of the book of poems written by Alan

Chilvers and titled “Poems From a Silly

Grandad”.

Alan, who is the Watton and District

Branch Standard Bearer presented the

proceeds from his book to the Poppy

Appeal Organiser, Jean Sell on Saturday

3rd November. (Pictured left)

Alan has been writing poetry for a number

of years and was persuaded to put them in

a book by his family; having done that he

thought it might benefit the Royal British

Legion if he donated a £1 for every copy

sold. The book which came out in late

June this year has sold 120 copies, most

sold to friends, family and Legion

members with the odd copy going to

Essex and London.

Mr Chilvers said “I would like to thank

everyone who has purchased a book and

therefore helped a very important charity”.

There are still copies available from

Edwards in the High street, or from the

author on 07749276676

Poppy Appeal boost from a Silly Grandad's poetry

Letters to the Editor

A Big Thank You from the Wayland

Players!

At the time of writing, there are still three

days to go before Calendar Girls opens at

the Queens Hall. However, the Wayland

Players have been overwhelmed by the

support they have received from the

people and businesses of Watton and

would like to take this opportunity to

thank a few individuals.

First of all, Julian and the Wayland News

for accepting the articles and adverts

which have given us such great publicity.

The paper provides a wonderful platform

for groups such as ours and long may it

continue. Secondly, Adcocks, our ticket

agents, who have had a lot more work

than normal dealing with ticket sales!

Then there's Alison and the Village Florist

who always supports us and has done

especially sterling work for this play, Alan

at Top to Toe Photography who somehow

managed to make us all look amazing and

of course, Janet Lundie who has worked

so hard on the set.

There are so many others we can't

possibly mention them all, among them

family and friends of the cast & crew and

Friends of the Wayland Players. Most of

all, we'd like to thank YOU, the people

that have bought tickets, already making

this show almost a complete sell out.

STOP PRESS P.S.! Wow! What an

amazing four nights! Over 700 of you

came to see 'Calendar Girls' and from the

laughter and applause you gave us, you all

enjoyed it. On behalf of the Cast and

Crew, thank you all so much for your

support. Final figures aren't yet in but I

can safely predict that we will be able to

donate well over £500 to Leukaemia

Research. Wendy Collins, Co-Director.

A "Thank You" Message from Kathleen

Brown

I wish to thank all my neighbours in

Nelson Court, Watton and my many

friends at the Methodist Church, Flower

Club and other organisations that I have

attended and supported over many years

for all their kindness and help when I was

at home prior to my move into Eastlands

Care Home at Taverham.

The many Birthday cards, Get Well letters

and 'phone calls which I have received

since my move have been much

appreciated and special thanks are due to

all those friends who have visited me at

my new home. I am very happy in my new

surroundings, it's home from home, the

carers are devoted to their work and it's

especially nice to be so close to my

family.

Christmas Greetings to You All and God

Bless. Kathleen

As the festive season approaches, the

usual tidings of great gloom abound,

this time regarding ash trees. The

disease which is wiping them out is

now widespread across the country,

and follows the incidence of other

plagues which have affected elms,

oaks, horse chestnuts and various other

woodland favourites. Is Mother Nature

trying to tell us something ?

The last month or two has seen our

world getting dafter, with name-

calling affecting many of our public

figures, such as one politician getting

into trouble for calling a policeman a

‘pleb’. Since this word just suggests a

person of lower intellect, the reaction

seems to be more suitable to the

kindergarten, for surely we have all

endured far worse insults on a regular

basis.

But insults seem to be making the

headlines, with footballers, of all

people, complaining, while bad

language seems to have become part of

our broadcasting services, or at least

the BBC, (the commercial stations are

discouraged from using ‘naughty’

words, lest they offend the targets of

their advertising). While the live

comedy shows are all guilty, the worst

offender seems to be Mock the Week,

where hardly a noun is voiced unless

qualified by an offensive adjective.

No, I am not a wrinkly old prude, but

for me a swear word is usually the

response to banging my head on a

cupboard door or some similar

incident. Of course at one time polite

society would use milder words, such

as ‘flipping’ or ‘blinking’, but even

then such adjectives did nothing to

help the narration.

But it is not only those in the public

eye that seem to be losing their way in

life. There has been a steady increase

in incidents involving railway level

crossings, with people, both on foot

and in vehicles, ignoring all warnings

of impending trains, so that calls for

these crossings to be abolished

altogether are being made. But they

have been in operation for up to 150

years, so why the sudden increase in

accidents ? When one sees films

showing roads and rails crossing in

America, with no gates or warning

signals, one wonders why we in

England can’t cope.

In a recent article by the Mayor of

Watton, he made mention of our rather

inconvenient local postal address,

which includes the town of Thetford.

This has long been a subject of

annoyance, for quite frequently

deliveries being made from distant

parts are delayed because the lorry

driver has deliberately aimed for

Thetford, and then, when making

enquiries locally, has found great

difficulty in getting directions, since,

as can be verified by experiment,

hardly anyone in Thetford has even

heard of Watton, let alone our adjacent

villages.

(In fairness to Thetford people, how

many Watton folks could direct a lost

motorist to Croxton or Barnham, or

even Thetford itself ?)

Luckily now that Postcodes are in full

use the problem is not quite so bad, but

most of us prefer to omit the word

Thetford from our address, even

though the authorities don’t approve.

Now we are all used to receiving

shocks from time to time, but one that

really struck home the other week was

when, on the way home the price of

petrol at my local garage was 138p per

litre, but next morning it had been

reduced to 135p. Three pence per

litre down, all in one go, was almost

beyond belief, but of course the

reduction was soon repeated in the

other outlets, but for one glorious

period Watton prices were better than

those at Waitrose in Swaffham, which

is usually the local cheapest. But these

prices fluctuate so much, that by the

time these words are read they will

probably have all changed again, up or

down. And to think that not many

months ago strikes were held in protest

at the prospect of a rise to £1 per litre!

It seems that the government are again

bowing to pressure, and have

announced a further delay in the

removal of the FM radio service in

favour of Digital. Of course the

Digital service is a brilliant innovation

but this does not mean that FM is no

longer any good. It simply makes

sense that those with FM sets in

excellent working order, particularly

motorists, should be allowed to keep

them.

This being the late autumn, or the

beginning of winter, the problem of

leaves on the line has prompted the

railway companies to announce that

times of trains are to be extended,

since delays are to be expected. What

are they like? In my commuting days

we never suffered from leaves on the

line. Perhaps passengers should carry

brooms! Merry Christmas.

A Quick Look Round By Orbiter


A Hair Of The

Dog? According to national charity Alcohol

Concern 200,000 people come to work

with a hangover every day and the over

45’s are 3 times more likely to drink

alcohol every day.

Many of us enjoy a drink but there is

clear evidence that alcohol can cause a

range of health problems such as stroke,

cancers, high blood pressure and heart

disease, and is associated with many

different types of crime such as violence

and antisocial behaviour. The

government advises that people should

not regularly drink more than the daily

unit guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for

men (equivalent to a pint and a half of

4% beer) and 2-3 units of alcohol for

women (equivalent to a 175 ml glass of

wine) where ‘Regularly’ means drinking

every day or most days of the week.

Regularly drinking over these limits can

put you at increasing risk of developing

health problems.

Alcohol is very much a part of our

culture in the UK and never more so as

we head towards the festive season. It

is a tricky subject to talk about and this

year for Alcohol Awareness week the

theme is ‘It’s time to talk about

drinking’

Total Health Pharmacy in Watton is

encouraging people to find out the facts.

The pharmacy has information, tips, tools

and advice for people who want to learn

more.

Pharmacist , Geoff Ray, says “This is not

about pointing the finger at anyone.

Alcohol Awareness week is all about

awareness. It is a matter of choice but

people are often shocked when they

understand how many units of alcohol

are in their favourite drink. One unit of

whiskey is 25ml or 5 medicine spoons!

We can offer practical tips on how to

enjoy drinking safely.”

One way that Alcohol Concern is

getting the conversation started is by

challenging people to give up alcohol

for one month in January. People are

encouraged to sign up for Dry January.

Thetford Singers Present

"On the Way to Bethlehem"

Performance also featuring contributions from the Thetford Voices Youth Choir

Saturday 8th December 7.30pm The Harvest Centre, Fengate Drove, Brandon.

£6 (£5 concessions), including seasonal refreshment

And shortened performance (Thetford Singers alone) on

Sunday 9th December 4.00pm Thetford United Reformed Church, Earls Street, Thetford

Tickets for the performance on the 8th are available in advance from Leaping Hare, King Street, Thetford (01842 751975); tickets for both

performances available on the door.

Shellrock Circle

Club

For the over 50’s of Rocklands and the

surrounding districts. Venue: The Village

Hall, The Street, Rocklands.

Each year, the Club tries to give our

members a free trip. This year, it took the

form of a mystery tour arranged between

Mrs. Jean Ayres, our entertainments officer

and the coach company. The final destination

proved to be the peaceful market town of

Spalding. The town is characterised by its

place in the flat fens and its Georgian

terraces. This area has proved well suited to

the growing of tulip and daffodil bulbs and

every year, the town attracts thousands of

visitors to see the floral floats and parade put

on by the town. The fields with their wide

beds of the same colour tulips are also a sight

worth seeing. Some people were surprised at

the amount of nationwide retail outlets that

were in the town.

Robert Maidstone, the well known

naturalist, was our Speaker on the 14th of

November. His subject was “Wild Flowers

in the garden.” During his talk, Robert took

us to various parts of a “typical” garden

and showed us slides of plants that could

be found there. Some very interesting facts

emerged. We learnt that there were 307

types of dandelions in England. Any that

flowered in March/April were not true

dandelions. Apparently, clover honey was

no longer available because the white

clover now growing has such a large

flower that the bees are unable to access

the nectar. Slides were shown of lawns left

uncut for too long which could produce a

parasitic plant called broom rape. This

shows itself by a long stem with no leaves

but topped with brown flowers. Rat tailed

plantain, when it first appears in the

garden, bears its seeds on upright stems but

after being mowed a few times, it changes

its habit and starts producing its seeds

horizontally to escape the mower. Its seeds

are sticky and cling to shoes and also to the

wheels of the mower and get moved round

the garden in this way. There are two

varieties of bindweed. The small flowered

one is native but the large flowered one

was introduced as it was thought to be

prettier! Wild garlic, commonly known as

Jack by the Hedge, is the host plant for the

orange tip butterfly. Swine cress and

yellow oxalis favour gravelly drives and do

not mind being walked on or driven over.

We also learnt that there are 5 types of red

poppy in Norfolk. As this is supposed to be

the Norfolk emblem, one wonders which

one of the five it is. The ivy-leafed toadflax

seen growing out of walls, has developed a

seed pod which embeds itself in cracks in

walls in much the same way that we use

plastic rawlplugs (and is similar in

construction) and swells up when it gets

wet in winter and releases its seeds in

spring. In this way, it climbs up the wall.

Holly is supposed not to be harmful to

brick walls and if left, it will flower in

winter. This provides food for a variety of

wildlife when there is nothing else

available. Holly is only harmful to the soft

mortar in flint walls. Gardeners who leave

odd dark corners of the garden with nettles

and think they are aiding with conservation

are not helping the declining butterflies as

they only like to lay their eggs on female

nettles growing in full sun. Robert was an

imposing figure in full beard but was ready

to mix with our members after his talk by

discussing their queries. He is able to talk

on a variety of natural history subjects

including plants, insects and butterflies.

We showed our appreciation with our

applause.

The task was won by Mrs. Gillian Ellis

from Attleborough.

What’s on in December

4th Christmas Dinner at the Dell Bowling

Club, Old Norwich Road, Wymondham.

Please try to arrive by 11.30 am to be seated

by 12 noon. Entertainment will be provided

by Bob Reeves, the “Busking Bargee.”

12th Entertainment will be provided by

the Rockland Primary School children.

Please try to arrive a bit earlier, say

1.50pm, as the children have to leave in

time for school in order to be dismissed.

PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO

LUNCH CLUB MEETING IN

DECEMBER. RING MARION ON 01953

483431 if you need further details.

New members always welcome. Why not

start the new year by coming along to

Shellrock Circle Club?

A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.

There is more news on

www.waylandnews.com

have a look!

A Mardle with

the Mayor

Cllr Paul Cooper

I would like wish all our readers a very

Happy Christmas. Especially those living

on their own, or have family away at this

time of year. I appreciate all the feedback I

receive from my mardle. Where has this

year gone? Is it an age thing, because as

one matures there seems to be less time in

a day. Perhaps it’s because we forget

things and have to retrace our steps to

remember what it was we were going to

do. I like most people have to write things

down, just hope I remember where I put

the piece of paper. I do try and use my

mobile phone for notes and to record

memos.

What have I been doing since my last

Bardle? It has been a quieter month than

previous, but I am sure the month of

December will be busy. Lots of invites

have already been received and we will try

and attend where possible.

I attended The Watton Society AGM,

where we given a very entertaining talk

about the Town Clock and its history by

Julian Horn. Also we had a short film on

the workings of the clock. Lets hope our

Town Clock chimes don’t upset the

neighbourhood as this seems to be

happening everywhere nowadays. Even

Church Bells are not excluded from people

complaining about their noise.

I mentioned were being invited back to

Watton Junior School. That visit took

place on Monday 22 October where the

Mayoress and myself attended school

assembly. I had the honour to read out the

names of the successful pupils forming the

School Council, there were two from each

year. A thoroughly enjoyable visit again.

I was invited back to Total Health

pharmacy to help promote Men’s health.

It seems many men are reluctant to talk to

their local pharmacist about a whole list of

things. Pop in guys and have a chat, they

don’t bite.

We attended the laying of Poppy Crosses

on the war graves at St Mary’s on Saturday

10 November. This was followed by

Remembrance Sunday, which actually fell

on the 11 November this year. I

was proud to wear my late fathers war

medals. The weather was fine and it was

nice to see such a good turn out of all ages.

I would like to thank all those who

attended. It was quite ironic as I joined the

Royal Navy on 11 November, a day I will

never forget. You never forget your service

number either.

The Watton Town Council website is up to

date so please have a look.

Driving Tips

Now the clocks have gone back one hour

means the possibility of driving in the

dark. I know lots of our senior citizens

prefer not to drive in the dark, so if you

don’t have to, don’t. The minimum

eyesight requirement in daylight is to read

a number plate at 20.5 metres and for those

still in old money it’s 22 yards or to put it

another way the length of a cricket wicket.

If in doubt get your eyes checked.

For those with access to a computer it

might be a good idea to have a go at the

Theory Test, which all pupils taking the

practical test must successfully pass before

applying. The Theory Test consists of

multi choice questions and a hazard

perception video, good luck.

The challenge is to stay off the booze for

31 days, feel better, save money and

make a difference. You can sign up

individually or as a team through the

website www.dryjanuary.org.uk and

will receive motivational tips to keep

you going. For more information about

alcohol awareness, visit Total Health

Pharmacy at 14 Gregor Shanks Way

opposite the Watton Medical Practice.

The pharmacy is open 7 days a week

from 8am until late.


WAYLAND CMA December 15th Longshot

Tel 01953 889 890 for details “The Best In Country Music” 8 ‘til late

The Ovington

Crower Hare yew gittin on tergither, thas

tunned suffin raw in tha mornins

leartly int it, shall hefta git tha

ole winta drors on afore long.

Tha ole Wikka hed wunna tha

membrance sarvices larst Sunda, cos we

wus lucky an dint lose tew many of ower

boys as yew know, but we hed a bitta quiet

fer a cuppla minits an I got to hang a wreath

on tha wore moreal.

Horry wos thare, fust tiome fer evrathin I

rekkon, his Sunda Sewt wos orl tricolearted

up and wos covered with medals, sum lukked

verra owld ter me. So I say ter him I say,

“Wared yew git orl tha gongs from Horry” I

say. “I thort yew wos in tha Hoom Gard, not

traipsing orl oova yewrope”

“Waal” he say. “ I wos on speshul dewty’s

alonga tha Hoom Gard, so I wos givun

reckonission fer my unda cuvva wuk”

I hed a cloosa luk at his cleckshun, an I cud

see sum onnem wos fer the fust world wor,

waal I know Horry’s nokkin on a bit but he

hent thet owld.

Wen I arsked him he say “Thas sum o my

farthas and ole uncle Horry tha fust, an my

ole Grandaddy he got sum fer scrappin in the

boor wore, so I thort I shud member orl them

gud ole boys wos gone afore”

No arnsa ter thet I rekkun.

Did yew hev eny o tha ole firewuks tha year?

Arta thet lood of gret ole sploshuns we hed

arlier, we dint hev much of a dew this time

arownd, but oova tew Watton thar ware a

hell of a lotta gret ole fizzes an bangs, so

summa on yew hed a a lotta munny tew

chuck arownd, cos tha corst a forchoon.

My missus she say “Wot we goonta be dewin

fer Chrismus tha year Sid?”

I say tew har I say “Goo ta hell wumman” I

say “Thas munths away yit” “ No thet ent”

she say. “Dew yew luk at tha calenda

Sid, thas oonly jist up the rood”

“Blarst” I say “ I oonly jist put tha ole

Chrismus tree up inna tha ruf”

“Well yew duzzy ole fewl” she

say,”yew betta git up thar an

git it down agin cos I shull

sune be puttin up orl tha

decrashuns”

I shall hatta dew as I’m

towld cos thar’ll be

rukshins”

Torkin of Chrismus, thet’ll sune be tha ole

Willage Chrismus Bazaar inna tha willage

horl. Ole Missus R she say tew Horry, “Yew

hent hed a shearve fer a munth or tew, can

yew dew Fartha Chrismus fer the little

kiddies tha yare?”

Horry cum back sharp as a nife “Wos innit

fer me my gud wummon?”

“Nutthin” she say “Yew’r dewin it fer the

littluns, dint yew see Fartha Chrismus wen

yew wos a boy?”

“Well yis” say Horry “He allus gi me a ding

o tha lug, niva did git a present”

“Oh why?” arsded Missus R. “Cos I knew

he wosnt the reel blooke” say Horry “An

when I hossed his whiskas orf he got suffin

raw an I got a smack o tha chops, so I dint

goo anymore”

“Well really Horry” she say “Yew shud be

shamed o yoreself, our children arnt like thet

tewday I’ll hev yew know”

So I rekkun he’se lumbered, don’t yew.

Any ole how, I hoop yew’ll cum along ter

tha bazaar on tha fust o Decemba at just

afore forses. My missus she say thas 12

o’clock fer them as downt dew a lotta

choppin owt. Thars lottsa gud stuff ter buy,

plenty o gud wittals an moost of orl yew git

spookin tew by orl ower Ovintun peepal, cos

ware like thet.

Will see yew thar ole partners, now dew yew

kip a troshin, an if things downt alta sun,

thar’l stay as thar are. Boy Sid

Great Hockham

Primary School

launches new logo

Great Hockham Primary School have launched

their new school logo. The school vision is

about ‘Putting the Great into Great Hockham

Primary’. This started with the school

logo, which labelled the school as

merely ‘Hockham’. The children,

staff and local community are very

much involved in putting the Great

into Great Hockham and it was felt

that the logo needed to reflect this.

Headteacher, Mrs Hannah Wheeler,

thought that that the change was a

necessary start to a new year and new start

for the school. Staff, children and governors

agreed that keeping the squirrel motif was

important, but including the lower case

lettering and, most importantly, including the

word ‘Great’.

Mrs Wheeler said ‘2012 is going to be a Great

year for Great Hockham. The Autumn term has

started off well, with renewed vigour and

motivation. Everyone involved with us

expresses their commitment and excitement

about the future of our school. The outdoor

learning projects are particularly forefront at

the moment as we have a new outdoor

classroom and we are working with a local

charity to develop woodland learning. Children

are going to be using the information and

facilities locally, to enhance their learning,

develop ideas and support local charities and

businesses.

‘We are looking forward to the Christmas fair,

where the school and community are

working together – another way for

us all to support each other. Stalls

will be set up in school on Saturday

8th December, from 11-1pm. Do

come along and browse the

wonderful selection of crafts, food

goodies and activities that will be

available. The Friends of Great

Hockham always put such an effort into

making every event special, so I have no doubt

that the collaboration of both the Friends and

the Village will result in something brilliant.’

If you would like Great Hockham Primary

Schoolto visit the school at any time, to look at

what it has to offer, then please get in touch

with Mrs Sarah Jones, school administrator,

on 01953 498302, or email

[email protected]

Watton & District University of the Third Age (U3A)

Denise James portrayal of life in a Tourist Office caused many a laugh at the October meeting.

The incidents and situations that Denise came across were worthy of a Sit Com comedy script.

There will be no Pub Luncheon group meetings in December.

The U3A’s annual Christmas Lunch is being held at Richmond Park G.C on Friday 7th

December at 12.45pm. Tickets are now available at £13.50 for a two course lunch Coffee and

mince pies together with a free raffle.

The coach for the Christmas Spectacular at Thursford will leave the Queens Hall car park at

5.15pm on Wednesday 28th November.

The visit to the Jaguar Car Plant at Castle Bromwich is now confirmed as Wednesday 27th

February 2013. This trip is limited to thirty members.

The next monthly meeting is on Thursday 13th December. Entertainment will be by Gerry

Morris with “A Little Bit of Ireland” featuring humour, songs and instruments.

For more information on the national U3A go to www.u3a.org.uk

The Singing

Farmer On a Sunday afternoon in

November 2010 The Rotary Club

organised a Concert at the Queens

Hall:- “An Audience with The

Singing Farmer.”

The event was most successful and

a recording was made of the

proceedings. It has taken longer

than expected for the DVD to be

produced but this will now be

available by the end of November.

Many of the audience showed their

interest in the DVD and the Club

will be contacting those who left

their names and addresses with

Martin after the Show. The DVD is

entitled “The Last Resort” and will

cost £11 a copy including p&p.

The Concert was well received and

Winston was in excellent form. I

am sure that many who attended

would like to remember the

afternoon by buying a copy and

those that didn’t see the Show will

need to buy a copy to see what

they missed! More information

about Winston can be found on his

Web-site shown below.

Anyone else interested in a DVD

should contact one of the

following:

Derek Smith 01953 884044,

[email protected]

Martin Anscombe 01953 884224,

[email protected];

Winston Harrold 01263 861386,

07748186489,

[email protected].

Web Site: www.singingfarmer.co.uk

Join Up

January in

Your Local

Library Norfolk Libraries really do have

something for everyone: from

console games to the latest best-

sellers. We can teach older people

how to use the internet on one of our

free Surf’s Up! courses; lend out toys

and books for children with our

brilliant Story Sacks; help you

reminisce with someone you’re

caring for using one of our beautiful

reminiscence kits or even deliver

books direct to your door if you find

it difficult to get to the library.

More than 5000 people joined the

library last January, and we’re

hoping to beat that this year. It’s free

to become a library member and

quick and easy to join up in a library

or online. So if you’ve not visited us

for a while, why not make it your

New Year’s resolution to get back

into your local library?

With ebooks to download, our online

catalogue you can search from home,

renewals available 24 hours a day

online or by phone and 47 libraries

(not to mention our 13 mobile

libraries) across Norfolk, it’s never

been easier to use your library

service.

During January, a voucher sheet with

offers on DVD hire and book

reservations among others will also

be available to members when they

borrow an item from the library.

Find out more at

www.norfolk.gov.uk/libraries or pop

in to your local library.


Letter from

Australia

By Chris O'Connor

It goes without saying that Australia is a

large country but surprisingly the

population is small, around 30-million,

the majority of whom live on the eastern

seaboard and will never venture into the

legendary outback.

Those who do are overawed at the naked

beauty of the land. It is a land of delicate

contrasts from thousands of acres of red

desert through to huge canyons and in

some areas hidden waterfalls where you

would expect to see only dust.

It is also a land full of life and many

visitors are surprised to see native flora

and fauna surviving in a land that

ostensibly appears to be devoid of life.

Over the past forty years I have spent

many days and hundreds of thousands

of kilometres exploring what is known

as the ‘Great Southern Land’ and it

never ceases to humble me with its

magnificence, down to earth people

and wildlife.

Only a few months ago I was in the far

north of Australia swimming in a pool

that nature had carved out of hard rock

over millions of years. A waterfall some

two hundred metres high pounded down

and into the crystal clear water.

Fortunately the area was devoid of

crocodiles that day but it gives you an

idea of the contrasts and dangers people

visiting Australia can expect.

Each year a close friend of mine, John,

joins mine on a trip to the outback. We

usually try and head for places that most

people will not go to, not because we are

heroes but because we want to explore

and step in the steps of those early

pioneers of Australia. The men and

women who through sheer determination

and guts managed to conquer a

seemingly inhospitable land, a land

where David Attenborough once said

‘you can smell the antiquity of the earth.’

Strangely we often return to Central

Australia or the far north of South

Australia; we seem to enjoy the smell of

ochre coloured desert, the hundreds of

kilometres between stops and the

intensity of the skies at night where a

million stars look down upon you.

Visitors from Europe are often stunned

at how clear the sky is and that is simply

because in the outback of Australia the

air pollution level is at a minimum.

In the old days we used to sleep in swags

on the ground but as we have gotten

older and our bones less forgiving we

have opted for camper trailers which

contain a decent mattress, cooking

facilities and refuge from the millions

of flies that attack you by day and the

mosquitoes that disturb you sleep with

their kamikaze like attack at night. We

have lost count of the amount of flies

that have managed to find their way

into our mouths or the ‘mozzie’ bites

in the morning that make you scratch

most of the day.

But compare those annoyances with this.

Some 300 kilometres west of Alice

Springs we’ve camped alongside a small

oasis complete with palm trees whose

ancestors were around prior to

civilisation as we know it.

South of Alice Springs we camped in the

dead centre of Australia; a very isolated

place where as we built a fire roaring

outback fire and prepared our dinner and

got ready for our first drink of the day a

father and son turned up in the four

wheel drive and we had a wonderful

evening in pure isolation discussing

everything from cricket through to

vintage wines. At night you could hear

the howling of the native dingo which

amidst the silence was quite eerie.

The next night we were camped beside a

hot spring where the temperature of the

water was around 30 degrees, a welcome

relief from the chilling early morning

wind. Incredibly tiny fish nibbled at our

toes as we swam around – this is the

middle of nowhere.

The next night we camped in an

abandoned railway station on the edge of

Lake Eyre. Those of you who are old

enough will remember this was the area

Donald Campbell attempted to break the

land speed record in the 1960’s. It is an

incredible area of the nation; Lake Eyre

is the lowest point in Australia, at

approximately 15 m below sea level,

and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is

the largest lake in Australia and 18th

largest in the world. It covers an area of

over 9500 square kilometres. The

railway station we camped in had been

built on the edge of the desert lake in the

late 1800’s and helped service the

famous Ghan railway line stretching

1500 kilometres from Adelaide in South

Australia to Alice Springs in the

Northern Territory. Water was not in

abundance on this occasion but John and

I had a wash under a single tap dribbling

sulphurous water that had been placed

here eons ago and drew its water from

deep in the earth.

This all sounds quite adventurous but

visitors to this area, who ignore the rules,

die. Sadly the Outback does claim on

average 40 lives a year. On the 13th

December 1998, German tourist

Caroline Großmüller died on the road

from Oodnadatta to Lake Eyre North. To

venture off the beaten track in the

Australian Outback without following

simple rules is just like stepping out onto

a busy road from between parked cars

without looking left and right. Stupidity

can kill you anywhere. Along with her

partner they made a number of mistakes.

They went in the middle of the summer,

where the temperatures reach 50° C in

the daytime; their vehicle became

bogged in the red desert sand and they

made the fatal mistake of not staying

with their car deciding to walk and try

and find help. Sadly Ms. Großmüller

walked past a cattle trough situated

just a few hundred metres from where

she perished. There is no second

option in this area of the world.

Incidentally, as I write this a 25 year

old man who worked on a cattle station

has perished after his vehicle became

bogged. Police say he died from

dehydration and exposure simply

because he did not have enough water.

But let us not dwell on the sadness of the

outback; rather delight in what it has to

offer. Over the years John and I have

watched blood red sunsets and sunrises

over the desert dunes, a sight you will

never forget and humbles you with its

splendour. In parts of South Australia we

have driven through gorges that contain

fossils millions of years old and if you

take the time to look are easy to see. We

have watched hundreds of kangaroos

take flight as we drive past, skipping

over fences and bounding at a speed an

elite athlete would envy. On the odd

occasion they have managed to connect

with our four wheel drive.

On another occasion we drove 1000

kilometres north east of Adelaide to

the very remote town of Innamincka,

an intriguing outback destination with

a permanent population of about 12

nestled near the Cooper Creek where

we camped and were overawed by the

sheer size of the area we were camped

in. The Innamincka Regional Reserve

spans a total of 1.3 million hectares

and is home to 200 species of birds,

many native animals and reptiles.

Above all over the years John and I

have stopped and smelt the antiquity of

the earth.

For our last meeting of this year

our members gathered together in

our usual venue, Methwold Social

Club, and were royally entertained

by one of our members, Andrew

Barnes, who gave an illustrated

talk on aviation over the last one

hundred years. Included were

brilliant illustrations and pictures

of aircraft portraying the growth

of the aircraft industry and the

rapid advances that have been

made in aircraft design and

particularly performance during

the century of powered flight.

Andrew was warmly applauded

and thanked for his detailed

research.

We shall be taking a break over

December to allow members to

fully involve themselves with

their families during the festive

season and will reconvene on

Tuesday January 8th at 7.30 at

the usual venue, where we shall

have the much travelled

raconteur and aviation expert,

Chris Lucas, as our guest for the

evening.

All are more than welcome to

come along and enjoy the

company of fellow aviation

enthusiasts.

Or visit our website: -

westnorfolkaviationsociety.co.uk

Local contact is Rod Rumsby on

882246 for more information on

forthcoming events and

directions for finding Methwold

Social Club.

News from the West

Norfolk Aviation Society

News from the

Wayland

Partnership 1. FREE Maths or English Courses at

Wayland House, High Street, Watton.

You can gain a qualification by attending

two classes per week over an eleven week

course. The course starts in January 2013 –

dates to be confirmed.

Maths will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays

from 9.30 – 12 Noon and English on

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12.30pm –

3pm.

To book call Laura 07825114272 or Adult

Education 01603 306556 or email

[email protected] or

[email protected]

Adult Education may be able to fund your

childcare.

2. Have you thought about starting a Twitter

account for your business, organisation or

community group? It is free, easy to use and

can be less time consuming than writing

press releases or constant marketing emails.

With Twitter you can promote your group

and network with specific audiences based

on location and theme. And the more we

build up an online network of local groups in

Wayland, the more useful it becomes.

If you are already a tweeter, find us at

@waylandtweets, follow us and let’s grow

the Wayland Twitter network together.

Or if you’d like support and advice in setting

up your own Twitter account or any other

aspect of social media so that you can take

part, email Julian Horn on

[email protected] or Iain Cockburn

on [email protected].

We have already held a free training course

on Twitter basics and are planning additional

sessions. Details will appear in the Wayland

News and at @waylandtweets.

3. New volunteers needed to help us help the

Wayland community. Various opportunities

are available. If you have some spare time

and would like to help, meet new people and

learn new skills, contact Iain on 01953

880204 or mail to [email protected]

4. Have you heard or read about the Wayland

Partnership? Do you know what we do?

Would you like to find out about the help and

support we provide to the Wayland

community? Call in and see us at Wayland

House next to the Police Station in Watton

High Street.

Church Times and News The Wayland News

Watton Churches Together Service Calendar for December

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 Sun 2nd 8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Holy Communion Sun 9th 8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Holy Communion

12.30pm Holy Baptism Sat 15th 2.30pm ‘Looking for Christmas’ at Chaston Place,

leading to 3.00pm - Town Carol Service at Watton Sports Centre

Sun 16th 8.00am Holy Communion 10.00am Holy Communion

Sat 22nd 6.30pm Carol Service

Sun 23rd 8.00am Holy Communion 10.00am Holy Communion

Mon 24th Christmas Eve

4.00pm Christingle Service with Shine!,

especially for children and families

11.30pm Holy Communion

Tues 25th Christmas Day

10.30am Family Holy Communion

Sun 30th 10.30am Group Service of Holy Communion

Watton Methodist Church

Every Wednesday the Church is open for quiet reflection and prayer between 10.00am & 12.00noon

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.btck.co.uk

Minister: Deacon S Sowerby 01953 881035

Sun 2nd 10.45am Mr B Lawrence 2.30pm Circuit Service at Walsingham

Sun 9th 10.45am Mrs A Fox

6.30pm Mr D Harrison Sun 16th 10.45am Rev M Pillay—Holy Communion

6.30pm To be arranged

Sun 23rd 10.45am Mrs E Warby—Carol Service 6.30pm Rev M Pillay &

Deacon Sowerby– Holy Communion


7.00pm Deacon S Sowerby Carols by Candlelight


10.00am Deacon S Sowerby Sun 30th 10.45am Section Service at Swaffham

Roman Catholic Community

Each Sat 5.30pm Mass at Watton Methodist Church


4.30pm Mass at Watton

11.30pm Carols at Swaffham & Midnight Mass


9.30am Mass at Swaffham

Pentecostal Church, Dereham Road, Watton

Children have their own programme during the Sunday morning services

Sun 2nd 10.30am Christmas all wrapped up -

Why do we celebrate Christmas? 6.00pm Pudding, Praise and Prayer

Sun 9th 10.30am Christmas all wrapped up -

Why did the Son of Man come into the world?

Sun 16th 10.30am Family Christmas Carol Service

Sun 23rd 10.30am Christmas all wrapped up -

Christmas is really here! 6.00pm Carols by Candlelight


11.00am Christmas Day Service Sun 30th 4.00pm New Year’s House Party

St. Nicholas’ Church, Ashill

Tuesdays at 10.00am Said Holy Communion

Sun 2nd 9.30am Lay Led Morning Worship

Sun 9th 9.30am Morning Worship Sun 16th 9.30am All Age Worship

Mon 17th 6.00pm Carols on the Green

Sun 23rd 4.00pm Carols & Crib Service Mon 24th Christmas Eve



9.30am All Age Worship

St. George’s Church, Saham Toney

Sun 2nd 10.30am Benefice Service of Holy Communion

Sun 9th 11.00am Morning Worship

Sun 16th 11.00am All Age Worship Sun 23rd 11.00am Carol Service



There is no service at St George’s on Christmas Day

S. S. Peter & Paul’s Church, Carbrooke

Sun 2nd 6.30pm Group ‘Darkness to Light’ Advent Service

Sun 9th 10.30am Holy Communion

Sun 16th 10.30am All Age Worship Wed 19th 6.30pm Carol Service with Carbrooke School

Sun 23rd 10.30am Lay Led Worship


10.30am Family Holy Communion

St John the Evangelist Church, Ovington

Sun 9th 9.30am Holy Communion Sun 16th 12.30pm Holy Baptism

Sun 23rd 5.00pm Carol Service

Breckles, Caston, Great Hockham,

Griston, Merton,

Stow Bedon & Thompson

Worship Calendar for December

Sunday 2nd First Sunday Of Advent

10:30 am United Holy Communion Caston

Sunday 9th Second Sunday of Advent

9:00 am Matins (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Gt. Hockham

3:00 pm Lessons & Carols Griston

5:00 pm Candlelit Lessons & Carols Breckles

Sunday 16th Third Sunday of Advent

9:00 am Matins (BCP) Gt. Hockham

10:30 am United Holy Communion Griston

Friday 21st

6:00 pm Candlelit Lessons & Carols Merton

Sunday 23rdFourth Sunday of Advent

10:30 am United Holy Communion Stow Bedon

3:00 pm Candlelit Lessons & Carols Gt. Hockham

6:30 pm Candlelit Lessons & Carols Caston

Christmas Eve and Night

11:00 am Christingle Family Service Thompson

3:00 pm Christingle Gt. Hockham

5:00 pm Christingle Caston

8:00 pm Lessons & Carols Stow Bedon

11:30 pm Midnight Holy Communion Thompson

Christmas Day

9:00 am Holy Communion (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Breckles

Sunday 30th First Sunday after Christmas 10:30 am United Holy Communion Thompson

Watton Food Bank donations will be received at all our

regular Sunday morning services.

PRAY AND PLAY Wednesdays at 10:15 am at Caston School Hall

5th, 12th and 19th December and from 9th January

For those of all our parishes with children aged 0-5

‘THE WAY’ YOUTH GROUP (ages 11+)

14th December, Bowling with other youth groups, 7:00 pm

13th January, 7-8:00 pm, Rectory

18th January, with other youth groups, Caston Rectory,7:00 pm

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

Email: [email protected]

All Saints Church, Threxton

Christmas Carol Service on Sunday 23rd December at 6pm

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

Sun 16th at Watton Christian Community Centre 2.30 - 4pm Please join us, a warm welcome awaits you and your friends.

Watton Bereavement Support Group Meeting

Wednesday 5th December 2pm Christmas Party Tea at Watton CCC. Please bring along a plate of nibbles.

St Ethelbert, East Wretham

Candlelit Carol Service on Sunday 16th December at 5pm

Followed by Mulled Wine & Mince Pies

Early Morning Thought for the month by Fr Gordon Williams, Parish

Priest, Our Lady of Pity Catholic Church, Swaffham The famous Japanese poet Basho ( 1644-1694) Buddhist monk

and lifelong traveller always rose very early in the morning,

usually at dawn. He would wash in the mountain stream and then

sit in meditation. This was his spiritual discipline. Benjamin

Franklin also extolled the virtues of health, wealth and wisdom

to getting up early.

I have learnt something of this wisdom in my own way too. I

have always been an early riser, but now I get up early for ‘inner

reasons’. It has nothing to do with cramming more hours into the

day for more and more ‘things’, quite the opposite! Early rising

gives time for stillness, solitude, and quite. There is something

mysterious about the dawn that is deeply attractive. Maybe it’s

the quiet stillness as the darkness gives way to the gentle light of

dawn. At certain times of the year the sound of the dawn chorus

adds another sense of wonder. The seasons of the year also bring

their own sense of the mystery of change. For me it’s the perfect

time for prayer and quiet meditation. A Sioux Indian Chief once

said: “In life there is only one great duty – the duty of prayer.

Each Soul must meet the morning sun, the sweet earth, and the

Great Silence alone. What is this Silence? It is the Great

Mystery, the Holy Silence is His Voice!” There is great wisdom

here, but I think too few take any notice.

Getting up early can really influence the rest of your day. Of

course, if your are to do this you must get to bed early enough!

Starting the day with a firm foundation of mindful prayer and

quiet can flow into your daily activities and bring some balance

to life. Whereas, if we get out of bed at the last minute and gulp

a cup off coffee and rush of the work, that too will influence

your day. To witness the dawn each day is in itself a wake up

call from somewhere beyond our understanding. It is a call from

the Spirit.

For me, it has become an important part of my day. It is a

practice I learnt many years ago, influenced as I was by a visit to

Japan. Over many years it has never lost it’s allure. Yes, there

are times when it’s difficult to get out of bed, especially on a

winter morning. But the value of it is doing it even when I don’t

want to! In our world of obsessive doing, it’s good to spend

some special time just being, . This practice is not just for

monks, nuns and zen mountain dwellers. Anyone can practice

this way of prayer. If you are not an early type of person, but

would like to bring some of what I’m speaking of into your life,

why not get up a little earlier and see if it draws you. It’s the

intention that counts, even a few minutes can have an effect.

Like the Japanese poet Basho, morning is when I am awake and

there is a dawn in me!

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT HOLY CROSS CHURCH, CASTON

SUNDAY, 23rd DECEMBER 6.30pm

Followed by Mince Pies and Mulled Wine. parking at

Church Farm. All are most welcome at this traditional

Carol Service entirely lit with candles

Christingle Service

Christmas Eve 5pm, Holy Cross Church, Caston

Everyone Welcome to join us

Parking at Church Farm All Proceeds to the Children's Society

Advertising The Wayland News

Did you know . . .?

By Rosalie Davis Gibb

. . . over recent decades reports of big cat

sightings around the UK have steadily been

increasing, particularly since the Dangerous

Wild Animals Act of 1976, introduced to

make sure private individuals who keep

dangerous wild animals do so in ways that

create no risk to the public. Local Authority

Licences are required for any animals that

appear on the Schedule to the Act, covering

everything from reptiles to spiders and are

subject to protection under the Animal

Welfare Act 2006. So if you fancy a pet

wart hog, walrus or wandering spider, along

with dozens of other creatures, you’re

probably out of luck!

Today, from the feline family, only the

domestic cat is excluded. Previously, a

number of small cats were excluded,

including any descended hybrids – the wild

cat, pallas cat (also known as Manul,

covered in long coarse fur to combat the

extreme temperatures of its Asia/China

habitat), little spotted cat (also known as

Oncilla, one of the smallest South American

cats), Geoffroy’s cat (native to South

America), kodkod (related to Geoffrey’s cat

and found only in Chile and Argentina), bay

cat (also known as Bornean Red Cat, very

rare, found only in rocky and scrub areas of

Borneo), sand cat (found in desert regions

from the Sahara to Baluchistan), black-

footed cat (Africa’s smallest cat weighing

only 2-4lbs) and the rusty-spotted cat (one

of the smallest cats and native to Central

and Southern India and Sri Lanka), all of

which are similar in size and appearance to

domestic tabby or tortoiseshell cats. So

were presumably not considered dangerous,

due to their size. One theory on the

increase of big cats roaming the countryside

is the sudden release of the animals into the

wild since 1976 by owners not wishing to

get involved in the licencing requirements.

The most famous is probably the Beast of

Bodmin, also known as the Beast of

Exmoor, the subject of many alleged

sightings and reportedly the size and

colouring of a black panther. All sightings

consistently describe the animal as being a

large cat-like creature with a long tail,

standing low to the ground, mostly dark

grey to black and, in one instance, with

dark green eyes, having been seen clearly as

the black creature ran across the road in

front of a car. The rolling wooded hills of

Exmoor, the county from whence came R D

Blackmore’s Lorna Doone, provide

excellent cover for a stealthy, stalking

predator, should one really exist. The Beast

of Bodmin gained its name back in 1983,

following reports that a panther type

creature had been killing livestock, with an

estimated 100 sheep being slaughtered that

year alone, tracks and marks consistent with

those of big cats being left to fuel the

legend. Having previously dismissed

reports of big cat sightings as mass hysteria

on behalf of confused witnesses, in 1988

the Ministry of Agriculture, merged on its

dissolution in 2002 with DEFRA, stepped

in and directed the Royal Marines to carry

out a massive search for the animal, to no

avail, declaring that a dead foal had been

killed by a fox. In 1995 the Ministry

carried out another study, again

inconclusive.

Reported sightings run into many thousands

and according to the British Big Cats

Society, 2,123 sightings were reported

between April 2004 and July 2005, the

South West, in particular Devon, having the

highest, followed by Scotland and then

Wales. A skull found by a Devon farmer in

July 2005 has been identified as that of a

puma. Seems on the surface to be fairly

substantial evidence, otherwise if this was a

hoax, from where did he get a puma skull?

Also in 2005 the Beast of Burford was,

apparently, photographed prowling around

in fields and one farmer said he watched the

animal run away after killing three of his

sheep. In January 2012 three wallabies

were found dead near Stroud in

Gloucestershire, stripped to the bone with

their internal organs left beside the

carcasses and with puncture marks to the

neck, consistent with an attack by a big cat.

Several attempts have been made to

hoodwink the general public, probably the

most bizarre having been reported by two

national newspapers in April 2005 as fact,

complete with a photo of what appeared to

be a black leopard, which turned out to be a

large black cuddly toy panther. In the

summer of 2011 police found a foam-filled fake

after a reported white tiger stopped play at The

Rose Bowl, Hampshire’s cricket ground.

Norfolk has had its fair share of sightings.

In 2009 an apparent wild cat dubbed the

Beast of Burnham Thorpe was spotted near

the Sandringham estate, thought to be a

lynx or a Scottish wildcat, which have been

known to attack humans with their razor

sharp claws. At the end of March 2011 a

number of people reported seeing a black

panther like animal roaming wild on the

Bayfield Hall estate near Holt. In April

2011 a lady from Aylsham reported seeing,

from the car window, a large black cat in

the grounds of Felbrigg Hall, walking

through a wooded area. On 17 May 2011

two people reported spotting a large, very

dark, cat-like creature on heathland at

Salthouse. On the 1st of June 2011 a lady

reported that as she and her husband were

travelling by car from Dereham to Scarning

a large, beautiful, jet-black cat appeared in

the middle of the empty road ahead, stood

motionless for a few seconds then sauntered

back the way it had come and disappeared

in a field.

Eye witness accounts continue in 2012 –

two ladies reported coming within feet of a

huge black feline creature in the Lake

District; two ladies in Bedford claim to

have seen a lion stalking around a housing

estate, last seen heading for a pig farm; the

hunt for a lion in Essex caused panic in

August after holidaymakers claimed to have

seen the beast near a caravan park in St

Osyth near Clacton; three people in

Manchester reported seeing a mountain lion

type creature in a back garden; two ladies

out running in Cumbria

reported coming face to face

with a big black cat.

In spite of all the

scepticism, there have been

several irrefutable sightings,

regrettably mostly only after

the animals had been killed.

In 1980 a puma was

captured in Inverness

following two years of

sightings, given the name

Felicity and lived for a

further five years in a

wildlife park. In 1989 a

jungle cat was killed in

Shropshire after being hit

by a car, following 13

reports of sightings over the

previous three years. In

1991 a leopard was shot on

the Isle of Wight, the gunman

having mistaken it for a fox.

Also in 1991, a large adult

lynx was shot near Great

Witchingham, thought to

have escaped from illegal

ownership or a zoo.

…and did you know, most

reported sightings of big

cats are of black panthers?

However, this is most

unlikely. But why would

this be?

Answer in the next issue.

We are now open to 5pm

Monday to Friday

Richmond Park lady golfers have had

a good year under the captaincy of

Margaret Broadbent who now hands

over to our new Captain Eileen Chard,

we wish her well.

Despite the River Wissey running

perilously high on more than one

occasion we have managed to hold

nearly all the competitions scheduled

this year and we are pleased to say we

have welcomed several new younger

members to our ranks, Sandie

McCormack being one of them. She

was recently awarded the Heather

Piper Trophy which is for the player

with the most reduced handicap over

the season. Regarding our team

efforts we have been successful in the

Norfolk Women’s County League,

eventually finishing 2nd in Division 6

and have now gained promotion to

Division 5. In the winter months we

hold more social competitions and

recently played ‘A game of 2 Halves’,

the front 9 being medal format and the

back 9 Stableford. Sandie overcame

the muddy conditions and was

triumphant once again.

In a year marred by the death of the

Club’s owner we held many events

including the honour of hosting the

Norfolk Past Captain’s Society in

April and a successful Am-Am in

July. In August we helped the County

celebrate their centenary and

concluded the year by hosting the

Junior Girls Autumn Cup.

Some of you who have lived in

Watton and its environs for a long

time will instantly recognise Elaine

Aberdeen, who was victorious in the

Secretary’s Salver Competition

pictured right with last year’s Captain.

She taught at Wayland School for

many years & has been Lady Captain

at Richmond Park.

If you are new to the area and are

wondering which golf club to join,

look no further than Richmond Park.

We pride ourselves on being a

friendly, sociable bunch of ladies some

of whom even take short golf breaks

together either in the UK or abroad. The

club itself is well known for its relaxed

atmosphere and good food. For further

details ring 01953 881 803.

Richmond Park Golf Club Ladies Section


THE WAYLAND NEWS Page space is allocated strictly on a first come, first served basis. Deadline is 12Noon on 16th of the month preceding publication

and that is the last 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 published, then please make sure it arrives in plenty of time otherwise you may still be disappointed. 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 8 Princess Close, Watton IP25 6XA

The e-mail address is [email protected] Views expressed in articles in The Wayland News are those of the

contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers or printers.

While every care and effort has been taken to ensure accuracy, the

publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.

This issue of the The Wayland News was published by: Julian Horn, 32 High Street, Watton IP25 6AE and

printed by

Sharman & Company Ltd, Newark Road

Peterborough PE1 5TD. Phone: 01733 424 949

WAYLAND EVENTS DIARY

December

Sat 1st Ovington Christmas Bazaar In the Village Hall 12 - 3pm

Sat 1st ‘Inside Out’ Market Watton High Street from 9am

Sun 2nd Ashill Community Centre Car Boot Sale See ad

Wed 5th Watton Hockey Club Christmas Bingo See ad

Wed 5th Ovington Garden Club

Sat 8th Christmas Coffee Moring at St Mary’s Church 9 -12Noon

Sat 15th Charity Festive Market and Entrepreneurs Market

High Street Watton from 9am

Sat 15th Ashill Youth Club Christmas Fair See as

Tue 18th NWT Talk in Search of Wild Orchids. WCCC. See ad

A Happy and Peaceful

Christmas from

The Wayland News

See you in January!

Andrew Francis Funeral Service Watton’s Only Independent Family Funeral Directors

The Role Of the Funeral Director

When you suffer a bereavement, a funeral for a member of your family is

the most difficult day of your life. Everything your family and friends

ever thought about a loved one is expressed on that day.

When someone dies it comes as a great shock. Sometimes the death may

be expected, but nothing prepares you for the emotional shock of losing

someone close.

As your funeral directors, we are here to help and advise in whatever

way we can. we are dedicated professionals who provide a personal

service to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

It is a rare privilege to be a funeral director, to stand in a sensitive

position at a crucial time in the midst of your family, knowing the

quality of our service and reputation will help you through this most

difficult time in your lives.

Tel: 01953 883033

The Watton Society Talk Wednesday, 19th December

7.45 p.m. at the Christian Community Centre

The Westend Waiters £3 for members and £4 for non members, which

includes mulled wine and mince pies.

Winter Fishing By Jake Holman

Well, another winter season is upon us and

it's time once again to break out the thermals

and flasks. This year, my cold weather

fishing sees me chasing monster carp in a

local mere. Fingers crossed you will see me

holding a monster in the snow!

Our area has an incredible variety of

specimen angling for any brave souls willing

to get out there and take it. From truly

superb pike angling on Thompson Water

and Scoulton Mere to specimen bream and

roach in Loch Neaton and Garner's Pit in

Saham.

It is a long held belief that winter fishing is

extremely difficult, and you might as well

stay in and put your feet up. Whilst it

certainly does present some challenges and

force you to think beyond beautiful summer

afternoons trotting lazily through weirs or

zig fishing for monster carp, it is by no

means impossible. In fact, these challenges

make any fish caught a real trophy for the

books!

Freshwater fish, in general, become sluggish

and docile during the colder months. This

means that they are using less energy and

therefore need to feed less. This doesn't

mean they stop entirely! Small areas of bait

can still produce impressive carp, and a large

common carp in it's dark winter colours is a

sight to behold, believe me! Specimen roach

and bream can be teased from the frigid

depths with a carefully shotted float set up,

so there is no excuse for not getting out

there.

Even with all this variety, easily the most

popular winter species is the humble pike. It

can be found in almost any fresh water,

running or still. They fight hard, are

relatively easy to catch at small sizes and

don't require a small mortgage in tackle.

Pike fishing is certainly some of the most

exhilarating and quick fire angling available

in the UK in winter and a highly recommend

giving it a go, whether it be on the broads, in

a lake or your local river.

As with all angling disciplines, fish safety is

paramount for the longevity of our sport.

You will need a landing net large enough for

your target species, an unhooking mat,

gloves and a pair of forceps at the least. Pike

can be very delicate specimens, so be sure to

take care when handling them and ensure

they are out of the water for the absolute

minimum of time needed for your trophy

shots.

Winter fishing is also an excellent

opportunity to see our countryside in all it's

beauty and splendour. There is nothing quite

like stepping out of your door into the pre-

dawn glow of a crisp, frosty morning. It

feels like the whole world is yours alone and

is, I believe, one of the greatest aspects of

fishing at any time of the year. Packing a

flask full of soup or tea is a great way to stay

warm in the harsh weather, as well as the

obvious warm clothes.

Along with the beauty of the colder months

come the dangers of freezing conditions.

When the lakes start to freeze there is a

particular need for caution. Never walk on

ice, no matter how thick it may appear.

Warmer spots caused by any number of

things including silt and deep water can

create thin areas that look solid, right up

until the moment you disappear!

This really is a stunning time of year to be

on the bank, and the rewards are beyond

come pare. However you choose to enjoy

your winter, I wish you tight lines, wet nets

and may all your fish be big ones.

Caston has been named winner of the

‘Under 500 Population’ category of the

‘The EDP Pride in Norfolk Awards’!

The initial competition flyer asked

‘What makes your community special?’

The judges were looking for entries that

‘celebrate the wonderful community life

of Norfolk’.

The entry from Caston described various

aspects of the village’s life: the Friday

drop-in sessions, the wide range of

organisations using the village hall,

special events such as the Jubilee

celebrations and the New Year’s Eve

Safari Supper, Holy Cross Church, the

school, the website and parish council

schemes (such as ‘speed watch’) to

name but a few. Perhaps the most

important paragraph in Caston’s entry

was the first one:

Caston is a rural village with a happy

buzz. There are numerous examples of

residents pulling together to support the

community and individuals.

The three judges who visited Caston in

October were able to experience our

‘wonderful community life’ for

themselves. They clearly enjoyed the

buzz of a drop-in session, and were

pleased to hear details of village

activities from residents and

representatives of our many

organisations. After that, they toured

Caston to see the lovely village for

themselves.

Two representatives of Caston Parish

Council will be collecting the £500 prize

at a ceremony at County Hall on Friday,

30th November. The Parish Council

will decide at a future meeting how the

money will be spent.

The village is very grateful to Mary

Nichols who initiated and co-ordinated

the competition entry for the village.

Well done, Caston!

Now it is official – Caston is a special community

The Wayland News December 2012

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Transcript of The Wayland News December 2012