A Free Paper Supporting The Wayland Community Issue Number 168 - June 2011

Come and meet your MP

life saving grant A grant of £1,300 given to the

Watton Division of St John

Ambulance in Norfolk will be

used to enable more people to be

trained in first aid skills that will

enable them to be the difference

between a life lost and a life

saved.

The grant, which came from the

Your Partnership Your Decision

grant scheme, was match funded

by the Local Strategic Partnership

and the Crime and Disorder

Reduction Partnership (CDRP).

Each market town in the area was

allocated £6,000 for local projects

that made the local communities

safer and stronger.

The St John Ambulance‟s

“Divisional ICT Refurbishment

Project” was entered into the final

public voting round, where Andre

Plummer (Divisional Operations

and Training Officer) and Chris

Baskerville (Leading Cadet) gave

a five minute pitch to a group of

around 300 local residents and

dignitaries outlining what the

organisation would do with the

money. The grant will be spent

on the purchase and installation

of audio visual equipment such as

a projector and computer

enabling the division to provide

free first aid courses to local

residents.

Simon Ison (Divisional

Superintendent) and Chris

Baskerville (Leading Cadet) were

presented with a cheque for

£1,300 towards the project by

District Councillor Claire Bowes.

“The presentation of this grant

will allow Watton Division to

provide free first aid courses to

the local community.” said Chris

Baskerville (Leading Cadet). “We

want local residents to have the

skills to be the difference

between a life lost and a life

saved.

“Recent figures suggest that up to

150,000 people die in situations

where first aid could have given

them a chance to live - this is why

we believe so strongly that first

aid should be something that

everybody knows.”

Councillor Bowes said “This

really is great news for everyone

in Watton and there is no doubt it

will help make our town a safer

place to live for everyone. A

grant like this really can help save

lives and it just shows how

amounts of money like this can

make a difference to our

communities.

“I would urge as many people as

possible to sign up and attend one

of the St John Ambulance‟s

training sessions.”

A series of free first aid courses

will be held over July and August

at the divisional headquarters

located on Saham Road in central

Watton. To find out more about

these courses or to register your

interest visit www.sja.org.uk/

wattonfreefirstaid

Watton Division will also be

hosting an information stand at

the Watton Farmers Market in

June, July and August where they

will be giving basic first aid

demonstrations to the public.

Picture left tor right are Breckland Councillor Claire Bowes, St John Divisional Superintendent Simon Ison, and Leading Cadet Chris Baskerville

Mid-Norfolk, MP George Freeman, will be holding an informal

surgery at the Wayland Farmers Market on Saturday 4th June. He

will be willing to answer questions, chat about issues and listen to

your concerns. Find him near the Safer Neighbourhood Team stall.

Images of Broadland The next Watton Society meeting

will be at the Christian

Community Centre at 7.45 p.m. on

Wednesday, 15th June.

Photographer David Boulton will

come to show us some 'Images of

Broadland' with a slide show

presentation to music and the

sounds of nature. David will also

give us some information on the

formation of the Broads and will

bring along some prints, cards and

bookmarks. Non-members are

very welcome to our meetings,

which will cost them £2.50 for

entry with a further 50p for

refreshments if they wish. For

further information on the Watton

Society programme for the rest of

the year please email

johnkerr36@yahoo.com or ring

01953 882613.

The Wayland News Page 2 News

On Tuesday 19th April the meeting

discussed Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones. Set

on a seemingly idyllic tropical island

in the Pacific it tells of the life of a

small group of natives who have lost

all contact with the modern world

and its facilities and supplies through

a civil war blockade. The basic

structure of society has broken down

thus there is neither school nor

church as active entities. The only

white man left, Mr Watts, reopens

the school teaching through the one

book he has, Great Expectations.

Through this the pupils learn of the

life of Pip and other characters, the

background of 19th Century

England, convict ships and a kind of

love. When they first hear of a „Mr

Dickens‟ they think he is a man

coming to their aid or at least

bringing supplies, later realising that

he is the author of the text. The

island provides them with basic

needs as it had their ancestors until

the apparent Paradise is destroyed

through unbelievable violence and

cruelty as the war in the form of

enemy „redskins‟ arrives. We are

informed through the main

protagonist Mathilda, nearly fourteen

at the start and besotted with what

she learns, with Mr Watts, the

characters in the book and Dickens

himself. Later through an adult

Mathilda in another time and place

we see her views change as she

uncovers some truths.

This novel led to an interesting

discussion. All agreed that it is a

fascinating, well written book and

that to their amazement the horrific

violence was included in such a low

key manner that several had to re-

read passages to check that their eyes

and brains were receiving the correct

information. We agreed that these

appalling deeds are being carried out

daily in many parts of the world. This

led to a further discussion on trauma,

war and strategies for surviving

mentally if not physically.

The book for our May meeting is

winner of the Man Booker Prize, The

Life of Pi by Yann Martel. On this

occasion we have not borrowed

copies through the library. They have

been donated by a neighbouring

Book Group where a member applied

for them through The World Book

Night 2011. She received 50 copies

and in the spirit of the event has

passed some on to us for which we

are very grateful and will pass them

on elsewhere in turn. The discussion

of this unusual novel will be reported

in the next issue of the paper.

The Book Group is having a book

stall at the August Bank Holiday fête

in Shipdham. If you have books,

fiction and non-fiction contact me at

shipbooks@btinternet.com . We are

also hoping to organise a Book quiz

at this event. Sue Hart

News from Shipdham & District Book Group

Countryside campaigners CPRE

Norfolk have teamed up with

Breckland Council to establish a

network of litter wardens in local

areas, helping to keep the Breckland

countryside free from litter.

33 litter wardens have already been

appointed in towns and villages

across Norfolk including those in

Thetford and Dereham. A new

partnership with Breckland Council

means that many more can now be

appointed.

The wardens receive a full set of

litter picking equipment (litter picker,

safety gloves, high visibility vest and

bags) and £100 is paid to their parish

or town council to contribute to the

warden‟s expenses or to other litter-

related activities. The litter warden

must be willing to undertake a

regular litter pick, keep records and

act as a point of enquiry on litter

related issues in the local

community.

Cllr Lynda Turner, Portfolio Holder

for Environment at Breckland

Council, said of the partnership, “We

are delighted to team up with CPRE

to help ensure that our villages and

towns become even cleaner and

greener. Through our Pride in

Breckland campaign, many

volunteers are already coming

forward to do their bit in Breckland,

and this partnership builds on the

outstanding work our communities

are doing.”

James Frost, Director of CPRE

Norfolk, says, “I am delighted to

have secured this funding to help

groups keep towns and villages in

Breckland clean. Before Summer

comes and the vegetation fully grows

back, this is a good time to start

regular litter picks.

“I know that many parish councils,

town councils and resident

associations across the county

already employ a litter warden to

keep their paths, village greens and

countryside clean. However, we want

to encourage other groups to join in

and play their part.

“CPRE is working hard with our

President Bill Bryson to raise

awareness of the litterbugs, suggest

practical solutions such as bottle

deposit schemes and press local

councils to penalise offenders.

However, it is clear that the problem

of litter is not going to be solved

without an enormous effort to clean

it up. Establishing a litter warden is

one way to get started”, James

concluded.

Other Councils or groups that are

interested should download an

application form from the CPRE

Norfolk website

www.cprenorfolk.org.uk/litter

or telephone CPRE Norfolk on

01603 761660 for further details.

Breckland Litter Wardens Funding

Villagers raise £2,900 in days A coordinated effort by the residents

of East Wretham raised over £2900 in

a couple of days of the Easter

weekend.

Gardens, church and village hall

worked together to cope with a record

influx of people brought out by the

brilliant holiday weather on Sunday

and Monday.

The gardens at Wretham Lodge were

the only ones in the county open at

Easter under the National Gardens

Scheme and drew garden enthusiasts

from a wide area of the county and

beyond.

The record 527 who visited brought

an income of £1844 for Macmillan

Nurses, one of the NGS named

charities.

Across the road, in a flower decked St

Ethelbert‟s Church, sales of teas,

cakes, books, cards and a new church

guide raised a further £800 for church

funds.

And up the road at the Village Hall, a

craft fair pulled in between 300 and

400 visitors, the dozen stalls, teas and

raffle producing another £260 for hall

funds. So successful was the event

that the November fair is already well

booked and there are plans to extend

that at Easter next year to two days.

News The Wayland News Page 3

Coffee and Crafts at

the Queens Hall Saturday 4th June 9.30am to 2pm In aid of

Macmillan Cancer and ASD - Helping Hands

Saham Brownies and Ashill

Beavers received an invitation

from Ashill Brownies to join with

them for The Royal Wedding

Party at Ashill Community

Centre in April to celebrate the

forthcoming marriage of William

and Catherine. When the children

arrived they found the hall

adorned with red, white and blue

decorations. The tables were set

out as for a street party and

covered with balloons, flags and

tableware all in red, white and

blue. It really showed that

something special was going on.

The party began with a singing

game called “The Princess has

lost her gold ring”! This was

followed by an obstacle race

arranged by the Young leaders.

After this we assembled inside to

receive a special guest…. a very

special guest, Mrs van Cutsem.

She came to talk to us about

something very special that was

going to happen. Mrs van Cutsem

was going to the Royal Wedding

but more than that her

granddaughter, Grace, was going

to be a bridesmaid to William and

Catherine. Mrs van Cutsem

showed us a photo of Grace so

we could look out for her on the

day of the wedding. Mrs van

Cutsem also told us about how

her son was page boy at Charles

and Diana‟s wedding and she

brought with her the page boy

suit that her son wore and told us

all about it. Mrs van Cutsem also

showed us her invitation to the

wedding. We all felt very

honoured to have her, sharing our

Royal Wedding party. Mrs van

Cutsem then judged the crowns

that each Brownie and Beaver

had made before the day and a

winner from each Unit was

presented with a prize. At

previous meetings the Beavers,

Brownies and their Leaders

decorated a square of material

with fabric paints with their own

personal pictures and messages to

William and Catherine. These

were put together to make a

beautiful wall hanging which Mrs

van Cutsem very kindly took to

give to William and Catherine on

our behalf.

We then went on to have our

Wedding Feast. This was

followed by a game of pass the

parcel.

Our County Commissioner,

Helen Green, also joined us for

our party and at the end of a

fantastic afternoon presented 1st

Ashill Brownies Unit Guider,

Joanne Oxborough, with a

certificate for completing the

County Commissioner‟s media

challenge.

Bryony Horn, Unit Guider, 1st

Saham Toney Brownies. also on

behalf of 1st Ashill Brownies and

1st Ashill Beavers

Brownies and Beavers come together for The Royal Wedding Party

Movie Mania at Watton Carnival „Movie Mania‟ is coming to

Watton High Street this year in the

form of Carnival day. This is set to

take place on Sunday June 12th,

and we want you to dress up as

your favourite film star or cartoon

character and join in the parade and

activities all groups and individuals

are welcome. A great day out for

all the family and it's free so no

admission charges to pay.

There will be live bands playing on

stage throughout the course of the

day at Chaston Place including

local young talented group

„Freeloader‟ as well as dance and

theatrical performances, a variety

of stalls will line the High Street

facilitating many local groups to

promote and raise funds for their

causes furthermore there will be an

assortment of fairground attractions

and games, something for everyone

of all ages.

The customary tradition of the

Carnival princess will be kept alive

by the Twinning Association and

the Carnival Princess and

attendants all local young girls

from junior schools will lead the

parade in a horse drawn carriage.

Support your local carnival; So

many small Towns have axed such

events as Carnivals and fetes due to

the lack of support and the ever

increasing costs and regulations

involved. It is only due to the

community spirit within Watton

and the continued support of the

local business, Town Council and

the Chamber of Trade and

Commerce that this event is able to

continue and thrive. If you would

like to help with this event please

contact Cheryl Clayton on: - 01953

882260 or Steve Jolly on:

07729333002 or email:

soundstagesystems@talk21.com

You are warmly invited to come

along to the Stow Bedon &

Breckles village fete on Saturday

18th June between 2 and 5pm.

We are very fortunate that we are

able to hold the fete, as last year,

in the lovely grounds of Stow

Bedon Hall, Lower Stow Bedon.

– situated off the B1111, 5 miles

south of Watton (it will be well

signposted on the day).

We are delighted to announce

that RAZZ and AUNTIE

PEARL, the official NORWICH

CITY MATCH DAY CLOWNS

will be back with us again this

year, to amuse and entertain one

and all.

In addition to the clowns, there will

be lots to entertain you throughout

the afternoon, from listening to a

jazz band, browsing through the

book stall, taking your chances in

the Crossbar Challenge, having

your face painted, admiring the

vintage cars on display, or simply

enjoying afternoon tea and

homemade cake! Other stalls

include crafts and produce, bottles,

tombola, bric-a-brac, plants, cakes,

lucky dip and ice cream.

A variety of traditional games

will be available for you to try

your hand. The village stocks will

also be available! The children

from Caston primary school will

be providing some entertainment.

Admission Free!

Organised in aid of Stow Bedon

and Breckles Churches and other

local charities. Saturday 18th

June, 2-5pm - a traditional

summer fete for all the family to

enjoy! We look forward to seeing

you there!

Stow Bedon & Breckles Village Fete

The Wayland News Page 4 Advertising

NHS Summary Care Record Your emergency care summary

The NHS is introducing a new electronic record called the Summary Care

Record (SCR), which will be used to support your emergency care.

About Summary Care Records

The SCR will give healthcare staff faster, easier access to essential information about you, to help provide you with safe treatment when you

need care in an emergency or when your GP practice is closed.

A SCR will contain important information about any medicines you are taking, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions

to medicine that you have had.

What are my choices?

If you choose to have a SCR, you do not need to do anything.

If you choose not to have a SCR, you need to let your GP practice know by filling in and returning an opt-out form. You can obtain an opt out form from your surgery or by contacting the Summary Care Record Information Line on 0300 123 3020.

Whatever you choose - you can change your mind at anytime. You will need to let your GP practice know.

Children and the Summary Care Record

Children under 16 will automatically get a SCR created for them unless a parent or guardian decides to ‘opt out’ on their behalf.

Where can I get more information?

Phone the Summary Care Record Information Line on 0300 123 3020;

Visit www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk ; or

Contact NHS Norfolk Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Monday - Friday

from 9am to 5pm, on 0800 587 4132 or email pals@norfolk.nhs.uk.

News The Wayland News Page 5

Norfolk Wildlife Trust

To ask a question about the Norfolk’s Wildlife please call the Norfolk Wildlife Information Service. Wildline 01603 598333 9am to 5pm Mon - Fri. E-mail wild@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk Website http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/naturalconnections Further details and Membership enquiries 01953 498467 Tuesday 7th June 6.30pm - 8pm The Orchids of New Buckenham Common. A guided walk around the reserve looking for orchids with NWT Breckland Field Officer Darrell Stevens. Venue: Meet at playing field car park on B1113 Norwich Rd out of new Buckenham. Cost: £2 donation to NWT

Having been made redundant

four years ago I decided that

being self-employed and

working from home was the

thing to do and set up a sales

business with my sister, this

was great for a while but to be

honest I was starting to get a bit

stir crazy. Fortunately we were

renovating our cottage in Gt.

Hockham (it is still a work in

progress though) so that helped

me avoid going into the office.

At the beginning of this year

the idea of becoming a chimney

sweep popped into my head as

this would get me out and about

providing a service that folks

with chimneys need. My wife

thought it was a good idea and

was very supportive although

she gave me that „what‟s he up

to now‟ look.

So I started to investigate the

history and techniques of

sweeping, the internet is a

marvellous tool for this and I

spoke to staff at the two main professional

bodies for advice and availability of

courses etc. During my search I came

across a new method developed here in

Norfolk taking inspiration from an

American idea of cleaning flues called

power-sweeping which basically uses a

powered revolving brush which cleans as

it spins travelling up and down the flue,

although the brush head does not look like

the traditional Mary Poppins style more

like a bad day at the hair dressers.

I got in touch with the UK agent (Rodtech)

who happens to be a sweep of 25 years‟

experience and he agreed to introduce me

to the world of chimney sweeping and the

new method. I was very impressed with

the equipment and the results and even

though being green behind the ears I

wondered why such a simple but effective

idea hadn‟t been thought of before. He

also pointed out which was the best

professional body to join so I signed up

and booked myself on one of their courses.

So „Breckland Brush‟ was born and since

January this year to date I started training

and purchasing the equipment needed for

the business. I learnt about the importance

of sweeping all chimneys on a regular

basis regardless of the type of fuels burnt.

April is the month in which we kicked off

the business and I have to (with the help of

my long suffering and supportive wife)

find ways of getting myself known and

building up a customer base and of course

I will have a web site up and running soon.

I have to thank my friends and neighbours

who allowed me to practice on their

appliances before unleashing myself on

the public and not forgetting Bob Russell

at Rodtech for his help and support.

Oh and the wife says that I will be

available for weddings as well – she

believes that it is an ancient tradition and

that legend has it that 200 years ago a

chimney sweep bravely stepped out and

stopped the King‟s horse drawn coach as it

bolted. King George II was so grateful to

the sweep for saving his life that he

announced by Royal Decree that all

sweeps were lucky!

Today, seeing a chimney sweep on your

wedding day is still a lucky omen and

couples choose to have them attend their

wedding for a handshake for the groom

and a lucky kiss for the bride.

So, if you have a wood burner, open fire,

or wedding!, please give Phil or Christine

a call on 01953 498760.

Breckland Brush Hockham’s new Chimney Sweep service

Coffee and Crafts at the Queens Hall Thank you to everyone who attended

the Craft Market in April. We

managed to raise £88 for Macmillan

Cancer Care and Support in Norfolk.

There will be a Craft Market, with

coffee, cakes and lunches, in the

Queens Hall every first Saturday,

same day as the Farmers Market,

from now until November. (Not

including October).

The next Craft Market in the Queens

Hall will be on 4th June.

There will be up to 20 stalls of

locally handmade items including

cards, knitwear, wooden items,

jewellery, sewing and some unusual

items as well.

Opening times will be 9.30am to

2pm and admission will be free.

Refreshments, cakes and lunches will

be served by the Thetford based

charity ASD - Helping Hands who

are there for adults and children in

the Norfolk area living with Autism.

Please come and have a coffee and

support this good cause.

If you require any further

information please call Brenda on

01953 885559.

Concert for Macmillan A concert entitled 'Midsummer

Music' is being held at Houghton

Barns near South Pickenham on

Friday 24th June at 7.30 pm. Zara

Hible: Mezzo Soprano, Andres

Hernandez-Salazar: tenor, David

Wright: Harpsichord, Jeremy Ard:

cello and Violin and Brian Davis:

harp will be performing to raise

money for Macmillan Cancer

Support. Tickets are available

from Ceres Bookshop, Swaffham

or the booking office Tel 01760

723005. Tickets cost £15 which

includes wine and canapés.

This month we celebrated our 30th

birthday and, as usual, we held our

"party" at the Queen's Hall, where

members and their partners welcomed

visitors from other clubs in the district,

together with our District Chairman,

Jacquie McDaniel and her husband,

Rotary President, Mike Harvey and his

wife and our speaker, Barry Woods and

his wife. President Beryl Brannan

introduced Barry to us and admitted they

had been friends for rather more years

than she wanted to own up to! He kept

us amused with monologues and songs,

some of his own composition, and after

he had put down his guitar for the last

time, everyone enjoyed the buffet

prepared by members.

It was decided at the April meeting

that £100 should be sent to our District

Fund which is going to help victims of

the New Zealand earthquake. Also

£100 was sent to Shelter Box so that it

could be used to fund help for the

earthquake and tsunami victims in

Japan. £135 raised

at the coffee

morning in March

has been given to

the Queen's Hall

for their funds. A

longer list of

charity donations

will appear in next

month's paper

when they have

been approved by

the club.

Our next event is the

Strawberry Tea on

Tuesday, 28th June

at 30, Thetford

Road. For just £3

you will have

strawberries and

cream, shortbread,

cake and a cup of

tea and, hopefully, you will be able to

enjoy it in Brenda's lovely garden. There

will also be plenty of stalls and all

proceeds will be going to Sightsavers

and Hope and Homes for Children. Do

come along. Jenny Simons.

Inner Wheel Club of Watton

IW President Beryl Brannan cutting the cake with

Rotary President, Mike Harvey.

The Wayland News Page 6 Gardening

SALEC TRAVEL LTD Sat 4th June Lavenham & Long Melford 9am & 4pm Rtn Adult £10 Child £6

Saturday 11th June Oxford 8am & 4pm Return Adult £20 Child £15 Thursday 16th June Fakenham 9.30am & 1.30pm Return Adult & Child £5

Sunday 19th June Skegness 9am & 4pm Return Adult £14 Child £9 Saturday 25th June Hunstanton 9.30am & 4pm Return Adult £8.50 Child £5

Sat 2nd July Wisbech Rose Fair 9am & 4pm Return Adult £10 Child £6 Tuesday 5th July Kings Lynn 9.30am & 3pm Return Adult & Child £5

EXTRA TRIPS Saturday 4th June Johnny Marks Show Boat Ticket & Travel £28

Saturday 25th June Summer BBQ Evening Cruise Ticket & Travel £28 Saturday 16th July Country Company Show Boat Ticket & Travel £28

Saturday 6th August 50's & 60's Evening With Cardy & Coke Show Boat Ticket & Travel £28

Sunday 7th August Dominic Kirwin at Kings Lynn Ticket & Travel £25 Wed 21st September Summer Show Gorleston Matinee Ticket & Travel

£21 Wed 7th December Thursford Evening Performance Ticket & Travel £35

HOLIDAYS 2011 Torquay - Saturday 6th - Saturday 13th August

Mystery Weekend - Dates TBA *NEW* Turkey & Tinsel at Derbyshire - Friday 9th to

Monday 12th December *NEW*

2011 Brochure Out Now!

01953 881159

MOTs £35.00 VEHICLES FROM V 99 ONWARDS. £40 FOR OLDER VEHICLES

IVAN CHUBBOCK GARAGE SERVICES

SHIPDHAM

Tel: 01362 820416

Bradenham & District Horticultural

Society Annual Coach Trip

Sunday, 10th July to Somerleyton Hall

£17.50 for members and £22 for non-members

Leave Bradenham Village Hall at 9am, returning for 5.30pm

approximately. Further details from Marianne Kilmartin, 01362 820744 or Belinda Ashman 01362 821442

June. Flaming June? We seem to have

had that in what should have been early

spring, March, April and early May.

The middle of May seems to have

reverted to late March on temperature

with a biting wind but we still are

without the accompanying rain. All this

has me scratching my head as flowers

that should be flourishing in June have

made their appearance in May and are

likely to be over by their normal season.

Some fruit, too, is far ahead with local

strawberries on sale before 10th May.

Lucky for those of us who love them

but a worry for later in the season.

Wimbledon without or with imported

strawberries? Doesn‟t bear thinking

about. The hosepipes have had to be run

out way earlier than usual, with the

annual untangling and find the leaks

game. Watering wasn‟t without its own

perils though. We had that really

unusual harsh frost at 6am followed by

temperatures up to 21C within four

hours one morning. That really got

some potatoes. I was lucky that mine

were just „nipped‟ on the tops but other

people‟s crop was really ruined.

Watering before that event didn‟t help.

So, what‟s to be done in June? All I can

offer is advice on a normal June - one

that sees late spring turn into early

summer. Flowers should be in the

„busting out all over‟ mode with the

emphasis on roses, roses all the way.

It‟s even possible to plant container

grown roses in flower so if you have a

colour scheme in mind this is the way to

do it. Container grown plants cost more

than bare root but if you need a splash

of colour or some scent they are well

worth the extra. Roses look wonderful

either in a dedicated bed (not so popular

these days as a few years ago) or in a

mixed or herbaceous border. Some

people swear by underplanting with

chives or even garlic to ward off

greenfly. I don‟t know about garlic but

flowering chives under rose bushes are

really pretty. The downside is all the

chives that pop up unexpectedly the

following year and this is one herb that

you need to like as you‟re unlikely to

get rid of it. Older gardeners will

remember being told that if planting a

rose, plant a clematis in the same hole.

They go well together but it‟s as well to

choose varieties that flower at roughly

the same time to make pruning both

simpler. Failing that plant a clematis

that doesn‟t need pruning and will

flower earlier or later than the rose to

extend the season. Other underplantings

for roses include aquilegia, geraniums

(the perennial cranesbill ones are better

than the tender pelargoniums but it‟s a

choice thing), alchemilla, foxgloves and

a host of annuals.

Growing herbaceous or mixed borders

is rewarding as once it‟s reasonably full

it will smother weeds and look terrific

until autumn or first frost, whichever

comes first. Any gaps can be filled with

annual bedding which is readily

available from April onward. This

usually means the first lot are bought,

planted, frosted, re-bought etc. until the

end of May or early June. The

alternative is to grow your own either

sowing seeds in a warm place in early

spring or outdoors later where they are

to flower. Less fuss but you need to

know where they are. In fact, June is not

too late to try this. The plants will be a

little late but will catch up.

June‟s a good time to give the lawn a

quick green-up with a liquid feed if all

the dry weather has left it a bit tired.

This needs care not to burn the grass if

it‟s too dry and new lawns will need

watering. If planning a lawn it might be

better to concentrate on preparing the

ground through the summer and

sowing/turfing in September. The grass

will probably need cutting regularly but

if we still have very dry weather it can

either be left until growing again or cut

with the mower blades on high so as not

to scalp it and it will look greener.

For the veg plot it should be all systems

grow! If there‟s room there‟s an

astonishing variety of seeds that can be

sown now. It might be worth thinking

about some of those gaps in the flower

beds that could be filled with herbs or

veg seeds, rather than annual flowers.

Geoff Hamilton did this very effectively

in the Ornamental Kitchen Garden. The

more unusual lettuces like lollo rosso

with either green or red frilly leaves or

pak choi fit it quite nicely. This method

has the beneficial effect of putting off

pests as well because it confuses them.

The carrots grown with the onions

worked quite nicely last year with no

sign of carrot fly and this time I am

trying again but must remember to thin

out the young carrots in a timely

fashion!

Tender veg can be sown now including

sweetcorn, radish, rocket, carrots, peas,

swede, endive, calabrese, french and

runner beans, courgettes, squashes and

pumpkins. If the list seems a little long,

just remember to grow what you like to

eat and what‟s not cheap or readily

available in the shops. For instance,

with limited space don‟t bother with

maincrop carrots or potatoes. Runner

beans crop prolifically as long as they

are watered well. Very well. Even when

it‟s raining! Tomatoes, too, should be

kept to those you particularly like and

cherry tomatoes although often

available „on the vine‟ are nowhere near

as fresh as the ones that go from the

plant to the plate in under five minutes.

Cherry tomatoes also freeze well and

can be used in winter in all those dishes

where you might use tinned ones. Last

year I had a lot of cherry tomatoes, ripe

and unripe and some unripe plum

tomatoes. Fried up with garlic and

onions then frozen this mixture was

used as a base for spag bol and even

shepherd‟s pie.

If you have fruit trees there will be the

„June drop‟ to come. If you‟re a novice

don‟t be alarmed. This is just the

mechanism nature uses to make sure the

trees aren‟t overloaded. Keep the trees

well watered and this may not be such a

dramatic event. If the June drop doesn‟t

happen or the fruit seems to be

overcrowded there is the need to thin

apples and pears so there will be a

smaller crop but the fruits will be a

better size and flavour. A heavy crop of

plums should be thinned as some plums,

notoriously Victoria, will bear a very

heavy crop one year and none the next.

Thinning prevents this.

Of course we will have the inevitable

ongoing tasks - keep weeding and of

course we can now add deadheading

flowers to keep them going as long as

possible. Still, if your borders are full

there won‟t be as many weeds but the

deadheading will consume the time you

saved…

In your garden with Lotta Potts

Not just a pretty face Everyone‟s first concern normally about

their garden is, does it look nice? And

usually a nice garden prevails. But with a

little more planning, you can not only

achieve a garden which is aesthetically

pleasing but, one in which its beauty is

paralleled by its function and practicality.

There is an untapped wealth of plants

which are not only of use to the garden, but

the Gardner too, and not just a pretty face.

And here are just a few examples. To give

a little to the garden, plants such as

Eleagnus and Comfrey. Eleagnus not only

provides a fruit which is edible but also

acts a nitrogen fixer, making nutrients

available to plants where they were

previously not and improving the growing

medium. Comfrey is a perennial herb. A

good variety is “Bocking 14” as it doesn't

seed and therefore slows down the

spreading of this plant. Comfrey has a deep

taproot which mines other wise unavailable

nutrients from deep in the soil. These are

then made readily available it its leaves,

which, can contain 2-3 times more

potassium than farmyard manure! As well

as this, if collected and left to rot down in

rain water for 4-5 weeks, Comfrey can be

used on your compost heap as an

accelerator.

For the gardener, mixed in a perennial bed

Globe Artichokes ( Cynara cardunculus),

with their large silvery thistle like leaves

and tall stems topped with edible fruits can

provide a bold ornamental visual

contribution as well as their edible delights.

Hedgerows and shrubs are a vital part of

the garden both for us and wildlife. And

where possible should be cut once

flowering has taken place. Including

fruiting varieties can add color and provide

a nutritious snack. Hawthorn, Blackthorn

and Hazel are all quality native plants

which provide a brilliant mix of edible

fruits and nuts, all with a multitude of uses.

Or, for something more exotic. The Goji

Berry (Lycium barbarum). This is a fully

hardy large, deciduous, suckering spiny

shrub which likes full sun or part shade. It

has vibrant lavender or purple flowers in

july which then turn to a red - orange or

yellow berry, ripening through august. Goji

Berrys are considered to be a super food

and can be eaten raw, pressed or cooked.

These are just a few of the beneficial plants

which are unused and underestimated. With

a little thinking your garden can be giving

just as much back as you put in.

Ben Clarke Greenway Tree Care &

Landscaping www.greenwaytcl.co.uk

Wayland Show Horticultural and Flower Arranging

Competitions Do you grow vegetables? Are you keen to enter our flower arranging

classes? Have you some spectacular flowers in your garden? Classes for

children too! Schedules for all flower and horticultural competitions at

the Wayland Show are now available in the Village Florist, High Street,

Watton or on our website www.waylandshow.com. Further enquiries

from Alison Dickson Tel: 01953 881118 – we need your support to

continue this grand display of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Scarecrow Competition for Children and Adults

Would you consider making a scarecrow for Wayland Show? This

popular competition is open to everyone. The Scarecrow can be

made from any material, or object. No entry form needed. Just bring

your Scarecrow along to the Horticultural Tent, Wayland

Showground before 8.30am on the day of the show. Scarecrows will

be displayed and remain in place until 5pm.

Gardening The Wayland News Page 7

So much for the separation of butterflies

from herb plants! They have managed to

squeeze through the netting and become

trapped. No more netting in this garden!

The Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

(above) have returned to nest on the

rooftops! This duck is also known as the

Whistling Tree Duck, and is an unusual

species among North American

waterfowl with its long legs, peculiar

appearance and odd habits, and it was

described by one early American

ornithologist as "most un-duck-like". The

whistler mates and pairs for life; its

numbers are increasing in North

America. There is one particular big two

storey house in town with a bright red

faux-tile roof which seems

to be a favourite nesting

place for these big birds - a

truly comical sight!

The big news from Texas

is, however, that in mid-

May we had some rain!

There was much rejoicing,

and people might have

been cheering from the

rooftops had these strategic

places not already been

occupied by Whistling

Ducks! Some areas

reported five inches or

more of rain, but just one

inch fell on my garden. The drought goes

on and some folks are quietly hoping for

residual rain from a Gulf Coast hurricane

or two, which seems to be the most likely

source until around October. Hurricane

season runs from June 1 - December 1.

In the garden the harvest is mainly herbs,

onions, collard greens and chile peppers,

but the tomatoes are coming on, and the

aubergines are flowering. The annual

battle with the mockingbirds is taking

place at the fig tree, and the pear trees

are loaded with tiny fruit that will not

ripen until August. The birds took

every single blackberry before I went

out early each morning!!! Last week I

found a potted horseradish plant at a local

nursery and couldn‟t resist. It doesn‟t look

very happy in the sun but if I keep watering

it hopefully it will survive. The flower beds

are not very colourful at the moment, with

just a few Hemerocallis blooming, along

with magenta, yellow and mixed Mirabilis,

An orange Justicia, and some yellow

Cannas. There are still a few pansies

hanging on, and plenty of the yellow and

orange Asclepias tuberosas (the Monarch

butterfly plant) and some self-seeded

Gallardias. The fish pond is a strange shade

of green this morning; attention to that will

be next on my to-do list! The most difficult

part of cleaning the pond is catching the

fish. To empty the water I fix a long pvc

pipe on the end of the pump nozzle and

spray it out over the grass and flower beds

until the critical part of the pump is no

longer submerged, then I have to finish the

job with a bucket. Years ago when I built

the pond I should have given more thought

to the cleaning process!

So much to do at this time of year, and a

cool spell in which to do it before the

really high temperatures and humidity set

in, but I seem to recall what they say

about idle hands

Tomato - Tomaytoe Gardening in Navasota, Texas by Helen Quinn

We had a good turnout of 23 members &

guests on Wednesday 11th May for our

first outside visit this year. It was a

beautiful sunny evening and the garden at

Wyken Hall did not disappoint.

It was stunning, even though it was still

early in the year for roses, the wisteria and

early-flowering shrubs with their

wonderful scents more than made up for it.

There were so many different areas with so

much to look at. The design and hard

landscaping sympathetically and tastefully

built to fit in with all the wonderful old

buildings. A treat to behold!

I would thoroughly recommend a visit -

and the shop at the end of the evening was

irresistible! I hear the restaurant is

wonderful too – I shall have to put it on my

„wish list‟. Perhaps we should push the

boat out and go there for the Club Annual

Dinner next year!

Welcome to Andy Wagner who joined the

club that evening.

Join us on our next outside visit on

Wednesday 8th June Hockham Garden

Crawl. Come and glimpse some of the

loveliest gardens in the village. Afterwards

for nibbles and drinks at Beechwood House

(2009 Best Garden winner)

Meet on the Village Green @ 6.45pm to

start off together. Entry: £1 members,

£3.50 Guests.

Gt. Hockham‟s Best Kept Garden &

Planters Competition: It is almost the time

of year when our judges will be walking

round the village for their first viewing,

they are not checking out properties to rob

later – don‟t report them! – Please make

them feel welcome (no bribes!) Cups of tea

allowed . . . Trophy and Garden Vouchers

awarded each year at the Flower Show in

August. 1st Viewing date : Tuesday 5th

July

They will get a feel for the likely standard

of your whole garden by looking at the

front and put a note through your door if

they wish to return on: 2nd Viewing date –

Tuesday 9th August to check out the back.

If however, your front garden gives no clue

and you would like to be INCLUDED

please do telephone me and I will let them

know to include yours in the judging.

Thank you.

ANNUAL FLOWER & VEGETABLE

SHOW: Sunday 21st August. Make a note

in your diary!

A traditional Village Flower Show with

superb quality entries. We look forward to

your entries and support. The schedule and

entry forms will be in JULY‟s IN TOUCH

magazine. If you would like a copy of the

schedule in advance please telephone me or

you can check it out on our website. There

are some great „Tips for Showing‟ on there

too. So join in the fun this year – get

growing! Don‟t be shy! Lots of other ideas

too, especially for the children.

We have a category this year for kids to

grow Nasturtiums from seed. I have the

seed with instructions and will take it up to

the school so the children can take part.

Again contact me if your child would like

to enter this category.

Do check us out on our newly updated

website at

www.greathockhamgardeningclub.org.uk

We are proud to have a membership of 57

to date, which is great for a small village

and we really appreciate the active support

of all our members. It is a still a good time

to join, only £6 per year.

So come along and join in, our meetings

are always good and we see some lovely

gardens in the summer.

If anyone would like a lift to meetings

please give me a call. Jane Dalton

(Secretary) 01953 498694

Gt. Hockham Gardening Club

We have decided to open several classes in

our Autumn Show this year.

Acknowledgements to Shipdham Society

for this idea - we pinched it. All seed

sowers and bakers are welcome to enter.

Just bring your entries to the Village Hall

between 11.00am and 1.00pm on Saturday,

10th September with 10p entry fee per

entry. One entry per class per person. We

hope as many people as possible will join

us. These classes will be:

7 Longest Runner Bean, quantity 1

8 Tomatoes, any ripe, quantity 6

12 Marrows, quantity 2

30 Vase of Annuals, single stem, quantity 5

36 Apples, dessert, quantity 4

43 Apple Turnover, quantity 2

Recipe for class 43: 1 tsp grated orange

zest; 2 tbs orange juice; 3/4lb tart apples; 1-

½ tbs sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top;

1 dsp any flour; Pinch each of ground

cinnamon, ground nutmeg and salt;

1x12”x12” puff pastry, homemade or

frozen, rolled out; 1 egg with water for egg

wash.

Method: Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Combine orange zest and juice in a bowl.

Peel and core the apples and cut into dice.

Add to orange mix together with sugar,

flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Flour

board lightly, lay out rolled pastry. Cut into

4 equal squares and brush edges with egg

wash. Divide apple mixture between

squares. Fold the pastry diagonally over the

apple mixture. Seal by pressing the edges

with a fork. Transfer to baking sheet lined

with parchment paper. Brush the tops with

egg wash, sprinkle with sugar. Make 2

small slits in each. Bake for 20 mins until

brown and puffed. Choose the best two for

presentation

Advance Notice: Our annual coach trip this

year will be on Sunday, 10th July to

Somerleyton Hall and the prices are:

£17.50 for members and £22.00 for non-

members. We shall leave Bradenham

Village Hall at 9.00am, returning for

5.30pm approximately - might be a few

minutes either way.

Further details on either/both of the above

from Marianne Kilmartin, 01362 820744 or

Belinda Ashman 01362 821442

The next open meeting will be held on

Thursday 21st July when our speaker will

be Bob Greef, who is a gardener at

Oxburgh Hall, and the subject is the

development of that garden. Also don‟t

miss the annual Sweet Pea and Rose Show

the same evening. The meeting will start at

7.30pm in the Village Hall.

Bradenham & District Horticultural Society

Ashill and Holme Hale Garden Club

May‟s meeting of the Ashill and Holme Hale Garden Club provided

something slightly different for members – in the absence of the

anticipated speaker, a number of issues were discussed, and in the

second half of the meeting, members‟ knowledge was tested with a quiz.

The meeting opened with the circulation of some newspaper cuttings of

horticultural interest; similar items from members would be welcomed at

future meetings. The recent trip to East Rushton was discussed, and it

was universally agreed that the visit was a great success. This prompted

the possible planning of a similar visit - a trip to Milford Hall near

Sudbury was suggested. This is a National Trust property, entry fees to

the house and garden costing £6.60, the garden alone £3.30. Members

might also visit Sudbury which has a number of restaurants. Wednesday

September 14th was suggested, eliciting a good response.

The need for more entries for the forthcoming Flower Show was

discussed, David asking members to submit something in time for

Sunday June 26th when the show would be taking place. We were

reminded that there would be an informal “veggie” section, for

those who enjoy growing and showing vegetables. Members were

asked to contribute tombola prizes, liaising with Eileen Page if

they were able to assist.

The disparity between Garden Club meetings and the publication of

Ashlink meant that we would not be able to publicise this event in the

June issue of the magazine since the June deadline had taken place a

week before the May meeting. However, it was hoped that Wayland

News and Moonraker would give coverage to the Flower Show and

encourage many visitors on the day. The Show would be open for Plant

entry from 12 noon till 1.30pm in the small hall of the Holme Hale

Pavilion, while the large hall would be open to the public from 2.30pm –

4.30pm. Entry would be free, and visitors would be able to purchase

homemade cakes and plants, while trying their luck at the tombola.

Future meetings – the June meeting will consist of a presentation by

Sue and Jean on the subject of allotments – this promised to be a

very interesting session, in which audience participation was hoped

for. Meanwhile the meeting planned for the 21st July would be a

general free-for-all on the subject of keeping the garden going –

David would try to get someone from Chalk Farm to come along

with plants, to talk about what we can sow in August, and how to

prepare for the following year.

News The Wayland News Page 8

From Watton’s new Mayor

My name is Michael Wassell and the

month of May 2011 has been a

significant time for me. Firstly on the

5th May, I was elected as one of the

three Watton ward representatives on

Breckland District Council. At the

same elections, I was re-elected as one

of the 15 Watton Town Councillors.

Then, on the 17th May, at the first full

Watton Town Council meeting, I was

elected by my fellow Town Councillors

to be the Chairman of Watton Town

Council and Mayor of Watton.

Firstly I want to express my sincere

thanks to all the people of Watton who

voted for me in the local elections, both

district and town. I regard it as a great

honour to serve the community that I

have been a part of for over 25 years

and I will repay the trust of the people

of Watton (irrespective of who they

voted for) by trying to reflect their

concerns and opinions on both

councils. Secondly, I want to thank my

fellow Town Councillors for selecting

me as their chairman. I was very

pleased that there was an election for

Watton Town Council for the first time

in many years, and as well as

congratulating the 12 existing

councillors who were re-elected I want

to welcome the 3 new councillors, that

you the people of Watton have chosen,

Councillors Beryl Bunning, Peter

Blackmore and Roger Turner.

So our town now has an elected

council, who will hopefully have the

support of the people of the town. The

councillors will need this support as

they work collectively to make

decisions for the benefit of their town.

But in order for the councillors to make

decisions that reflect the townspeople‟s

opinions they need to know what those

opinions are. All too often, in the past

two years that I served on the town

council, I have listened to criticism of a

particular decision or stance that the

Town Council have taken. More times

than not when I asked the person I was

speaking to whether they had written to

the council or attended a council

meeting to express their concerns the

answer was no. I want to emphasise

that all Town Council meetings are

open to the public and only on rare

occasions, when matters of a

confidential nature relating perhaps to

staffing matters or contracts, will the

public and press be excluded. At

meetings of the full council there is

always an opportunity for members of

the public to address the council, and at

meetings of the committees of the

council the public may be allowed to

speak at the chairman of that

committee‟s discretion. The Town

council has a web site at this address:

www.wattontowncouncil.gov.uk where

in addition to being able to view and

download the minutes of meetings you

can also contact the Town Clerk using a

contact form to express your concerns.

The Town Hall is open from 9am to

1pm Monday to Friday; the contact

details for all of the town councillors,

plus the agendas for all meetings are

displayed on the notice board outside.

So there are a myriad of ways to inform

the councillors of what you want them

to do, but you need to be proactive and

contact them. Just to emphasise that

council decisions are made in a

democratic fashion, no councillor can

make a decision on their own, they can

participate fully in the debate and they

can vote to support or reject the matter

under discussion. Once the council, has

made the decision then the officers of

the council, the Town Clerk, with the

support of her staff, carry out the

council‟s instructions.

In my time as Chairman of Watton

Town Council, I want to communicate

as fully as possible with the people of

Watton. One of the ways that I think

this can be achieved is by the council

having a regular column in this

newspaper. But that is a decision for the

full council to make, and I will be

putting this before them at the next full

council meeting on the 31st May. I

believe that the same communications

should also exist between

the district councillors and

the people that they

represent. So I shall be

discussing this with my

two district council

colleagues to see how we

can achieve this.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or

any of the Town and District

Councillors with any concerns. I look

forward very much to working with the

people of Watton to make our town an

even nicer place to live.

Michael Wassell Chairman Watton

Town Council, Breckland District

Council Ward Member - Watton

Election Results Last week we had the first election for

Town Council for over 12 years (long

overdue some would say) but most of

you missed it! Only a third of the

electorate bothered to turn out and cast

a vote. But what a strange vote that was

in places, as it seems to bear little

relationship to what is actually going on

at Council.

The most popular councillor with the

electorate just happens to be the one

with the poorest attendance record over

the last few years, (apart from those that

stood down for re-election.)

This time a number of fresh names

polled quite well, in fact getting more

votes than last year‟s Mayor. You

nearly lost in the same breath the man

who helped assure the town of money

to purchase the Surge and who spends

endless hours each winter making and

installing your Christmas lights. (The

rest of the Christmas lights team could

also have been lost due to the same lack

of votes)

What does all of this mean? Are the

people of Watton tired of and no longer

want Christmas lights or the youth of

the town kept out of mischief? Are they

happy that councillors don‟t turn up for

meetings?

Or is it a case of those who make the

most noise or have been known in

Watton a long time get elected?; while

those persons who get on with the jobs

and are not of a mind to shout about

themselves almost get shoved aside.

It could be said that councillors should

be „selling‟ themselves with the

letterbox junk mail or should the

electorate be more aware of how its

town is run? Can it be a complete lack

of concern though?

By the way, we recently had a Town

meeting. This is the one special time in

the year when the Town is encouraged

to come to the council and find out

what is happening and ask for

improvements/changes, but again you

all stayed away. The Town Council‟s

meeting last month had a nil turn out

from the man/woman in the street. Is

everything so wonderful in Watton that

you wish us to carry on being so

successful? Or is it that the majority of

the electorate really just don‟t know or

care? Perhaps I am being too critical

but we would like to see the electorate

once in a while. Alan Osborn.

From the Editor: What do you think? Is

Councillor Osborn correct, do you

really not care? Or is there some other

reason? In case you have not seen the

full result including the numbers of

votes received, I have published them

below. Please have your say, drop The

Wayland News a line and let’s find out

what you think of the council.

Watton Town Council Election Results

5,737 people were eligible to vote

and 2114 ballot papers were issued of

which 31 were rejected. The turnout

was 36.85%.

In order of number of votes received,

the following people were elected to

Watton Town Council.

GILBERT, Keith Stephen 1227

WASSELL, Michael 993

ROGERS, John 890

RUDLING, Roy 841

BUNNING, Beryl 795

CRABTREE, Richard John 656

HOLMES, Margaret Evelyn 633

MCCARTHY, Lorraine Kay 481

BLACKMORE, Pete 479

TURNER, Roger Cyril 474

COOPER, Paul Alexander 471

MCCARTHY, Paul 447

IVORY, Roy 442

HARVEY, Alf 430

OSBORN, Alan Frank 339

Watton Ward Election Results

In order of number of votes received,

the following people were elected to

Breckland District Council. 5,744

people were eligible to vote and

2,205 ballot papers were issued of

which 12 were rejected. The turnout

was 38.39%

BOWES, Claire 1179

GILBERT, Keith Stephen 1158

WASSELL, Michael 1014

Letters to the Editor

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

Ray Harman(Proprietor)

Unit B, Yaxham Rd,

Dereham (behind Halfords)

Open Day at Merton Church The annual Open Day

at St Peter‟s church,

Merton, will take place

this year on Sunday

June 26th from 12

noon to 5 p.m.

Tony Brooks will be

giving his ever-popular

show of old

photographs of

Merton, Thompson,

Tottington and West

Tofts, with additional

photos new for this

year. The display will

run continually all day,

with each session

lasting just over an

hour. As well as

allowing viewers to

enjoy his huge collection of pictures, Tony will give a commentary describing the places and people shown,

drawing on his great fund of local knowledge. Visit his website on www.merton.ukgo.com to see a selection

of the photographs.

As an additional attraction this year, we welcome back Nessie King, whose “Cunning Woman”

demonstration of cures and potions delighted visitors a few years ago. This year, she will be illustrating

more recent remedies and traditions, in a lively presentation based on Norfolk village life in the 1950s.

Refreshments will be available all day – ploughman‟s lunches, cream teas, and delicious home-made cakes.

Come and find out a little more about local history, or just come and enjoy a cup of tea in these beautiful

surroundings, looking out across the park towards Merton Hall.

Free admission. All proceeds from refreshments etc. go to the maintenance of St Peter‟s church.

The Wayland News Page 9 News

The Group would like to announce

that the Pantomime for January

2012 will be "Robin Hood",

Directed by Charlie Tweed, Co-

Directed by Stephanie Easter &

Produced by Tracey Denny. The

Group are looking for new

premises for the storage of their

Costumes and Props if anyone has

any information regarding a

suitable place that could be used

please contact Stephanie Easter

01953482752 or Sandra Skipper

01953883777.

The Group are also looking for

Musicians and a seamstress to help

make some costumes. Our

auditions went really well this year

and we have some very talented

new members who have joined the

Group. So watch this space for

more updates.

One doesn‟t often find a reason to be

grateful for the Second World War, but

I have it to thank for giving me an

interest in cycling.

When war was declared my whole

school was evacuated to Bedford, and

one of the first things that became

obvious was that everyone, old or

young, seemed to own a bicycle.

We had to share facilities with a local

school and found that the bike sheds

were enormous and filled to capacity,

and such places as the local library

were usually surrounded by hundreds

of parked bicycles.

Of course our boys did not want to be

left out, and within weeks were asking

their parents to send their own bikes

down, or arranging to purchase new

ones.

To the surprise of everyone the

expected air-raids had not materialised,

so it became a habit for us evacuees to

go home to London for an occasional

weekend, and it was on one such visit

that my parents presented me with my

very first bicycle.

Unfortunately my father, who was

disabled, had suffered a long period of

unemployment, thus making any

expenditure on such luxuries as this

almost beyond him, with the result that

the only one he could afford was of

rather antiquated design, though of

course anything was better than

nothing.

Thus I was able to join the mobile

brigade, albeit with a very heavy

machine, completely bereft of such

benefits as a three-speed hub, or cable

brakes, whereas all my friends

possessed light weight modern

ones,but after a week or two I mastered

the intricacies of this old machine, and

soon ceased to feel any sense of its

inadequacy.

The occasional weekends at home

continued, and several of us decided

that as we now had our own means of

transport we would save on fares if we

made the journey by bike, and so a sort

of unofficial competition started up

between the keenest cyclists amongst

us, to set our own record times for the

ride.

This may sound very trivial, but the

distance to the capital was 50 miles, so

to my home in north London was about

47, with the last twenty over some of

the hilliest territory, so to a novice

fourteen year-old biker, with an

unwieldy machine, it was quite a test.

In fact, almost at the start of the

journey a local height, known as

Hammer Hill, presented the first trial

of strength, and I think that every boy

that faced it had to get off and walk up

part of it on their first trip. Later on, as

stamina and experience was gained,

this was not such a problem.

What did assist us was the almost

complete absence of traffic, for the few

members of the public that owned cars

saved their petrol coupons for really

essential journeys, or laid up their cars

altogether, leaving the roads nearly

deserted , except for a few lorries.

Even when the route took in part of the

A1, better known as the Great North

Road, there was hardly any traffic at

all, which would seem unbelievable

today.

And whereas today the last thing a

modern cyclist wants to hear is the

approach of an overtaking lorry, in

those times it would be most welcome,

particularly on an open, windy stretch

of road, for most lorries were not very

fast and if one judged things correctly

it was possible to tuck in behind one

and benefit from the shelter it afforded.

Often one could speed along for miles

in this way, and provided attention was

paid to the sound of the engine in order

to judge when a stop was imminent, it

was reasonably safe, though not a thing

to try in today‟s traffic !

After leaving school and starting work,

I was able to save up for a more up-to-

date cycle, and began to explore much

of London and the northern suburbs, in

the course of which I was able to tackle

London‟s stiffest cycling test –

Muswell Hill. At the third attempt I at

last managed to reach the Broadway at

the top and still not have to stop to get

my breath. At last I felt I could call

myself a real cyclist. Not a racer. Not a

time-trialist. Just a proper cyclist.

A gap in my cycling career came with

the call up to join the Army, so that the

war had ended before I could get back

in the saddle, and what a difference

there was in the amount of traffic. No

longer did I have roads to myself,

though on a bike it was much easier to

negotiate the many side roads and cut-

throughs that were available, though

even these began to be denied me as

councils closed off what they called

motorist rat-runs, by making many

streets one-way.

A change in my ways came with

meeting my wife-to- be, as together we

enjoyed a more relaxed mode of

cycling, visiting such pleasant parts of

nearby Essex, such a Epping Forest,

before a later move to that county.

Unfortunately traffic became so

overwhelming that for a time I put

away the bike in favour of the car, and

it was not until I moved to Norfolk

twenty years ago that I resumed

cycling, albeit on a ramshackle old

banger, suitable for an old man to

meander round the village. I have

finally given even that up, but I have

thoroughly enjoyed over seventy years

awheel, so I say have to say thanks to

the war, and indirectly, I suppose, to

Hitler.

RE-CYCLING By Ken Knowles

Watton Pantomime Group

Watton Ballroom

Dancing Association

Queen’s Hall, Watton

8 to 11.00 Admission £3.50

Saturday June 4th

Saturday July 2nd

Mike 01953 882799

Carbrooke Village Hall was

packed for a meeting chaired by

local MP George Freeman, which

had been called to discuss the

future of the old airfield at RAF

Watton and other planning issues.

Introducing the meeting Mr

Freeman said that after

representations made to him at his

Surgery and in other

communications, he wanted to get

a sense of the feeling locally

towards development in the town.

He said that he shared the view that

the present system of development

control was “broken” and no

longer doing the job needed, and it

was for this reason that the

Coalition Government was

bringing forward the Localism

Bill. He went on to explain some

the Coalition Government‟s new

policies and then invited questions

which were to be answered by

himself and Watton Ward District

Councillors, Michael Wassell and

Keith Gilbert together with

Breckland‟s Principal Planning

Officer David Spencer from Capita

Symonds, who now manage

Breckland Council‟s planning and

building control services.

After a brief explanation of the

process by which the present Local

Development Framework had been

decided by Mr Spencer, and

opening statements from Mr

Wassell and Mr Gilbert, Mr

Freeman then opened the meeting

to questions from the floor.

Questioners expressed their

unhappiness and frustration at how

development had taken place so far

in the area, and particularly in

Carbrooke on the old RAF

technical site, now called Blenheim

Grange. And most were fearful of

what might happen on the 500 or

so acres about to be released by the

Ministry of Defence now it no

longer needs the airfield.

Reassurances that development

was not part of any plan by Mr

Spencer were rejected by

questioners who maintained that

permission could be gained

through the appeals process just as

had happened elsewhere.

Complaints were also made that

many of the local services such as

police and, in particular, health

services provision, had not been

properly taken account of under the

present rules, and that the

piecemeal development seen so

far, had worked very much against

the area.

Concern was expressed that

apparently unaccountable housing

associations, that had purchased

many of the properties on

Blenheim Grange, had used it as a

place to move families from as far

afield as Nottingham, Yarmouth

and Thetford, indulging in a form

of social engineering, when there

were still many locals in Breckland

wanting local housing.

Summing up at the end of the

meeting, Mr Freeman said that the

whole panel had heard clearly the

views expressed and he hoped that

going forward we could all play a

part in building a better Breckland.

Carbrooke hall packed for planning meeting

Have you a relative, friend or

someone that you know who

could be eligible for the above

award? The award is open to

anyone in the local area and we

welcome nominations from

relatives or friends of individuals

who they consider to be worthy

of the achievement.

The award is designed to

recognise outstanding dedication

and contribution to agriculture,

horticulture, wildlife or any other

rural related sector or industry.

All entrants must be under 21

years of age.

All entrants will be required to

demonstrate and share their

commitment and involvement to

their related subject. This should

include their achievements and

their aspirations. Applicants will

be required to show passion and

enthusiasm as well as a sound

knowledge of their category.

The presentation of the award

will be made at the Wayland

Show on Sunday 7th August

2011. The award is sponsored by

Weco Engineering of Watton.

All nominations must be made in

writing to: Wayland Agricultural

Society, Broom Hall, Richmond

Road, Saham Toney

Thetford, Norfolk IP25 7HJ Attn:

Mrs Bridget Hall

Wayland Agricultural Society Young Achiever

Of The Year 2011

The Wayland News Page 10 News

Car Boot and Crafts Saturday 25th June

St Mary’s Church, Car Park, Watton 01953 882936 Car boots £4

No Need to Book - Refreshments in Church

Princess Party for Brownies

Congratulations to Prince William

and Kate, 2nd Watton (RAF)

Brownies enjoyed celebrating the

Royal Wedding by holding a

Princess Party on Thursday 28th

April.

The Brownies enjoyed a

traditional Wedding theme; being

introduced on arrival, table plans

and table settings.

They enjoyed playing party games:

hot hand bag, pin the princess's kiss

to the frog, and a treasure hunt for

the princess treasure chest. The girls

all joined in, to hold their cups up to

toast the Royal Couple ahead of the

big day tomorrow.

Brownies can benefit girls from the

age of seven to ten years, to help

them reach their full potential

through fun and enjoyable

meetings.

2nd Watton (RAF) Brownies,

Teddar Close, Watton, currently

have spaces available, anyone

interested should contact Margaret

Moult: (Brown Owl) on 01953

885056.

Forty eight members recently enjoyed a

brilliant sunny day cruising the River

Orwell from Ipswich to Harwich. Lunch

was served on board and a cream tea was

taken at Elveden on the return journey.

One hundred and seven members had

renewed their subscriptions as at the 1st

May. Potential new members on the

waiting list are now being invited to join

up to the 120 ceiling.

At the April meeting a floral presentation

was made to Margaret Philips in

recognition of her ex committee work

undertaken at monthly meetings.

The Croquet Group has had a good start

to the season with eleven members

having a fun afternoon at the Sports

Centre. More members are welcome to

join these monthly Tuesday afternoon

sessions. Contact Margaret or Ron on

01853 882136. The new Stitching Group

is now underway with some eight

members meeting on the fourth Tuesday

morning of each month. Contact Sylvia

on 01953884081.

The Pub Luncheon Group is dining

nearer home on the 9th June at the Hare

and Barrel on the Brandon road. Meet at

12 for 12.30pm.

Next venue for the Garden Visit Group is

at Manor Farm Coston near Barnham

Broom on Sunday 19th June. The

gardens are open in aid of the

Quidenham Children‟s Hospice. For

more information contact Susan on

01953881373.

A few tickets are available for the visit to

Burghley House and Gardens on

Wednesday 6th July and for the 1940s

Railway experience on the North Norfolk

Railway on Sunday 18th September. For

this trip we are running the coach from

the Queens Hall to Sheringham to give

members a choice of either the Railway

or visiting the town..

The tour of the Houses of Parliament and

meeting with our M.P on Monday 10th

October is now full but open for reserves.

For further information on any of the

above trips contact either Ron or

Margaret on 01953889951.

The next monthly meeting is on

Thursday 23rd June when the speaker

will be local Thespian Peter Walmsley

with “A Life Less Ordinary”. An insight

into Peter‟s life as a local policeman

through to acting and all things in-

between.

The U3A Membership Secretary can be

contacted on 01953881110. For further

information on the National U3A go to

www.u3a.org

Watton University of the Third Age (U3A)

Our lovely summer leisure gowns are back

on sale in the market along with bags for

those summer days out in the country or at

the beach. Our glass etcher is also bringing

in her wares again as well as some prints

and other items depicting local scenes. The

produce stalls are laden at 8.30 a.m. but do

come early - they can be very bare by

10.30! Plants for beauty or food production

are also coming in, in ever larger numbers.

All our other regular items are available

each week, all from local producers. They

include baked goods and preserves, fresh

eggs, and all kinds of hand crafted items -

jewellery, bags and cushions, greetings

cards for all occasions (9th June is Fathers'

Day) and knitted and crocheted items for

all ages. Do come along to the Watton

Christian Community Centre on any

Wednesday morning between 8.30 and

11.30 a.m. and enjoy shopping with our

friendly producers. If you want to leave

your purchases with us while you go to the

back hall for a cup of coffee, served by the

Methodist ladies, we are happy to offer this

service to you.

Glamour and Glass at Watton Country Market

News The Wayland News Page 11

On the morning of Sunday 15th May

2011 Young Stars School Of Dance

exchanged the rural countryside of

Norfolk for the Spotlights and Stage

of Her Majesty‟s Theatre London.

The home of the world famous

„Phantom of the Opera‟ to perform

not ONE but TWO routines, along

with 8 other selected Professional

Qualified schools from around the

U.K.

The day started as a long queue of

Young Performers all eagerly waiting

to enter the prestigious Her Majesty‟s

Theatre Stage Door to be chaperoned

to their appointed Dressing Rooms.

Full dress rehearsal began, followed

by group and individual photographs

which then lead to the staging of the

full 211 cast members finale, all the

schools coming together on stage in

identical clothing to take their curtain

call.

The house lights lowered and the

curtain raised at 7.30pm to the Young

Stars School Of Dance taking part in

an opportunity of a lifetime, pulling

out all the stops, becoming the talk of

the audience. “Choreography stood

out by a mile” “highly professional”

was just two of the comments made

to our students.

School Principal Carol said “It takes

an athlete to dance but an artist to be

a dancer”.

Choreographer Lauren said “It is my

job to showcase artistic and

storytelling movements by

challenging my students and

developing them into amazing

dancers. As dancers it is their job to

translate the story into a feeling and

trigger the emotions of the audience.

Young Stars School Of Dance put

Norfolk on the map making everyone

stand up and take note, were truly

proud of them all”.

Student Cerys Adcock said: I had

such an amazing day, and yet it still

doesn't feel real. I just want to keep

re-living the dream. It was an

amazing achievement and I am so

proud to be part of Young Stars

School Of Dance. Not only the

performance, but the whole day

was an experience we will never

forget.

We would like to say a BIG thank

you to all the students who organised

individual sponsored fundraising.

Ashley Tyne for his sponsored leg

wax, Laura Stevens for her Quiz

Night, Heidi Billing & Peter Ellis for

their Bingo Evening, Carbrooke

Parish Council, Multiyork Furniture

Ltd Thetford, Watton and District

Rotary Club, Brian‟s Window

Cleaning Service and Watton

Pantomime Group for their

donations.

Boots, Tesco, Co Operative, Styella

Hair Co, Myhill‟s, Monellies Hair

and Beauty, Tips Toes & Tans, Hand

Me Down, Edwards Newsagents,

Express Fish Bar, Spoilt For Choice,

Abbey Plumbing & Electrical Ltd,

Rudlings DIY Ltd, Adcocks, The

Village Florist, Gina‟s Pet Shop, Day

Designs, Charwin Private Clients and

Gary‟s Plaice for their Raffle Prize

Donations and Carbrooke Village

Hall, Wayland Community High

School and Watton Sports Centre for

the use of their venues.

If you are interested in joining the

Young Stars School Of Dance then

please check out our website:

www.young-stars-school-of-

dance.co.uk or contact us via:

E: yssod@hotmail.co.uk

P: 07887770082

80 Brandon Road, Watton.

Tel: 01953 882752

The Hare & Barrel Hotel

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

the old Coach House Stables

‘Noted for Good Food’

Extensive Bar & Restaurant Menu bookings advisable at all times

A relaxing Conservatory ~ Beer Garden Patio ~ Bar ~ Restaurant

Games Room ~ Car Park ~ Courtyard

Try our Traditional Sunday Lunch

Discounts for large bookings always negotiable

Children Always Welcome

Caston Village Fete Saturday, 4th June at 2pm

Chase Farm, The Street, Caston

Traditional Village Fete

Sideshows, raffles, cakes, refreshments, tombolas

plants and games Vintage tractors, mini steam engine

BBQ, books and bric-a-brac!

Watton Silver Band Everyone welcome - do come along

All proceeds to Caston Church

Young Stars shine in West End

Air Cadets from Watton 864

Squadron recently took part in an

action packed wing field weekend on

the STANTA training area near

Thetford, the weekend comprised of

lots of different activities from

orienteering to raft building and first

aid.

The Cadets from Watton were

competing against teams from 27

other squadrons from all over

Norfolk and Suffolk, and although

missing out on overall success at the

event the squadron once again won

the raft building and river crossing

event followed in second place by

their Detached flight 864 DF from

RAF Marham, this is the second year

running they have won this event,

and over the last five years have had

finished in the top three. The

squadron also managed a third place

in the orienteering event.

Cadet Sergeant Nind said, “This

has been my first wing field

weekend, and I really enjoyed the

whole experience from meeting

cadets from all the other squadrons

to working closely with the rest of

our team, I particularly enjoyed the

leadership challenges and the

archery event.”

Mr Board one of the Squadron‟s

Civilian Instructors said, “The Cadets

did a really good job this year and

although we didn‟t win the overall

event, it‟s the taking part and seeing

the cadets enjoy themselves so much

that makes it all worthwhile.”

If you are interested in joining 864

Watton Air Cadets or just want to see

what we are all about Contact us at

oc@864.aircadets.org, follow us on

Twitter oc864, call on 01953 885531

(only during parade hours). Or come

and visit on a parade evening

Mondays and Wednesdays 1900 –

2130hrs.

864 Cadets rule the river once again

Great Ellingham’s 8th Teddy Bear Festival Come along and walk the teddy

trail in the village, with over 100

teddies displayed in gardens. Art

Exhibition July 8th – 12th St

James Church. July 9th is our

Teddy Bear Fun day for all the

family. Art Exhibition and Craft

show at St James Church from

10am. Bring your teddies to slide

down the Teddy Slide, join the

Teddy Bear Picnic and the

children‟s entertainment.

Proceeds to local groups in the

village and the East Anglia

Children‟s Hospice. There are

lots of activities for all the family

happening over the two weeks

more information

www.greatellingham.org.uk

Or telephone Peter 01953 456716

The Wayland News Page 12 News

FINE BOOKS

BOUGHT AND SOLD

BOOKS J.C. & Applestore Gallery

Telephone/Fax 01953 883488 55 High Street, Watton

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

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

Diabetes UK Due to unforeseen circumstances, we did not have a speaker at our

last meeting, so we resorted to our Coffee and Chat format. We

welcomed a new member from Hingham, and although John and

Rod tried their best, she is going to come back!!

At our next meeting on Monday June 13th, we hope to have as our

speaker Mark Packer from Colney Wood. The meeting is open to

people who have Diabetes and/or their Carers. We start at 10.15am

and meet at the Pentecostal Church, Old Dereham Road, Watton,

(to whom we are grateful for the use of their facilities).

We will be having a game and information stall at the Carnival, and we

would love to see you, so please come and say hello and meet some of

our members who have helped to make our group so successful. John

and Rod will probably not be there, so you will be safe!!

If you would like further details of the group, or any of our

meetings, please phone Helen 01953 884713, leave a message and I

will get back to you as soon as I can.

From the Editor: In an effort to help get

readers of The Wayland News engaged

with their representatives on the District

Council and vice versa, I have invited

Claire Bowes (Conservative), Keith

Gilbert (Independent) and Michael

Wassell (Conservative) to write a

monthly column, in rotation, which they

can use to keep you up to date with what

is happening. As an introduction all

three have written this month.

My hope is that by opening an extra

channel of communication we will all

benefit from better representation from

our Councillors and improved

awareness in our community. I am

acutely aware that this only represents

Watton’s councillors’ views and if other

councillors from the parishes would like

something similar, please get in touch

with me.

Councillor

Claire Bowes

After having had

the honour to

serve as one of

the elected

representatives

for Watton on

Breckland

District Council for the last four years I

am very grateful and pleased to have

been elected again for the next term and

am thankful for all the support I have

received from local residents. I

endeavour to return this trust by

speaking up at every opportunity for the

people of Watton and the town in

general at District level.

For the last four years I have served on

Breckland‟s Development Control

(Planning) Committee and will be

continuing to do so. I would like to take

this opportunity to say a few words

about Planning as I know there are

currently issues around development in

Watton that residents have concerns

about, not least the application for 91

homes by on the Saham Road. This

application was recommended for

refusal by Breckland Officers and was

heard by the Planning Committee, as all

major applications are, and planning

permission was refused. Hopkins homes

have, as is their right under planning

law, taken the application to the

Government Appeal Inspectorate and

we await that decision. We can only

hope that the Appeal Inspector takes

into account the significant local

concern surrounding the application as

well as the valid policy reasons for

refusal and that he/she supports the

District Council‟s decision.

At Breckland we actively encourage

residents to engage with the planning

system. If you have particular views

either for or against an application you

can email/write to the Planning

Department once an application has

been published. Plans are published

weekly and can be viewed on the

website (Planning and Building Control

link). You can also attend the Town

Council Planning meetings where Town

Councillors, as consultees, decide on

their recommendation to Breckland

planners regarding individual planning

applications. Members of the public

may give their views at the discretion of

the Chairman. If an application is being

heard by the Breckland Planning

Committee (certain criteria determine

this, for example, major applications and

locally sensitive ones) both objectors

and supporters are entitled to attend the

meeting and give their respective views

providing prior notice has been given to

the Planning Department. Ward

Members may also speak on behalf of

supporters/objectors. To ensure fairness

to all parties it is very important that

meetings follow a set and orderly

procedure. Detail of the procedure is

available on the Breckland website but

please do contact your ward member for

advice if you wish.

Finally, Breckland residents are entitled

to attend and observe all other Public

meetings. If you wish your views to be

expressed on a certain Agenda item you

should contact your Ward Member to

discuss as they may be able to speak on

your behalf. Agendas are available

online and to view in the local Library

and Breckland Offices.

Claire Bowes eMail:

claire.bowes@breckland.gov.uk

Telephone 07789796937

Councillor Keith

Gilbert

Thank you, Julian,

for the opportunity to

use your excellent

Wayland News to

tell your readers

what I am doing as a

member of

Breckland Council.

Firstly a really big thank you to all those

people who showed their confidence in

me by returning me to Breckland

Council for another four year term. I

will do my best to represent all the

residents of Watton and speak up for

our town.

The new Council is made up of 47

Conservative, 4 Labour and 3

Independent, of which I am one. This

is an increase of one to the Labour

group and the Independents remain the

same.

My job, as an opposition member, is

to be a “critical friend,” or a member

of a “loyal opposition.” Or, to put it

another way, a “b*****y nuisance.”

I will support issues which I think are

good for Watton and its inhabitants,

and I will speak out firmly on issues

with which I disagree. No change

there then!!

In the new Council I will be

continuing my work as a member of

the Scrutiny Commission, whose job

is to hold the executive to account,

and also hold enquiries into various

issues. A good example of this is the

work done on parking issues in

Breckland‟s towns.

I have asked the Commission to hold

an enquiry into the lessons which can

be learnt from the development of the

RAF technical site. This will be a big

piece of work. I want it to include a

wide range of people, including the

Development Control Committee,

planning officers, the developers,

estate agents, police, medical services,

education services, housing

associations, Watton Town Council,

Carbrooke and Griston Parish

Councils, and representatives from

central government, to discuss the

problems which government

guidelines, which may be suitable for

inner cities, impact, and are not

suitable for rural areas like ours.

My first engagement was to share a

platform with our MP George

Freeman, new Breckland member for

Watton Michael Wassell and David

Spencer from Breckland Council‟s

Forward Planning Department, at

Carbrooke, to listen to people‟s views

about future development in the area,

including fears of what might happen

to the rest of the airfield. We listened

to your views, now we have to take

them forward in decisions which we

have to make.

I recently discovered that my phone

number is listed in the phone book

under Rita‟s name. My contact details

are, phone number 01953 880172,

email keith.gilbert@breckland.gov.uk.

They are also on Breckland‟s web site.

I am always pleased to hear from you,

whether you have an issue I may be

able to help with, or your comments

on any issue.

Councillor Michael Wassell

My name is

Michael Wassell

and I am delighted

to have this

opportunity to

introduce myself as

the newest of the

three district

councillors that

represent Watton

on Breckland Council.

I would also like to thank everyone who

voted for me for giving me this

opportunity.

What do I think I can achieve for

Watton by being an elected member of

the district council? Well, put simply; I

will represent the interests of the people

of Watton, and try to make sure that the

town receives its fair share of available

facilities and resources. I will

endeavour to ensure that development

within the town is consistent with the

needs of the town and not repeat

mistakes that may have been made

locally in the past. The only way to

understand what the views of the people

of Watton are, in my opinion, is to listen

to them. So I will be holding regular

councillor‟s surgeries in the town and

using this newspaper as one of the ways

in which I keep people informed.

If you have an issue then please do not

hesitate to contact me. I cannot

guarantee to be able to solve all of the

problems and issues that are brought to

my attention that would be foolish and

dishonest. But what I can promise is to

try my best, to always keep in touch, to

be honest and to respect people‟s

confidentiality.

Just so you know a little more about me.

My family and I moved to Watton in

1986. I served in the RAF for 23 years and

then emigrated to the USA working for a

software company in Denver, Colorado.

Returning to the UK in 2000, for the next

5 years I was an education consultant for

The Royal National Institute for Deaf

People. After working for a hearing aid

company for a further three years I took

early retirement in 2008. I joined Watton

Town Council in January 2009 because I

felt it was time to try and put something

back into my community by actively

engaging in local government, hoping to

represent the views of townspeople and

working for their benefit. I have found

being on the Town Council both

stimulating and interesting and was

delighted when, in the recent elections I

was re-elected to the Town Council in

addition to being newly elected to

Breckland District Council.

I look forward to working on both the

Town and District Councils, for the

benefit of this town. Watton has provided

a wonderful place to live for my family

and me for over a quarter of a century. I

want to ensure that this continues to be the

case for both mine and all of the other

families in our town. You can contact me

on email at

michael.Wwassell@breckland.gov.uk

or by phone on 07856 813 983

Councillors’ Chat

The Wayland News Page 13 Comment & News

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Did You Know . . .? Rosalie Davis Gibb

. . . a sperm whale was tragically beached at

Pegwell Bay in Kent (just south of

Ramsgate) on the 3rd of March this year?

Regrettably, not as uncommon as might at

first be thought. 5 or 6 whales beach every

year somewhere around the globe, and on

occasion, many more.

We were staying with friends not far away

at the time so, like many others, couldn‟t let

the opportunity pass to see one of these

normally elusive mammals at close

quarters, albeit under such tragic

circumstances. The many cliff top

watchers more resembled a silent vigil for

this magnificent creature, than a crowd

staring with morbid curiosity.

Despite the enormous size, 45‟ (14 metres)

long, this was just a young male. Expert

scientists believe beached whales often end

up stranded simply from taking a wrong

turn. In the case of the Pegwell Bay whale,

this was by heading east and getting stuck

in the North Sea, where there was no hope

of finding adequate food, rather than taking

a west turn to the other side of Ireland

where the deep waters would have brought

plentiful feeding.

The Straits of Dover are the busiest

shipping lanes in the world, with boats

taking the short, easterly route to the North

Sea. Unfortunately, juvenile whales have

been following the shipping lanes and

turning eastwards to an almost certain death

for centuries. Records exist dating back to

the 16th century of a whale being stranded.

One modern theory is that wind farms and

modern machinery confuse these creatures.

Since sea mammals use sound waves to

navigate, it is conceivable that seismic

testing for gas and oil, as well as military

sonar tests which are extremely loud to sea

mammals, could be contributory. Many sea

mammals use the Earth's magnetic field to

find their way around. Where the field's

contours are at right angles to the shore, the

animals following it could find themselves

hitting land unexpectedly. Without

question, non-biodegradable debris, such as

carrier bags floating around the oceans,

have a detrimental effect on marine life and

many a sea creature has been washed up

entangled in synthetic fishing line, probably

collected whilst foraging in the depths for

food.

The sperm whale can dive up to 1,000

metres and stay under water for an hour

feeding on deep-water shelves. The

North Sea, at around 200 metres deep, is

far too shallow for a whale to dive and

find food. Since a whale can stop

breathing for an hour, it‟s not a simple

matter initially to tell if a beached whale

is alive or dead. A good indication as to

whether the mammal is still alive or not

is whether or not bacteria is found on the

surface. Bacteria will only be found on a

living whale. Whales can live for weeks

and even months on their massive

blubber reserves. So to die from

starvation, which, it transpired, was the

fate of the Pegwell Bay whale, would

mean being without food for a very long

time.

Attitudes have changed considerably in the

last 40 or 50 years. Until then, commercial

whaling was readily accepted. A dead

whale now is more likely to be viewed with

great sadness. Until gas was introduced, oil

lamps in lighthouses were mostly fuelled

with whale oil, which, as you can imagine,

was extremely unpleasant and smelly. And

not much changes – it was cheaper to ship

the whale oil across the Atlantic from

Nantucket than use native rape seed oil!

During the night of the 22nd/23rd January

2009, 50 sperm whales beached themselves

on a Tasmanian beach overnight, reason

unknown. Beaching isn‟t peculiar to sperm

whales – 107 pilot whales were found

stranded on Stewart Island, off New

Zealand‟s South Island, on the 20th of

February 2011. Scientists think this may

occur when the pilot whale‟s sonar

becomes scrambled in shallow water or

when a sick member of the pod heads for

shore and others follow. Sickness,

exhaustion and being struck by ships

account for a proportion of all whale

strandings.

Disposing of a dead whale poses many

problems, particularly since in many cases

the whale would have been dead for some

time before beaching and would constitute

a mound of smelly, rotting flesh. Whales

have been buried on the beach, cut up and

burned or taken to landfill or, in some cases

where no other option is possible, blown

up, which sounds rather drastic and messy,

which, of course, it is. On the 12th of

November 1970, a 45‟, 8 ton sperm whale

was blown up with half a ton of dynamite,

causing large pieces of blubber to land

800‟ (240 metres) away, covering

bystanders in the sand dunes in the process

and causing severe damage to a parked car

inland. Even more gruesome, on 26th

January 2004, the decomposing body of a

50 ton sperm whale exploded, presumably

from the natural process of internal

putrefaction, whilst been transported on a

(large!) lorry through the streets of Tainin

in Taiwan, showering everything and

everyone with bits of stinking, rotten

whale!

… sperm whales are the largest of the

toothed whales, have the largest brain of

any animal, make social clicks called

„codas‟, live in all oceans of the world, can

live for more than 70 years and were listed

as an endangered species on the 2nd of

June 1970?

… a sperm whale‟s age can easily be

determined. But do you know how?

Answer in the next issue.

Did You Know…? May Issue: which

structure overtook The Great Pyramid as

the tallest in the world? As I mentioned last

month, much closer to home! In fact it was

Lincoln Cathedral, or to use its full name,

The Cathedral Church of the Blessed

Virgin Mary of Lincoln, also sometimes

known as St Mary‟s Cathedral or Lincoln

Minster, completed in 1311, measuring

520‟ (160 metres) to the top of the central

spire. It was acknowledged as the tallest

building in the world until the central spire

collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt.

By Orbiter

Such a lot seems to have been happening in

the last few weeks that it is difficult to

pinpoint which event was the most

important, but I suppose the honour must

go to the royal wedding, which displayed

what we like to call the „best of British‟.

There is no need to go over the details,

since they are already firmly ingrained on

our minds – the pomp, the circumstance,

and the amusement caused by the creations

worn by the so-called celebrities.

The one sad note was afforded by the fly-

past, which consisted of just the famous

Battle of Britain Flight, followed by four

modern planes, which must have given the

watching world the message that these were

all we have left. Though that may be quite

right, we shouldn‟t advertise the fact. Of

course to have used more planes would

have evinced criticism about spending too

much on such occasions, so it was a no-win

situation.

But for Norfolk the big news was Norwich

City winning promotion to the Premiership

– so well done them. But when I see the

jubilation on the faces of the players,

reflecting their pride in their achievement,

my thoughts turn to their futures, for

inevitably when a team gets promoted the

management always perceive a need to

strengthen the side, which entails bringing

in new expensive signings, so that some of

the players who did all the „work‟ find

themselves on the transfer list. It‟s very sad,

but that‟s football.

And let us hope that the club don‟t

succumb to the temptation to extend the

ground, or try to find a bigger one. There

are so many clubs who have done that and

with a slump in their fortunes now find

themselves playing in front of half empty

stands. Luckily City have enjoyed great

support, their 25000- odd capacity crowds,

even in the Championship, being the envy

of all but the top five Premiership clubs.

Locally we have at last seen the start of the

long forecast extension of the Tesco store,

which will no doubt mean a lot of

inconvenience for some months, but no

doubt it will be worth it, though how it will

affect our High Street traders remains to be

seen.

Other games played in the last few weeks

have been the Census, which has seemed

rather pointless, as there are so many

records kept about us in various places that

the totals should already be known (which

is confirmed by the fact that there are to be

no more such head-counts) and an Election-

cum- Referendum on a possible change in

the voting system.

Normally I keep my vote secret, but this

time I do not mind admitting that I chose

the No option, since the alternative seemed

to throw up too many uncertainties. Not

that the First Past The Post method is

entirely the ideal, for, except in the

impossible situation of an entirely

unanimous vote, there will always be

someone who is left disappointed. For

instance if party A gain 40 million votes

and all the other parties only manage 20

million between them, party A claims a

landslide victory, but it still leaves 20

million unhappy voters, and 20 million is

an awful lot of people.

But until something better comes along,

maybe we should stick to what we have.

But over and above weddings, voting,

football and revamped Tescos, the main

talking point over the last six weeks up to

the time of writing has been the weather. It

has certainly been the driest spring for

many years, which makes a welcome

change, since at this time of year we are

usually moaning about spring never

coming.

Obviously farmers are not too pleased, for

drought costs them dearly, but the rest of us

should enjoy things while they last, as

Mother Nature has her own way of evening

things up. Personally I think she is bi-polar,

in the physical rather than the geographical

sense, since she seems so liable to mood

swings. From a settled calm period she will

suddenly produce storms, heat-waves,

frosts, droughts or floods, so that we can

never be certain what to expect. Her moods

are world-wide, and where once upon a

time we could confidently go to Spain or

somewhere to enjoy unbroken sunshine, no

longer does that apply.

But the latest long spell of sunshine has

brought an unprecedented great display of

bloom and blossom, with nearly everything

coming out at once, so we must be thankful

for the bonus, and hope that the usual cry of

„We‟ll pay for it later‟ won‟t be justified.

And finally I read that street slang, words

that are not even a part of the English

language, are to be allowed in Scrabble.

Stupid innit ?

A Quick Look Round

News The Wayland News Page 14

Letter from Australia By Chris O’Connor

The recent Royal wedding helped buoy

the monarchists in Australia and

millions around the nation watched.

After all, it was romantic, scenic, in a

magnificent church with a choir to die

for and . . . well, everybody wanted to

look at the wedding dress, upstaged by

a certain bottom trailing behind it!

But has it done anything to lift the

image of the monarchy in Australia?

Not really, after all to the majority of

sensible thinking people it was a

wedding that they will never have, and

a society they will never belong to.

However, there is another side and it

has nothing to do with the wedding. It

is William. William, like the Queen, is

an enigma, but his travels show he

wants to stake a claim to the realm

beyond Britain.

The British Empire is dead, but it still

flies in the corner of our flag, and a

royal visit still stirs excitement.

Touring disaster zones offering

comfort and boosting morale is part of

the job of royalty - since ancient times

kings have fulfilled the role not just of

ruling but of feeling for their people.

Today, global celebrities can do the job

just as well - imagine the frenzy were

Oprah Winfrey to return to our shores

and visit flood-ravaged Charlton or

Toowoomba.

Yet royals have always had a political

role as well, in so far as they claim to

represent not just themselves but, as

Menzies put it, ''something higher than

the everyday''.

Past princely visitors often bore

particular political meanings relevant

to the times, but what is the meaning of

Prince William's visit in 2011?

Prince Alfred, who excited colonial

Australia with a six-month tour in 1867

-8, was greeted as a bearer of

civilisation by colonists building new

cities and towns in the ''wilderness''.

English, Scots, Germans and even

Chinese lined up to present their guest

with loyal addresses declaring that ''in

changing our skies, we have not

changed our minds''. Australians used

the visit to demonstrate all too eagerly

that they were not, in fact, Australian.

Aboriginal people were displayed at

missions to show the prince how they

had adopted the culture of the

colonisers.

In 1901, Prince George's visit

transformed the Federation of Australia

into a celebration of imperial unity. At

a speech to students at Melbourne

University, the prince told students that

life was made up of loyalty ''to your

parents, your country, your King and

your God''. It was this chain of loyalty

that would lead Australia to sacrifice

its men on the altar of the Great War.

In 1920, the dashing and reckless

young man who would later abdicate

the throne as Edward VIII toured

Australia. He was labelled ''the Digger

Prince'' for his military background and

used by the government to stir anti-

communist sentiment. The

determinedly ''modern'' prince declared

that the empire was not bound by mere

tradition, but by race. After the

shedding of so much blood in the war,

eugenics was at its zenith and

population was Australia's chief

concern - that it should have more of it

and, as the prince declared, ''that it

should remain all British''.

Such sentiments lost their relevance in

the post-colonial and multicultural post

-war world. The symbols struggled to

reinvent themselves.

When Prince Charles launched the

Australian bicentenary alongside

Princess Diana in 1988, he was clearly

uncomfortable at the incongruity of

being called to preside over the

birthday of so ''young'' a nation.

Australia, after all, was cutting loose its

imperial past. Without history, and

without empire, the prince was left

standing at the podium making idle

chit-chat rather than the grand political

statements of his forebears. One of his

hosts in 1977, the entertainment mogul

Harry Miller, claimed in his

autobiography that the prince said ''he

couldn't understand why Australia

bothered with us [the royals] - we

really are yesterday's news''.

The history that had underpinned the

legitimacy of the monarchy had been

demolished, but the royal family still

cringed in its shadow.

Prince William, however, represents

the first generation free of that shadow.

His history is not that of the empire.

His history is declared in his choice of

engagement ring - the story of his

mother, Princess Diana, the

embodiment of global celebrity. Diana

was a rebel to tradition, an opposite of

her stoic and history-conscious

husband.

William's recent itinerary, including

visits to Northern Ireland and

Australasia and, shows the prince

may not be as ready as his father to

surrender the kingdom beyond Great

Britain. William has also

distinguished himself from his father

in another way. Like his grandmother

the Queen, William is an enigma. By

contrast, Prince Charles has been

vocal about his political views. We

know Charles condemns Modernist

architecture as ''carbuncles'', that he

promotes organic farming, has been

outspoken about Tibet, Palestine and

environmental sustainability. Of

William's views on all these things,

we know as little as we do about the

Queen's.

In Britain, the traditions and history of

the country can more easily sustain an

enigma on the throne. For ''the sceptred

isle'', the imperial adventure is just one

episode in a longer history. In the old

''overseas dominions'', particularly a

self-professedly ''young'' Australia, a

new history must be created. That is

the most obvious reason behind

William's visit. His presence at the sites

of our national traumas weaves royalty

into their history. At his ascent to the

throne, which grows more likely the

more time passes without a republic;

we will doubtless be reminded that, as

a young man, the king was with us.

What ''higher things'' beyond his

personality and celebrity the prince and

future king represents this time,

however, remain mysteries to his

future subjects. Perhaps, in a world

where history and politics have been

left behind, there are no higher things

than fame itself.

ST MARY’S CHURCH, WATTON

HOBBIES EXHIBITION at the

QUEEN’S HALL WATTON Sunday 12th June 10am to 4.30pm

Featuring some new hobbies & exhibitors this year

Admission Adults £2 Children under 12 –50p

Family Ticket £5.00

Refreshments will be available 10.00—3.30pm and Lunches

between 12 noon and 2.00pm

Wells Cole Community Centre

on course for a brighter future

In his report to the Annual General Meeting of Wells Cole

Community Centre, the Chairman, John Glascock, reported that

much progress had been made over the past year and he

highlighted the changes and improvements that had been made to

help get the Centre back on a firm financial footing.

Mr Glascock also acknowledged the help and assistance received

from Saham Parish Council and individual councillors in

securing the new, more efficient heating system that had recently

been installed. Much of the cost of this had been met from two

extraordinarily kind donations of £1,000 and £20,000 from

people who wished to remain anonymous.

Mr Glascock also felt that relations with the Parish Council were

much better after the difficult times of last year

Progress has been made in the battle with the Centre‟s energy

suppliers over the accuracy of the meter, and

they have now acknowledged there was a

problem and Mr Glascock was hopeful that

some form of a refund of past monies paid

would be forthcoming.

Mr Glascock thanked Richard Akister for his

work in putting the accounts in good order and

it now looks that with the fundraising and

donations, together with changes in the

catering arrangements, and the new heating

system, the future for the Centre looks much

brighter than it did a year ago.

Relationship difficulties Bereavement Stress

Bullying/Abuse Addictions Depression

SANCTUARY COUNSELLING SERVICE WATTON

It’s good to talk! Counselling can help if you’re struggling to cope with:

Sanctuary offers a confidential low-cost counselling service with

professionally trained counsellors, who work on a short-term or long-term basis. Call us on 01953 880922 to arrange an appointment.

Appointments are available 6 – 9pm Tuesdays and 9.30am – 1pm Wednesdays. Sanctuary Counselling Service is part of River Ministries (Norfolk), registered charity number 1054419

Sacred Heart School Fete Sacred Heart School (Swaffham) will be

having a Garden Fete on 25th June from 12-

2pm. There will be Stalls, Table Top Sale,

Refreshments, Bouncy Castle and games. It

all takes place at the Sacred Heart School,

17 Mangate Street in Swaffham (just off the

High Street next to the George Hotel and

Gun Shop.) 01760 721330 Contact Karon

Dugdale.

West Norfolk Aviation Society The subject of May‟s meeting was the “Red

Arrows” narrated by Henry Prince who flew not

only with the Red Arrows but was part of the

earlier RAF aerobatic teams, the Pelicans and

Yellow Jacks.

Henry recounted his experiences to an

enraptured audience, whose enthusiasm and

questions were such that the meeting was

only reluctantly brought to a close much

later than usual.

The Red Arrows are internationally famous for

their airborne precision and formation

aerobatics, but Henry related much of the

background activities that the crowds rarely see.

A number of the pilots had had distinguished

flying careers prior to joining the team, Henry

recalling many of their remarkable experiences,

and what became of them in their subsequent

aviation careers.

Reference was also made to the dedication and

engineering excellence of the ground crews who

ensured that every aircraft was in superb

condition at all times. A most enjoyable evening.

The next meeting at Methwold Social Club on

Tuesday June 7th at 7.30pm will be an illustrated

talk by a long-time friend of the society, Julian

Horn, who will talk about a 44th Bomb Group

operation over Germany. Come along, you will

be made most welcome.

News The Wayland News Page 15

Toilets & Taps Repaired &

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General Leaks Repaired

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Attention All Gardeners!

Improve your soil, keep weeds down and keep moisture in with

Sterilized Mushroom Compost

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Watton area

01953 881969

MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN

A celebration of England and Englishness in poetry, readings

and music

On Friday 1st July at 6.30pm St. Mary’s Church, Watton

Tickets £5 to include refreshments Available from the

Church Office 01953 881252 or Adcock’s Shop, High Street, Watton

In the last two months there have

been articles in The Wayland

News about the Watton Festival

which is to be held in October

this year. The first of these gave a

broad outline of the programme

and the second gave more

information about the events to

be held in the first part of Festival

week. These were The Good Old

Days, Junior Startime , the two

films, The Jungle Book and

Passport to Pimlico and a show

called “The Glamorous Charm of

Ivor Novello”. The articles can be

read on our Website:- http://

myweb.tiscali.co.uk/wattonarts or

simply google “Watton Festival“.

Anyone interested in performing

in the Good Old Days should

contact Wendy Collins on 01953

884649 . More information will

soon be available about the talent

show, Junior Startime. Queries

please to Jenny Mann on 01953

881954.

Professor Jingles will be

entertaining a younger audience

with his Punch & Judy and Magic

Show on Tuesday morning. Brian

Clarke has been entertaining

children for over 50 years. He is a

professional puppet maker and is

Chairman of The Punch & Judy

Fellowship. He has been invited

to attend the Festival again

because he is simply the best.

There is no doubt that he has a

gift of knowing what entertains

and amuses children. His Website

is:- www.bryanclarke.co.uk.

On Tuesday evening we have “ A

Tribute to Flanders and Swann”

by Gordon Peters. Gordon has

appeared on BBC TV with his

own show and also on Dad‟s

Army and One Foot in the Grave

and is certain to provide us with

an excellent show. Flanders and

Swann were an unusual act in the

1950‟s and although they didn‟t

consider themselves to be

comedians, Flanders certainly

wrote and sang comic songs

whilst Swann accompanied him

on the piano. Their material was

translated into many languages

and they were enthusiastically

received everywhere particularly

when singing about things British

such as the weather, trains,

workmen and snobbery. Gordon

and his accompanist, David

Carter, re-live the old days,

adding their own inimitable

interpretation of the songs whilst

not forgetting to add a few

amusing anecdotes. One report

says that audiences are left with a

warm feeling of affection and

nostalgia. This should fit the bill

for the Queens Hall! More about

Gordon can be found on

www.gordonpeters.co.uk

Our performers on Wednesday

night will be Cockney Pride. This

group were spotted by members

of the Committee whilst

attending a seaside Conference

and were keen to recommend

them to provide an evening of

fun. They appear all dressed in

Pearly Buttons and have gained

an enthusiastic following

reminding us of the old faithful

London songs such as Lambeth

Walk, I‟m Forever Blowing

Bubbles, Down at the old Bull

and Bush and Maybe it‟s because

I‟m a Londoner. The Pearly

Queen also sings songs from the

popular London shows and the

Band Leader, John Knowles, will

entertain us with The Day the Old

Dun Cow Caught Fire, Sister

Susie and other ditties. Chas and

Dave are brought to mind with

the programme which is designed

to provide a “right good laugh”.

In addition to the singing there is

an accomplished band playing

piano, guitar, sax, clarinet and

drums. Cockney Pride- What you

see is what you get - Real Music!

Their Website is:-

www.cockneypride.co.uk.

Each Festival we seem to have a

one-woman show and this year

will be no exception. On

Thursday evening we have “My

Darling Clemmie” by Rohan

McCullough. This is a

remarkable, moving and highly

entertaining story of a woman

who married one of the truly

great figures of the 20th Century,

Sir Winston Churchill. There

have been rave reviews in the

national press both for the

production and for Rohan‟s

performance. She is referred to in

The Scotsman as “A fantastically

talented and moving actress.”

More can be read about Rohan on

www.indigoentertainments.co.uk.

Next month there will be a report

about our very special Friday

night entertainers, Pluck.,

followed by a reminder about the

finale for the Festival , Chris

Smith and The String of Pearls

Orchestra.

In the next month or so there will

be more information re The Good

Old Days , entries for Junior

Startime, the

Library, Caston Camera Club and

Wayland Partnership events and

the Festival Art Project-The Big

Picture .

If you have any suggestions,

criticisms, advice, views or

whatever concerning the Festival

activities the Committee would

like to hear from you. Please

contact any of the following:-

Chairman & Secretary: John &

Judy Kerr 01953 882613; Vice

Chairman: Brenda Davis 01953

881792; Treasurer & Friends‟

Secretary: Derek Smith 01953

884044; Derek I Smith

Watton Festival 21st to 29th

October latest update

Organisers: Mrs Helen Crane

01362 821440 and

Mrs Anita Taylor 01953 881110

The Home Section at the Wayland

Show consists of competitions for

craft and cookery. This year we have

included a class for photography. We

really need your entries! Craft entries

can be left at Saham Toney Post

Office or the Village Florist, High

Street, Watton before the Show.

Further details and entry forms can

be collected from the above or

available on the website:

www.waylandshow.com

Cookery Categories as follows: 7”

Victoria Sandwich; 4 Cheese Scones;

Ginger Sponge; 1lb jar of Raspberry

Jam.

The Crumbs Plate will be awarded to

the entry judged to be the overall

winner in the Cookery Category. All

cookery classes must follow the

recipes provided on the entry form.

Craft Categories: Any patchwork or

quilting item; Anything handmade

e.g. wood, glass, scrap booking, card,

jewellery etc.;

Any photograph depicting a

“Country View” 6” x 4”

The Wayland Stitching For Pleasure

Rose Bowl will be awarded to the

entry judged to be the overall winner

of the Craft Category.

Children‟s Cookery Category: 4 Iced

Buns – ice and decorate to your own

choice

Children‟s Craft Category: A collage

made from any materials depicting

farm animals. Collage to be any size.

All entries in the cooking section

must follow the recipes provided and

are available on the entry form. Entry

forms available from The Village

Florist, High Street, Watton and from

Saham Toney Post Office. Forms can

also be downloaded from

www.waylandshow.com.

Charity Category – Project Linus –

(Free entry)

Could you make a quilt or blanket

which we will donate to use in

hospitals and many other good

causes? Entries will be displayed and

the entry judged to be the best will be

awarded the Winners Shield. Further

details for the Project Linus are

available from Lyn Lake 01953

883285.

Wayland Show Home Section

The front page headline and picture

in last month‟s Wayland News

featured the Young Stars School of

Dance (Carbrooke) and their plea for

donations to help them achieve an

ambition to perform on a West End

stage. Their principal, Lauren Purton,

had already approached us and we

were pleased to make a donation of

£320 to pay for the coach to London.

The group impressed us with the

detail they put in their application to

us and the fact that they were very

active with fundraising events for

themselves – an object lesson and

example to others seeking financial

support for whatever purpose.

With just a month to go to the end of

the Rotary International Year (all

change, worldwide, on 1st July!) the

Watton Rotary Club has a hectic

schedule to complete the current

session. Following on from our

Annual General Meeting in May we

had „Assembly‟ – this is a meeting of

the Club where plans and aspirations

for the forthcoming Rotary year are

presented by its leaders in the

various specialisations, and

discussed for approval by members.

The Assistant Governor for our area,

Denis Bishop (who happens to be a

member of the Swaffham Rotary

Club), attended the Assembly and

commented on our programme.

Before the end of the month we have

3 important events: Firstly, the

annual vocational awards evening,

where we present cups to both a

group and an individual we consider

to have been especially noteworthy

in the recent life of our community.

Then we invite students of the

Design and Technology department

at Wayland Community High

School, who have been judged as

having the most innovative ideas and

producing the best work, to receive

their awards and show off their

products. Our third activity in this

final month will be the Watton

Carnival. On Sunday June 12th we

will be in the High Street with our

now traditional fundraiser bottle

stall, and, hopefully we will again

have a demonstration Shelter Box on

display. Reports and pictures next

month! Martin Anscombe

Watton Rotary Roundup

Wayland Happy Circle News

As usual there was a good turn-out of members for our meeting on 3rd May,

and we were given an interesting insight into how our Medical Practice works

by the Practice Manager, Mary Osborne.

A few grievances were aired but most people seemed happy with Mary‟s

explanation of how things worked.

All members who wished to go on our outing in June paid their dues we just

hope for a fine day for our visit to Wroxham and Horning.

Three member received cards for their May birthdays and a letter was read out

from the Evening WI inviting members to join an outing to Wells Next the Sea

in July. Jean Dixon, Secretary.

News The Wayland News Page 16

Holme Hale Pavilion Car Boot

Sunday 12th June Cars £5.00 Vans £8.00 Hot/cold Refreshments

Book or turn up on the day 01760 440 525

Sid’s Bit o Squit

I wornt a gorne tu rite northin abowt wot ole Horry

call “this hare blumin ole „lecshun,” but thet fare as

yow carnt help it. Thas bin in orl tha oul pearpers,

an on tha tellerwishun. We dint hevta bother much

in Ovington, cos we dint hev enuff fules put thar

nearm forrard, so ware stuck wi tha searme ole

cowncil.

Horry he say “Sid bor, wen yow ha‟ wintered and

summered as meny „lecshun‟s as I hev, yowl find

them thar peepal wot put up are orl alike, (tho sum

are batter than othas)”

I menta tell yow afore, oul Horry ha‟ gotta nu set o‟

teeth, he gotta deel wi‟ tha boy Stephen alonga tha

searle yard. Tha toppuns kip a droppin owt, but he

tork suffin posh now.

Rekkun thas time we hadda bit o‟ rearn, blarst thas

suffin dry, tha ole „lotmint mawthas ha bin a

traypsin up an down tha rood wi loods a worta ta git

thar oul teartas a growin. Tha musta dun suffin rite

cos nun o‟ thar teartas cort tha frorst, Horry‟s an

mine got hooly frooze.

I rekunned my arlies wooda bin orrite cos I hossed

sum thet owl flice oova „em, thet dint wark cos tha

wos wust frooze than tha learts, wot wus jist

cummin thru. I shall hatta hev a wud wi‟ tha owl

boys owta Joolns, cos tha towd me that wus jist tha

stuff ter kip the frorst orf.

Cos Norridje City hev meard it inta tha Premya leeg

tha year, we‟re orl bin an got sum grin an yella

scarves fer tha cummin seesun. Cos we ent a warin

on „em yit cos thas bin hotterun hell tha larst wik or

tew. Horry put sum bloons alonga his geart, but tha

owl boys sune bust them as tha rid parst, Horry he

say “Tha hent got no patrisum these dazes, wooda gi

em a ding a tha lug in my day” „Cordin to Horry

evrathin wos diffrunt in his day, cor I‟m glad I

wornt arownd then cos my lugs woodn hev stopped

ringin I reckun, I warnt bad yew unnerstand, but as

Horry say, yew gotta ding o tha lug fer jist bein in

tha willage.

I hare we gotta a new clark fer tha cownsil, nubbdy

hent sin har yit but by orlacownts she hent harf

goonta chearnje tha way tha owl cownsil wark.

Tha owl boys wos bin on thar yars wonta bitta

chearsin up thas fer sure. Jist hoop tha doont put up

the rearts to pay fer all har wuk.

Hatter larf at the gret ole balloon tyed ter the backer

tha car arta tha Royal Weddin thother week.

That say; “Newley Weds, Chearnjer Beds” Yer

gotta hev a larf. And dew yew keep a troshin.

Boy Sid

Appointments: We still have patients who tell us they

are confused by our appointment system. The system

that we use at Watton is the same as many other

practices throughout England and works well if it is

used correctly.

We are contracted by the NHS to offer both advance

bookings and same day appointments so we are duty

bound to offer a mixture of the two.

Forward booking - The nursing team have

appointments that can be booked up to 8 weeks in

advance. The doctors have appointments that can be

booked up to 3 weeks in advance.

Same day appointments - These are appointments that

will be allocated to a group of clinicians, both doctors

and nurses, and consist of normal consultations,

telephone calls and emergency/urgent access. It is not

possible to specify a doctor of choice for same day

appointments; you will be seen based on your clinical

need by either a doctor or the Nurse Practitioner.

It is also worth reminding our patients that the

receptionists are instructed by the doctors themselves,

to ask our patients for a small indication of the reason

for their appointment. This is NOT a receptionist

initiative. This information assists the doctors to

prioritise patients by clinical and urgent need.

Missed Appointments: We are still experiencing a

high number of appointments that are booked and then

not attended. This amounts to more than 8 hours every

week, mainly from patients who book in advance and

then do not bother to let us know that they no longer

need the appointments. The message needs to be clear -

use it or lose it! This problem has increased over the

past 12 months and coincides with us enabling our

patients to book further in advance. If this level of

nonattendance continues, we will be forced to reduce

the advanced booking options.

Please remember to contact us if you are not able to

attend for a booked appointment.

Computer System: This is early warning that we will

be installing a new computer system on 1st August.

Although we have detailed transition plans, we are

expecting some disruption to normal services during

the week that we switch over. Please watch the practice

notice boards and in-house information over the next 3

months

In March, we said goodbye to Stevie Hesse, our Nurse

Practitioner.

We are actively recruiting a new Nurse Practitioner.

An experienced Nurse practitioner is a real asset to any

practice and is able to assist our patients who present

with minor illnesses or with minor injuries. They can

handle emergencies as well as being part of our Same

Day Team.

Helping out with visits during busy periods is our

Paramedic John Daly. John visits patients at the

direction of the GP‟s

Dental Advice: Doctors do not provide dental services

at the surgery. If you require information about dental

services or have a dental problem, please contact the

Community Dental Team in Norwich 01603 776834

who will be able to assist you with any questions or

queries that you may have. For dental emergencies

contact the NHS Dental Help line on 0845 063 1188

To find a dentist in your area visit the dental map

online: www.norfolk.nhs.uk/dental-map

Non NHS Work: Not everything that we are able to

do is part of the NHS and we always have to be clear

as to what activity is part of our service.

Every day we are asked to complete forms for

insurance, mortgage applications, travel, driving

licenses, heavy good vehicles and taxi medicals, armed

forces applications or similar requests. In addition, not

every type of medication is able to be prescribed

without an administrative fee being applied by the

practice. Examples of this are some travel prescriptions

or personal male type prescriptions for some of our

male patients. There is a charge applied to all non NHS

work, which our receptionists can inform you of, and

we ask our patients to allow 4 - 6 weeks for the return

of non NHS work.

Some travel vaccinations are not available via the NHS

and therefore a charge will be made for the cost of the

vaccine and also to cover the cost or the consultation

with the nurse

Watton Medical Practice News

Spring detectives A new series of nature booklets could bring out

the nature detective in you!

Produced by Breckland Council‟s Pride in

Breckland Project in partnership with the Wensum

Valley Trust, each of the five Spring Detective

booklets features an enjoyable walk based around

one of the district‟s market towns. The booklets

give clues about how to detect the signs of spring

and include a tick list of plants and animals to spot

on the way.

First in the series, the Attleborough Spring

Detective booklet was launched at the end of April

and was closely followed by Swaffham in mid-

May.

Pride in Breckland Co-ordinator Richard Wills

said: “Residents will have the opportunity to take

part in a guided walk of the Spring Detective

routes and our experts will show participants what

to look out for”.

Roy Church, Chair of Trustees at Wensum Valley

Trust said: “We are thrilled to help deliver this

project alongside Breckland Council and hope

everyone enjoys using the booklets. Breckland is

such a unique and special place with more than a

quarter of the UK‟s rare species residing here,

from the smallest of gnats to birds, plants and

mammals. Best of all, it‟s all on our doorstep

waiting to be enjoyed!”

The Spring Detectives booklets for Dereham will

be launched on 4th June (Neatherd Moor), and

Watton‟s on 25th June at Wayland Wood. Both

events will take place between 10am – 2pm.

For further information about the booklets contact

Richard Wills on 01362 656870.

News The Wayland News Page 17

ROGER TURNER 07759 948 830 01953 881 382

DY-FIT FOR LIFE EXERCISE TO MUSIC CLASSES

Watton Sports Centre, Dereham Road. All the sessions are designed to promote stamina,

strength and flexibility whilst taking into account

the fitness level and ability of participants.

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

Nifty Fifties Fridays 11am A challenging workout for

"recycled teenagers"**

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

Problems such as arthritis and joint replacement are taken

into account.

Please note there will be no classes during the half term

holday Monday 30th May to Friday 3rd June inclusive.

** Please bring a mat for floorwork

For further details, please contact

Diane Cuthbert

01953 850275 RSA/YMCA Qualified Teacher

Classes held during term-time

DEREHAM & DISTRICT

CAT ADOPTION CENTRE

Hoe Road, Longham, Dereham NR19 2RP

Rehoming Cats and Providing Advice & Help With Neutering

OPEN 7 Days a Week 11am to 3pm

Telephone . . .

01362 687 919

SSAFA Stuff I am writing this surrounded by the detritus of

National Collection Day flags, collection boxes,

wristbands etc. Saturday 14 May dawned fair

and dry and those treasured, valued and

charismatic volunteers I was telling you about

last month heaved themselves from the warmth

of their beds to „man‟ and „woman‟ the stall in

Chaston Place.

Our presence slightly upset the Big Issue seller

who thought his licence gave him all rights to

that spot but we soon put him straight! and had a

wonderful morning talking to lots of lovely

people who donated, most generously, their

money and their kind thoughts. Ken‟s Nail Game

produced some winners and lots of laughter and

Shirley and Bette sold goodies. Bonnie patted

men‟s chests with stickers and Derek tried the

same trick with the women but failed! We raised

£132, a bit less than last year but a Big Thank

You to you all for donating and stopping to chat

especially as the weather was a bit cool. Thank

you also to Bev at RSPCA shop for the very

generous offer of window space and to Edwards

Newsagents for the same. It‟s the little things

that count – thank you.

SUMMER CONCERT

Our tried and tested volunteers never rest and

have been liaising with the wonderful Mid

Norfolk Singers to produce a concert. So the date

for your diary is Saturday 25 June, St Peter and

St Paul Church Carbrooke at 7.30pm.

Refreshments and toilets courtesy of Carbrooke

Village Hall. Tickets are £6 Adults, £4 under 15s

and available on the door or through the number

below. It‟s going to be good so book early!

Now to be glum for a moment, I couldn‟t help

but notice that another Funeral Director has

moved into town!! So this seems like a good

time to remind you that if and when you are

making out your Will – and you know you

should – may we ask you to remember at least

one charity with a bequest and could that charity

be SSAFA Norfok? Please ring for details on

how to make a bequest or Legacy.

Finally, our Chairman Lt Cdr Stuart Fidler aged

67 ½ and SSAFA Ted (uncertain age) executed a

tandem parachute jump from 13,000 feet at

Beccles Airfield on Sunday 8 May – alongside 8

nurses – funny ole thing!!! Between them they

were hoping to raise over £3,000 for SSAFA

Norfolk. So you see, you‟re never too old – or

too daft! Well done Stuart!

See you at the concert and remember if you need

assistance or you would like to volunteer just

ring 01 603 403322 or

Email Norfolk@ssafa.org.uk

Those Pictures Thanks to Jean Brock (nee Thompson) and Terry Flint we now have the following

names on these pictures – and a date correction as well. Terry tells me that which

was tagged as the 1950 County Shield Winners was in fact the 1946 team.

1946 County Shield Winners

Back row boys: ?, Frank

Ward, Terry Flint, Frank

Freestone, Brian Smith, ? , ?.

Middle row girls: Dolly

Peachment, ?, ?, Jocelyn

Goddard, ?

Sitting extreme right Terry

Goddard

Form 3 1947

Back Row: ?, Cecil Hyde, Frank Freestone, George Bunn, Peter Rivett

Next Row: ?, Mr Crook, Terry Flint, ?, ?, Brian South, Brian Legget, ?, ?, Jimmy

Carter

Girls on chairs: Peggy

Legget, Rosemary

Woods, Jean Matthews,

Sylvia Coleman, Florrie

Barrett, Joyce Hood,

JeanThompson

Girls seated: Iris Miller,

Valerie Thompson, ?,

Myrtle Edwards, Brenda

Rose, Maureen Palmer,

Lilly Sandcraft.

By Eric King

In the mid 1930‟s the Government

announced an airfield was going to

be built at Carbrooke under the

RAF Expansion Scheme. This was

very good news as there was mass

unemployment after the 1929 Wall

Street crash.

I had five brothers all unemployed,

father was also unemployed. His

pay was £1.00 but this was a

voucher, no cash. All single men

got 6 shillings 72 pence per week.

When it was realised, the farmers

had been giving notice to vacate

the premises and the crops were

deteriorating in the fields, there

were plenty of men looking for

work. The road which is now the

B1088, was not very busy then,

mainly bicycles, horse and carts,

very few cars. You could see the

horse and carts tied up outside the

Carbrooke White Horse Pub,

which stood somewhere near what

is now the Flying Fish.

It wasn‟t long before Fordson

tractors appeared, pulling out the

hedges, uprooting trees, filling in

the ditches and ponds.

They pulled what was known as a

scoop, which levelled the high

spots and collected soil to put in

the ditches.

Foundations were being dug and

buildings started to appear. The

steel for the hangars was delivered

to Watton Railway Station. From

the Station it was taken to where it

was needed by Fordson Industrial

Tractors. The road tractors could

not leave the road so Allis

Chalmers tractors on tracks, which

I believe were supplied by

Cowllishaw of Methwold had to

take the loaded trailers to the

hangars.

The sand and shingle had to be

brought to the airfield from

Lenwade and this was transported

by a firm called G.A.E.C. Howard

from Bedford. Their lorries were

S.W.B. Bedfords each carrying 5

cu yds painted blue with red and

gold lettering.

There were several lorries, all

driven by local men, and I will

name some of the drivers, the

Messrs: Jack Barker, Reggie Blyth,

George King, Charlie King,

Graham Barber, Arthur Rix, Tom

Smith, Tich Quadling, Sonny

Easton and one driver, unemployed

at Lincoln was Bert Lovell who is

still alive today as I write this. He

is 94. I think I am right in saying

all the other drivers mentioned are

deceased. Reggie Blyth drove the

LWB Bedford of 9 cu yds.

Every evening he would take me to

Norwich Power Station and get 9

cu yds of ashes for use somewhere

on the airfield.

He always came home by Colman

Road and have a pint at the

Romany Rye Pub.

The Drome Garage was built for

Howards for the maintenance and

repair of the lorries, the man in

charge of that was George King of

Hingham.

On the day war was declared,

Reggie and I went to the Power

Station for a load of ashes.

The airfield boundary hedges were

taken out and the hedge opposite,

the ashes were spread over the soil

and the Blenheims were dispersed

under the trees on the farmers‟

fields. This was on the road what

was then Griston Road from the

corner shop. As the airfield was

nearing completion the lorries were

moving to Kirton in Lindsey and

Swinderby in Lincolnshire. A very

good friend of mine got a job

driving in Lincolnshire, his lorry

overturned and he was killed. He

was Fred Graves aged 26.

Eric King

The Building of RAF Watton

Did you know Archie or Kathleen Thompson?

I am trying to make contact with relatives of my uncle Archie

Thompson who was killed in Normandy in 1944. He married Miss

Kathleen Spencer in Watton in 1941 and they had a child. Kathleen

lived in Brandon road or Stokes Avenue and her dad Bob, worked at

Stebbings Butchers.

Kathleen also had a sister Molly and a brother George. She might have

later moved to Hingham and may also have remarried. It is very

important that I contact the family. Please call Susan on 0787 625 4171

or contact Julian Horn at Adcocks.

The ever changing population of Watton Memories from Yvonne Harrold

Looking back at my long association

with Watton, since 1932, I wonder

how many people realise that

welcoming strangers to the town is

nothing new. In my own memory of

the war years, having a new RAF

station at the edge of town and others

surrounding us within a 5-7 mile

radius, there was a great influx of

young men and women from not only

Great Britain but France, Poland,

Canada, Australia and then North

America who frequented the town in

their off duty.

We had 'spare rooms' in our house and

always accommodated RAF personnel

families as did many others in the

town. I believe I am right that you were

not only 'asked' to do so, you were

required to make rooms available. My

aunt, who brought me up, initially

accommodated relatives who had been

„bombed out‟ of London, then RAF, so

we always had a full house. Later,

when walking her dog, she used to talk

to young American lads she found in

Church Walk sitting on the seats. If

they seemed very homesick back they

came for a cup of tea! That led to

regular visits. She also helped at the

RAF/USAAF Station under the

umbrella of the Red Cross mending

uniforms, sewing on stripes etc. and

she was not alone in doing this. Again

we forged more friendships. After the

war ended some Dutch children, who

had been on the brink of starvation,

were brought to England for

recuperation. After two months in

some camp a group of 20 - 30 girls and

boys and two teachers who could

speak English came to Watton and

were boarded out with families. We

had two girls, Erna and Gerda, for two

months and through Erna I had my first

holiday abroad the next year when we

stayed with her family in Rotterdam. I

still have connections with Ema. I

wonder if any other Watton families

remember this event?

Later, of course, we have had the 'Boat

People'. How sad that was. Whole

families rescued from the sea. Then

newcomers from Essex and London

settled here. Now it is Polish,

Lithuanian and Portuguese friends.

If you want to see how Watton's

population has changed you only

have to visit the Doctors' surgery

and mentally try to pronounce the

diversity of names coming up,

doctors as well as patients. Or visit

our schools. I wonder if the

inhabitants of Watton in 1937

would believe how the town could

become so cosmopolitan when their

highlights were probably a trip

away on the train to London or by

bus to Norwich and 'foreigners'

were unknown.

Church Times and News The Wayland News Page 18

Watton Churches Together Service Calendar for June St. Mary’s Church, Watton

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

2nd Wednesday Morning Worship

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

Tel: 01953 881252 margaret@churchadm.freeserve.co.uk

www.stmaryswatton.org

Thur 2nd Ascension Day

7.30pm Group Service of Holy Communion

Sun 5th 8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Holy Communion

7.00pm Informal Worship

Sun 12th 8.00am Holy Communion

11.00am Carnival Service in Watton High Street

Sun 19th 8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Holy Communion

7.00pm Informal Worship

Sun 26th 8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am All Age Worship

12 noon Holy Baptism

6.30pm Praise & Worship with Shine

Watton Methodist Church

Every Wednesday the Church is open for quiet reflection and

prayer between 10.00am & 12.00noon

It’s your quiet place. At 10.30 there is a half-hour Midweek

Service in the Large Vestry led by the Minister or a Church

Member. www.wattonmethodist.btck.co.uk

Sun 5th 10.45am Rev‟d B Winner including Baptism

6.30pm Mr A Warby

Sun 12th 11.00am Carnival Service in the High Street

6.30pm Rev‟d B Winner Songs of Praise

for the Flower Festival

Sun 19th 10.45am Mrs J Roebuck

6.30pm Rev‟d B Winner Holy Communion

Sun 26th 10.45am Mrs S Mason

6.30pm M & P Cook

Roman Catholic Community

Each Sat 5.30pm Mass at Watton Methodist Church

Pentecostal Church, Dereham Road, Watton

Children have their own prog. during the Sunday morning services

Sun 5th 10.30am „How can I be sure I will go to heaven?‟

Sun 12th 10.30am „Miracles - Does God heal today?‟

Sun 19th 10.30am „Why do Christians tell others?‟

Sun 26th 10.30am „What is my testimony?‟

7.30pm Joint home groups testimony and games night

St. Nicholas’ Church, Ashill

Tuesdays at 10.00am Said Holy Communion

Sun 5th 9.30am Lay Led Morning Worship

Sun 12th 9.30am Morning Worship

Sun 19th 9.30am All Age Worship

12.30pm Holy Baptism

Sun 26th 9.30am Holy Communion

11.30am Holy Baptism

St. George’s Church, Saham Toney

Sun 5th 10.30am Benefice Service of Holy Communion

12.30pm Holy Baptism

Sun 12th 11.00am Morning Worship

Sun 19th 11.00am All Age Worship

Sun 26th 11.00am Holy Communion

S.S. Peter & Paul’s Church, Carbrooke

Sun 12th 10.30am Holy Communion

Sun 19th 10.30am All Age Worship

Sun 26th 10.30am Morning Worship

St John the Evangelist Church, Ovington

Fridays at 9.00am Said Holy Communion

Sun 12th 9.30am Holy Communion

Breckles, Caston, Great Hockham,

Griston, Merton, Stow Bedon,

Thompson

Worship Calendar for June

Thursday 2nd Feast of the Ascension

7:00 pm United Holy Communion Griston

Sun 5th Seventh Sunday of Easter

10:30 am United Holy Communion Thompson

Saturday 11th 10-Noon Messy Church Thompson

School Hall For children aged four to eleven and their families

Sun 12th Pentecost Sunday

9:00 am Matins (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Breckles

Sun 19th Trinity Sunday

9:00 am Matins (BCP) Gt. Hockham

10:30 am United Holy Communion Caston

26th June—First Sunday after Trinity

9:00 am Holy Communion (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Gt. Hockham

3rd July—Second Sunday after Trinity

10:30 am United Holy Communion Griston

Wednesday Pram Services For parents or carers with children aged 0-5

‘The WAY’ Youth Group (ages 11+)

Sundays 8th and 22nd May, 7-8:00 pm, Rectory

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

Email: revbobnichols@gmail.com

All Saints Church, Threxton Sunday 5th June 10am

Love Letter Thought for the Month

by Rev. Barbara Winner Methodist Church

As I wasn‟t going to see my grandchildren at Easter I sent them

all a card. I am told that three year old Max went to pick up the

post as he usually does and became very excited on seeing HIS

name! „Mummy, mummy – look it says Max.‟

In this day and age I guess we rely more and more on technology

to send messages with texts, emails and face book to name just a

few. Yet there is still something rather lovely about seeing the

postman or woman bringing a handwritten letter or card to us –

with our name on it. There is something more personal about it

and we know it is for our eyes only!

I wonder how many of us still have love letters tied up with ribbon in

the loft? It‟s not going to be so easy to keep texts and tweets!

The Bible has been described as a love letter from God to us. It

may not have your name written on it but it does tell us that God

knows us by name and loves us. If you are wishing you had a

letter of love to read get hold of a Bible and start with the New

Testament. Or why not come along to one of the Church‟s in

town and hear it read aloud during one of the regular services.

Churches Together in Watton will be doing just that and other

things too in the town centre at the start of the Carnival on

Sunday 12th. June 11am. Hope to see you there!

SUNDAY AFTERNOON TEAS Hosted by St. Mary’s Church in June Sunday 19th June at Watton Christian Community Centre from 2.30pm until 4pm Brighten up a Sunday afternoon by joining us, a warm welcome awaits you and your friends.

WATTON BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP

Wed 1st June 2pm Meeting at Watton CCC Mon 20th June 12 for 12.30pm Lunch at Grison Wagon & Horses

CHARITY STALLS IN AID OF UGANDAN ORPHANS

SATURDAY 16TH JULY, 2011 St. Mary's Church Hall, Attleborough 10 - 11.30am

Free Admission

Stalls to include Bric-a-brac, Raffle, Books, Tombola, cakes and Ugandan Jewellery and crafts. Please contact The Websters on 01953 453 110 for more information

Flower Festival - Watton Methodist Church

Watton Methodist Church will be hosting their annual flower

festival on Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June,

from 10 a.m. each day. Refreshments, tea/coffee and light

lunches will be available on Friday and Saturday, with afternoon

tea on the Sunday, in the adjacent Watton Community Centre. As

you are probably aware various local groups participate in the

Flower Festival as well as the church itself, so please come along

and see the wonderful displays. You are also very welcome to the

celebratory Service to conclude the event at 6.30 p.m. on the

Sunday evening.

Messy Church at Great Hockham

Good Friday morning at Great Hockham Church saw our second

Messy Church. There was a fantastic turnout of 50, with parents,

grandparents and children participating in lots of Easter themed

activities. Everyone was able to do an egg hunt and make an

Easter garden, Easter cards, egg cups, sand crosses and chocolate

nests. A short service followed and then yummy hot cross buns!!

We would love to see new faces and old for our next Messy

Church on Saturday 11th June at Thompson School from 10am

where the theme will be Pentecost with lots of new fun activities,

a short service and scrumptious refreshments.

Queens Hall Carpet Bowls Club

The club now holds a session from 1.30pm till 4pm on

Wednesdays. Why not come along and join us, you would be

most welcome. We are a very friendly and sociable club and I am

sure you would enjoy yourself. For an annual subscription of

£5.00 and a weekly charge of £1.50 (Free tea and Biscuits

included) come and spend a pleasant time. Ring Brenda Harnett

on 01953-884791 for further information.

Sports News The Wayland News Page 19

THE WAYLAND NEWS Page space is allocated strictly on a first come, first served basis. Deadline is

12Noon on 16th of the month preceding publication and is 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

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 julian@waylandnews.com

Views expressed in articles in The Wayland News are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers or printers. While every care and effort has been taken to ensure accuracy,

the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.

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

Sharman & Company Ltd, Newark Road

Peterborough PE1 5TD. Phone: 01733 424 949

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

wont work now?

For all manner of computer repairs and support

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

Richmond Park Golf Club Ladies Section

Throughout the long, cold winter months

the Ladies of Richmond Park played their

Winter Eclectic Competition and the final

results were as follows:

Division 1 Winner - Mrs Julie Ellis 61.62

pts. Division 2 Winner - Mrs Chris Whyatt

69 pts. Division 3 Winner - Mrs Eileen

Chard 72.5 pts.

By contrast, in wonderful Spring sunshine,

on Wednesday 4th May, the ladies played

a "Game of Two Halves". The front 9 was

played in the Strokeplay format and the

back 9 in the Stableford format and the

result was as follows:

1st Mrs Lesley Davis 17;

2nd Mrs Jeanette Fowler 22 (countback)

May Medal:

1st Mrs Janice Bone 91-16 = 75;

2nd Mrs Barbara Coverdale 97-20 = 77;

3rd Mrs Ann Achilles 97- 20 = 77

Division 2 Results

1st Mrs Carol Marshall 105-33 = 72;

2nd Mrs Mabel Curtis 106-30 = 76;

3rd Mrs Diane Pitman 101-24 = 77

Division 3 Results

1st Mrs Eileen Chard 111-36 = 75

In blustery conditions, on Monday 16th

May, Lady Captain Ann Achilles invited

the ladies of Richmond Park Golf Club to

attend her Captain's Day competition. The

fun format was a 1-2-3 "Waltz" and 12

teams of 3 ladies took park. The Lady

Captain presented each of the players with

a ball and a ball marker as a memento

before they went out to play, and served

them a delicious, and much appreciated,

halfway house of various goodies after the

first 9 holes.

After the golf the ladies changed into their

party dresses and enjoyed a delicious

buffet lunch provided by Ben the chef, and

his hard working team.

After lunch the winners of the

competition, Mrs. Maureen Flack, Mrs.

Barbara Coverdale and Mrs. Chris

Whyatt, who scored a magnificent 83

points, were presented with their prizes by

the Lady Captain, who very generously

presented prizes to all other teams who

took part as well. The ladies all agreed that

it had been a most enjoyable, fun-filled

day and thanked Captain Ann by

presenting her with a bouquet of flowers.

Pictured: Maureen Flack, Barbara Coverdale, Mrs. Ann Achilles and Mrs. Chris Whyatt at the prize presentation lunch

Richmond Park Senior’s Richmond Golf Club Seniors‟ Section have held five competitions in the last month with

the following results:-

12th April Monthly Medal 1st Trevor Bunce net 71; 2nd Roger Lubbock net 74; 3rd

Roy Dolman net 75. 21st April The Spring Meeting (Forgans Trophy) 1st Scott Robison

42 Points; 2nd Bill Evans; 40 Points; 3rd Brian Rees 35 Points

28th April Anniversary Shield Part 1 1st Trevor Bunce 39 Points; 2nd Ray Sharpe 36

Points; 3rd David Wakeford; 35 Points

10th May Team Stableford 1st John Weaver, Colin Mantom, Colin Lewington & Colin

Stammers. (Probably very confusing for John with all those Colins !)

12th May SSAFA Charity Competition Age 70+ Roger Lubbock 42 Points; Under 70

Dave Palmer 38 Points

The SSAFA (Soldiers‟, Sailors‟ and Airmen‟s Families Association) Charity will receive

£165 from the contributions made by the players and some none-playing members.

Calling all tennis fans

Did you realise that Watton

had a Tennis Club? We are a small, friendly Club and

have three courts at the Sports Centre.

We would love to welcome new

members of all standards to come &

join us. Whether you are looking to

play amongst yourselves or join in

our Social Club Evenings you are

equally welcome.

Once you have joined the Club you

are able to use the courts at any time

& our membership also includes use

of the Watton Sports Centre. Our fees

are very low & start at just £25 a year

for a Junior Under 16.

We have a Mixed Doubles Team that

play in The Norfolk & Suffolk

League during the Summer for those

that like a more competitive game.

So whether you are looking to just

play a spot of no pressure casual

tennis or if you like something a bit

more serious, why not come down &

join us? We have Social Tennis

Evenings on Tuesdays & Thursdays

where everyone mixes in with each

other so you are always able to „try

before you buy‟! For more details

please contact Frances Whiting on

01953 483329 or email

fwhiting2@gmail.com

AMC Nectars Gymnastics Club Attended

the Active Norfolk Village Games road

show at Ashill on Sunday 8th May.

On a fantastic warm sunny day our

gymnasts and guests performed 5 floor

routines, a vault routine and a low bar

display to a large and enthusiastic crowd.

We started with 3 group routines

involving or newest gymnasts to our

more advanced, showing things from

simple forward roils and cartwheels, to

free cartwheels (no hand) and round of

flicks and walk over. These were

followed by two solo routines one by

Samantha (Tich) Mylum showing a

women's completion floor routine

including dance and advanced tumbles

and summersaults. And another by Oam

Craige showing his skills of strength and

agility as the number 2 Norfolk and

eastern counties gymnast. Listening to

the crowd‟s gasps and applause for all

the gymnasts and their routines there was

a real buzz at the event.

After an invite to try gymnastics to the

assembled crowed the display was finished

with some bar display work which

included Ellah Smith casting to a

handstand on the bar. Then a final display

of vault work, showing things from

straddle over to more advanced moves like

hand springs and twists on and off the

vault, by Ashley Roeder, Samantha

Myfum, Uam Craigie, to name just a few,

and then our little Elian Smith thrilled the

crowed with a supported attempt at a

summersault off the vault.

We would like to thank all the gymnasts

who did such a fantastic job overcoming

some fears along the way as over 50% of

them had never performed in public, It

really makes everyone proud to see such

effort and commitment from you all.

Anne-Marrie Cooke Director of coaching

Gymnastics Display at Ashill

Watton Evening WI We would like to thank everyone who supported our Coffee Morning in

April; it was lovely spending time relaxing and chatting to so many

people.

Voting on the two resolutions being put to the WI National AGM in June

was the business part of this month‟s meeting. Urging the Government to

prevent the introduction of Megafarms in Britain and also to protect

public libraries from closure were both passed unanimously. Satisfied

that the serious part of the meeting was successfully concluded we then

let our hair down and set about enjoying social time and refreshments.

With so much laughter and friendly banter the evening just flew by and

Pat closed the meeting with a very appropriate reading.

Looking forward - June is our birthday month and we will be celebrating

by visiting the Seamere Gardens in Hingham. We will leave Thetford

Road Car Park at 5.30pm. For more information contact Pat on 01953

88222725 or Barbara on 01953 882595

In July Mike Wabe will be telling us about the life of a World War II

Bomb Aimer and our visit to Wells is also in July.

The Wayland News Page 20 News

New Chairman for Breckland Council At Breckland Council‟s Annual Meeting,

Nigel Wilkin was made Chairman of the

Council and presented with the chain of

office by outgoing Chairman Linda

Monument.

Nigel has represented the Necton ward on

the Authority since 1995, and currently

serves on the Development Control and

Licensing Committee.

He started his working life in the transport

industry and moved on to start his own

business 30 years ago selling nursery

equipment. Nigel has been married to

Colleen for 33 years and the couple have

two sons and one grand-daughter Gracie.

Commenting after his election, Cllr

Wilkin said, “Being elected now as

Council Chairman is a great privilege and

I will represent the district and its residents

to the best of my abilities. I look forward

to my year in office and undertaking my

many civic duties with huge pride. One of

my main aims for the coming year will be

to raise money for the charity I sponsor,

Quidenham Children‟s Hospice”

Cllr Robin Goreham, who represents

Dereham Central ward, was elected as

vice-chairman for 2011/12.

L-R Outgoing Chairman Linda

Monument, new Chairman Nigel Wilkin,

new Vice Chairman Robin Goreham

WAYLAND EVENTS DIARY If you would like to see your event included in this section then

please email details to julian@waylandnews.com ACC = Ashill Community Centre, Hale Road, Ashill Watton CCC = Watton Christian Community Centre Wells CCC = Wells Cole Community Centre, Saham

June

Sat 4th Caston Village Fete at Chase Farm, 2pm

Tue 7th. NWT A Guided Walk at New Buckenham Common 6.30pm

Sat 11th Messy Church @ Thompson School from 10am

Fri 10th }Watton Methodist Church Flower Festival

Sat 11th } From 10am Refreshments and Light Lunches Fri Sat

Sun 12th } Afternoon tea Sunday Celebratory Service 6.30pm

Sun 12th Watton Carnival

Sun 12th St Mary‟s Church Hobbies Exhibition at the Queens Hall

Wed 15th Images of Broadland - Watton Society 7.45pm Watton CCCC

Sat 18th Stow Bedon & Breckles Fete @ Stow Bedon Hall 2am to 5pm.

Fri 24th Concert for Macmillan at Houghton Barns See article

Sun 26th Open Church, St Peters Merton. Local History display

Tues 28th Inner Wheel Strawberry Tea at 30 Thetford Road, Watton

July

Sat 2nd Queens Hall Coffee Morning in aid of Stow Bedon Church

Sat 2nd 11am - 1pm. NWT Field trip to RSPB Lakenheath Fen.

Sat 2nd to 17th, Great Ellingham Teddy Bear Festival

August Sun 7th The Wayland Show - Brandon Road, Watton from 10am

See www.waylandshow.com for latest news and details

Written estimates always provided Memorials supplied

Personal supervision Pre-Paid Funeral Plans available

Arrangements may be discussed in the privacy of your own home

Tel: (01760) 440269 (24 hrs) Established 75 years

FUNERAL DIRECTORS SERVING WATTON & DISTRICT

W.C. LITTLEPROUD & SON of BRADENHAM

‘A genuine, family owned & run business

offering a caring, traditional & affordable service’

ART @ Stoke Ferry Church (PE33 9SF) Daily 10am to 5pm Free admission From Saturday 21st May to Sunday 5th June

Around 100 exciting new pictures by five local artists, in a broad range of media and subjects: something for all tastes.

Everyone Welcome. Contact Teresa Waller on 01366 501369

We had booked the dates for this event

many months ago, before the day of the

Royal Wedding was announced, with the

preview for invited guests planned for

Friday 29th April. Obviously we had to

make some judicious alterations to the

schedule for setting up so this event could

be held on Thursday 28th. We must thank

Liam Adams manager of the Co-operative

Food Store in Watton, for sponsoring this

and providing us generously with drinks

and finger foods to refresh our chosen

guests who have supported us throughout

the year. It was a most enjoyable evening

and made a good start.

As it was less than ten months since our

last Exhibition there were fewer large

items this year. The Exhibition

Committee and members worked hard to

publicise the event and forge ahead to

complete projects to exhibit, sell or donate.

We had an innovation this year in the form

of a Bag Draw instead of a raffle. 18

members made and

donated bags. This was

very popular and we sold

149 tickets at £1 a time.

During the week from

30th April to 7th May we

had 190 visitors.

All the money raised from

donations, the Bag Draw

and sales will be spent on

materials for our charities:

Project Linus, Heart

cushions for those who

have had surgery for

breast cancer and now

quilts for Injured Service personnel, the

latter the current Norfolk Quilters‟ Project.

All our overheads such as hire of the

Gallery, stationery, postage and so on were

covered by Hackers‟ subscriptions.

Without the generous public support we

receive none of the charity work could

continue. Plans are already being made for

Quilts5 2012. Meanwhile we will continue

to meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of

each month apart from August from 7 to 9

p.m in the Watton Christian Community

Centre in. For further details look at our

Blog on http://htsqgroup.blogspot.com or

contact Jane on 01953 884215 or

Sue on 01362 822536.

Quilts4 Hackers, Tackers and Stuffers