The Wayland news December 2015

in digital & online at www.thebrecklandview.com FREE - Issue Number 229 - December 2015

Hattie and Emily (above) and all the

children from Westfield Infant &

Nursery School have been learning

about the importance of thinking of

others less fortunate than themselves

and some have made up shoebox gifts

with their families which will be sent

with the Methodist Church collection to

Operation Christmas Child. More on

Westfield’s activities inside.

Town Carol Service at the Queens Hall

Watton Churches Together have organised the

Town Carol Service, which will be held in the

Queen's Hall this year. The service starts at 4pm on

Sunday 13th December and is free to all, with

refreshments at the finish. Shine will provide the

music, and the audience provide the singing. This is

a traditional way to start Christmas, and we look

forward to seeing young and old join us for our

Christmas celebration. Every year we have a

collection for a local charity, and this year the

donation will go to 'Youth For Christ', which have

started a youth club for year 6 upwards, held at the

Community Centre every fortnight. Their

representative, Ang Fox, will give a short talk about

the charity and youth club. We look forward to

seeing you all for an enjoyable evening.

Julie Jennings (Chair)

Mistletoe The Scott family will be selling mistletoe again this

year to raise funds for The Colney Centre at the

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and

Keeping Abreast which is a breast cancer

reconstruction support group. Bunches of mistletoe

will be on a table in the gateway of Hipkins Cottage

on the Thompson Road in Griston priced at £1.50

from Monday 14th December.

Thank you for your support and Merry Christmas.

Watton’s Festive Market

Sunday November 29th 1-4pm In Town: Scratby Donkey/Reindeers rides for the

children; Justo James the Clown and Balloon

modelling; Arnies Attic Characters

Both above acts will mingle with Children till 4pm

Festive Market Stalls with a large variety of Treats and

gifts for Christmas

Funfair with rides for the little ones,and a burger van

Most Pubs and Cafes and High Street Shops will be

open. At 1.05pm The Smokehouse Blues Band will

lead Santa and his elf helper to his Grotto where Santa

will meet and greet every child, giving them a free

present. Also playing in the High Street will be the

Phoenix Pipes and Drum Band with all local

performers. Shine will lead the singing round the

Christmas Tree and will be joined by the Beavers and

brownies, to sing whilst our Festive Lights come on.

Thanks to TTSR for providing and erecting our

Christmas Tree, and to Andy Francis for Santa's Presents

From the Editor Many of you know that the Wayland

News could not be published without the

help and co-operation of so many people.

Every year I do like to thank people

publicly for their amazing efforts in

contributing articles, news and

photographs as well as the invisible

people behind the printing and most

importantly the distribution of the paper

so that you, dear reader, can get your

monthly fix of news and views from the

Wayland Area. Since I manage every

year to miss someone, this time I just

want to say thank you all. You really are

a fantastic community and long may

you prosper. Julian.

The Wayland News Page 2 December 2015

December 2015 The Wayland News Page 3

Alison Dickson (above) was once again

our teacher at our November meeting held

at Brenda Davis’s home. Last year it was a

table decoration – this year a Christmas

wreath and amidst piles of foliage, wires

and ribbon she was able to inspire all of us

to be able to take home a very impressive

work of art and a new skill!

We always give away some of the money

we have raised, to help charities at the

Christmas season and this year we are

giving £150 each to the Thursday Club,

the St. Martin’s Housing Trust and the

Salvation Army (Norfolk).

The meeting ended with President Pauline

presenting a Diamond Wedding rose to

Brenda Davis on behalf of the club, to

congratulate her and her husband, Ken, on

their recent Diamond Wedding.

Our Christmas events are fast approaching

– our first will be our stall at the Town

Christmas Market on 29th November

when we will have our Pretty Parcels and

masses of homemade goods to tempt you.

Then on 5th December we will have our

Coffee Morning at the Queens Hall from

9.30 to 11.30am with our usual array of

homemade cakes, a tombola and a raffle

for a Christmas hamper. Not content with

that, we will be back in the Queens Hall

on Wednesday, 9th December from

12noon to entertain you, together with the

West End Waiters, and we will provide

you with a delicious Christmas light lunch

all for £5 – tickets are on sale at

Mullengers.

We hope to see you at one or all of our

events and would like to wish you all the

very best for the Christmas season.

Jenny Simons.

News from the Inner Wheel Exciting New Inter-Generational

Technology Project in Wayland

The Wayland Partnership is offering

IT training to older people through a

new project funded by the Norfolk

County Council Youth Social Action

Fund via Norfolk Community

Foundation.

The training will provide assistance

to older people who want to learn

how to use a smart phone or a tablet

or to get online and use programs

such as Skype or online shopping.

The training will be delivered by

young people aged 15 and older who

have the skills and confidence to use

this technology.

If you are aged 15 -19 and would like

to get involved we’d love to hear

from you so please get in touch via

email [email protected].

This project will give you a real

chance to make a difference to

someone’s life whilst benefiting you

through new experiences and skills

to enhance personal statements or

CVs. (We can offer assistance with

transportation costs to get you to us

if required). We will be holding an

information evening on Monday 15th

December at 5:30pm in Wayland

House, Watton (next to the Police

Station) for you to find at more.

If you would like to receive training

in any of these areas and think that

we can help, please get in touch now

on 01953 883915 or pop in and see

us at Wayland House, High Street,

Watton to register your interest.

Courses will be starting in the New

Year once enough young people

have been recruited.

A musical tribute to David O’Neale Some of you may not have heard of

David O’Neale but he was very well-

known in the musical circles of

Norfolk – both in schools as a teacher

and amongst musicians and singers

throughout the county. He also had a

passionate interest in local history

and wrote several books about the

village of Bridgham where he lived.

His influence in Wayland came as

musical director of the fledgling

ladies choir, Songbirds – now better

known as Breckland Harmony – back

in 1997. David had a flair for making

tuition fun and under his guidance,

the choir expanded their repertoire to

include all genres of song from

madrigals and fugues to songs from

the shows and pop.

Sadly David, at the age of 59, passed

away last year as a result of Motor

Neurone Disease and Breckland

Harmony, now under the guidance of

Julia Grover, is holding a concert at

Bridgham Church as a tribute to his

positive influence and encouragement

over the ? years he was with the

choir.

Please join us in this celebration at

7.00 p.m. on Saturday 28 November.

Tickets cost £5.00 and can be bought

from Julia Grover tel: 01953483654,

e-mail [email protected], or

on the door. There will be a raffle

and all proceeds will go to the MND

Association (charity no. 294354).

Local poet breaks into children’s books Stacy Rayner is a published poet who has

recently expanded her talents by writing

children’s story books. Her latest offering,

Jess the Stripey Tiger Cub, is her third book

and tells of a young tiger who goes on a

journey to find new

friends. Along the

way she makes

friends with all sorts

of animals. It’s an

enchanting story, told

completely in verse,

which teaches

younger children that

friends come in all

sorts of shapes and

sizes.

Stacy, from Watton, has

been writing poetry for

years and has written

dozens of personalised poems for people for

all sorts of occasions. “I wrote my very first

poem for my mum years ago and that led to

people asking me to write ones for them,”

she said. “I find it easy to write in verse and

once I get the necessary information it

doesn’t take long at all to complete, but I

must admit I have had a few challenges.

Apparently I’ve made people laugh and I’ve

made people cry so I’d say that was a job

well done. I also make personalised poetic

gifts and I’ve had all sorts of strange

requests, which makes my work very diverse

and interesting.”

Stacy’s first grandchild will be two next

month and that was what gave her the

inspiration to start writing for young

children. Her other two books are an animal

alphabet, also in verse, and the other

contains two poems designed for bedtime

reading, although she is working

on a third poem which she

will add to this and

then re-publish it. “I

was hoping to write

a Christmas story

book,” she added,

“but ‘Jess’ took

longer than I

expected and I’ve

had so many orders

to fulfil recently that

I just haven’t had the

time.”

All three of Stacy’s

books are available on Amazon and you can

also buy them from Crafty Bee, the new

wool and craft shop in Chaston Place,

Watton. You can see examples of her work

on her website:

www.perfectlypoetic.weebly.com and you

can contact her via the website or via her

Facebook page

www.facebook.com/perfectlypoeticgifts


In your garden with Lotta Potts We had some really weird weather

up to the middle of November. To

illustrate: just before the middle of

the month I saw fuchsias, second

flush delphiniums, bedding

geraniums and primroses all in

bloom together. Primroses! In

November. Unbelievable but true

and in more than one garden both

locally and close to Norwich. As

well as the mild weather we

experienced heavy gales so that by

the end of the month all the leaves

should have been off the trees. The

railway people had cancellations

due to a lot of the leaves coming

off the trees at once, all on to the

lines causing all sorts of mayhem. I

used to use trains a lot and this never

happened for several reasons: steam

trains produced sparks which set fire

to the immediate surroundings and

the maintenance teams made sure

there were no trees or shrubs in the

area. They carried on when trains

were all diesel. 'Nothing higher than a

blade of grass between the lines and

the fence'. Sounds like a good idea.

If you have a lot of leaves lying

around, rake them off the lawn as

they will damage it. Remove them

from herbaceous plants on the

borders as this will cause rot once

the leaves are wet. Bag the leaves

in black bin liners make sure they

are moist, poke holes in the

bottoms of the

bags for

drainage and

park them

somewhere out

of the way for

a year. The

leaves will

have rotted

into mould

which is lovely

stuff for

mulching

round shrubs,

soil

conditioning

with compost and even sowing

large seeds when mixed with seed

compost and grit. It's not advisable

to put leaves into normal compost

bins as they don't rot down at the

same speed as the rest of the

garden and kitchen waste as most

of this is softer-textured than

leaves. There's no need to remove

leaves from bare soil. They’ll give

the worms something to do,

improving the soil as they go. The

garden will look better as well.

You might be surprised to see the

leaves of spring bulbs poking

through – sometimes they appear

as early as September. These are

usually grape hyacinths and a good

tip I heard years ago was to plant

them round areas where other

bulbs are planted so that you know

where they are when it comes to

autumn digging. The downside is

that these pretty blue or white

flowers want to take over the world

and will spread like mad. A better

option might be to go for the larger

-flowered varieties – some are

sweetly scented as well – as these

are a bit slower to spread. You

can, of course, dig up any clumps

you don't want and give them away

or bin them or put them in pots

where they do very well in spring

and the flowers last quite nicely. I

have seen them in hanging baskets

as well but don't think they look

quite right.

So to practical matters for

December. Most of it is a bit

dreary but will save time in spring.

If the lawn needs repairs to broken

edges or worn patches now's the

time to do it if the grass isn't frozen

or waterlogged. To repair an edge

cut out the turf, level out the soil

underneath, turn the turf round and

replant. The ragged edge is now

inboard and can be fixed with seed.

If the weather is dry and mild and

the grass is growing sadly it will

need cutting. This just goes on.

Under some circumstances you

may find fungi appearing. Don't be

tempted! Dig them out and bin

them before they can spread spores

everywhere. Some might be 'fairy

rings' of tiny toadstools that expand

and the underground mycelium

stops the rain getting to the grass in

the middle of the circle so this can

go yellow and starved. So these

certainly need to go if you have a

really posh lawn. I just checked

out methods and the only one that

seems to be certain is to dig out the

lot to a depth of 45cm/18” and

15cm/6” beyond the outer extent of

the toadstools. Then refill with

new topsoil and reseed. This

sounds like one heck of a lot of

work but if you have a more

relaxed garden and attitude leave

them to it as they will disappear

once it becomes very cold or wet.

OK so they'll be back but the

suggestion was, if you decide to let

them be, is put a seat or container

in the middle and turn the whole

thing into a feature. I'm not sure.

Otherwise, keep off the grass.

Probably the only good news about

it.

Continue winter digging if the soil

is workable and you do winter

digging. If you don't have them

why not look at raised beds?

These don't have to be feet off the

ground, some are just 6” but

remove the need for annual

digging. Make sure you can reach

the middle from either side and

they aren't too long so you tread

across the soil. Jumping might

work for the very young. The

optimum size per bed is usually 4ft

x 8ft. The paths between should be

wide enough to get a barrow down

and to accommodate a kneeling

gardener (for those of us who find

bending difficult). The

maintenance can be done with an

initial dig over and the addition of

compost or topsoil. All they need

after that is mulching and weeding.

Oh and planting and harvesting of

course. They do make crop

rotation easier if you grow veg in

them.

This is a month to plant or move

deciduous trees and shrubs, again if

the soil is workable. The best

times are just after leaf fall or in

early spring (March) before new

growth starts. If you don't have

much in the way of colour or scent

now would be a good time to visit

a garden centre and buy winter

jasmine (no scent but lots of bright

yellow flowers), shrubby

honeysuckle (beautiful scent and

tiny white/pale yellow flowers).

This one is normally deciduous but

might hold its leaves in mild

conditions. Christmas Box (not

something for the postman) but

another shrub with small fluffy

white flowers and strong scent. All

these shrubs can be kept after

purchase in containers then planted

out where they can be enjoyed

during future winters. Then there

is the wintersweet which I have

mentioned several times before.

This year it's had a really hard

prune and is still wafting around

near a path. It truly is a proper

shrub but if you don't have a large

garden I would reluctantly caution

against. The others tend to be

smaller but don't take the five to

seven years to flower. I'm not

entirely sure I like the scent either!

One thing about buying small

flowering shrubs you know what

they look like and smell like as

scent is so subjective.

So you’ve moved the shrubs and

maybe acquired some for keeping in

pots for the winter to smell nice

towards the door and ignored the

lawn so what else? Check stored

fruit and veg and while you're inside

the shed give it a tidy (find all those

hand tools that went adrift in

summer), wash pots and trays (ugh!).

Before Christmas the nicest thing is

to buy a tree. I know the artificial

ones are very realistic and don't drop

needles or need watering but

honestly, if you have any interest at

all in gardening or plants do get a

real one. Keep it watered whilst it's

indoors and it won't make such a

horrible mess. See if you can bring

in something from the garden to add

to your decorations and if not try and

acquire something for next year.

Read the seed catalogues and put

your order in before all the best

things you want are gone.

Have a very Happy Christmas and

if there is no snow on the ground

keep weeding.

POSTAGE STAMPS FOR SALE

Buy postage stamps at discounted rates

Please contact Colin

Tel: 01953 499 968 email: [email protected]

Diabetes UK Our November meeting was our A G

M. After the statements from the Chair,

Secretary and Treasurer, the financial

report was given and the Committee

was re-elected back en-masse. 27

members attended and after the

business of the day, a quiz was

arranged by Pat, followed by a fish &

chip lunch, arranged by Barry. Our

thanks go to them both for their

contribution. Thanks also go to Gary,

as well, for supplying the afore-

mentioned food.

Our December meeting will be on the

14th at 10.30am. This is our Christmas

party meeting and there will be food

and a festive atmosphere at the

Pentecostal Church, Watton (who we

thank for the generous use of their

facilities). All members, past and

present, are invited.

We will also have a stand at the Festive

Market on 29th November, please

come and say hello.

Our first meeting in 2016 will be on

Monday 11th January at 10.15am. Our

speakers will be talking about RAF

Coltishall. For further details of any of

our meetings please phone Helen,

01953 884713, or email

[email protected]

Great Hockham Gardening Club We welcomed twenty-three members to

our November meeting. As winter

approaches the nights are getting darker,

but at least it’s not too cold – yet. Late

Colour in the Garden, a talk by Trevor

Harrison.

Trevor comes from the South Creake

Plant Centre, just the other side of

Fakenham. He is part of The Norfolk

Nursery Network, a group of specialist

plant Nurseries in Norfolk. You will

probably remember another nursery in

this network: Walnut Tree Nurseries

which we visited in July 2014. Trevor

bought along a vanload of plants to

illustrate his talk and to sell afterwards.

As the title of the talk suggested, the

plants that Trevor concentrated on were

useful for late colour and included

salvias, hellebores, cyclamens and some

late grasses.

The salvias were available in various

heights so as to be suitable for different

areas of a border, different colours

flowering at slightly different times.

There were varieties that flower right

through the winter, some less hardy than

others, depending on location and

proximity to the coast.

There were some new and interesting

varieties of hellebores including one with

a tall central stem and others with a habit

that was a mixture of the old and new

varieties.

Cyclamens were represented by the hardy

autumn flowering hederifolium and the

winter flowering coum.

One of the unusual tips was the idea that

some of the ornamental grasses could be

grown in pots.

The presentation must have been

inspiring as there was an immediate

move by the members to buy the plants

illustrating the talk. We certainly carried

out far less than we carried in.

As is usual our speaker judged the

competition: Floral: First: Matt

Cunningham. Second: Sue Thomas.

Third: Lyn Sparks.

Fruit / Vegetables: First: Sue Thomas.

Second: Jane Dalton. Third: Prue

Szczepanowski.

Seasonal Photograph: First: Ed

Szczepanowski. Second: Prue

Szczepanowski. Third: Chris Dalton.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday

9th December. This is our annual party

and games for members only.


Diamond Wedding for Ken & Brenda Davis

Brenda and Ken met in 1952 in the local park

when Brenda was recruiting boys to come to the

local Church Social dance and Ken was 'hanging

out' in the park with a group of lads. Brenda

caught Ken's eye and that, as they say, was that!

Their Diamond Wedding was on 29th October

this year but their celebration took place among a

large group of friends at the Queens Hall on

November 6th.

Their wedding took place on a cold October day

in 1955 and they spent a few days honeymoon in

London returning to their first home of two

rooms in an old lady's house. Ken changed jobs

to become an order clerk for the local brewery

and Brenda worked in a chemists shop in their

home town of Chichester. A move to a much

larger flat followed and many activities took over.

Ken was out singing at least four times a week,

they both belonged to two amateur operatic

groups, and they found time to run a youth club

in a nearby village.

It was this interest which led to a major career

change when the local Youth Officer suggested

they try for entrance to a new Training college for

Youth workers set up following the Albermarle

Report in 1960 Setting off for Leicester in that

year was an exciting time and an introduction to

many new ideas. At the end it was to bring them

to Norfolk for the first time when the then Chief

Education Officer, Sir Lincoln Ralphs offered

them a job as Youth Leaders in Kings Lynn. Ken

roamed the area as the District Leader and

Brenda ran the YouthCentre in Tower Street.

Night hikes, camps at Santon Downham, dances

in the old Corn Exchange, (now the Corn Hall

Theatre) huge 5 a side football tournaments

involving hundred's of youngsters were run also

in the Corn Exchange and marked major events

in their working life.

In the second year of their time in Kings Lynn

their first daughter, Rachel, was born, to be

followed shortly by their son, Jason, and a career

change presented itself with a move in 1965 to

take over the running of what was to become

Wensum Lodge in Norwich. The Lodge was to

be their life for the next twenty eight years as the

Centre grew and grew bringing thousands of

people from all walks of life to study and enjoy a

huge variety of subjects and activities. It was not

work it was a way of life!

Four years after Jason, a second daughter, Barley

was born and to their delight, all three children

have remained in Norfolk with their own

families, presenting them with six grand children

and now the first great grand daughter born to

Rachel's son Harley and his wife, Lucy.

Ken and Brenda retired from Wensum Lodge in

1993 and moved to Watton to live in 'The Pink

House" in Thetford Road. They have both had

major interests in the town including the Rotary

and Inner Wheel clubs, The Watton

Festival ,Watton Twinning, the Town Carnival

committee and the initial introduction of flowers

into the High Street. Ken has never stopped his

singing activities and today has the Westend

Waiters and the Thetford Singers to keep him

occupied, while Brenda is busy also with the

Waiters, with her Inner Wheel activities, her

garden and preserve making, while both enjoy as

much travel as they can during an active year.

Hasn't life changed in those 60 plus years? The

wedding reception cost 7/6d a head,

housekeeping started at £3 a week, nearly

everything cooked from fresh. The babies wore

proper nappies, washed by hand, televisions were

rented, and black and white, no central heating,

very little traffic - readers will remember more.

Health has caused some problems, with Ken

battling both cancer and two embolisms and

Brenda had a pacemaker fitted this year

following a heart block. But both are still here,

still enjoying their life, their family and their

many good friends.

Here's to the next ten years!

Exciting new project for Children and Young People in Wayland

The Wayland Partnership has just been awarded funding from

the Norfolk County Council Youth Social Action Fund via

Norfolk Community Foundation to kick-start a project with

children and young people in Wayland.

The idea for the project came from Charlotte Franke, one of

our young volunteers and a local resident, who has a passion

for the environment and wants to share this with her peers.

Charlotte has helped to create and develop our Wayland

Exciting Environmental Programme (E.E.P!) where we aim

to get children and young people aged 10 to 14 planting trees

and sowing wildflowers in the community, along with any

other activities they would like to do and help plan, that

preserve and enhance our local environment.

We do this not only with the goal of benefitting the immediate

environment, but also to teach young people new skills

through a variety of experiences; for them to learn the

importance of environmental preservation, and to increase

their confidence in their abilities.

We are aiming to go ahead with the planting activities in the

Spring, however, within the next few months we want to

gather groups of young volunteers together from across the

Wayland area, to help create and plan the activities that will

take place next year.

It would be great to get a team from each parish so there will be a

prize of £100 to spend on plants etc. for the best plan devised by a

group and two runner up prizes of £50 each (although all groups

will be able to access some free plants etc.).

If your child may be interested in getting involved in planning

and doing these activities, you or they can register that interest by

‘liking’ our Facebook page: ‘Wayland’s E.E.P’, or alternatively,

by emailing: [email protected] .

We are also holding an information evening on Monday 14th

December at 4pm at Wayland House, Watton (next to the

Police Station) for you to attend to find out more about what

the project involves. We can help with costs for transportation

to get you to the meeting if needed.

If you are a landowner, business, group, or just a keen adult

individual with skills to share that is interested in lending a

hand (in any way at all – all help is appreciated!), then please

do let us know, by Facebook or by email (as mentioned

above), or alternatively you can call Wayland House on:

01953 883915. We will pay for any DBS checks so you will

incur no costs by kindly volunteering your time.

Ashill and Holme Hale Garden Club

About 50 members at the October meeting were offered much

practical advice by Pauline Harper on the subject of growing

vegetables in small spaces and containers. As modern gardens

get smaller there is a need for gardeners to be inventive and

imaginative in the use of space and most containers can be

used for growing vegetables (even an old washing-up bowl as

long as there is sufficient drainage). Pauline suggested that

where space is limited the gardener concentrates on vegetables

they like but are expensive to buy or difficult to obtain and

succession growing avoids waste. Grow-bags are very useful

and disguised inside willow baskets can look very pleasing on

the patio. Alternatively, potatoes can be grown in used

compost bags and runner beans look very attractive grown in

the flower beds. Gardening can be made a little easier on the

back by planting in raised beds, although Pauline

recommended a maximum size of 10ft x 4ft.

The downside to containers is that compost contains only

sufficient nutrients for 4 to 6 weeks and therefore a regular

liquid feed is needed. Whichever way vegetables are grown it

is important to use netting to protect against pests such as

cabbage white butterflies. Carrot fly is attracted by the scent

from the leaves so care must be taken when thinning, weeding

or pulling carrots. Another deterrent for the slugs and snails is

coffee grindings and, apparently, Costa Coffee are pleased to

supply this waste product.

Pauline's husband operated the slide projector to illustrate her

talk and during the tea break she was much in demand to

answer questions and provide some free vegetable seeds too.

Hopefully, this has inspired more of the membership to enter

our Vegetable Show next year.

Tip for Today It is not too late to plant tulips in pots as they

are prone to rot if they are in boggy compost too long over the

winter. Place about 8 bulbs close together but not touching

about 6 inches deep in well drained compost. Leave outside to

flower in the Spring.

December 10 Christmas Party

January 28 Prof. Wendy Harwood 'Developments in Crop

Genetics'


Clear memories of Czech and Polish aircrew on a grey

morning

The strains of three buglers playing the Last

Post faded away and the only sound during two

minutes of silence was the smattering of

raindrops on autumn leaves.

Earlier heavy rain cut the attendance at this

year’s tribute to Czech and Polish aircrew who

flew Wellingtons from East Wretham airfield

during WW2 and are buried in a corner of St

Ethelbert’s churchyard but approaching 60

people stood in the damp greyness of a

November morning to honour their memory.

In a ceremony staged by Thetford branch Royal

Air Forces Association, the Rector (the Rev

Canon Bob Baker) led a short service at the war

memorial before Mayor of Thetford Robert

Kybird led wreath laying.

The parade, with six standards from Royal

British Legion, RAFA and

ATC then moved to the war

graves, where poppy crosses

were planted.

In his address, Canon Baker

recalled those who had and

were laying down their lives

but urged that prayer should

also be offered to diplomats

from all countries trying to bring lasting peace

in the world.

The last post was sounded by three buglers from

Stowmarket Boys Brigade band. Wreathes were

laid by representatives from the Czech, Slovak and

Polish embassies, Free Czech Air Force, RAF

Honington, RAFA, RBL, ATC, Wretham Parish

Council and Thetford Town Council.

Later in the village hall, RAFA chairman John

Macpherson handed engraved tankards to the three

representatives of the embassies involved and

thanked everyone for their part in the morning.

Flying in from the Czech Republic especially for

the ceremony was Pavel Hamberger, whose

grandfather is among those buried in the Wretham

war graves. He placed a wreath on the grave.

A huge thank you The St Mary’s Church,

Watton, Auction of Promises

organ refurbishment

fundraiser was very well

attended and bidding brisk,

resulting in a total of £3,255

being raised on the evening.

We had some marvellous

promises and gifts so a very

big thank you to everyone

who supported us in any way.

We have now reached

£29,000 for the restoration

fund with another £8,000

needed thus we hopefully will

reach our target goal very

soon.

St Mary’s is a really lovely

Church so we are very excited

at the prospect of restoring

the Organ to its former glory

in order to serve the people of

Watton and surrounding area.

Thank you all once again for

your marvellous support.

Ann Reeve (Mrs)

[email protected]

On behalf of the Organ

Refurbishment Committee.

01953 882065 07733211410

www.stmaryswatton.org and

Follow us on Twitter

@StMarysWatton

Museum 4 Watton wishes you a Merry

Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

We hope 2015 has been as good to you as it

has been to us. We been actively keeping an

eagle eye open for premises and despite

‘losing’ two potential properties we still have

another four we are energetically pursuing.

So what have you done, I hear you say. We

were in attendance at Watton Carnival, at

Wayland Agricultural Show and at Forces

Day – and how lucky we were with fine

weather. Our collections/procurement

manager was very busy with the Black and

Decker erecting a very fine and sturdy

marquee which housed all manner of

information and artefacts from gold coins

discovered locally to pottery to maps of

Watton railway station. The Star of the

Show for the children was of course the suit

of Roman soldier armour. They could try it

on and have their photo taken as souvenir.

The 50/50 raffle was very popular especially

with the winners! Thank you to Chris

Edwards for drawing the winning tickets and

thank you too to Richard, Ollie, Irene,

Andrew and David who all gave up their

time to help.

One unexpected bonus of having a high

profile was an approach made by The

Milestone Society. They had run out of

volunteers to maintain the milestone on the

Norwich Road. Of course, we leapt at the

chance. So armed with cushion, brushes,

cloths and paints I set off. Now I use a Moby

(mobility scooter) and it was taller than the

milestone so I manoeuvred myself down to

the ground on a cushion and set to. I should

just like to say ‘thank you’ to all the drivers

who stopped because it looked like I had

fallen off Moby. It was much appreciated

and brought a smile.

One exceptionally generous donation to the

cause was the gift of the History of Watton

web site by the Pentecostal Church. They

have done a marvellous job putting this site

together and have asked us to take care of it.

And we will, thank you.

We have also located one of the Bloodhound

missiles was based at RAF Watton and also

the Glos Meteor that used to stand as gate

guard.

Hero the skeleton who was the inspiration for

this will soon be returning to Watton, well a

model of him will. Bennett Homes have very

generously agreed to have a mould of him

made and it will soon be in the Library in

Watton. Thank you to Bennett Homes and to

Toni and Sue in the Library,

So what about 2016? It will soon be your

turn! A major project will be the Oral

Tradition when we will be recording your

stories and memories of living, growing up in

Watton. Do get in touch if you would like to

help, we shall be pleased to hear from you.

01953 88 54 00 or [email protected]

Use these details too if you would like to

help on the stall or maybe some fundraising

or even form a Friends Of Watton Museum

group.

Many good wishes for the Christmas season

and we look forward to meeting you in 2106

Watton Mayor, Ken Birch, lays the first wreath at Watton War Memorial on

Remembrance Sunday. Picture by Martin Anscombe


Watton Twinning Association Oktoberfest

Our Oktoberfest event, which ran for the whole

weekend 16th - 18th October, was a huge success.

We were absolutely amazed at the number of

people that attended; it was brilliant with such a

lovely atmosphere throughout.

The event, held at The Old Bell pub in Saham

Toney, was officially opened on Saturday 17th at

1pm by Watton Town Mayor Ken Birch, several

Watton Councillors also attended the opening.

We are really grateful to landlady Debbie for

allowing us to hold it there she really did us proud;

all the steins which had to be reserved, sold out on

Friday evening, the German speciality food (which

was delicious) also sold out on Saturday afternoon

there was yodelling and sausage eating

competitions (very entertaining) German food,

drink and traditional German costumes.

We enjoyed live music Friday evening, Saturday

and Sunday afternoon with Ian von Strutt and

Saturday evening with Herr Vic Martin, Saturday

afternoon our special guest Nick Wiesmann treated

us by playing German music on his accordion.

This was the first time we have held an

Oktoberfest just to see how it would go and to

raise awareness of the Watton Twinning

Association which is now in its 29th year, it was so

successful that we are planning with the help of

Debbie in the Old Bell to hold another next year,

hopefully we may have some of our families from

Weeze our German twin town visit Watton at this

time.

I personally would like to say a huge Thank You to

Debbie, the Musicians, Watton Town Councillors,

our members and everyone that attended the event

for all the help and support given in making it such

a great weekend. WELL DONE.

Events for next year begin with a New Year Get-

together in January, our 29th Anniversary Meal in

February and our AGM in March.

We are still looking for new members especially

young families and singles and couples in their

forties, fifties and sixties.

If you are interested in making a link with a

German family in Weeze please contact me by

telephone or email below for more information.

Margaret Devine (Chair) Tel:- 01953 883317 or

email me on [email protected] or visit

wattontwinning.wordpress.com

Pictured L to R Megan Blake, Margaret Devine (WTA Chairman), Watton Town Mayor Ken Birch, Aimee Neale and Valentina Rose.

The Mid Norfolk Singers at Hingham Church

Mid Norfolk Singers is a choral society based in

Dereham boasting up to 80 members. Next year

is our 70th Anniversary and we are putting on

some excellent concerts. We sing under the

Musical Directorship of Duncan Barlow who is

also currently the Director of Performing and

Creative Arts at Norwich High School for Girls.

He was previously Head of Academic music at

the Norwich School.

Mid Norfolk Singers have performed in many

venues close to Dereham but also in Norwich

Cathedral and will be singing in St Andrews

Hall, Norwich in April. We have sung

impressive works such as The Messiah, Brahms

and Mozart Requiems and Bach St Matthew

Passion but also have delighted our audiences

with Songs from the Shows and Christmas

Carols!

On 5th December at 7.30 pm we are performing

the Petite Messe Solennelle by Rossini in the

magnificent St Andrews Church in Hingham.

Rossini is justly celebrated for his immense

contribution to the Italian operatic repertoire,

but he also produced two important pieces of

sacred music that are notable, amongst other

things, for their overtly operatic style. What is

original about Rossini’s sacred music is not so

much its dramatic power, impressive though

that is, as its unashamed romanticism.

The work’s title is misleading, since the Petite

Messe Solennelle is neither petite nor

particularly solemn. It lasts well over an hour,

and despite the religious text is unmistakeably

operatic in style. Such was Rossini’s genius that

even when the spirit of the music seems to

depart from the spirit of the text one can’t help

but be captivated by the beautiful melodies and

sheer joie-de-vivre of the piece. As he himself

said, ‘Delight must be the basis and aim of this

art’, and that is what he has achieved – a work

not of profound religious insight, but one that is

a delightful, life-enhancing musical experience.

Tickets (adults £10, under 16s £6) are available

from: Mullenger & Co 18 High St Watton 01953

883473 or Dereham Travel Church Street

Dereham 01362 694211 or Ceres Bookshop 20

London St Swaffham 01760 722504 or reserve by

emailing [email protected]

Gruesome Tales at Watton U3A At the October meeting of Watton U3A the

speaker was Sian Hogarth telling the story of

the Lady Killers of Burnham Market. She

read the story, in costume, in the person of

Widow Sayer. The widow Sayer told the

members about two women, Frances Billing

and Kate Frary, who resided in Burnham

Market and the methods they used to achieve

the killings.

She told the tale of arsenic bought and given

to the victims in dumplings and also in the

sugar used to sweeten tea. The effects of the

arsenic poisoning were recounted in very gory

and gruesome details! The women killed

Kate’s husband Robert Frary, Mary Taylor

who was a neighbour, a child living with the

Frarys and the sister of Robert Frary. They

also attempted to dispatch Mr. Billing but he

survived. The two women were eventually

brought to trial, found guilty and hanged at

Norwich in August 1835. During the very

entertaining talk the Widow Sayer had a drink

of tea (no sugar!) offering the drink to the

U3A members. Everyone declined!!!

There will be no more pub lunches until

February. Arrive for Christmas lunch at the

golf club 12.30 for 1.00.There will be the

usual free raffle. Food donations are welcome

for the Christmas party on Friday 11th at the

Sports & Social Club. You will be entertained

by your very own Ukulele group. Anita will

be doing her 'Guess Who' Quiz again, plus a

quiz called ‘How Old Are You’ all about

money, the answers will be in pounds,

shillings and pence! The afternoon will finish

with the free raffle.

Please contact our Membership Secretary,

Anita Taylor on 01953 881110 if you would

like to become a member of the Watton U3A,

or would like further details.

For further details on the National U3A, go to

www.u3a.org.uk


Bingo at Ashill

Ashill Community Centre (ACC) Tuesday 1st December

Cash Prizes - Eyes down 7.30pm in aid of ACC

Watton Hockey Club

Christmas Bingo Thursday 15th Dec At Watton Sports Centre

Doors 7pm - Eyes Down 7.30pm

Wells Cole Community Centre Cash & Prize Christmas Bingo

Thursday 15th Dec At Wells Cole CC

Doors 6.30pm - Eyes Down 7.30pm

Griston Church Bingo Wednesday 2nd Dec Caston Village Hall

Doors 7pm - Eyes Down 7.30pm In aid of Griston SS Peter & Paul Church

Tuesday Afternoon Fellowship

At the November meeting Mr Tobi

Amadasun the pharmacist at Boots, spoke

about his role in the community.

He said all pharmacists are able to advise

on medicines and general queries about

over the counter medications thereby

talcing the pressure off the doctors. For

example If a cold is developing, drink lots

of water and take paracetamol, although

one should always check with the

pharmacist if you are on medication for

other things.

He also explained that many drugs get

thrown away because people get repeat

prescriptions and then not use them. It is

always important to order any medication

required.

After his talk many of the group asked

questions of general interest which he was

able to answer.

On December 1st there will be an

illustrated talk on Norfolk Wildlife Trust,

and on the 15th there will be a Carol

Service.

Everybody is welcome to come to our

meetings which always end with

refreshments, we meet at the Watton

Christian Community Centre on the first

and third Tuesday of every month at

2.30pm.

Protecting Libraries Although proposals to close 27 libraries

were rejected by Councillors, they are still

considering a number of other options,

including an entirely self-service system for

libraries. The proposals for cuts to all

departments are now open to public

consultation, and includes all departments

as well as the Norfolk Fire and Rescue

Service draft Integrated Risk Management

Plan. Go online to have your say at

bit.ly/1Q2FnPi

If you can’t access the internet, you can

collect a paper copy from Watton Library,

or participate by email at

[email protected], on Twitter

using #norfolkbudget, by phone on 0344

800 8020, or via your county councillor -

contact details at www.norfolk.gov.uk/

councillors

Watton Churches Together Our first event in the New year will be on

January 24th, and is the Unity Service. This

will be held in St Mary's church this year,

and starts at 6.30pm. We hope you can join

us. Best wishes to you all from Watton

Churches Together.

Julie Jennings (Chair)

Wow! What a busy term we are having! As usual, the children are

doing us proud and enthusiastically engaging in their learning.

You may have noticed that we are undergoing some big changes.

Our very old mobile classrooms are soon to be replaced by a lovely

new classroom block which we hope to move into in the New Year.

The existing block is also being remodelled and we will have a new

entrance, bigger hall and improved office space. We can’t wait!

October saw us celebrate Harvest Week and Reverend Gerry Foster

from St Mary’s Church joined us for a special assembly. In

November we have enjoyed Space Week and were visited by an

alien who crash landed his rocket on the school field! The children

also all took part in a silence to commemorate Remembrance Day

on November 11th and our pupils who have a parent in the armed

forces created a very poignant display (right). We have held a non

uniform day to raise money for BBC Children in Need (above) and

are looking forward to our Book Fair at the end of the month.

The biggest excitement, however, with almost 270 small children is

that Christmas is on the way! We are having a stall with lots of fun

and games (plus our ever popular magical reindeer food!) at the

town festive market and the children have also been practising for

our Outdoor Christmas Extravaganza performance to parents. If we

are really lucky we may get a visit from an extra special visitor on

our party afternoon when all the children get to wear their festive

jumpers and enjoy celebrating with their friends.

On the subject of Christmas, we are holding a Grand Raffle to raise

money for new outdoor play equipment once our building work is

complete. The first prize is six tickets to see the pantomime Snow

White at Norwich Theatre Royal, worth £117 and generously

donated by RG Carter Ltd. There are lots of other prizes also kindly

donated by local businesses. Tickets are £1 each and available from

the school. The draw will take place on December 14th.

Westfield Infant & Nursery School

Lola, Riley, Jake, Damian and Neve


Members and friends of Watton Methodist

Church have taken their enthusiasm for the not

-quite-so-new new hymnbook, Singing the

Faith, to another level by producing a calendar

based on some of their favourite hymns. Soon

after the hymnbook’s publication, a singing

group was formed with the specific aim of

learning the new hymns in order to be able to

lead the congregation as they are introduced.

Now members have been invited to submit

original photographs illustrating lines from

some of the hymns and the calendar has been

designed to incorporate these.

The calendar has been produced entirely by

the Church: the original idea and design being

handled by Lesley Cowling and the

technicalities of reproducing the finished copy

by Martin Neave. Martin also ensured that all

issues of copyright had been addressed and we

are very grateful to those writers who were

willing to give us permission, free of charge,

to use extracts from their work.

The calendar is being sold in and around the

Central Norfolk Circuit and so far the response

has been very encouraging. After minimal

expenses have been paid, the profits will be

divided between Watton Methodist Church

and the Meningitis Research Foundation, the

latter as part of ongoing support in memory of

one of our young people, Caroline Neave who

died from this dreadful disease.

Anyone interested in ordering a copy should

contact me on 01760 441094.

Thank you from Lesley Cowling

Singing Our Faith Throughout The Year

Some of the Singing Group members admire the calendar

Shellrock Circle Club

for Rocklands and the surrounding districts

Venue: The Village Hall, The Street, Rocklands.

On the 14th of October, Mrs. Margaret Thomas

gave our Club a demonstration of flower

arranging using autumnal flowers in glorious

yellows and rusts. Margaret supplemented the

flowers with cuttings from her garden and

slowly built them up to form a balanced

display. Margaret gave the resulting displays

to the club, one of which will be auctioned on

Saturday at our Autumn Fete. The smaller of

the two was put in the raffle and was won by

our newest member on her first visit to the

club. The letter for October was "C" and was

won by Mrs Theresa Sills with a basket of

ceramic chickens.

On the 17th of October, we held our

fundraising Autumn Fete. A cloudy, dull day

did not seem to encourage many visitors but

we were very grateful to all who turned up to

help us to remain solvent. A BIG THANK

YOU to all the helpers and members who gave

donations etc.

On the 11th of November, our entertainer was

Mrs. Georgette Vale who introduced us to the

art of making fabric flowers and in the process,

she showed us the easiest way to thread a

needle!

The schoolchildren of Rocklands Primary

School will be visiting our club to entertain us

with a Christmas programme of carols on the

9th of December. Please arrive early as the

children have to return to school for their

parents to collect them at the end of the school

day. There will be no letter for this month as

there will not be room for the necessary display

table, so letter "E" will be carried over to

January.

We wish you all a Happy Christmas and please

come and pay us a visit if you see anything on

our programme that interests you.

New members are always welcome and there is

no age limit.

Watton Country Market

Christmas may almost be upon us, but we at the

Country Market are still taking last minute orders

for general bakery and festive fayre. Our last

Market this year will be held on Wednesday 23rd

December at Watton’s Christian Community

Centre, from 8.30 to 11.30am. In addition to our

normal range of baked goods, we have a variety

of seasonal products including Christmas

Puddings and Cakes in a variety of sizes.

Our Crafters - knitting, cards or handicrafts - will

also have a wide range of items for sale, all of

which are reasonably priced, and would make that

gift a little more special. As our eggs already

very popular, why not order the size and quantity

you require to avoid disappointment. Inevitably

our fresh produce lines are now rather limited, so

an early visit is to be recommended.

We will again be holding our free raffle for our

customers. Entry will be on the 2nd and 9th

December, with the winner of a £10 Watton

Country Market Voucher announced on the 16th.

Our January sabbatical will be followed by our re

-opening for the first Market of 2016 on

Wednesday February 3rd at 8.30am. Eggs will

still be available during January (from the

adjacent coffee room).

May we, the Marketeers, thank all our customers

for their loyal support and wish you all a peace

full Christmas and a prosperous New Year. We

look forward to seeing you in 2016.


Recently, the National Osteoporosis

Society ran a campaign to raise

awareness of the huge impact of

fractures caused by the condition.

Every 2 minutes someone in the UK

suffers a bone fracture; it is

estimated that over 3 million people

has some form of osteoporosis

resulting in over 300.000 fractures a

year. Regrettably, the NOS

campaign did not seem to attract

much media attention despite the

rather novel idea of distributing

orange boot laces with a “wear

them, share them -

LACEUPFORBONES” slogan.

Fortunately, our Dr Mike did know

all about it and persuaded members

to donate a bit of cash in exchange

for a pair of the laces. That they were

actually rather to big to fit the

average Rotarians usual footwear was

not a problem – we simply wore them

to a recent meeting in various

innovative ways, recorded for

posterity by Dr Mike (see picture).

Anyone wishing to donate to the

Society can do so by texting LACE£2

to 70070. If any reader would like a

pair of orange laces in exchange for a

small donation just contact us by

email at [email protected].

Despite losing some of our slots on

the Wednesday market due to

weather, our “RBay” paperbacks

and ‘bric-a-brac sales have

amounted to £431 so far this year

(up to 15/11). As we have a number

of larger items for sale we have

updated the “RBay” page on our

website – see

www.wattonrotary.org.uk/rbay.htm

– and we hope to continue with our

‘small ad’ in the notice board at

Edwards Newsagents under the new

ownership. These will include

Christmas items and surplus/

secondhand Christmas lights.

Further fundraising is taking place

at the Town Christmas Fayre &

Market on 29th November, where

the usual “bottle & giftware” straw

draw will be supplemented with a

roulette game, 50/50 word squares,

and other games with prizes, some

free for the children.

Last month, we appealed for tools for

the Falconer Trust; however, further

discussion with them has revealed that

cash would be better due to the high

cost of transporting small amounts of

heavy goods to Africa. Hence a

donation has been given in lieu but we

have identified another charitable

organisation requiring old tools and

equipment, including electrical items

(e.g. sewing machines) for

reconditioning and distribution. Thanks

to those who have already delivered

items to us in the last few weeks, it will

all be useful.

We wish all our supporters and

contributors a very happy Christmas

and prosperous New Year. Martin

Anscombe.

“wear them, share them - LACEUPFORBONES

Wayland Festival

Roundup Well, the Wayland Festival is over

for this year and what a Festival it

was! The opening event was a new

venture, a Murder Mystery Night.

This proved to be extremely

entertaining and the Company

performing the action very

professional. They even managed to

work into the action the member of

the audience (who shall remain

nameless!) that "confessed" to the

crime early on in the evening! A big

thank you must go to our local

butcher Steven Smith and his Staff

for providing the excellent barbecue

which helped make the evening

special.

The week continued with great 50s &

60s music from the Hillbilly Cats, an

amazingly varied programme of piano

music from Mark Fowler, wonderfully

smooth singing from local talent Dale

Bullimore and ended with a brilliant

finale of mixed music and comedy

from returning group Bowjangles, who

came to us via the prestigious

Edinburgh Festival. In between we

enjoyed learning about the Seven Ages

of Woman from the multi-talented

Rachel Duffield, the amazing story of

how May Savidge moved her house to

Wells, as told by her niece Christine

Adams and watched artist Paul Bryant

produce three beautiful paintings in

quick succession before our very eyes.

And as if that wasn't enough, we were

entertained with stories and poems by

Doreen Reed, laughed our socks off at

the comedy of Mervyn Stutter and

learnt the story of the last two women

to be hanged in Norfolk in the play

"The Poisoners' Pact" presented by

Stuff of Dreams.

Wayland's children weren't forgotten

either. The ever popular Professor

Jingles enthralled them with his

traditional Punch & Judy show

combined with a little mystery and

magic and Watton Library put on a

drop in event based on the Babes in the

Wood story. Added to all that, the

Festival Art Exhibition ran throughout

the week at St Mary's Church and

proved extremely popular with displays

of work by several local art and

photographic groups plus Wayland

Academy and Wayland Prison.

The Festival Committee would like to

thank all the performers and partcipants

who provided us with such a varied

week of entertainment but most of all

we'd like to thank YOU, our loyal

audiences, for supporting us. Without

the audience there would be no

Festival. Here's to the next one!

Watton CAB opening extra

centre We are opening an additional drop in

centre in Unit 2, Ventura House,

Norwich Road, Watton, IP25 6JU

next to Mr Reads Carpets, on

Wednesday 25th November 2015 and

every Wednesday thereafter. The

current premises in Harvey street will

be used for appointments only and

meetings. There is a bus stop just

outside the offices and there is ample

level parking.


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Dance Away at The Queens Hall

Ballroom, Latin and Sequence Dancing Dec 5th 8pm to 11pm Admission £4

A Quick Look Round By Orbiter Once more Christmas has crept up upon

us when it seemed that we had only just

finished with Autumn, and if the weather

men are to be believed, by the time you

read this we may be knee deep in snow,

since they tell us that everything points to

the biggest freeze up since 1940, based

on the fact that a swan has arrived from

Siberia one day earlier than ever before,

bees have been seen flying upside down,

and crows have built their nests facing

north, or something of the sort. But after

a succession of winters and summers

incorrectly foreseen by the experts, we

shall, as usual, deal with whatever comes,

as and when . . . But things are set to

change, as the Met Office is to have

opposition from outside agencies, so

maybe better weather will result.

As is usual these days there is always

something that will set the country

aflame with indignation, and a few weeks

ago people were up in arms in protest at

the introduction of a 5p charge for plastic

bags at our shops and super- markets.

What a fuss was made, and it all died

away in about three days, when folks

realised how simple it is to take a bag

with you, instead of throwing it away

after the previous shopping trip. An

occasional lapse of memory could cost a

few pence, but would that really be such

a hardship ?

Another big talking point is the move to

make it legal for the big stores to open for

longer hours on Sundays, Is there really

any need for this? Surely if folks want to

shop on Sundays the opening time of 10

a.m. is quite early enough, particularly as

most people like a lie-in on that morning,

and if shops shut at four hardly anyone

will be inconvenienced. What a

difference to the days not so long ago

when no shops were open at all on the

Sabbath day, except at the seaside where

cafes were permitted. With pubs open for

just a couple of hours in mid-day and

evenings, most towns and almost all

villages were completely deserted,

though as this was the norm, few people

were unduly perturbed as they knew

nothing better.

On a somewhat similar theme is the

question of taking the children on holiday

in school term time. Surely law abiding

citizens would not consider this, as rules

are rules, whatever the context. Yes, there

are seemingly valid reasons, such as

father being compelled to having his own

vacation fixed by his employer, or that

holiday firms put their prices up when

school terms end, but rules are not just

for some, and if the majority can obey

them, then so should everyone. After all

the child’s education should come

first, and if the parents have to miss

out for a few years, they will still

probably have half a century in which

to do their own thing. This is not just

the smug opinion of an old fuddy-

duddy, but from a parent who had to

face the same problem, although quite

a few years ago. No doubt this will not

go down well with some, but there you

are, everyone is entitled to his views.

There is a proposal to re-introduce the

lynx to various locations in Britain,

including Thetford Forest, partly because

it is a fine animal, but mainly to help

control the escalating numbers of deer.

While, on the face of it, this seems to be

an excellent idea, caution should be

exercised, since it seems there are many

instances where introductions of exotic

creatures have proved disastrous in the

long run, since the ‘cure’ turns out to be

as bad, if not worse than the ‘disease’. Of

course it would be quite exciting to meet

a lynx while walking through the forest,

but people said that about wild boars in

the Forest of Dean ten years ago, and

now the animals are a mortal danger to

the local population.

While on the subject of forests and

similar habitats it is good to see that a

special award has been given to Brandon

Country Park, in recognition of it being

one of the most well looked after open

spaces in our local area, where one can

enjoy a pleasant walk, cycle ride or

simply a quiet sit by the pond, while there

are excellent facilities for children and

adults alike, with refreshments and light

meals available in the well- appointed

café.

Although the site is actually in Suffolk

(just over the border) it is as close as our

other favourite woodland spots, such as

the Pingo Trail at Stow Bedon,

Thompson Common, and other parts of

Thetford Forest, and we are, indeed, very

fortunate that these places are so near to

hand.

Hardly a week goes by than some local

faction lodges a protest against proposals

to erect houses, and usually these protests

are soundly based on the lack of access

roads and other infrastructure shortages.

But even when these problems have been

sorted out, contractors often tell us that

there is a dearth of competent brick-

layers, a situation which gets worse from

year to year.

Surely this should be a signal for the re-

introduction of prefabricated buildings,

which can be erected in next to no time,

and with little or no brick-work involved.

Every three or four years our local TV

stations feature the speedy installation of

a group of these buildings, which are

delivered in sections that are fitted

together on site, with all the main fittings,

baths, toilets and kitchen furniture

already in place, simply waiting to be

connected to the mains supplies. Then,

after the programme we hear no more

about them for another three or four

years.

Most people remember the pre-fabs that

went far to solving the housing crisis in

the 1950s, and those buildings, which

were intended to last about ten years,

were still in use fifty years later, and in

quite a few cases, still are. With the

modern materials available there could be

quite luxurious accommodation, at

affordable costs.

We are all used to reading about the

rather strange goings -on in Parliament,

and yet another came to prominence

when the House of Lords refused to ratify

a Finance Bill that had been passed in the

Commons, which caused great

consternation for the Govern-ment, for

the Lords are not supposed to vote down

such Bills. If that is so , we may ask,

what is the point of the matter being

raised there at all?

In keeping with the modern trend of

inadvertently (or is it deliberately?) under

-estimating costs of major projects, the

new northern ring road around Norwich

has been found to have a shortage of

funding to the extent of over five million

pounds, and this may have to be made up

by shortening the road to terminate at the

airport.

Do not these surveyors/accountants/

engineers have any experience ? One can

imagine a project over-running by some

thousands of pounds, but Five Millions is

scandalous, but then who can remember

anything big that came to fruition within

its budget ? It’s the way of the world

today.

Well, there’s another year gone, tempus

fugit and all that. I hope you all left your

lap-tops open for Father Christmas on the

Big Eve, for don’t forget, he doesn’t

come down the chimney any more – he

comes on-line !

Good afternoon, and Happy New Year.

Is your dedication in the book? “Let’s make history together” – is

your dedication in the Book yet?

The Book for dedications and

sponsorship for the Organ

Refurbishment Fund is available at

St Mary’s when the Church Office

is open

Tuesday -Thursday 9am-1.00pm

Coffee Morning Thank You The coffee morning at 95, Nelson

Court, was once again very well

attended and resulted in the

magnificent total of £360 being

sent to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Our thanks to all who came and

supported this worthwhile charity

and those who gave donations.

Particular thanks must go to our

helpers who do all the work on the

morning – Jill Beech, Sue Bunce,

Pam Challand, Brenda Davis,

Helen Glibbery, Stella Leonard

and Val Semlyen. Special thoughts

are with Lesley Cowling who

arrived to help but, unfortunately,

had a bad fall – hope your arm is

soon out of plaster! Thanks again

to everybody involved. Dave and

Jenny Simons.

Rocklands Community Shop Where has the year gone! Once

more we are approaching

Christmas, the shop is filling up

with some beautiful Christmas

stock, including lovely tins of

biscuits, which make excellent

Christmas presents, as well as lots

of delicious Christmas goodies.

Our new supplier Adnams, can

supply all your wine needs over

Christmas, including an excellent

champagne. Barnards can supply

all your meat over Christmas, but

it is best to pre-order, please ask at

the Counter. The Then and Now

Calendar is available, produced by

Shirley, which contains pictures of

bygone Rocklands and pictures of

how they look now, these are

retailing for £5, of which the shop

keeps £4. These were extremely

popular. They can be pre-ordered

or bought on the day on 12th

December, when Shirley is

holding a craft day. There are also

bygone and modern Rocklands

Christmas cards together with

religious cards, this time sold

entirely in aid of the shop. All of

these cards can be personalised to

suit your requirements, and the

calendar can be adjusted to include

some of last year’s pictures,

should you prefer them. Please

enquire at the counter or ring

01953 488567. Personalised

birthday cards can always be

ordered.

On Christmas Eve at Midday for a

couple of hours the shop are

serving mulled wine together with

mince pies. At the time of writing

the opening hours over Christmas

are still to be sorted out, but please

see the shop for details. They will

be open Christmas Eve, Boxing

day and New Year’s day, but the

actual opening hours are to be

confirmed. They will be closed on

Christmas day. A reminder that the

Post Office is open, all the hours

that the shop is open, including

weekends.

Volunteer slots may be hard to fill

during the Christmas period, so if

you have an hour or two to spare,

please enquire over the counter,

even if you have not volunteered

before. They will be delighted to

see you.

There will be a series of Craft days

leading up to Christmas on

Saturdays.

Saturday Nov 28th GUMMY

BUTTONS – Toy and decorations

Saturday Dec 5th STEPHEN

HOUCHEN – local photographer,

printed mugs and more

Saturday Dec 12th SHIRLEY

CARDS – Rocklands Then and

Now calendars, Rocklands

Christmas cards and personalised

Christmas and birthday cards

Saturday Dec 19th LESLIE

CROSTHWAITE – Retro

handbags, antique furniture

All this leaves is to wish all our

customers and very Merry

Christmas and a Happy and

Prosperous New Year and thank

everybody for their custom

throughout the year.

Normal shop/PO opening hours

Mon-Fri 7.30am – 6.30pm, Sat

7.30am – 5.30pm, Sun 8am-1pm

New Year, New Features in your Wayland News

Starting in the New year there

will be a couple of new features

in this wonderful local paper,

both supplied by members of the

Tuesday Afternoon Fellowship at

the Methodist Church. This

group celebrates its 80th birthday

in 2016 and plans to mark the

milestone in as many different

ways as possible, one of which is

to make regular contributions to

the Wayland News. You may

have already noticed that the last

two months have carried reports

of meetings, as a result of which

we have already gained one new

member (more always

welcome!). Following a talk by

Editor Julian Horn, the ladies

suggested that a ‘Recipe of the

Month’ feature might interest

some readers so look out for

that! Nothing too extraordinary,

but just recipes that have,

perhaps, been handed down

through families , some that have

come home from abroad and

some with new twists on old

favourites.

The other suggestion involves

something completely different.

Have you ever wondered ‘Who

on earth was George Trolloppe?’

‘Why is it called Stokes Avenue

or Mary Shanks Close?’ Some

people will know, others may not

– one would-be historian in the

group aims to find out and share

her findings in this paper. (This

very same historian will, over

time welcome any additions or

corrections to what she knows,

thinks she knows or has tried to

discover !)

The Fellowship ladies hope you

will enjoy their monthly

contributions to the paper.


Watton Churches Together St. Mary’s Church, Watton

www.stmaryswatton.org

Follow us on @StMarysWatton

If I can be of help to you please do not hesitate to contact me,

on 01953 881439, I shall be available at church on Tuesdays

between 10.30am and 12 Noon - Gerry Foster

1st, 3rd & 4th Wednesday at 9.30am Holy Communion 2nd

Wednesday Morning Worship

Tuesdays 7.30am-8.00am, Thursdays 5.00pm—5.30pm

Saturdays 9.30am—10.00am Parish Prayers.

Church Office opens Tues, Wed & Thurs 9am-1pm

Tel: 01953 881252 [email protected]

Sun 6th 8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Holy Communion


10.00am Informal Holy Communion

4.00pm Town Carol Service at The Queens Hall


10.00am Holy Communion

6.30pm Carol Service

Thur 24th Christmas Eve

4.00pm Christingle Service with

Rt Rev’d Jonathan Meyrick, Bishop of Lynn &

Shine Music Group, specially for children and families

11.30pm Holy Communion

Fri 25th Christmas Day

10.30am Family Holy Communion


10.00am Morning Worship

Watton Methodist Church www.wattonmethodist.btck.co.uk

Every Wednesday the Church is open for quiet reflection and

prayer between 10.15am & 11.30am. 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.

Sun 6th 10.45am Mrs E Wright

2.30pm at Great Cressingham

6.30pm No service

Sun 13th 10.45am Mr A Warby

6.30pm Rev J Forsdyke

Sun 20th 10.45am Carol Service Mr J Hull

6.30pm Rev E Reddington


7.00pm Carols by Candlelight


10.30am Family Service Rev E Reddington

Sun 27th 10.45am Mr A Warby

6.30pm No Service

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


4.30pm First Mass of Christmas at

Watton Methodist Church

11.30pm Midnight Mass with Carols at Our

Lady of Pity Catholic Church, Swaffham


9.30am Morning Mass, at Swaffham

St. Nicholas’ Church, Ashill Tuesdays at 10.00am Holy Communion

Sun 6th 9.30am Lay Led Worship

Sun 13th 9.30am Family Holy Communion

Sun 20th 4.00pm Carols, Crib and Christingle Service

Thurs 24th Christmas Eve



9.30am All Age Worship

St. George’s Church, Saham Toney Sun 6th 11.00am Lay Led Worship

Sun 13th 11.00am Family Holy Communion & Holy Baptism

Sun 20th 11.00am All Age Worship


3.30pm Christingle & Family Carol Service


There will be no service at St George’s on Christmas Day

Sun 27th 10.30am Benefice Service

S.S. Peter & Paul’s Church, Carbrooke Sun 6th 10.30am Family Holy Communion

Sun 13th 10.30am All Age Worship

Tues 15th 6.00pm Carol Service with Carbrooke School



10.30am Family Holy Communion

St John the Evangelist Church, Ovington Sun 6th 9.30am Holy Communion

Sun 20th 6.00pm Carol & Christingle Service


10.30am All Age Worship

All Saints Church, Threxton

We are holding our Christmas Carol Service here at

Threxton, on Sunday 20th December at 3 p.m.

and will be joined by Watton Silver Band.

A warm welcome to all.

WATTON BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP Wed 2nd December 2pm Christmas Social, tea, cakes and chat at Watton CCC

WATTON PENTECOSTAL CHURCH

CHRISTMAS SERVICES Might There be More to Christmas? -

The Christmas Story in Focus Sunday 13th 10.30am: Family Carol Service Sunday 20th 6.00pm: Christmas Carol Service Friday 25th 11.00am: Christmas Morning Service Sunday 27th 10.30am: Christmas Communion

We offer you a warm welcome this Christmas.

Thought for the Month By Rev Eleanor Reddington, Methodist Minister This is my first contribution for the

Wayland News, so I think I’d better

introduce myself. I’m Rev. Eleanor

Reddington and I’m the new Methodist

minister for Watton, Hingham, Great

Ellingham, Great Cressingham, Saham

Hills, Swaffham and Sporle. I’m married

to Malcolm and we arrived in Swaffham

in August, ready for me to take up my

appointment on 1st September. My father

was also a Methodist minister, so I spent

my childhood moving around the country.

The nearest I got to Norfolk as a child was

the 2 years we spent in Keadby in

Lincolnshire, and my own ministerial

travels didn’t bring me near here either.

Malcolm was born and brought up in

Kent, but did have a holiday in Great

Yarmouth when he was 5. This is,

therefore, a new part of the country for

both of us, and we’re looking forward to

getting to know the people with whom we

are serving and the countryside here. We

both like birdwatching, so we couldn’t

have come to a better place.

Some years ago now, when we were living

in Shropshire, we had a phone call from

the residential home in Kent, where

Malcolm’s mother was living, to say that

she’d been taken into hospital after having

a slight stroke. By the time Malcolm got

there she’d had another, and major, stroke

and was unconscious. A week or so later

we got a phone call from the hospital one

evening to say she’d taken a turn for the

worse, and we needed to go and see her.

When we arrived at the hospital, in the

early hours of the morning, the nurse on

duty said “I feel a bit guilty for ringing

you, now, because she has improved

slightly.” We stayed for an hour or so, and

then, at about 3 o’clock in the morning, set

about finding somewhere to sleep.

Naively, I thought that it would be fairly

easy to find a hotel with vacancies in the

built up area of the Medway Towns, even

at that time of the morning. It wasn’t.

Eventually one receptionist took pity on us

and rang round a few other hotels for us,

and eventually found us somewhere to

stay.

Why have I told you that story? Well, at

the time I said to Malcolm “Now I know

how Mary and Joseph felt in Bethlehem”!

We will soon be singing the familiar

carols, and reading again the story of them

going to Bethlehem and finding no room

in the inns they visited – until one kindly

innkeeper offered them the stable, where

their child, and God’s son, was born.

It’s very easy to get so caught up in our

preparations for our family Christmas that

we forget we are celebrating the birth of

Jesus. In the midst of your busyness, make

time to pause and think what Christmas is

really about.

Have a very happy and peaceful Christmas

and may the Christ-child find room in our

hearts this Christmas.

No Present Like The Time By John Egerton Yes, it’s Christmas time again, and, as

usual, there is a problem. And the

problem is me. When I turn up the

volume control on my hearing aid I can

hear my family all be-moaning the fact

that they don’t know what to buy me.

It’s true, there is nothing I need at my

age; the clothes I’ve got will see me out,

while tools for D.I.Y. and gardening are

to hand in plenty, though I rarely use

them any more: I don’t go out much,

and , in fact, even if I was asked to buy

myself a present, I would be hard put to

decide on one.

Last year the family clubbed together to

buy me a special watch, which they told

me had a Yachting app. I said I’m not

wearing one of them, but they said it

was an app, not a cap, and that it had a

button, which when pushed could tell

me the time for anywhere in the world.

For a couple of months I had the local

Indian take-away deliver twice a week in

the hope that the driver would say

“Pardon me, Sir, but do you by any

chance have any idea of what the time is

in my home town of Bombay ? (My new

present calls it Mumbai !), but he never

asked me.

Another button brings up details of the

local wind speed in knots, whatever they

are. I have an idea that knots are

something to do with what they call

naughty miles per hour, and that makes

me wonder what granny knots are, but I

know she used to have a lot of trouble

with winds.

The third and last button actually tells

me the time here and this was alright till

I pressed it at tea-time, and it said 15.35.

Well I don’t understand all that decimal

coinage, and am only used to clocks that

go up to twelve, so I just use it in the

mornings.

Actually my folks needn’t go to any

trouble, they can just buy me a bottle of

whisky, maybe Glenfiddich, (that comes

from somewhere up north, I think)

which is quite nice. I can have a wee nip

while my wife is watching Downton

Abbey or something. At my age I don’t

watch those long serials myself in case I

don’t last out, though I might take a

chance on a three-parter.

Of course I wasn’t always such a

problem. Back in the nineteen-fifties,

when I first bought a car, buying a

present for me was easier than for

anyone else, as cars in those days were

not exactly bristling with extras. We

were lucky to have three pedals, a gear

lever, a steering wheel and a hand-brake,

so at Christmas everyone came up with

things like wing mirrors, indicators, stop

-lights, rear screen heaters, radios, seat

covers and floor-mats, and one of those

wind deflectors that clipped on the

outside of my window so that I could

keep it open while I made hand signals

without getting blown away.

Younger members of the family, who

couldn’t afford much might give me a

tin of wax polish, or a bottle of anti-

freeze, or maybe a pair of miniature foot

-balls to hang over the interior mirror.

The point is that in those days I was no

problem, and it must have been a

pleasure to but a present for me.

However they have obviously decided

on what to get me this year, as it came

this morning. There was a ring at the

bell, and my wife went to the door, and

when she came back in, she had this

parcel, which said it came from the

Amazon.

Well, I don’t know anyone in South

America, but a present is a present. So I

eagerly started to tear off the wrapping,

and there was a box with the words

“Enclosed is a Tom-Tom” on it, which

was a bit of a downer, as I’ve never been

keen on African jungle music. However

when I opened it up there was no drum,

but one of those Sat-Nav things, with a

notice saying “Plug this in your car and

you’ll never get lost”.

Well, I think they are probably right

there, since the only driving I do these

days is the five-minute trip to Tesco’s

every Thursday, and I’m not likely to

get lost on that, for I could do that

journey with my eyes shut.

In fact I do sometimes, especially when

the sun is a bit dazzling.

Don’t get alarmed, there’s no danger !.

If anything’s coming my wife gives a

nudge ! And I always keep a good eye

open when I go down the High Street,

because there are always likely to be

pedestrians wandering across the road,

and I’d hate to miss one. Miss seeing

one, I mean.

Well, that’s sorted out Christmas for this

year. If I last to see another one, I

wonder what they’ll get me then.

Houghton Church

CAROL SERVICE Thurs 10th December 2pm

Hot Mince Pies. Wrap up Warm

ASHILL COMMUNITY CENTRE

WI Carol Concert

Sunday 13th December 3pm With Watton Silver Band plus Ashill

Harmony Choir. In aid of Tapping House Hospice. Home-made

refreshments. Adults £2 Child £1

Creative Arts East

Alice In Wonderland Sunday 20th December 2pm Tickets £5 from K Collins 01760 441196 or

J Oxborough 01760 441651. Refreshments in aid of ACC.

CAROL SERVICE South Pickenham Church

Sunday 6th December 3pm Refreshments


What Watton Wants (WWW) The WWW objective to implement a

Neighbourhood Plan for Watton has

now been approved by Watton Town

Council. A working party is now

being set up to move the plan

forward.

A Neighbourhood Plan is necessary if

Watton is to have any input into the

future planning of developments in

our town. Such plans are Government

sponsored and grant finances are

available for certain aspects of any

plan. To achieve a viable plan

consultations with residents, industry,

schools, health services and sports

clubs will be necessary.

WWW members were recently given

an insight by Vallerie Brown into the

Attelborough Neighbourhood Plan

that is now in its final consultation

stages prior to publication.

The Abel Homes application to build

98 houses at Watton Green

(application 3PL/2015/1191) is now

progressing via Breckland Planning

Office. This proposed development

would create an extensive close

density of houses due to its location

between Blenheim Grange and

Redlands Park that will now include

an agreed further 54 Mobile homes.

The traffic implications are thought to

be unsustainable especially at peak

times on the present unclassified

roads in the area and the road

structure leading on to the Norwich

road. Letters to Breckland Council

concerning this development are

urgently required from local and town

residents. If you object to this or any

other development each individuals

message isthe first line of attack. It

will be too late when a decision is

made.

The planning decisions on both

Mallard Road for 177 houses

(application 3PL/2015/0254) and

Portland Avenue for 80 houses

(application 3PL/2014/1378) are

likely to be on the Breckland

Planning Committee agenda for

Monday 14th December. It is

indicated that the Planning Officers

will recommend to the committee

that the Mallard Road application be

accepted with no recommendation on

Portland Avenue at date. As with all

planning decision meetings it is

imperative that residents attend the

meeting to show Councillors their

concerns on these local over

development issues.

WWW members intervention in

Bennett Homes application to fell

three substantial trees on their Signals

site has resulted in two trees being

saved and preservation orders being

placed on other other substantial

nearby trees.

WWW will be present at the Watton

Christmas Market on Sunday 29th

November where local planning

matters can be discussed including

the possibility of writing letters to

Breckland Council.

The WWW Facebook page has now

attracted over 3000 comments

regarding the over development of

Watton. Have your say in making

Watton a better place to live.

We would urge all residents who

agree that our town and surrounding

parishes are being over developed to

express their views to Breckland

Council and our MP George

Freeman. Details are below and on

the WWW Website and Facebook.

Full details on Planning Applications

can be found on the Breckland

Council website:

www.breckland.gov.uk.

Go to Planning Search – Search for

Planning Applications - Enter

Application Reference Number and

in Parish scroll to Watton Press

search.

Remember you can object to more

than one planning application and

each member of the household can

communicate their own objection.

Objection/Comment letters or e mails

to:- The Chief Planning Officer,

Elizabeth House, Walpole Loke,

Dereham. NR19 1EE

E Mail [email protected]

Telephone Planning Office 01362

656212. All correspondence MUST

quote the relevant Application

Reference Number.

Letters to George Freeman M.P

should be addressed to 8. Damgate

Street Wymonham NR18 0BQ

For further information or you wish

to help our group go to

www.whatwattonwants.co.uk

Watton Evening WI

Members were interested to hear

Bronwyn Tyler talk about the part

played by Wayland men and women

during World War 1 and the

sacrifices families from both Watton

and the surrounding villages endured

during the conflict. Much research

has been done through the Wayland

Partnership to collect together the

history of these difficult times for

future generations. This culminated in

the commemoration weekend in

November at Watton Sports Centre

when some WI members demostrated

crafts from the period.

We were please to again welcome

another new member and two further

visitors. This is becoming a regular

occurrence and we are delighted that

so many ladies are joining us to learn

and to enjoy friendship and fun

together at our meetings and through

the lunch and craft groups.

At a recent coffee morning Watton

and SahanToney members joined

together to raise funds for the

Wayland Group and we thank all

those who joined us on that occasion..

Our celebration wall hanging was

unveiled by member Margaret

Herbert who had masterminded its

construction together with Pat Kilday

and Hilary Rudge. It is now on

permanent display on the wall of the

Watton Christian Community Centre

were we meet as a reminder of two

fantastic milestones during 2015,100

years of the WI in Britain and 25

years of Watton Evening WI.

An outing to Ware Hall, Wells next

the Sea was enjoyed when members

and friends heard about the

determination of one woman to save

her home. She moved it brick by

brick, beam by beam from Ware in

Hertfordshire to Wells, doing much

of the work herself.

An informal get together for coffee

was held where we watched a DVD

on Climate Change , looking at the

lives of four women in different

parts of the world and how their

lives have been changed by climate

variations.

November is always our Annual

Meeting when we recalled all the

excitement of the celebration year.

This year both our President and

Treasurer were standing down. Pat

Holdcroft has been President for

some years and she was presented

with a Christmas Rose plant from

the members as a thank you for all

she has done over that time, she

will continue to be a member of the

committee. Lynne Tarbard had been

Treasurer for five years and, she too,

received flowers and our thanks.

The new President is Anita Maslin

who was wished success in her new

role.

For our December meeting we will

be having a meal at a local venue so

our next meeting when we will

welcome visitors and new members

will be on Thursday January 14th at

7.30pm at the Watton Christian

Community Centre when a local

American Square Dance group will

entertain and there is bound to be an

opportunity to have a go!

For further details contact Hazel

Gillingham 01953 881510

Jazz at the Movies is coming to Dereham THEY’VE become a Christmas

regular at Ronnie Scott’s in London

and now they’re playing in

Dereham – so break open the

popcorn and enjoy the unique

experience that is, Jazz at the

Movies.

The swinging quintet will be

playing at Dereham Memorial Hall

on December 5, presenting their

special Jazz at the Movies Swingin’

Xmas Show.

This concert also sees the return to

her home town of Joanna Eden,

vocalist with Jazz at the Movies and

described by Time Out as ‘the UK’s

answer to Diana Krall’. Joanne has

also been a singing teacher for 12

years and is justifiably proud that

her very first student, Sam Smith,

has become an international star

and singer of the new James Bond

theme tune.

Dereham Jazz Society has been

performing gigs at Lakeside

Country Club for the past seven

years but, following the sale of

Lakeside, the jazz club needs to

find a new home once it performs

its final gig there on December 16.

Jazz at the Movies features not just

the beautiful vocals of Joanna Eden,

but the Chris Ingham quartet. The

quartet comprises drummer George

Double, pianist Chris Ingham, bass

player the Rev Andy Brown and

Mark Crooks on sax and clarinet.

George Double said: “Jazz at the

Movies – A Swingin’ Christmas

will appeal to music fans and movie

fans alike. With an emphasis on

swing and accessibility, Jazz at the

Movies was formed specifically to

interpret movie themes. Along with

the music, there’s some very

entertaining dialogue and, of

course, very much a Christmas

feel.”

The band has been highly

acclaimed wherever it has played,

including Ronnie Scott’s. Jazz

Journal International wrote: “Miss

Eden’s way with a ballad is

something else. Movie songs like

these provide good material for

the best jazz singers. Joanna Eden

and her first-class band had a ball

with them – and so did the

audience.”

Tickets for the Dereham show,

which starts at 7.30pm on

Saturday 5 December, can be

obtained by calling Richard

Nelson on 01362 696741.

Also from the box office at “Bead

This, Craft That”, 4 Nunn's Way,

Dereham NR19 2AN Phone:01362

696943 Allocated seating, all seats

£15.

Get crafty at Watton Library!

We have some one-off specials of

our adult craft workshops in the run

up to Christmas this year.

On Weds 2 December come and

make a Christmas Rose Wreath or

Book Christmas Tree, both made

from recycling and decorating old

books. The workshop will run

4.30pm – 6.30pm and will cost £10.

On Friday 4 December learn to make

Folded Flower Baubles. This runs

10.30am-12 noon and will cost £5.

On Friday 11 December we will be

making Christmas trees from old

books. This workshop will

be10.30am-12.30pm and will cost

£10.

On Friday 18 December we will be

making paper Christmas stars. This

workshop runs from 10.30am-12

noon and will cost £5.

Booking is essential for all the adult

workshops, as places are limited.

Fees are payable in advance.

Examples of the crafts can be seen

in the branch, so if you’re not sure

what to expect, pop in and have a

chat. To find out more or to book a

place please phone Watton Library

on 01953 881671.

We haven’t forgotten the kids

either. On Weds 23rd December we

will be holding a special children’s

Christmas Craft workshop. This is a

drop-in workshop running from

4.30pm until 6.30pm. There will

even be music, hot chocolate and

mince pies. Come and join us!

We will be open on Christmas Eve

until 5pm, then closed through until

Wednesday 30th December. We will

also be closed on New Year’s Day.


Christmas Coffee

Morning Sat 12

th

December 9.30 - 12Noon

St Mary’s Church, Watton.

Bottle tombola, gifts, preserves, cakes, hamper raffle, children’s lucky dip, jigsaw

puzzles and CD’s.

Tha Ovington Crower Har yew gitten on tergitha, hent thet bin

moild of leart, I’re bin tempted ter set a

few arly teartas, jist tew see iffun I cud

git em up afore Horry, cos he dew crow

abowt how hisuns is allus afore mine.

Hed a bittof a hellup wi the ole cowncil

chairwummin larst week, she say I’de

bin hullin mud up har windas wen I wos

cartin beet threw tha Willage. I say ter

her I say, “Well missus yore in charge o

tha Willage yew orta see abowt

stopping orl thet rearn wos cumin

down”

I hatta duck down afore I gotta ding o

tha lug, she dint get my drift attorl.

“I’ll hev yew know Sid” she say “That

woteva people say abowt me I hent God

yit”

So I say tew har I say “Thas a rummin

cos yew sartinly act like it at yore

meetins, nun of yore cowncillors git a

word in wunce yew git gooin”

This time I dint duck kwick enuff an I

hossed orf hoom wi a rite earake.

Dint dew much betta wi tha Wicca

eetha wen I arsked her if I cud git a bob

or tew owta tha lottry fund wot thar hev

got fer tha Church. Trubble wos she hev

got a cuppla sticks wot she yewes to git

rownd tha parish, and a dig o tha ribs wi

wunn on em kin knock tha wind owta

yore sails kwicker than thet.

Hevvin hed a run in wi them tew

mawthas I dassnt goo hoom an tell my

missus abowt it so haddta hoss orf tew

tha pub tew lick my woonds an hev

suffin tew dull tha pearn.

My missus still kip mobbing me abowt

a holdey, so I got tha bus an corled inta

thet Norridge airport an arsked tha

bloke ware tha went tew. He say. “Sir

we goo anywhere an evrawhere, we ken

fly yew tew Amsterdam, Spain,

Channel Isles an even as far as Cyprus”

“Cor Blarst” I say “

hent hard o moost o them plearces, hev

yew got anyware more loocal”

“Well yis” he say “We go tew

Aberdeen, Manchester and Exeter, but

only when tha wethar is good, why,

where were yew thinking of going tew

Sir?”

“Thas like this” I say “My missus hent

tew intrested in gooin far, so hev yew

got suffin reel local?”

“Anywhere in paticlar Sir?” he say. I

sed “I wos sorta lookin fer sumware

arownd Hunstun or even Yaxham iffen

thet fust wun is orl booked up” He sorta

gi me a funny ole look an putting on his

parts he say “I don’t think our Captains

would consider a landing at either of

those places sir, perhaps you might be

better off taking the bus”

I gi him a mowthfull o Ovington cusses

and got tha bus hoom---waal I din’t git

streart hoom, cos I haddta hev a ward

wi my cuzzin wot live at Hingham,

heeze got a van down at Bacton an I

thort I cud dew a deal alonga him fer a

few daers down thar.

He wos in tha White Hart, so that tuk a

while tew cum tew sum ‘rangement and

corst me sevrul pints o best ter git him

ter let us hev his van fer jest a few bob a

week.

So iffen yew dunt hear from me next

munth I might be orf on holdy.

Jist a thort---- Tha’s no gud a putten yar

fut down if yew hearnt got a leg tew

stan’ on.

Teark care o’ yoreselves an iffen I dunt

git tew mardle wi’ yew nex munth, dew

yew hev a gud Chrismus and a prosprus

New Year.

Dew yew kip a troshin. Boy Sid.

Held on the evening of the 14th October

this is the 23rd consecutive year we have

held the quiz, which is supported by

regular quizzers. Although the over large

wooden spoon is a little tongue in cheek it

is fiercely contested over. Each year a

small silver shield is added to the surround

indicating the winning team. Personal

certificates are also awarded to the team

members. On this occasion a tie was

reached for the first time with two teams

having 125 points. Tie breaker questions

resulted in a single point win by the "Team

with no name" over "Ovington Village

Hall". In third place came "Murphy's Law"

with a creditable 120 points.

Bryan H Wykes Vice Chairman Watton

Society.

Quizzers Supreme

Nancy Robert, Daryl Woodward, Terry Fenge & James Robert receiving the Watton

Society Annual Quiz trophy at the Queens Hall from Chairman of the Society John Kerr.

Norfolk Literature Project Have you got that unfinished book hiding in

the deepest corners of your PC? Are you

searching for that great opening line? Then

you may want to consider working with the

Norfolk Literature Project, created by local

author Robin Reece. Robin has always had a

great passion for storytelling and creative

writing, over the summer the young author

published his first book and now has three

scheduled releases for 2016 and will be

working with The Next Generation to deliver

an anthology.

Robin has always tried to make it clear to

everyone he meets that he did not achieve

anything alone, and as such aspires to give

back to the writing community.

The Norfolk Literature Project is an

organisation that delivers English based

workshops to GCSE and A – Level students.

The same experience is now being offered to

all ages, mainly those who have left school,

but at a more extensive level. An eight week

course will be held at Wayland House,

Watton. The course will be starting in early

January and there will be an hour lesson each

week to help people develop their creative

writing. The course will be taught by author

Robin Reece who is a local author based in

Watton and is supported by the Wayland

Partnership Trust. Part of the course will

involve developing the analytical skills of

those who join the course by looking intently

at the author's Bestselling book ‘Without

You’.

The course aims to help people develop their

ability to write in a way they may never have

expected through the use of fun and

interactive activities to release the inner

creative mind you have kept locked away.

As well as having access to the inner

thoughts of a successful writer to see how

their mind works and how they may be able

to take inspiration from the author and start

their own writing career.

For the low price of £35, including the cost

of materials, you can have the full extent of a

creative writing course while having full

access to a published author for less than

£4.50 a week. The usual cost of a course that

offers the same curriculum would cost you in

excess of £75. The course has a limited

intake of 15 available places. These will be

offered on a first come first serve basis, those

who show great amounts of talent could also

be considered for “The Next Generation”. If

you are interested or would like to find out

more than please contact a member of our

team below.

Contact number: 07568 581 550

Contact E-mail: Author-

[email protected]

Or find us on one of our social media

pages: Facebook.com/RobinReece.Writing

Twitter @RobinTReece

Musketeers are coming to Watton. So are

Flappers, Pirates, Knights, Hippies, Witches

and Teddyboys amongst others. CHANGE

GEAR Costume and Fancy Dress Hire is

moving to a purpose built storage facility in

Watton after having been located in the Old

School, Swaffham for a little over two years.

This will allow for much more flexibility of

opening times and the opportunity to try on

costumes in a comfortable home environment.

There are over 500 costumes to choose from

at CHANGE GEAR - everything from Abba

to Zorro and Saxons to Seventies.

Something can usually be found to please

everyone from babies to grandparents of all

shapes and sizes. There is also a small

selection of evening dresses and D.J.s for

those all important parties and proms.

CHANGE GEAR is the result of more than

40 years of collecting costumes and textiles

from all over the world. In the past, many

costumes have been provided for the

Wayland Players and the Watton Pantomime

Group. We will be up and running in Watton

from mid December - just in time for

Christmas and the New Year! Hire charges

for up to a week start at just £15 with a £10

deposit for adults and £7.50 with a £5 deposit

for children. For more information speak to

Wendy on 01953 884649 or 07761 390 269.

Relocation, Relocation, Relocation!


THE WAYLAND NEWS Page space is allocated strictly on a first come, first served basis. Deadline is 12 Noon 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 may not reflect the views of the publisher 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

On Monday 2nd November, on a damp

and foggy Autumn morning, the ladies of

Richmond Park Golf Club gathered for

their Annual General Meeting and New

Lady Captain’s Drive-In.

New Lady Captain, Lesley Matthews, was

welcomed to the course by the ladies

forming an “Arch of Honour” with their

golf clubs. The Captain’s chosen charity

for this year is the Lymphoma Association

and a sweepstake was held to estimate the

length of her Drive-In.

The winner was Eileen Chard who

correctly guessed it to be 143 yards.

Well done Lesley, a great shot in such

difficult conditions!

Richmond Park Golf Club Ladies Section

Shipdham & District Book Group

On 21st October we discussed ‘Us’ by

David Nicholls. This tells the story of

Douglas, a scientist, and Connie, an artist,

plus their 17 year old son Albie. After more

than twenty years in the middle of one night

Connie announces to Douglas that their

marriage is over. Meanwhile they will go

ahead with the planned ‘holiday of a life

time’ based on the historical ‘Grand Tour’ of

the upper classes which has been carefully

booked and planned as a last holiday before

Albie leaves home.

This book was enjoyed by all. Nicholls has

an amazing knack of creating characters

who we love, hate and pity all at the same

time. There is humour, tragedy and absolute

stupidity alongside superb descriptions of

places and objects. We all questioned the

wisdom of expecting a modern 17 year old

to show enthusiasm for a long cultural

holiday with parents without getting into

trouble along the line. There was more

serious and lighter discussion about ‘empty

nest syndrome’; succesful and unsuccesful

marriage between seemingly incompatible

people; expectations of modern women;

opportunities not available in earlier decades

and whether they’ve been used or abused;

differences in personal toiletry and hygiene

and much more. It was a most enjoyable

meeting inspired by a popular choice.

The book discussed in November was The

Memory Book by Rowan Coleman. The

central character is Claire, a teacher in her

forties with two daughters, one in her early

twenties and another three. She has

Alzheimers Disease and the book of the title

is a red, leather bound book bought by her

young husband for every one to write in, the

theory being that there will be retained

memories. The first to write, or rather draw

in the book is the self willed three year old.

Thus some of the background is told through

the eyes and memories of the characters.

With only one dissenting voice the book was

enjoyed by the members although several

admitted to having wondered if this would

be so given the subject matter, It was felt

that the characters were well crafted and

there was humour alongside the sadness.

Seemingly Claire’s illness is inherited from

her father and this led to discussion about the

genetic aspect of this condition. Many had

personal experience of younger sufferers in

addition to the more common elderly. It led

to discussion of the nightmare situation of

Claire’s widowed mother left with a

daughter approaching middle age and two

grand daughters, one very young, to care for

while the young son in law works. Given the

subject the novel is a good read, not

heavy, morbid or miserable.There was

agreement that we do not want to read any

more novels with Alzheimer's as the

theme for the time being as several

members had read others recently.

The 16th December meeting will begin

with lunch hosted by a generous member,

followed by the reading of members’

chosen humorous passages of prose or

poetry. The book for January will be Amy

Snow by Tracy Rees

Mistletoe & Wine All about the Christmas Season –

Mixed Media Art Exhibition

Saturday 28th November to Saturday 19th

December to include coffee mornings on

Saturday 28th November and a final one

on Saturday 19th December. 10.00 –

12.30.

A delightful array of Art & Crafts will be

on display, including Jewellery,

Photography, Paintings, Fabric Crafts and

many more interesting items. For all your

unique Christmas gifts in one space.

Call in and enjoy seasonal refreshments

whilst you browse.

Gallery open hours 10 – 4 weekdays,

Saturday 10 – 1pm The Dragonfly

Gallery, Wayland House, High St,

Watton. Contact Susan Hollingworth

01953 880205

www.thewaylanddragonflygallery.co.uk

Project Linus Norfolk Thanks

We would like to thank the person who

anonymously left a quilt outside Watton

Christain Community Centre for Project

Linus Norfolk. It was found and has been

given out. In addition we thank the local lady

who gave us a generous donation enabling

us to make a quilt for a child in need of a

hug. In general we thank you all for your

support in different ways, which means that

so far this year we have distributed nearly

400 quilts to those children in Norfolk who

need some comfort.

You may be interested to know that The

Shipdham Wives’ Group has chosen

Project Linus Norfolk as their charity for

the Shipdham Christmas Tree Festival

which is on Friday 4th & Saturday 5th

December from 12 Noon until 7 pm and

Sunday 6th December from 12 noon until

4 pm. This is a beautiful occasion in a

lovely setting complete with refreshments

appropriate to all times. There will be

information leaflets and a collecting

bucket for Project Linus Norfolk by the

Wives’ tree.

Documents

The Wayland news December 2015