The Wayland News February 2012

8/3/2019 The Wayland News February 2012

1/20

Giving voic to th Wlnd commn Nm 185 - F 2012

February 23rd is Rotary day,celebrating the founding of RotaryInternational by Paul Harris inChicago 107 years ago. Crocusescome into flower on or about thisdate and last year we were one offive clubs in Rotary District 1080to have planted RedGiant (actually purple) crocuscorms the previous autumn in achallenge to have 5 million bloomsall around GB at that time. Thereason for the challenge was anawareness campaign about Polio,and the fact it is now on the pointof extinction through the efforts ofRotary International since 1985 andthe joint challenge with the Bill &

Melinda Gates Foundation since2009. Why crocuses? Their colouris the same as the dye used to marka childs finger when given thesugar lump vaccine to show theyhave been immunised. We plantedsome 10,000 crocuses in variouslocations in and around Watton, solook out later this month for the

purple displays, and rememberwhy!On Friday March 9th we are

presenting the first Jazz at theQueens Hall event of the year,featuring the six- piece comboDixieMix. Despite rising costs weare keeping the ticket price at 10 good value for an evening of

superb entertainment. Pop intoAdcocks from 1st February to

purchase tickets, or call 01953884224 for enquiries andreservations.Last month we received the first oftwo Rotary AmbassadorialScholars invited to speak to ourclub. Jacob Cox, from VirginiaMilitary Institute (VMI) inLexington, WV, is studying for amasters degree in pathology atTrinity College, Cambridge. Of anair force family, apart from theVMI, he claims to be of no fixedabode, having travelled the worldwith his United States Air Forcefather, who is currently at Ramstein

AFB inGermany. Duringhis years ofmedical study,Jacob spent 6months in theCamaroons

pursuing hisinterest is in

parasitic diseasesespeciallytrypanosomiasis(sleeping sickness)transmitted by the

bite of the tsetsefly. His hope is to

enter a career finding treafor African sleeping sickneother neglected diseases awork with such as the Health Organization to dhealth care in sub-Saharan His presentation communication skills are exand he expressed a appreciation of the opportgiven to him through the Foundation award of a schoenabling him to complemasters studies at su

prestigious universityNeville, a Cambridge Rotari past district governor, is counsellor and accompanie

providing the necessary transEarly in February weentertaining another ambassadorial scholar, fromwho is studying at the UEAwill report the visit in thedition of The Wayland New

No need to follow us on Twiany so-called social netwsite; anything you may lknow about Watton Ractivities is available as a phistory, covering the last 7on our website:www.wattonrotary.org.uk

Ambassadorial Scholar visits Rota

L to Right Rotin Nigl Nvill, Amssdoil Schol Jco Cox, Won Rot Psidnt Andw Bwood

Sausage & MasBash at Ovingto

Village HallOn Saturday, 11th February, there will be a 'SausMash Bash' at Ovington Village Hall starting at 7Tickets (advance bookings only) priced at 7 per he

available from Christine on 01953 885848.The price includes main course (of sausage, mash an plus dessert (various), followed by tea or coffee.will be a bit of a quiz to keep everyone awake and a All proceeds go to village hall funds.

No bar is available, so BYOB please.


2/20

The Wayland News Pial Comment

oing to state straight away that Icynical as one can get aboutand Politicians (note capital

know I am going to be accusedin of trouble making and stirringe up before the full facts are

But I believe we are faced withe deal over parking chargeser the reassurances of

ands Chief Executive, itsor its councillors.Heres a most curious thing ang Task and Finish Group washed under the direction of and

ng to Breckland Councilsew & Scrutiny Commission in

mmer of 2009. Initially the Groupharged with exploring issues

g to the Councils own car parksmarket towns. However thewas subsequently refocused in

mber 2009 to take account of afrom Attleborough Town

l to examine the pressing localf parking and congestion in that

first meeting on 27 July 2009 theagreed its terms of reference andhe outset the Group agreed thatown would be judged on itsive merits and thus a one sizel approach was regarded asble. After completing its reviewtleborough (March 2010) thethen turned its attentions toin May 2010; holding five

meetings of the Group includingto Watton on the morning of 15

hairman of the Group and the

lead officer also promoted the reviewthrough an interview given to WaylandRadio on 14 July 2010, althoughunfortunately no publicity about thereview was included in this publication.A key paragraph in the report onWatton* (Page 3, Para 22) says:Breckland Councils long-standing

policy in relation to charging for public

parking in its car parks is that parkingis provided free at source across the District. Historically the Council has

recognised that maintaining the

commercial viability of market townsthrough having a non-charging regimeis the prime driver behind its policy

position.Even in the economics of the goodtimes, Breckland recognised that thatthe viability of our town was to somedegree dependent of free parking, andthat was before Tescos expansion andthe deteriorating economic climatewhich together have increasedsignificantly the pressures on

businesses here.Although the report was not to lookspecifically at whether to charge or notfor parking there can be no doubt that itwas considered because the very firstrecommendation on page 5 of thereports states:

Recommendation 1 The Group

recommends that the Council retains itspolicy of providing free parking in all

three Breckland-owned car parks inWatton.In light of the decision to spend up to25,000 on another study of parking, Iwas curious as to what it cost to

produce this review, which, by any judgement, is very comprehensive andincluded public consultation meetings.So I asked. The response was asfollows: Breckland paid 5,000 toUEA for the Attleborough car parking

study. We were fortunate to get this study done at a very competitive rate,

as it was carried out by students as part

of their course.

There were no costs for any of the other studies we were not charged any

room hire for the open meetings so the

only expenses would have been travelcosts for any officers or members whoattended, and the cost of that would be

negligible.Remember this was just 16 months ago,so what has changed to require that thisexercise is repeated. And how is it thatexcluding Attleborough, the lastreviews cost was negligible and yetthat the new review was to cost50,000 but which has since beenrestricted by Brecklands Cabinet toup to 25,000I really do believe they have decidedto impose car parking charges and theonly thing that will stop them is ifwe make enough noise.When asked about the review, ourConservative Councillors say we musthave the full facts before we can makea decision this view is repeated in

both Councillors columns this month(See page 7); they assure me they arenot speaking from a text prepared bythe ruling Conservative group, and theyare honourable people.Our Independent Councillor has clearly

stated his opposition already.But given that Breckland has to trim its

budget by a considerable amount ofmoney, how can it be decided that CarParking is the place to look to makesavings when there has yet to be acomprehensive review of ALLspending by Breckland Council?To our District Councillors I say this:

You will be breaking your own

mantra if you decide car parking

charges are to be imposed before you

are in possession of a full and

comprehensive review of every

penny Breckland spends.I challenge you to support the peopleof Watton who voted for you who

have already said clearly that they do

not want car parking charges

imposed.

I challenge you to represent the views

expressed by the Town Council, the

other lead organisations in the town

and the more than 60% of the

eligible electorate, who, by the

middle of January, have already

signed the petition.I challenge you to resist by all means

possible the introduction of these

damaging charges even if it means

voting against your party line.Are there alternatives to the proposedcharges?I am told by Breckland that an extra 7on the council tax would cover theshortfall in the car parking budget. TheCouncil Tax on a Band D home in ourarea for 2011/12 is 1,562.10.An extra 7 on that amount representsan increase in your council tax of about0.004%If I parked in Watton more than 7 timesin one year and I paid, lets say, 1each time for the privilege, I would besaving money in real terms if I acceptedan increase in my Council Tax of

0.004%Unfortunately, of that 1562.10

paid, Breckland only gets about an extra 7 imposed by them repan approximate increase of 9%maths are not exact because of thCouncil tax is calculated but thisincrease Breckland have indicateEven more unfortunately, undLocalism Act (remember wonderful Act in relation to plconsent?) any increase in Councover 3.5% means Breckland woforced to hold a referendum to gapproval. This has an estimated

excess of 100,000 which woulto be met by another increase in ctax which Breckland have towould likely be of the order of 25% increase.I dont think this idea wconsidered!I believe that under the selLocalism Act, Breckland cou

persuaded or forced to ownership of the car parks to ourCouncil; I wonder what they make of that?Being a monthly publication it idifficult for me to keep you up twith this subject. Mr Huggin

promised that No decisions hwill be made, without the Councseeking the views of residen

businesses. So please keep yoopen for notices of a public mwhich is the very least I would Breckland to do in the procconsultation, when we will be givchance to put our views ocontentious subject.* Parking Task & Finish Group Watton October 2010 and publisBreckland Councils website at:democracy.breckland.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=1207

IGHT! Fo o High Sttmnt fom th Edito on C Pking Chgs . . .


3/20

The Wayland News P

ROGER TURNER07759 948 83001953 881 382

Letters to the Editorever in my experience has any

e issue generated so muchn and anger in town. I have

d to print all the letters I haved on car parking and otherant subjects this month and I

ise for the somewhat boringof these pages!

arking Chargesayland Partnership viewfew issues in our Wayland

unity create as much comment,n, even anger as that ofg it has been a hot topichout the life of the Waylandship. Ten years ago the issueo few spaces and so after

y consultation, and generousutions from local businessessidents, we created 70 moreto add to the 110 existingparking spaces. Since then

g in residential areas, parkinge schools and parking on both

of the High Street have alsosues, and there has been moree review in that time, the mostbeing the Breckland Task andreport in 2010. Despite all the

concerns, the one consistenteld by all local people has beenportance to both the town itselfe rural hinterland it serves, ofovision of free parking ands also the recommendation ofk and Finish Group.urse we all understand thatg is not free. We understanduch spaces have to beined and supported, but wenderstand that this cost is methe council tax and the rates thatsidents and businesses pay andey need to be assured that thisarned money is spent wiselytheir benefit.

e is to be a further review it

o be relevant to the town in theeconomic climate whereevery high street business is

ing for survival. It needs tot how public parking spacesmanaged to benefit the retailvice businesses and encouragecal community and, just asant, the tourists, to visit ande high street businesses. Thisean that in town centre parks,s are introduced after two orours as recommended by theeport, or there may be other,trategies for managing parkingsupporting local businesses tothat our market town and thereckland towns survive.

ost per head that makes up they quoted figure of 300,000 toin the Breckland Car Parks ine towns seems like good valueoney when you consider theives loss of business toarkets with free parking,

parking on private land,communities paying more toservices and employment, thef installing and maintaining

ment and so on.want our local businesses to

and then thrive we need tot them in every way we can need our District to help us.dfrey MBE Chair, on behalf of

Trustees of the Wayland

ship Development Trust

ly businesss viewamily business celebrates itsary this year. Having traded forars in Watton High Street (notnally!), I think we are well

placed to comment on the proposal toconsider the ending of free car

parking in Watton and the otherBreckland market towns.Without question this is the toughest,

prolonged period of challengingretail trading that we have faced formany years. The combination of thesqueeze on consumer spending, fiercecompetition from the supermarkets,multiples and the Internet and poor

support from the banks has created anextremely difficult time for those ofus on the High Streets.When even the Government isconcerned about the survival of theHigh Streets it seems incredible thatanyone in the current economicclimate could even consider a

proposal that would put the boot into High Street trading even more.We are collectively trying to attractcustomers into the town and the lastthing you need are barriers to put

people off. The prospect of having topay for car parking in Watton wouldplay straight into the hands (or tills )of the out of town shopping centres.Surely it does not take a 25,000

feasibility study to prove that fact.

Our customers have been very keento sign the petition against the

proposal to introduce car parkingcharges as they recognise theenormous economic damage that thecharges would inflict on an alreadyfragile High Street.Market Towns need support andrejuvenation from our localauthorities, not obstacles and barriers.I recall, not so long ago, seeing anarticle in the local newspaper withBreckland Councillors proudlyreporting that Breckland had one ofthe lowest council taxes in thecountry. If they go ahead with their

proposal they might end up with the

High Streets with the lowest numberof shops!! Paul Adcock Adcock &Sons Ltd

A traders viewI cannot believe that BrecklandCouncil are going to waste 25,000of taxpayers money on a ridiculoussurvey to assess whether they shouldcharge for car parking in Watton.If they have this money burning ahole in their pocket I suggest thatthey think about spending it onsomething worthwhile that will helpthe whole community.My partner runs a local business herein Watton, and it is hard enough toattract people to the market towns asit is. We already have to contend with

the out of town shopping centres nearNorwich with their FREE car parks. Ifully support Keith Gilberts views inrelation to this, and like him I wouldvolunteer to carry out the survey. I

believe that this idea should be buriedin a very large skipI suggest Breckland Officers sitting intheir nice warm offices in Dereham,travel to Fakenham on a Saturday(which is unfortunate enough to comeunder North Norfolk council) and getstung on car parking charges, so thatthey can see for themselves what aghost town Fakenham is. Do wereally want our market towns to gothis way? Sarah Dagless, WattonResident

The shop-

workers view

As a local shop-worker I feel penalised for working in a smalltown. With the councils intention for

parking fees in Watton, how should Itravel to work ?

I live with my wife and young son just out of town in Carbrooke andalthough I'm not quite on the breadline I do not earn a fortune working inretail and like many people find thecurrent economic situation difficultand another few pound a day, on topof fuel costs, would definitely impacton the welfare of my family. So whywould the council wish to make thisworse by penalising me to pay for

parking for work?I could of course, make use of the bus

stop at the end of my estate. Catchingthe no 3 bus at 8.33 from the FlyingFish into town would be a very costeffective solution until I want to comehome and the last bus out of Wattonleaves at 16.30. Not good as I workuntil 18:00!I could use good old fashioned shoeleather, it's only a mile and a half.Lovely in the summer I'm sure but asthe building contractors on BlenheimGrange have decided to blockade thefoot/cycle path between Adland Roadand Teddar Close (by the ATC

building) it would involve eithertrudging through a muddy wood and

climbing through a hole in a fence orrisking my safety by trespassing onthe airfield just to reach the lovelynew footpath at Griston Road/LovellGardens locally known as 'muddylane.'A bicycle may be another option.Good for my health and kind to theenvironment - except where do I parkit? Whilst the council seem happy tospend up to 25,000 on researchingcar parking options (how much doesit cost to stand in the High Street witha clip board on market day?) theyhave not yet invested in a secure,covered parking shelter for bikes inthe town centre.I must question the councils

commitment to local business andworkers. They certainly do not appearto be encouraging people to useWatton high street and support itsvarious independent shops, cafes and

businesses with experienced and localstaff whose livelihoods depend onthat trade when consumers can ofcourse, shop slightly out of town at asupermarket which offers free

parking ?As for me, it looks like I will stillhave to use my car and pay yetanother form of tax just to work. GCollinson

The Wymondham experienceAlthough a Wymondham resident, Iam particularly interested in the

current problem of car parkingcharges in Watton. After complainingat length about the sorry state of ourCentral Car Park here inWymondham, I was pleased when itwas resurfaced and turned into a car

parking area to fit in with the newlibrary and refurbished Central Hall.However, charges for parking werelevied; and now as I often walkthrough on my way into the towncentre, it is very sparsely used exceptfor market days.The upshot is that cars are daily

parked along the roads surroundingthe town centre, in the case ofOrchard Way which is a windingroad with speed bumps, it is difficult

to navigate with vehicles taking upspace on both sides.It will be interesting to learn the resultof Breckland Council's decision onthis matter. Edith Pleasance.

The Romiley experienceFurther to the article in the Januaryedition of Wayland News re car parkcharges, we feel that it may be usefulto read of our experiences whilstliving in the dormitory town ofRomiley when Stockport Councilintroduced car park charges.As you can imagine, the local traderswere violently opposed to theintroduction of these charges as they

were fearful of losing out to the localsupermarket, Kwik Save where therewas free parking. This situation is notunlike Watton where the losers would

be the local traders, due to the freeparking at Tesco.In around 2003, when StockportCouncil finally decided to introducecar park charges in Romiley, the costto the public was 10 pence. Not to be

beaten, the local traders agreedamongst themselves to refund the 10

pence to all customers who purchasedany item from their shop.This scheme worked fine untilStockport Council increased the costof parking to such a level that thelocal shopkeepers could no longer

afford to refund the car parking costto their customers.At this stage the fun started!Motorists were determined not to payfor parking and left their cars at KwikSave. This is not a very large car parkand once all places were filled, thenthe motorists would cruise around thetown to find a space on the street.Consequently we had cars parked oncorners, outside the local primaryschool and across house gatewaysmaking it impossible for the houseowner to get in and out of theirdriveway.The most serious problem wasindiscriminate parking at the MedicalPractice where, from quite early in

the morning, there were no spacesvacant for those members of the public who had an appointment tokeep at the Practice. It was notunknown for shoppers to park in theDoctors and Ambulance Bays whilstthey were just running to post aletter.Very quickly local shops were forcedto close and the high street began tolook run down.Last evening we telephoned a friendof ours who still lives in Romiley toascertain the situation since we cameto live in Watton. Before we wereable to explain fully the developingsituation in Watton, our friend blurtedout that they will never pay for car

parking in Romiley and now go toMorrisons where they have freeparking.Rumour has it that the only people to

be seen on the high street are theextra Traffic Wardens who have hadto be recruited to deal with illegal

parking and serving parkingnotices!!!Our experience tells us that if car parkcharges go ahead the losers will notonly be the local traders, but also the

people who have supported them inthe past. The only trader to gain will

be Tesco. Yours sincerely, Ian &Winifred AllenCharlotte Harvey Trust Playing

FieldThere appears to be growing concernabout the dictatorial manner in whichthe Charlotte Harvey Trust hasfenced off the playing field at the rearof the Watton Youth and Community

(Continued on page 4)

Watton Ballroom

Dancing AssociatQueens Hall, Watto

8 to 11.00 Admission 3.5

No dance in Februa

Saturday March 3r

Mike 01953 88279


4/20

Wayland News Page 4

in Harvey street Theyalso erected signs whichhat there should be nosing on the land, no dogg or any other activity ates. It is incomprehensiblee trust has decided to deny

to the only open, greenin the town centre to thepeople that Charlotte

y had chosen to supporter gift. This is especiallyering that one of thette Harvey Trust'sves is:ovide or assist in the

sion of facilities in thets of social welfare for

tion or other leisure timeation of individuals whoneed of such facilities by

of their youth, age,

ty or disability, financialip or social circumstancese object of improving theirons of life."

I have lived in Watton for nearlysix years, and at no time have Iwitnessed any "anti-social"

behaviour in the field. In fact theopposite has been true with manygood natured, impromptu, gamesof football. During the summermonths very often youngerchildren are seen playing andriding bicycles around the area -

pretty much as I imagineCharlotte Harvey had intended.It appears that the fence has beenerected with the sole purpose of"proving" that the land has not

been used for recreational

pursuits for a period of two yearsthus making the granting of

planning permission a lot easier.It is time for the young people inWatton to reclaim CharlotteHarvey's legacy from thedevelopers and make a stand forthe preservation of this valuableopen space. Tony Fowler

Christmas LightsI should like to reply to theMayors comments in TheWayland News re my letter andthe Christmas Lights.Firstly, I intentionally used thecomment to encourage anexchange of ideas; I did not wantto be seen to be complaining inan unconstructive way.In 2011, Watton seemed to holdits own despite the recession.Regrettably some people did losetheir jobs but otherwise allseemed well in comparison toother small towns.

But there are many thingsWatton yearns for a sk8parkfor the young, a Bonfire Night,Swimming Pool, someintercommunity contact with theforeign nationals, a Film Club, a

New Year Celebration and soon.. Some of these are beyondthe control of Watton people andWTC but some are not. TheWayland Partnership, WattonCarnival, Watton Society andThe Wayland Show areexamples the success that can beachieved from a seemingly

bottomless pot of energy andenthusiasm and a belief in whatthey are doing.

And then there is Christmas.

Christmas means many things tomany people but no one really

begrudges the build up inAdvent, the Carol Service, .theturkey and people are allowed toget on.However, if you were a strangerto Watton driving through thetown in December whatimpression would you takeaway? Two LED cables of lightsand a Christmas Tree.And what of our children?What do they think of it all?If we want them to grow up witha sense of Civic awareness andof pride, will two LED light

cables help to do that?Surely it is our responsibility toset the example for them tocherish and preserve when theyare adults? We need to give themgood memories. What is Civic

pride? And who is really proudof our quirky little linear town?Hurray for the Council whosaved the lights.Hurray for the two Councillorsand their families.Hurray for the Councils carefulmanagement of the AnnualAllowance.But where is the leadership?Where is the Management?Who is the Business Manager?

Who is responsible for thePublicity?Christmas Lights have a message

both Civic and social, they arent just about the installation. Theyare about the Town, Watton,celebrating Christmas.They should be fun; they shouldhave drama and imagination. TheWOW factor if you like.The Clock Tower should beilluminated to show its place atthe (almost) centre of town. Butabove all they should be theresult of genuine communitycooperation. Schools, LuncheonClub, young families, foreignnationals all could be

encouraged, traders could be persuaded or incentivised tocontribute.A Civic presence at Carnival orWayland Show to fund raise or

recruit is well worth the effort and fun to boot!I fear your appeal for people tocome forward is a demonstrationof a lack lustre approach to the

problem and how not to sell yourproduct. It was hidden at the endof a letter in a (fine) newspaper.By doing this you assume thateveryone will read that far.If this project is to be re launchedwith vim and vigour then it hasto be promoted with vim andvigour and colour andenthusiasm with a clear message.It needs to be sold in a positive

way to possible volunteers andorganisations and then it has to

be managed.Why not take the initiative byinviting all the organisations inWatton to send a representativeto an exploratory meeting?What is the Chamber Directoryfor?How could the Shop Locallyleaflet be used even further?Finally, I need to take issue withyour Point 4.

I already volunteer for 2charities and one communityorganisation.

I have offered help to WTC asa volunteer/spare pair of hands.

My offer of help to LochNeaton Group was almost totallyignored and I stopped the work Ihad been doing.

I also offered help to Mr Ivorywhen he was Mayor and when hewas part of Wayland Radio, onneither occasion did he take mycontact details.

Your criticism of my latenessin commenting on the lights isdue entirely to not knowing whatwas in store until the switch on.

I was away for the installation.I wanted to avoid writing a letterof this type on the assumptionthat there was leadership withinthe WTC who would pick up onthe problem. Yours sincerely, BRobertson aka KernowHearing Aid batteriesYour readers may not be awarethat the service for acquiringreplacement batteries for theirhearing aids which was availableat the Health Centre in the HighStreet has been withdrawn. A

Notice in the Health Centreinforms patients that replacement

batteries can be obtained inWymondham or Attleborough orfrom the Hearing Bus whichvisits Watton every two months.But a small leaflet placed nearbysuggests that the DoctorsSurgery can supply replacements

between 2pm and 4pm in theafternoon.As this service does not appearto be particularly labourintensive, one wonders why ithas been withdrawn; and whilstnew batteries may still beobtained in Watton I wouldsuggest that the High Street wasa much more convenient venue.B Anderson.

Senior Citizens PartyA big thank you to WaylandCommunity High School for theSenior Citizens ChristmasParty on Saturday December10th for all the hard work thatwas put into it and everyone was

so friendly and nice and greatentertainment from pupils.It was lovely to meet up with oldfriends of many years. SylviaFrazer

It Might Hv

Bn MBy Ken KnowlesAs I set out to write something completely differeye lighted upon an obituary in my nationaldescribing the experiences of a chap who in hishad been one of the Bevin Boys during World Waround 1943 the government decided that thereshortage of personnel in the coal mining industry,view of the necessity to maintain supplies, recruof miners would be made by means of a ballomonth amongst chaps awaiting call-up for theservices, and those men selected would be compego down the pits.It so happened that I was then approaching the agI would be required to register, but at that point thcoal-mining recruitment had not yet come into efI the possibility of a career in coal did not occur toLike many other young men I viewed the prosp

joining the army as something to be avoided, wimage of mud-filled trenches on the Somme foremmind, while life in the navy offered the chafinishing up in the ocean at some point. So the apglory offered by the air force seemed the best bthe recognised method of ensuring enlistment was to volunteer three months before my eig

birthday. The alternative was to wait for actual and express a preference for the air force, thougwas only a one-in-three chance of success.So it was that in June 1943 I presented myselfR.A.F recruitment office, and in due course medical examination. To my surprise I was gradand told I wouldnt be an airman. So, waiting for the normal call -up, I again expr

preference for the flying branch, and again had a mand again was rejected as I was grade B.Some weeks passed before I was again contactetime being told I would be joining the army, submedical examination. For the army I was graded A

perhaps they are not so fussy. I was told I wousoldier in about three weeks. Enter Mr. Ernest Bevin and his scheme to grab mthe mines.Though I am not usually lucky in lotteries anddraws, my name came out in the next ballot andtold to prepare myself to be a miner within a montThough I was horrified at this prospect all my thought this to be highly comical, not least bec

that age I was quite a skinny individual, so that evassured me that I would be used as a pit -prop.My future having been set out for me in a coal was surprised a fortnight later to receive a letter that after all I would be joining the navy, and evesurprised when my papers eventually arrived instme to report for the ARMY.If one wonders how we won the war, this wassingle example of the crazy things that happenedtime. Another came upon joining the ranks, when

presented with a rifle, with the notification twould be with me throughout my army life, andaccount would I ever part with it. Six weeks laterat the end of basic training, I was sent to join theArtillery, the first thing they did was to take awrifle (for ever). Even joining the R.A. was not as as one would expect, for I was sent all the waBerwick- on- Tweed to join the driving course at

North Wales, only to find that it had moved to WhYorkshire.This type of thing was typical of the British Whenever we moved camp we always arrived Aall the catering staff had gone off duty, or else wnot expected at all. Even when I was eventually son a rush draft to India, our unit was not expectwas never to be used, luckily for my sake as tsoon finished without my interference.So muddle persisted throughout my early servicand ensured that my joining the coal servicavoided. Having read through the afore-meobituary I can only thank it for allowing me toelsewhere for it is obvious that young Bevin Boyhostile reception from the mining community everyone assumed them to be dodgers froservice, besides often being (like me) ill provinature for such heavy work.

Whether I would have managed to survive in tough environment I dont know, but I am thanever had to find out.To the muddlers in the Home Office I offer mgrateful thanks. It was a narrow escape.


5/20

The Wayland News P

ofolk

owlnd

ch nd

scg into Norfolk's ice cold rivers and millhroughout the months of December and early

y may be most people's idea of hell; thiser is just what members of Norfolk's veryowland Search and Rescue team have beenn preparation for a training course in January.k Lowland Search and Rescue (NORLSAR)the last eleven years been providing Norfolk

with its own very specialised search team, on/7, 365 days a year to search for vulnerableg people.rry out the same specialist search work as thewell-known Mountain Rescue teams, butt the high bits' said Mr Stephen Postle, theChairman.o many inland waterways and the high risk

ding within the county it was a natural step top our water search and rescue capabilities.ve a specialist water search team, who aretending their skills into flood rescue'ater search team are about to complete thelement of their flood rescue training thately could see the team declaring themselvesational asset on the UK flood rescue asset, alongside Mountain Rescue, RNLI and Firerescue teams. The team are the first of the

wland Search Teams in the UK to completeFRA approved training course and have theirod rescue team in place.s a real coup for Norfolk' said Paulerlain, a member of the water team. 'We haveorking hard to develop our skills and abilitiesnge of water conditions, from slow moving

w rivers to fast moving weirs.'aining will allow NORLSAR to expand itsoviding further capability within the countyvent of either river or coastal flooding.tle added 'We are working hard to develop

our capacity, as a voluntary organisation, we rely onour members to give up time to attend training andfund the costs of travel themselves. Workingalongside professional organisations such as the FireService put's an even greater pressure on ourmembers, they are expected to perform to the same

professional standards dispute being volunteers.' NORLSAR is always on the lookout for anyopportunity to raise funds or attract new members,and regularly hold induction evenings throughoutthe year, give talks to any interested community

group or school and attend numerous local fetes topromote our work and raise valuable funds.More information is available onwww.NORLSAR.org.uk

Ovington bowls club isy seeking new members,ver the past few months weost members who haveover to the big bowls carpetsky and others through ageillnesses.

maining members are a veryy bunch and do not impose

ict rulings on how you playme but are ever ready to

offer help and advice tonewcomers to the sport.The club meets in OvingtonVillage Hall at 1.45pm everyMonday and play for about twohours giving everyone a chance tohave several attempts to break theclub record, currently standing atan all time low.

Light refreshments are included inthe fairly modest subscriptions,

with the occasional social event toenliven proceedings.So please come along and see howto have loads of fun withoutspending a fortune, there is noobligation if you feel it is not foryou, but we are confident that oncea few woods have been dispatchedwith unerring accuracy, you will

want to return time after time.Look forward to seeing you there.

Ovington Cpt Bowls Cl

on & Wlnd Visito Cntan to reopen the Visitor, in the Dragonflyy at Wayland House, atd of March, and we are

to recruit moreeers. The duties are nots and no experience isary; we rely on common

Visitor Centreeers also look after

of locally producedts and artists displayedwhenever an exhibitioning place. Call 019534 or call in to Waylandreception.

The AGM of the WaylandTourism Association is

planned to take place at 11amon Tuesday 13th March, towhich all volunteers, and fulland associated members areinvited to attend. Fullmembers includeaccommodation providers who

paid a joining fee (some 90%

of such businesses in the areaare full members). Associatemembers dont have votingrights but include all otherhospitality providers who areautomatically co-opted (if we

know about them) unless theyopt out, and any other interested

parties upon request.Even though the Centre isclosed for the winter, ourinformation output is keptright up to date. As the datachanges, updated editions ofour accommodation,refreshments, and bus

timetable leaflets are produced- they can be obtained viareception at Wayland House.Our website www.wayland-tourism.org.uk is alsoregularly updated.


6/20

Wayland News Page 6 Adver

NHS Summary Care RecordYour emergency care summary

The NHS is introducing a new electronic record called the Summary CarRecord (SCR), which will be used to support your emergency care. Almo

0% of patients in the NHS Norfolk area now have an SCR. As the phasenational roll-out continues, over 139,000 have been created in the NHSNorfolk area so far and more than 9 Million across England.

About Summary Care RecordsThe Summary Care Record will give healthcare staff faster, easier access to essential

nformation about you, to help provide you with safe treatment when you need care in an

emergency or when your GP practice is closed. It will contain important information abouny medicines you are taking, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicinthat you have had.

What are my choices?If you choose to have a SCR, you do not need to do anything.

If you choose not to have a SCR, you need to let your GP practice

know by filling in and returning an opt-

out form. You can obtain anopt out form from your surgery or by contacting theSummary Care Record Information Line on 0300 123 3020.

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

Children and the Summary Care RecordChildren under 16 will automatically get a SCR created for themunless a parent or guardian decides to opt out on their behalf.

Where can I get more information? Phone the Summary Care Record Information Line on 0300 123 3020;

Visit www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk or

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

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


7/20

Wayland News Page 7

aire Bowesf comment has been madereckland's proposed reviewar parking policy over thew weeks and this hasandably raised

ns and questionssidents. I hope Idress a few ofere.at this point in

o changes havedecided on. Atweek's Cabinetg, after ared debate, itreed to carry outbility study to

gate and identifyable options touncil, should itr introducing ag policy. The Cabinet alsoat the suggestion of Cllr

m Nunn, Council Leader,cost of the feasibility studybe reduced by at least halft was originally suggestedfficer's report.sent with a 1.3 millionon in grant from centralment for 2012/13 alone,

and is looking stringentlyre it can reasonably make

mies across all areas. It isair that no stone is lefted and it would not be

right to avoid looking at our car parking policy, howeverunpopular the move mightinitially be.Each market town has its own

particular parking issues and thestudy will take these intoconsideration. Of course until itis completed it would be wrongto speculate too much on whatthe options might be but I wouldhope to see an element of free

parking time suggested, before acharge is made, so as not to

penalise local, regular shoppers

and to continue to encourageresidents and visitors to supportlocal business in Watton.The cost of maintaining Councilcar parks to Breckland residents

is around 260,000 per year.Council Car Parks are not onlyused by shoppers but bycommuters who car share and byemployees of local businesses.On the other hand there are asignificant number of peoplewho don't use the car parks at alland still pay for them throughtheir Council Tax so it could be

argued that some peoplederive benefit from thecurrent arrangement whilstothers do not. The only

people who actually getfree parking in Brecklandare those who work in,shop in, or visit one of theBreckland Market towns

but do not live in or paytax in the district.So to sum up, I feel that it isonly fair to all council tax

payers that we look at costsacross the whole Council,including car park costs, tofocus on managing and

using the Council's resourceseffectively. The important thing isthat Breckland is able to continueto provide quality communityservices and assistance toindividuals and businesses,

particularly in the currenteconomic climate.I am more than happy to listen toand take on board any views and

comments residents may have onthis. Please email me [email protected] call 07789796937

oncillos Cht

ichael Wassellmay I start by hoping thatll had an enjoyable

mas and that the Newrings you all that youThe Christmas and Neweriod was very busy in

of civic events to attendthin the town and furtherIt was a great honour towed to be part of peoples

rganisations Christmasions, and something thatI will always remember.have quietened down

012 has started, but I amat this will not last forng.ing that is going to bed in the next few weeksmoving of the councilr, to the main hall ind Hall. The main reasons move was to allow

Town Council toaccess for people with

l disabilities to Townmeetings. The

nts of operating from a

uilding with the majoritylities available on thefloor have proved to be

ging. However, with theprovision of a stair liftpefully in the future aloop, both physical and

access will beed. Additionally the newn gives us a much largerthat will accommodateeople in a much more environment. I am

ed that after the Towntalking about this

for what seems to be a

very long time, it has come tofruition whilst I am Mayor. Mythanks to the Town Clerk andher staff for their assistance andforbearance during this whole

process.Car ParksThe hot topic in the town at

present is, without a doubt, thereview by Breckland DistrictCouncil as to whether car

parking charges should beintroduced across the district.This is understandably anemotive subject, and needscareful consideration. Unlikemany other councils, andvirtually all other Norfolkcouncils, Breckland has soughtto maintain a policy of notcharging for car parking, despitechallenges from the AuditCommission, which consideredthat the Council was failing tomaximize its incomeopportunities. Unfortunately,since the financial crisis in 2008,which has been compounded bythe massive increase in the

national debt, local authorities,like every other organisation,have had to adjust to a newfinancial reality. I think that it isunfortunate that assumptionshave been made regarding theoutcome of the review before ithas even started. Obviously ifone is asked the question do youwant to pay car park charges theanswer is going to be NO, in thesame way that if one wereasked, do you WANT to payincome tax or council tax theanswer would be NO we do notwant to. The real issue is that the

car parks in Breckland cost,we are told, 300,000 peryear to run. Because of thefinancial situation, thenational government has had

to reduce the support grant thatit makes to Breckland DistrictCouncil by about 1.1 millionthis year compared to last year.So the effect of that is going to

be felt and the purpose of thisreview as well as the otherreviews that are going on is totry and establish the best way tomitigate those effects. One thingthat people may not be aware of

is that Breckland DistrictCouncil has to pay businessrates on all of its car parks, eventhough no charge is made for thecar parks. That is the true ofcourse for all owners of car

parks, free or otherwise. So thatmoney, along with the otheroperating costs has to comefrom somewhere. At present itcomes from the council tax thatresidents of Breckland pay. Theonly people who get car parkingfree are those using theBreckland car parks, who eitherdo not live in the district or forsome reason do not pay counciltax. Additionally of course, all

those residents who do not ownor use a car are still paying forthe car parks through theircouncil tax. I want to emphasisethat no decisions have, or will bemade, without the DistrictCouncil first seeking the viewsof residents and businesses as

part of the review process.Watton Town Council will havean input into this, which I amsure will reflect the views of thetown. Without knowing theresults of the review I do not seehow informed comment can bemade as to how the costs of car

parking should be met, thereforeI am going to keep an openmind until the results of thereview are known.Remember that all of WattonTown Council meetings areopen to the public. I wouldencourage Watton residents toattend so that they are more ableto hold their electedrepresentatives to account. Ifyou cant attend please do nothesitate to contact me or anyother Town Councillor withyour concerns. Without yourinput we cannot be sure that thedecisions that are made by the

council reflect the opinions ofthe majority of the people ofWatton. And that is what youelected us to do!Michael Wassell. Chairman,Watton Town Council [email protected]

Mos Mdl


8/20


Wlnd & Distict Photogphic Cl

Tsd 13th Mch 2012 t 7:30pm

Wells Cole Community Centre, Bell Lane, Saham IP25 7HD

snttion Bond th momnt of cpt

gst spk Bin Bn, FRPSors are welcome to attend. Tickets available at door (3.00 for non-

members, includes tea/coffee and biscuits)

Fo mo infomtion: Tl 07956 279558

or visit www.wdpcnorfolk.co.uk

Did you know? . .

By Rosalie Davis GibbSaint Valentines Day has beencelebrated since the Middle Ages? 496AD to be precise, when the first officialSaint Valentines Day was declared onthe 14th of February by Pope Galasius,assumed to be in memory of a 3rdcentury martyred Roman priest.However, since there have been threesaints named Valentine, or Valentius, allof whom were martyred, this is, indeed,assumption rather than known fact. Itmay well have been in honour of one ofthe others one being the Bishop of

Interamna (modern Terni), the otherSaint Valentine apparently suffering inAfrica with a number of companions. Asnothing further is known about thesetwo, the Roman Saint Valentine has

become the most widely acclaimed saintassociated with this ancient rite ofromance.Valentine lived and served as a priest inRome during the third century, under therule of Emperor Claudius II. At thattime, Claudius was involved in many

bloody and unpopular campaigns andhaving a difficult time recruiting enoughsoldiers for the huge army he wanted. He

believed one of the reasons for this wasthat the men were loath to leave theirwives and families, another that single

men made better soldiers, so he outlawedmarriage for young men, thinking theywould then be more likely to join hismilitia. Valentine was incensed at thisinjustice, as he saw it, and continued tosecretly perform marriage ceremonies.Unfortunately, he was caught anddragged before the Prefect of Rome, whocondemned him to be beaten to deathwith clubs and beheaded, the executiontaking place on the 14th of February 269AD.Legend has it that many young loversvisited the priest whilst he was in prisonawaiting execution, throwing notes andflowers up to his cell window, one ofwhom was the daughter of the prisonguard. Her father allowed her to visit

Valentine and they would spend manyhours talking together, the young lady nodoubt helping to raise his spirits.Valentine is credited with having sentthe first Valentine greeting himself,

having fallen in love with the guardsdaughter, writing her a letter on the dayof his execution signed With love fromyour Valentine. Whatever the truth,Valentine was portrayed as being asympathetic, heroic, and, mostimportantly, romantic figure and one ofthe most popular saints in England andFrance by the Middle Ages.Another theory is that Valentines feastday was introduced by the Christianchurch in an attempt to Christianise the

pagan Lupercalia festival held inFebruary, beginning with a fertility

festival on the Ides of February,February 15th, dedicated to Faunas theRoman god of agriculture and to thefounders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.Members of the Luperci, an Order ofRoman Priests, gathered at the sacredcave where Romulus and Remus were

believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf, or Lupa, sacrificing a goat forfertility and a dog for purification. Thegoats hide was sliced and dipped in thesacrificial blood and used to gently slapwomen who took to the streets in greatnumbers and with even greaterenthusiasm! The women welcomed thisstrange ritual, believing it would makethem more fertile in the coming year.(Ill stick with the bunch of flowers and

box of chocolates!) The young women ofthe city would then write their names on

pieces of paper and place them in an urn,to be later drawn by the young men,which resulted in many pairings andmarriages, thereby becoming theforerunner of choosing a partner onValentines Day. Sometimes the womenwould wear their names pinned to theirsleeves, possibly being the origin of theterm wearing your heart on yoursleeve. Dwellings were swept andsprinkled with salt and spelt as part ofthe festivities also by way of

purification. Quite why this particularday should have been called SaintValentines Day with no apparentconnection to anyone called Valentine

remains a mystery, although it may wellhave been that the Christian Churchsubstituted the name of a Christian saintin order to do away with the paganelement.

During the Middle Ages icommonly believed in EnglanFrance that the middle of FebrFebruary 14th was the beginning

birds mating season, addinggeneral air of romance, explaining the popular Valentineof a pair of amorous doves. Cupidno explanation, being the son of the Roman Goddess of Love, hiscounterpart being Eros, the wingof Love who causes both gohumans to fall in love by woundinwith his arrows.

Closer to home, here in Norfolk wa character known as Jack Valentitraditionally knocks on the back dhouses, leaving sweets and presechildren (but not in evidence durchildhood!)The oldest known Valentine greetin existence, part of a manuscript coin the British Library in London, is written in 1415 by Charles, DOrleans, to his wife, during his 25imprisonment in the Tower of (1415-1440) following his captureBattle of Agincourt.During the early part of the 20th cSaint Valentines Day was associata conflict between two powerful cgangs, but what was the event kn

and who were the notorious gainvolved? Answer in the next issue


9/20

The Wayland News P

nn

Whl

l Of

Won

anuary is our International InnerDay and members throughout the

are encouraged to do something tothe day. We have done variousin the past last year we went to

Court and entertained thents, other years we have held frugals and donated the profits to charityd a church service. This year ourent decided we would do a Litterwhich turned out to be veryble for the ten members whod to do it. Well equipped with bags and Hi-viz jackets, glovesng-handled tongs by Breckland,ing Dept. (pictured right), anded Norwich Road as an area in

we set off to our patches andly picked. Luckily it was a mild,y and an hour and a half later, withbags of rubbish deposited in our

ents husbands car we returned toethodist Church, where we had Here, two church members,and Mary Barrowman, gave us

delicious homemade soup andand a welcome cup of coffee tooff our morning. Our thanks toor such a generous gesture and toLeonard for sorting and disposing

of the rubbish.The speaker at our January meeting wasJayne Winterbone from the CommunityLibrary Service. She gave us a veryinteresting talk about the jobs she haddone prior to becoming a librarian, thenshe took us through the history of the

library service, and finally, she gave usan insight into the many different aspectsof being a modern librarian, due largelyto the development of technology certainly no longer limited to lending

books.Our next event will be the Barn Dancewith Shinanikins at the Queens Hall on10th February. Do come along and havea go no dancing skills necessary asGeorge tells us exactly what to do,sometimes with disastrous results, but weall have a great time trying! Tickets to

include a salad supper available fromMullengers at 8.On 22nd February we will have anotherLunchtime Concert at the Queens Hallat midday, this time featuring SeriouslySaxy, a saxophone quartet, who will be

playing a selection of jazz numbersincluding Black and White Rag, NewYork New York, Summertime,Alexanders Ragtime Band, Lady BeGood, Little Brown Jug, Crazy Rhythm,When the Saints Come Marching In andMemories of Glenn Miller. Tickets 5including lunch, from Mullengers. Therewill be another Lunchtime Concert on28th March featuring radio plays by agroup including June and John Garratt more details next month.Jenny Simons (Club correspondent)

Sh o Jil

mmois!The Queen celebrated her GoldenJubilee with a massive party inher back garden with pop starsgalore and a spectacular fireworkdisplay. She celebrated her SilverJubilee at St Paul's Cathedral with2,700 specially selected guests.Across Great Britain people putflags out and celebrated the day.But how was the Jubilee for you?Did it go with a bang and amassive street party? Or did youhave a quiet one watching thecelebrations on the TV?Breckland Councils memories

festival will involve people of allages by looking at memorabiliaand stories from the QueensCoronation in 1953 up to andincluding her Diamond Jubileethis year. Creating an archive to

pass on to future generations isimportant and the Council need

your help to build an exhibitionof memories, stories and picturesfrom the past 60 years tocelebrate the Queens DiamondJubilee. The exhibition will visiteach library in the district for aweek at a time, starting on 30April at Thetford library.If you are a community group,school, or individual who wouldlike to take part in the Councilsworkshops and events, or if youhave any memorabilia that theCouncil could borrow or copy

please contact Laura Apps Green,

Community Development Officeron 01362 656870.The next meeting considering

Wayland Jubilee Celebrations

will be on February 29 at

Wayland House at 7.00pm.

Call Jan on 880202 if you

would like to be there.

st meeting of 2012 wasn the 11th of Januarys a Surprise activityon, organised by Mrs.Fox and helpers.

ers could choosen sewing a craft item,games, dominoes,

or having a good old-ed mardle. Thesed everyones attention

and they were soon busilyoccupied. The task for theafternoon set by Mrs JoyceBriggs was to make asnowman. This was won by

Mrs Theresa Sills. Tea/coffeeand biscuits together with theraffle run by Mrs. GwenMartin completed theinteresting afternoon.Whats On For February.

8th Feb. Shellrock CircleClub 2pm till 4pm at theVillage Hall, The Street,Rocklands. Entertainmentwill be by Soul Harmony.

The task for the afternoon isopen to your ideas aboutValentines Day so pleasemake something forValentines Day.21st Feb. Lunch with Marion

at White Lodge. Contact numberfor Marion is 01953 483431.Christmas Cracker:Q. What is the most popularwine for Christmas. A. I dont

like Brussels Sprouts.

Want to start something newfor 2012? Why not join ourclub! New members arealways welcome.

hellrock Circle For The Over 50s


10/20



11/20

The Wayland News Pa

vingtonrowerer gitten on tergetha, hev yew gothrismus yit? Cor blarst ware still gotittles left, rekkun we shant hev to

a Tescoos fer munths yit. Not thetllhardship as far as oim consarned. in kwiet ina tha willage leartly, cosn suffin gooin abowt agin an thasoost onnem sorta low if you ketchft. Orl yew kin Hear if you walk upis a hackin an corfin, cor thas suffin

Horry hent bin arownd ter hev a glass. My missus tuk him a pleart oan greavy tha otha day an she sed heardly lift his spoon, so I went rownd

a missus went owt and tuk a bottle ay, cor he wus best pleased an wosuttin tha warld ter rites arta a cuppla

I hed a helluva job to git owta thawi wos left o my whiskey, he

rekkuned he wos hevvin a relapse wen I gotup ter goo hoom, so I topped up his glars angot owt kwik.He wos arown ours tha next day, an sed thaole corf wos back an did oi hev eny more ofthet medsin, crarfty ole devil.Tha pore ole bowls club hev lorst a fewmembas leartly, an thar lookin fer sumnew folk to hoss a few woods alonga thacarpit. Me an Horry a gooin along tew thanext meetin, rekkun we cud show em athing or tew, cos tha mawthas allus put on a

bit of grub, so we git suffin ter eat iffen wedoont win orl tha ends. Shooden like to seetha club fowld uip cos thar a happy crowdan thas allus hevin a larf wen I bin up thahorl of a monda.Wot dew yew rekkun tha horl commity area gooin ter dew now, tha gooin ter put themsoola panels onna tha horl roof, cos tharekkun itll meark no enda munny. Thas orlrite as long as thet gret ole tree doont carst ashadder oova tha roof. Gotta moove wi thatoimes i spose.I sed thet hev bin quiet leartly well I forgotthar ware a rite ole bust up tha otha day,

two of tha ole mawthas hed a rite hellup,thort thar wos gooin to sool intawunanutha. Jist wunda wot thet wos orlabowt.Hent gotta lot ter tell yer tha munth, but ilelet yer no wos the owtcum o tha wumminswar and iffen tha bowls club keep a gooin,nex time. So mind how yer goo tergetherand dew yew kip a troshin.. Boy Sid

Wh Dgonis Pl

Dgonis Pl Mn Jvis th st nt in th Dgon Glls st Exhiion of 2012 stng

on Apil 14th whn w will clng vthing to do with Dgonis.

17,000 to Loc

Chis fom th

Wlnd Show17,000 has been distributed amongst local charities from raised at the 2011 Wayland Show. Local organisationsencouraged to apply for funding after the August Show anfollowing were successful in their bids for a variety of proPregnancy Choices Norfolk, Great Cressingham Parish Co

Necton Little Oaks Playgroup, Loch Neaton Recreation GRockland's U12 Football Club, Swaffham Lions, CarbrookSchool, Eco Bugs (Wayland High School) West Norfolk Rfor the Disabled, Club 99 (Attleborough Summer Play SchWatton Thursday Disabled Club, 1st Swaffham Scouts, WaSchool's Cluster, Swaffham and Litcham Home HoGooderstone Rainbow Pre-School, Wymondham LionsSquad Watton ATC Cadets, Wayland Area 1st Respo

Necton and Holme Hale 1st Responders, PickenhaResponders, YANA Farmer's Crisis Helpline.Sincere thanks go to all who support the Show every year, viSponsors, Members and participants alike whose enthusiasmhard work make it a show for all to enjoy.The Society's next fund raising event will be our Annual DDance held at Lynford Hall in March. This year we will be funds for The Teenage Cancer Trust East Anglia Appeal.For further details please contact Claire Bowes, [email protected] or 07789796937

raft Marketews . . .d like to take this opportunity to say a massive

you to all those who came into the Craft Market ateens Hall in 2011. We managed to raise 740 forllan Cancer Care and Support.arity ASD-Helping Hands, who were providing thements, raised 650.st event for this year is on 3rd March and then ont Saturday of every month until and including

mber. Admission to these events is free of chargegh a donation to Macmillan Cancer would beiated. There will be up to 20 stalls of locallyade items including cards, knitwear, wooden items,ery, sewing and some unusual items as well.

hments available.require any further information please call Brenda76 364456 or look at the website www.wheeler-co.uk.


12/20


February 2012

Mon T Wd Th Fi St Sn

1 2 3 4 5

7 8 9 10 11 12

3 14 15 16 17 18 19

0 21 22 23 24 25 26

7 28 29 Tms nd Condions fo ALL Vochs: All vouchers are for your own use only and you can only useone voucher per family, per visit. You must present your voucher at the me of your order.

Please use the correct date for each oer. Oers cannot be swapped with others.

Tea or Coee means tea or coee NOT Cappuccino or Hot Chocolate. The Free Coee oer is ONLY

available 9am to 10am or all day with food.

NDER A FIVER SPECIALampi & Chips with Salad ONLY 4.99

UNDER A TENNER SPECIALBowl of Soup, Rump or Sirloin Steak & Glass of Wine

ONLY 9.99

BUY ONE PIZZA GET ONE FRBuy one - get same value one free

Eat in or Take-Away

LUNCH TIME ONLY SPECIAL OFFERS (ll os nd 29th F)

AT ALL YOU CAN PIZZA OR PASTA, SALAD, GARLIC BREAD, DIPPERS AND WEDGES 7.9

LITTLE CYPRUS RESTAURANT - OFFER YOU A FREE BOTTLE OF WINEORDER A STARTER OR DESSERT AND TWO MAIN MEALS AND GET A BOTTLE OF WINE FREE WITH YOUR MEAL

VALENTINES SPECIAL - TWO STARTERS, TWO MAIN MEALS, TWO DESSERTS

& A BOTTLE OF WINE 29.99 (Ks nd Fillt Stk NOT incldd) pls ook.

Thnks to th poplit of nw mn nd o

high stndds o m nd th Co Shop fll

fom m to m whn o cll. Howv,pls sk th Witsss nd th will st o

in th Lil Cps Rstnt t th ck.


13/20

The Wayland News Pa

ry fill dike is what we used to. Otherwise popularly the

of the thaw. The onlym with that is you need someto thaw in the first place.from a couple of reasonablyosts in the middle of January

nter has been remarkably mildl sorts of flowers popping uper the country when theybe snug underground or buds

e bough until March. Silly It remains to be seen if theweather continues or ify ends and February beginshe winter we havent hadt the time of writing (bangdeadline again) the forecastsnow at the end of thisThis leaves the gardener

ll sorts of dilemmas. At thef last week (13th wouldntnow it) I received someplants. These are ready to beed out as long as its not

Its been frosty ever sinceonly thing to do is get somess compost and pot them up.

all very well and easy butso need to be cool but frost -

Thats the hard part as theouse is not frost-free anduse is too warm. Oh the joystral heating.as gardening is concerned inry its anyones guess whatdone. As always, tasks have

to be carried out according to theweather, not the calendar, at least toa point. Some things need to bedone before the onset of spring.These are not necessarily fun. Lookupon the whole thing as a massivesaving if you are inclined to join agym. The digging should befinished as long as the ground isntfrosted or waterlogged. This isreally good cardio-vascularexercise. If the weather really ismild the grass can be cut. OK forthose of us with power mowers thisis merely a bit of a walk. Ride-onmowers dont count. Pruning can bedone now - large-flowered clematiscan be cut right back to a bud about12-18 from the ground. Old shrubs,deciduous hedges and climbers can

be pruned to get rid of dead, dyingor diseased wood and crossing

branches. Roses can be pruned now.This is normally done in March butwont do too much harm towardsthe end of February. If you reallyneed to work out, this is the time tomove deciduous shrubs and trees.Again, this ideally should be donein November or early March but thisis where the weather really doesrule. The dreaded wisteria can be

pruned back now as well. It alwaysprovides nervous reactions but if the plant was pruned correctly insummer it will now have lots of sideshoots that should be cut back to

about 3-4. Even if it wasnt prunedcorrectly it will probably have moresideshoots anyway.Bulbs start to flower in February -snowdrops, iris, some daffodils.Sometimes these are available inflower in pots in garden centres andits not a bad idea to

buy now as you can seeexactly what you aregetting in the way offlower. The bulbcatalogues illustrationsare good, but sometimesyou can get a surprisewhen the person withthe labels had an offday. The shrubs thatflower in Januaryshould still be goingstrong and early Marchones will join intogether with the alwayswelcome forsythia. Itsamazing how this plant can be

pruned into shapely bushes andspectacular hedging. It doesnt seemto mind how hard it is pruned orinto what shape. What a stunner.There is also a white version whosename is Abeliophyllum distichum.Ive never seen one but had to getthat name in. (Ed: I found a picture

for you Lotta!)The veg patch can be warmed up by

putting polythene down, ideally forfour weeks but can be left longer.

This has the other advantage ofkeeping weeds down if black isused, or forcing them up if clear isused. They can easily be pulled outonce the plastic sheet comes off.Early sowings can be made if youhave a propagator but dont be too

enthusiastic as the plants will beready to go out before the soil isready and youll end up withdrawn plants instead of the short

bushy ones you want. I know, I dothis every year! I have read thatearly sowings can be made outsidein February but frankly I wouldntchance it, certainly not on ourlight Breckland soil.Still, if all else fails unless there isa good covering of snow, theyllgrow so keep weeding!

n your garden with Lotta Potts

News from theOvingtonGardening ClubThe January talk on 'Exhibition Vegetables' byTrevor Last gave an in-depth insight into exactly

what you have to do to grow the best veg. Itinvolves a lot of manual work, time, materialsand attention to detail from the sowing of theseed, transplanting and growing on withsupports for each plant. To get the best fromeach plant is the objective and then you have tomatch the right number of each vegetablespecimens to obtain your exhibit of as-nearidentical items. This talk gave a brilliant insightinto what is required to win shows by a memberof the National Vegetable Society, and left uswith a sense of awe at the work and dedicationinvolved. The February meeting is a talk on 'TheHorticultural Year' by Ben Potterton and willtake place in Ovington village hall at 7.45pm onWednesday 1st February. Further details can beobtained from Ed on 01953 885848 or Carol on01760 440719.

Say Yes to Betterband in Norfolk Campaigneaded by Norfolk Countyl is all about improvinged and quality of internetacross the county. More50,000 private and

ercial properties infolk receive broadbandof less than 2 Megabits

ond (Mb/s).Mb/s is ok if you want tohe web or order youres on-line, but manywant more. They want toon demand TV, play on-mes with friends and usedeo links to catch up with

They also want to doss multi million poundss in fact all through theof a button. Additionallyrse many people just wantble to access a broadband, which currently they

parts of the UK alreadyroadband speeds of 20Mb/

Mb/s and even higher incases. This means

individuals and businesses acrossthe country can surf the web ordo business over the Internetmuch faster than us and quitesimply this puts Norfolk at adisadvantage.Thanks to previous campaigns

Norfolk has been awarded 15million by the government,matched by an additional 15million from the county council.The Say Yes campaign is allabout attracting suppliers to bid forthe installation of the necessaryinfrastructure to enable better

broadband in Norfolk. In order toattract competitive bids from anumber of telecoms partners theyneed to know what the actualdemand in Norfolk is not justwhere broadband services arecurrently lacking. The more

people who register their interestnow, the more attractive Norfolkwill be to potential private sector

partners and this means we will bein a stronger position to providesuperfast broadband in as manyareas as possible. Once a privatesector partner wins the contract a

further significant financialcontribution is expected fromthem.There are a number of ways inwhich people can register theirinterest in receiving betterBroadband. You can fill in theform there is one for residentsand one for businesses online atthe campaign websitenorfolk.gov.uk/sayyesnorfolkwhere you can also find a lot moreinformation about the campaign.Hard copies of the forms will beavailable in all Norfolk CountyCouncil libraries and mobilelibraries or you can register overthe phone by calling the councilscustomer service centre on 0344800 8023. So in order to securefuture improvements in ourBroadband service here in Wattonand Wayland please get involvedin The Say Yes to BetterBroadband in Norfolk Campaign.Michael Wassell, Ward MemberWatton Breckland DistrictCouncil. Chairman Watton TownCouncil

ay Yes to Better Broadbandin Norfolk Campaign

ountry Market producersforward to welcomingk old customers and

g new ones when we re-

on Wednesday, 1stry, at 8.30 a.m. Fromn we shall again be openWednesday morning in

the Watton ChristianCommunity Centre from 8.30to 11.30 a.m.Prize winning farm fresh eggs,

baked goods, jams andchutneys, honey and fresh

produce will all be there towhet your appetite; our crafters

have a big variety of knittedand crocheted goods, bags and

patchwork cushions, wooden

toys, jewellery, and greetingscards for all occasions. Specialorders are welcomed by all our

producers - just ask at theappropriate counter.

untry Market re-opens on 1st February


14/20

Wayland News Page 14

An Evning of Cston Mmois"que and rareopportunity to see a pictorial show of postcards

and photographs of Caston through the ages. Buffet supper to include a glass of wine.

very informal eveningtakingyou back in timethrough thechanging scenicviews of Caston.

An evening not to be missed!Cston Villg Hll on Std, 25th F 2012

7pm fo 7.30 pm

All proceeds raised will be for Holy Cross Church, Caston.

Tickets 7.50 from Bridget Hall 01953 483751

Numbers will be limited so do book your place early!

arbrooke Sequence Dance ClubWe meet every Thursday

from 8pm to 10pm at Carbrooke village hall

mission is 2(first time free) and includes some tuition

For details contact Brian Wells 01603 412809

Letter from Australia

by Chris OConnorThere's a word for those people whochoose to drive and phone: idiots.Two months ago the federal agencyresponsible for road safety in theUnited States adopted anextraordinary new policy that calledfor a complete ban on mobile phoneuse in cars. At the time, just weeks

before Christmas, it seemed an

overreaction, another civil libertiesinfringement in the totalitarian stateotherwise known as the motor car. But after a summer holiday'smotoring that included a trip toSydney and back on the HumeHighway, (one of the busiest inAustralia) I'm starting to thinkAmerica's National TransportationSafety Board has a point. My summer road trips taught methere are few things more dangerouson the roads than people who usemobile phones illegally whiledriving. Like the man texting whiletrying to merge from his lane intomine on the approach to a

particularly congested bridge inSydney; or the B-double drivermaking 90-degree left and right-handturns while talking on his hand-held

phone in peak hour traffic. Then there were the frightfully busyand important drivers in varioussuburbs of Melbourne and Sydneyconducting conversations that I'm

pretty sure could have waited tillthey got home. They didn't look likethey were dealing with emergenciesor running Fortune 500 companies.

Not that that would excuse them fromobeying the law that, as in the US,now allows hands-free phone use butnot hand-held. There is some

precedent for a complete ban here:we don't let learners or first -year

probationary drivers use mobiles incars.

My observations tell me existing lawis being flouted by a lot of peopleand police statistics bear this out.Victoria Police's (Australias secondlargest state) just-completed SummerStay enforcement campaign acrossVictoria suggests illegal use ofmobile phones in cars is now a''bigger'' problem than drink-drivingor failure to wear seatbelts. In fact, itruns only second to speeding. Victoria Police detected 5734 mobile

phone offences in the six weeks ofthe operation, from November 18 to

January 9. By contrast, theydetected 2610 drunk driversand 3584 seatbelt offences.More than 23,000 motoristswere caught speeding. (Iwouldn't mind betting there'sa few who sometimes dotwo, three or all four atonce.)Almost 6000 offences in sixweeks - that's 110 a day - is

pretty disturbing, especiallywhen you consider these areonly the offences policeobserved. When you factorin all those drivers who textor email with phones ontheir laps or converse withhand-held devices on speaker but outof sight, it's a major issue. TheTransport Accident Commissionestimates that in a 100km/h zone,you'll travel more than 80 metres inthe three seconds you are distracted

by reading or typing a text or lookingdown at a phone - plenty of time torear-end a vehicle, veer intooncoming traffic or run off the road. A 2009 Monash University studysuggested that at any time up to 5 percent of drivers are using phones andmost of them are doing so illegally.The observational study, whichinvolved researchers staking outcertain Melbourne intersections,found: ''Despite legislation

prohibiting the use of handheldmobile phones while driving, asignificant proportion of drivers (3.4

per cent) were observed engaging inhandheld mobile phone use,including text messaging (1.5 percent). Conversely, only 1.4 per centof drivers were observed to becommunicating via a legally allowed,hands free, device.''This is particularly concerning giventhat other studies have estimatedmobile phone use increases the riskof accidents fourfold. One Britishstudy published in 2006 byresearchers from the TransportResearch Laboratory in Crowthorne,Berkshire, even went so far as tosuggest driving ability is impairedmore by having a phone conversationthan by having a blood alcohol levelof .08.Of course, any conversation in a caris distracting, but at least if you'retalking to a front or back-seat

passenger you can tell them to shutup if road conditions demand it. It's

not always that easy on a phoneAll of this is playing out as tindustry adds more and more gto keep us occupied while driBluetooth connectivity, GPS syand DVD players. Yet we needriver distraction, not moreworth remembering our roawent up last year. Deborah Hersman, chairwomthe National Transportation Board, told The New York Tim

board's call for an all-out bamotivated in part by increa

powerful phones.''People are tempted to updatFacebook page, they are temptweet, as if sitting at a desksaid. ''But they are driving a carWhy do we do it? I don't thinkanything to do with communand everything to do witappalling attitude to driving. Wthe risks for granted and, becathe state of traffic these days,often bored behind the wheel. environment, the ping of amessage or email or the ring

phone call is downright irresBut if we're honest with our

probably 99 per cent of cmessages could go unansweredwhile and it wouldn't matter. At present, misusing a mobile while driving in Victoria wiyou $234 and three demerit (You need ten to lose your liA cash-strapped government consider doubling or triplinfinancial penalty.Better yet, when you're next drividon't you try that little bit of techthat now comes with all mobile pit's called the off switch. And aand safe New Year to you all.

Hello, I'm in the car

Revised membership applicationforms that have been recently sent to

prospective members should bereturned to the Membership Secretary

by the 31st January 2012. The Annual General Meeting will beheld on Thursday 22nd March 2012at 2.00pm. Committee Nominationforms are available from theSecretary.

The next Pub Luncheon Groupmeeting will be at The Willow HouseWatton on Thursday 9th February.Due to the popularity of this group itwould be beneficial if a second group

could be formed. If any memberwould wish to lead this group pleasecontact Allan Bickers. We also require a Group leader forthe Solo Group.The coach for the Holiday On Iceshow at Peterborough will leave theQueens Hall car park at 1.45pm onSunday 5th February. The final payment for the

Anniversary Holiday to North Walesis due by the end of February. Pleaseensure that you present yournumbered tour itinerary leaflet withyour payment to obtain a receipt.

A trip is being plannedWednesday 4th April to WrBarns and then on to lunch award winning Waterside Reston Rollesby Broad. Also inclua 30 minute tour on Rollersby

by electric launch. Further and list at the February meetingThe next monthly meeting Thursday 23rd February at 2.

with Peter Salt presenting Coast ResortsFor further information on

National U3A visit www.u3a.or

Watton and District Universitof the Third Age (U3A)


15/20


Look Whos 80

Flonc AldtonHappy 80th Birthday to a very special

Mum, Nan & Great Nanny

With lots of love from all your child

Grand Children & Gt Grandchildre

Not forgetting pets too!

BRECKLAND

HARMONYWelcomes new lady singers for the

Year. Join us at our rehearsals in

Ovington Village Hall

Monday evenings 7.30 9.30. pm

All ladies who enjoy singing in harmon

welcome. NO AUDITIONS

Telephone Hazel Bingham 0195

483771 or Julia Grover 01953 48

iterhat the new year has reallying there seems to be quite

of topics that warranton, both locally and for theas a whole.there is an indication that

eed limit for motorways willcreased to 80mph, and thissal has been welcomed by

but seen by others as a verying. Any encouragement forsts to go even faster shouldoided at all costs it is said,ne can appreciate thoseents, which would seem tocommon sense. But the fact, especially on motorways,raffic travels at well over 70normal flows are possible)th literally hundreds of carsed, compulsion to keep

down to even 80 m.p.h isacticable with the forces oft their current manning

ay with the efficiency ofn cars it is difficult to see

hey should be governed byintroduced when vehiclesby comparison, rubbish. No,ot advocating that everyonetear about the country at

eed, the self-imposed limitone time should reflect theons appertaining

sometimes as low as 10 m.p.h.might be suitable.Crime has been prominent in allnews bulletins recently, with

particular reference to metalthieves, and although thegovernment talks about variouscontrols being introduced, it isdifficult to find an answer to the

problem.

While there must be some scrapdealers who are honest, it isobvious that many are not. If oneis offered memorial plates fromgravestones, or manhole covers,half-mile lengths of signal wire,etc., by ordinary private jobbers,can there be any doubt that it has

been stolen ? I think not.Another subject that has causedmuch angst is the proposal to cull

badgers in an effort to controltuberculosis in cattle, as well asgrey squirrels in order to save thereds. Opinions seem to be sharplydivided between those who thinkculling should be carried outwithout delay, and those who

think badgers and squirrels arecuddly creatures and should not

be harmed. Arguments on thesubject are no more likely tocease, any more than the case forhunting foxes is likely to findunanimity.But locally we have the possibility

that the Breckland towns will besubjected to parking fees. OurEditor put his views most forciblyin the last issue of this paper, andit is obvious that to bring in suchfees would result in much lessfootfall through our local shops.But one can appreciate that theCouncil, subject to all the latestcuts, will be forced to consider

any measures that are available.But I would suggest that incomefrom parking fees in Wattonwould be too small to be worthcollecting, since the majority of

people shopping in our HighStreet park in the Cooperativestore car park, and if charges wereintroduced the others would try todo so too, or divert to Tesco.The same cannot be said forDereham, since their car parks,

particularly the one in TheatreStreet, are nearly always full,meaning that hundreds of vehiclesuse them continually. Similarly thethroughput of cars in Swaffham isconsiderable, offering the chance

for a large income.Obviously no-one wishes to see

parking fees in any of our localtowns, as we all know that once acharge is introduced, even at themost nominal rate, it would not belong before increases wouldfollow.

On a more general note, it hasbeen noted with interest, having inmind their rather strangeappearance that the notoriousBendy- bus has arrived in

Norwich, operating on theCostessey Park & Ride service. They had a controversial inningsin London, but have now beensold off all over the world, and,apparently, now in Norfolk. Itmust require quite a lot of skillnegotiating the turn into the

Norwich bus station with such avehicle, and it is obvious that

other routes would have to bevetted quite carefully, since thereare some quite frightening cornersin our local villages.Last month I asked for informationregarding the origin of the nameSkipping Block Corner, but itseems that no-one has any certainknow-ledge on the subject. It has

been suggested that it may havereferred to a large erratic (a

boulder left behind by a glacier inthe last ice age) that may have beenused a step for riders to mount theirhorses, though why they shouldhave been dismounted at that point Icant think. If that is true, bang goesmy thoughts of yokels trollingdown the road with ropes, singingOne, two, three, olairyI am told that there is one of these

boulders on the Green at GreatHockham, that is turned on theoccasion of every Royal Jubilee. Well there is one on the horizon,so we shall see.

A Quick Look Round

WaylandHappy

CircleOur January meeting was attended by 18members who enjoyed a trip to South Africa

by way of a film provided by Ron andMargaret Upton; our thanks to them for aninteresting insight into that country about 20years ago.Members had been asked to bring theirAnnual Subscriptions, which most did andthey were also asked to provide addressesand birthday months to keep records up todate.After tea and a raffle Jenny read an amusing

poem and the meeting closed at 3.45pm

he meeting on 20thmber 2011 membersa poem or prose extractheir own choosing.ugh this was notscribed most had a

nal flavour. Examplesded :The Night Beforemas by Clement Clarke

e; The story of Johnman, the pedlar ofham; A Ghost Story by

Thomas from As Christmas in Wales ;mas Thank Yous, a

m by Mick Gowar; ant from The Morvilleby Katherine Swift;

dship, a poem by Dinah sometimes mistakenly

uted to T.S. Elliot;mas Dinner by Michael; Winter by Walter dere and an extract fromovel A Catcher in they JD Salinger. was accompanied by

d wine and followedChristmas nibbles and

The ensuingrsation, some of whiched on books, wascted in a mellow,

d atmosphere whichan enjoyable break at aime of year. ur first meeting of 2012he 17th January wemed old friends from

Mattishall with whom wewere amalgamated for someyears. They had chosenFindings by Scottish poet andCreative writing teacherKathleen Jamie. It is in theform of poetic, prose essaysrather than short stories. Thelanguage and imagery used todescribe the landscapes andnature of Scotland togetherwith the domestic reality offamily life are wonderfullycrafted using all of thewriters talents with words

and acute observation.

Most of those at the meetingenjoyed the bookcommenting on the clearconcise style; descriptions ofdarkness and light; the Gaeliccharacter of the writer andher background revealed; hersharp eyed revelation ofdetail and much more.Passages concerned withdarkness in the northernextremes of the British Isleswere particularly striking.Less favourably a memberremarking on the manneredself consciousness andintrospective nature of such

writing. A passage concernedwith a visit to the PlayfairHall in Edinburghs royalCollege of Surgeonsdescribing preserved body

parts, usually in glass jars

and in various stages ofdecay and disease was foundto be unnecessary by some.Several said they prefer anarrative and would neverhave chosen this bookalthough they had enjoyed itand all agreed that this iswhy we belong to a BookGroup.The discussion was followed

by tea with chocolate cakeand mince pies as we hadguests. Members please notethat we are now all seriously

dieting and that was the endof frivolity. We will return tothe usual fair of tea and

biscuits, until the nextoccasion of course.For our next meeting on 21stFebruary we are reading WolfHall by Hilary Mantel,winner of the 2009 ManBooker prize.There is every possibility thatthis will be accompanied bymore refreshments. Membersshould be warned that thefollowing meetings will settledown to whatever passes asnormal with tea and

biscuits.

Good luck and good health in2012 and good reading, orwhatever you enjoy to occupyspare moments.

Shipdham &District Book Group


16/20


How to write abiography

New Years resolution is to write a biography, a creative writinghop in Wymondham could be the way to get started.ch-based creative writing specialist Jax Burgoyne will be running

hour study session called Heart to Heart at the Town Greenin Wymondham from 10.00am on Saturday, February 11.rgoyne was the creative practitioner for the towns recent Lemonctivities and has a wide range of creative writing teachingence, from working with children at Chapel Break Infant School,ch to running adult education courses in Acle (see her website ataxburgoyne.com).

orkshop will be a beginners guide to writing a biography,ng tips on how to get started, the potential pitfalls and how to

out memories and then bring them to life. There will also beunities to share ideas with fellow participants and to do practicalexercises.ssion, being a biography session, aims to encourage sharingn people, and will be particularly relevant to anyone wishing toent the life experiences of a close family member or friend.e is 15, to include light refreshments and advance booking ised. Tel: 01953 605434.

A local archive that reveals a fascinatinginsight into the day-to-day life of one of

Norfolks largest country estates over thecenturies went on public show for the firsttime at The Archive Centre in January.The historic Harbord of Gunton archivedetails life on land that later became theGunton estate from the 13th to the mid-20th century. Norfolk Record Officerescued the archive from one of the semi-derelict buildings next to the hall.

Now, after years of painstakingconservation work by the Record Office, aselection of documents from the Harbord of

Gunton archive will go on public show inthe exhibition, A Norfolk Estate: Its Peopleand Places at The Archive Centre in

Norwich until 30 April.Visitors to the exhibition can go behind thescenes of this Norfolk estate over thecourse of several centuries, courtesy of thecollection of archive document

The Wayland News February 2012

Documents

Transcript of The Wayland News February 2012