The Wayland News January 2013

Wayland News digital on www.waylandnews.com Issue Number 196 - January 2013

Caston School New Year Bingo

Thurs 24th January Doors Open 6.30pm, eyes down 7pm,

lots of great prizes and cash to be won.

The crowds turned out to the Christmas

Entrepreneur's and Charity Festive Market

in Watton High Street on the 15th

December.

Father Christmas paid a call to check up on

whether he had the correct details for all

the children in the area and also met some

of them in his temporary Grotto in the

Clock Tower while the Salvation Army

band played Carols underneath the

Christmas Tree in Chaston place.

The charity stalls have reported a good

attendance and all have raised some useful

money to put towards their aims and

objectives.

In the afternoon, Watton Churches Together

started the Town Carol Service in Chaston

Place by the tree, before moving to the

Sports Centre.

The Town Team Christmas Crawl was

won by Thelma Marsham and she received

vouchers to be spent with High Street

Business in excess of £400 and more than

20 children will be recipients of a Pirate's

Chest consolation prize.

Watton Town Team Chairman Chris

Edwards said “Today has been a really good

day with lots of people coming out, Father

Christmas and the band playing. Our High

Street doesn't always get good press

coverage because of events this year, but

today has shown that the spirit of Christmas

is alive and well in Watton.

“The Town Team have done a marvellous

job getting this and our other markets

organised and turning out on cold mornings

to get the stalls up and then later on down

again, but I would pay special tribute to

Beryl and John Bunning who have worked

harder than most to make sure all goes well.

And thanks to Jan at the Wayland

Partnership for her support of Town Team.

Mr Edwards concluded “We have already

started planning events for 2013, and it is

going to be a busy year!”

Town Team's Christmas Market

Town Team Chairman, Chris Edwards, presents Christmas Crawl winner Thelma Marsham her £400 worth of High Street vouchers

Thank you from

the Editor

In the past it has been my custom to

thank everyone associated with the

production of The Wayland News in the

December issue. This year the lack of

space thwarted me!

So, I would like to offer a very sincere

thank you to all contributors, but in

particular to the regular columnists Edith

Pleasance (who has put her pen down for

a while), Orbiter, John Egerton, Ken

Knowles, Boy Sid, Lotta Potts, Rosalie

Davis Gibb, and last but no means least,

Chris O'Connor.

To all the regular club and other

organisation's correspondents I also offer

a special thanks. It is not easy to write

something interesting month after month

but you all manage to do exactly that.

Another thank you to the very nice ladies

and gentlemen in Peterborough at

Sharman & Co, especially Jackie, Julie

and Mark, who bend over backwards to

help me every month. I am constantly

amazed at the speed they are able to

print the paper, turning the job round in

hours, and do it at a price that makes it

economic to continue and a quality that

makes it worthwhile.

Finally, to the advertisers who in the end

pay for all this, and to you dear readers,

the reason all this done, thank you.

If you have glanced up at the top left of

the front page at the “Issue Number” you

will see it is creeping closer and closer

to 200.

By any standards I think this is quite an

achievement and, assuming no disaster

befalls us en-route, I hope to mark the

event in an appropriate way. BUT I have

no ideas about what to do! So, if you

have any suggestions please pop in and

see me as soon as possible.

So here we go with Issue Number 196 –

and once again thank you one and all for

your support. Julian

The Wayland News News

Dance Away at the Queens Hall

Ballroom, Latin and Sequence dancing at the Queen's Hall on 5th January 8 p.m. to 11

p.m. admission £4

No dance in February

Dances on March 2nd, April 6th, May 4th, June 1st

A big thank-you to all who was

involved in making this trip possible

especially Maj Charlie Meredith Hardy

who hosted us and incidentally was the

Parade Marshall at the British Military

Tournament. As you can see; we were

lucky enough to have our photo outside

No. 10 which was a big thrill for all of

us even though one of the Cadets was

unaware who lived there.

We are recruiting and if interested

please contact Staff Corporal Robert

Gillbanks Troop Commander on

07929375911. Alternatively come

along on Tuesday Evenings 19:00 -

21:15 Church Walk Watton.

Watton Troop The Blues & Royals Visit to Knightsbridge

Barracks and the British Military Tournament

On 1st December, dancers expressed

their appreciation to Mike and Joyce

Long for hosting over 30 years of

ballroom dancing. On the first

Saturday of each month since 1982 an

evening of music and dancing has

been presented by Mike and Joyce for

the people of Watton to enjoy. Some

dancers travel from as far afield as

Norwich, Cambridge, Bury St

Edmunds, and Wisbech to join local

people on the splendid wooden sprung

dance floor in the Queens Hall.

Pictured presenting an arrangement of

flowers and the proceeds of a

collection taken on the evening is Mrs

Val Simpson who has formed a small

managing group to continue the

tradition. It is hoped that Mike and

Joyce will be able to take a weekend

break visiting a city of choice in the

UK which is one of their pastimes.

We all wish the couple a long and

happy retirement.

Last Dance at the Queens Hall for

Mike and Joyce Long

Ever wondered

how you could

support older

people in your

community? This year Age UK Norfolk is

celebrating 65 years of vital work

supporting people in later life. We

couldn’t have achieved this

milestone anniversary without the

enormous contribution of our

volunteers.

Our dedicated volunteers make up

over two thirds of the Age UK

Norfolk team and the services we

offer to support older people simply

wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for our

valued volunteers.

But we are always on the lookout

for new volunteers and offer a

variety of volunteering

opportunities. Whether you are

interested in fundraising, advocacy,

admin, befriending or would like to

become a charity Trustee – there is

something for everyone!

Age UK Norfolk is holding a

recruitment day at Watton Library,

George Trollope Road on Monday 28

January 2013 from 10.00am to

3.00pm. Come along to find out more

about what you can do to support

older people in your community.

Visit the volunteer page on our

website www.ageuknorfolk.org.uk

to find out more about volunteering

with Age UK Norfolk.

News The Wayland News

Ashill and

Holme Hale

Garden Club Over 40 members enjoyed a festive Christmas

Party on December 13th at Holme Hale

Pavilion (pictured right). The afternoon started

with a table decoration competition which

attracted no fewer than 17 entries, all of a very

high standard, and the members voted first

prize to Sheila Malyon for a particularly

artistic creation.

The sumptuous food was prepared by Sue Saini

and Vicky Maslen and the fact that barely a

crumb was left at the end confirms how much

the members enjoyed what they had to eat. Sue

and Vicky’s efforts were warmly applauded

when a presentation was made to them at the

end of the afternoon.

To earn their tea members were divided into

six quiz teams by Chairman David Green and a

hotly contested competition took place

featuring a picture quiz on native wild flowers

and questions on winter horticulture and

Christmas generally. An enjoyably close

competition kept everyone amused until the

Fuchsia team emerged as narrow winners to

claim their prize. It was a most enjoyable way

to end Garden Club activities for 2012.

The Chairman reminded members of the

Annual Lunch on January 16th and the next

meeting on January 24th when Graham Watts

will talk about the development of his amazing

Dale Farm garden in Dereham.

A Quick

Look

Round

by Orbiter

Well, that’s another year done and

dusted, and what a great year it

was! With the 60th anniversary of

the Queen’s accession to the

throne. and then the Olympics, it

was excitement all the way, and if

the Games were successful, the

Paralympics that followed were

even more thrilling. Unfortunately

all the euphoria was to be

dissipated by the goings-on

amongst our political leaders, who

continued to make the headlines

with their tax avoidance dodges,

while at the same time denouncing

finance bosses for similar

behaviour.

Of course most of the trouble is

caused by the complicated tax

laws, which over the years have

grown so excessive that even the

Inland Revenue people cannot

cope. While we may deprecate the

fact that so many large companies

do not pay what we deem to be a

fair share of tax, if they act within

the law we should not criticise

them. It is up to the government to

ensure that the laws are not at

fault.

It was a good year for democracy,

for several ballots were conducted,

such as that on the subject of the

proposed Incinerator at King’s

Lynn, where over 90% of the votes

were against it, and for the

electricity sub-station at Lt.

Dunham, similarly turned down by

a vast majority, as was the

proposed re-siting of the bus

station in Thetford. Despite the

adverse votes these projects will

probably get the go-ahead when

the appropriate Minister allows the

appeals.

Or else further ballots will be held

until the voting goes the right

way ! That is how democracy

works.

Having experienced the effects of

the wettest summer in memory I

thought it would be a good time to

visit the local feature known as the

Pingo Trail, and yes, these ancient

pits were well filled. Transferring

my perambulations to the Wild

Life Reserve at E.Wretham I was

rather surprised to find that

Langmere, the famous water hole,

was completely dried out, the bird-

watching hide thus being

redundant.

I have been told that Langmere is

well-known for this phenomenon,

remaining dry in the wet season,

but also tending to become a lake

when all around is suffering from

drought. No doubt some local

historian will be able to tell me

more about what appears to be a

rather odd situation.

About the time you read these

notes the New Year’s Honours list

will be published, and no doubt

eye-brows will be raised when

some of the names of recipients

are revealed. Of course many of

these people will have warranted

recognition, but it might be

thought that the whole system

should be abandoned, since by the

very nature of things many other

equally deserving individuals will

be overlooked. Perhaps only

awards for outstanding bravery

should remain, although even then

other equally brave people would

be missed out. As for medals for

sports personalities, surely there is

no justification for these at all.

An important measure was

discussed a few weeks ago, with

the result that there will be no

women bishops at present. Surely

their rejection must come under

the heading of sexism. No?

Can someone please explain why

enquiries always last so long ?

Conclusions have just been

published regarding a crash

involving Concorde which

occurred in 2000, twelve years

ago. It does not seem feasible that

new evidence has continued to

become available throughout that

long period.

Similarly delays in prosecutions

seem to be excessive. Of course it

is realised that the courts have so

many cases to hear, but frequently

trials are reported where the

alleged crime may have taken

place months or even years before,

even when the defendant has been

detained pending the outcome.

My looks round have thrown up all

sorts of items that I find hard to

understand, and one that is most

bewildering is in respect of

railways and the cost of tickets.

Apparently if one wishes to travel,

say, from London to Bristol and

the fare is about £90, if you take

the trouble to take one ticket to a

mid-point (about £20) and a

second ticket from that point to

Bristol (£20), you can therefore,

quite legitimately pay only £40 for

the journey. How daft is that ?

Furthermore having paid the full

fare, should you decide to cut short

your journey, you may be asked to

pay even more for the privilege !

And there are so many different

fares to the same destination,

depending even on your method of

payment, that the whole business

of travel becomes a sort of lottery.

Oh, for those old fashioned times

when one would just ask the

booking clerk for a ticket to

wherever and the right ticket for

the right price would be

forthcoming with no hassle at all.

Easy peasy.


Did you

know . . . ? By Rosalie Davis Gibb

…the most famous scientist of the

20th century, Albert Einstein (right),

a German Jew born on 14 March,

1879 in Ulm, Germany, didn’t

speak until he was four or read until

he was seven, causing his parents

and teachers to think he was slow,

handicapped and anti-social?

Having achieved poor grades in

school he was told “Einstein, you

will never amount to anything” and

asked to leave. In fact he excelled

at maths and science, taught himself

geometry at the age of 12, wrote his

first science paper at 16, gained his

PhD at the age of 26 and was

awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics

in 1922. Following his death in

1955 his brain was removed for

research.

These days Einstein would no doubt

be classed a late developer.

Paradoxically, it was his father, who

thought his son a bit of a dunce,

who sparked Einstein’s lifelong

passion for physics at the age of

four or five when he showed him a

small compass, the young Albert

wondering at the mysterious force

that caused the compass needle to

move.

As you will no doubt recall,

Einstein’s most impressive

achievement was The General

Theory of Relativity. Einstein was

fascinated by the nature of light,

leading to his recognition that light

always travels at a constant speed,

regardless of how fast the person

measuring it is moving. However,

to Einstein, time was an entirely

different matter altogether.

Whenever you ask someone “What

time is it?” the chances are you

would not expect them to reply

“That depends on how fast you're

traveling”. Thanks to Einstein, we

know that the faster you go, the

slower time passes. So a very fast

spaceship, as featured in science

fiction for decades, could well be a

time machine to the future. It

would take a spaceship travelling at

75% of the speed of light nearly six

earth years to reach Alpha Centauri,

our nearest star, but for the

astronauts on board, the trip would

take less than four years. If Einstein

could have hopped aboard a

spaceship traveling at 99 percent the

speed of light in the year of his

birth, he would still be in his late

teens if he returned to earth today.

Bizarre thought! Given that the

speed of light is 299,792,458

metres, or 186,282 miles per

second, today’s fastest spaceships

travel at only around 0.00004% of

this. Light takes about 8.3 minutes

to reach earth from the sun, 1.3

seconds from the moon and 2.5

million years from the Andromeda

Galaxy.

And here’s a thought worth

contemplating – the earth is

travelling at 107,000 kilometres

(67,000 miles) an hour around the

sun. So if you are sitting still

reading this, you are only still in

relation to the earth. Relative to the

sun, you are travelling through

space very fast, known as ‘relative

motion’. Einstein described the

past, present and future as

‘persistent illusions’, since, in

theory, one person’s past could be

another person’s future. However,

Einstein was not the first to have

this idea. Galileo Galilei, the 17th-

century Italian astronomer, also had

the same idea, expanded and refined

by Einstein, resulting in his Theory

of Relativity. The most famous

equation in the world, Einstein’s

E=mc2, revealed a secret that had

eluded scientists for centuries, that

mass and energy are different forms

of the same thing. Einstein’s vivid

imagination, ingenuity and curiosity

more than made up for his

perceived lack of intelligence as a

child.

Whilst on the subject of the mind,

those of you with access to emails,

facebook, etc may well have seen

the conundrum doing the rounds

apparently proving whether or not

you have a strange mind depending

on whether or not you can read this:

7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O

PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N

D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!

1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!

1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5

H4RD, BU7 N0W,

0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S

R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY

W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG

4B0U7 17,

B3 PROUD!

0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N

R3AD 7H15.

I obviously have a very strange

mind since I can read it at normal

reading speed!

Translation is

THIS MESSAGE SERVES TO

PROVE HOW OUR MINDS CAN

DO AMAZING THINGS!

IMPRESSIVE THINGS!

IN THE BEGINNING IT WAS

HARD BUT BUY (spelt incorrectly

I would just point out to whoever

started this!) NOW, ON THIS

LINE YOUR MIND IS READING

IT AUTOMATICALLY WITH

OUT (should be one word!)

THINKING ABOUT IT, BE

PROUD!

ONLY CERTAIN PEOPLE CAN

READ THIS.

I’m still waiting for expansion on

what these ‘certain people’ relates

to! Most people can read it, the

difference would seem to be in the

speed that people can read it, which

could be an indicator of intelligence

rather than peculiarity, since the

higher the IQ, the faster the neuron

connectors in the brain, leading to

higher speed of thought, computing

information and recognising

patterns. (Have you gone back to

read it again in an attempt to gain a

faster speed?!) Just as a matter of

interest, to be a member of the high

IQ society, MENSA, of which I am

in fact a member, you must have an

IQ of 148 and above (100 is

average), which relates to

approximately only 2% of the

world’s population.

Einstein wasn’t the only late

developer – Charles Darwin was

also considered unexceptional, gave

up his medical career and was seen

by his father as being lazy and too

dreamy by far. Darwin wrote of

himself “I was considered by all my

masters and my father a very

ordinary boy, rather below the

common standard of intellect’.

Thomas Edison ended up with

1,093 US patents to his name but as

a child was told by his teacher that

he was too stupid to learn anything

and that he was ‘addled’, thankfully

ignored by his mother who taught

him at home and obviously did a

very good job. Beethoven’s first

music teacher once announced that

as a composer Beethoven was

hopeless. On the entertainment

front, an MGM talent scout wrote of

Fred Astaire ‘Can’t act. Can’t sing.

Slightly bald. Can dance a little’.

Steven Spielberg was rejected by

the University of Southern

California School of Theater, Film

and Television three times. Twenty

five years later, in 2002, Spielberg

completed his BA. So the moral of

all this – press on!

… and did you know one of

America’s most famous Presidents,

with a Norfolk connection, had only

eighteen months’ formal education

from several itinerant teachers,

gained most of his knowledge from

self-education and in his youth had

a reputation for brawn rather than

brains? But who was he? Answer

in the next issue.

Diabetes

UK News Our last meeting of the year was

the Christmas Party, with a guest

appearance by Father Christmas!

We were honoured that he could

attend as this is his busiest time of

the year. A good time was had by

all, with plenty of good food and a

very festive atmosphere. A

presentation was made to Roger,

Tina and Simon on behalf of the

Diabetic Group as a thank you to

the Pentecostal Church for

enabling us to hold our meetings

there every month. We are

extremely grateful to them.

The first meeting of 2013 will be

on Jaunary 14th at 10.15am. Our

speaker will be Julian Horn, who

will be talking about Bodney

Camp and Watton High Street in

the past.

We are a friendly, informal, non -

medical group, with a variety of

speakers and our members learn a

lot from talking to each other. We

extend a warm welcome to

anybody new who would like to

join us, newly diagnosed with

Diabetes or a long term Diabetic.

We also have to explain to any

one new that John and Rod are

best ignored!

For further information please

phone Helen, 01953 884713,

leave a message and I will get

back to you as soon as possible.

Just a late item: I would like to

say a big thank you to all the

people who came to see us at the

Festive Market. We raised

£130.25 for our group and we are

very grateful. Thank you also to

the Town Team for arranging the

Festive Market, they did a great

job! A good time was had by all.


Thetford

Foodbank's delight

at shoppers

generosity

Organisers at Thetford Foodbank have

been delighted at the genorosity show

by shoppers in the run up to Christmas

as they collected food at the two Tesco

supermarkets in Watton and Thetford.

Thetford Foodbank Manager, Ali James

said “We were absolutely blown away

by the generosity of shoppers at the

beginning of December. Some people

even donated whole trolley loads of

food!

“We're seeing a huge demand at

Thetford Foodbank, particularly with

our two new distributions centres

opening in Watton and Brandon so the

food donated by customers at Watton

Tesco weighing in at 711kg and the

1173kg given at Thetford, could not

have come at a better time.”

“Thetford Foodbank would like to say a

huge thank you to everyone who

donated; Christmas is looking a little

brighter for families in crisis as a result”

Thetford Foodbank have distributed 3

days' emergency food to 656 local

people in crisis (442 adults/214

children) since opening their doors on

Christmas Eve in 2011. That's 7.2

tonnes of the 10.7 tonnes generously

donated by people of the local

community so far. They rely entirely on

donations of non-perishable foods,

funds and volunteer time to run this

service and work in partnership with

local professional care services for

referrals.

The organisation will soon be extending

the provision to serve the communities

of Watton and Brandon too.

If you would like to give, they also try

to stock some basic items needed for the

household and toiletries, such as toilet

roll, deodorant, 2 in 1 shampoo/

conditioner, shower gel, nappies, wipes,

ladies sanitary items, razors, shaving

foam, toothpaste, tooth brushes.

For more information contact Thetford

Foodbank on 01842 820825

(answerphone when unmanned), email

[email protected], or visit

the website

www.thetford.foodbank.org.uk

Pictured are Thetford Foodbank

Manager, Ali James and Tesco staff

with donated food.

My Friend OS By Ken Knowles

For the last sixty years or so,

wherever in this country that I have

travelled, OS has been my constant

companion. I would not think of

going away without OS, and I think

it only right that I should record my

appreciation of the excellent

service I have received.

Of course OS is just an

abbreviation, the full name being

Ordnance Survey, the wonderful

creation that shows the whole of

the British Isles in detailed map

form.

Of course there are other forms of

mapping that are useful, such as the

road atlases that are published each

year by the RAC and the AA, the

street maps that are issued for the

cities and big towns, and the SAT/

NAV system, all of which serve

their various purposes well.

My favourite mapping medium is

OS, but I like to use it as a means

of ‘fine tuning’ once I have reached

my intended holiday area, the

actual journey being planned with

reference to the road atlas. SAT/

NAV is very efficient in picking

out the most direct route, but does

so in a most impersonal manner,

and offers no alternatives, whereas

study of the atlas enables me to

choose what I feel might be a more

interesting approach to a

destination.

For instance, when travelling from

Norfolk to the west country, the

road map will reveal various ways

to enable me to avoid the

motorways, which, even when not

subject to hold-ups, are simply

boring race-tracks, whereas if I am

going to spend a greater part of the

day on the road, I prefer to make

the journey a part of my holiday.

Thus a study of the road map might

show where there might be a good

chance of stopping off for a

pleasant meal, which would be too

much to expect from the average

motorway service station, or the

prospect of an interesting tour

through the beautiful English

countryside.

But once I have arrived then I rely

on OS to help me discover the

delights of the locality, for where

the road atlas merely guides me

from place to place, OS will reward

a short study with all kinds of

useful information. For instance, at

a scale of more than one inch to a

mile OS will show me the location

of the best beaches, the local rivers,

churches, forests, and interesting

buildings, and by the means of

contour lines, the position of hills

and potential viewpoints. And,

most important to me, it will

indicate the positions of the many

footpaths that are a feature of our

countryside. From this information

I have been able to organise many

interesting walks for myself and

friends over the years.

At one time it was expedient to

purchase a local OS map for

whichever area where I might be

staying, but with over 200 to

choose from this can become quite

expensive, so a good plan is to

borrow the appropriate ones from

our excellent public library service.

Though only a small selection may

be available in the smaller libraries,

the Norwich one offers a choice of

the complete range, from which

quite a lot of pleasure can be had

from planning excursions, even

before the holiday begins.

Of course all maps, as well as SAT/

NAVs soon become out-dated

when new roads or housing estates

are created, but OS rarely becomes

too affected by change, since such

features as public footpaths are

usually retained, even to the extent

of their being bridged or tunnelled

over or under motorways.

One thing that OS shows up is the

extra-ordinary number of farms that

abound throughout the country, all

of which are marked by name, and

it is these names that spring so

many surprises. I recently stayed on

at a holiday lodge in Suffolk,

located at a place called Red House

Farm. Looking at the OS map I was

amazed to see that within three

miles were two more Red House

Farms, and further examination

showed this name to be repeated

again and again. Equally abundant

over Suffolk and Norfolk is White

House Farm, and of course there

are literally scores of Manor,

Church, Home or Mill Farms,

while a preponderance of Brick

Kiln Farms throughout Norfolk

gives a clue to the nature of the

local subsoil. Rather surprising to

me is the frequency that Walnut

Tree Farm appears, since I am not

aware that such trees abound in

very great numbers hereabouts.

Also to be found are several

bearing the name Gibraltar or

Waterloo.

OS also gives glimpses of the

recent past by showing the routes

of disused railways, which often

have been turned into public

footpaths, thus indicating suitable

walks for those of us who are

getting too old for strenuous

climbing, since all railways feature

fairly gentle gradients.

Ruined churches and castles are

also clearly marked, as well as

those that are still in use, while

monuments and other constructions

that do not appear on other maps

give added interest when studying

territory not previously visited.

With an all- over numbered grid

OS can readily give an easily

identified six-figure reference to

any spot in the country, which can

be a great help when meeting other

tourists (provided they also have a

copy) whether in towns or in the

wilds of the most remote out-lying

districts.

Though they are long gone, I must

record my thanks to those men,

who, a hundred or so years ago,

spent countless months measuring,

observing and triangulating to

produce the OS maps that have

given so much information and

pleasure to me and to all the other

tourists who have used them ever

since. Whatever sums I have spent

on them have been repaid over and

over through the years, since I have

passed so many hours poring over

their contents. Three cheers for OS.

Rosalie Davis Gibb

As I write this on the 16th of December

the day is sunny and bright. However,

snow and ice is likely before the winter is

out. Loch Neaton looks incredibly

beautiful when sprinkled with frost or

snow, but please DO NOT be tempted to

walk out onto the ice, let alone skate on it.

Last year several people were seen on the

ice and we cannot stress enough how

dangerous this is – even if the ice looks

thick it probably isn’t and the chances of

the ice breaking are very high, which

could result in serious injury or worse. So

please enjoy the view, but stay safe.

Keep off the Ice!


There were many things that

inspired the creation of The

Wayland News and one of those was

what I like to think of as an ancestor

of The Wayland News, known as the

Wayland Recorder.

It was first published on 7th April

1977 and it was the brainchild of

Keith Gilbert, then a well known

photographer and now postman and

Town and District Councillor. I

asked Keith if he would mind me

reproducing the first copy as a pull

out souvenir in the build up to the

200th Birthday of The Wayland

News. I am delighted to say that he

readily agreed, and I asked him to

explain how the Wayland Recorder

came about . . .

I moved to Watton in 1976. With my

then wife and young son I had been

staying in East Harling with my

parents, after moving up from London.

My parents had moved to East Harling

when Jeyes, who my father worked

for, moved to Thetford and I stayed in

London. I always said that I did not

leave home, my parents did.

In London I did a lot of freelance

photography work for the Recorder

Group of local newspapers, which

included the Ilford Recorder and the

Newham Recorder. I had the plumb

contract of photographing West Ham

ever week, home and away. This gave

me the greatest day in my professional

life, when I was paid to go to

Wembley to photograph West Ham

winning the FA Cup.

So newspapers were a big part of my

life. When I moved to Norfolk I had

no contacts and did not know anyone.

I went to see John Kitson at the EDP

offices in Thetford and immediately,

on the strength of my press work

portfolio, got a lot of work for the

EDP and Thetford and Watton Times.

Through that I met Graham Arnold,

the PR man at Modus, and started to

get a lot of work for them. Things

were going well. Then things started

to go downhill, with Modus in

financial trouble and cutting down on

the work I did for them, and then the

EDP cutting back hard on freelance

photography work. I had to find some

more income.

That is when I decided that a good

idea might be to start my own local

newspaper. After all, nothing

ventured, nothing gained. Although I

had a lot of experience of the

photography side of newspapers, I had

never written for one. In fact I had

never written anything professionally.

I went round all the shops and as

many businesses as I could and asked

if they would advertise in a new very

local newspaper. The response I got

was terrific, They all seemed to think

it was a good idea. They also seemed

to like the idea of breaking the EDP’s

monopoly.

The next step was to find a printer.

Not an easy matter. Technology back

then was not what it is today. I found a

small printer in Suffolk who were

really up to date with technology.

They had a computer type set

machine. There was no such thing as

sitting at home and doing it yourself.

It was not easy like it is for Julian

(sorry Julian, only joking.) Every

week I had to go to the printers in the

morning and they would type it up, set

it and then print it, and would bring

the papers back with me.

Of course I had to find the stories,

after all, no stories, no newspapers. I

also had to go round getting the

advertising to pay for it, and,

hopefully, pay me a wage as well.

So, some how, the first edition was

ready to roll. You can judge for yourself

how good it was, because Julian has

reproduced it here. I feel very proud that

he has done this and that he feels that it

was the inspiration for his now very

successful Wayland News.

It seems that it caught the imagination

of the people of Watton. The first

three editions were given away. There

was no such thing as a free newspaper

in those days, but I had to let people

know it was there. Then came the

moment of truth. Edition 4 went on

sale. Would anybody buy it? There

was a huge sigh of relief when they

did. People seemed to like it.

The big problem was the cost of

production. Compared with now it

was a much bigger percentage than it

is now. I had some financial support

from some very kind people in the

town who appreciated what I was

trying to do. Unfortunately the cost

was too big and in the end I had to

admit that it was not a commercial

success, and I had to cease

production.

I had a great time doing it, and it

helped put me on the map in Watton,

the town I am now proud to call

home.

So, Julian, I am proud to think that I

inspired you to start the Wayland

News. Congratulations on the

approaching 200th birthday, and may

the Wayland News go from strength

to strength for years to come.

The Wayland Recorder The Wayland News

wishes you a

Happy New Year

New business

start up

support

programme

available in

Wayland A new programme of business start up support

has launched in Breckland which will provide

Wayland residents with practical support locally.

Breckland Council has teamed up with Norfolk

and Waveney Enterprise Services (NWES) to

provide a suite of business support activities in

the district with an emphasis on delivering

practical support in Attleborough, Dereham,

Swaffham, Thetford and Watton.

The Enterprise Norfolk programme, which is

funded by Norfolk County Council, will enable

people to gain the necessary skills to start a

successful business and receive ongoing advice

and mentoring during the first year of trading.

Awareness events will begin in Watton in

January and will continue in the other market

towns soon after that and people will also be

encouraged to attend drop-in business support

surgeries in Dereham and Thetford to find out more.

Workshops and training sessions will then be

scheduled in which will provide structured

guidance on such things as how to write a

business plan, self assessments, marketing and

accounting. There will also be specialist advice

on how to access other sources of funding and

access to finance.

Michael Wassell, Deputy Leader of Breckland

Council, Executive Member for Finance and

Democratic Services and Watton Town

Councillor said: “This is a unique opportunity

for Wayland residents to gain the necessary

skills and knowledge to start up a new

business. Anybody with an idea that needs

harnessing or who might need some advice or

guidance in starting up, please get in contact

with the programme. There will be practical

support available here so it is important that

residents take advantage of this opportunity.”

Richard Voisey, NWES Business Adviser

working in Breckland said: “We are delighted

that we will be able provide our advice and

training in the district as research has proved

that businesses starting with our help grow

faster and have more chance of surviving the

difficult first few years of trading.”

To find out more about the Enterprise Norfolk

programme please contact NWES on 0845

6099991 or contact Dan Cox at Breckland

Council on 01362 656235 or

[email protected]

Shellrock Circle

for Rocklands

and the

Surrounding

Districts

Venue: The Village Hall, The

Street. Rocklands

19th November: Members requested a

trip to Highway Nurseries and this was

very well attended. After our successful

Christmas Bazaar on the 17th of

November, we were able to achieve our

goal of taking our members out to

dinner. Thanks was extended to the kind

businesses in Attleborough who gave us

items for our raffle etc. This year we

went to the Dell Bowling Club in

Wymondham whose staff was very

accommodating to the requirements of

our mixed group. Everyone enjoyed their

chosen meal and the staff was given a

round of applause. Our entertainment by

the Busking Bargee was brought to an

early conclusion as everyone wanted to

get back home before it got too dark.

12th December. This was our last

meeting of the year and unfortunately at

this busy time of the year there were

other events taking place, so some of our

members were unable to attend.

Others were at home in bed with the

winter flu despite having had their flu

injection. However, the children of

Rockland Primary School came along to

entertain us with an upbeat musical

version of A Christmas Carol by Charles

Dickens. These youngsters certainly put

their energy into singing and their

enunciation was excellent. We

thoroughly enjoyed their performance

and the children went off back to school

with a small chocolate sweet as a token

of our appreciation. The task was won by

Irene Moore of Attleborough.

What’s on in January.

9th Jan Shellrock Club meeting usual

meeting time of 2pm till 4pm. We will

provide our own entertainment . There

will be no task for January.

15th Jan. Marion’s Lunch Club at the

White Lodge, Attleborough. For further

information ring Marion on 01953

483431.

We hope that you had an enjoyable and

happy Christmas and that the New Year

will be good to you. New members are

always welcome why not start the year

right and come along to our club.


Watton based

entrepreneur

finds a new way

to kill time Joe Shepherd (right), founder of Arms of

Chivalry, first came to our attention when he

bought his business to the Watton Entrepreneur’s

Market in May 2012. Now he seeks to bring

something new to the local scene.

Joe believes that Watton has much to offer, and

he seeks to add to that with a new “Knight-club”

to be based at the Wayland Academy called Fight

School.

“Fight School,” he says, “is a place were young

and old, can come and train in the lost art of

medieval combat, and an interpretation of

swordplay from the 15th Century, along with the

code of knighthood that is Chivalry.”

Joe has had a variety of training in swordplay and

other weapons with different re-enactment groups

since he was 16 years old. He looks back on those

times with a fondness and wishes to give others

the same experience.

“For as long as I can remember I have had a

fascination with swords and how they were used.

It was only after I joined my first re-enactment

group that I realized how little I knew about

them. Wanting to know more and more each

time, I studied different methods until I found a

15th Century style that is easy to learn and very

effective, both as a sport, but also as a fighting art

as it was back in the day.”

Joe believes that the sword is an integral part of

our history and heritage.

“If we don’t teach these skills to the next

generation,” he said, “they will be lost forever,

and so will an important part of our history.”

Following his extensive research, and using

evidence from historic fight manuals, Joe and

Arms of Chivalry have put together a course

that will teach an interpretation of these lost

arts in a way that is both sport, self-defence

and fighting art.

“Above all, I believe that the course that has been

established will be intensive, physically

demanding, but most importantly, highly

enjoyable.” Joe added.

So, on the 9th and 10th of March 2013 at the

Wayland Academy, Joe will be running the first

of many courses and training sessions for ages 15

and over. The course will start at £200, with the

option of buying your own padded clothing and

polypropylene sword on the day. As an

introductory package, Joe has created a starter

bundle that will include padding and a free sword

for only £288 including course fees and lunch on

both days if you pay before New Year.

Sessions will last from 10:00am-17:00pm on the

Saturday, and 10:00am-15:00pm on the Sunday

Training sessions after the course will happen on

a once a month basis at a cost of only £30.

Joe says, “All those who complete the course,

will undergo an official passing out ceremony

and also will receive a certificate of achievement

with the official Arms of Chivalry seal.”

“All the money will be invested right back into

Fight School,” Joe said, “in order to make it

bigger and better. Eventually I plan to

introduce metal weaponry of all descriptions,

from swords, to axes, maces, flails and

hammers, as well as plate armour, mail armour

and period helmets for an authentic fighting

experience.”

Places are limited to 12 applicants and the

course needs a minimum of 6 for it to go

ahead.

Joe ends by saying, “If you are a historical

purist who wants to delve into a lost art, or an

enthusiast who wants to know more about the

weapons you collect, then come to Fight

School and see as swords are brought alive in a

way you have never thought possible.”

To enroll on a course please get in touch with Joe

or any of the Arms of Chivalry Team on:

[email protected] or call 07828 007047

The Harrand quiz is held usually in

November, between the four villages

of Caston, Griston, Thompson and

Stow Bedon with Breckles. The quiz

has been held annually since 1982 in

memory of Mr Jim Harrand who was a

former Chairman of Caston Village

Hall, Chairman of Caston Parish

Council and a Church Warden as well

as having been Deputy Head Master of

Watton Secondary Modern School

(now Watton High School).

The 2012 Harrand Quiz was held in

Caston Village Hall on Friday 23rd

November when, yet again, Thompson

ran out winners. They were six points

ahead of their nearest rivals,Caston

and Griston, who tied in second place.

Thompson have now won the Harrand

shield for the last seven years in

succession. The contest was fought out

over eight rounds and questions

covered a wide range of topics from

Geography to Gardening and History

to Sport. The spectator team also

performed well. The quizmaster was

David Blincow and the scorer was

Alan Porter.

The photographs show the captain of

Thompson, Bronwen Tyler, together

with team members Kate Winslow,

Geoff Winslow and Leoni Paton, being

presented with the winner's shield and

certificates by Mrs Evelyn Harrand,

the widow of the late Mr Harrand

attended by the Chairman of the

Village Hall Management Committee,

David Blincow.

Harrand Quiz - Thompson

remain champions

Rosalie Davis Gibb

Most reported sightings of big cats are

black panthers. However, this is most

unlikely, but why would this be?

More than half reported sightings of big

cats in the UK are of black panther type

cats, followed by brown or sandy

coloured cats, believed to be pumas, then

a small number of lynx type cats and a

few of indeterminate species. Lynx only

disappeared from the UK around 1,500

years ago, at the hands of man, but a few

could quite easily have survived and

been breeding and prowling every since.

The chances of two of the same species

meeting and breeding, other than lynx, is

highly improbable, so recently spotted

big cats would presumably have been

released in recent years. The UK

provides ideal habitats for big cats to

survive, with plenty of space and food.

In lean times, need for food would bring

these naturally elusive predators into the

open.

It would be unlikely for most sightings

to be of black panthers because strictly

speaking there is no such species. They

could, in fact, belong to one of a variety

of big cats. The Felidae, or cat, family

contains 41 animals in two subfamilies,

Felinae and Pantherinae, which in turn

contains the genus Panthera, containing

four animals – lion, jaguar, leopard and

tiger – the roaring cats. The cougar and

jaguarundi (a small wild cat native to

Central and South America, active

during the daytime rather than at night)

belong to the genus Puma from the

Felinae subfamily. A black panther

would mostly likely be a black, or

melanistic, leopard (pictured) or jaguar

mutant, due to spontaneous genetic

changes or recessive genes surfacing,

caused to too much inbreeding. Typical

markings can still be seen at close

quarters, but are hidden by the intensity

of the dark fur, thus giving the

impression of a black animal from a

distance. Melanin is the primary

determinant in the colour of the skin –

the more melanin, the darker the skin.

Melanin also synthesizes vitamin D and

protects the body from harmful ultra

violet rays, explaining why people with

pale skins are more prone to sunburn.

Melanistic leopards are very common,

especially in dense forests. Very rarely,

black tigers can be found in Asia. The

name panther has also been applied to

black or darker versions of the the

cougar, also known as the puma,

mountain lion or catamount, although no

cases of truly melanistic cougars have

been authenticated. Most black panthers

in captivity are melanistic lepoards. The

leopard is the smallest of the four big

cats. Tigers are the largest, followed by

lions, then jaguars. And for the eternally

curious like myself – whereas nocturnal

means active at night, diurnal means

active during the day and crepsuscular

means active primarily during twilight!

Did you know? December's answer


Entertained and entertained

On Sunday 2nd December 1st Saham Toney

Brownies thoroughly enjoyed a trip on the

Mid-Norfolk Railway Santa Special being

entertained by clowns and seeing Father

Christmas. We travelled from Dereham to

Wymondham (and back again!). While on

the train we visited Father Christmas in his

Grotto and each Brownie was given a

present. The clowns made parrots, dogs

swords or hats using balloons and there was

an inter-carriage singing competition. Our

carriage came second! We were also served

refreshments from a drinks trolley by Elves.

On Monday 3rd December we went to Lime

Tree Walk and entertained some of the

residents with a variety show. Some

Brownies read poems, danced to music, one

Brownie played Jingle Bells and Little

Donkey on the flute, they put on puppet

shows and sang Christmas carols and songs

and four Brownies were brave enough to

sing solos. The Brownies also mimed a play.

The whole show was compered by one of the

Brownies. They all hope to receive their

Entertainers Badge at the next Brownie

meeting. After we had finished we were

provided with a ‘feast’ of buffet food and

drinks and given a donation of £25 for our

funds.

The Leaders and Brownies would like to take

this opportunity to thank the people of Lime

Tree Walk for all their hard work and

making us feel most welcome once again this

year. Brownies are for girls aged 7 – 10

years. If you know of someone who is

interested in joining Brownies visit

www.girlguiding.org.uk/interested or call

0800 1 69 59 01

Also use this contact for Rainbows (5-7) and

Guides (10 –14) or if you are interested in

volunteering as a Young Leader or as an

Adult Leader.

WAYLAND CMA January 19th Merv & Maria

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

Some remarkable

local women

Pictured Right Elizabeth Fry, Amelia Opie,

Harriet Martineau, Anna Sewell, Edith Cavell

S ome of the remarkable women in

past times have lived in Norfolk and

the next WEA course to be held in

Watton will look at the personal

lives and public roles of seven of them who

came from the Norwich area.

From the medieval period we will look at

Julian of Norwich, the anchoress who is

regarded as one of the most important

Christian mystics. She was born around 1342,

lived for much of her adult life in St Julian's

church in Norwich giving counsel to those in

need, wrote a book which is thought to be the

first book written in the English language by

a woman, and died around 1416.

Another medieval woman is Margaret Paston,

who lived from 1423 to 1484 and whose

family home was near the east coast of

Norfolk. Her adult life covered the time of the

Wars of the Roses, and she wrote letters to

members of her family, many of which, with

replies, still survive and tell us about their

lives in those troubled times.

From the later eighteenth and early nineteenth

centuries we will consider Elizabeth Fry and

Amelia Opie. Elizabeth Fry was born in 1780

and was a prison reformer and social worker.

She was horrified by conditions in prisons

and raised public awareness here and abroad

of some of the problems. One of her admirers

was Queen Victoria, who granted her several

audiences and contributed money to her

cause. Amelia Opie married one of the

leading artists of the day and was an author

who published many novels. She was born

in 1769, and, having become a Quaker in

1825, spent the rest of her life travelling

and working for charities, dying in 1853.

In the nineteenth century Harriet

Martineau and Anna Sewell were also

novelists. Harriet Martineau was born in

1802 wrote extensively on a variety of

subjects, and is often cited as the first

female sociologist, being particularly

interested in political and economic issues.

In contrast Anna Sewell's only published

work was "Black Beauty", a novel still

loved today.

Finally we will consider Edith Cavell, who

was born in 1865. Before the First World

War she was a governess and then trained

as a nurse at the London Hospital, but is

best known for her death by German firing

squad in the First World War for treason

by helping allied soldiers.

The tutor for the course will be Nigel

Wimhurst.

The course will be run by the WEA, the

Workers’ Educational Association, which

is an education organisation for adults over

the age of 19, and runs courses all over the

country. The courses are interesting and

enjoyable, with the emphasis on informal

learning and discussion without any

exams, so one can work at one’s own pace

and as intensively as one wishes. Fees are

kept as low as possible; the WEA is a non-

profit-making body supported by funding

from the Skills Funding Agency, and run

by local volunteers.

The course will be held at the St John’s

Ambulance hall in Saham Road IP25 6AE.

It is only 50 yards from Watton High

Street so it is not far from the bus stops and

easy to get to. There is plenty of space for

car parking outside the hall and in the road.

The course will run for ten weeks on

Tuesdays, starting on 15th January at

2:00pm and will last for 1½ hours. It will

run to 19th March. The cost will be £50,

payable on the second week, although

people who are in receipt of income-based

benefits or Job Seeker’s Allowance are not

charged. Come to the first session without

obligation and see whether you think it’s

for you.

Details of all local WEA courses are

shown in a booklet which is available from

the libraries, and you can also contact Peter

Chappell on 01362 820641 for further

information.


Watton Troop The Blues &

Royals Norfolk Army Cadet

Force Dinner Night and Awards Our Inaugural Regimental Dinner Night and Award ceremony was

a complete success and a great time was had by all. The event was

hosted by Staff Corporal Robert Gillbanks and the Instructors and

volunteers of Watton Troop and our special Guests were Maj

Kenny Pickering (Officer Commanding CNE SQN) and his good

lady Hayley.

Award winner were as follows (back row left to right):

Lcpl Chloe Chilleystone - Best Attended Cadet for 2012, Best Cadet

Non NCO for 2012, Promoted to LCPL & awarded her 1 Star Badge.

Lcpl Kara Sanger - Best Turned out Cadet of 2012;

TPR Max Thompson; Best at Drill for 2012;

Coh Jasmin-Alice Gillbanks - Best NCO for 2012 and recipient of the

Bodney Shield; Lcpl Arek Brzezinski - Most Improved Cadet for

2012, Promoted to Lcpl and awarded his 1 Star Badge.

Front row left to right; TPR Aiden Bunning - Awarded his 1 Star

badge; TPR Jake Price - Awarded his 1 Star badge; TPR Liam Potter -

Awarded his 1 Star badge.

My thanks go out to all who were involved to make this event the

success it was, especially my wife Janice who was the backbone of the

whole event. Staff Corporal Robert Gillbanks, Troop Commander.

If ‘The devil makes work for idle hands…’

there is no chance that Watton Inner Wheel

ladies will get up to much mischief! Once again

it has been a hectic month starting on Saturday

1st December with a Christmas Coffee

Morning at the Queen’s Hall. Despite the

sudden onset of winter, with strong winds and

freezing temperatures, a considerable number

of people came along to enjoy the various

goodies on offer, these included home made

cakes and preserves, Christmas decorations,

household commodities and a large selection of

second hand books. The Tombola did a brisk

trade as did the raffle; the prize for which was a

splendid Christmas Hamper. Upstairs the ladies

were kept busy serving hot drinks and tasty

cakes and pastries to a steady stream of chilly

customers. As always, the support from the

people of the town was tremendous. The

‘Coffee Shop’ raised £137 for the Queen’s Hall

Maintenance Fund, whilst the other attractions

realised an amazing £422: 80 for charities

supported by Inner Wheel.

On Wednesday 12th December the Queen’s

Hall was packed for another of the Inner Wheel

Lunchtime Concerts. There was a sense of

excited anticipation in the air as the audience

streamed in to take their seats. This time the

Concert was to be a bit different: the ladies

themselves not only prepared and served the

food but also provided an entertainment entitled

‘A Christmas Celebration’ thus adding to their

already impressive list of achievements.

Masterminded and introduced by member

Brenda Davis, the programme included

seasonal songs and readings, humorous verses

and favourite Carols. Some ‘Inner Wheel

Husbands’ were also on hand to make valuable

contributions to the event. After intensive

rehearsals (often in very cold conditions) the

ladies threw themselves into this new challenge

with gusto. Their enthusiastic singing, and

excellent reading of a variety of interesting

pieces, engaged the audience from the very

beginning and the atmosphere of warmth and

friendship in the hall was almost tangible. The

audience was encouraged to join in whenever

possible and this they did with obvious

enjoyment. Musical accompaniment was

provided by June Garratt and Peter Cowling.

A light lunch, served at the tables, followed the

entertainment and a total of £500 was raised for

charities supported by Inner Wheel. The

members of the Club are always very grateful

for the support given to its various events by

the people of Watton and the surrounding area

and send everyone greetings for Christmas and

the New Year. See you in 2013!!

The Inner Wheel in Concert and other news

Breckland Funeral

Services Quiz

Night in aid of

Nelson's Journey

Breckland Funeral Services held a

quiz night on November 28th and

raised £184 for Nelson’s Journey,

which is a charity dedicated to

supporting bereaved children and

young people throughout Norfolk.

The quiz evening was hosted by

Laura Stevens who also wrote all

the questions, she was assisted in

the smooth running of the evening

by colleagues, Eirlys Johnson,

Nicky Steward and Phil Starling.

A fun night was had by all and it

is hoped it may become an annual

event.

Eirlys and Laura wish to thank all

who came along and so generously

supported the event.

To learn more about Nelson’s

Journey please visit their website.

http://www.nelsonsjourney.org.uk

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DEREHAM & DISTRICT

CAT ADOPTION CENTRE Hoe Road, Longham, Dereham NR19 2RP

Rehoming Cats and Providing Advice & Help With Neutering

OPEN 7 Days a Week 11am to 3pm

Telephone . . . 01362 687 919

Ovington Crower I thort ide betta git in arly an wish orl yew

gud peepal the compelmints o tha season,

cos I know boy Julian will be hossin abowt

ter git tha ole Wailin Noos owt afore tha noo

year gits a gooin.

Waal how yer gittin on tergitha, hoop yar got

yar winta droors on cos thas whooly cowld

inna tha mornins o leart.

Horry’s bin a mobbin abowt tha corst o livin

and rekkuns he ent sent owt noo Chrismus

cards tha year, but he’s arsd me to put a little

ole bit in hare wishin yew orl yew wish

yarselves, an iffen yew are inna tha pub oova

tha noo year, yew ken pay him back fer orl

his gud wishes by gitten him a pint or tew o

tews. Yew hev bin worned.

Hedda a larf totha day. Yew hev hard me

tork of boy Jimma wot live nex door tew

Horry, cor his a learzy yung chap, neva dew

northin in his gardin, thas orl full o weeds

and ole bitsa tackle. Horry he say tew him he

say

“Thas toime yew tricolate thet up ole partna”

he say “Tha ole weed seeds is orl cummin

oova my teartas an sprowts, thas gitten parst

o jook ole partna, yewl hefta dew suffin afore

I gits suffin raw an gi yew a ding o tha lug”

This got boy Jimma orl of a mucksweat an

he cum hossin rownd mine tew arsk wot he

orta dew, he rekkuns he carnt dig cos hes

gotta bad back. So I say ter him I say “Yew

orta git a pig” I say “Thet’ll git its ole snowt

unda tha weeds and thet’ll sune put tha

grownd tew rites, better than diggin”

Jimma goos oova tew ole Farma P and sez

he’d like wun of his pigs, but oonly iffen thas

cheap. Ole Farma P wosnt born yisdy, so he

gits Jimma a squity little ole pig thet warnt

gooing tew meark eny munny at the slorta

howse.

Jimma gits tha ole gilt hoom an lets it lewse

inna his gardin. Tha fust thing thet duz is hull

tha worta bucket oova, an then roll obowt

inna the mud thet meard. Jimma wos a gittin

consarned cos thet warnt diggin up tha

gardin.

Duzzy fewl arsd Horry of orl peepal wot he

orta dew. Horry thort abowt it an he say

“Thet ole pig needs tew go tew tha boar,

thet’ll git har back to normal.” Jimma ent

best pleesed but gits his barra owt puts tha

ole pig innit an tearks har back to Farma P

and gits tha ole boar tew dew tha bizness.

Wen he gits her hoom, Horry he say tew

him. “Dew yew look at har in tha mornin, an

if shes eatin tha grass she’s in pig an orl yar

problims is oova”

Nex mornin Jimma looks owta tha winder an

the pig is still rollin inna tha mud. “Cor

blarst” he sware, “I shell hatta teark her back

agin” So owt cums tha barra an back tew tha

boar.

Nex mornin tha ole pig is still a rollin in tha

mud. “Goo ta hell” say Jimma, “Not agin.”

So wunce mor the ole pig is put in tha barra

an orf ta tha boar, who is probly gitten fed up

by this time, but does the bizness anyoldhow.

Nex mornin Jimma dass’nt look owta tha

winda an sez tew his missus “Wos tha ole

pig a dewin tha mornin gal” She niva sed a

word fer sum time, cos she wos larfin fit ter

bust. “Cum on gal wos she dewin, is she

eatin tha grass?”

“No” she say

“Waal” say Jimma “Is she still a rollin tha

mud?”

“No, thet she ent” say his missus.

“Tell us wooman” he beg “Wos happnin?”

His missus wos creased up, but she say.

“She’s sittin in tha barra”

Jimma ownt live thet down fer a while..

I rekkun he mite be hevvin pork fer his

Chrismus dinna tha year.

Horry is still larfin, so Jimma mite jist hev

got away wi’ not hevvin ter dig his gardin

tha year.

Well fare ye well tergitha, an I hoop yew orl

hev hed tha best Chrismus ever, an I’ll see

yew inna tha noo year.

Happy Noo year ter orl onya an . . .

De yew kip a troshin. Boy Sid

January brings the snow - makes your

toes and fingers glow. That’s the song

anyway and it was ironic in the first place

I think. Flanders and Swan or Joyce

Grenfell? Younger readers probably

won’t have a clue. Anyway, up to the

deadline in December we had rain, more

rain, hard frosts, more rain, gales. All this

has meant that anything put off for a

while is still put off as the ground is way

to wet to walk on. Unless things improve

we will still be in the same state at the

beginning of the year. Looking on the

bright side, the shortest day has passed so

more daylight hours are available to gaze

miserably at the soggy drab mess that

was a garden a few short weeks ago.

This is as good a time as any to start on

the learning curve. Some gardens will be

open to visitors and if it’s dry go and

have a look. The best gardens will have

strategically placed evergreens,

interesting shapes in twiggy bushes and

trees with coloured stems and bark. Some

also have heavily scented flowers. Some

examples of trees and shrubs are Witch

Hazel, Daphne (bohlua variety is also

evergreen), Mahonias, Viburnums winter

flowering honeysuckles, wintersweet. If

you look down round the trees’ feet you

may well spot early snowdrops, crocus

tommasinianus, cyclamen coum and

some irises. The Iris unguicularis

(Algerian Iris) is really tough and will

appear through snow. If the weather is

forecast to be severe it will be better cut

and put in a vase to enjoy indoors. With

evergreen leaves that last all year there’s

no need to have a scruffy patch or to tidy

it up - there’s a bonus! On the other hand

it takes a while to settle in and resents

being moved. If necessary split up a

crowded patch in spring. There are some

clematis that flower now. Armandii is one

of the favourites with a gentle vanilla

scent. Oddly enough this variety grows

very large in the right place and can

become a thug, needing to be pruned with

a chainsaw but at the same time is not as

hardy as the cirrhosa varieties such as

‘Freckles’.

If you do manage to visit an open garden

don’t forget that many of the design and

planting ideas can be adapted to your own

patch, however small. Most varieties of

trees and shrubs have small versions that

can be put into containers so you could

reproduce quite a lot of the big ideas into

small ones that will give pleasure for

years and there’ll be at least one bit of the

garden that will be at its best in winter.

Now is a good time for a bit of retail

therapy as many garden centres and sheds

will have plants such as pansies in flower

for instant colour and gives the gardener a

lift. If the ground is frosty we’re back to

the containers again (make sure yours are

frost proof) until the plants can be moved

into the ground later on.

It’s possible to carry out some tasks

outdoors - repairs and maintenance

mostly. On a dry still day with no frost

forecast there’s a good opportunity to re-

felt shed roofs. Yearly treatment or

painting of timber is best done now while

plants nearby are dormant and gets the

job out of the way. At the same time it’s

recommended that canes and wooden

supports are treated as well. I don’t! It

does make sense, though, to slap a bit of

preservative on the ends that go in the

ground and things will last longer.

Apparently this can be done by half

filling a metal bucket or old tin can with

preservative and standing the canes in it

overnight. I suppose that’s labour saving

but still seems like a fiddly job for the

perfectionist.

On the other hand there are some

essentials that need to be carried out

indoors regardless of the weather. If you

have a bit of heat in either the shed or

garage (let the car out for a bit of fresh

air) and a radio it’s quite pleasant to

clean and sharpen tools that need

attention. That would be all of mine then.

If you can keep the bucket of water under

control you could wash all the pots and

containers that were going to be washed

as soon as they were emptied. Did you do

that? Well done. Check over stored fruit

and veg (this should be done on a

frequent basis anyway). If you are lucky

enough to have a frost-free greenhouse

water plants sparingly and with a bit of

heat chit first early seed potatoes for

forcing in pots under glass for really

early new baby spuds, sow other extra

early crops under glass, seeds of

houseplants, tuberous begonias and

tender perennials. Be warned, though. If

you go overboard on this, specially if you

have a heated propagator, do make sure

there’s enough room/pots to move the

seedlings on as sure as eggs they’ll be

ready to go outside long before outside is

ready for them. It pays to wait a bit but

it’s so difficult.

If there’s no heat or no greenhouse, turn

your mind to planning. If you have the

skill (I don’t) the best thing is to plan it

all out on large sheets of graph paper so

you know where all the boundaries are

and which directions of the compass it all

faces. You can also map out where

existing plants are, well the visible ones

anyway, and if you have taken a few

photographs, pin these to the plan so you

know what some of the invisible ones are

as well. I guarantee that it’s impossible to

remember! Next is to sort out the seeds

you already have. Unless you have a

huge garden or like growing lots of one

plant you are bound to have seeds left

over. I have some from years ago. It

would be nice if the seedsmen could

produce small packets of manageable

numbers of seed for those of us not

blessed with rolling acres. Now get out

the seed or plant catalogues or go online

and you will have whiled away several

hours if not days. Beware. The bank

manager will be watching.

That’s about it really. Ah - two more

things. I hope you all have a very happy

and prosperous New Year but don’t

forget, if the weather is reasonable keep

weeding.

In your Garden with Lotta Potts

Bradenham & District

Horticultural Society There is no meeting in January. Our February meeting will be a special to start the

new year. Our speaker will be Jim Paine from Walnut Tree Nursery at Rockland

St Peter. His talk is entitled A Late Winter Talk. Jim has been to the Society

before and has always educated and entertained us. If you haven’t been to a

meeting before this would be a good one to start. It will also give you the

opportunity to join us in March for our famous Beetle Drive and Fish Supper

evening as booking is required for this one. The meeting will be held in the

Village Hall on Thursday 21 February at 7.30pm All are welcome and if you have

any queries please contact me: Marianne Kilmartin, Chairman. 01362 820744


Caston Camera

Club Art &

Photography

Exhibition Caston Camera Club members were proud to support the

Art & Photography Exhibition and Sale held at St Mary’s

Parish Church Watton over the weekend of 17th & 18th

November in aid of the church’s restoration fund. A total of

108 images were put on public display and were well

received by visitors to the church. The images were all

taken by amateurs and have featured in the past few months

in the club’s bi monthly competitions judged by the East

Anglia Federation of Photographic Societies.

The photographic element of the exhibition raised

£271 including the proceeds from the sale of some of

the images all of which were donated by the

photographers to church funds.

Could owning a

dog be good for

your health?

As an Osteopath, I am constantly trying

to encourage people to get active! We all

know that exercise is good for our health.

But for many people however, the

thought of joining a gym, going to a

Pilates class, running a marathon or just

moving more can be very daunting,

especially if they are not used to regular

activity.

So, as the New Year fast approaches,

ways to get fitter are grumbling and

nudging the backs of our minds. I have a

suggestion. Have you ever considered

owning a dog? There is no denying the

various health benefits to owning a dog.

Regardless of your age or ability. Here is

how a dog can make you healthier:

Reduced blood pressure. Research has

suggested that stroking and playing with

a dog lowers blood pressure. A study of

people who worked in a stressful

environment revealed that high blood

pressure was lower among those who

were dog owners. A study published in

the American Journal of Cardiology

found that male dog owners were less

likely to die within one year after a heart

attack than those who did not own a dog.

Of course, you have to like animals for

this to ring true as a fear of dogs would

be more likely to have the opposite effect

on blood pressure!

Recovery from illness. It has been

shown that dogs have the ability to help

heart attack patients and patients who

have a dog at home tend to live longer.

Dogs can also serve as a loyal support

system to bed-ridden owners as they

provide them with comfort and

companionship and that often results in a

quicker recovery. Dogs have also been

known to minimise the symptoms of

diseases such as Parkinson’s and

Alzheimer’s.

Social enrichment. Dog owners tend to

walk more and get more physical activity

than those who don’t. Dog owners are

also more likely to explore their

neighbourhood and take advantage of

surrounding parks and sites. A study

revealed that dog owners also have an

increase interest in their neighbours and

were more likely to be social than non-

pet owners. There are many new friends

to be made. A whole new world is there

to embrace.

Being active. Having a dog that needs

walking twice a day is a great reason to

get out of the house and get some much

needed exercise. Not only will you feel

better but you are helping to improve

your posture and fitness. You may also

like to consider running with your dog.

There are many safe, beautiful places in

Norfolk to go and enjoy. Even if you

want to take it to the next level, there are

also Canicross (cross country) groups that

meet regularly in East Anglia.

Happiness. A dog can help us to cope

with difficult situations in life such as

pain and loss; they have even been

known to help people suffering from

depression. Some psychologists use pets

in their therapy sessions as stroking an

animal elevates serotonin levels in the

brain. The unconditional love expressed

by a pet can be a great self esteem

booster and can work wonders against

loneliness and isolation.

Children with pets are healthier. There

are many benefits to raising children with

pets. Children growing up with pets have

positive feelings toward them which can

contribute to a child's self-esteem and self

-confidence. Positive relationships with

pets can aid in the development of

trusting relationships with others. Experts

believe that children who have good

relationships with pets can also develop

non-verbal communication, compassion,

and empathy.

Additionally, children that grow-up with

pets have good health. According to

various studies that monitor children at

the earliest of ages, children who are

exposed to pets are much healthier than

children who do not live with pets. A

Finnish study evaluated 375 infants (up

to one years of age) that were born

between the years 2002 and 2005 and

lived with pets. The infants had fewer

respiratory infections and needed fewer

antibiotics than the babies who didn’t live

with pets.

All of the above contribute to a happier

healthier you whatever age or ability. So

during the holidays, why not go and have

a look around one of the many rehoming

centres there are around and see if you

can find the perfect pooch for your

family. If you haven’t the time or the

finances to own a dog , why not go and

borrow one from a friend for an hour or

so a week. There is nothing quite like the

love of a dog and a perfect way to start

the New Year.

For more information on any of your

health questions, why not call for advice.

May I take this opportunity to wish you

all a ‘Happy, Active, Healthy New Year!’

Sharon Gibbons BSc (hons) LSSM (dip)

MSMA

Osteopathic and Sports Injury Clinics

Norfolk – based at Watton Sports Centre.

07919401051 or email

[email protected]

Shipdham &

District Book Group For the discussion on 20th November members

had been reading Family Album by Penelope

Lively. Allersmead is a large Edwardian house

which appears to be a perfect place to bring up six

children. Alison is seemingly the ideal ‘earth

mother’ figure whose only ambition is to have

babies; cook perfect meals and organise birthday

parties and family holidays and events to a set

pattern supposedly suitable for all from birth to

late teens. Charles the ‘academic’ father figure

avoids most aspects of family life behind his

closed study door. Ingrid a so called ‘au pair’ who

has been around for years helps with all matters

domestic and later horticultural. The children

grow up and scatter across the world returning

one by one to the house that has guarded the

family secrets, one more devastating than others.

The book produced a mixed response. Most

members were confused by the number of

characters. Nobody particularly liked the parents

and were somewhat bemused by the continued

presence of Ingrid. As with so much of our

reading we feel that all families are dysfunctional

or is it that there would be nothing to write nor to

discuss about those which are not? This led to an

interesting discussion on the role of parents and

sibling and parental relationships. This was

probably not the most interesting or challenging

book the group has read but was a pleasant

change from one or two recent texts which have

proved rather ‘dark’.

Our December meeting on the 18th was a real

break with tradition when for the first time in the

seven and a half years that we have been meeting

as a group the venue was not someone’s home but

King’s Café in Shipdham. We were provided with

mulled wine, fruit juice and nibbles for the first

part then afternoon tea with sandwiches, sausage

rolls, mince pies, marzipan and cherry cake and

other delicacies accompanied by tea or coffee. No

member had to prepare the refreshments or wash

up.

The format followed our established Christmas

custom whereby each member reads something of

their own choosing whether prose or poetry, fact

or fiction. These included: an account of medieval

Christmas Customs; extracts from Little Women

by Louisa M Alcott; amusing passages from the

Yorkshire writer Gervase Phinn ; others from a

short story by Alexander McCall Smith; poems

including ‘Jack Frost in the Garden’ , ‘King

Winter’, ‘The Innocents Song’, ‘The Crib’,

‘Christmas Dinner’ and much more. There was a

great variety some being humorous, others

sentimental and some reflecting the more serious

side of the human condition, both historically and

in 2012.

For our first meeting of 2013 on 15th January we

are reading Never the Bride by Mark Magrs. We

hope that by the time you read this you will have

enjoyed Christmas and wish all members and

friends good health and luck for the coming year.


Community Radio has returned to Wayland

Available 24/7 on your PC & mobile devices www.watton-radio.co.uk

@wattonradio www.facebook/watton-radio

Direct from our studio at the Youth & Community Centre, Harvey

Street, Watton Email – [email protected]

Call – 01953 881778

Watton Country Market

Happy New Year to all our customers. While the

human producers are taking a welcome break in

January the feathered ones are not: a hen's work

is never done. So fresh eggs will be available

from 9th January, when our Methodist friends

restart their weekly coffee mornings in the rear

hall. Eggs will be on sale in that hall on a

Wednesday morning while coffee is being

served until the full Country Market reopens on

Wednesday, 6th February, at 8.30 a.m.

Councillor's Chat

With Cllr Keith Gibert

I'm sitting here early Sunday morning at

the end of a week off, and "looking

forward" to two hectic weeks of post

delivery to come. The bright side of it is

that it will be my last Christmas delivery,

as I retire next July. The Boundary

Commission are at present carrying out a

review of Breckland Council and it's

ward boundaries. This could result in

less Councillors, or maybe more, or the

same.

As part of this review they will be

looking at whether multi member wards

such as Watton, which has three

Breckland members, should be split into

wards with one Councillor for each.

Personally I think multi member wards

work well, as people have a choice of

which Councillor they contact, and also

different Councillors have a better

knowledge of some issues than others,

so if they think another Councillor can

be of more help then they can refer

someone to them. If Watton was split

into Wards a member may have to refer

someone who contacts them, and lives in

Watton, to another Councillor. What do

you think? As usual I would be pleased

to hear your views.

The Government are changing the way

Council Tax rebates are handled. From

next year billing authorities, in our case

Breckland Council, will be responsible

for introducing a local scheme for

Council Tax rebates, but the

Government are cutting the amount of

money they give by 10%. This will

inevitably lead to a cut in some people's

rebate. Pensioners and vulnerable groups

are going to be protected, so it looks like

some people, and they are people on

benefits and low incomes, who presently

pay no Council Tax, will have to pay

something. I would be pleased to hear

your views on this.

My contact details are, telephone, 01953

880172, email,

[email protected] and my

home address is 39 Merton Road,

Watton.

I am always pleased to hear from you

with your views and suggestions.

On a totally different note I would like to

talk about the fantastic state of amateur

theatre in our area. To have three theatre

groups in a population of our size must

be almost unique, and the quality of the

performances is shown in the audiences

they attract. OK, I'm a bit biased as a

member of one, but what a great year we

have had. In September the Boo And

Hiss Theatre Company, the one I am in,

had a great hit with Up Pompeii, their

seventh production. Then a few weeks

later the Wayland Players, now over 60

years old, packed the Queens Hall for

four nights with their production of

Calendar Girls. What brave ladies!! And

what a great night out. Everyone enjoyed

a great performance. Well done. And we

still have the Pantomime Group to come.

If you haven't been to any of our group's

productions then you have missed some

good nights out, much better than sitting

in front of the television!! Hope to see

you in the audience next year.

A big thank you from me, and I know

from a lot of other people, to all you

people who have lit up your houses with

some amazing displays to brighten our

lives. I've seen some of them and will be

doing a tour to see as many more as I

can. I love to see it, and I know it raises a

lot of money for various charities.

I would like to wish you all a very lovely

Christmas and my best wishes for the

New Year. Keith Gilbert

Many of us start the new year with a

New Years Resolution – losing weight

and giving up smoking being popular

choices.

This New Year, Total Health Pharmacy

in Watton is backing the ‘Dry January’

campaign. Run by Alcohol Concern, this

national charity is throwing down the

challenge “Can you stay off the booze

for 31 days”.

The aim is to make you feel better, save

money and make a difference.

According to Alcohol Concern, alcohol

is often referred to as our ‘favourite’

drug and ‘as a society we pay a high

price for our relationship with alcohol’

They report the following facts;

Every minute, alcohol-related

problems cost the UK economy

around £48,000

Every hour more than 100 people go

into hospital in England and Wales

with an alcohol-related condition

Every day more than 40 people die

as a result of alcohol in England and

Wales

Every week more than 100 children

call ChildLine upset about their

parents’ drinking – some as young

as five years old.

Pharmacist at Total Health, Geoff Ray,

said “We see many people in the

pharmacy concerned that they may be

drinking more than is recommended.

Dry January is a great opportunity to try

and change a habit and improve your

health”

“The government advises that people

should not regularly drink more than the

daily unit guidelines of 3-4 units of

alcohol for men which is about a pint

and a half of 4% beer and 2-3 units of

alcohol for women or one 175 ml glass

of wine.

“Drinking over these limits on most days

of the week can put you at increasing

risk of developing health problems.”

Total Health Pharmacy is encouraging

people to find out the facts. They have

information, tips, tools and advice for

people who want to learn more about

safe drinking.

Rachel Ray has signed up for Dry

January and will be keeping a diary

about how she is managing. You can

follow and support Rachel by reading

her diary on www.waylandnews.com

If you want to take part in this chance to

change your life then you can sign up for

Dry January individually or as a team

through the website

www.dryjanuary.org.uk and you will

receive motivational tips to keep you

going through the month.

What are you giving up for 2013?

Ovington Garden Club The December meeting was our AGM where, apart from the usual

items, the meeting closed with a quiz and refreshments. During this

meeting, the programme for the next year was presented, starting on

Wednesday 2nd January with Terry Rands speaking on 'Container

Vegetable Growing'.

Meetings are held in Ovington Village Hall at 7.45pm on the first

Wednesday of each month and membership for the year is only £5.

Contact Ed on 01953 885848 or Carol on 01760 440719 for details.

Wayland House

Looking back

over 2012

Each year at Wayland House seems

to get busier as we offer a wider

range of services in response to the

changing needs of our Wayland

Community and 2012 has been no

different.

Our Training room has hosted

business meetings and seminars

and business advice sessions, adult

education classes, English for

speakers of other languages and a

wide range of meetings. It is a very

well equipped space with laptops

and multi-media projection and

while we use it a great deal for our

own meetings, it is also available

to local businesses as well as local

government and local community

organisations for meetings and for

training. The Youth, Health and

Heritage Focus groups which are

the forums for involving the

community in delivering our

charitable aims all meet there too.

Wayland House has supported a

wide range of services in 2012

bringing a constant stream of

people to the building – to the

Community Bank, to Breckland

Customer services, for a variety of

health and social services, and

although they are next door, to the

police. Because they do not have a

public office, many people assume

that we are the police and come to

ask for directions, to show

documentation or to report a

nuisance.

Most of Wayland House is let to

small businesses and this is the

main source of income that allows

us to provide training and services

to the community and to meet our

charitable goals, so when three of

our tenants grew out of our small

offices needing space to employ

more people, we were at the same

time delighted for them and sorry

that they are leaving a gap which

may be hard to fill in these difficult

times. There are many advantages

for small and start-up businesses

taking an office in a business

centre. Most of the basic costs and

services are included in the rent and

there are opportunities for

networking, business advice and for

training.

The area that has developed most in

2012 is the Dragonfly Gallery, a

delightful space much appreciated

by artists from all over Norfolk

where we hold a range of themed

exhibitions and solo shows as well

as supporting artists and crafts

people by giving them an outlet for

their work. For the first time this

year the Gallery remained open

through the autumn and this has

proved to be very successful.

2013 will be challenging. All

small local charities are

struggling to survive as costs

increase and income falls and we

are no exception. We need the

community we have served for

almost 14 years to understand that

we are a charity and that any

surplus funds we have must be

used to deliver our own aims and

not those of other charities,

however worthy. The programme

for the Gallery is almost

complete, much of it supporting

the Town Team themes for the

High Street. The growing Twitter

network for local businesses and

the community will be developed,

and we are working with a range

of agencies to ensure the best

possible support for Wayland

Businesses and the Wayland

community. Despite the

difficulties there is much to look

forward to in 2013.

Rocklands Bingo in January The next Bingo will be held at Rocklands Village Hall on Wednesday

16t January. 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,

refreshments, raffle and a very generous Jackpot on offer. All Proceeds

go to the Village Hall.

The Royal British

Legion, Watton

District Branch

POPPY APPEAL

2012-13

The total of the Watton and District Collection as

at 1st December last was £12514.97.

While not quite as much as the previous

year's collection it, nevertheless, is a

magnificent sum in these harsh economic

times for us all.Grateful thanks are given to

all who contributed whether a large amount

or small and to all who helped with the

collections.I would, also, like to thank all

shops and businesses in Watton and the

district for their help and permission to

allow collecting boxes and Poppy trays to

be on display in their premises.

Well done, Watton and District.

Thank you all once again.Jean Sell (Mrs)

(Hon Poppy Appeal Organiser)

Church Times and News The Wayland News

Watton Churches Together Service Calendar for January

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 6th 8.00am Holy Communion

10.45am Covenant Service at Methodist Church


10.00am Holy Communion


10.00am Holy Communion

6.30pm Watton Churches Together Unity Service


10.00am All Age Worship

6.30pm Choral Evensong

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 6th 10.45am Covenant Service

Deacon S Sowerby &Rev’d G Garrett

6.30pm Mr A Warby

Sun 13th 10.45am Deacon S Sowerby, Mrs J Roebuck

6.30pm Mr M Cook & Mrs P Cook

Sun 20th 10.45am Mr R Hompstead

6.30pm Watton Churches Together

Unity Service at St Mary’s Church

Sun 27th 10.45am Mr D Fisher

6.30pm Mrs J Roebuck

Roman Catholic Community

Each Sat 5.30pm Mass at Watton Methodist Church

Pentecostal Church, Dereham Road, Watton

Children have their own programme during the

Sunday morning services

Sun 6th 10.30am Romans 1 - Saved by the Gospel

6.00pm Pudding, Praise and Prayer

Sun 13th 10.30am Romans 1 - Set apart by the Gospel

Sun 20th 10.30am Romans 1- Serving the Gospel

Sun 27th 10.30am Romans 1- Setting out the Gospel

St. Nicholas’ Church, Ashill

Tuesdays at 10.00am Said Holy Communion

Sun 6th 9.30am Lay Led Morning Worship

Sun 13th 9.30am Morning Worship

Sun 20th 9.30am All Age Worship


St. George’s Church, Saham Toney

Sun 13th 11.00am Morning Worship

Sun 20th 10.30am Covenant Service at Saham

Methodist Church


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

Sun 6th 10.30am Benefice Service of Holy Communion


Sun 20th 10.30am All Age Worship

Sun 27th 10.30am Lay Led Morning Worship

St John the Evangelist Church, Ovington


Breckles, Caston, Great Hockham,

Griston, Merton,

Stow Bedon & Thompson

Worship Calendar for January

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

Sun 6th Epiphany 10:30 am United Holy Communion Breckles

Sun 13th Second Sunday of Epiphany

9:00 am Matins (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Caston

Sun 20th Third Sunday of Epiphany

10:30 am United Holy Communion Gt. Hockham

Sun 27th Third Sunday of Epiphany

9:00 am Holy Communion (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Griston

Sun 3rd Presentation of Christ

10:30 am United Holy Communion Stow Bedon

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

from 9th January

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

‘THE WAY’ YOUTH GROUP (ages 11+)

13th January, 7-8pm, Rectory

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

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

Email: [email protected]

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

Sun 20th at Watton Christian Community Centre 2.30pm until 4pm Please join us, a warm welcome awaits you and your friends.

Watton Bereavement Support Group Meeting

Wed 2nd Jan 2pm Tea and Chat at Watton CCC Mon 21st Jan 12 for 12.30pm Lunch at Griston Wagon & Horses.

God be with you Thought for the month By Rev Geof Garrett, St Mary's, Watton

Wow! What a year it was in 2012. We seemed to have packed a lot in,

particularly in the second half. The first few months we were waiting –

perhaps at times wondering how things would go – for the events of

the Summer in particular. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee including the

river pageant (only we could have so much fun in such bad weather!)

the concerts, the street parties and the parades. That was closely

followed by the Olympics which were such an incredible occasion.

The torch relay, the athlete’s achievements, the games makers (some of

whom came from the surrounding villages here)and, as has been

recorded, the best games ever! The sporting achievements continued,

England beating, nay, thrashing the All Blacks and the cricketers after

a slow start getting the better of India in their own backyard. Austrian

Felix Baumgartner jumping from the edge of space and being the first

person to break the sound barrier without any machine assistance.

All of that has been an antidote to the woes of the world, but we have

had to come back to earth and reality – conflict in Egypt, Lybia, Syria,

Afghanistan and many other places around the world. The continuing

threat from nations like Iran and North Korea. The world economic

downturn and the threat of double and even triple dip recessions.

We have just celebrated Christmas which is a time of sharing, a time of

peace and a time when we particularly remember those in need. The

message of Christmas though is not a message just for December

wrapped up in nativity plays, carol services, christingles and the giving

of cards and presents. The message of Christmas is for all people and

all time. Jesus came into the world as Immanuel – which means God

with us, a reminder that God is with us all through the year. As you

look back over 2012 you will see unexpected things which have

happened, some happy and joyful, some sad and difficult. Christmas

speaks into all those situations that God IS with us. When we say

Goodbye, we are in fact saying ‘God be with you’ recognising the fact

that God is always with us. That comes as a comfort as well as an

inspiration to know that whatever comes to us good or bad, we can still

know that because of Jesus, God is with us in all things.

May God be with you and may you know that he is, so that

whatever 2013 may bring your way, you will have the strength to

cope, the wisdom to know the right path and the peace to be who

God has made you to be.

Great Ellingham

Chit Chat Centre

Great Ellingham Recreation Centre

Every Wednesday 10 – 12 Noon

Great Ellingham Chit Chat Centre has now been running very

successfully for 12 months. Around 45 folk pop in from time

to time for a coffee and a chat. Books are always available

for exchange and group users can bring their own produce to

sell. Information on ‘what’s on’ locally to leaflets on Social

Needs are always available. So many of the folk who attend

the Centre find that through coming to Chit Chat the village

has been opened up to them and they now belong to more

groups; in fact the centre acts as a catalyst for other events.

We celebrated our first ‘birthday’ in November with a cake

and refreshments at the Centre followed by a meal at the

Great Ellingham Crown.

The Group is for all ages, male and female, therefore no-one

is excluded. Children are catered for and welcomed.

Newcomers are welcome regardless of whether they live in

Great Ellingham, in fact we have many folk who attend

regularly who live in other villagers throughout the County.

If there are any lonely people ‘out there’ then Chit Chat will

welcome you and may open up a whole new outlook on life,

by offering friendship, information and much laughter.

The Chit Chat Centre is self-funding, the only charge to

group users is £1 for coffee/tea. A raffle is held each week

for those who wish to participate. We think it very important

to have the Centre open every week thus preventing any

confusion with dates.

There is no pressure on people who attend to do anything

other than just come for a coffee and meet up with others.

Some folk attend weekly, others just pop in from time to time

if they are free, therefore if you have a Wednesday morning

to spare – please come to Chit Chat!

Anyone wishing to know more about the Chit Chat Centre,

please ring Ann Milner 01953 457808,

[email protected]

Advertising The Wayland News

Ashill Bowls Club held their Presentation Evening in

November and it was a very pleasant event enjoyed

by all attending.

Peter Bunn gave and presented the Club Person of the

Year to Richard Leighton, second was Pat Davison

and Peter Ewins came third. Well done to all of them.

The Winners of the club competitions were as

follows:

Ladies' Champion I Healy, Men's Champion A

Willer, Mixed Singles R Hall, Ladies Pairs C

Thompson & J Ewins, Mens Pairs C Breeze & R

HAll, Mixed Pairs C Breeze and J Taylor.

Triples Mens G Whitfield, T Thompson & R Hall

Triples Mixed C Thompson, J De Boltz & R Hall

Mixed Fours I Healy, G Davison, P Davison & J

Taylor

Anyone wishing to play bowls next season would get

a very warm welcome at Ashill Bowls Club.

Ashill Bowls Club Presentation

Pictured are Peter Bunn, Pat Davison, Richard Leighton & Peter Ewins

On Saturday 15th December we ran a stall on

the Town Team’s market in Middle Street,

where we sold books, Christmas related bric-a-

brac and mistletoe from a members crab-apple

tree. Our efforts raised £152, which, added to

the £51 garnered on our Wednesday market

stall ten days earlier, gave a nice boost to our

charities fund. So, a big ‘thank-you’ to all our

patrons. We hope to continue with our market

stall on the 1st Wednesday each month,

starting in March.

We are pleased to confirm that Winston “the

singing farmer” has released a limited edition

of his DVD recorded at our Sunday afternoon

“Audience with ...” show at the Queens Hall on

21st December 2010. That was Winston's last

performance and he says he has retired;

however, we are trying to persuade him to have

a proper farewell finale concert; maybe? The

DVD, which costs £11, is available only from

Winston or through the Watton Rotary Club;

our initial supply sold out but we have

replenished our stock, so, to obtain a copy call

Martin or Derek on 01953 884224 or 884044.

Current activities include the annual young

poets and young chefs competitions at the

Wayland Academy and planning for 2 more

“Jazz at the Queens Hall” sessions with

DixieMix on 22nd March and 4th October.

Onwards into 2013! Martin Anscombe

Watton Rotary Roundup

Eleven students from the

Dereham Princes Trust Team

have completed a huge

renovation project at The Surge

young people’s Recreational &

Community Centre in Watton

where they fully redecorated 5

rooms and re-landscaped the

inner courtyard, before collecting

20 bags of rubbish from the

venue perimeter and cutting back

the undergrowth.

The project took the students a

week to plan and fundraise for

and two weeks on site to

complete. Jan Godfrey of the

Wayland Partnership, Paul

Adcock from Project Rainbow

and Cheryl Clayton representing

the youth workers at the venue,

fully supported the team during

the project and have praised the

imagination and level of work the

students have produced.

The students raised nearly £400

pounds by doing a sponsored

walk along the Norfolk Coastal

path and were also able to do a

bag pack at Dereham Tesco with

their kind permission. These

funds, along with some generous

donations from Jewson, Myhills,

Frimstone Pit, Tufts, and

Toftwood Garden Centre,

enabled the students to redecorate

the Gym, Music Room, Pool

Room, DJ Room and TV Lounge

as well as re-landscape the inner

courtyard.

It is a fantastic achievement for a

small group and one that will

hopefully benefit all of the

groups that use the venue.

The students are on the 12 week

course to enhance their skills and

give them confidence to proceed

to future jobs or education. The

Princes Trust course is run by

Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service at

5 venues across Norfolk and is

accessible to young people aged

between 16 and 25.

As recognition of their efforts the

group have been put forward for

a National, Celebrate Success,

Princes Trust Award.

Princes Trust team complete

a Surge makeover


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

January Wed 2nd Ovington Garden Club 7.45pm Ovington Village Hall

Terry Rands on Container Vegetable Growing

Weds 16th Bingo at Rockland Village Hall Eyes Down 7.45pm

February Thurs 21st Bradenham & Dist. Hort. Soc. Talk Jim Paine ‘A late

Winter talk’ 7.30pm Bradenham Village Hall. See art.

Weds 6th Watton Country Market reopens.

Despite the forecast of rain and snow

there was a good turn out for the Ladies

Christmas Scramble this year and

surprisingly the weather was quite kind

to us in the end. Great fun was had as

the ladies turned out with their festive

hats and decorated bags with supplies

of mince pies chocolates and various

goodies to be eaten on the way round.

The competition was in the form of a

drop out scramble and played over nine

holes, with half the ladies playing the

front nine and half playing the back.

After the game the ladies changed into

their finery and were treated to a superb

Christmas lunch and prize giving.

The winners of the front nine were

Margaret Broadbent, Ann Achilles,

Sandra Bennington and Pauline

Freeman, with a net score of 28.9

The winners of the back nine were

Lesley Matthews, Jean Barrall Yvonne

Shaw and Jeanette Fowler.

The ladies in the picture are – Brenda

Fairhead, Hilda Whitmarsh, Geraldine

Stammers and Lady Captain Eileen

Chard.

The winners of the November Medal

were:- Division 1 – Ann Achilles 93 net

74; Division 2 – Mary Wakeford 90 net

69; Division 3 – Hilda Whitmarsh 116

net 84(on c/b)

The winners of the November

Stableford were:- Division 1 – Maureen

Flack – 29pts; Division 2 – Rosie

Sutterby – 28pts; Division 3 – Eileen

Chard - 34pts

Richmond Park Golf Club Ladies

Section Christmas Scramble

The committee wish all our members

a happy and peaceful New Year.

Sixty one members enjoyed an

excellent Christmas lunch at the

Richmond Park Golf Club in early

December. This was followed by the

Christmas Party meeting on Thursday

13th December highlighted by the

performance of Gerry Morris

presenting “A Little Bit of Ireland”

Gerry really had the party swinging

with his Irish humour and

instrumental skills.

Alan Bickers Pub Luncheon Groups

next meeting is at The Golden Dog in

Shipham on Thursday 10th January.

Whilst the holiday in The Lakes from

29th April to 3rd May is full we are

looking for reserves for twin rooms.

Reserves are also needed for the

Jaguar Plant tour on February 27th.

The January monthly meeting is on

Thursday 24th with speaker

Rosemary Salt presenting “The

Making of Castle Mall Norwich”

For further information on the

National U3A visit www.u3a.org.uk

Watton University of The

Third Age (U3A)

Wayland

Chamber

Commentary The Wayland Chamber has been busy this year

in founding the Watton Town Team and

supporting businesses with free advice. These

initiatives will be active in 2013 along with

others. The Chamber members will already

have had some advice on how use their page on

the Wayland Chamber website. This helps

promote the Business through our authoritative

site. With our presence on Twitter and

Facebook our regular blogs will all help the

member businesses find their audiences. Find

us and see.

Last month I promised to report on the Green

Deal. The Green Deal is a new financing

mechanism due to launch at the end of January

2013, (not autumn as stated on the website

below) that lets people pay for energy-

efficiency improvements through savings on

their energy bills in their business or at home.

For example, this might include for businesses;

improving lighting, ventilation and heat

recovering measures. There are 4 simple

stages:

1. Assessment. This is carried out in your

business premises or home by a Green Deal

Advisor or Assessor. They will identify what

energy efficiency improvements you can make

and what the financial savings will be.

2. Packages. Once the assessment has been

carried out and it has been calculated that the

payments made for improvements aren’t higher

that the energy bill savings made, your Advisor

will outline a range of packages available to

fund improvements from a Green Deal

Provider.

3. Installation. If you decide to take up the

offer a Green Deal installer will carry out the

work you have agreed to.

4. Repayment. You pay back the cost of the

improvements over time through your

electricity bill. The amount you pay back will

be covered by the reduction in your energy

costs as a result of saving improvements you

have made.

Interest will be charged at an expected fixed

interest rate of 6 to 8%, but this is down to

providers to set. For further information

contact the Energy Saving Advice Service, see

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Take-

action/Find-a-grant/Green-Deal-and-Energy-

Company-Obligation-ECO or telephone Tel:

0300 123 1234.

If you think you could become a Green Deal

provider the same sources will start you on

your Journey. We at the Wayland Chamber

wish you all a prosperous 2013!

The Wayland News January 2013

Documents

Transcript of The Wayland News January 2013