FREE - Issue Number 274 - November 2019 HELP YOURSELF TO A COPY THIS PAPER IS FREE!

Families Matter in Watton

Hello! My name is Marianne Starling and may I
say what a pleasure it is to be joining a
wonderful Church at the heart of a vibrant
community. I am extremely excited to begin
this new position in my home town and I look
forward to growing and developing the role
alongside the people that will be utilising it.
Huge thanks must go to all those who have
been hard at work behind the scenes
fundraising, organising and supporting this
new pioneering position for two whole years!
It is a real privilege to be part of something
that has grown up out of, and been so well
supported by the community which it will
now provide for too.
Our partnership with the Benjamin
Foundation and Town Council establishes the
'Watton Community Hub'. Providing a central
community space for all ages in the town.
The potential in this collaboration is
overflowing and has me feeling like a child in
the run up to Christmas, I could just go POP!
with excitement. Again, another venture
developed by the community and for the
community and is a real testament to the
power of people. What an exciting time for
Watton and a real blessing to be a part of it
all.
Very much looking forward to what we can
do together. ~ Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much ~ Helen Keller
Revd Gerry Foster, Vicar of Watton says
“Thank you to Everyone who continues to
support this post ‘for the community, by the
community’!”

years; we are a varied group of artists

Caston’s
Christmas Fayre
Our annual Christmas Fayre this year will be on
Saturday 23rd November in the Village Hall,
starting at 2:00pm until around 3:30pm. There
will be raffles, games and a Tombola, as well as
Cakes, Fancy Goods/Bric-a-brac all the traditional
Christmas Fayre contents. In addition, the
HAMPER DRAW will take place - a chance to
win a wicker picnic basket packed with many
items for Christmas. Why not come along and
have a go at winning one of the super prizes and
enjoy your first mince pie of the season?
Hingham and
Hardingham
Art Club
Hingham and Hardingham Art Club’s
popular annual Art Exhibition will be
held in the Lincoln Hall, Hingham,
again this November. Entry is free and
all are welcome to come and look
round; there will be teas and cake for
sale, a raffle and of course a wide
variety of art works and greetings cards.
The club has been meeting for over 30
with different experience and skills,
who meet once a fortnight to paint and
draw together (with of course a break
for tea, a chat, and probably a slice of
cake!). Although we run workshops a
couple of times a year, we do not meet
to be led or taught, but to paint
companionably as a group of friends
with like interests - as you will see, this
makes for an interesting exhibition with
something to suit nearly anyone.
The Exhibition will be on Saturday 16th
and Sunday 17th November from 10
am until 5 pm and we look forward to
welcoming you!

Walk-in
Flu Clinic
The Patients Participation
Group will be holding a Walk-
in Flu Vaccination Clinic
again this year. It will be at
Watton Medical Practice on
Saturday November 9th
between 9 am & 12 noon.
As well as the Flu Vaccination
Clinic other organisations such
as Diabetes UK and Age
Concern will be will be
present. Refreshments will be
provided by the PPG members
01953 498 204 who will also be able to
discuss any queries or
suggestions that patients that
may benefit the running of the
Practice.
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 3
A Quick Look Round
By Orbiter
There, that was a good summer, nice and
warm most of the time, and not much
rain, which pleased most of us, but left
the farmers with problems, though it does
seem that they have managed to bring in
the harvests in time for the change in
weather conditions towards the end of
September.
And it was a good year for fruit, such as
raspberries – my late fruiting variety
responded to the warmth and became
‘earlies’, while the local hedges provided
a good crop of blackberries, and allowed
me to indulge in the pleasure of picking
them. This used to be enjoyed by many
folks in years gone by, and extended to
other fruits, such as hips, haws, and
sloes, from which many a bottle of home-
made gin was prepared. In those days
picking was quite competitive, as quite a
few people availed themselves of this
bounty provided by nature, and unlike
this year, when I was a lonely picker, the
hedgerows were an attraction to many.
Gathering blackberries has always
fascinated me, even as a child living in
nprth London, for a short bus ride would
suffice to take me to the southern reaches
of Epping Forest, the open parts of which
abounded in hedgerows, and berries were
plentiful – and sometimes a bit
frustrating, for the biggest always seemed
to be just out of reach. But my efforts
were well rewarded, for my mother, like
many of the mums in those days, was an
expert in producing delicious pies,
puddings and tarts, the like of which we
don’t see any more.
These references to picking and
harvesting take my mind back to the only
real harvest I have ever attended, which
was when I was just a small boy, just
before the Second World War. I was
staying with relatives in their tiny cottage
near Tring, in Hertfordshire, when
harvesting day arrived. The whole
community turned out to help.. In those
days nearly everything was transported
by horse and cart (the Fordson tractor
may have recently been introduced, but
they were few in number and this time
the reaping machine was being pulled by
a large, strong Shire horse. My main
memory is of as the reaper gradually
gettimg nearer and nearer to the middle
of the field, when most of the local men,
all surrounded the small area that was
still uncut, all armed with sticks and
cudgels. As the machine went nearer to
the centre of the remaining patch, all
manner of panic- stricken animals broke
cover and made a dash for safety -
rabbits, voles, mice, rats, and so on, hotly
pursued by all the waiting men.
With all the corn cut, the farm workers
all went round the crop with pitchforks
and tossed the corn into small piles,
(called stooks, I believe, if memory
serves me right). If I’m wrong, someone
please let me know.)
Of course, these days harvesting bears
little resemblance to that of my memory,
with enormous fields, which can be
reaped by just a few men, possibly with
the aid of a giant modern tractor, which
can be adapted to operate countless
different tasks, that would otherwise
require huge gangs of men to complete.
All these memories were triggered off by
the fine September weather, but my
word, didn’t October do its best to wipe
them out, with a fine imitation of a
tropical monsoon ? But hopefully things
have calmed down a bit, and we can
settle down to browse through the snaps
we took on our summer holidays.
Only we don’t do that any more, our
photos tend to be taken on our phones,
which we point at anything and
everything, press a button, look at the
result once and then probably lose it
forever . We use our phones for
photography, because they are smart.
Everything seems to be smart these days.
Phones, cameras, cars, televisions,
watches, lighting systems, cookers, and
so on, but alas, not me !
Cars, for instance, are smart enough to
park themselves, though not all drivers
are confident enough to trust them. One
of my friends won’t use the facility in
case there is a bump, for which she is
sure her husband would blame her.
Smart cars that drive themselves don’t
seem to have been allowed past the
testing stage, but the latest models go
some way towards it, with no hand-brake
or gear lever. And the days when, if we
experienced a breakdown, a quick look
under the bonnet might tell us the cause
of the trouble, have long gone.
But away from the smart world, and into
my garden, and I am beginning to
wonder if all the different weed-killers
that have been used over the years have
affected the wild- life, for when I dig a
forkful of earth it might reveal a lone
worm, whereas in past years, a whole
colo0ny of worms would come wriggling
to the surface. And the number of other
creatures, such as beetles, ants, and the
like seems to have diminished too.
But my digging days for this year are
behind me, and thoughts are turning to
Christmas, and already I have been asked
to choose from menus for various annual
celebrations, that seem to become more
frequent each year, if that is possible.
Recently my wife and some friends paid
one of their frequent visits to the cinema
in Dereham, where the audience numbers
rarely extend into triple figures, and were
astounded to be confronted by House
Full notices, and obliged to pay extra to
reserve seats for the following week,
when it transpired that capacity
attendances were being maintained. The
film that was causing such interest was
Downton Abbey, a full screen version of
the popular television series, and proved
that British viewers really appreciate
good drama, well acted, and spoken in
perfect English, and unsullied by the
filthy language and sexual innuendos that
pervade many TV plays today.
I also like a good drama about country
folk and am waiting for the big screen
version of a TV series that has just been
released, to come to Dereham.
This one is named Farmaggeddon, and
stars a farm favourite of mine. Shaun the
Sheep. I just hope I shall be able to get
in !
Meanwhile, I’ll get my fire-works ready,
for Guy Fawkes Day is nearly here, and
I’ve got a lot to get sorted. But that’s not
rocket science. Or is it ?
Good afternoon.
Breckland Cats
Protection
October 27 was National Black Cat Day
which is to celebrate the beauty of these
sleek creatures. Old notions have given
them a bad name and the Black Cat Day is
to help turn their reputation around, There
is nothing as elegant as a black cat like a
miniature jaguar. It was once thought that
fairies take the form of black cats and their
arrival in a village was seen as a sign of
good luck. But they are now seen as
unlucky or mischievous, which makes
them all the harder to home.
Black kittens are always the last to be
chosen from a litter of kittens, where there
are tabbies, torties and ginger kittens. Our
rehoming centres have many black and
black and white cats and kittens looking for
new homes. Its so sad for them, as they
didn't chose to be black and their loving
characters are often overlooked.
Currently in our care we have several black
adult cats just looking for a chance to be a
friendly companion or pet for a family. One
is a black female called Chrissie, who had
kittens in our care, but ran out of milk, so PLEASE MENTION
they had to be hand reared. She is now
neutered, microchipped and had flea and THE WAYLAND NEWS
worm treatment. Her adoption fee is £60
which helps towards her vet fees. We also WHEN SHOPPING WITH
have several black kittens, both male and
female, vaccinated, microchipped and we OUR ADVERTISERS
will pay for them to be neutered when they
are 4 months old. Call the number below if
you are interested,
There is another sad story about a black
female cat. She has been taken in by the
Celia Hammond Animal Trust after having
kittens. They have called her Fleur (below)
and she has a congenital abnormality in that
she has only one nipple instead of the
normal eight.
She is 7 years old and has had litter after
litter of kittens, but only one kitten from
each litter has survived. The other kittens
must have been searching for a nipple, but
sadly would have died within about 48
hours of birth having starved to death.
Kittens take to one nipple and stay there
until they are weaned. Therefore the other
kittens wouldn't have been able to share.
The owner said he couldn't cope with her
any more and it was not fair to his children
to see kittens die. When asked why he
hadn't had Fleur neutered, he said he didn't
have time – in 7 years!! So Fleur is feeding
one kitten, a little black boy called Flynn
and the remaining 4 kittens are being hand
reared by a fosterer.
It is unbelievable that such a thing has been
allowed to happen, when having Fleur
neutered would have saved her from seeing
all but one of her babies die. As she could
have had 3 litters a year for 7 years it is a
tragedy. Fleur will be neutered when her
baby has been weaned and the Trust is
hoping to home her together with her little
kitten Flynn.
For information or advice, or if you need
help with the cost of neutering, please call
us on 01842 810018. Rita Thompson.
Gt. Ellingham &
District Flower Club
Monday 18th November ‘ALL Spruced
Up’ A seasonal demonstration by
Barbara Collins @ Rocklands Village
Hall, NR17 1TR Starts 7.30pm Doors
open 7pm Guests £10 Members FREE.
Membership Fees £30 per year. We are a
friendly, NAFAS associated Club. Come
along for a great evening’s entertainment,
food & drinks, raffle of arrangements,
sales table and much more!
Festive Arrangement Workshop £15
Saturday December 14th 10-12 Noon.
Dragonfly Centre, Watton IP25 6AR
With Jane Dalton. For more details/
requirements and to book a place contact
The Dragonfly Gallery on 01953880212
or email ruth@wayland.org.uk
Sunday December 15th ‘Christmas
Sparkle’ Demonstration by Brenda &
Jane Starts 1.30pm Doors open 1pm
Guests £8 Members £5 Includes
afternoon tea and lots more
We meet monthly for demonstrations,
workshops and visits For more
information and tickets call: Jane Dalton
01953 498694 Or email:
jane.dalton@btinternet.com Facebook
page @gtellinghamdistrictflowerclub
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 4
((BOUNCE)) Watton
A bit about us!
My name is Linzi Jarvis and I am so happy to
tell you that I am bringing this fitness class to
the Sports and Social Club Watton! I launched
Norwich 2 months ago after realising we had
no venues anywhere in Norfolk! Since then
((BOUNCE)) have also recently opened
franchises in Diss and Kings Lynn. I can't wait
to meet my new #bouncearmy and spread the
((B)) love with you all!
((BOUNCE))™ started in a small community
studio with just 8 trampolines and a big dream
in 2014. Within 3 years it became known as the
fastest growing fitness company in the UK and
now averages 30,000 attendees every month!
Offering a full body workout with various
concept classes listed below, ((BOUNCE))™ is
3 times more effective than floor based fitness
thanks to the addition of gravity and g-force
provided by the trampoline. All of our classes
are child friendly too, making it accessible to so
many more people. Sessions where kids of any
age can attend in the studio while you workout.
Toys, food, prams etc are all welcome with no
pretentiousness to deal with! Some mums stop
to breastfeed, others are managing potty runs or
just needing to give cuddles in between
jumping along. There's likely to be a tantrum or
two, or sharing your trampoline with your little
one – the Instructor just carries on, no-one
minds! You don't have to be a mum to come
along, the workout is still the same!
We are fully inclusive and our tag line is fun,
friendly and fierce.
Saham Toney
Neighbourhood Plan
Shaping the future of Saham Toney!
The second formal consultation on the Saham
Toney Neighbourhood Plan closed on 13 October.
To all of you who responded, many thanks. Your
support and your comments are both helpful.
Rather than give incomplete information while the
consultation is still open, we will provide highlights
of the consultation responses in the December
issue, and on our website (www.stnp2016.org).
In addition to villager comments, at the time of
writing this article we have received 89 comments
from Breckland Council and others from Norfolk
County Council. Between them, Historic England,
Natural England and Anglian Water, who are
among the most important bodies we must consult,
have made only two low-key comments.
In due course we will put more details about the
consultation results on our website, but meanwhile
you might be interested to read what we will be
doing next.
First, we simply need to take time to read and
understand all the comments, and that will include
resolving any conflict between comments on the
same topic from different sources. We will
certainly need to meet with Breckland planners to
discuss their comments and will need more clarity
on the County Council’s comments, particularly
those about highways.
We will create three new documents which will
give all the comments (one document for responses
from villagers, one for Breckland Council and the
third for all the other comments). Villager
comments will be included anonymously. For each
comment we will give our considered response and
describe what action, if any, we will take to modify
the plan as a result. Where necessary we will take
advice from our planning consultant on how to
Dance-Away at respond. The three documents will become part of a
formal consultation statement, which will also
include details of all the events we have held, and
The Queens Hall the results of previous formal and informal
consultations.
In parallel, independent consultants are continuing
Saturday November 2nd to develop what are known as Masterplanning
studies for the cluster of sites around Pound Hill
Saturday December 7th and the one at Richmond Hall. Their report will
include example site layouts and street views. They
7.30pm - 10.30pm will be an important factor in deciding how the final
plan deals with those sites. Our landscape
Ballroom, Latin & Sequence consultant will be reviewing the studies for us, to
Bar - Raffle give us an expert opinion on any impact of the
schemes on landscape.
Around the time the consultation finishes we are
expecting to hear from Breckland Council if we
will be required to prepare a Strategic
Environmental Assessment of the plan. If so, we
will have to engage consultants to do it as it is a
complex study. If needed, it will likely take several
months and is likely to be the thing that most affects
the timetable for finalising the plan.
We will also prepare a document called the Basic
Conditions Statement that will explain in some
detail how the plan complies with the many rules
and regulations that apply.
As well as updating the plan we may have to revise
or add to some of our evidence. One example is the
Village Design Guide, which we plan to review in
light of the very recently published National Design
Guide.
When all the documents have been revised, we will
submit them again to Breckland Council and there
will be a final public consultation. The regulations
mean comments during that consultation must
focus on any regulatory shortcomings rather than
the more wide-ranging requirements of the Plan.
Another difference is that any comments will go
directly to an independent examiner who will
decide if the plan needs further revision before a
village referendum can be held to decide if you all
accept the plan.
Meanwhile we are hoping Breckland Council will
at last complete its Local Plan – their latest estimate
for doing that is December – so that the village as at
least some protection against speculative
developments until the neighbourhood plan is
approved.
As usual, if you have any comments or questions
on any of this, or anything else to do with the
Neighbourhood Plan, or if you'd like to be added to
our mailing list, please look on our website or
contact Chris Blow on 01953 880915 or at
stnp2016@gmail.com.
In your garden
With Lotta Potts
It’s all been a bit biblical again in the weather
during the first half of October and as I get this
done for the deadline (just about) it’s pouring
again. Gardening is now dash out and do a bit of
something when it’s reasonably dry underfoot. If
this keeps on we’ll be waterlogged until spring.
We did have one reasonable frost but so far no
sign of any more – a pity as a decent frost cheers
up any sprouts there are about and does away with
large numbers of pests. As we have no control
over the mild weather we need to hunt down the
pests. Snails. Lots of snails will be loving the
mild dampness so keep moving any stacks of pots
where they congregate or more proactively make
a trap with a few clay pots (they don’t seem so
keen on the plastic ones) or a few lengths of
drainpipe then dispose of them as you will. This
is better than a spring rush with pellets when they
all emerge hungry after winter and descend on
your emerging plants. Obviously if you also spot
the odd slug get rid of it!
On the other hand November can be an
enchanting month. Not all of it, of course, but
occasionally you get a sunny day with bright blue
sky that shows off all the autumn leaf colours and
intensifies the colour on any flowers you might
have left. Makes your heart sing so hope for the
best and plan for the worst. Dealing with the
worst, we have had a lot of autumn gales the past
few years and there’s no reason to assume this
year will be different so a bit of checking of
sheds, fences, doors won’t go amiss. Any doors
and gates should have sturdy latches to keep them
shut as otherwise if the wind’s in the wrong
direction the woodwork will be bashed to a large
bill come spring. Fence panels and posts should
look reasonably solid and secure and basically
that’s all you can do unless you have a lot of loose
bits in the panels so replace them before everyone
else gets the same problem and clears out
stockists. If you have any trees with dodgy
looking branches either tie them in or cut them off
before they descend in a gale on to the greenhouse
or worse.
Now for the best. If you don’t have much in the
way of colour or flowers treat yourself to a trip to
a nursery or garden centre. There is no need to
spend a fortune. Violas, pansies and outdoor
cyclamen come in trays of six or maybe more and
don’t cost a lot. One tray will fill a hanging
basket or smallish container and will keep going
over the winter. The cyclamen should be planted
out in the soil after a container display and if
happy will seed about for next year. These little
jewels come in all sorts of shades from white
through pink to bright red. There seems to be an
infinite variety of colours in violas and pansies. I
had an accidental success with a mixed basket as I
prefer violas but had bought a tray of pansies as
well. The mixture of the two was quite eye-
catching so it’s worth picking up two or three
trays to see how well they combine. If you want
to splash out a bit more look for winter-flowering
clematis. Freckles is a good one, off-white
flowers with dark red spots and lines in the
middle. This requires a bit of shelter from strong
winds but most of the others, mainly evergreen,
are quite tough. Very tough in some cases as
‘vigorous’ doesn’t begin to cover Armandii or
winter beauty. These two do need pruning and I
did hear of one owner who regularly took a
chainsaw to Armandii. In the right place this is
truly stunning in either white or pink and scented.
A strong archway is ideal. Later this month some
enterprising sellers will have tiny pots of mini
daffs and lily-of-the-valley strictly for indoor
display this year then hardened off for outdoors in
spring.
Tasks for November apart from checking
structures are usually exercise-related. Winter
digging if you can get on the soil. If you are on
clay please don’t bother. Digging wet clay does
more harm than good unless you plan on making
bricks. The best thing is to put a layer of
compost, well-rotted, old grow-bags or anything
else organic on the soil and leave it to the worms.
Rake up leaves from the lawn and remove from
the crowns of plants. Bag them up and leave until
next year when you should have some lovely leaf-
mould. When you’ve raked up the leaves you
might have tufty looking grass so if it’s dry give it
a cut. Fingers crossed you won’t have to do this
more than once or twice. Once grass gets really
wet stay off it. The same applies if it’s frosty.
This is the start of the planting season for bare-
root trees and shrubs. Not so very long ago this
was the only opportunity for roses and fruit trees
but now we have container-grown plants they can
be planted any time. However, bare root now,
while the soil is quite warm the roots can develop
and concentrate while the plants are dormant and
don’t have to bother with growth and leaves.
Planting bare-root trees, shrubs and hedging is
also reflected in the price so worth considering.
You can also move these plants successfully in
November. There’s still time to divide perennial
plants but leave grasses until spring. Plant tulip
and hyacinth bulbs now and although it’s rather
late you can still plant any daffs you still have
lurking about. They might be a bit late next year
but will catch up after that.
Check over any stored fruit and veg for signs of
rot or wildlife. It’s surprising how even large
slugs can hitch a ride on a potato without being
seen at first. Of course, ideally, once dug the
spuds will have sat on the soil to harden the
skins then the loose, dry soil rubbed off and no
slug can survive that. Ideally that is but often
we have to compromise due to weather and
time. So a check or two in November is a good
idea.
Whilst you’re digging and checking around the
garden look at any re-design you may need to
do. See what worked and what didn’t, where
the gaps are, specially if it’s a gap that is there
year in and year out. Get the pencil and paper
going once you’ve been driven indoors and dig
out the catalogues. You only have to be
realistic once you’ve worked out the bill!
Readers who have been loyal to this column for
a few years have probably noticed my lack of
the annual autumn plea – if you’re having a
bonfire please make sure to evict any
hedgehogs or toads or anything else that
thought this was a good place for a winter
snooze. If you have to collect material (include
garden waste) before 5th then please move it on
the day to a nearby site. If you are having a
large community fire round up all those strong
teenagers hanging about and get them to move
it. We are very short of hedgehogs and the
numbers are declining at a rapid rate.
One last thing, of course, regardless of wind, rain,
frost, snow you’ll need to keep weeding.
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 5
A Long distance
Penguin
Letter from Australia by Chris O'Connor
A New Zealand penguin that washed up on
a beach in Australia has been released back
to the wild to complete a 2,500km swim
home.
The emaciated Fiordland penguin was
found struggling against rocks in the
shallows at Kennett River, 170km west of
Melbourne.
It was taken to Melbourne Zoo by the
marine response unit and given a balance
of fluids and nutrients until it was well
enough to eat. Once it felt better, said
Melbourne Zoo’s head of veterinary
services, Dr Michael Lynch, it began to eat
with gusto.
“Once it got going it really stacked on the
weight, a huge appetite,” Lynch said. “It
was eating 20-25% of its own bodyweight
per day. That would be like an 80kg person
eating 20kg of food a day. It’s quite
amazing how much food it could pack
down.”
Once the penguin had returned to a healthy
weight – they are usually about 3.5kg – it
was sent to Phillip Island Nature Parks to
build up its swimming muscles in their
larger pools, ready for the journey home to
New Zealand.
It was released after eight weeks’
recuperation.
“We are hoping that it will get back to New
Zealand and breed,” Lynch said. “We put a
microchip into the bird so if it does turn up
back in New Zealand one day and someone
reads that microchip we will be very
happy.”
Melbourne is at the outer edge of the
normal range for the IUCN red-listed
species, which has breeding grounds on
New Zealand’s south island and
surrounding smaller islands.
The global wild population of the penguins,
which are listed as vulnerable, is estimated
to be between 4,000 and 5,600.
Lynch said the penguins had previously
been very rare in Australia but had been
turning up more in recent years, for reasons
as yet unknown. “The species is known to
forage over thousands of kilometres and we
are within the edge of the range of this
bird,” he said. “So it is not out of the
question that we would see the birds here,
but they are certainly a long way from
home.”
Other penguin species have also embarked
on unlikely trans-Tasman trips.
In 2014, a Snares penguin dubbed “Miss
Simpson” was found on an Australia beach
some 2,000km from its home grounds of
the Snares Islands, south of New Zealand,
and spent nine months in recovery before
being released.
Scientists in New Zealand recently
discovered that a little penguin colony near
Otago in the South Island was made up of
Australian invaders, little blue penguins
that had colonised the area and replaced a
similar local species 500 years ago.
Shipdham & District
Book Group
The book discussed on 18th September
was This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries
of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay. The
author trained and practised in this role
from 2004 to 2010 until a devastating
experience caused him to give up. His
speciality was obstetrics. He used the
diary kept during training which he used
together with his views on the current
NHS to write the book and develop a one
man show as a comedian plus other
theatre work.
The book had a mixed reception. Several
disliked it finding it boring, distasteful
and full of unnecessary obscenities
whilst others liked it and found it
amusing and a good revelation of the
pressures of those working in the NHS
which all agreed we are fortunate to
have. One of our members was a
midwife for over 30 years, leaving after a
similar experience to that of Adam Kay
regretting that she has neither the talent
for writing nor performing.
At the October meeting the group
discussed the Gustav Sonata by Rose
Tremain.
Gustav Perle grows up in a small town in
Switzerland, where the horrors of the
Second World War seem only a distant
echo. An only child, he lives alone with
Emilie, the mother he adores but who
treats him with bitter severity. He begins
an intense friendship with a Jewish boy
his age, talented and mercurial Anton
Zweibel, a budding concert pianist. The
novel follows Gustav’s family, tracing
the roots of his mother’s anti-Semitism
and its impact on her son and his beloved
friend.Moving backward to the war years
and the painful repercussions of an act of
conscience, and forward through the
lives and careers of Gustav and
Anton, The Gustav Sonata explores the
passionate love of childhood friendship
as it's lost, transformed, and regained
over a lifetime. It also informs us about
Switzerland and the problem of retaining
its neutrality faced with the threat of
Nazi Germany engulfing surrounding
countries.
This book was well received by all
members despite a dark side. All agreed
on the excellent depiction of characters;
the hardships suffered, emotionally and
physically; the interesting background;
sex was there but understated and it
answered some questions whilst opening
our minds to others. It led to a debate on
the true meaning of the word ‘love’ and
its various forms and how much was
packed into a comparatively short book.
All agreed that we knew very little about
the history of Switzerland and its
legendary neutrality until reading this
and realising how close the country was
to invasion by Hitler and why money and
other valuables accrued, some from the
Nazis seeking a safe haven. We are now
amazed that they did escape invasion and
think we have been misled by films of
POWs escaping and heading for neutral,
safe Switzerland. The attitude to Jews
came as a complete surprise. Rose
Tremain is a powerful and original wtiter
and the popularity of her books remains
undiminished.
For our November meeting we are
reading Three Things About Elsie by
Joanna Cannon.
Tha Ovington Crower
By the Boy Sid
How yew orl gittin on tergitha, keeping
owt the rearn I hoop.
Cor blarst we got it wrong agin, thort
we’d maerk a start on tha beet afore thet
rearned, got tha fust tree or four rounds
in orlrite, then dint thet cum down. Tha
boss hed hossed orf tew a searl over tew
Caston way, so we got Horry tew dew
tha cartin whilst I driv tha harvesta. Well
yew know wot heese like, he got orf tha
fild an shot orf up tha rud spreedin more
mold on tha rud than thar wos on tha fild.
Thet warnt long afore up cum tha ole
Chairmawtha showtin at tha top o har
voice, an waving har stick in tha air, she
cum onta tha fild an stood in front o tha
harvesta. Cor, wos I tempted to kip a
gooin, but I stopped abowt a foot afore I
run har oova.
“Dew yew git thet ole fewl orfa thet
tracter afore he put mud orl oova tha
willage, heese orlreddy covered my front
winder” she hollered at me, shakin har
stick at me. “Hold yew hard missus” I
say tew har “Weer gotta git ower kwoota
in afore termorrer, thas when boy Jack
hev bin towld ter start loodin, fust thing”
“Well carnt tha owld fewl lood up in tha
fild, save cartin orl tha muck up tha
rud?” she holler “An carnt yew shut thet Great Ellingham Chit Chat Group
damn thing orf I carnt hear myself think” In November this year it will have been 8 years since the Chit Chat
“Thars no need” I say “I can hear yew Group was formed, with just a handful of people. Since then we
orlrite, any old how Jack cant git his ole have continued to grow, like a small acorn which eventually grows
lorry on tha fild heed niva git it orf agin, into a magnificent oak tree. Our Circle of Friends continues to
thas tew wet” “Thas no consarn of mine” grow, and the Chit Chat Group is most certainly a catalyst for so
she showt “Dew yew git thet ole fewl many other events which are going on in and around the local area.
tew stop gooin threw tha willage or I Thanks to everyone who supported out ‘Special Coffee Morning’
shell git tha lore ontew yor boss, an then on October 9th at The Recreation Centre, Great Ellingham. Total
yor’ll git so wrong” Wi thet she banged profit was £515, which will be split between the MacMillan and
har ole stick on the harvesta an went tew Marie Curie Charities; also, many thanks to everyone who
draw along, only she forgot abowt tha supported our Open Gardens in August held in Carbrooke. An
row of beet we hent yit lifted, tripped on amazing £755 was raised in support of Mesothelioma UK - the
wun, and went down flat on har fissog in Cancer Charity which supports people who are suffering because of
tha mold. Larf, I nigh on bort my own Asbestos Exposure.
beer, an tew meark things wus my foot We are very excited about our latest project which we have been
slipped orf tha clutch and we wos headed working on since January. We will be publishing a book, either late
strate for har. Wish I’d hed a camra thar this year or early next year, of community stories - these stories,
wos har scrabblin tew git owt tha way an although from the Great Ellingham Chit Chat Group, are of stories
me trying tew find tha rite pedal tew stop from all over the country. Some tell of happy, amusing and some
tha thing afor we topped and tailed har. sad tales of group members who were evacuated to all parts of the
Dang me she wos a rare site, covered in country during the war, whilst other stories tell life as it was in the
slud from top tew toe, Horry cum back in 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. The stories are fascinating and very, very
the geart jist as she was gittin orf tha fild interesting. The book will have approximately 40,000 words and
and he nigh on driv inta tha dyke at tha will be in Litho Print. We will be selling the book through our new
site of har. Thet cum onter rearn hard jist website, which we will keep up-dated with news and events.
afta so we corled it a day an driv back Therefore, for news of Chit Chat please do visit our website at:
tew tha yard, we hed enough beet for a www.greatellinghamchitchatgroup.co.uk We will try and keep this
cuppla loods fer Boy Jack tew cart tew updated.
tha factry termorrer, wun thing tha rearn We have a few seats left for The Cromer Show on Thursday,
washed moost o tha mold orf tha rud and December 5th. Anyone interested in joining us on this outing,
cleaned tha owld beet a bit an orl. I think please ring one of the numbers shown below.
I shell give tha nex cowncill meetin a As we repeatedly emphasize, anyone is welcome on a Wednesday
miss. morning. We do realize it is very difficult attending somewhere
We hed a rare ole larf in tha pub that new, however everyone is made welcome and it really doesn’t take
evenin. too long to get to know folk in the group.
My granfer allus sed afta he got tew Great Ellingham Recreation Centre, Watton Road, NR17 1HZ.
eighty. “One thing Bor, thar hent northin Every Wednesday 10-12 noon
left tew larn tha hard way” Contact Ann Reeve: 07733211410/01953 882065 Email:
See yew orl agin. An dew yew kip a annmilner@btinternet.com
troshin. Boy Sid
The West Norfolk
Aviation Society
It was nearly three years ago when,
WNAS member, Bob Kirkham was first
asked to give a talk about his own
exploits serving with her Majesty's Royal
Air Force. He seemed a little reticent
when first approached but became more
amenable with the passage of time.
Following a few brushes with death
defying health issues, on Tuesday 1st
October, he launched into his maiden
speech with a vengeance and fairly rose
to the occasion. Like most airmen, from
an early age, he had an obsession with
the prospect of learning to fly and to
becoming a pilot. At first he was an air
cadet but, by his own admission, felt his
academic prowess was running short of
the mark to gain acceptance into the
esteemed ranks of the RAF but, by sheer
determination and a few lucky breaks he
nevertheless succeeded with his
endeavours and eventually became one
of a few non-commissioned flying
officers whilst still in his early twenties.
He became competent and familiar with
many aircraft types from chipmunks,
through Jet Provosts and, eventually to
the Canberra. As an aside, Bob said that
he had visited the Flixton Aviation
Museum just recently and had become
reacquainted with one of his ‘old
flames’; except on this occasion it was
only half a Canberra. Bob brought along,
for support, his lovely wife who was able
to provide the odd prompt. She was also
remarkably tolerant of his confessions
and references to the revelry and bawdy
antics he and his colleagues had pursued;
even to the allusions of ‘other old
flames’. Bob’s performance was so much
appreciated by his fellow members that
there was no hesitation about inviting
him again next month to give another
instalment of his fascinating career.
Author: Nigel Tooth
www.westnorfolkaviationsociety.org.uk
Hosted by kind permission of Mundford
Bowls Club (Val & Len)
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 6
PLEASE MENTION Royal Air Forces Association Standard Laid Up
THE WAYLAND NEWS
WHEN SHOPPING WITH
OUR ADVERTISERS
Sunday the 13th of October 2019 was a
special day at St Mary’s church Watton as
the Royal Air Force Association standard
was laid up for posterity. After lengthy
negotiations and planning the final act was
put together in a poignant service of thanks
and dedication. The service at 10:00 on
Sunday was officiated by Rev Gerry Foster
in her inimitable style of joy and inclusion.
The guest from the RAF Marham
Chaplaincy section was Flt Lt Chris Hodder
who kept everyone spellbound during his
entire sermon.
The service started with a lone piper, Stan
Hebborn, setting the scene. This was
followed by the opening hymn during
which supporting standards from the Royal
British Legion and Air Training Corps
paraded in slow time through the
congregation. The ATC standards were
from Watton, Swaffham and Thetford led
Ashill & Holme
Hale Garden Club
Reviving the Medlar - Presented by
Jane Steward. Our September meeting
was well attended with 59 members
present to listen to Jane Steward of
Eastgate Larder talk passionately about re
-establishing the medlar tree as a useful
addition to any garden. The much
maligned medlar fruit is not going to win
any beauty contests, as Jane readily
admitted. The French call the medlar fruit
‘cul de chien’ (translation: dog’s rear
end! see photo) and Shakespeare
mentions it in several of his works in a
less than reverential light. However, the
medlar tree is an attractive garden or
orchard tree with lovely white flowers in
summer, which stand out in contrast to
the dark green leaves. In addition the
medlar has the ability to provide
wintertime fruit at a time when little else
is available in the garden. Jane Steward
started her talk by giving an illuminating
history of the medlar tree from its origins
in Persia and its popularity, initially with
the Romans and Greeks. It gained favour
in Elizabethan Britain due to it being a
wintertime sweet-treat before the arrival
of sugar. However, the medlar gradually
fell out of favour to the extent it is now
by Steve Bibby carrying the Watton Royal
British Legion standard. The RAFA
standard being laid up was then carried in
furled and at the slope by Sgt Daniel
“Woody” Woodward from RAF Marham.
He handed the standard to Mr Ron
Wheeler, the last president of the Watton
RAFA branch. He asked Gerry Foster to
look after the standard which she agreed to
do and they then proceeded to drape the
standard on the alter.
The service continued as it normally would
on a Sunday with passion and laughter
including a demonstration from the younger
members of the congregation on their
morning's achievements.
Towards the end of the service the
standards took their places prior to the
National Anthem and the piper piping
farewell to the standard. Ron Wheeler led
the procession out of the church to the
rarely seen in gardens around Britain and
the fruit is never seen on supermarket
shelves. This is partially due to the
medlar fruit not being ripe or edible when
harvested in early November. For the
fruit to ripen, a process known as
‘bletting’, it needs to be kept in a cool
dark place for 2 to 3 weeks. Once
‘bletted’ the succulent ripe and soft fruit
is both very flavoursome and sweet, a
little like spiced apple sauce.
Jane Steward established Eastgate Larder
seven years ago after she and her husband
bought a 4 acre smallholding in north
Norfolk which she re-invigorated by
planting over a 100 new medlar trees to
produce a commercially viable annual
crop of fruit. Jane harvests the medlar
fruit in early November and
once the fruit is ‘bletted’ she
personally prepares and
cooks her delicious medlar
jelly, medlar cheese or
medlar chutney in her own
kitchen, doing all the
bottling and packaging
herself. The ‘bletted’ fruit
can also be stored frozen so
these medlar delicacies can
be made at any time of year.
Jane is determined to bring
the medlar back to our table
or even into our drinks
strains of the Royal Air Force march past.
A good deal of those attending remained to
socialise with refreshments provided by St
Mary’s and there where many photo
opportunities taken both inside and out. The
whole team went home for the rest of their
Sunday content with a job well done.
Thank you to all who helped make the
service such a success, thank you to those
who made generous donations to cover all
the costs A special thanks to Rev Gerry
Foster for all the hard work she done in
helping to get permission from the Diocese
of Norwich for the standard to be hung in St
Mary's church. Also to Mr John Daly who
co-ordinated and arranged for the cadets
and the serving members of the Royal Air
Force to attend the service. Again thank you
one and all.
The standard will blessed on November
10th, at the Armistice Service.
cabinet, as she has recently teamed up
with a local microbrewery to produce
medlar beer and medlar gin is also on the
horizon. This is very much a Norfolk
business and Jane is very keen for
Norfolk to lead the way in reviving the
medlar as a fruit we once again use in our
kitchens.
Our November meeting is on Thursday
November 24th, 2.30pm at Holme Hale
Pavilion, when our speaker Jane Dalton
will talk about “Decorations for your
home at Xmas”. New members are
always welcome.
Website:
ashillgardeningclub.wordpress.com
Email:
ashillholmehalegardenclub@gmail.com
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 7
Great Hockham Gardening Club
Curious Obsessions: For our first soiree of the new season we welcomed Melissa
Sheldrake who introduced us to some curious obsessions – of the garden variety.
Melissa spent some time as a flower arranger demonstrator. As a speaker she was
not a natural and suffered from stage fright. To overcome this she underwent
training and would always learn her script by heart. In addition her husband crafted
various helpful props to augment the subject matter. At a certain point she decided to
retire from professional
speaking and began to forget
her prepared scripts. But it
wasn’t long before she was
asked to do a talk. She was
persuaded to just wing it and
see how it went. It went OK
and now is able to give talks
off-the-cuff without the
pressure of rote learning.
Having lived in several
houses she has always been
a gardener, but early on was
short of money and could
not afford things like rooting
powder. Nevertheless, her
cuttings were viable and
propagated well. When she
could afford the chemical
assistance she found that a
lot of cuttings rotted. (The
pea sticks we use have a
disconcerting viability.
Worse; having survived the odds we haven’t the heart to compost them.)
Obsessions: Mellissa loves old garden paraphernalia and local auctions are a good
source. She, unlike her recent removal men, loves cast iron garden rollers. We were
informed that many of these items have a most pleasing rustic appearance. Auctions
are probably the only source of these items as they are unlikely to be found in garden
centers today. (We have one; it’s as much as you can do to move it, but it can be filled
with water!) Talking of water, old watering cans are another obsession for which her
husband has built a special pavilion in which to display them. In passing we were
informed to add old steel loft water tanks to the Sheldrake garden landscape.
Shortly after moving to their current house they were advised that the two beech trees
in the new garden were dangerous and should be removed. Unfortunately, before this
work could be carried out, a branch of one of them fell onto her newly built extension.
The remainder of the trees have now been removes except for a tall stump, which they
thought could add to the hard landscaping. At the top of the stump is a hole where the
tree was rotting. A pair of Egyptian geese have used this cavity to raise 8 chicks. Not
being too tidy can have some benefits.
As part of her garden development Mellissa decided to plant vegetables, some of
which were lettuces. Anxious to take early advantage she began to pick some of them
when they were little more than seedlings. Her husband asked whether the lettuces
were of a mixed variety. It was only then that they discovered that, in addition to the
salad crop, they had been growing and eating milk thistles.
Other collectable items of interest to Mellissa include Victorian posy holders,
children’s garden tools, from a time when gardening was a normal diversion for kids,
and glass hyacinth vases where the roots of the plant can be viewed. Her most
interesting talk was punctuated by several light-hearted
poems.
I have to admit to an obsession: it is stuff. I hate to
throw anything away. Bolts, bricks, containers, metal,
paint, plastic, screws, rope, tiles, timber, tools; you get
the idea. You never know when any of that stuff might
come in handy. On rare occasions I am persuaded that
some item must be discarded. Some time later I
invariably find it’s something I really need. But that is
not the problem. The problem is, is that I have
forgotten that it was thrown away…
The results of the competitions for this month were
as follows:
Floral: First: Prue Szczepanowski. Second: Jane
Dalton. Third: Nigel Lincoln.
Fruit / Vegetables: First: Eric Rogers. Second:
Chris Dalton. Third: Jane Dalton.
Seasonal Photograph: First: Ed Szczepanowski.
Second: Prue Szczepanowski. Third: Chris Dalton.
Saham Toney Community
Orchard Quiz
On the evening of Friday, 11th October, a crowd of about fifty people,
in small teams, sat in the hall of the Wells Cole Community Centre,
Saham Toney and tried to answer the wide range of questions put to
them by local ‘super quizmasters’ Pat and Pam. All hoped that they
might win a prize, but this was a mighty challenge. Heads were
scratched and brains were scoured to come up with accurate responses.
Arranged by Sylvia Hackshall, with the support of the Steering Group
and Friends of the Orchard, the event included a slideshow organised by
Patti Quant to demonstrate the development of the fruit trees and to
show the many local people who have helped to establish and maintain
the project.
A large basket of fruit, donated by Jenny Haines, was one of the many
delightful raffle prizes.
As minds began to flag, fish and chips arrived and tea and coffee was
offered to the competitors; then, it was back to the quiz.. Because two
teams tied for first place, a tie-breaker was needed. Prizes were handed
out, including decorated wooden spoons for the team with the least
overall score and thanks offered to all who had invested so much effort
to set up the event and to those who happily took part.
Oh, and I mustn’t forget – A big thanks to everybody involved in
helping to put out the tables and chairs at the beginning of the evening,
in clearing up the hall and kitchen so well at the end and also the
volunteer staff from W.C.C.C. Yes, it was a splendid community effort
and evening.
Paul Quant on behalf of Saham Toney Community Orchard Project
Steering Group 01953 889945; storchard@btinternet.com
Facebook: facebook.com/STOrchard/
Bradenham Horticulture
and Garden Club
Our Thursday evening Club event on 19th September was a highly
enjoyable dinner at the George Hotel in Swaffham which was held to
thank the wonderful people who judge the entries for our Spring and
Autumn Horticultural shows. Sandra and Fred Howard and Louise
Culley always give impartial and detailed feedback to the entries for our
shows and we are very lucky to have their expertise. Our next event
was the Annual General Meeting on Thursday October 17th. The
existing committee were all willing to stand for re-election and Katy
Hillier who was co-opted last year and has proved such an asset for our
fund raising, has moved to being a permanent committee member.
With drinks and nibbles, this was also a pleasurable social event for our
members, as well as dealing with important business for the coming
year. There was also a plant swap and sale for our members. Thursday
November 21st at 7:30pm in Bradenham Village Hall will see another
Club first – a quiz! No Latin name knowledge needed – we promise! It
is a great time to come and join us and take advantage of our year`s
membership – just £12.00. This meeting is open to non-members as
well (price £2.00), you are most welcome to join us.
Details of how to become a member or any information available from
Chairman, Barbara Steward (barpamsteward@gmail.com) , Secretary,
Helen Parnell-Cook(h.parnell-cook@hotmail.com) or Publicity Officer,
Laurene Henderson (lh1@dlhenderson.plus.com)
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 8
Christmas
Cheer
Thetford Voices is holding its
Carolling Day this year on Friday 20
December.
We warmly invite young singers from
across Breckland and beyond to take
part in the workshop which is open at
no charge to all enthusiastic 6-16 year
olds.
Meeting at 1pm in Thetford
Grammar School, we rehearse carols
and Christmas songs with a string
band before an afternoon singing in
residential homes across Thetford.
The day ends with a concert in St
Cuthbert’s Church for families,
friends and other guests.
And Friday’s singers are also invited
to sing at the Farmers’ Market at
Wyken Vineyard, Stanton on
Saturday morning, 21st December -
carols with cookies and hot
chocolate.
Over a dozen years, Carolling Day
has become a well-established part of
the Christmas festivities. Many
performers will be back again for
2019 but there is always a welcome
for new singers. Do come and join
us. For further information, times and
enrolment forms, email:
thetfordvoices@gmail.com, telephone
01842 820060 or go to Thetford
Singers’ website:
thetfordsingers.org.uk/thetford-voices
Thetford Voices is the junior branch of
Thetford Singers (charity no. 2691421).
Carolling Day is supported by Thetford
Grammar School, Coach Services of
Thetford, Cynthia Della Hoy’s Croxton
Charity & The D’Oyly Carte Trust.
Saham Heritage
The group are joining with the WCCC
(Wells Cole Community Centre) on
November 10th 4-6pm to help celebrate
Remembrance Day.
The Heritage Group would like to borrow
aerial photographs of Saham Toney for just
one day to hang in the Wells Cole Hall
enabling people can see how the village has
changed.
During the afternoon Remembrance Tea we
hope people will be encourage to discuss the
village allowing us to gather memories for
our heritage archives.
We are also looking for people who would
like to get involved and help us grow the
Heritage group.
If you have a photograph or two we could
borrow please contact Mrs Barbara Harrold
on 01953 883394 or email:
barbara@harrold1.plus.com
We look forward to meeting you on the 10th
November.
Fountain of Life
Church celebrates 5
years of the Mid
Norfolk CAP Debt
Centre
On Sunday 6th October the Fountain of Life Church at
Ashill held a celebration service and, over a shared lunch,
heard from CAP Speaker, David Riddington, about the
work of the National Charity. All present watched a short
CAP video testimony of a Debt Centre client of how her
life had been changed and how she had become part of her
local church. FOL church member, ‘X’, also gave her
testimony on her experience going debt-free through the
Mid Norfolk Debt Centre and how she had never looked
back since and now been baptised.
David Riddington said, ‘it is currently estimated that up to
1.5m people in the UK live in what is classed as
destitution; going without meals, heating etc. and this
number is growing. Debt situations cause people to have
mental health issues; they often struggle to open their post
and can be fearful of opening the front door in case the
visitor might be a bailiff.’
David pointed to Isaiah Chapter 3 which describes God’s
view of how poor people in Judah were desperate and
downtrodden and needed to know that God existed and
cared for them. ‘CAP services are working with people in
the depths of despair to show them the way forward and to
show them the love of God,’ he said.
‘It has been a real privilege to be involved with the Mid
Norfolk CAP Debt Centre over the past five years and to be
able to provide a way forward out of debt to the client,’
said Manager, Heather Nunn. ‘Sadly this service, which is
run by the church in partnership with the national charity
and funded by donations from churches, organisations and
individuals; is still no less needed.
For more information on this service please contact Heather
on 07943 045939 Pictured: Mid Norfolk CAP Debt Centre
Manager, Heather Nunn, cuts a celebration cake with CAP
Speaker, David Riddington, watched by Fountain of Life
Church Minister, Paul Wilkinson
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 9
Good Cause Set To
Benefit From Norwich
Legends Evening!
A local good cause is set to benefit from a
Norwich City Legends Evening held at
Wymondham Rugby Club. The Mandalay
Wellbeing CIC’s Christmas Stocking
Campaign was chosen as a beneficiary of the
evening by show organiser Daniel Pointer of
PR03 Events (pictured left with Iwan
Roberts).
Mr. Pointer said “It was an amazing turnout
for the event and I am delighted that we are
able to support local good causes at our
events. I’m also grateful for the support and
George Freeman MP Launches New
Vision for Business in Wayland
Pictured are Dr David Dent Chairman Wayland Chamber of Commerce Chair, Pat Warwick Watton Mayor and George
Freeman MP. Picture Debra Harris 2Up Creative
Business leaders, retailers, local and
district Councillors and senior
executives of Norfolk research and
innovation institutes met in Broom Hall
Hotel near Watton to launch the
Wayland Chamber of Commerce vision
and strategy for Wayland Businesses.
The audience of over 40 watched a
promotional video highlighting the
benefits of business in Wayland before a
presentation by Dr David Dent,
Chairman of the Wayland Chamber
emphasised the importance of
partnership with local businesses,
Councils at all levels, the Wayland
Partnership, Hethel Innovation, New
Anglia LEP, Norwich Resarch Park and
Government, in delivering the new
strategy.
The Chamber strategy aims to promote
business growth in Wayland’s seven
industrial and business parks, to
PLEASE SAY YOU
SAW THEM IN
THE WAYLAND
NEWS
WHEN SHOPPING
WITH OUR
ADVERTISERS
interest local businesses; Adcocks Electrical
and Dionne News have shown in the
campaign”
The event took place at Wymondham Rugby
Club on Friday 4th October. Hosting the
evening was T.V. pundit and former
England, West Ham United and Norwich
City striker Tony Cottee with Norwich
favourites Bryan Gunn, Iwan Roberts and
Dean Ashton sharing anecdotes and
reflecting on their careers.
Social enterprise, Mandalay Wellbeing CIC,
created by ex-Norwich goalkeeper Trevor
Saunders, aim to fill and distribute 2500
stockings to people of all ages in need across
Norfolk and Waveney in time for Christmas.
Mr Saunders added “By the community
rejuvenate Watton High Street, to
generate new start-up companies with a
programme for young entrepreneurs and
creation of a new iconic digital and
creative media centre in Watton. Dr
Dent explained to an enthusiastic
audience how Watton and its 15
surrounding villages possess many
positive attributes that make it an
excellent centre for business saying
“with our current expertise in precision
engineering, food production,
processing and delivery and a track
record of creative arts based business,
we we have an excellent base on which
to implement our new strategy.”
George Freeman MP for mid-Norfolk
and Minister of State for Transport,
whose idea led to the public launch of
the Chambers strategy , said “We need
business to take a lead in planning and
driving economic development in our
Diabetes UK
Our speaker in October was Sarah
Turner from the Elsie Bertram Diabetes
Centre at the NNUH. Among the items
Sarah spoke about were the importance
of carbohydrates in the diet, high and
low blood sugar, the cost of testing
strips for a blood glucose monitor, how
large is a portion of fruit or vegetables
and finger prick testing. it was a very
working together we hope to lift the spirits
and inspire those in need at Christmas, by
giving them stockings containing everyday
essentials. We are very grateful to PR03
Events for choosing the Campaign to benefit
from the evening”
Mr Pointer is also running two raffles to win
signed Norwich City Legends sticker albums
signed by legends Bryan Gunn, Iwan
Roberts, Dean Ashton, Darren Huckerby,
Jeremy Goss and Grant Holt. Raffle tickets
are available to buy at Adcocks Electrical in
Watton and Dionne Newsagents in
Hingham. All proceeds will be given to the
Christmas Stocking Campaign with the
winners being drawn on 11th November.
rural communities and market towns
like Watton and the Chamber of
Commerce have my wholehearted
support in driving forward their
ambitious programme for innovation
and business growth in Wayland.”
Retailer, Paul Adcock and long time
member of the Wayland Chamber
supports the new approach and the
proposed changes to our High Street
saying “we are confident that the
Chamber, working in partnership and
with the support of the Councils can
make the changes that will increase
footfall and enhance the shopping
experience for customers and visitors to
Watton”
The event concluded with thanks from
the Watton Mayor, Pat Warwick. The
Chamber of Commerce will shortly
publish a summary of its vision and
strategy for Wayland.
interesting meeting and Sarah was
warmly thanked for coming to see us
and putting us on the straight and
narrow.
Our next meeting will be our AGM and
will be on November 11th at the
Pentecostal Church, Watton, 10.15am.
(Whom we thank for the generous use of
their facilities.) For details of the group,
please phone 01953 884713, or email
rjwhrt56@btinternet.com
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 11
And The Winners Are . . .
Those of you that went to the Watton Carnival
may remember seeing lots of children
industriously colouring in pictures of Toad,
Badger, Ratty or Mole at the Wayland Players
stall. They were doing so for the chance to
win tickets to see “The Wind in the Willows”
at the Queens Hall, Watton on the 14th, 15th or
16th November, the Players’ 70th Anniversary
production.
Our town Mayor, Pat Warwick, kindly agreed
to judge the competition and very difficult she
found it too! We had over thirty entries, many
of which were of a very high standard indeed.
However, after much deliberation, she chose
those by Mollie aged 8 (left) and Emilija aged
6 (right) as the winners of their respective age
groups and tickets are on the way to them with
our congratulations.
All the entries will be on display in the Hall
during performances and if you weren’t lucky
enough to win tickets, there are still some
available at Adcocks in Watton High Street for
Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening or
Saturday afternoon priced £7.50 for adults and
£5.00 for children aged 14 and under.
Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad - not forgetting
the stoats and other woodland animals - look
forward to seeing you.
Watton
Society
Watton Society's re-start after the
summer break was a talk by
Roger Jones of Norfolk Wildlife
Trust. He began with a brief
history of the Norfolk Wildlife
Trust. Then how to connect
nature reserves together so in case
of emergency animals would
have escape routes. 'RNR' - most
people will not know what this
stands for. 'Roadside Nature degree, so volunteers are essential
Reserves'. Because we have lost in maintaining the verges and
98% of our meadows, roadside recording species. A very
nature reserves have become informative evening.
vitally important for the Our next meeting is at 7.45pm on
preservation of wild plants. They Wednesday 20th November at the
are marked by a post on the verge Watton Christian Community
with a sign on which a number Centre when the speaker will be
and arrow pointing in the Colin Hawgood - talking about
direction of the reserve. These the history and anecdotes on
still need managing to some being a saw sharpener.
works and what is required to sell
Watton with us, please come and see us
or drop us a message on our
Country facebook page.
If you want to plan ahead and pre
Market order some festive treats or a
hand made item, please don’t
Hard to believe that another busy hesitate to add your name to the
month has passed and we are order book.
speeding towards Christmas! Looking forward to seeing you
We thoroughly enjoyed soon at the Christian Community
participating in the September Centre, every Wednesday 8.30am
Carnival celebrations, Thorpe – 11.30am.
House Fete, and the Macmillan
Coffee Morning at Barn Ruche.
Now it is full steam ahead for our
Christmas events and already we
are helping with Christmas
shopping for our discerning
customers that are on the look-out
for something a bit different this
year!
Now, is a great time to get
involved if you are a baker or
crafter that would be interested in
producing goods to sell at the
Country Market. You may not
realise that it is not essential to do
this on a regular basis, it is
perfectly acceptable to join us on
a very flexible basis if that could
suit you ? Why not come and
find out more about how it all
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 12
Royal British
Legion Watton
& District
Branch
By the time this article hits the
streets in the latest edition we
will be into the two weeks
designated for remembrance
leading up to Remembrance
Sunday on the 10th November.
I’m sure the years pass quicker
than when I was at school. The
juggernaut that is The Royal
British Legion (TRBL) trundles
on with a few changes in
direction here and there, but by
and large it is still proceeding
with its mission. I mentioned in
the last issue that the
organisation is trying to be as
eco-friendly as possible by
changing the construction of the
poppies and wreaths. We are
also trying to reduce our carbon
footprint by cutting down as
much as possible on our
greenhouse gas emissions. One
way we intend to do this will be
to revise the way wreaths are
acquired for Remembrance
Sunday or other acts of
remembrance. Previously, as a
courtesy, one of the branch
members has ordered wreaths
for a multitude of people and
organisations, collected them,
distributed them around the
district and in some instances
made several trips to achieve
this, then occasionally returned
to collect a donation.
From 2020 Watton branch will
not be ordering wreaths for
distribution. The feeling is that
in this technological age it is
perfectly simple for anyone
wanting a wreath to make a
quick telephone call or order
online. The wreath will be
delivered directly to the person
making the request and payment
will already have been made.
The delivery van will be in the
area doing its normal rounds so
the wreath only gets delivered
once. It will save on
disappointment of organisations
or individuals informing the
branch officials that didn’t
receive their wreath, because
under this system it puts the
ordering in the hands of the
person wanting the goods. The
service that has been in
operation by the branch has
basically been a personal
service from our long time
member David Sell, after many
years of carrying out this
service he is standing down due
to personal and health reasons.
As a branch we wish him and
Jean well but also feel it’s time
to move on from a fairly
outdated modus operandi.
The good work of the members
continues, supporting and
visiting members of our armed
forces community. At our last
branch meeting the County
Chairman came along to the
meeting and thanked us for just
that and congratulated us on
being one of the most successful
branches even in a relatively
small community. Watton
punches well above its weight
ranking alongside branches who
count their members in
hundreds. At the September
meeting we had a speaker from
“Stand easy” which is a charity
offering support to any veteran
or serving member suffering
with Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD). The success
rates for treatment are
impressive and patients from
our local surgery have already
been referred to the
organisation, meaning they are
endorsed by the NHS. The bulk
of the treatment is through
acupuncture but involves other
aspects as well.
You will shortly encounter our
members and other volunteers
out on the streets selling
poppies for this years
remembrance fortnight. Last
year the centenary of the 1919
Armistice, saw an incredible
response with our best
collection ever. Can I remind
people that this year, although
being in the shadow of
100years, has been the 75th
anniversary of Monte Cassino,
D-Day and the 50th anniversary
of the start of “Operation
Banner”. The military
operation in Northern Ireland
was the longest the British
armed forces have ever been
involved in and as everyone
knows who watches the news,
its repercussions are ongoing.
The members of the branch
have firm views on that subject
but not for airing here. This
year TRBL is thanking the
Empire and Commonwealth
troops who have fought and
supported our own troops and
our display in Adcocks window
hopefully reflects this “thank
you” to those countries.
If you want details of our
branch the website is:
www.Watton-Legion.org or you
can telephone, Helen Daly, the
secretary on 01953 885124.
There will also be a new button
on the website shortly to take
one directly to the wreath
ordering department of TRBL.
U3A Watton
Retired Mayor of Watton, Stan
Hebborn was the speaker at our
September meeting.
The talka had the theme of 'inside
everyone there is a story'. This
was a story told with much
humour, passion and pride.
Stan briefly touched on his
childhood and his careers in the
Royal Air Force and the Police
Force plus time served as a
County Councillor, Town
Councillor and Town Mayor. The
main part of his talk was about his
passion for playing and teaching
others to play the bagpipes. He
was wearing the very impressive
uniform for his role as lone piper,
pipe major and bandmaster.
Incredibly Stan taught himself to
play on a set of bagpipes that he
later discovered was intended to
be not a working set but an
ornament! Some years later he
purchased a working set of
bagpipes and by 2005 he had
taken part in a 10,000 strong
pipes and drums fund raising
event which is recorded in the
Guinness Book of Records. Stan
learnt to read music and tune the
pipes after he joined a pipe band
in Surrey. Because of defence
cuts there are fewer military
bands available to perform at
civic and other important
occasions and this has led to the
Southern Highlanders Pipes and
Drums, of which Stan is a co-
founder, being in demand both
nationally and internationally.
The Southern Highlanders Pipes
and Drums consist of nearly one
hundred civilians from all walks
of life in Southern England.
Stan moved to Norfolk in 2011
and in 2015 he became one of the
three founder members of the
Phoenix Pipes and Drums based
in Watton. To their credit the
membership grew from three to
twenty in a matter of months.
They can be seem annually
leading the Watton Carnival
parade. Eight members combined
with the Southern Highlanders to
perform at national and
international events such as a
military tattoo in Sweden, the
Patrons Lunch for Her Majesty
The Queen and annually at the
Cenotaph leading the War
Widows Parade each
remembrance weekend. At the
end of the talk Stan gave us a
delightful highland bagpipe
rendition of Scotland the Brave,
Flowers of the Forest and Auld
Lang Syne.
The speakers in October will be
Ann Durrant (Harness) and David
Stonar (Ukulele).
A new craft group will commence
on 15th October bringing the total
of our groups and activities to
sixteen.
The No. 1 pub lunch group will
be going to the Wagon and
Horses, Griston on 10th. October.
The No. 2 pub lunch group will
be going to the Red Lion,
Hockwold on 29th October.
The Petanque group has come to
the end of the season at
Thompson but has the option to
continue throughout the winter at
either Scoulton or Caston.
Our Christmas party will be on
28th November and our
Christmas lunch takes place on
6th December.
Please contact our Membership
Secretary, Christine Warne on
01760 440820 if you would like
to become a member of Watton
U3A, or would like further
information.
No Hit Wonders
in Ovington
Songs and Laughter from three
singer-songwriters who still
haven't quite hit the Big Time.
The song that nearly made it to
the Eurovision Song Contest...but
didn't. The song written for the
Mavericks...but in the end they
didn't record it. Twice nominated
in the British Blues Awards ...but
yet to win one...and now four new
Christmas singles that are yet to
set the seasonal airwaves on fire.
The new show combines all of the
musicianship and songwriting
skills you expect combined with
chat and laughter from the guys
who have been individually and
now collectively on the edge of
the big time for over 40 years
each.
“Mumbo-Jumbo are well-loved
stars of the rural touring circuit
and this show combines their fun
and catchy music alongside their
warm audience patter – a great
entertaining night out for all.”
www.mumbo-jumbo.biz/
Ovington Village Hall ‘No Hit
Wonders’ - Mumbo-Jumbo -
Saturday 23rd November 7pm for
7.30 start
Tickets £10 will include some
savoury nibbles. There will also
be a limited bar selling beer, wine
and light refreshments. And bring
a few extra pounds for the raffle.
Tickets available direct from
Christine on 01953 885848 or at
Monday coffee mornings.
Diabetes UK
Our speaker in October was Sarah
Turner from the Elsie Bertram
Diabetes Centre at the NNUH.
Among the items Sarah spoke
about were the importance of
carbohydrates in the diet, high
and low blood sugar, the cost of
testing strips for a blood glucose
monitor, how large is a portion of
fruit or vegetables and finger
prick testing. it was a very
interesting meeting and Sarah was
warmly thanked for coming to see
us and putting us on the straight
and narrow.
Our next meeting will be our
AGM and will be on November
11th at the Pentecostal Church,
Watton, 10.15am. (Whom we
thank for the generous use of their
facilities.) For details of the
group, please phone 01953
884713, or email
rjwhrt56@btinternet.com
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 13
St Mary’s Church for parents and preschool
Watton Churches Together November Thought for the Month children (term time only).
Norfolk Wildlife Trust
St. Mary’s Church, Watton We Will Remember Them. By Canon
www.stmaryswatton.org Follow us @StMarysWatton Mark Hackeson, Our Lady of Pity,
Watton Rainbow Brownies - Mondays 4.30 Breckland Local Group
-5.45pm at St Mary’s Church Rooms for
If I can be of help to you please do not hesitate to contact me, Swaffham & Watton girls aged 5-7 years. The Rainbows will be As at time of printing we haven’t been on
on 01953 881439,email:gerryfoster@runbox.com I can then
For many, November is marked by the meeting each Monday (term time only) at our fungi forage, I thought I’d remind you
email or telephone you back or arrange to meet up with you.
annual Act of Remembrance for those who St Mary’s Church of the events we have coming up.
Thank you: Your Vicar, Revd Gerry Foster.
died in the Great War 1914-1918, the Rainbows1stwatton@hotmail.com or look Talks are all held in Watton Christian
1st, 3rd & 4th Wednesday at 9.30am Holy Communion
Second World War and the other armed on Facebook Community Centre, IP25 6AB and start at
2nd Wednesday Morning Worship
conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries. Saturday Coffee Morning- 16th November 7.30pm. No booking is necessary. Cost is
Thursdays 7.30-8.00am, 5.00pm - 5.30pm Parish Prayers
The association of this month with 10.00am – 12 Noon A social coffee £2 members, £3 non-members.
Saturdays 9.30am - 10.00am Parish Prayers
remembrance and prayer for the dead however, morning at St Mary’s Church on the 3rd Wednesday November 13th we have a
5.00pm - 6.00pm Prayer & Praise
goes back far beyond the 20th century. Saturday of each month. All welcome. member of the Norfolk Rivers Trust,
Sundays 10.00am-11.30am ADventure-free for 0-16 yr
Perhaps it is the encroaching darkness of A Musical Evening “Looking Back to speaking about Norfolk rivers.
term time only
November, the fallen leaves and stark skeletal Summer” Sat 16th November 7.30pm at St Wednesday December 11th is Philip Parker
Breakfast - Crafts - Games - Faith in Jesus Teaching
shapes of the trees that, at least in the northern Mary’s Church Fund raising for a presenting Bats and Churches.
Church Office opens Tues, Wed & Thurs 9am-12 noon ‘Families Matter Keyworker’ for Watton. 2020 starts on Wednesday 8th January with
hemisphere, makes it a particular apposite
Tel: 01953 881252 email:wattonchurch@gmail.com
time of year to contemplate the end of life and Welcoming, Emma Nuule, soprano, local wildlife photographer Martin Hosier
Sat 2nd 7.30pm All Souls’ Day Solemn Requiem Mass
in a special way those we love who have died. William Falconer, Tenor, Karen Harries, giving a talk on “Wildlife of Borneo”.
at St Mary’s Church
However, in the Christian calendar the month Soprano, Tickets £15 to include a glass of Wednesday February 12th we will be
Sun 3rd 8.00am Holy Communion BCP
begins with a festival of light and hope as we wine and canapes, available from having a talk by a senior member of the
10.00am Holy Communion
celebrate the saints in the glory of heaven. Adcock’s, shop or the Church Office 01953 NWT staff, we don’t know who yet. This
3.00pm All Saints Tide Bereavement Service
Yet, as we celebrate these holy men and 881252. will be preceded by our AGM to which
followed by tea & cake
women, it is important to remember that they Watton Community Cinema “Yesterday” only members are invited.
Sun 10th 8.00am Holy Communion BCP
are human beings just like us. They trod the Friday 22nd November 2.15pm, at St Wednesday March 11th we have a couple
10.00am Informal Holy Communion
same paths and roads that we tread. This is Mary’s Church Refreshment Café opens from Kent giving a talk, “Return of the
3.00pm Remembrance Service at St Mary’s
literally in the case of some such as Saint one hour prior to screening. Tickets £5 Osprey”.
following the 2.15pm War Memorial Remembrance
John Henry Newman, canonised on 13th available at the box office on the day (drink Ralph and Brenda Todd have been
Sun 17th 8.00am Holy Communion BCP
October, the feast day of that other English and cake included in the price.) interested in wildlife and photography most
10.00am Holy Communion
saint, St. Edward the Confessor. Literally or Christmas Craft Fayre at St Mary’s Church of their lives and have travelled
Sun 24th 8.00am Holy Communion BCP
figuratively, we are the ‘stuff’ of saints. Saturday 30th November 10am – 2pm visit extensively. For 45 years they have been
10.00am 4th Sunday at 10
In the Anglican Cathedral in Norwich, mid- Father Christmas in his grotto, raffle, cakes, actively involved with the RSPB.
4.30pm Choral Evensong
way down the south aisle, you will find a crafts, games for children, seasonal We also have a very interesting and busy
Watton Methodist Church refreshments throughout the morning. list of ideas being arranged for the Spring
memorial which figures a skeleton and
www.wattonmethodist.btck.co.uk
reminds us that he was once like us, and like Book a table to sell your own crafts, £5 and Summer months, so keep your eyes
Every Wednesday the Church is open for quiet reflection and
him we shall, in time, become! A stark and telephone 01953 884385. open for the booklet listings or posters or
prayer between 10.15am & 11.30am. It’s your quiet place.
not entirely comfortable message to read! The October Winners of the 150 Draw 1st prize publications and come and join us.
At 10.30am there is a half-hour Midweek Service in the Large
Feast of All Saints on 1st November places of £50 Mr Kevin Edwards ticket number
Vestry led by the Minister or a Church Member.
before us a much more inspiring truth: as we 135, 2nd prize of £25 Jacquie Nethaway
Sun 3rd 10.30am Deacon JWoodfin
are now, the saints in heaven once were too. ticket number 103.
Grand Second Hand
6.30pm Rev’d J Forsdyke
Sun 10th 10.30am Rev’d J Horton
As they are now in heaven, so we hope to Book Sales
6.30pm Local Arrangement
become! Watton Evening WI These sales have really taken off and we very
Thus, the month of the dead, the month of Ebenezer Cottage Preserves, run solely by Liz much appreciate the support we get from
Sun 17th 10.30am Mr A Warby
poppies, the month of remembrance, the Jenkins from her cottage, named Ebenezer everyone involved. Three more are planned
6.30pm Rev’d J Horton
month of prayer for the dead depending upon Cottage, interestingly, after the Ebenezer for next year, so make a note now in your
Sun 24th 10.30am Mrs Warby
your tradition, begins with a powerful religious group. new diaries for 7th March, 6th June, and 10th
6.30pm Local Arrangement
message of hope. It is the hope of forgiveness Liz began her working life with the then October. They are held on a Saturday, from
Roman Catholic Community and peace, the hope of resurrection and life. named Norwich Union, now Aviva and was 10.00 am until 4.00 pm, with a new selection
Each Sat 5.00pm Mass at Watton Methodist Church For those of us who this year will mourn a there for 26 years. Unfortunate ill-health of thousands of books laid out for you to
loved one who has recently died, this message required her to change her way of life and on browse. There will always be refreshments on
St. Nicholas’ Church, Ashill of consolation and promise of eternal life will one of the many restorative long walks she sale all day until 3.30, plus a bakes and cakes
Sun 3rd10.00am Assisted Worship & Sunday Fun Day bring us joy in the midst of sorrow as it has foraged from the hedgerow and made jams stall and tombola.
Sun 10th 9.30am Service of Remembrance for countless others over the centuries. and jellies. Voluntary redundancy followed The Spring Sale will feature our ever popular
Sun 17th 9.30am Morning Worship May the faithful departed rest in peace … and and Liz decided to take the foraging and Chocolate Tombola, plus daffodils and plants
Sun 24th 9.30am Holy Communion rise in glory. preserve making to a business level. It was for sale. We’ll gratefully accept now any
St. George’s Church, Saham Toney decided to use traditional preserving indoor or outside plants that you can spare.
Sun 3rd 11.00am Assisted Worship What’s on at St Mary’s techniques and recipes, handed down from Now’s the time to divide those perennials to
Sun 10th 8.00pm Service of Remembrance previous generations, using home grown encourage a good display next year! We’re
Sun 17th 11.00am Morning Worship Church, Watton produce or that from local source. She is a also offering for sale CDs, DVDs, audio
Sun 24th 11.00am Holy Communion Coffee and Chat - Thursday 7th November fanatical gardener and the two occupations cassette tapes, and vinyl.
10.00am – 12 Noon. A social coffee were sympathetic to one another. For the Summer Sale we are offering pitches
S.S. Peter & Paul’s Church, Carbrooke morning at St Mary’s Church, all welcome. Now began the formalities of a business outside for anyone to bring their own goods
Sun 3rd 10.30am Holy Communion ADventure - Sundays 10.00am-11.30am - venture such as this. With environmental to sell or activities to promote; our only
Sun 10th 10.30am Service of Remembrance free for 0-16 years at St Mary’s Church health, trading standards and the necessity stipulation being no books or food, please.
Sun 17th 10.30am Holy Communion Breakfast – Crafts – Games – Faith in Jesus of basic equipment all under scrutiny, Liz We have plenty of space to erect your own
Sun 24h 10.30am Assisted Worship Teaching. (term time only) began. There were alterations in the shelter, and can accommodate car boots too.
Story Bags Mondays 9.30am – 10.45am at legislation concerning labelling, a We’ll also have a 2nd hand puzzles, toys, and
St John the Evangelist Church, Ovington complicated business but overcome by games stall.
Sun 3rd 9.30am Holy Communion helpful advice from officials. The Autumn Event will include Halloween
Sun 17th 9.30am All Age Worship The business grew and Michal Brooks, and Christmas goodies, along with seasonal
a local butcher, began stocking her books.
produce. Ten years on and national Donations are most welcome at any time.
All Saints Church, Threxton awards followed, leading to many Give us a call on 880153 to arrange delivery
A Service of Remembrance with Watton Silver Band will prestigious trade customers. Liz's ethos to us in Griston or collection if required.
is to reduce the mileage her produce Items can also be left at Thompson
be held at All Saints Church Threxton on Sunday 10th
travels and is kept within the confines Community Hall, see https://
November at 10.30a.m. of Norfolk. thompsoncommunityhall.co.uk/ for details.
If her display in the Hall was anything to With many thanks, Keith and Caroline.
go by the produce must be delicious. The
Fountain of Life Church delightful warm glow of colours was
most appetising. Watton Movie Makers
The Well Christian Centre, Swaffham Road, Ashill Liz has now expanded into 'Three Tiers Watton Movie Makers are a newly formed
3 Nov 10:00 18:00 10 Nov 10:00 18:00 Teas', a catering service where she group whose sole intention is to make
17 Nov 10:00 15:00 24 Nov 10:00 18:00 provides the preserves for delicious cakes really good films for the general public
and scones served on vintage crockery. Therefore I would like to bring in people
Liz completed her talk by taking us who have an interest in the following
through the intricacies of preserving fields: camera work, film editing, special
PLEASE MENTION techniques, from equipment to effects, acting, scriptwriting and anything
processes of jams, jellies and a wide else that may be of help to the group.
THE WAYLAND NEWS variety of chutney. There is no membership fee and it is open
W HEN SHOPPING WITH OUR The final word was 'enjoy' and perhaps to all ages. If you think this may have
visit the Forum in Norwich on the something to offer you then please apply by
ADVERTISERS 24th/25th November. emailing me at paulmitch2002@gmail.com
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 14
A Busy Autumn at Watton Westfield
What a wonderful start to the new academic year we
have had! Our new children have all settled in
beautifully and are busily learning in their classes,
with lots of different opportunities and events to
spark their interest!
This year we will be having a big focus on the love
and importance of reading. This really is the
‘linchpin’ in helping children progress and achieve
throughout life. We invite our parents and carers into
school to learn about how we teach their children,
and then from late October onwards actually into the
classroom to read with their children on a Monday
afternoon. We would also love to welcome members
of the community into the school as ‘mystery readers’
to read a story to a group of children. Please do let us
know if you would be interested to help!
We also spend time at school thinking about how
we can stay safe and healthy. This term we have
joined in a sponsored ‘beating the bounds’ walk to
raise money for an emergency defibrillator and we
have had assemblies and workshops with visitors
about Road Safety, Stanger Danger, the NSPCC
Pants Rule, and how to stay safe online.
Throughout this school year all Key Stage 1
children will also spend a half term using the
climbing wall at Full Fitness Gym once a week.
Watton Rotary
Roundup
Much has happened in our club in the last 6 to 8
weeks, most of it too late to be reported in the
October edition of the Wayland News. So here is a
more than usual ‘newsy’ Rotary Roundup.
Firstly the 2nd Umbrella Festival, in conjunction
with the Town Carnival, was again very
successful; a full report appears elsewhere in this
paper. Then on 21st September we had the second
of our 2 biennial quiz evenings; 24 teams of 4 took
part and the event raised £524 for our Charity Trust
Fund. That was followed by a successful DixieMix
jazz evening at the Queens Hall raising £408 for
our Trust Fund plus £22 for the winning umbrella,
which was auctioned during the evening
specifically for the Nelson
Project.
Next 4 members attended a
Rotary District Rally at Diss to
meet this year’s crop of Rotary
Scholars attending masters’
courses at the UEA and
Cambridge University; more
about them in future editions
following visits we are planning
for some of them to speak to us
at a regular club meeting.
Over the weekend of 11-13
October, 4 Members with
partners attended the annual
Rotary District 1080
Conference held at Potters
Being an important part of the local community is
right at the heart of what we aim to do at Watton
Westfield. We use a philosophy based approach to
encourage the children to think about how they can
contribute to the world around them. Already this
term the children have taken part in a Macmillan
Coffee (and Cake!) Morning, collected donations
for Watton Food Bank, helped to litter pick, and
visited the residents at Dorrington House Care
Home. Our picture shows Lucia enjoying her
visitor. We are very proud of their hard work and
community spirit!
In November we have the very exciting addition of
opening our new 2 year old nursery class:
‘Hedgehogs’. When the SureStart Children’s Centre
closed at the end of September we were given
permission by Norfolk County Council to move into
the rooms left vacant which are adjacent to our
existing 3 year old nursery class. The new 2 year old
room will offer exciting learning opportunities for our
youngest pupils under the teaching and supervision of
qualified and experienced Early Years staff.
All in all, it’s been a happy, busy autumn for our
children. We are excited about what the next few
months will bring… we are sure it will probably
involve lots of glitter!
Resort; a thoroughly interesting and motivating
event with a good mix of serious business and
entertainment.
October 24 is World Polio Awareness Day. Nearly
every Rotary Club worldwide is taking part in an
activity to publicise the fact that we are so close to
eliminating the dreadful disease from the face of
the Earth; a world map of participating Rotary
Clubs is shown in the picture; it’s almost
impossible to find Watton Rotary but you could try
the interactive internet version (search for World
Polio Day). For our bit, we are spending the
morning that day in the foyer of Tescos (bkpo the
Manager) with banners, leaflets and the inevitable
collecting box. The theme is to wear something
purple because that is the colour children’s fingers
are dipped in to show when they have had the polio
vaccine administered. See our website –
www.wattonrotay.org.uk – for more pictures and
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 15
Wayland Women In Business
Pictured Left to Right: Ann, Jessica (Benjamin Foundation), Carolyn and Clare
Wednesday 18 September was a
beautiful sunny autumn day when we
welcomed Jessica Glover from the
Benjamin Foundation as our guest
speaker into the recently refurbished
Swallowtails restaurant at Broom Hall.
The Benjamin Foundation is
celebrating its 25th anniversary. It
reaches out to provide young people
with the support and help they need
and which may not be available to
them in their home environment. This
is provided through overnight
accommodation, combined with help
with school work, job applications as
well as basic life skills such as
budgeting and cooking. When the
young people are ready, they then
move to the next stage of independent
living with help from support workers.
Inner Wheel
Ladies Get
Cooking!
Our Inner Wheel ladies are excellent
cooks so it was an inspiration by
President Carole to suggest a cookery
book of favourite recipes as her fund
raising effort for the year. Accordingly
everyone was asked to provide at least
one each of their tried and trusted
favourites to be included.
The result, after compiling and editing,
is an interesting little book with recipes
for everyone to try and to have a
guaranteed (we hope!) success. The
books will be on sale at £4 each at our
next two Lunchtime Concerts and on
our Christmas Market stall. They make
excellent Christmas presents for a
friend interested in cooking! The
resulting proceeds will be donated to
The Benjamin Foundation which
provides help and support for young
people in times of trouble.
In October we hope many of you will
have enjoyed a concert by Penniless on
the 23rd and will have been reminded
that our Christmas Concert which will
Through this vital work, homelessness
amongst local young people in Watton
is alleviated and avoided.
Jessica updated us on the exciting news
that the Benjamin Foundation is
establishing a community hub in
Watton’s Youth and Community Centre
and they are asking for local people to
get involved to help shape its future.
One of their successful fundraising
events is the annual Norwich Sleep Out
where people can challenge themselves
and help end youth homelessness,
raising sponsorship for the event on
14th November.
Exhibiting was Helen Hornagold from
Made in Norfolk with a selection of
wonderfully scented candles, soaps and
lotions all made locally from her
cottage industry in Carbrooke. Her
have the theme of 'Family And
Friends’ is on Wednesday, December
11th. This is the event when our ladies
do most of the singing and readings
and when they are very pleased to
welcome their very good friends the
Westend Waiters to join them with
some Christmas fun.
We always add to our lunchtime
offering with turkey rolls and
mincepies to follow and often have a
selection was so popular that Helen
will be returning in December for last
minute gift shopping!
On Thursday 5 th December Our
Christmas lunch will be held at Broom
Hall Hotel, and is entitled “Paris -
Sydney – Watton”
We will welcome Kyla Sørensen who
is currently the curate at St. Mary’s
Parish Church Watton but has lived in
the town for two years now. She has
led a varied life - from a young age
studying and later working around the
world, and living in a multi cultural
home. She will recount some of her
more interesting stories and reflections
(some funny, some not so much) on her
journey towards ordination in the
church. Helen Hornagold will again be
exhibiting.
raffle and tombola to add to the
occasion. We do hope to see you there.
Tickets will be at Mullengers in
Watton High Street by the beginning of
November.
We are always pleased to welcome
enquiries about Inner Wheel, do please
ring me, Brenda, on 01953 881792 if
you need information about events or
about possibly becoming a member.
This Winter at
Your Sporty
At the start of November we kick things off on Saturday 2nd
with a Fancy Dress Halloween Party at 8:30pm, prizes for
the best fancy dress costumes. Following this on Saturday
16th November, we have more live music from Lee Vasey in
the Tom Pettitt Bar, free entry. Throughout the month we
have our Happy Hour, Monday to Friday between 4pm and
6pm with 50p off of pints and £3 doubles. Alongside this we
are showing live sport every day, with both the Hockey Club
and Football Club having regular fixtures on Saturdays at the
Sports Centre.
Also on the sport side we have our increasingly popular
fitness class timetable running throughout the winter with a
number of them being booked up in advance so make sure
you book in either using your member app or give us a call
on 01953881281.
Whatever interests you come down and have a look at whats
on offer at #YOURSPORTY.
St Mary's News
We really look forward to the ‘Looking Back to Summer’
Concert at 7.30pm Saturday 16th November, continuing the
Fundraising for the ‘Families Matter Keyworker’ post. We
are welcoming back Emma Nuule, Soprano, Tenor and
Organist William Falconer and Soprano Karen Harries.
Tickets to include a glass of wine and canapes are £15.00
each and are on sale at Adcocks and St Mary’s. There will
also be a Raffle.
This month we welcome the Rt Revd Jonathan Meyrick,
Bishop of Lynn, for his four yearly pastoral visitation to
Watton. This includes his day in the parish on Armistice
Day, 11th when he’ll join us at Chaston Place for the 2 mins
silence at 11.00am and him taking the 10.00am Holy
Communion Service on Sunday 17th.
Then on Thursday 21st we welcome the new Bishop of
Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham Usher, to the Breckland
Deanery and St Mary’s has been invited to hold the evening
part of the day’s programme. Please let the Church Office
know (wattonchurch@gmail.com) tel: 01953 881252, if you
would like to come to a 6.00pm Supper hosted by the PCC
and other helpers in the Church Rooms. This will be
followed by a Question and Answer session with Bishop
Graham in church and then a Said Service of Compline,
ending at 9.00pm.
There is also an opportunity, to attend a Welcome Service
for Bishop Graham at 7pm St Cuthbert’s, Well Street,
Thetford on Monday 25th November.
The Wayland News November 2019 Page 16
Britain’s Bad
Boys of Magic
set to tour
Rural
Breckland
Communities
After a varied and popular programme
of events thus far, the Silver Social
brings another exciting performance to
Breckland in December that is not to
be missed! Britain’s Bad Boys of
Magic, Kane & Abel will be touring
the rural community with their show
Breaking the Magicians’ Code. The
twin tricksters will be breaking the
laws of magic right in front of our
eyes. Have you ever wanted to know a
magicians’ secrets? Come along and
find out for yourself, in this rebellious
mash up of comedy, magic and of
course, rule breaking, sure to have you
leaving with a smile on your face.
The performance is part of Silver
Social, an exciting daytime touring arts
programme, aimed at older people but
open to all, in rural communities across
Breckland. The project is run by
Breckland Council and funded by Arts
Council England, Breckland Council
and Norfolk County Council Public
Health. Silver Social brings something
a little different to daily life in towns
and villages across Breckland, Norfolk,
through alternating circuits of creative
workshops and live performances held
in familiar community venues.
Whether you want to meet new people
over a cuppa, take part in new social
pursuits, enjoy professional theatre
without having to travel too far or you
know a neighbour or family member
who might like to join a new group, we
aim to bring high quality accessible
arts in a friendly, familiar space.
Residents can catch the show at the
following venues:
Monday 2 December, 2pm-3:30pm –
Ashill Community Centre
Tuesday 3 December, 2pm-3:30pm –
Harling Old School Village Hall
Wednesday 4 December, 2pm-3:30pm
– Attleborough Town Hall
Thursday 5 December, 2pm-3:30pm –
Shipdham WI Hall
Friday 6 December, 2pm-3:30pm –
Necton Community Centre
Tickets are just £5, tea and cake is
included! Free Transport can be
arranged to any of our venues from
resident’s homes for those without
access to a car or public transport.
Tickets can be paid on the door,
however people are advised to reserve
their place in advance via
www.thesilversocial.com or by calling
01362 656870.
Watton Twinning Association
We have just held another very successful
Oktoberfest at The Old Bell pub in Saham
Toney, the German menu, Beer and Music
was great. Our sincere thanks to Cindy and
Graham for hosting this brilliant event for us
again this year.
Our next event will be at the Watton Town
Council Fireworks evening on Saturday 26th
October where we shall have a Tombola. We
must keep everything crossed that the weather
will be better than last year which was
absolutely atrocious. Do come along and
support your Town Council at this event and
the Festive Market.
At the Watton Festive Market on November
24th we shall have a Tombola in the Marquis
always a great day for everyone with a lovely
Christmassy atmosphere.
At next months committee meeting we shall
be making plans for our events for next year,
when we shall also be having our Twinning
families visiting us at the end of May.
We are still hoping to get new members as we
are still looking for someone to host a young
Weeze family with 2 children a boy and girl
Remembrance
for Wretham
Uniformed military attaches from London
embassies will again lead the wreath laying
at the Wretham war memorial service on
Wednesday November 6th.
People will be able to gather in the church
from 10.30am when, against a background
of Royal British Legion and Royal Air Force
who would like to twin with a young family in
Watton or one of the surrounding villages. If
you or anyone you know would be interested
in hosting this family please let me know by
‘phone or e.mail for more information.
If you are interested in joining us and making a
link with a German family in Weeze or just
becoming a member to meet our other
members socially please contact me by
telephone or e.mail below for a chat and more
information. Why not give it a go you have
nothing to lose and everything to gain we are a
very sociable club.
Twinning membership is just £10 per year for
a family and £7 for a single adult. We hold 5
or 6 events a year some to just socialize
together and others such as a Cream Tea,
Carnival, Oktoberfest and Christmas Festive
Market to raise funds for when our Weeze
friends come to Watton, always a most
enjoyable time whether you have guests
staying with you or just joining in.
Tel:- 01953 883317 or
magsdevine@tiscali.co.uk
Margaret Devine (Chair)
Association colours, a short service will be
held at the war memorial outside the main
gates before the wreath laying.
Afterwards poppy crosses will be laid at the
war graves of the Czech and Polish airmen
who died while flying from East Wretham
airfield during WW2.
On Remembrance Day, Sunday November
10th, the local service for several parishes
will be held this year at Great Hockham,
beginning at 10.45.am
THE WAYLAND NEWS
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You can contact Julian by ringing (01953) 858908.
The e-mail address is julian@waylandnews.com
Views expressed in articles in The Wayland News are those of the
contributors and not the views of the publisher or printers.
While every care and effort has been taken to ensure accuracy,
the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.
This issue of the The Wayland News was published by:
Julian Horn, 32 High Street, Watton IP25 6AE
and printed by:
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