The Wayland News December 2011

Giving a voice to the Wayland community Issue Number 183 - December 2011

To support national Anti-Bullying

Week school children in the Wayland

cluster were set a challenge by Parent

Support Adviser Sue Lee and

Wayland High School Librarian

Charlotte Creed.

They were asked to design a poster

with a picture and motto or to write a

piece of poetry or a rap to enforce the

theme for anti-bullying week, ‘Stop

and think – words can hurt!’

The competition for 2011 was an

enormous success, with over 700

entries; we have been amazed by the

sheer quality and time given by the

pupils and staff at their schools to this

event.

There were some fantastic designs

and some wonderful poetry which

certainly made an impact on those

judging the competition; in some age

categories there has been more than

one winner or runner-up due to the

high standard of work. Winning

entries have been made into posters

and will be displayed in schools and

public venues around the local area.

The competition winners were invited

with their families to a presentation

evening held at Wayland Community

High on Monday 14th November,

2011 and received their certificates

and prizes from The Mayor and

Mayoress of Watton, Michael and Jan

Wassell. Mr. Michael Rose, Head

Teacher of Wayland Community

High School introduced the evening

with a talk about the importance of

Anti-Bullying Week. A great evening

was enjoyed by all.

The winners were:

Reception Year: Winner Tallulah

Blackwood Westfield Infant and

Nursery School, Runner-up Daisy

Draycott Westfield Infant and Nursery

School

Year 1: Joint winners Abigail Moulton

Westfield Infant and Nursery School &

Chloe Pitcher Westfield Infant and

Nursery School, Runner-up Ruby

Minns Thompson Primary School

Year 2: Harry Moore Westfield Infant

and Nursery School, Joint runner-up

Lydia Ocal Thompson Primary School

& Jake Bennett Thompson Primary

School

Year 3: Winner Alex Park Caston

Primary School, Joint runner-up Daniel

Mower Great Hockham Primary

School & Lorretta Sonnese Parkers

Primary School

Year 4: Joint winners Daisy Dobbin

Great Hockham Primary School &

Jessica Bower Parkers Primary School

Runner-up Joshua Gore Parkers

Primary School

Year 5: Joint winners Lewis Knights

Parkers Primary School & Mia Poole

Parkers Primary School, Runner-up

Joshua Gore Parkers Primary School

Year 6: Winner Faye Hallett Caston

Primary School, Joint runner-up

Eleanor Armstrong Parkers Primary

School & Chelsea Spells Caston

Primary School

Year 7: Winner Laurily Vargeson

Wayland Community High, Runner-up

Sam Wheeler Wayland Community High

Year 8: Winner Jamie Palmer Wayland

Community High, Runner-up Estelle

Lount Wayland Community High

Year 9: Winner Hannah Stephenson

Wayland Community High, Runner-up

Chantel Law Wayland Community

High

Stop and think – words can hurt!

Annual Town Carol

Service - please

note the new time Watton Churches Together in co-operation with Wayland Chamber of

Commerce will be holding the annual Town Carol Service in the Queen’s

Hall on Sunday, 11 December at 4pm. Music will be provided by SHINE!

and the collection will be donated to Watton Army Cadet Force.

After the service, mince pies (which we are hoping will be baked locally) and

coffee will be served. PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME and come along

and have an enjoyable time and sing your heart out.

The Wayland News News

A heart-felt thank

you from Julian I really do want to say a very sincere

thank you to everyone who has

supported The Wayland News in its

return to our area.

It was a difficult decision last year, to

stop the production of the paper;

having nursed it for so many years I

could not sustain it and its demise

seemed inevitable. To be honest, I

didn’t think that its presence would

much missed.

I knew from messages that the

contributors would feel its loss, but I

really did wonder if it was as widely

read as I believed it was.

How wrong I was! I couldn’t walk

down the street without being

stopped and being told by person

after person how much they missed

it.

With that tremendous level of

support I went back to the businesses

who are trying to survive what must

be the worst economic conditions in

living memory and they welcomed

the opportunity to try and help bring

the paper back where it belongs.

I know I “bang on” about Tesco and

the damage I believe they do to the

area, but without the wide variety of

businesses that do support The

Wayland News, we would, without

doubt, lose the paper forever. So

please, support those local businesses

trying to trade through these difficult

times and in the face of such ruthless

competition. And when you are

doing that, tell them you appreciate

it!

As for the content of the paper, I

must thank all the contributors both

regular and irregular, for all their

submissions. There is also a “core”

of contributors, and I give particular

thanks to Edith Pleasance, Ken

Knowles (so pleased to see Ken &

Edith back!), Rosalie Davis Gibb,

John Egerton, Orbiter and Chris

O’Connor in Australia. Every

contributor helps to make the paper

an interesting and informative read.

I would also like to mention the

Printers, Sharman and Co in

Peterborough. They have been very

supportive, helping me through the

complications of production and also

in helping to keep the costs at a

manageable level. So Mark, James,

Jackie, Julie and everyone else there,

thank you so much.

And finally, all the outlets that help

with the distribution of the paper in

particular the paper delivery boys,

girls and adults at Edwards of

Watton

Ultimately, the efforts of all the

above people come to nothing if you

don’t pick up a copy and read it! So

to you, dear reader, thank you. You

are the reason why The Wayland

News is published.

One thing I have discovered this

year. We have, in the Wayland area,

a true community of people who

work together – mostly peaceably;

that is a rare thing in the country

today. Let’s do everything possible

to keep it going.

Have a Happy and Peaceful

Christmas and New Year.

More than 2000 poignant diaries, letters,

photographs and memoirs belonging to

servicemen in the 2nd Air Division,

United States Army Air Force, who

were posted in East Anglia during

World War II, have gone online

In 2010, Norfolk Record Office, in

partnership with the County Council's

Library and Information Service, and the

Norfolk-based 2nd Air Division

Memorial Trust, benefited from two

generous legacies from former veterans:

Major Jordan Uttal, one-time head of

statistical data and bombing accuracy

analysis at 2nd Air Division

Headquarters, and Evelyn Cohen, who

served in the US Women’s Auxiliary

Corps.

The legacies have enabled the Record

Office to produce the detailed Evelyn

Cohen and Jordan Uttal Memorial

Catalogue, which unlocks the treasures

contained in this fascinating archive. The

published catalogue, which has more

than 2,400 entries, will be available via

http://archives.norfolk.gov.uk

Derrick Murphy, Leader of Norfolk

County Council, said: “The 2nd Air

Division records held in the Norfolk

Record Office form a highly significant

archive, of clearly international

importance, and they cement the strong

relationship between Norfolk and the

United States, which has continued to

this day.

"In many respects, the 2nd Air Division

archive is a commemorative collection

and this makes it a deeply personal one.

The cataloguing project is a yet another

great example of collaboration between

Norfolk and America; a collaboration

which will continue with next year’s

planned ‘American Trail’ events.”

Matthew Martin said: "We are truly

delighted that this important archive

project is complete. The story of the

Memorial Library and of the 2nd Air

Division archive is a fascinating one,

and future historians and researchers will

now have access to all the records from

its inception to the present day."

During World War II, nearly 7,000

Americans in the 2nd Air Division,

United States Army Air Force, lost their

lives flying on missions from airbases in

East Anglia. They were stationed from

as far west as Wendling and North

Pickenham in Norfolk, at Horsham St

Faith and as far south as Bungay and

Halesworth in northeast Suffolk.

The archive includes personal papers of

2nd Air Division servicemen based in

East Anglia during the Second World

War, plus documents relating to how

local people have remembered them,

both during the war and since. It

contains the records which veterans,

their families and local people have

chosen to donate to the record office in

order to preserve the history of the 2nd

Air Division’s presence in East Anglia,

from 1942 to the end of the war. It also

includes the business records of the 2nd

Air Division Memorial Trust and

records relating to the 2nd Air Division

Memorial Library.

There are many poignant diaries, letters,

photographs, memoirs and audio

recordings relating to the wartime

experiences of 2nd Air Division service

personnel in their “home from home” in

Norfolk and East Anglia. A significant

proportion of the records relate to the

2nd Air Division's bomb groups, but

there are also records relating to the 65th

Fighter Wing, ground personnel, the

Women's Auxiliary Corps and Division

Headquarters (which, from 1943, was

based at Ketteringham Hall near

Wymondham).

The many gems in the collection include

a beautiful set of watercolours painted

by the division’s official artist, T/Sgt

Ludwig Lund, and presented to General

James Pratt Hodges, one of its

Commanding Officers. The

watercolours depict airbase scenes

which capture the mood of military life,

of local places, such as Norwich

Cathedral, which is as popular with

American tourists today as it was to the

American servicemen and women more

than 60 years ago, as well as images of

social life during wartime, including the

Bell Hotel in Norwich, one of the

Americans’ favourite meeting places.

Ashill Youth

Club

Christmas

Fayre Saturday 10th December 2pm Ashill

Community Centre Raffle, tombola,

cake stall games and refreshments

come and meet Father Christmas in

his grotto

USAAF 2nd Air Division Archive

Catalogue goes online

News The Wayland News

Circus Stars

Celebrate in

the Library Children from across Wayland became Circus Stars in

the summer with a whole host of events to celebrate this

year's summer reading challenge in libraries. We tried

everything from dance and movement, to African

drumming, craft activities and circus skills. Over 80

children completed the Circus Stars reading challenge,

having read 6 books during the holidays and telling us in

the library all about them. We celebrated with a special

awards ceremony in the library where our very own

circus stars received gold medals and certificates.

Perhaps some of those skills will develop and we'll have

some future Olympic gold medal winners, who knows?!

Regular events in

your library IT Drop in Clinic Having problems with attachments,

want to learn how to download an e-book or find out

about free online IT courses? Then pop in to Watton

library Thursdays between 2.30pm and 4pm when a

member of our staff will be available for free informal

advice on a range of IT topics. This is a drop-in clinic

for quick queries, customers will be seen on a first

come, first served basis.

Tots Tales Every Friday 10.30am to 11am. Stories,

songs and activities for pre-school children and their

parents/carers. All welcome from tiny babies to

grandparents for this free, fun session!

Watch out for your taxes, the

Sheriff of Nottingham is on his

way.

Rehearsals are under way for the

production of our pantomime,

Robin Hood which will be

shown in the Queens Hall,

Watton 26th to 28th January

2012. We have some original

cast members and some new

recruits. Everyone is enjoying

their role and the laughter can be

heard from Thompson Village

Hall on Tuesday and Thursday

Evenings.

As children, Robin and Marian

say their goodbyes – Robin

leaves for Knight School

promising Marian ‘He will be

back!’ Fifteen years later Robin

returns to find Sherwood under

the rule of The Sheriff of

Nottingham and his Mother

Mandragoria. Robin forms his

Merry Men and with the help of

the Sherwood Oak, Dame Dotty

and her son Much, can he defeat

the Sheriff and his Evil Mother

and bring happiness back to

Nottingham? This pantomime is

full of laughter and toe-tapping

tunes along with many of the

characters we all know and love.

Tickets on sales from Smiths

Clothing from the 3rd of

December.

Watton Pantomime Group

Presents ‘Robin Hood’!!

Glowing from the success of

their summer concert held in

Watton in July, the Thetford

Singers have been hard at work

rehearsing their winter

programme. This year, the

Singers will be performing a

truly eclectic mix of seasonal

music at their Christmas

concert, taking place on

Wednesday 14th December at

the Thetford Guildhall.

“Christmas Old and New” will

lead the audience on a musical

journey through time, taking in

festive music from old English,

medieval and modern times,

celebrating Christmas through

the ages. The repertoire will

visit sacred and classical

pieces, well- and lesser-known

carols, as well as a cappella

and jazz versions of modern

Christmas favourites. Including

performances from Breckland

Hand Bell Ringers, and

opportunities for audience

participation in carols, this will

be a jam-packed Christmas

stocking of a concert with

something for everyone!

The performance starts at

7.30pm and tickets are

available in advance from

Leaping Hare, King Street,

Thetford (01842 751975), or on

the door priced £6 (£5

concessions), including

seasonal refreshment.

To help keep weary shoppers in

the festive spirit, the choir will

also be singing carols outside

St. Cuthbert’s Church on King

Street in Thetford on the

morning of Saturday 10th

December, collecting for CLIC

Sargent (a charity which cares

for children with cancer).

For more information about

Thetford Singers or CLIC

Sargent go to

www.thetfordsingers.org.uk or

www.clicsargent.org.uk

Thetford Singers Celebrate

Christmas Old and New with Breckland Hand Bell Ringers

The Wayland News Comment and News

Rocklands School

Christmas Wishes The children are looking forward to seeing the Pantomime - Jack and the

Beanstalk at the Rocklands Village Hall in December.

They will be performing on 13th December when they sing Christmas

Carols for our local Shellrock Club. And we have just heard that

Rocklands will be one of 12 schools each singing a verse of The Twelve

Days of Christmas on Radio Norwich, so tune in and listen up!

Other special collaborations with outside agencies this term include: an

electricity safety presentation by UK Power Network, an engineering

workshop with Lego, and pedestrian safety training for younger pupils.

It has been a rich and exciting year for everyone at Rocklands School

and we shall continue working together to ensure that next year will be

just as rewarding.

Merry Christmas, to all at Rocklands School, to our “federated

friends” at Great Ellingham and to all who read this. All good

wishes, too, for 2012.

Room to build 2,500 more homes or

could we see Wattonbrooke born? Comment from the Editor

As long ago as March 2010 I

highlighted the dangers posed by the

possible sale of the old Watton Airfield

and the potentially large number of

homes that could be built on it.

At the time I was accused of scare

mongering, and was told I didn’t know

what I was talking about.

Now, I am always happy to accept that I

don’t know what I am talking about most

of the time, but in this case, with the news

that just over 180 Acres (75ha for the

metricised) has gone up for sale by tender,

the likelihood that my grim prediction

could come true, has moved a little closer.

That amount of land, if developed to

current densities, would provide room for

around 2,500 homes; the majority of

which would fall within the Griston

parish, though they would bulk up the

eastern end the ribbon development that

come about through the ill planned

expansion of Watton and Carbrooke.

Just to be clear: the land does not

presently have planning permission,

and is not in the Local Development

Framework and so, on the face of it,

is not likely to be up for development.

But, the Government has set a target for

land owned by central government to be

disposed of within the current spending

review period up to 2014/15 which has

the capacity to deliver 100,000 new

homes. As a major land owning

department, the Ministry of Defence has

agreed a target, as part of that overall

ambition, to sell land by 2014/15 with

the potential capacity to deliver

between 26,000 and 31,000 new homes

in future.

The Localism Act, which gained Royal

Assent in November, has changed the way

planning works and in the last Budget

Statement the Chancellor also said:

“We are going to tackle what every

government has identified as a chronic

obstacle to economic growth in Britain,

and no government has done anything

about: the planning system.

Yes, local communities should have a

greater say in planning, but from today:

We will expect all bodies involved in

planning to prioritise growth and

jobs;

We will introduce a new presumption

in favour of sustainable development,

so that the default answer to

development is ‘yes’;

We will retain existing controls on

greenbelt – but we will remove the

nationally imposed targets on the use

of previously developed land;

We will allow certain use class

changes

We will introduce time limits on

applications

We will pilot for the first time ever

auctions of planning permission on

land.”

I first raised this back in April this year,

focussing on the presumption question -

see Page 14 “What price Localism

now?”. Again I was told I had got it

wrong but a Select Committee Report

described the bill as “incoherent” and

said there are too many interpretations

of what localism means and “ministers

abandon the idea under pressure”.

The problem now is in the last line of

that quote above: “We will pilot for

the first time ever auctions of planning

permission on land.”

Again for clarity, there has been no

suggestion yet that this will happen. But

this is brownfield MOD land, described

in the Particulars of Sale as “potential

development land”. And, to be fair

when you look at it, it is difficult to

argue against development on it.

Furthermore, we have a Government

desperate to raise as much money as it

can in the current economic climate.

Do you trust them not to do this? No?

Neither do I. Consider yourself warned.

After discussing this issue at

length with Tim Mullenger of

Mullenger & Co in the High

Street, we have, between us,

developed a dream for . . .

Wattonbrooke Newtown!!

A new village is to be created on the edge

of Watton with just 1500 high quality

homes, with good size gardens and open

space, to the restore the balance of the

recent high density developments on the

old RAF Watton site. There are proper

play areas and facilities for young people,

a Community Centre for the older

generations and good medical provision

for everyone taking the load of Watton

doctors who show an immediate

improvement in patient satisfaction.

In a visionary move by planners, who are

not using every square inch of land to

build future ghettos, there is now room for

a new link-road to join Carbrooke (from

near the Flying Fish) to a new roundabout

at Barn Ruche corner, with access to

Wayland Community High School, and

the new Academy there. This is expected

to take the load off the traffic lights near

the Queens Hall, relieve Merton Road of

its twice daily traffic nightmare and make

the High Street a much calmer and more

inviting place to shop. This will help

offset the impact of recently expanded

Tesco store and will mean that local shops

can once again start to employ local

people in good numbers.

The area to the south of the new link road

between Wattonbrooke and Griston is to

be developed into a large industrial area

taking advantage of the proximity to the

soon to be duelled A11 with the new

transport links encouraging industry to

return to the Wayland area providing

much needed jobs for an impoverished

community whose lot has not been helped

by Breckland Councils focus on Thetford,

Dereham and Attleborough.

All of this is being done with just a tiny

percentage of the money that was

previously being pumped into the

banking system.

Do you trust your government to do

this? No? Neither do I.

Consider yourself warned . . . again.

Flashback: March 2010’s Headline about the potential consequences . . .

To everyone who helped to make our

Autumn Bazaar a success: a big

THANK YOU! Your efforts

certainly paid off financially.

Christine and Steve gave us a jolly

programme at our meeting on the 9th

of November. A good mix of song

styles had us all singing along but

no one took up Steve’s invitation to

come out and dance if we wanted to.

They finished their set with a

nostalgic rendition of Vera Lynn’s

wartime songs in honour of

Armistice Day. The winner of the

“Christmassy table decoration” was

Gillian Ellis.

After our Christmas dinner on the

13th of December, we reopen in the

New Year on the 11th of January.

The afternoon is billed as a

SURPRISE, so come along and have

a surprisingly good afternoon. You

just might Surprise! yourself. The

task for this meeting is to “make a

snowman.” There was a very good

response to the November challenge,

so let’s keep the momentum going.

The “more the merrier.”

We hope you will be happy with the

idea of paying for the price of your

tickets and coach in installments

instead of in one lump sum when we

book up to go to the theatre.

Just a thought.

There was an important job to be

done and Everybody was sure

Somebody would do it. Anybody

could have done it but Nobody did.

Somebody got angry at that because

it was Everybody’s job. Everybody

knew Anybody could do it but

Nobody realised Everybody

wouldn’t do it. Afterwards

Everybody blamed Somebody when

Nobody did what Anybody could

have done.

We hope to see a few new faces in

the New Year. We always welcome

new members. The meetings at the

Village Hall, The Street, Rocklands

are on the second Wednesday of the

month and begin at 2pm till 4pm.

Have a Joyous Christmas And A

Happy New Year!

Shellrock Circle For The Over 50’s


WATTON BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP Wed 7th December 2pm Christmas Social Meeting at Watton

Christian Community Centre

Mon 19th December 12.00 for 12.30pm Christmas Lunch at

Griston Wagon & Horses. Booking necessary.

OVINGTON CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

Saturday December 3rd 12 – 3pm in the Village Hall

Stalls: Competitions Refreshments/Hot Soup

Free Admission & Car Parking

Proceeds for Hall and Church Funds

Hope to see you there, Everyone Welcome

Wayland Happy Circle On Tuesday, 1 November 30 members enjoyed our annual

lunch at The Hare and Barrel. The food and service was

excellent as always. We were pleased to welcome Audrey, a

former committee member and friend, who had travelled

from “up north” to join us.

A raffle was held with numerous prizes and after coffee and a

chat we returned home.

At our next meeting on 6 December we will be entertained by

the St. Withburga Handbell Ringers from Dereham and mince

pies, savouries and biscuits will be offered with our cups of

tea. Each member is asked to bring a small wrapped gift so

everyone goes home with a parcel. Hope to see you all there.

Meet the new Breckland

Youth Councillors

The next generation of politicians are

taking their seat at the table of

democracy to make sure younger

residents are having a say in decisions

that affect them across the district.

Forty-six young people, between the

ages of 11-19, applied to become new

youth council members. After two days

of interviewing applicants, the present

youth council voted for their new

members. Fourteen young people from

Breckland’s town and parishes were

elected to the district's youth council.

Working on the principle of power

through participation, during their three

year tenure the new youth councillors

will be given more than just an insight

into the workings of local democracy.

In a unique strategy, designed to ensure

the voice of young people is heard loud

and clear, members of the youth council

will be given the opportunity to attend

some of Breckland Council's committees

and will attend Full Council meetings to

present the minutes of their meetings.

Lynda Turner, Executive member for

Localism, Community and

Environmental Services said: “The

Youth Council provides young people

with a direct voice in local decision-

making and recognises their needs and

ambitions. We hope to encourage the

district’s youth to take on leadership

roles today and offer them the necessary

skills and encouragement to take an

active role in democracy for the rest of

their lives.

“The views of young people are just as

important as those of our older residents,

and for this reason, we need to make

sure young peoples’ voices are

acknowledged.”

And it seems the elected youngsters

already have strong ideas about what

they want to see happen.

Sophie Malby, aged 11 said; “I’m really

excited and the whole process has

inspired me to apply for my school

council. I think there is a lack of youth

clubs and activities for young people in

Swaffham and I would like to get

involved in making sure there are plenty

of things for young people to do.”

The new Breckland Youth Councillors - From Left, Back, Joseph McLoughlin, Lewis Hanrahan and Matthew Sibley.

Middle row, Jennifer Faherty, Mary Young, Sophie Willis, Kelsey McTaggart and Kristina Fox,

Front, Aaron Protheroe, Charles Mead, Sophie Malby, Katie Harrington, Paige Viner and Hannah McNicol

Christmas

Art

Exhibition Art with a seasonal theme The Christmas exhibition at the

Dragonfly Gallery, Wayland House,

High Street, Watton, showcases the

talents of artists across East Anglia

at one venue. Mediums to include:

pastel, acrylic, oil, mixed media,

photography, textile, silk painting

ceramic and linocut.

Housed within the gallery is

Dragonfly Gifts and Cards – a small

retail area to support both the

artists and the Gallery offering

unique art cards and unusual crafted

gifts, all hand-made by local artists.

The exhibition runs from Saturday 3rd

December – Saturday 17th December.

Preview Eve Friday 2nd December 7.00

– 8.30pm, limited number of free tickets

available. Refreshments.

Opening Times: Weekdays 10am - 4pm,

Saturdays 10am - 1pm Contact Susan

Hollingworth for further information

01953 880205

The book read for discussion at the

meeting on 15th November was the

highly acclaimed One Day by David

Nicholls recently made into a film.

The subject matter has been much

publicised: a couple meet on the night

of their graduation day and vow to

meet or make contact on the same day

each year, 15th July, St Swithin’s day.

Thus it follows their lives for nearly

two decades. It is very much a modern

novel ‘showing’ not ‘telling’ with

description through conversation in

differing forms.

This had been a popular choice for the

group although most confessed it had

not been the light read expected.

Views were very different ranging

from comments such as boring; only

having finished it for the meeting and

one member who tried to skim through

it only to discover that the writing

style made it impossible. Meanwhile

others who read it twice, loved it,

laughed and cried over it and want to

read more by the same author

Following discussion and closer

analysis the consensus was that it is

very much a novel of its time and very

well written. This was realised when

the readers became furious with

Dexter, one of the main characters, as

he slid into the world of pseudo

celebrity, drink and drugs and became

a total ‘loser’ wasting the

opportunities life had handed him.

Meanwhile his father, a minor

character gained only sympathy. The

tragedy was sudden and unforeseen

with tremendous impact. It is

recommended that the book is read

before seeing the film.

For our December meeting we will

have a miscellany of poetry and prose

chosen and read by members with

seasonal refreshments as an

accompaniment.

May you all have the Christmas you

desire and health and happiness in

2012. Good reading for those who

love it as we do.

Shipdham & District

Book Group

The Wayland News Advertising

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

Visit www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk or

Contact NHS Norfolk Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Monday - Friday from 9am to 5pm, on 0800 587 4132 or email [email protected]

For a list of practices that have already uploaded within NHS Norfolk please visit our website www.norfolk.nhs.uk/summary-care-records


The Watton Society Talk Wednesday, December 21st

8pm at the Christian Community Centre Mike Wabe will entertain us with Christmas Stories and Songs

Mulled wine and mince pies will be served

Entrance fee is £3 for members and £4 for non-members, who are

very welcome to attend. Contacts for more information on the

Watton Society are John and Judy Kerr 01953 882613.

“The Best In Country Music” 8 ‘til late

Watton Junior School opens a

Young Savers Scheme

Watton Junior School has become the

first school in Wayland to benefit from a

Young Savers Scheme offered through

Norfolk Credit Union Ltd. with the help

of their local Watton branch Wayland

Community Bank.

The scheme is aimed at encouraging

thrift among children. It is open to any

youngsters of any age up to 16 living or

being educated in Norfolk and is

available through a school scheme, or

for independent young savers through

one of Norfolk Credit Union’s many

local branches.

Wayland Community Bank is supporting

Watton Junior School in the early stages

of this venture with the help of one of its

volunteers who is guiding them through

the process. However, the aim is that the

children in the school will operate the

bank under the supervision of school

staff, thus learning about handling their

own money and helping to become more

familiar with benefits that saving can

offer. The school opened their bank on

September 18th when the first savers

came along to make their initial deposit

and 15 children have already signed up

for the scheme, with more being

processed.

Mr Doug Dale, Headteacher, said how

delighted he was that there had been

such a positive response to the project

and is hopeful that more children will

take advantage of the scheme in the near

future. He is pleased that the school’s

‘Bank Assistants’ who are members of

year six, are enjoying becoming

involved in running their bank and who

in turn they can encourage others in the

benefits of saving in this way.

Savings can be made once a week by the

children and may be withdrawn at the

end of each term. The account can

remain open after leaving this school

until the youngsters reach the age of 16

when they may join Norfolk Credit

Union as full members and benefit from

its extended range of services including

a Current Account, although they will

have to wait until they are 18 before they

can apply for a loan. During school

holidays these Young Savers may visit

their local Watton High Street branch

and any other Norfolk Credit Union

branch with their parent or guardian.

Friends and relations can add to the

child’s account through the school and at

any branch of Norfolk Credit Union.

Unlike full members who receive an

annual Dividend, Young Savers receive

Interest on their savings. The rate is set

each year by the members of Norfolk

Credit Union at every Annual General

Meeting and has been 5% for the last

three years although this particularly

high rate might not be sustainable in

these uncertain financial times.

We wish Watton Junior School every

success in this venture and hope that

other schools in the Wayland area will

take advantage of this scheme. Wayland

Community Bank volunteers will be

delighted to come along and talk to staff,

children and parents in other schools

about the scheme and support them in

setting up a their own school’s Young

Savers Scheme.

Wayland Community Bank is based at

Wayland House, Watton and can be

contacted at 01953 883915. For more

information about Credit Unions and

Wayland Community Bank you can also

see us by visiting www.youtube.com

& entering ‘Credit Union Wayland’

Norfolk Credit Union Ltd. is a Not-for-

Profit Financial Co-operative. It is

regulated by the Financial Services

Authority and is a member of the F.S.A.

Compensation Scheme. Our main office

can be contacted at 01508 533842 or by

visiting www.norfolkcu.co.uk

West Norfolk

Aviation Society Guest speaker Henry Labouchere recounted the part that he and others

played in THE GREAT TIGER MOTH BOTSWANA SAFARI. From

the 14th of April to the 1st of May 2011, a group of seven vintage de

Havilland Tiger Moth Biplanes ventured across Botswana on a once-in-a

-lifetime airborne safari.

The route was from Polokwane in South Africa to the vast

Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. Leaving Gweta, they flew to the inland oasis

that is the Okavango Delta and then the lush riverine forest of Chobe. A

few days in Livingstone, Zambia, over the spectacular Victoria Falls

followed and then they headed back home.

Participants came from all over the world, South Africa, Botswana,

Europe and Australia. They flew their own Tiger Moths, Fox Moths and

support aircraft.

The talk was superbly illustrated with film and still photography not only

of the aircraft but also the terrain and wildlife.

Next Meeting Tuesday 7th February 2012, 7.30pm at Methwold Social

Club: Derick Horn Aircraft from the 60s & 70s”

New members & guests welcomed. For more Information Tel: 01842

87921 0 or visit our Web Site www.westnorfolkaviationsociety.co.uk

Boxing for

Charity For several years Maurice Cornelius of

Saham Toney has been raising funds for a

number of charities through the sale of

bespoke fabric covered boxes. Maurice has

recently established two outlets in Watton

from where the boxes can be purchased;

Sandra at Studio Khyber holds a supply for

sale at prices from £5, as does The

Dragonfly Gallery at Wayland House. A

display of boxes can be seen at both places.

Sandra is keen to support a local charity and

sales through her are to be donated to the

Quidenham Children’s Hospice shortly.

Maurice has attended several local Art

exhibitions and demonstrated the

construction of the bespoke boxes whilst at

the same time selling them for his

nominated charities. He

has recently taken a table

at Swaffham Friday Craft

Fair, and run several

workshops for others

interested to try their skill

in making a box.

The boxes are made by

using recycled Daler

Board offcuts kindly donated to him by

Studio Khyber, the sections of each box

after being cut to very precise measurements

are covered with specially selected cotton

fabric and assembled using PVA adhesive.

Where the money goes… Amongst the

charities to benefit are Help For Heroes,

Burma Children’s Fund, Feed The

Children, Healing Streams Ministries

(Water projects in Kenya), St George’s

Church at Saham, Doms Fund ( a small

charity set up at the UEA with courses to

research the causes of and cures for

stammering), and Quidenham Children’s

Hospice is also shortly to benefit.

Money raised so far… Maurice is pleased to

be able to report that to date the sum of

£1,000 has been raised for charity. They

have a multitude of uses such as to hold:

Table napkins, tissues, tablets and hearing

aids, jewellery, chocolates, sewing box, or

simply as a stand-alone attractive little box

as a gift. Maurice is happy to consider

special requests for boxes for specific use.

Maurice can be contacted at 17 Bell Lane,

Saham Toney, or by telephone 01953

885684 or by Email

[email protected].


Watton Ballroom

Dancing Association

Queen’s Hall, Watton

8 to 11.00 Admission £3.50

Saturday December 3rd

Saturday January 7th

Mike 01953 882799

A Quick

Look

Round By Orbiter Here we go again; as usual

Christmas has caught up with us,

taking us by surprise. Why this

should be is a bit of a puzzle,

since we are warned by the shops

from the beginning of

September, yet still we leave

things till the last moment, and

then bang! it’s all over. It

happens every year, but still we

don’t learn.

Looking around the district I am

always rather non-plussed by the

various road signs that beset us,

particularly the ones that

announce ‘Diversion Ends’,

when one is not aware that there

was a diversion in the first place.

Similarly ‘Diverted Traffic’

signs seem to appear in the most

odd places and stay there for

months, just the same as the ones

depicting flying stones with the

instruction to keep below 20

m.p.h. These nearly always refer

to road resurfacing that may

have actually taken place more

than a year previously, and Flood

warning signs often remain in

place for months, and then are

removed, usually the day before

the next flood occurs.

While on the subject of roads,

may I make a plea to pedestrians

and cyclists to make sure they

are visible to motorists? On my

journeys into Watton via Saham

Toney, the stretch down Pages

Lane leads to a particularly

shady section on either side of

the junction with Ploughboy

Lane, where dog- walkers and

cyclists abound, and I must warn

them that as they pass under the

trees they become virtually

invisible, especially when the

rest of the road is bathed in

sunshine’ and when they wear

dark clothing. As I have no wish

to harm them, would they please

invest in one of those high

visibility bibs, they cost less than

a fiver?

Perhaps there is a good idea for a

Christmas present from someone.

Still on the subject of motoring it

does seem that Wayland folks

have the bad end of the bargain

when it comes to petrol prices.

Locally 4 star unleaded has been

costing around 138p per litre, and I

know that small independent

filling stations cannot support the

discounted rates charged by the

supermarkets, but even at those

big outlets the prices vary so

much’

For instance in Norwich and

King’s Lynn the average is 131p

and even only 129p at one of

Sainsbury shops, whereas 134p

seems to about the best in our

region (Waitrose in Swaffham).

The delivery costs to Swaffham

cannot be so much greater than

Norwich or Lynn, surely.

On the subject of petrol it is

good to note that most drivers

have noted that fuel consumption

is so much better at, say, 50mph

than at 60, particularly when a

steady speed is maintained, and

this has made trips along the

local main roads much safer for

all concerned.

Still on cars, one of our esteemed

rulers has criticised home owners

for using their garages for all

purposes other than housing their

vehicles. Yes, he is right, many

people have converted them into

extra rooms or used them as

storage spaces, but the fact is

that most of the garages

constructed on housing estates

have a standard door width of

seven feet, whereas most modern

cars are as wide as that

(including wing mirrors) so that

even if they could be parked

inside, the driver would be

unable to get out.I expect the

minister who made the remarks

has the benefit of a large double

garage, and thus has no idea of

how the other half lives.

One reads such amazing things

in the national news, and one

such item amused me, when it

was reported that a well-known

shoe retailer was suing a rival

because of the use of the colour

red for the soles of one of their

styles. If this case is successful,

surely this would mean that

firms could sue for the use of

blacks, browns or whatever. Can

a colour be patented ?

We are always being told of the

huge cost of the National Health

Service and the need to

economise, but there is one

factor that is always ignored and

that is the amount that is wasted

on the pills and tablets that we

are supplied with (and very good

they are too), but when our

doctor changes our prescription

we are often left with unused

items. Even when we have a full

box the pharmacy is not

interested in taking them back,

presumably because the

paperwork involved would be

too complicated. Thus millions

of pills finish up in the bin, and

more money is lost. Such a pity.

A well-known local eating house

has recently advertised their

Pastry Pies.

Is it me, but I thought all pies

were made with pastry? It’s a bit

like Pan-Fried Liver – it’s

always done in a pan, that’s how

things are fried, so why do

restaurants have to mention it?

Such a lot of protests go on

about the prospects of new

building encroaching upon

Green Belt lands ( and quite

rightly so) that one tends to

forget that such a vast area of

Britain is almost completely

house-less.

Travel the A47 from Necton to

Great Yarmouth and once

Fransham is left behind hardly a

house is to be seen until the

eastern end of the Acle straight.

Similarly on the side roads one

can travel to all parts of the

coast, with just an occasional

farm house to be seen, and the

same can be said for journeys to

most parts of the country. Yet

with all this empty space, every

new development always seems

to be proposed for where it is

least wanted, at least by the local

population. It seems that no-one

can ever be right.

Well that’s all folks, except to

wish a Merry Christmas to one

and all.

The Attleborough Players will be

revealing the true story behind the old

nursery rhyme, 'Sing a Song of

Sixpence' for their pantomime

presentation in January 2012, a story of

sinister goings on, mystery, intrigue,

music and comedy. Performances will

take place at the Connaught Hall,

Station Road, Attleborough, 7.30 p.m.

Thursday 26th; Friday 27th; Saturday

28th. There will also be a matinee

Saturday 28th at 2.30 p.m. All tickets

are £5.00 and may be obtained from,

'The Flower Box' - 1 Defiant Precinct,

Church Street, Attleborough. Tel:

01953 453533 or

A.W. Myhill, Electrical, Church

Street, Attleborough. Tel: 01953

453107. Very young children in

arms, viewing the pantomime from a

parent's knee, will be admitted free of

charge.

Sing A Song Of

Sixpence

St Mary’s Church

Progress Report The work on both the outside and

inside of the church continues apace,

although some of the extra remedial

work to the outside of the chancel

has slowed up the progress of the

planned work. Our builders, Gills,

are progressing well with the work.

Some of the work on the inside of

the church is ahead of time and we

hope that everything will even itself

out in the end.

Since the last report the chancel roof

has been removed and what we have

found what appears to be a large

recycling centre! All of the stone on

the apex of the east end has been

recycled from other buildings or

other parts of the church – possibly

when it was extended in the

Victorian era. The roof consists of

two structures, one possibly dating

from the 16th/17th Century with a

mixture of original oak struts as well

as some of the structure obviously

recycled from earlier buildings. All

of this is overlaid by the Victorian

roof structure, which is also in a very

delicate state. The apex of the

building has been partially taken

down and rebuilt in brick and tied in

to the rest of the structure and a new

roof will replace the old roof

structures. This is vital work which

will secure the structure of the

building for the long term.

Inside the church some extra

remedial work will need to be

completed on the chancel arch and

repairs to the plaster where needed

around the walls has nearly been

completed. The base of the new

floor has been installed and all the

preparations for the electricians and

other inside work are near to

completion.

Our thanks to everyone who has

responded to our appeal and who

have supported our project to secure

St. Mary’s for church and

community into the future.

Inevitably our costs are increasing

and the appeal fund is still open! If

you would like to make a

contribution to the cost of this vital

work cheques can be made payable

to Watton PCC and delivered to the

Church Office, Church Road,

Watton IP25 6DQ. If you require

any further information you are

welcome to either contact the office

(open Monday to Thursday 9am-

1pm) 881252 or Rev’d Geoff

Garrett, 881439.

You can also follow our progress on

the church website:

www.stmaryswatton.org

We are grateful to our veteran

knitter, Maureen Brown, for taking

on the role of Market Manager in

succession to Gill Buckley, who was

forced to retire for health reasons.

Our wood turner, Ian Thompson, has

also been forced to retire from the

Market for health reasons. We wish

Ian and Rita well. We have

welcomed one new producer,

Bonnie Robinson, who makes

lavender bags with her own

organically grown lavender.

We shall follow our now well

established tradition of running a

free pre-Christmas raffle for all our

customers. Every customer coming

to the market on Wednesday, 30th

November and/or Wednesday, 7th

December will receive a free raffle

ticket. The draw will be made just

before we open on 14th December

to give the winner two weeks to

spend their prize, a £10 Watton

Country Market voucher, to spend in

the Market, before Christmas. We

shall stay open till our usual time,

11.30 a.m., on 21st December and

then close for our winter break,

reopening on Wednesday, 1st

February 2012.

Orders for Christmas must be made

no later than 30th November to give

our crafters and cooks time to

prepare them. Baked goods,

jewellery, knitwear, wooden toys,

greetings cards, etc., can all be made

to order at any time. We just need

that little extra time before

Christmas to cope with the seasonal

demand.

All the Country Market Producers

thank you for your custom over the

past year and wish you a happy

Christmas and a prosperous and

peaceful New Year.

Christmas at Watton

Country Market


Norfolk Wildlife Trust

To ask a question about the Norfolk’s Wildlife please call the Norfolk Wildlife Information Service. Wildline 01603 598333 9am to 5pm Mon - Fri.

E-mail [email protected] Website http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/naturalconnections

Further details and Membership enquiries 01953 498467 Tuesday 20th December, 7.45pm-9.30pm The Wildlife of Norfolk and Breckland. A presentation by David Mason .Followed by raffle and Seasonal Refreshments. Watton CCC, High Street Watton. Cost : Members £5.00 non-members £6.00.

DEREHAM & DISTRICT CAT ADOPTION CENTRE

Hoe Road, Longham, Dereham NR19 2RP

Rehoming Cats and Providing Advice & Help With Neutering

OPEN 7 Days a Week 11am to 3pm

Telephone 01362 687 919

An

Afternoon

Filled With

Memories

of

Christmas

Past Can you remember when the spirit

of Christmas was more important

than receiving presents ? When

you really did dream of a White

Christmas, or if you were really

lucky you would find a six pence

or a three penny bit in your

Christmas pudding?

Well all those memories and many

more, mixed with everyone’s

favourite Christmas songs will be

on offer at the Queens Hall on

Tuesday 6th December at 2.30pm

when one of the country’s most

popular nostalgia shows,

Remember When, brings it’s

Christmas Show promising a feel

good afternoon guaranteed to get

you singing and smiling with

magical Christmas memories from

the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s & 70’s

Remember When at Christmas

which is now in its fifth year of

touring theatres, brings a truly

wonderful mixture of great songs

with all your Christmas

Favourites, Rocking Around The

Christmas Tree, Merry Christmas

Everyone, Silent Night, The Most

Wonderful Time Of The Year, O

Come All ye Faithful, Let It

Snow, Frosty The Snow Man,

Jingle Bell Rock, Away In A

Manger, We Need A Little

Christmas, Sleigh Ride, Winter

Wonderland, Santa Baby and

many, many more. Plus wartime

medleys, ever popular show tunes,

early rock & roll, the swinging

60’s and even into the 70’s.

Sing-along to wonderful songs

made famous by the likes of Doris

Day, Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews,

Vera Lyn, Elvis Presley and many

more in this joy full production.

Combine all that with stunning

costumes, lots of good old

fashioned festive fun, and a truly

unique atmosphere that will have

you yelling for more.

The show is produced and hosted

by the former British

Heavyweight television wrestling

star Neil Sands who with his

warm stage presence, great voice

and fun personality mixes the

music with humour and nostalgia,

making it a show which will warm

everyone’s hearts.

Neil will be joined on stage by

Gemma Turner and Carolyn

Hodgson, two very talented

singers who have graced the West

End on many occasions. Together

they will bring back so many

happy memories of wonderful

times gone by, that will warm

your heart on the coldest winters

day and take you back to a time

when Christmas really was the

most wonderful time of the year.

Tickets at £9, are available from

Adcocks in the High Street.

Inner Wheel Club News

The November meeting was held at the

home of Brenda Davis and the members

enjoyed a flower arranging demonstration

from Brenda Tubb. In a very short time

she had made some beautiful Christmas

arrangements, using techniques some of

our flower arranging members hadn’t seen

before, making it very entertaining for

everyone. Six lucky members took home

an arrangement as Brenda kindly let us

raffle them at the end of the evening.

Our Barn Dance did not attract as many

dancers as usual, but those who were there

appreciated the extra space to kick up their

heels, and a good time was had by all. We

still managed to make £150 for our charities

as the raffle was very well supported. We

would like to see more of you there on 10th

February, when Shinanikins will be

entertaining us once again.

We are once again having our Christmas

Stall at the Queen’s Hall on 3rd December,

9.30 to 11.30am selling homemade

produce, books, jigsaws, lucky dip pretty

parcels and a raffle etc. All proceeds from

this will go to our charities. Meanwhile,

upstairs, we will be serving coffee and

homemade cakes, sausage rolls and mince

pies so come along and enjoy a chat with

your friends. All proceeds from this will

go to the Queen’s Hall Maintenance Fund.

We use it for so many of our functions, as

do many societies in the town, and it does

need constant repairs, so we would like to

help in our small way.

The following Wednesday, 7th December

at 12 noon, we have another Lunchtime

Concert with Breckland Breeze and guest

artists playing a variety of music. Tickets

are available from Mullengers at £5 to

include our now famous Christmas lunch

of a turkey bap with all the trimmings, and

a mince pie. We hope to see you there. If

not, our very best wishes for the Christmas

season, and a healthy and happy New

Year. Jenny Simons (Club Correspondent)

Inner Wheel Club President Stella Leonard and guest Brenda Tubb with her flower

arrangement at the November IW meeting

Diabetes UK Our November meeting was our AGM.

The group has been running for almost 5

years now and it seems to be going from

strength to strength. We average a monthly

attendance of 20 plus people, with new

members coming along too. The

Committee resigned "en masse", as per

Diabetes UK regulations, and were voted

back on again, also "en masse" by Rod and

seconded by John - they are not that bad

after all!!

Subs will be going up slightly in the New

Year, and the group will still be meeting

on the second Monday of each month at

the Pentecostal Church, Old Dereham

Road, Watton at 10.15am. We thank the

Church most sincerely for the use of their

facilities, we are extremely grateful. Also a

big thank you must go to the members

themselves, because without their

continuing support there would be no

group.

Our next meeting is on December 12th at

10.15am and will be our Christmas Party.

This is our chance to let our hair down, so

to speak! For details of this or any

meeting, please phone Helen 01953

884713, leave a message and I will get

back to you as soon as I can.

By the way, if you want to meet any of our

group, please visit our stand at the

Christmas Fayre, on Sunday 4th

December, and have a chat. You can't miss

us as we do stand out a bit!!

Hackers,

Tackers &

Stuffers

The group continues to meet on the 2nd

and 4th Tuesday in each month, apart

from August, at 7 p.m. in The Christian

Community Centre in Watton. New

members are always welcome. Having

said this there will be no meeting on the

27th December as this is one of the

Bank Holidays over the festive period.

On the 25th October a member

demonstrated making fabric cases for

glasses and make-up using the spring

tops usually only seen in commercially

made items. These proved

comparatively easy and very satisfactory

and no doubt ideal as small Christmas

gifts.

Another day workshop was held on 14th

November when several quilt tops for

Injured Service Personnel were

assembled and quilted.

These have only a little more work

needed on the binding to be finished.

Photographs of some of this work and

details of other activities can always be

seen on our Blog at

http://htsqgroup.blogspot.com

For further information contact Jane on

01953 884215.


Your Local Prescription for easy Christmas Shopping With Christmas fast approaching, we

all need a little inspiration when it

comes to finding that special gift for

friends and family. But this year you

can save your petrol and keep it local

by shopping in Watton.

Venture just a few minutes walk from

the High Street and find inspiration

with Total Health Pharmacy. Situated

opposite the Watton Medical Prac-

tice, the pharmacy has a wide range of

gifts and present ideas for Christmas

and all year round providing answers

to your Christmas gift dilemma and at

prices that won’t break the bank.

Choose from bags, scarves and jewel-

lery and luxurious gift sets for a real

treat. Beautiful glass and fragrant

candles and room diffusers make a gift

with a difference. Celebrity per-

fumes and must have handbags.

Collectible Hidden Treasures and

compacts make a very special gift. Or

choose from cheeky mugs, jigsaws

and a host of low price stocking fillers

as well as some very bold Christmas

decorations, including the Christmas

Moose. Also thoughtful gifts for the

hard to buy for man in your life. There

is so much to choose from but if you

can’t decide what to buy, gift vouchers

are available.

The Pharmacy is open 7 days a week

from 8am until late making shopping

convenient for you.

For something a little special that you

won’t find on the High Street and at

prices you will love, Total Health

Pharmacy is well worth a visit this

Christmas.

Friendly Bacteria Boost Your Health And Vitality Visit any pharmacy and the shelves

are full of health supplements, vita-

mins and tonics which many of us take

on a regular basis to improve our

health and wellbeing. A growing trend

is for the use of Probiotics to boost a

person’s health and immunity.

Probiotics are ‘friendly bacteria’

found naturally in our gut working to

maintain digestive health as well as

boosting our natural immunity. How-

ever, our natural levels of good bacte-

ria are diminished by everyday factors

such as stress, ageing, medicines (e.g.

antibiotics, contraceptive pill), travel,

high sugar levels and additives and

preservatives in our food. This imbal-

ance of good and bad bacteria in the

gut can lead to poor immunity, diges-

tive discomfort and overall lack of

energy and vitality with the following

symptoms being experienced; bloat-

ing, constipation, irregular bowels,

indigestion, diarrhoea, thrush, candida

overgrowth, IBS, coughs and colds,

food intolerance, acne, eczema, clos-

tridium difficile, regular infections,

IBD and fatigue.

A probiotic supplement taken daily

can help to maintain healthy levels of

probiotics in our body. A new range of

clinically researched products is now

available in Watton at Total Health

Pharmacy. Optibac Probiotics offer a

range of products to target specific

health requirements with probiotics

for daily wellbeing, daily immuni-

ty, for those on antibiotics, for trav-

elling abroad, for bowel calm, for

maintaining regularity, for chil-

dren’s health and for beating bloat.

Find out more from Total Health

Pharmacy, open 7 days a week.

Always check with your GP or

Pharmacist before taking any sup-

plements especially if you are tak-

ing medication

New Mobility Centre From Total Health Therapy As we age or experi-

ence illness, the

most simple tasks

can be difficult and

getting about the

house and local area

can be challenging.

Total Health Thera-

py have introduced a

range of mobility

and home-care aids

to make life easier.

Mobility and walk-

ing aids include

wheelchairs and

walkers, crutches and walking sticks. A

wide range of bathroom and toilet aids

make daily hygiene issues easier to cope

with, including long handled sponges

and toe and foot cleaners . Daily living

aids make simple tasks like eating and

drinking so much easier and a range of

cushions and supports take the strain

away from sore muscles and joints.

Available in stock or to order from Total

Health Therapy, with competitive prices

and a wide range to choose from.

Just off the High Street at 8 Thetford

Road, Total Health Therapy is open

Monday to Friday, so please drop by for

a brochure.


Telling Tales in the “Wayland

Travelling Storytelling Chair’

Fairytales and fables form a cornerstone

of childhood and, following the launch of

the ‘Wayland Travelling Storytelling

Chair’ in November, a new generation of

children will be inspired to enter the

magical world of books and stories.

To help foster a love of books and the

storytelling tradition in young minds, the

Wayland Cluster of Schools devised an

innovative project and secured £307

funding from Breckland Council to

purchase a magnificent storytelling chair.

As the chair travels from school to school

in the Wayland area it will play host to a

variety of guests; from councillors to

celebrities, from Police Officers to

playwrights, people from all walks of life

will be invited to come to the school to

tell tales or read from books.

Breckland Council Chairman Nigel

Wilkin launched the Chair at Ashill

Primary School, and held the children

entranced as he read the tale of the

courageous ‘Mousehole Cat’. Getting into

the spirit of the story, the children helped

out with sound effects and looked after

the large toy black and white cat Mr

Wilkin had brought along as a prop. He

said: “I have always loved books and am

delighted to be the first of what I’m sure

will be a long line of Wayland

storytellers. This project will provide

schools in the Wayland area with a

fantastic prop that will inspire children to

improve their reading and to take pleasure

in the spoken and written word. Through

using the chair, the project will also help

schools improve their links with the wider

community”.

The chair, a magnificent piece of

furniture made from pine, will travel

between the schools in the Wayland

Cluster, spending a half term at each.

Kelly Scott, Headteacher at Ashill

Primary School said: “Children have an

innate love of stories. They create a

magical world and through this teach us

about life, about ourselves and about

others. The children were so excited to

see this amazing piece of furniture arrive

– they loved listening to Nigel today and

I’m sure that both the Chair and the

people who come to sit in it will inspire

in them a love of reading, writing and the

use of language”.

If you would like to know more about the

project, or would be interested sitting in

the chair and reading to schoolchildren,

then contact Don Saunders (Wayland

Extended Schools Coordinator) on 01953

880175. For more information about

community grants from Breckland

Council, contact Cat Lang on

01362 656870

Five year old Jessica Chapman in the Wayland Storytelling Chair with (left) Breckland Chairman Nigel

Wilkin, and (right) Don Saunders, Wayland Extended Schools Coordinator, at Ashill Primary school.

New

hobby for

the New

Year? I know!! We haven't celebrated

Christmas yet; why are you talking

about the New Year? I don't want

you to miss out on two Lacemaking

sessions before we get the February

edition.

The Wayland Lacemakers meet in

the Christian Community Centre,

High Street, Watton. We are a

group of very sociable ladies

(gentlemen also welcome) making

English and Continental Laces. We

are a self-help group, willing to

teach from scratch, whilst loaning

the necessary equipment until you

are sure the hobby is for you.

Textile students are very welcome

to come and try your hand at

'Modern' texture lace. This is

achieved using any threads, ribbons,

string, tapes of various thickness

and texture. Every piece is unique

and fascinating to make.

Ring Anne for more information -

01953 882051

Dates for 2012. We meet at 7.45pm.

- 9.45pm. January 9th and 23rd.

February 6th and 20th March 5th

and 19th. April 2nd and 16th.

Watton

and

District

U3A A film evening presented by Brian

Salmons was recently enjoyed by

members. Brian’s films are shorts

taken in many locations worldwide

and have won international awards.

During the film evening we were able

to host a visit by the President of

Croydon Melbourne Australia U3A

Geoff Steventon. Geoff was on a

family visit to Watton when he made

contact to meet with our members.

The members annual Christmas

Lunch will be held at the Richmond

Park Golf Club on Friday 9th

December at 12.45pm.Tickets at £13

are now available. Also the Christmas

meeting on Thursday 15th December

will include musical entertainment

plus traditional refreshments. This

meeting will be free to members.

The History group were recently

given an excellent talk by Julian Horn

on “A Watton Gentleman’s Life”

during the Civil War.

The Pub Luncheon Group will not

meet in December. The next venue

will be at The Wagon & Horses at

Griston on Thursday 12th January

2012.

On the subject of Groups the

committee would like to encourage

more participation of members in the

group activities available. Please

contact the Group Coordinator (01953

882668) or consult your annual

programme for detailed information.

The next monthly meeting is on

Thursday 15th December at 2.00pm.

For further information on the

national U3A visit www.u3a.org.uk

Please Mention

The Wayland News

When Shopping

With Advertisers


Rocklands

School

Pupils top

the Bill at

Theatre

Royal!

There has been a buzz of excitement in the

air for weeks, as Y3-6 from Rocklands

School have worked with a team of

professional singers, musicians and

directors from the Theatre Royal to write

and produce their own opera based on

Puccini’s La Bohème. On Sunday 13th

November, they performed in front of an

audience of 1000 people.

Poems and recitatifs (‘recits’) were written

in school and set to the children’s own

tunes (plus a few of Puccini’s) by

composer Howard Moody. Singing

workshops were led by pianist Charlie

Caine and soprano Lynsey Docherty;

David Lloyd, the director, ran a week-long

workshop to teach the children the

essentials of stagecraft and to bring the

performance together. The plot involved,

love, jealousy and death – not from

consumption, as in the original, but the

result of a crime of passion. In the

performance itself, the cast sang alongside

Lynsey, who was cast as a café entertainer,

and were joined at the end by a Roberto

García López whose moving tenor voice

had reduced many adults to tears in the

dress rehearsal.

One of the professional musicians said

afterwards that it was the most enjoyable

project he had ever worked on. He was

overwhelmed by the way the children all

got on together and by their total

commitment…..indeed Rocklands would

be the school he would choose for any

children of his own! This was a sentiment

that had been voiced by several of the

team during the workshops, and which has

made everyone very proud to belong to the

school.

We are enormously grateful to the Theatre

Royal and to all those professionals who

gave so freely of their time and talents to

make such an experience possible. Thanks

too to all the organisations in Rocklands

Village who were prepared to give up their

bookings at the Village Hall to allow the

school to practice there.

The pupils’ performance was followed,

two days later, by a school trip,

compliments of Norwich Theatre Royal,

to see Glyndebourne On Tour’s

production of La Bohème. The children

loved it, although some were shocked to

find that Puccini had ‘stolen a number of

(their) tunes’!

Well done Rocklands School.

Seniors’ Party Watton Senior Citizens Party takes

place again on the 10th December at

Wayland Community High School in

Merton Road. Free tickets are at

Mullengers Estate Agents and, as for

so many years, the evening will

include good food, entertainment

from youngsters at the school and the

fellowship of old friends. With

around 100 people involved in

looking after our 200 visitors this is a

true free community event with the

funding and staffing provided freely

from within the town and the school.

Watch out for the posters. The first

200 will get the tickets for this early

Christmas evening, enjoyed by many

over the past 40 plus years.

Watton Relief In

Need Charity The Trustees of this Charity will be

meeting on the 7th December to

consider applications from residents of

Watton for financial support this

Christmas. It is hoped, therefore, that

applicants will contact the Clerk to the

Trustees prior to that date so that the

Trustees can fulfil their duties.

The Charity is an amalgamation of

Charities set up many years ago to

support those in need. The Trustees

have a duty to distribute the income of

the Charity to relieve, either generally

or individually, persons resident in the

town of Watton who are in conditions

of need, hardship or distress by making

grants of money or providing or paying

for items, services or facilities

calculated to reduce the need, hardship

or distress of such persons. Institutions

or organisations which provide or

undertake in return to provide items,

services or facilities for such persons

may also benefit.

In the past few years, grants have, in

the main, consisted of support for the

elderly to help with the extra costs of

Christmas and/or heating costs.

However, the Trustees are most willing

to consider applications from other age

groups provided they are residents of

Watton and they are in conditions of

need, hardship or distress.

No preference is given to any section

of the community but there will be

times when applicants will be required

to give full personal financial details

and provide whatever information the

Trustees require before decisions can

be made. Any information given will

be treated in the strictest confidence.

Applications for assistance should be

addressed to:-

Derek I Smith, Clerk to the Trustees -

Watton Relief In Need Charity, 39

Dereham Road Watton IP25 6ER

Tel: 01953 884044 Email:

[email protected]

Griston History Day

Michael is the Great Grandson of

Alfred Coughtrey who established

the sawmill in the village. The

village Archive Group is indebted to

Michael for allowing us to copy over

200 photographs of the sawmill, tree

felling and transporting to the

sawmill and for the information

given about the history of the

company. You can read the history of

the sawmill in the book produced in

conjunction with the Wayland

History Project Capturing our

Wayland Heritage The History of

Griston. The book will be available

following the official launch on 26th

November. There will be an

exhibition from 2.30pm to 5.30pm on

that day at The Wells Cole

Community Centre at Saham Toney

with displays from the villages that

took part in the project.

Michael Coughtrey visiting the Griston History Day


November saw a significant event in the

Club’s history. When John & Hannah

Gilbert told us their bosses were pulling

them out of managing the Crown Hotel,

and there was no certainty about the

future, we had little option but to make

alternative arrangements. Having met

there for over 50 years (barring a few

months in the 1980s) it was with some

sadness that we held our final meeting at

the Crown on 3rd November. Fortunately,

we had been offered a bolthole at the

Italian Job, which we were pleased to

accept pending a survey of venues that

could be suitable for us as a weekly

meeting place. Perhaps, if the Crown

Hotel gets back on its feet we will be able

to return to our natural and traditional

home.

Our fundraising efforts continue: our final

bric-a-brac market stalls for this year

realised £55, and our Queens Hall coffee

morning session on 5th November raised

over £180 – thank you all for coming. On

4th December we plan to have our usual

‘straw-draw’ bottle stall at the Watton

Christmas Fair and on Friday 16th

December we will be at the Tesco store

‘collecting’ between 9am to 6pm. During

our time there, club members will be

pleased to discuss Rotary and, in

particular, what we do for the local

community.

It is a year since we hosted a performance by

Winston the Singing Farmer at the Queens

hall, which was specially recorded to make a

DVD. It has yet to be released but there are

still production and certification problems to

be ironed out. We have not forgotten, and we

still have the list of those interested in

acquiring a copy.

Congratulations to the Watton Festival team

for the excellent Festival week during the

last week in October and “Thank You” for

allowing us to have 8 RotaBoards on display

in the Hall during the events.

Father Christmas is seeking our help again

this year to deliver special presents to special

people on Christmas Day.

If anyone would like

to avail themselves

of this popular

service all that you

have to do is to take

ready-wrapped

presents to either

Watton or Saham

Toney Post Office

by midday Monday

19th December.

Parcels should be

clearly marked with

recipients name and

full address,

including a postcode

to help pinpoint the

precise delivery

address. There is a

small cover charge

of just £1 per item,

payable when

depositing parcels.

Martin Anscombe

Watton To

Help

Chernobyl

Children A division of the charity The

Friends of Chernobyl’s Children is

being set up in the Watton area with

the aim of bringing a group of needy

children from a contaminated area

of Belarus for a month’s

recuperative care. The Friends of

Chernobyl’s Children are a

completely non-profit making

charity, run by unpaid, voluntary

staff who give their time and talents

freely.

The Chernobyl disaster occurred in

1986 when 80% of Belarus was

exposed to radiation released from

the Chernobyl plant, this radiation

was 90 times greater than that

released by the Hiroshima and

Nagasaki bombs combined. The

effects of the explosion are

widespread and horrific and now

due to leakage from the reactor, the

population of Belarus continues to

be badly affected.

A large number of children born since

the disaster have physical deformities,

downs syndrome, bone diseases, brain

diseases and many cancer related

illnesses including thyroid problems

which are affecting 1 in 4 children

under the age of 14 years. Radiation

related diseases are caused by eating

food and drinking water which has

been contaminated and even without

obvious physical illnesses and

disabilities many children suffer from

symptoms of malnutrition, and

vitamin and protein deficiency due to

the lack of uncontaminated nutritious

food, fresh air and water.

Medical research has shown that by

bringing children out of the contaminated

atmosphere to countries where fresh

nutritious food, clean water and fresh air

prevail their immune systems will be

boosted for up to 24 months. A

programme of recuperative care will be

put in place and the children will return

home rejuvenated, healthier and much

stronger for their visit here. By continuing

this treatment in subsequent years the

paediatricians in Belarus hope that a

strong stream of children will produce the

next healthy generation of Belarusian

people – otherwise this nation will

struggle to exist.

The Friends of Chernobyl’s

Children intends to bring a group of

children for a period of 4 weeks next

year and needs to raise a total cost

of £500 per child which will cover

air and coach fares, trips out and the

interpreters who accompany the

children. The charity needs

volunteers to help when the children

are here and ‘host families’ to

provide a home on a bed/breakfast

basis for the children during their

stay. It is envisaged that the children

will be involved with local schools,

churches and community groups.

A meeting has been arranged for

Wednesday 7th December 7.30pm at

Broom Hall Country Hotel when the

Charity Founder and Director Olwyn

Keogh Tel. 01524 702330 will give a

presentation about the Charity’s work

and answer any questions. For local

contact and further information please

call Angela Martin 01953 889669

Please see our web site

www.focc.org.uk

3rd Watton Brownies

On the Monday of half term, we caught a

bus from Watton to Norwich. When we got

to Norwich, we walked to the castle grounds

where Kerry made her Brownie promise.

After a snack, we bought some sweets, then

went to the cinema, where we watched The

Lion King in 3D. The film was awesome.

We then went to Pizza Hut before catching

the bus back to Watton. Our favourite parts

of the day were watching the film, and Kerry

making her promise. By Leah, Chloe and

Kerry, 3rd Watton Brownies.

Also this term, we have been working

towards our Designer badge, joined the

town Remembrance parade and service,

and are looking forward to visiting Linden

Court to sing carols for the residents.

We currently have spaces in the 3rd

Watton Brownie pack, for girls aged 7-10

years. We meet on Wednesday evenings

from 6 – 7.30. For more information,

contact Rachel Skipper on 01508 480776,

or Catherine Lusher on 01760 440589

Watton Rotary Roundup


First of all I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my staff for the wonderful work they’ve done over the six years we have been in Watton. Their hard work, happy faces and cleanliness have gained us the

top ratings with Breckland Council Health and Safety and we have gained many, many regular happy customers. Whom I would also like to thank for their support and continuing custom.

I wish all my staff and all Italian Jobs customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Over the past six years we have been through so many difficult times and yet we still manage to come out on top. These days with the global financial crisis it is not easy for small business like us to survive; but with great products and support from our customers & staff we believe we can carry on providing our highly regarded Pizzas and food

We are re-opening the main restaurant as LITTLE CYPRUS Where we will be serving Sirloin, Rump, Rib Eye, T Bone and Fillet Steaks, a great choice of Cypriot starters, some fish

casseroles, baked fish, Calamari, Lamb on the bone Moussaka, and a variety of Kebabs as they should be! Being in Watton six years has taught us that people like high quality traditional food so if you who would like to try

new dishes from Cyprus, Turkey and Greece come along and give it a try. But if this doesn’t tickle your taste buds we will still be serving our Italian Job menu in there as well.

Coffee shop open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm Where you can have breakfast, cakes or choose from our very popular new lunch menu which are all very

reasonably priced and of very high quality.

Italian Job Restaurant open 5pm till 10pm Serving the best of Italian food like pizzas, pastas,

risotto and burgers, and grills.. Take away delivery is also available from this menu

Little Cyprus is open Wednesday to Saturday 5pm till 10pm serving great Steaks, Grills, Kebabs and specials.

We would like you to stay local and enjoy a good night out with a warm friendly atmosphere and not

forgetting great food.

All our Restaurants are fully air conditioned so are a great choice to get away from the

cold British weather

In the Italian Job Menu there are many special offers such as . . . Buy one pizza and get second free. Any two pizza with sides any one pizza with sides and so on. Also for takeaway and deliveries now we have a value pizzas

which made with different ingredients like analog cheese. Analog cheese contains no milk but is made from

soya and nut oil. When you need to feed lots of people and you are on a budget they are the ones!

You can see the Little Cyprus Menu below


Standards dipped and a lone piper

played a lament as wartime

colleagues from Eastern Europe were

remembered in Norfolk on

Wednesday 9th November.

In a ceremony which grows every

year, some 90 people stood at the

churchyard of St Ethelbert at East

Wretham to remember Czech and

Polish airmen.

They flew from Wretham airfield

during the last war, alongside their

Allied

comrades. In a

corner of the

churchyard are

12 Czech and

two Polish war

graves. Seven of

the graves are of

aircrew killed

when their

Wellington

bomber crashed.

The High Sherriff of Norfolk,

Georgina Holloway, joined Mayor

and Deputy Mayor of Thetford,

Derek Mortimer and Pauline

Quadling, at a ceremony organised by

the Thetford and District branch of

the Royal Air Forces Association.

Uniformed military attaches from the

Czech and Polish embassies were

joined by ex-service personnel and

parish council chairman Mike White

in laying wreaths at the war memorial

before moving into the churchyard to

plant poppy crosses at the graves. The

15 minute ceremony was led by

Thetford RAFA chaplain and team

rector, the Rev Canon Bob Baker.

Later, over refreshments at the

Village Hall, Thetford RAFA

chairman John Macpherson presented

plaques to both attaches and an “ops”

clock to the Village Hall.

The short but poignant ceremony

attracts Czech and Poles from a

wide area as well as ex-servicemen

and women. The local and Thetford

branches of the Royal British

Legion paraded standards,

alongside those from RAFA

branches at Thetford, Bury St

Edmunds and Haverhill, Dereham,

Beccles and Watton. There once

more was Pavlina Kupova, who

first attended the ceremony with her

Czech grandmother when they

began. The old lady, who has since

died, made a pilgrimage to

Wretham to see the grave of her

boyfriend. She bade farewell to him

when he went to war, never to see

him again. Her granddaughter

vowed to attend on her behalf.

There was a short Remembrance Day

Parade on Friday 11 November 2011 at

11.00 am to observe the Two Minute

Silence at the War Memorial at the

Thetford Road car park. The parade was

attended by the Standards of the Royal

British Legion and RAFA plus the

Mayor and Mayoress and members of

the Watton Town Council and

approximately eighty members of the

Legion, RAFA and the general public.

The Last Post and Reveille were

sounded by the bugler Mr Steven Kemp.

Laying Of Poppy Crosses on War

Graves: A short service took place at St

Mary’s Church Watton at 12 o’clock on

Saturday 12th to place the Poppy Crosses

on the War Graves in the Churchyard.

This Parade was attended by the Mayor

and Mayoress, members of Watton

Town Council, representatives of the

Royal British Legion, RAFA,

detachments of the Army Cadet Force

and the Air Training Corps and members

of the general public. The Last Post and

Reveille were sounded and the Two

Minute Silence observed. It was very

refreshing to see the numbers of the

general public attending and a very good

turnout of both the Army Cadets and Air

Training Corps.

Remembrance Sunday

The Remembrance Sunday events for

the Royal British Legion started at 10.00

hrs at Thompson Parish Church where

the Standard was paraded and the wreath

laid by Mr David Sell.

The Standard, accompanied by Mr

David Sell and Capt Bellamy then

proceeded to the Tottington War

Memorial where the wreath was once

again laid by Mr Sell and the Exhortation

and the Kohima were spoken by Capt

Bellamy.

The parade on the Sunday afternoon at

the Thetford Road car park under the

command of the Parade Marshal, Mr Pat

Murphy, marched on to parade at 14.30

hrs and after a short service wreaths were

laid by the Mayor, Royal British Legion,

RAFA, representatives of RAF

Honnington and USAF Lakenheath and

the various voluntary organizations of

the town plus members of the general

public. The Last Post and Reveille were

sounded and the Two Minute Silence

observed.

The parade then marched past the War

Memorial, the representatives of RAF

Honnington and USAF Lakenheath

taking the salute. The parade was led by

the Band of 864 Sqn ATC and

proceeded to the Methodist Chapel in the

High Street where the main Service of

Remembrance was held.

Once again the members of the Royal

British Legion would like to thank the

Mayor and Watton Town Council for

their support, the representatives of RAF

Honnington and USAF Lakenheath for

their attendance and all the town’s

voluntary organizations.

Finally, it is to the general public of

Watton and the surrounding area that the

Legion’s thanks are given for their

overall support over this weekend and

we know that this is truly appreciated by

members of our Regular and Territorial

Armed Forces.

Remembrance Weekend Events

Picture by Mark Bunning Photography

Czech and Polish Airmen

Remembered at E Wretham


PROFILE ON RECEPTION

The reception staff here at Watton

Medical Practice are our front line

team, and your first point of

contact with the practice. With

almost 13,000 patients registered

here they have to handle a wide

variety of tasks, requests and

questions on a daily basis. The nine

strong core reception team consists

of 9 part time staff, 6 in the

morning and 3 in the afternoon;

who have come from a range of

different backgrounds, but who all

contribute to the knowledge base,

skill, and professionalism the team

demonstrates. As well as

answering phone calls, making

appointments, and checking

patients in, they arrange home

visits, update patient information

on our clinical database, register

patients, act on doctor and nurse

requests and act as a go-between

linking doctors and hospitals or

patients, to relay important and

sensitive medical information.

They also deal with over 1000

requests for repeat medications

that the practice receives on a

weekly basis via email, fax and in

writing. All of this only scratches

the surface on the range of

responsibilities they have to

undertake every day, and the

practice as a whole is very

grateful for their dedication to the

work

When we are closed

We are often overwhelmed on a

Monday morning and after bank

holidays, by patients who have

been ill over the previous few

days but not felt confident in

calling the out of hours doctors:

01603 488488 Please use this service and dont

wait until we are open again.

The process is very simple: you

call, someone calls you back

based on what you have said is

wrong with you, and then you

will receive a visit or be asked

to attend one of the local doctor

bases in Dereham or Thetford

(sometimes Norwich if late at

night) or you will be passed to

the ambulance service for

treatment if your condition is

thought to be serious.

The service is run by Norfolk

doctors, some of whom may be

familiar to you, not foreign

doctors. You never know, you

may actually see one of your

own practice doctors when

using this service!

Number of Appointments

For interest; this week we saw 1361

patients which generally happens

every week. So, when we hear patients say they can not get an appointment we are

surprised!

Recent ly we have been

undertaking a questionnaire that

was devised by our Patient

Liaison Group; there were only 2

questions as we wanted to get a

good range of responses.

The 2 questions were 1) What is

good about the practice? 2) if

possible what would you like to

see improved?

Here are the main results:

“I want to see the same doctor”

– 40% of patients”

We know that people like to see a

particular doctor and in ideal

circumstances that would always

be possible. As many of you

know, this isn't always possible,

for example if you need medical

attention when the Surgery is

closed you are used to seeing a

doctor at the Walk-in Centre in

Norwich or the out of hours

doctors.

If you attend the Surgery during

normal working hours it is still

not always possible to see the

doctor of your choice, despite our

best attempts, at being able to

book up to 3 weeks in advance. If

your problem is urgent and

cannot wait for a routine

appointment to be available with

your preferred doctor, you will

need to see an available doctor. If

your problem is urgent we will

always offer an appointment with

one of our doctors or the Nurse

Practitioner, so you need never go

away saying you could not get an

appointment! Our doctors do not

have personal lists, which means

that no patient is actually aligned

to a specific doctor so unless your

doctor is managing your

condition, and arranges to see you

again themselves, it is expected

that patients will be able to see

any doctor or clinician in the

practice. It would help the

availability of advance booking

slots if patients do not ask to see a

doctor of choice for very minor

complaints but instead leave these

slots for patients who have longer

term conditions.

We are contracted by the NHS to

offer a mixture of appointments,

these being; book in advance with

a GP of choice or with any GP;

approximately 40% of all of our

GP appointments are bookable in

advance and 100% of our nursing

appointments are bookable in

advance. Some of these pre-

bookable appointments are for

patients who need to have a

specific procedure like removal

of a toenail or a contraceptive

device fitted.

We also have to offer same day

appointments to meet the demand

for patients who feel unwell on a

p a r t icu la r d ay; 6 0 % o f

appointments are offered for this

purpose, some as telephone

consultations. There is also an

emergency list for patient’s

whose condition needs urgent

attention and can not wait for a

routine appointment.

Patients sometimes ask why we

do not offer more advance

booking appointments; this is

because of the balance and

variety of appointments that have

to be offered and also we have

carefully monitored the link

between advance bookings and

patients who then do not turn up

for their appointments. Any

further than 3 weeks ahead, the

number of DNA’s (did not

attends) increases significantly.

This week 59 patients DNA,

which equates to 21 hours of

wasted appointment time!

As we have recruited a fantastic

new Nurse Practitioner, we will

shortly be adding some more

s a m e d a y a p p o i n t m e n t

availability which in turn will

mean that we can add some more

pre-bookable appointments too.

We will monitor the difference

that this will make but we do ask

our patients to use the advance

booking options with thought

please and not for minor

problems.

Answering the phone in the

morning – 14%

There has been a lot of work

allocated to this issue over the

past 2 years and although this

figure is high, we have seen a

steady drop in our survey results

for patients who still find this a

p r o b l e m . T h e r e a r e 6

receptionists in the morning all

answering the phone or dealing

with patient requests. All

telephone calls are answered in

turn and we are trying very hard

to get to the phone as quickly as

possible and would ask our

patients to help us with this

challenge. How? By being

precise and brief with your

request to the receptionist and

allowing them to move on to the

next patient in the telephone

queue.

Nothing wrong – no negatives –

11%

This high percentage was very re-

assuring, however we know that

there is always room for

improvement in our practice, so

we will not become complacent!

Very happy with the practice –

40%

This is the percentage of patients

who specifically said that they

were very happy with the practice

and have no comments to make.

Staff and doctors very good –

33%

Many patients commented on

doctors, nurses and all support

staff, many saying what a

difficult role they had. This was

much appreciated.

General Comments

These were widespread and

ranged from the not liking the

check in screen and being

unhappy with the waiting times in

surgery and also positives of

good organisation , waiting times

in practice are short and always

being able to get an appointment.

These will be discussed in more

detail with the patient liaison

group.

Watton Medical Practice – Winter Newsletter Patient Liaison Group Survey TESTICULAR SELF

EXAMINATION Testicular cancer is one of the most common

cancers in men aged 15-45. It is affecting more men each year

and a simple, regular self-check could detect early signs of the

disease. Watch out for one or more of the following:

a hard lump on the front side of the testicle

swelling or enlargement of a testicle

an increase in firmness of a testicle

pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum

an unusual difference between one testicle and the other

If you notice anything unusual about your testicles you should

see a doctor as soon as possible. We are always happy to check

even if it is just for peace of mind.

Testicular cancer is almost always curable if it's found early.

Accident and Emergency departments are for

serious or life-threatening illnesses and

injuries – here is a basic guide to other

healthcare options in and around

Keep the basics in your medicine cabinet: painkillers for most minor aches

and pains, antihistamines for dealing with allergies/insect bites, anti-

diarrhea tablets, indigestion remedies for heartburn or trapped wind,

sunscreen of at least Factor 15 and a first aid kit (bandages, plasters,

thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings, tweezers and

medical tape. Ask your pharmacist for more details and always follow the

directions. From sprains to stomach upsets, your local pharmacist is qualified to give

expert advice without an appointment

People who are unwell when GP services are closed are asked to call NHS

Direct, a service able to give advice and details of local services if needed.

Call 24 hours a day on 0845 4647 for free expert health advice and

reassurance, or visit NHS Direct online at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

People who need GP or nurse care while their own surgery is

closed can contact Norfolk Out of Hours service on 01603 488488

for urgent access to GP services from 6.30pm to 8am, Monday to

Friday and 24 hours at weekends and bank holidays.

To see an experienced nurse for treatment of minor injuries or to

see a GP seven days a week, 7am to 9pm you can seek treatment at

Timber Hill Health Centre in Castle Mall. 0300 0300 333.

Anyone needing confidential emotional support can call the

Mental Health Matters helpline on 0800 107 0160, 24hours a day

Anyone needing emergency dental treatment

should phone NHS Direct 0845 4647

Only Call 999 or visit A&E for emergencies such as loss of

consciousness, severe chest pain or serious accidents

Anyone who needs to renew a prescription should do so in

plenty of time to ensure they don’t run out. This is especially

important for people with long term conditions such as diabetes,

high blood pressure, asthma, heart disease, epilepsy or people

with chronic pain conditions. We require 2 clear working days

to process prescriptions please


ROGER TURNER 07759 948 830 01953 881 382

Poppy Appeal 2011 Latest

We are pleased to report that the total so far

for this year's Poppy Appeal for Watton and

district is £13092. There is still more

money to come in for Poppy wreaths and

church collections. Also there are still a few

collecting boxes to be received.

This is a tremendous sum and a magnificent

gesture of support for the serving forces

both past and present. Also it is a tribute to

the generosity of Wayland folk in these

hard times.

Thank you everyone. Jean Sell (Hon Poppy

Appeal Organiser, Watton and District)

Mayor’s

Chat By Michael Wassell

Hello to all, this month I am

writing as both Chairman of

Watton Town Council and one of

the Watton ward members for

Breckland District Council. Having

both hats precariously balanced

makes it difficult to see the

keyboard, but I will persevere!

Following on from the success of

last year, Breckland District

Council is continuing with its

energy monitor loan scheme. The

monitors allow households to see

just how much electricity they are

using and what it is costing.

Monitors are easy to install and

require no previous knowledge or

electrical skills; all you have to do

is connect them to your electricity

mains and a hand held monitor will

provide instant information on how

much electricity you are using in

terms of power use, energy cost

and your carbon footprint. The

monitors will help you understand

your energy usage and show you

the impacts of changing your habits

and behaviour. By simply turning

off electrical devices when not in

use, whether its turning off at the

plug instead of using standby or

switching a light off, the monitor

will show you the actual cash

savings.

To book your energy monitor

simply drop into the Breckland

Customer Services Centre which is

at Wayland House (the old police

station) on Wednesdays 9am to

4:30pm and Fridays 9am to 4pm or

for further information and advice

on energy saving please contact

Breckland Council on 01362

656870.

A new initiative, ‘Restore’, is set to

tackle long-term empty homes. In

times of high demand for housing

and with the present housing

shortage Breckland District

Council is encouraging owners of

empty houses to bring them back

into use.

By supporting empty home owners

and working with them through

negotiation to bring their empty

properties back into use, Breckland

Council has managed to unlock 60

properties in the last year,

contributing to meeting the housing

needs of the district. With this new

scheme the Council hope to

encourage more owners to take up

the challenge and put their empty

property to good use. Through the

‘Restore’ scheme, owners can

apply for an empty property grant

of up to £5000, which can be used

on renovation works to bring the

property back into use and up to a

lettable standard. After completion

of the works the property must be

in reasonable repair, have a central

heating system, reasonably modern

kitchen and bathroom and be

energy efficient.

Council officers will provide

support, including advice on how

to begin earning an income through

letting the property and help to find

suitable tenants. The owner is then

required to let the property within 3

months of completion and for, at

least, a 12 month tenancy. Anyone

who thinks they can get involved in

this scheme should contact

Breckland District Council on

01362 656870.

The town continues to suffer from

continuing bouts of vandalism.

Watton Town Council has just

modified the memorial garden

display to try and reduce the

potential for anti social behaviour

there. The flower displays seem to

be a current target, one was

actually completely upended and

it’s contents dumped on the

ground. Food containers are

regularly dumped in the flower

beds, along with plastic bags and

beer cans. I just want to emphasize

that all of the damage caused has to

be rectified and there is a cost

involved in this. Remember that

when Watton Town Council spends

money, it is your money that we

are spending. Whilst I would not

encourage members of the public to

get directly involved, I would ask

that if anyone witnesses any kind

of vandalism being done to please

report it. This can be either to the

police directly, the town hall, or a

member of the Town Council and

your anonymity will be protected.

The whole of the High Street and

many other areas of the town are

covered by a state of the art CCTV

system installed by Breckland

District Council. Knowing when

the damage occurred may allow the

CCTV operators to identify the

perpetrators and hold them to

account.

Watton Town Council is holding it

Festive Christmas Market, on the

afternoon of Sunday 4th December.

There will be lots of stalls for

everyone to enjoy, Santa will be in

residence at the Clock Tower, and

the Christmas Lights will be

switched on by yours truly ably

assisted by Santa himself. So

please come along and bring all of

the friends and family, have a great

time, enjoy the festivities and also

raise some money for some good

causes.

Can I just take this opportunity in

this the final edition of the

Wayland News before Christmas to

wish everyone a safe and happy

festive season, whatever you are

doing. I am sure that I will speak

with many of you either at the

Festive Market, or indeed as

frequently happens whilst just

walking along the high street. As I

say every time if you have any

concerns about what the Town

Council is doing (or perhaps not

doing) then please do not hesitate

to contact me, or any Town

Councillor.

Michael Wassell

Chairman, Watton Town Council,

Breckland District Council Ward

Member - Watton

michael.wassell@wattontowncounc

il.gov.uk

01953 882884

War Hero

Dies In

Watton Dennis (Danny) Josey, a war time

Lancaster pilot died peacefully at home

in Watton on 12 October at the age of

91. Dennis was born in Harlesden,

North London in 1920. Like many

others at this time, his parents struggled

financially during the years of the

Depression but they provided a strict,

loving home and deeply committed

Christian upbringing which supported

him throughout the whole of his life.

He went to school in Wembley; his

school reports suggest that he was “a

good all round student” whose

behaviour was invariably excellent but

whose main interests lay outside the

schoolroom on the athletics and football

field. He left school at 15 and joined the

Northmet Co. as a trainee electrician.

During his teenage years Dennis

developed a passion for cycling; he was

very proud of his Raleigh bike, bought

with the proceeds of many early

morning paper rounds. He kept his

machine in tip-top condition and

thought nothing of covering 100 miles

along the south coast and back in a

single day. It was on one such trip that

he met a girl called Olive who had

fallen off her bike and was in some

distress. A true knight of the road, he

patched up both the young lady and her

bike and subsequently asked her to

marry him. They became officially

engaged just 48 hours before the

announcement of the outbreak of war.

In the final years of the decade when it

became obvious that war was

imminent, Dennis joined the Territorial

Army and was called up for service in

the late summer of 1939. He was sent to

a training camp near Morley in Norfolk

and served with the Royal Artillery for

2 years until he managed to secure a

transfer to the RAF in 1940 and

embarked on his pilot’s training the

following year.

According to his pilot’s log books, he

had his first experience of flying a Tiger

Moth on 18 August 1941. By the end of

the first week he was “climbing,

gliding, stalling and spinning” as well

as taking off and landing. The log

books record his training experience in

a variety of aircraft, both in this country

and in Canada where he gained his

“wings” as a fully qualified pilot in

1942.

In a brief spell of leave in August 1943

he and Olive were married. Almost

immediately after their honeymoon he

was back into the most intense period of

active service, flying out of many

airfields in the east of England but

mainly from Elsham Wold in

Lincolnshire. In the summer of 1944 he

joined 103 Squadron and was the

captain of a Lancaster (‘U’ for Uncle).

He and his crew completed 35 bombing

operations and he was one of the few

pilots to be awarded both the British

and the American Distinguished Flying

Cross. The first citation praises his

“high courage, determination and

resource” when supporting the Allied

Expeditionary Force on ‘D-Day’. The

American citation, acknowledging the

support given during the invasion of

Europe, provides more detail: “On one

occasion in May 1944, he was captain

of an aircraft detailed to attack a target

at Dortmund. While over the target

area, two engines were damaged by

anti-aircraft fire. Despite this, Flight

Lieut. Josey coolly continued with the

bombing run. During the long return

flight, another engine failed.

Undeterred, he flew the aircraft back to

base and accomplished a skilful landing

without further damage”.

When the war was over, Dennis or

‘Danny’ as he was always known in his

RAF career, left the service and became

Captain for British South American

Airways. For over three years this

involved a great deal of time spent

away from home and as he now had a

family to consider, he decided to return

to the RAF for a peace-time career. In

1950 he became one of the first pilots to

train on both Meteor and Canberra jets

and he and his crew were selected to

lead the Coronation flypast over

Buckingham Palace in 1952. In 1954

his flying career had to be cut short

because of a burst ear-drum and he

transferred to Air Traffic Control in

which he served for a further 24 years,

including postings to Cyprus and

Germany. He also spent some time at

RAF stations Marham and Watton.

In 1968 he finally left the RAF and

settled near Dereham. Sadly he and

Olive had no time to enjoy his

‘retirement’ as she died shortly

afterwards. Dennis then took a new job

with Norfolk County Council

Highways for whom he worked until

well into his sixties. Then came a move

to Watton where he lived quietly for

over 20 years, a regular worshipper at

St. Mary’s Church and a good

neighbour and friend to all who knew

him. A truly Christian gentleman, who

rarely spoke of his wartime experiences

but, who never failed to remember and

to honour the friends and colleagues

who served with him, so many of

whom did not return.

Dennis leaves a daughter, five

grandchildren, seven great

grandchildren and a dear friend Eileen.

He will be greatly missed. Family Mourners: Anita Morgan, Ian

Morgan, Greg Morgan also representing

Mr & Mrs A Hodgson, Oliver, Alfie &

Eva, Charlotte Morgan, Naren Deen,

Rob and Olivia Jackson & Helena, Mr

& Mrs L Maurice, Zach & Maisie, Mark

& Julia Pugh-Cook, Mr Charles Barker

also representing Helen Graham Alton

Barker, Saphy, Dylan and Finlay, Eileen

Kittell, Edward Kittell, Rachel Kerr,

Wendy Airey also representing Jonathan

Airey, Master James Airey, Brenda

Pickering, Paul & Janet Watsham

Other Mourners: Mr and Mrs Jeff Blake,

Mr and Mrs Geoffrey Smith, Mr and

Mrs Martin McClelland, Mrs Margaret

Fitzgerald, Mr Ron Wheeler also

representing R.A.F.A, Mr Paul

Wetherill, Mrs Vera Amys, Mrs Harriett

Woods, Mr Guy Woods, Mr and Mrs

Roger Burrows, Mr and Mrs George

Reay, Mrs Kim Walker, Mrs Maxine

MacLean, Mr and Mrs Derek Parfitt, Mr

Christopher Mitchell, Alan Blake,

Shirley Blake, Margaret Cator, Anne

and Keith Lemmon, Veronica Chesson,

Rose and Reg Bruce, Rita Cumberland

also representing Doreen Haynes, Robin

Haynes, Valerie Haynes & Jackie

Eastty, S A Bibby and J M Bibby, Capt

Glyn Bellamy R.B.L, Mrs Jaquline

Burnham, Mr Nick Randell, Mr Colin

Livingstone, Mrs Anita Livingstone,

Miss Heather Parle, Christina Browne,

Valerie Semlyen, Revd Rod Broughall,

Anne Garrett, Alan Childers, Janet &

Colin Wickers also representing Mrs S

Russell, Mr D & Mrs C Fitt, Mrs Mim

Richards also representing Mrs K

Brown and , Mr and Mrs Stanley

Woods, Mr Oliver Adcock, Shirley and

Ken Piper, Mr and Mrs Sporle, Jill and

Vernon Conie


Letter from

Australia By Chris O’Connor

It began with the police and has escalated

from there. To put in simply, police

officers in the Australian state of

Victorian were granted a pay rise of 18%

over a four year period.

At the same time nurses who were

seeking a similar pay rise were knocked

back by the government; additionally

about 250,000 public servants demanded

a pay rise. They too were knocked back.

For some time now Australia has had a

stable industrial relations arena and most

people managed to sail through the last

Global Financial Crisis without too many

concerns. The government spent up and

so did consumers. Now the various

governments around the nation have run

out of money and the workers, hurting

from increases in prices of everyday

living commodities such as food want

more money so they can live a decent

lifestyle.

It all began with Qantas engineers, pilots

and baggage handlers. They asked for a

pay rise and their CEO, an Irishman Alan

Joyce who earns $5 million a year, said

they couldn’t have it. When they said

they would take industrial action he pre-

empted them and grounded the entire

Qantas fleet stranding over 100,000

people around the world. Eventually the

Federal government stepped in and both

parties were ordered not to take any form

of combative action while more sensible

talks could take place.

It cost Qantas, the second oldest airline in

the world over $50 million in lost

revenue and goodness knows how many

regular passengers who have said they

will not go near the airline again.

Affectionately known as the Flying

Kangaroo there are many aviation

experts who are now saying that because

of the action by Joyce the airline will not

exist in five years’ time.

But let’s get back to the nurses and

police. Although they do a different type

of work nurses work just as hard as the

police and when the nurses found out

about the police pay rise they went

ballistic. Many suggested that the

government was more concerned with

the public image of law and ‘disorder’

than patients being treated by strike

breakers, or not able to receive treatment

because the right people to do the job are

not there

Incredibly the government – when it

realised the nurses were going to take

industrial action drew up a master plan to

break the action which included advice to

the government of photographing nurse’s

number plates and a range of form

letters, prepared as scripts, on how to tell

nurses they have been stood down or will

not be paid if they engage in partial work

bans.

Australian Nursing Federation state

secretary, Lisa Fitzpatrick hit the nail

right on the head when she said “It’s a

total lack of appreciation and

understanding of who nurses are and

what we do.....nurses stayed at work

while their pay was being docked during

industrial action in 2007.”

Ms Fitzpatrick rightly states that the

threat by the government is trying to put

the fear of god into nurses and encourage

a rouge employer to do a lockout. Part of

the industrial action by nurses includes

closing one in three beds in each public

hospital. Up to 150 elective surgeries had

to be cancelled on the first day of the

strike with extra-long queues for

emergency department treatment and

ambulances stuck in hospital car parks

unable to offload patients.

The government has also has proposal to

cut the annual nursing budget by $104m,

about 1000 nursing positions will be lost

and nurses replaced by low skilled health

assistants.

Imagine the uproar if experienced police

were to be replaced by low skilled

assistants. The criminals of this world

would have a field day and public

confidence in police force would

plummet. I have said before that no sane

person begrudges the police their pay rise

– they deserve it – but nurses who by

nature of their work are compassionate

people do not need to be treated like trash

and their hard earned qualifications

ignored.

What the Victorian government needs to

do is send the thousands of public

servants who add and subtract numbers

on a long holiday and start to think of the

reality of what is known as ‘continuity of

health care’.

Victorian MPs are currently paid a basic

salary of $124,360 and also receive

expense and electorate allowances. State

Government ministers are paid $240,015

in total.

The leader of the Victorian government

is paid $300,952 including an expense

account of more than $52,000 and

Opposition Leader has a salary package

worth more than $240,000.

And to add insult to injury, politicians

will receive a 100% pay rise at the end of

the year. Yes, you read is correctly,

100%! Registered Nurses earn between

$35,000 and $80,000. And one day they

may save a life, not increase taxes!

What the government has forgotten is

that coupled with the cuts in health

spending and inevitable staff shortages

the introduction of new technology

actually means that more staff are

required to run the newly created highly

specialised nursing units. Another

consequence is patients spending shorter

time in hospital and, with a higher

turnover of patients, there is more work

in the admissions and discharge

procedures. The higher turnover also

creates more stress in nurse-patient

relations, with more people to relate to

and less time to do it in. Without doubt it

is an explosive situation. But the

government, as before, is relying on

nurses’ dedication. What a lot of tosh,

already the Victorian government has a

plan to bring in strike breakers, probably

from overseas.

It should be pointed out that nurses are

not taking industrial action at the Royal

Children's Hospital and Peter

MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Most nurses say the government does not

realise that nurses know their patients,

know the hospital and more than

anything else won’t be dithering around

trying to find the right equipment should

an emergency arise. Nursing is not akin

to teaching people to lift containers and

place them on board container ships.

Whatever happens in this dispute one

thing is for certain, this time nurses will

fight to the bitter end. They have said

enough is enough and want their

University qualifications recognised.

Bear in mind that in Australia a graduate

nurse has the equivalent training of a

fourth year student doctor and

emergency nurses take on an additional

18 months training to qualify.

As a footnote, and this could only come

from a government out of touch with the

voters and workforce. The Victorian

health minister David Davis criticised

nurses for closing beds as part of their

industrial action. Just three weeks ago he

announced that the government was

closing 30 beds a one major Melbourne

hospital in order to save money. There

was no mention of patient safety in that

announcement. (c) Chris O’Connor.

You can follow Chris on his blog site at:

www.oconnoroz.wordpress.com.

The

Ovington

Crower Thas a rummin ent it, thet ole fule on tha

telewissun rekun we wos hevin a foot o snow

cum end Octooba. Thas mild as muck owt thar,

an luk loik thas goonta stay thet way fer a wile

yit.

Duzzy ole fule, he orta luk owta tha winder n see

wos a cummin, stedda lukkin at them ole

compootas wot tha orl hefta hev terday.

Thas kippin tha ole rooses a bloomin tha yare,

rekkun I shall git tha missus a bunch a them fer

har Chrismus box owta tha gardin, cor blarst

thet’ll searve a bit a munny.

I hare tha ole cowncil hev gotta nu clark,

pretty yung mawtha wot I hare, thas abowt

thar mark. Jist hoope she dror them inta line,

cos thar dew tork a lowda squit moost o tha

toime, stedda gittin tha willage sorted owt.

Thar hev bin mukkin abowt wi tha willage sine

fer wiks now an nuthin hev bin dun tew it,

rekkun tha hev sowld it fer scrap noin tha way

thar wuk.

Corse thas cummin up ter Chrismus sune ent

it,

Horry rekkun on beein Fartha Chrismus at tha

willage bazar agin tha year, cos he say tha

yung mawthas orl wonta set on his lap, an

strook his wiskas. Hi doont git on wi tha

kiddies tho, cos thar allus arsked fer stuff heed

neva hard of, an wen he say “Wos thet my

bewty” thard larf at him an heed git savage an

gi em a ding o tha lug, tha mums dint teark tew

kindly tew thet an heed hefta gi orl tha kids

anutha present.

A cuppla yare agoo we hid a chap wot sed he

wud dew Santa fer us, goo ta hell he wus a

wearst o spearce, he cum in tha frunt dor o tha

horl, hossed thru the folk a standin rownd an

went owt tha back dor, and thas orl we sor of

him. Tha kiddies warnt best pleesed I kin tellya.

Thas time fer dinna, got sum swimmas an

flootas ternight, thar shud see me thru til

brekfust I rekkun.

If I doont see yar afore, dew yew hev a gud

Chrismus and orl tha best fer tha noo yare

tergither. Boy Sid

Macmillan

Coffee

Morning Thank you to everyone who attended the

coffee morning held at 95, Nelson Court, and

those who gave donations. The magnificent

sum of £320 was raised. Our thanks to the

helpers on the day – Stella Leonard, Pam

Challand, Jill Beech and Ann Akister, and to

Sue Bunce, who, though unable to attend, gave

a Christmas cake she had iced beautifully

which was won by Mary Riches, and also

donated one of her paintings which was won

by Lesley Cowling. This worthwhile charity

helps so many families and this is reflected in

the generosity you have shown. Thank you

very much. Dave and Jenny Simons.

Celebrating 20 years

Supporting Business When WLP celebrated 20 years of Supporting Business they wanted to

share their success and say Thank you to their Clients and Suppliers for

support and custom over the years.

20 years ago six individuals who wanted to provide an effective

support service to small and medium enterprise businesses in the East

of England started out as Wilson, Lee & Partners. All six qualified as

Chartered Management Consultants, the only internationally-

recognised qualification in the profession, and from the outset the focus

has always been quality and value for money.

Two of the current directors, Norman Wilson & Don Pearson

recognised the support needed by small and medium sized businesses

and also developed the Business Growth Club concept in Norfolk. This

initiative received funding from the DTi and helped 80 local based

companies to access the much needed guidance and information still

required today.

By 1997 WLP were expanding and opened a head office in Watton,

Norfolk to give their consultants a central administration point from

their bases throughout Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Norman Wilson said “We always look to give the best support to local

businesses and believe Managerial Development has to be top of the

list. So with this in mind back in 2001 we applied for European

funding. This enabled us to deliver Management Development to some

50 local based companies. We still offer the service today and help with

funding application if applicable”.

Over the years WLP have worked alongside clients forming good working

relationships based on trust. They aim to grow and prosper by continuing to

do this and supplying individually-based effective and pragmatic advice. Don

Pearson added, “We remain the only Institute of Consulting recognised

Practice in Norfolk. Our clients’ success is our success”.


The Swaffham

Connection A story by John Egerton

The funeral went off quite well, with the early

morning rain giving way to sunny periods, and as

the hearse arrived at the church it seemed as if the

whole of Metleth had turned out to pay their

respects. The coffin was carried in by the pall-

bearers, six members of Jim’s squadron, and was

draped with a large R.A.F. flag, though this was

not a full military funeral, since Jim had not died

on active service, having just collapsed and passed

on while on leave.

Of course there had been an intense inquiry into

his death, first by the police and then by the

coroner’s office, but eventually the verdict of

natural causes was recorded, albeit with a note

stating that the exact cause had not been identified.

Mum was very grateful for the support she had

received from the squadron at Marham, and after

the service several of Jim’s fellow crew members

came home to partake of the small lunch that she

had provided.

After everyone had gone, just the three of us

remained – Mum and her mother, who we always

called Grandma Morgan, to differentiate between her

and my other grandmother (though long gone we still

used the name) and me, and as happens after most

funerals, the family photograph album was produced,

evincing fond memories of times past.

One particular photo caught my attention. Well

actually it was a page from our local paper, dated

sometime in 1978, which showed a picture of a

crowd of villagers around the sign that stands on

The Green, among them being my brothers Eddie

and Phil and little me, aged about six. The picture

was accompanied by a brief paragraph that stated

that the occasion was the blessing of the new sign

that had been commissioned by the local W.I.

commemorating the Queen’s Silver Jubilee the

year before. Like many such signs throughout

Norfolk, this one had been designed, carved and

painted by Mr.Harry Carter, formerly the Arts

master at Hamond’s School in Swaffham. I was

quite interested in this information as I was a

former pupil there, though Mr. Carter would have

left long before my time.

‘Quite famous, was Harry Carter’, said Mum,

‘though not as famous as his cousin, Howard. He

became well-known all over the world. Your

granddad became very friendly with him after they

met in Cairo, when your granddad worked over

there before the war. Howard Carter………….’

She got no further because Gran interrupted her

with ‘Huh. Time I went to bed. Are you going to

make my milk drink ?’

Mum obviously wasn’t very pleased, and went

very red, but nevertheless closed the album, and

soon afterwards we were all in bed. As I lay awake

I couldn’t help thinking it was a bit odd how Gran

had seemed determined to stop Mum in her

account of this Howard Carter, and I decided that

I’d try to find out about him when I got the chance.

I also got around to thinking about Jim, and how

he had been taken from us when only 25 years old.

Then it came to me that my other brother Philip

had died early, about 27 he was, as I recall – I

couldn’t be sure, for I was only about 14 at the

time. And then there was Eddie, he went at only

26. Good heavens, I’d never realised our family

was so short-lived. I am the only one of us boys

left, and I’m 39.

Next morning I set to finding more about my

folks, and Mum told me that Dad was only 54

when he died in 1989, and Granddad had really

shocked everyone when he went in 1948 aged

only 38. What a sad family we were !

Then I remembered Mum had been going on about

this Howard Carter and how famous he was, so I

thought I’d see if he was mentioned on Google.

Typing in his name I was amazed that before I had

got as far as the T in Carter, the screen was filled

with all sorts of references to this chap, of whom I

had not heard till the previous night. Howard

Carter, it said, was probably the greatest

Egyptologist the world has ever known. In 1922,

together with Lord Carnarvon, he had discovered

the lost tomb of Tutankhamun (other spellings

were given), which proved to be full of the most

wonderful treasures, details of which filled the

newspapers for weeks.

Carter and Lord Carnarvon were feted all over the

world, but a few weeks after the official opening

of the tomb, Lord Carnarvon was suddenly

stricken with some unknown virus and died in a

few days. Not that this was the only death amongst

those involved with the opening of the tomb, for

other fatalities were reported, and in fact by 1935

over 20 more of the tomb workers had perished.

Of course headlines all over the world proclaimed

‘The Curse of the Pharaohs has struck

again and again’ and from then on the name

Tutankhamun was

synonymous with The

Curse.

On Howard Carter himself

some notes recorded that

he was born in Swaffham

on May 9th 1873, while

others give the same day in

1874, this time with his

birth place shown as

Kensington, London,

though this may be due to

one observer making an

error, and others copying

him.

As far as his friendship

with my grandfather,

obviously nothing would

be mentioned on Google,

but it does seem likely that

if they met in a far off

place like Cairo, the fact

that they both originated in

Swaffham would be a good

reason for them to hit it off

together.

As I pondered over this

information I was forced to

consider whether somehow

Howard Carter’s friendship

with Granddad had passed

on The Curse to my

family. It is a fact that all

the male side since then

have passed on quite early.

I wondered how many

other families with

connections to the Tomb

were similarly afflicted.

Then it hit me. Perhaps I

had better cancel that

holiday I had arranged.

Watton

Festival 2011 The aim of the tenth Watton Festival, which ended

on October 29th, was to celebrate the interest and

enthusiasm for the arts of all interested individuals

and groups in Watton and the surrounding district,

and to give the opportunity for local people of all

ages to enjoy high quality professional

performances. Judging from the favourable

comments received by the Committee the Aim was

achieved and the Festival was a resounding

success.

The professional performances were augmented by

the wealth of local talent that helped to produce the

two productions of The Good Old Days. The

format of Peter Walmsley as the Chairman and a

varied programme put together by Wendy Collins

proved to be a recipe for success. An excellent start

to the week’s festivities although audiences were

well down this year. The Committee would be

pleased to hear views about this Show and whether

it should be less of a Music Hall Show and more of

a Variety Show.

Junior Startime, organised by Jenny Mann, was

again popular and attracted many talented young

people. A capacity audience appreciated the work

that went into the making of a first class talent

show.

The celebration of the music and life of Ivor

Novello, “The Glamorous Charm of Ivor Novello”

was a great success. Written by Richard Crawley

and starring well-known local performers, John &

June Garratt, Annette Jude and Susie Turner the

evening certainly captured the charm of Ivor

Novello.

The film shows presenting “The Jungle Book” and

“Passport to Pimlico” were well received and once

again Professor Jingles entertained an audience of

children and adults with his Punch & Judy and

Magic Show.

There were three light hearted musical events

during the week, all different and all receiving

enthusiastic support. The first was “A Celebration

of Flanders and Swann” followed by “Cockney

Pride” and then “Musical Arson” by Pluck. The

comic songs of Flanders & Swann never fail to

entertain and the rip roaring pace of Cockney Pride

got the audience joining in with the old time

London favourites. Pluck is a group of three

hilarious talented musicians who quickly impress

their audience with their unique combination of

comedy and superb musicianship.

The one-man show evening by Rohan

McCullough; “My Darling Clemmie” impressed

everyone who attended. It was the remarkable,

moving and highly entertaining story of the woman

who married Sir Winston Churchill performed by a

most accomplished actress.

Once again the Festival ended with the big band

sound of Chris Smith and his String of Pearls

Orchestra. This year the music was more in the

party mood although there was a good sprinkling of

Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra pieces.

The Big Picture Art Project was even more of a

success than hitherto. The painting by Hazel

Ashley was very colourful and suited the format

based on the lines of the Rolf Harris Show where

the picture was divided into squares and each

square painted by different people. At the time of

writing it is being displayed in Boot’s window in

Chaston Place. In addition this year there was a

second Art project. The Caston Camera Club

photographed many village signs then put them all

together in a display measuring six feet by four

feet. It is a very impressive work and will be shown

in Boot’s window after Christmas.

The Library joined in with activities for the

younger children involving the music and culture

of Morocco. An exhibition at The Dragonfly

Gallery was of the photographs included in the the

Breckland Photography competition and took the

theme “Rural Life” with categories embracing

Humour, People, Landscapes and Livestock.

Once again George Cushing brought a smile with

his Bursen Street Organ on the first Saturday

morning in Chaston Place.

The Festival Committee were able to thank Friends,

Sponsors and helpers at the start of the Festival

when they were invited to the Launch Party and

were entertained by The West End Waiters. Our

Sponsors this year were Adcock & Sons (The

Charm of Ivor Novello), Watton & District Rotary

Club (Junior Startime), Watton Town Council

(Musical Arson), James Ball Carpets, Tesco, The

Village Florist, The Italian Job, Stephen Roberts

(Auctioneer) Ltd and Aspect Roofing. Our helpers

are really too numerous to mention individually but

perhaps there are one or two that deserve a particular

mention; John Reed for his lighting expertise, Roy

Ivory (Sound) Martin Anscombe (Festival Sign),

Janet Lundie for the excellent web-site, the Queens

Hall personnel, and last but not least the Friends of

Watton Festival.

There will be a Biennial General Meeting on

February 1st next, to be held at the Watton Christian

Community Centre commencing 8pm. The results

of this year’s Festival will be published and the

future discussed. All interested persons will be

welcome. I shall be reminding the Friends of the

Festival that they have voting rights for a new

Committee if the Meeting decides to proceed with

another Festival in two year’s time. If you have any

suggestions, criticisms, advice, views or whatever

concerning the Festival activities this is the best

possible opportunity to express them.

The present Chairman & Secretary are John & Judy

Kerr, 882613; Vice Chairman, Brenda Davis,

881792; Treasurer & Friends’ Secretary, Derek

Smith, 884044.


On The

Move By Edith Pleasance

My memory is not good these days

and, like most elderly people, I find

it easier to recall happenings of my

childhood than those of recent

years. What does concern me is the

fact that each of my early memories

occurred in various places where

we lived. Travellers, a term used

these days, we were not, but it

certainly seemed as though we

belonged to the body of people,

largely as a result of the 1914-18

War, who moved around a great

deal.

I know for instance that I was born

when my parents lived in the small

fishing village of Appledore in

North Devon. They moved away

while I was still a baby and I have

visited there while on holiday in the

area.

Where did we move to I wonder?

Why had I not taken enough

interest to enquire of my parents or

my elder sister? I do know that the

day I started school is etched in my

memory when we lived in

Swindon, Wiltshire and I was all of

three years old. I remember lining

up in the playground and breaking

ranks to run to my sister’s line

shouting, ‘I want Cissie’. Then

being put on a rocking horse where

I immediately trapped my foot

twixt the horse and the frame,

causing another outburst. The

house we lived in must have been

inhabited by other families as I

recall being put to bed with several

children and through playing our

favourite game of ‘Who can jump

the highest’ a leg of the large bed

broke through the floor, causing a

rumpus from various adults

accompanied by assorted threats.

My next memory takes me to

Chelston in South Devon where

again I attended school. I do recall

my mother telling me she sent me

to school at a young age as she had

my baby sister to care for and I

could not be trusted at home. I

wonder what threat I posed?

Anyway, at Cockington School we

had learning in the morning and in

the afternoon turned our desks

upside down and lay inside them

for a nap – a scene that is very clear

in my mind.

The next habitation I recall we were

in furnished rooms in Torquay

town centre, with other families

living above and below. This

overcrowding earned enough

‘points’ to be awarded a new

council house on the outskirts of

Torquay. By now I was five with a

couple of years’ schooling under

my belt.

Once we were in a real house of our

own, albeit with sparse furniture

but with hot and cold water and a

bathroom, we felt we had landed in

Paradise. My father opened a

barber’s shop in Hele village and I

clearly remember him announcing

to one and all that for us life was

changing for the better and from

here on our lives would go onwards

and upwards. It transpired that he

was a bit over-optimistic as the

nineteen-thirties depression years

kicked in, but at least we did stay at

that one address for the next eleven

years.

Edith Pleasance © 11.11.2011

I have been a member of the Girl

Guiding Association for over 9 years

including 4 years as a Guide at 1st

Saham Toney Guides. When I was a

Guide I was given many opportunities

such as visiting Slovakia, abseiling, wall

climbing, canoeing and kayaking. I was

also part of the celebration of the 100

years of guiding where our district went

to Great Yarmouth to celebrate. In the

summer of 2011 I spent a week at the

Norfolk Showground for the Norfolk

Jamboree; there was live music every

night, carnival rides, arts and crafts and

group activities. This was one of the best

guiding experiences I have ever had!

After turning 14 this year I left guides to

join Dereham Senior Section. As a

member of the Senior Section I am given

the opportunity to volunteer at a local

Rainbow, Brownie or Guide Group.

I have decided to return to 1st Saham

Toney Guides and I happened to return

on the 31st October - Halloween. When I

arrived I was confronted by many

witches, vampires, devils and even a

mad professor! I was informed by Viv ,

the guider in charge, that this whole

night was organised by one patrol led by

Kayleigh the patrol leader, Alice R who

was patrol seconder and Sydney,

Louise, Charlotte, Jasmin and

Sammy they were all part of the

Panda patrol. They provided

everyone with food, drink and

entertainment.

The night was full of happiness and

laughter! Alice (Patrol Seconder)

had drawn a witch on which the

guides played “pin the hat on the

witch” they also provided a prize of

chocolate to reward the winner.

They played musical statues and

did apple bobbing; this

unfortunately ruined the fantastic

make-up and face paint that they all

were wearing to complete the

outstanding and scary costumes!

Throughout the night the panda

patrol had been inspecting

everyone’s costumes and rewarded

a prize to the best and scariest costume;

this must have been a hard decision as

there were many original and scary

costumes. Cakes were made by members

of the patrol, decorated with spider-

webs, happy Halloween messages and

many other scary things!

All in all I am glad to be back helping

out with younger guides, making sure

they enjoy their time at guides as much

as I did!

Leading up to Christmas we will be

involved in Remembrance Day and then

have our end-of-term Christmas evening

which will involve a meal and dancing at

Broom Hall. These are part of the many

things that happen with guides and why I

am happy to be back.

Rosie returned on the night of Halloween!

Christmas Fayre We are holding a

Christmas Fayre on Thursday 8th

December in the school. Everyone is

welcome so do please come along. We

have some great stalls booked including

Phoenix Cards, Body Shop, Yankee

Candles, ice and silver jewellery, crafts

and more. There will also be some good

old Christmas games and a wonderful

Christmas Grotto with a special visit

from Santa.

Hot mince pies, mulled wine and fun for

all

Can You Spare a Little Time? If you

have a little time to spare each week you

can give it to our school. The children

love to read and would love to read to

you. (You will need a CRB check).

Please call the office.

Recent events

Bingo Night What a great night! The

local community once again gave us

tremendous support with their gifts so

generously donated for prizes (thank you

very much to everyone who gave). In

fact their generosity was so great that we

have kept some donations to us in our

Christmas draw. The last game kept

everyone on the edge of their seats as it

was a money game with a fund of £67.

The winner went home very happy. We

hope that everyone who came along had

a good night and will come again. Thank

you to all the Friends of Caston School

who helped run the event and also to

everyone that came along on the

evening. You raised £220 for our

children.

Open Mornings We opened our doors

on the mornings of the 8th and 9th

November when we welcomed

prospective parents and members of the

public to a look around our fantastic

school. The comments we received

included “bright and clean”, “very

friendly” and “what well behaved

children”.

If you have a child or children coming

up to school age or maybe you are

looking for a new school you are

welcome to have a tour of the school.

Please telephone the school on 01953

483304 and our secretary, Mrs. Bealing,

will be happy to make you an

appointment.

Reading Café Our first Reading Café

was held on 8th November for the

children and their families. Mrs. Sue Lee

came into school to run the event which

will continue on a fortnightly basis. The

children listened to The Tiger Who

Came to Tea and then took part in some

craft activities and had refreshments.

Mrs. Sue Lee also comes into school to

run the bell ringing club.

Thank you Mrs. Lee for giving so much

of your time to the school and to the

children who have enjoyed all the

activities.

Remembrance Day Drop-in On Friday

11th November the children attended the

Village Hall Drop-in Coffee Morning (a

weekly event hosted by different

groups). The children in years 3, 4, 5 and

6 had made a book of remembrance

poems which they took along for people

to read. Years 3 and 4 came along to the

coffee morning and chatted with local

residents while the children in Years 5

and 6 went along to the War Memorial

for a Time of Remembrance and to lay a

wreath of poppies.

The drop-in on Friday, 23rd December

will be Carols and Cake, and it is hoped

that some of the children from the school

will be able to attend.

Caston C of E VA Primary School News

Church Times and News The Wayland News

Watton Churches Together St. Mary’s Church, Watton

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

Morning Worship, Saturdays 9.30am St Mary’s at Prayer all the above

services will be held in The Church Room Church Office opens Tues,

Wed & Thurs 9am-1pm Tel: 01953 881252

[email protected] www.stmaryswatton.org

Sun 4th 8.00am Holy Communion—Church Room

10.00am Holy Communion at Watton

Christian Community Centre

7.00pm Informal Worship—Church Room


10.00am Holy Communion at WCCC

4.00pm Town Carol Service in the Queen’s Hall

7.00pm Informal Worship at the

Colin Mackenzie Centre


10.00am Holy Communion WCCC

Sat 24th Christmas Eve

4.00pm Christingle Service with Shine!, at The

Queen’s Hall, especially for children and families

11.30pm Holy Communion at The Queen’s Hall

Sun 25th Christmas Day

10.30am Family Holy Communion at

the Queen’s Hall

Sun 1st Jan 8.00am Holy Communion Church Room

10.45am Covenant Service at

Watton Methodist Church

Watton Methodist Church

Every Wednesday the Church is open for quiet reflection and

prayer between 10.00am & 12.00noon It’s your quiet place. At

10.30 there is a half-hour Midweek Service in the Large Vestry

led by the Minister or a Church Member.

www.wattonmethodist.btik.com

Sun 4th 10.45am Mrs E Wright

6.30pm Rev B Winner, Holy Communion

Sun 11th 10.45am Mrs J Roebuck

4.00pm Town Carol Service in the Queen’s Hall

Sun 18th 10.45am Church Stewards - Carol Service

6.30pm Mr D Harrison


7.00pm Rev B Winner - Carols by Candlelight


10.00am Rev B Winner, Section Service

Sun 1st Jan 10.45am Rev B Winner, Covenant Service

6.30pm Mr A Warby

Roman Catholic Community

Each Sat 5.30pm Mass at Watton Methodist Church

Fri 9th 7.00pm Preparation for Christmas at

Our Lady of Pity at Swaffham

Tues 13th 7.00pm Swaffham Town Carol Service in

Assembly Rooms, Swaffham

Sat 17th 10.00am Reconciliation Service, Swaffham


4.30pm Vigil Mass at Watton Methodist Church

11.30pm Carols followed by Midnight Mass

at Swaffham


9.30am Mass at Swaffham

Sat 31st 5.30pm Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God,

Vigil Mass at Watton Methodist Church

Pentecostal Church, Dereham Road, Watton

Children have their own programme during the

Sunday morning services on 4th & 18th December

Sun 4th 10.30am Morning Service ‘Good News of Great Joy’

Sun 11th 10.30am Family Carol Service

Sun 18th 10.30am Morning Service

6.30pm Carols by Candlelight


11.00am Christmas Morning Service

Sun 1st 11.00am New Years Day Service followed

by buffet lunch & children’s games

St. Nicholas’ Church, Ashill

Tuesdays at 10.00am Said Holy Communion

Sun 4th 9.30am Lay Led Morning Worship

Sun 11th 9.30am Morning Worship

Sun 18th 9.30am Crib and Christingle Service

4.00pm Carol Service

Mon 19th 6.30pm Carols on the Green


9.30pm Holy Communion

Sat 25th Christmas Day

9.30am All Age Worship

Breckles, Caston, Great Hockham,

Griston, Merton, Stow Bedon,

Thompson

Worship Calendar for November

Sunday 4th December—Second Sunday of Advent

10:30 am United Holy Communion Breckles

Sunday 11th December—Third Sunday of Advent

9:00 am Matins (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Caston

3:00 pm Candlelit Lessons & Carols Griston

5:00 pm Candlelit Lessons & Carols Breckles

Friday 16th December

6:00 pm Candlelit Lessons & Carols Merton

Sunday 18th December—Fourth Sunday of Advent

10:30 am United Holy Communion Great Hockham

3:00 pm Candlelit Lessons & Carols Great Hockham

6:30 pm Candlelit Lessons & Carols Caston

Christmas Eve and Night

11:00 am Christingle Family Service Thompson

3:00 pm Christingle, Great Hockham

5:00 pm Christingle, Caston

8:00 pm Lessons & Carols Stow Bedon

11:30 pm Midnight Holy Communion Thompson

Christmas Day

9:00 am Holy Communion (BCP) Merton

10:30 am United Holy Communion Griston

Sunday 1st January 2012—First Sunday after Christmas

10:30 am United Holy Communion Griston

Pram Services: Wednesdays at 10:15 am 7th and 14th Dec., Caston School Hall

21st Dec., Caston Village Hall & 11th Jan., Caston School Hall

‘The WAY’ Youth Group (ages 11+)

Sunday 4th December, 7-8:00 pm, Rectory

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

Email: [email protected]

All Saints Church, Threxton

Sunday 18th December 6pm Christmas Carols with Watton Silver Band

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

Sunday 18th December at Watton Christian Community Centre

2.30pm until 4.00pm Brighten up a Winter Sunday Afternoon by

joining us, a warm welcome awaits you and your friends.

St. George’s Church, Saham Toney

Sun 4th 10.30am Benefice Service of Holy Communion

Sun 11th 11.00am Morning Worship

Fri 16th 7.00pm Carol Service

Sun 18th 11.00am Christingle Service

Fri 24th Christmas Eve

11.00pm Holy Communion

There is no service at St George’s on Christmas Day

S.S. Peter & Paul’s Church, Carbrooke

Sun 11th 10.30am Holy Communion

Sun 18th 10.30am Crib and Christingle Service

Sat 25th Christmas Day

10.30am Family Holy Communion

St John the Evangelist Church, Ovington

Thursdays at 9.00am Said Holy Communion

Sun 11th 9.30am Holy Communion

Fri 23rd 6.00pm Carol Service

There is no service at St John’s on Christmas Day

Thought for the Month By Father Michael Johnstone

So Christmas is upon us – already!

Christmas! With its tinsel, and cards, and holly, and carols, and

presents, and plum pudding, and wrapping paper, and

decorations, and turkey, and candles, and palaver, and haroosh,

and all that inconsequentiality.

No wonder the wonder, and the reality and the truthfulness and

the glory of it, gets hidden.

Or completely forgotten. Or transformed into Winterval. Or

some other stupidity.

Oh, if only the reality of “Glory to God in the Highest, and

Peace to men of goodwill” could shine out unalloyed!

Let US, at least, look at the beauty and incredible generosity of

our God at this time!

St John in his Gospel puts it in a nutshell: “THE WORD WAS

MADE FLESH”.

God, the loving creator of everything-that-is in His loving heart

conceived all that He intended to create. His Word spoke. And

everything came into existence. What power God’s Word has!

Even when Alice’s Red Queen spoke “Off with his head!” those

words were powerful, and off came his head!

But God’s Word is infinitely more powerful! It was His Word

through which everything came to be.

“Not one thing came into being except through Him.”

And it was that Word that became flesh. God’s Word was

conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a simple young

girl called Mary.

The Word was conceived in Mary’s womb, and from her He

took our humanity. And that child, who was God with flesh and

nature just like ours, was given birth in the simple poverty of an

unkempt stable.

There is the wonder. There is the reality. There is the majesty.

There is the totality of God’s Love – concentrated in a small

human body wrapped in swaddling clothes!

Let us forget the frippery that surrounds the Nativity of the Son

of God. Let us focus on the glory of God’s love for us, in His

coming to share our humanity; to live like one of us; to suffer

and think like one of us; to be tempted and be distraught like

one of us. And ultimately to die for us.

To understand the whole truthfulness and wonder of this event

we need to focus for a moment on his Mother. Human, simple,

humble, obedient Mary. chosen by God to be His Mother. And

that inconceivable role accepted by her!

Is not being the mother of any child a huge and demanding

responsibility? But to be the Mother of God! And to freely

accept that role, and never to glory in herself. But rather “to

keep all these things and ponder them in her heart” – and to tell

us “to do whatever He asks you”, because she knew the father

of her Son to be not Joseph (“for she knew not a man”} but the

Holy Spirit of God Himself.

When we truly understand and accept the dignity of Mary’s role in

what occurred in Bethlehem that frosty night, then we will

experience Christmas for what it is. And we will see through what

is hidden behind what humans have tried to disguise it with.

Saham Hills Methodist Church

December 10th Christmas Sale & Coffee Morning 10am - 12Noon December 18th 6.30pm Carol Service with Saham Handbell Ringers

Sports News The Wayland News

In your

garden with Lotta Potts

We’ve had a pretty odd sort of autumn

and early winter. As I write there are

reports of spring flowers in bloom and

second flushes of fruits like raspberries

and blackberries. Someone told me of a

lovely garden which currently has a

display of cyclamen but these are not

normally seen alongside violets,

primroses, roses or lavender! The

display must look lovely but seasonal?

The weather seems to have gone all

unseasonable. On the other hand it

might just do like the past two winters

and descend while we are enjoying a

false sense of security at the end of

November. You may even be reading

this while gazing at a few inches of

snow. In that case offering ‘what to do’

in December may well result in a few

sniggers and not much else. Anyway,

that’s what Julian asked me to do so

here goes.

There’s not a lot to do in December in

the way of fun. Most activity is either

‘don’t’ or clear up. For example, clear

up any leaves still left on the lawn. If

they already have been cleared, don’t

tread on the grass. Some advice I have

seen suggests this is a good time to

repair worn patches or edges on lawns

but at the same time tells us to keep off

it. That could be a trip to casualty. I

think what was meant was if the lawn

is dry-ish and the ground is workable

but not frosty, this will be a good time

to repair bald patches with turf - seed

should be left until March or April. If at

all possible if working on grass a

distance away from paths, use a plank

to stand on and another one to walk on

if carrying anything heavy. This

spreads the load and reduces the

chances of making grooves and ruts. If

you have to use the lawn as a festive

party car park, get some heavy duty

mesh to stop tyre ruts and lots of hard

work when the party is just a distant

memory.

Clearing up includes used pots, seed

trays, containers, the inside of the shed,

tools and the greenhouse. Every year I

resolve to wash pots as soon as they

become empty. The first few aren’t too

bad as these have been used for early

sowings that have been moved on and

there really aren’t that many of them.

Later when it becomes a race to get

seedlings out of trays and pots then

outside or into bigger pots, that’s when

resolve goes out of the window as the

time is much better spent planting. Isn’t

it? Oh well, maybe next year. I must

admit that washing stacks of pots and

trays in what started off as warm water

is not my idea of fun. Not even close.

Having said that, though, there’s a

certain satisfaction in seeing piles of

clean pots and trays. Then comes the

really rough stuff, cleaning out the

greenhouse and sorting out the shed. I

generally retreat for a drink and start

again tomorrow. Its worth doing if only

to find long-lost tools that were parked

instead of being put away. It’s

comforting to know that the sainted

Bob Flowerdew has the same problem

and put a photo in Amateur Gardening

to prove it.

There are people who swear by

planting onions on Boxing Day,

particularly the large ones for showing.

Maybe it helps the digestion. Maybe it

really does provide a bigger crop as

onions like a long growing season. This

must apply to all alliums as it’s

recommended to plant garlic even

earlier (or later depending on your view

of the year) from October.

It would be nice to have some flowers

about in the garden and apart from

hellebores and heathers most of the

perennial winter flowers come from

shrubs. Incidentally, referring to last

year’s December article, the

wintersweet has grown. Its three

branches are now waving about at

around a metre or a little more at three

foot six in old money. Still no sign of a

flower but I checked again and it can

take years to get to flowering size but

am assured it’s worth it. Other

flowering shrubs produce insignificant

flowers, usually on bare stems.

Pollination is the name of the game, so

any insects about will be the ones

attracted by scent, not large-petalled

colourful flowers. If you like winter

containers for colour you can’t really

beat pansies and violas. Now there are

trailing varieties for winter baskets -

not something we’d have thought of

years ago. They’ll breed winter

flowering petunias next!

So, once all is clean, tidy, weed-free,

containers planted and Christmas socks

worn what to do in December? Get out

the seed catalogues that’s what. Check

out what seeds you already have before

marking all those new ones. Most seed

packets contain far too many for even a

large garden unless you’re into

monoculture so if you can’t share them,

put them in an airtight container and

keep them cool dry and frost-free. The

bottom of the fridge is favourite but get

permission from the keeper of the

fridge first. Then go back to the

catalogues, cross out the ones you

already have and dream a little.

Have a wonderful Christmas and if all

else fails you can (I assure you) find a

weed.

The Horticultural Society will be

having its annual Christmas Party on

Thursday 15th December 2011 but

with regret will be only open to

members and their guests. However

after a short pause in January, where

we will be having no meeting, all

will be very welcome on Thursday

16th February 2012, at 7.30pm in the

Village Hall, where we will be

having a fascinating film of Joe

Swift, courtesy of Gardeners World,

called ‘GROW FOR SHOW’. It is

likely to be informative as well as

useful in growing vegetables or

plants for shows.

In the same evening we will be

hosting ‘seasonal displays’ allowing

you to witness some incredible

creations of foliage, flowers and

bulbs. Please join us for what is

likely to be a fantastic display.

Belinda Ashman Publicity Officer.

01362 821442 for further details.

Bradenham And

District Horticultural

By Rosalie Davis Gibb.

Where did the ‘Jack-o-Lantern’

tradition originate? People have been

making Jack-o-Lanterns at Halloween

for centuries, originating from an Irish

myth about a greedy and miserly man

called Jack. There are various versions

of the legend, but according to one,

Jack invited the Devil to have a drink

with him but, being true to his

nickname, Stingy Jack, tricked the

Devil by offering up his soul if the

Devil turned himself into a coin to pay

for the drinks. (The Devil was

obviously unaware of Jack’s

reputation!) However, instead of

paying for the drinks, Jack kept the

coin and put it in his pocket next to a

silver cross, stripping the Devil of his

powers and preventing him from

returning to his original form. In a

variation of this story, Jack persuaded

the Devil to turn into a coin to pay for

goods he had stolen, persuading the

Devil this would allow him to bedevil

the villagers who were in hot pursuit.

In another version, Jack tricked the

Devil into climbing a tree for an apple

and, once up there, placed crosses

around the trunk so the Devil couldn’t

get down. Jack eventually agreed to

release the Devil as long as he

promised not to claim his soul.

As legend has it, when Jack died God

wouldn’t let such a wicked person into

Heaven and as the Devil had agreed

not to claim his soul he couldn’t go

there either, so he was cast into the

darkness of night with only an

eternally burning ember to light his

way, tossed to him from the flames of

hell. Jack put the ember into a carved

out turnip, his favourite food, and has

been roaming the earth ever since.

Jack-of-the-Lantern, as he was

originally called, eventually became

just Jack-o-Lantern.

The term has also been widely used for

a Will-o’-the-Wisp (or ignis fatuus, the

(Continued on page 23)

Did You Know…?


THE WAYLAND NEWS Page space is allocated strictly on a first come, first served basis. Deadline is 12Noon on 16th of the month preceding publication and is that is the last date and time that copy

will be considered for inclusion. Arrival of copy before deadline does not guarantee inclusion, if you wish to be

certain your entry gets published, then please make sure it arrives in plenty of time otherwise you may be

disappointed. If you are submitting on paper you MUST sign and include your contact details with each item.

If you do not, the item will NOT be published. You can contact Julian by ringing (01953) 858908.

You can write to 8 Princess Close, Watton IP25 6XA The e-mail address is [email protected]

Views expressed in articles in The Wayland News are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views

of the publishers or printers. While every care and effort has been taken to ensure

accuracy, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.

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

Sharman & Company Ltd, Newark Road

Peterborough PE1 5TD. Phone: 01733 424 949

WAYLAND EVENTS DIARY

ACC = Ashill Community Centre, Hale Road, Ashill Watton CCC = Watton Christian Community Centre Wells CCC = Wells Cole Community Centre, Saham

December

Thurs 1st Bradenham Bowls Club Christmas Bingo at Village Hall

Eyes Down 7.30pm Seasonal and Cash Prizes

Sat 3rd 9.30 Queen's Hall IW Christmas Stall and Coffee Morning

Sat 3rd Ovington Christmas Bazaar 12-3pm in the Village Hall Free.

Tues 6th Remember When at Christmas at the Queens Hall.

Tickets from Adcocks in the High Street See article

Wed 7th 12Noon IW Queen's Hall Lunchtime Concert with Breckland

Breeze and guests. Tickets £5 inc lunch, from Mullengers

Sat 10th Great Hockham Farmers'/Craft market 9-12pm Edinburgh Hall

IP24 1NT Santa will be there!

Wed 14th Thetford Singers Christmas Old and New at Thetford Guildhall

See article for details

Sun 18th Carols by Candlelight at Caston Church 6.30pm

Tue 20th 7.45-9pm NWT Talk The Wildlife of Norfolk and Breckland.

Venue: Watton CCC see ad.

Wed 21st Watton Society talk Watton CCC 8pm Mike Wabe

Wed 21st Watton Hockey Club Christmas Bingo. Watton Sports Centre

Gallery Bar Eyes Down at 7.30pm

Sat 24th Christingle Service at Caston Church 5pm Parking Church Farm

Latin name meaning ‘foolish fire’), the most

common name given to mysterious, flickering lights

often seen at twilight or in darkness, that are said to

lead travellers from safe ground into treacherous

bogs and marshes. With slight variations, the

legend exists throughout Great Britain, with records

of flickering lights over marshy ground going back

to at least the middle ages. The most common

explanation is that these strange lights are

mischievous or malevolent spirits of the dead

unable to enter either hell or Heaven (so back to our

original Jack), doomed to malevolently wander the

earth deriving pleasure from luring unsuspecting

travellers into dangerous situations.

The lights were also sometimes seen as death

omens. If seen within a graveyard the lights were

known as Corpse Lights and were sometimes said

to be guiding lights from the deceased’s home to the

graveyard. In other legends, the lights were said to

appear at the scene of a tragedy.

Conversely, some tales told of Will-o’-the-Wisps

being guardians of treasure, leading brave souls to

many riches. On the other hand, that in itself could

have been a myth and the brave souls ended up in

the marshes anyway!

A more scientific explanation is that the

unexplained lights are merely marsh gasses, or

natural methane, caused by rotting vegetation. One

theory is that the gasses spontaneously ignite,

triggered by the flammable toxic gas phosphine

(PH3), thus forming the mysterious lights,

appearing and disappearing as if by magic or some

unknown force. Many reports have been made of

the lights moving to and fro and sending off

scintillations, as well as remaining perfectly still.

Even more intriguing are the reports of lights

moving away as you approach, keeping just beyond

reach, and following you if you recede, somewhat

difficult to reconcile with the combusting marsh

gasses theory, particularly since the lights

apparently emit no heat.

In East Anglia, the Will-o’-the-Wisp is sometimes

known as The Hobby Lantern, The Lantern Man or,

in Norfolk specifically, Will-o-the-Wikes. The

Lantern Man was thought to be actively dangerous,

attacking anyone foolish enough to venture close

enough. A novel way of escaping The Lantern Man

was suggested in the 1900 edition of the Eastern

Counties magazine, whereby 2 men on opposite

sides of a field whistled in turn, confusing The

Lantern Man by luring him to and fro, thereby

facilitating their escape. As might be expected, the

Fens and Broads of East Anglia have their fair share

of tales relating to Will-o’-the-Wisps, or Shiners as

they’ve been known in Breckland, luring

unsuspecting fensmen and marshmen to their

deaths. One 18th century legend tells of a

gentleman being knocked off his horse by The

Lantern Man of Horning.

Many countries throughout the world have their

own version of Will-o’-the-Wisp, all with the same

theme of lights leading travellers astray, crossing all

cultures and continents from Japan, Australia, India,

Europe and Scandinavia to South and North

America and Canada.

Will-o’-the-Wisps appear in both literature and

music, including Dracula, The Lord of the Rings,

Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, The Rime of the Ancient

Mariner, Paradise Lost, Maria

from The Sound of Music,

Skylark sung by the likes of Ella

Fitzgerald and Franz Liszt’s

Feux Follets – the French term

for Will-o’-the-Wisps.

Shakespeare mentions ‘an ignis

fatuus or a ball of wildfire’ in

Henry IV Part I Act III. Josiah

Wood Whymper, a famous

wood engraver, illustrator and

painter born on 24th of April

1813 in Ipswich, featured the

Will-o’-the-Wisp in his 1849

engraving ‘Phenomena of

Nature'.

Jack-o-Lantern also refers to a

night watchman, or indeed, any

man carrying a lantern, with the

earliest known use being in the

17th century. The ‘wisp’ part of

Will-o’-the-Wisp comes from

‘wisp’, a bundle of sticks or

paper, or a twist of hay or straw,

sometimes used as a torch.

(Continued from page 22)

As the embers were still dying from

this year’s bonfires, Watton

Pentecostal Church turned their

thoughts to Christmas as they held a

poignant service last Sunday

November 6th in aid of the

Samaritan’s Purse initiative, Operation

Christmas Child.

Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian relief

organisation which works through

local churches, and provides aid to

families and children in poverty across

Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.

Operation Christmas Child began in

1990, and each year asks people to

donate shoeboxes filled with gifts and

presents which will be delivered

directly into the hands of children in

some of the toughest parts of the

world.

The church filled to a buoyant

atmosphere as a pile of festively-

wrapped shoeboxes climbed the wall

behind the lectern. Dozens of children,

many of whom had contributed, flitted

excitedly around the staging area, in

awe of the growing tower of gifts.

Such a neat stack of presents served to

remind why shoeboxes are requested;

their uniform size and shape makes

them much easier to pack and to ship.

Indeed, the very reason they are

collected in early November, is to

ensure that there is time for them to

travel from the UK to the far reaches of

the world.

This family orientated service likened

the journey of the shoeboxes, to the

journey undertaken by the three wise

men as they delivered gifts to Jesus,

also an under-privileged child, some

two thousand years ago. While

children giggled at three church

members who acted out a silly sketch

portraying the wise men, the serious

side to the comparison was brought

clearly into focus by those leading

prayers. The wise men delivered very

precious and expensive gifts of the

time to a child born into poverty, in

gold frankincense and myrrh. The

presents taken to children by

Samaritan’s Purse, from teddy bears

and dolls, to simple items like hats and

gloves or toothbrushes, are highly

precious to the families and children

who suffer poverty today; things they

could never hope to have otherwise.

A moving video was played as part of

the service, which showed the

shoeboxes being given out to children

in previous years. The sheer joy etched

onto the faces of these children as they

stared in wonder and amazement at the

presents inside their shoebox in

disbelief, left barely a dry eye in the

church. And as the service closed

with prayers, the impact that each and

every shoebox has, and the difference

it makes to a single child, made

everyone look at that pile of

shoeboxes again; and realise just how

precious they are.

The congregation left in triumphant

mood, savouring the unknown joy

that the shoebox each of them packed

will bring to an unknown child this

Christmas. At the last count 68

shoeboxes had been collected at

Watton Pentecostal Church. Last year

Samaritan’s Purse sent 1.2 million

boxes in total to different countries

around the world, and hope to

increase the number this year. The 68

from the Sunday morning service will

be somewhere among them,

completing their arduous journey

from a Watton church into the hands

of a child.

Collecting shoeboxes

for Christmas

The Wayland News Sports News

Kuk Sool Won train

for Children in Need

Kuk Sool Won Martial Arts recently

held a Four hour sponsored session

to raise money for Children in Need,

27 people from the group gave up

their valuable time for this and raised

a fantastic £777.55 .

Andy & Lynda who run the classes

put together a varied program

covering the vast spectrum of this

Martial Art which made it all the

more bearable and fun, but also

included some new aspects that not

all the students had encountered

before, so the 4 hours passed very

quickly.

A special mention should go to the

younger members who coped

admirably with no complaints; this

may have been due to a fabulous

Pudsey Bear chocolate cake made by

one of the students’ Mums that was

devoured at the end.

If you would like to train see our

Website kuksoolwon-gillingwater.org

for class Locations & Times Text or

call 07775890359 or 07983175661.

Ladies Stableford Competition held

on 17th October

Division 1 1st Chris Lewington 33

points; 2nd Ann Bayes 32 points;

3rd Margaret Lockwood 31 points;

Division 2 1st Rosie Sutterby 39

points; 2nd Dorothy Stephenson 36

points; 3rd Margaret Orchard 32

points

Division 3 Geraldine Stammers 30

points; Cherrie Lawn 26 points;

Audrey Cleverly 24 points

Ladies 1-2-3 Waltz Team

Stableford held on 24th October 1st

Jan Bone, Julie Ellis and Mabel

Curtis 83 points; 2nd Margaret

Orchard, Jeanette Fowler and

Cherrie Lawn 74 points; 3rd Ann

Achilles, Margaret Broadbent and

Chris Whyatt 71 points

Three Clubs and a Putter

Competition held on 31st October:

1st Jan Bone 34pts; 2nd Jeanette

Fowler 32pts; 1st Yvonne Shaw

31pts

Monday 7th November was the

date of the Richmond Park Golf

Club Ladies Annual General

Meeting and Prize Presentation.

The Ladies gathered in the

Clubhouse to elect their new

committee and to say "Farewell

and Thank You" to last year's

Captain, Ann Achilles, who had

previously been presented with the

gift of a tree and garden tub from

the ladies. Ann then handed over

the Badge of Office to the New

Lady Captain, Margaret Broadbent.

Finally the presentation of the

trophies was made before everyone

headed outside where the new

Lady Captain was welcomed onto

the course by the ladies who

formed an Arch of Honour with

their clubs (pictured). Lady Captain

Margaret then drove off to start her

year and everyone joined in to play

a 9 hole Texas Scramble Competition.

Getting off to a flying start the team of

New Lady Captain, Margaret

Broadbent, Vice-Captain, Eileen

Chard and out-going Captain, Ann

Achilles were the winners with a

magnificent score of 29.7

November Ladies Medal

Division 1 1st Mrs Janice Bone 91 -

Net 75 2nd Mrs Julie Ellis 99 - Net 78

3rd Mrs Anne Bell 101 - Net 79

Division 2 1st Mrs Jeanette Fowler

104 - Net 77 2nd Miss Chris Bailey

109 - Net 79 3rd Mrs Hilda Whitmarsh

111- Net 80

Division 3 1st Mrs Cherrie Lawn 118-

Net 83 2nd Mrs Jan Spencer 128- Net

92

Richmond Park Ladies

The Wayland News December 2011

Documents

Transcript of The Wayland News December 2011