Shouldham NewsVolume 3 No. 2 Spring 2005

We are sure many of you will be pleased to learn that Shouldham Open Gardens is taking place again this year on Sunday 19th June. Hopefully, like 2003, the sun will again shine on this ideal opportunity to meet fellow villagers in colourful and friendly surroundings. Already a number of people have kindly volunteered to open their gardens, but another two or three would help to make the event even merrier.

So why not join in the fun and open your garden? It really doesn’t matter whether it is large, small, formal or wild, as all have something of interest. Monies raised will be split between the Village Weekend and the Village Hall.

If you would like to take part or needfurther information please ring Jan on 347919.

Gardens wanted!

Dates For Your DiariesSaturday 2nd April, 7.30pm, Shouldham Bowls Club: MIKE MAX

(guitar/vocalist). Meal at 8pm of salmon with lemon mayonnaise (or can ask for alternative), baked potato, salad and dessert. Tickets £7.50 from the bar or phone Elsie on 347636.

Saturday 23rd April, 8pm, Shouldham Bowls Club:ST GEORGE’S DAY DISCO.

Tuesday, 26th April, 8pm, King’s Arms: VILLAGE WEEKEND COMMITTEE MEETING. All welcome, to help organise this year’s festivities.

Sunday 1st May, 11am, The Green: ANNUAL SPONSORED BIKE RIDE. A sociable cycle ride around the West Norfolk countryside – time to pump up those tyres!

Saturday 21st May, Shouldham Bowls Club: SHOULDHAM FC PRESENTATION DISCO. Details from Graham Addly

(07717 222430) or view the website (www.shouldhamfc.com).

Saturday 28th May, 7.30pm, Shouldham Bowls Club: ROGER WILLIAMS (guitar/vocalist). Meal at 8pm of banger and mash, peas, onions, and dessert. Tickets £6.50 from the bar or phone Elsie on 347636.

Sunday 19th June, afternoon, various venues around the village: SHOULDHAM OPEN GARDENS. Come and view your neighbours’ flora.

Saturday 25th June, 7.30pm, Shouldham Bowls Club: STEVE ROSS (very popular artiste). In aid of flowers for the flower festival in August. Barbecue and dessert. Tickets £7.50 from the bar or phone Elsie on 347636.

Saturday 9th July, 1pm, Shouldham playing field: VILLAGE WEEKEND FUN DAY. The highlight of the village’s social calendar, featuring live band, dog show, stalls, junior football tournament and much, much more.

Saturday 9th July, 7.30pm, Pearce’s Barn Shouldham: VILLAGE WEEKEND BARBECUE. A fitting finale to the Village Weekend festivities, with live music, disco, food and bar.

Saturday 10th September, 7.30pm, Shouldham Bowls Club: MARK STEEL (guitar/vocalist). Meal at 8pm of coq au vin, potatoes, vegetables, and dessert. Tickets £7.50 from the bar or phone Elsie on 347636.

Blooming SpringWelcome to the Spring edition of Shouldham News. Come another year, come another millennium twig on the Green, but the latest specimen looks a fine sapling that, fingers crossed, might even survive to adulthood. Or will the curse of the Green strike again? Many thanks to all concerned who donated and planted the new tree.

With the coming (hoped for) warmer weather in mind, this edition contains plenty of ideas for outdoor pursuits, including two circular walks and, of course, the annual village bike ride, which this year takes place on 1st May.

Shouldham News is published four times a year and is distributed free to every household in Shouldham and Shouldham Thorpe. If you’ve any news of forthcoming events, gossip, views or ideas that you’d like to share with the rest of the village, please contact Phil Harriss (347244 or 01865 463257/ philip.harriss@ntlworld.com). Or pop a note through the door of ‘Dunromin’ on the Green. Next issue’s deadline: Sunday, 19th June, 2005.

Village Survey: The Results!The results of the village survey are now available for viewing via the world wide web. If you have access to the internet and would like to take a look at the results, please email Chris Jones at monamicaj@aol.com and he will send you the link to the relevant URL. Alternatively, you can type into your toolbar the following address:

http://www.surveyassist.com/s/H3auFp0ZjdcBzVHXRTow

For those who don’t have internet access, and consequently can’t view the data, the steering committee will shortly be making the results of the survey available in full, in a printed format. The committee will also give a public presentation of the information at a date to be arranged.

The next step now we have our information is to produce the Parish Plan, which will be a reflection of the community’s responses to the survey. It will also identify the action needed to be taken to achieve parishioners’ hopes and desires for life in Shouldham.

C Jones, Chairman Steering Committee

Christmas Collection For Shouldham WardFather Christmas and his little helpers, and the carol singers round the tree, collected a total of £266 for the Shouldham Ward of the QEH.

A big thank you to Lyn and Rob for the sweets and transport, the Bennett family for the welcome mulled wine, Joy for the sausage rolls and mince pies, and everyone who helped with the collection.

Annual Parish MeetingThe next Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Monday 18th April at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. Everyone in the village is welcome.

Bike it!Family outing, exercise, a social drink with fellow villagers – if you want any of the above, don’t miss the annual sponsored bike on Sunday 1st May. The Shouldham Village Weekend Committee has run this event for the last three years and it has proved to be a popular social occasion for the village.

This year, we will more or less follow our usual circular route, away from busy roads and visiting some of our favourite hostelries. We’ll meet on the village green at 11am on Sunday the 1st May and should return between 4pm and 5pm, depending on the number and length of stops. The ride is suitable for older children (approximately aged nine and above), provided they are accompanied by an adult.

As with last year, non-cycling family, friends and villagers are most welcome to join us for a barbecue (cooked by Geoff Hipperson) at the White Hart Pub in Foulden from approximately 1pm to 2pm.

As well as enabling participants to take some exercise and meet fellow villagers, the bike ride provides an opportunity to raise funds towards your Village Weekend festivities. Sponsorship forms are available in the King’s Arms, the Post Office and the Bowls Club, or from committee members. However, please don’t be put off by getting sponsorship: the Village Weekend Committee wants to involve everyone and all contributions no matter how small are gratefully received.

To help with the catering, we need to have a rough idea of how many people will be coming, so please ring John (347802) or Geoff (347320) with numbers for lunch.

Shouldham News Goes Electronic!Thanks to the generosity of Shouldham FC, and especially its webmaster, Michael Johnson, Shouldham News can now be viewed online at Shouldham FC’s website. Visit www.shouldhamfc.com to view the contents of this newsletter, along with all the news from the Under-12s, Under-11s Mini Team, the Under-9s and the Under-8s.

Tsunami AppealCongratulations to the Good Companions, whose bring and buy sale at the village hall in January raised £250 for the tsunami appeal. A collection for the disaster was also made at the Bowls Club on New Year’s Eve.

Good CompanionsA friendly get-together for the over-60s, with entertainment including speakers, games, and singers. Meets one Wednesday a month in the village hall. Contact: Mrs Cato (347696).

Silence Is GoldenWell done to Lomiah Nicholls, who raised £200 for charity on Red Nose Day by carrying out a sponsored silence in the King’s Arms. Lomiah managed to refrain from uttering a word (despite much provocation)throughout the evening of Friday 11th March until11pm. We have it on good authority from all herfriends that this was, indeed, an incredible feat.

Easter Greetings!Joy and Glen at the King’s Arms would like to wish everyone in the village a happy Easter and thank them for their continued support.

PARISH WALKSThe following two walks were compiled by Marion Scales in December 2004. Before setting out, walkers should be aware of the Country Code:

• Use gates and stiles to cross fences, hedges and walls• Guard against all risk of fire• Help to keep water clean• Fasten all gates• Keep to the public paths across farmland• Leave livestock, crops and machinery alone• Enjoy the countryside and respect its life and work• Protect wildlife, plants and trees• Keep dogs under control• Make no unnecessary noise• Take all your litter home.

Nursery Places, September 2005The Governors of St Martin at Shouldham School are drawing up an admissions policy for the new nursery. The Local Authority have advised that children may be admitted at the beginning of the term following their third birthday if a place is available. All three and four year olds are currently entitled to five early education sessions each week, each session lasting at least two hours. A total of 13 nursery places will be offered and priority will be given to children living in Shouldham, Fincham and Shouldham Thorpe.

Village Weekend UpdateThe date of this year’s Fun Day has been set for Saturday 9th July, with the barbecue to follow in the evening at Pearce’s Barn. A new band with a versatile repertoire ranging from skiffle to 1960s pop has been booked for both events. There will also be a children’s entertainer, a dog show, a slide and bouncy castle, a grand raffle, and craft stalls, as well as the junior football competition (which looks set to attract a total of 24 teams).

It is hoped to have inter-village sports during the day, including the infamous greasy pole!

SHOULDHAM & WORMEGAYA six-mile circular walk(allow 2 hours 30 minutes)

Leave the playing field car park and turn left to meet Warren Road, but at junction turn right into New Road. Follow this road for a short distance, to a sharp left bend, but keep to the right on a narrow path – Lamson’s Lane.

At junction, turn right and follow through to Westgate Street where you turn right. After a short distance, take a left turn into Orchard Lane, passing the front of a cottage, through a gate, and walk alongside the field to meet Mill Drove, where you turn right. Stop for a brief moment to view the church on the hill to your right.

Continue ahead to meet a cross-track where you turn right again for a very short distance. (You are approaching Fairstead Drove.) Take a left turn into the wooded area and follow this wide grassy track through for some distance until you see a waymarker post on your left where you follow through to the edge of a field. Keeping the field on your left and the wood on your right, climb uphill (only slightly!) until the wood is ahead of you, where you need to turn right and follow the wide gravel/grassy track into the wood.

After a while, bear right off this wide track by following the signs into another wooded area (pines) and out the other side to meet another waymarker post which takes you left alongside a Private wood and out towards West Briggs. The path emerges on Craven Lane where you turn right and follow this lane through to meet the village of Wormegay.

At next junction turn right and continue ahead over the narrow bridge in Castle Street, then take a left turn into Bardolph Way. This little lane meanders along to meet the main village road again where you turn left and follow through to a left-hand bend near the village cross and mission hall. Bear right on to Saxon Way and follow this track towards the church.

At the next junction turn right – going downhill (only slightly) on to a wide grassy track (part of the Nar Valley Way). This track meets the Black Drain which you cross by a wooden footbridge into Shouldham Warren.

Continue straight ahead on this track as it winds its way towards the car park known as Shouldham Warren. Keeping straight ahead, follow the wide track through to the country lane – Spring Lane goes off to the left (leading to Marham) but you need to continue straight ahead on Warren Road.

At the next junction, turn right and the car park is on your right.

SHOULDHAM & SHOULDHAM THORPEA five mile circular walk(allow 2 hours)

Leave the playing field car park and turn right into Fairstead Drove and follow this track, passing two cottages on your left, and at the next junction turn left into Mill Drove. After a short distance – stop for a brief moment to view All Saints’ Church on the hill to your left.

Continue ahead to meet a busy country road where you turn right. After a short distance, take a left turn signposted to Shouldham Thorpe and follow this country lane for approximately one mile, passing Middle Road and South Road. After a further 200 yards – on a bend – fork left into Gallow Lane. Follow this narrow country lane as it climbs gently to where a power line crosses. Here, turn left alongside a high hedge following the electricity poles over the hill. Continue past a wood – on your left – and continue ahead with the line of poles to reach the very busy main road: Shouldham to Marham.

From the top of the hill are good views covering Shouldham and Shouldham Thorpe to the north-west, Marham to the north-east, Fincham to the south-east and Stradsett to the south-west.

Turn left and, with extreme care, walk alongside the side of the road towards the village centre of Shouldham. After the bend, a lone tree marks the site of an earlier church – St Margaret’s. On the way down the hill, take a right turn on to the track that leads to the church. From the wall in the churchyard, a gate leads into a pasture where you need to pass to walk alongside the right-hand side of the field.

Continue ahead as the path emerges on Eastgate Street beside the village hall, where you turn left. Follow this street, passing the Old School on your right towards the village green (and its pump) bearing right to reach the narrow tarmac footpath known as The Crofts.

Turn on to this path and follow through to New Road, passing the new school on your left and ignoring the next junction, also on your left. This is now Lamson’s Lane and it emerges on New Road, which you follow through to the next left junction where the playing field car park will be on your right.