Needham Village Link
November / December2012
Caroline Dear & Stewart White
at the South Norfolk Community Awards
The newsletter for the villagers of Needham
Monday 29 October 2012
From the Editor
The Summer that never was seems to have come to an end and now we’re into Autumn. I never like to think about Christmas until well into December - perhaps because I have birthday in December- but, with a Christmas Dinner planned in the Village Hall on 15 December, plans must be made. Please look at the back page of the Link for information about the dinner and hurry to get your tickets. This will be a popular event and numbers are limited!
December is also an appropriate time to look back at the year in Needham. It has been a busy year with a variety of social events. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Tea Party stands out as a very special occasion when, despite the unseasonably cold weather, people turned out in force and the celebrations went on well into the evening. The beautiful oak Jubilee bench is now in position in the grounds of the Village Hall. Apart from the Jubilee celebrations there was the annual Cake Bake , Open Gardens, the Auction of Promises, which raised a fantastic sum of money and the late summer BBQ. All these events served to bring the people of Needham together.
Congratulations to Caroline Dear (secretary of the Village Hall Committee & chair of the Jubilee Celebrations Committee) who was nominated for a South Norfolk Queen’s Diamond Jubilee 2012 Community Award. It is just reward for her hard work on the organising committee for the Jubilee celebrations earlier this year and for other village events. The photograph on the front cover shows Caroline with Stewart White (BBC Look East) who hosted the awards at the John Innes Centre in Norwich on 19 November. Well done Caroline!
Once again, thank you to our regular contributors and also to a new contributor, Sue Simmonds who has written an interesting piece about her house, The Old Fishmongers. There will be more in the next edition. If you would like to contribute an article or have any news about Needham please contact Helen at Mill Farm Cottage or at needhamlink@gmail.com
The deadline for the next edition is 14 December.
Although it’s only November, may I wish you all a very Happy Christmas!
Helen
Needham Carpet Bowls Club
The Winter League has started but unfortunately our first home match against Debenham was postponed as they could not raise a team.
On 26 September we played the first round of the Knockout Cup. This away match against Debenham was a draw but the home team won on shots. The second round was played at Needham on Friday 12 October and this decided which club went through to the next round. Needham lost 3 and won 1 so, unfortunately, this means the end of our cup run.
On Friday 28 September six members and two guests went to the Presentation & Social evening held at Alburgh Village Hall. It was a very enjoyable evening which included a light-hearted quiz and a very nice buffet. On Friday 5 October we invited Cratfield Bowls Club to play a friendly match. This was, again, a very pleasant evening.
Our club evenings are held at Needham Village Hall every Wednesday evening beginning at 7:30pm. Fees are £1.50 per evening and all equipment is provided. Tea / coffee and biscuits are included in the fees. New members are very welcome so do come along and join us.
Nudger
Brockdish & Thorpe Abbotts Allotment Assoc.
BATAAA is offering vacant half and full size plots free of charge from now until February 2013 . For insurance purposes the BATAAA membership fee of £5 for first members & £2.50 for additional members will have to be paid.
For information, see the Village Hall notice board, email: bataaa@hotmail.co.uk or contact the editor.
Handyperson Service
If you need help to carry out small repairs, adaptations, gardening, home security or small general maintenance then contact our Handyperson Co-ordinator.
Village Hall Committee
There was a good turnout to the village barbecue which was held on one of the sunniest, hottest days of the year. The main purpose of social events is for the village to get together and a by product of this is the profit of £473.36 which was made. A big thank you to Pauline and all those who worked so hard to make the BBQ such a success. Thank you also to those who donated raffle & tombola prizes and last but not least to Dennis and Harold who mowed the lawn and prepared the hall for the day’s event.
The new Jubilee bench has been put in its position in the grounds of the Village Hall.
Any contributions for the Christmas Raffle would be gratefully received.
Please contact Caroline Dear or Jean Youell via the Editor at needhamlink@gmail.com
The Village Hall continues to be a focal point in Needham being the meeting place for the Carpet Bowls club (Wed 7:30) and the Art Group (Wed 1:30-4) The Parish Council also holds its meetings once every two months in the hall. The Village Hall is also used by groups not connected with the village and this brings a valuable income.
Bokra (a unique dance fitness programme) - Mon 7 -8
Whist Drive - Tues 7:30
Wine Guild - every 3rd Tuesday
Library - Thurs 2-4 (free loan of books, jigsaws, videos, DVDs)
Martial Arts - Thurs 6:30 - 9
In addition to these regular bookings the Village Hall has been booked by St Mary’s church (Redenhall), the Open Space drama group and for birthday and Christening parties.
For information about these activities contact Jean Youell on 854819 or email needhamlink@gmail.com
Musings of a canine nature..
Barney’s Blatherings
I didn’t think much of this year’s Village Hall BBQ. I went to help ‘tidy up’ at the end of the event but there was nothing for me to do; not a thing….not one sausage shaped thing to do! Next year can I please request that everyone holds back a little and takes time to think of the hungry within their community……namely Mutley and me! I hear through the grapevine that it was a great event but I guess it depends on whose eyes you’re seeing it through. The new Jubilee bench in the Village Hall garden has been located (no chance of that being knicked!) It appears to be of a high quality and seeing those two sitting on it was certainly testament to its robustness! Although I didn’t get to sit on it, I did Christen it in the usual way.
Well, it looks like summer has well and truly ended now. The mornings are colder and the nights are drawing in. As the days are getting shorter I had thought we might go for a nice walk on the tops this weekend but instead looks like they’ll be mending Mutley’s kennel again after he knocked the back of it out with his over zealous rear end. I wouldn’t mind but I lay and watched them ‘repair’ it only a few weeks ago…….the term ‘all the gear, no idea” springs to mind!
“Come on Mutley, come lie over here, let’s watch this pair ‘fix’ your kennel…….Mutley, WAKE UP”!!
Dates for your Diary
17 November
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Churchyard Tidy-Up - St Peter’s @ 9:30am
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26 November
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Parish Council Meeting - Village Hall @ 7:30pm
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15 December
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Village Christmas Dinner - Village Hall
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23 December
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Carol Service - St Peter’s @ 6:00pm
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24 December
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Children’s Crib Service - St Peter’s @ 4:00pm
|
 |
The Old Fishmongers Arms
It was the hot dry summer of 1976 when my family and I moved from Berkshire to Norfolk to live in the Old Fishmongers Arms, Needham.
David, (my late husband), had become tired of travelling up and down the M4 to his place of work; he had the romantic notion of growing tomatoes. He had previously taken a few days off from his work as a freight consultant and he travelled the length and breadth of England in his search of finding us somewhere new to live. It was early January when David arrived in Norfolk in that year and he found it wasn’t raining!
He brought me and our three young children, Oliver 3, Julia 5 and Jane 7 to view a few houses; one of them was The Old Fishmongers Arms. On the way home to Berkshire I told David I didn’t like the house. ‘There’s not a house in England to suit you,’ he promptly replied - we had only seen three. ‘Well’, I said, ‘if you like it so much then buy it.’ ......And he did!
We had been living in a new house in Mortimer, Berkshire and the contrast between a 16th century thatched building in need of a lot of TLC and that of an easy to run modern home was marked. The previous owners of The Old Fishmongers Arms took a while to move out and, as we needed to leave our current house, we camped in a farm at Mendham. We were lucky to have a caravan as a temporary residence.
In was a strange time. The two oldest children started school in Harleston and we played Lego with the youngest one, practically all day for 3 weeks. It was not like being on holiday, although all three children enjoyed feeding the lambs; but I longed for the day I could put the all children in the bath and into their own beds. By the time we left our caravan I wouldn’t have minded if we were moving into a ‘one up’ and ‘one down’, so long as it had running water!
On the day of the move, David kept going to Needham to check that the present owners were indeed leaving. By dusk that day, we were able to move in and as our furniture hadn’t arrived we sat on garden chairs in the kitchen. The kitchen had one bright orange wall and a pipe that ran across a large beam on the ceiling and down to the hot and cold taps over the sink. The radiator fell off the wall when I leaned on it, a cupboard door fell off when opened and a mouse ran across the floor but none of this mattered; we were to start our new adventure. My mother came to stay and help out but she failed to understand why the floors sloped so much especially on the upstairs landing and bedroom. The house was very draughty and a bit scary. My mother had to sleep in Jane’s bedroom as Jane had been given the attic room and she was frightened of being alone.
Did we grow tomatoes? No, not in that heat and drought but my husband did begin to build up another airfreight business, working from home. Fortunately, it still survives today. We were kept busy; there was always a lot to do and to discover in the house. Houses like this always give one something back and there were inglenook fireplaces and mullioned windows to uncover, floors and windows to strip; plus an old stable to renovate and turn into a garden room. We did not find any treasures or blocked up baby shoes but only a host of old clay pipes. It was and still is, even after 38 years of being here, a tremendous challenge but a very exciting one too.
Sue Simmonds
(Part 2 of Sue’s article will appear in the next edition of the Needham Link)
Fancy a day out with Bordahoppa?
On Mondays throughout the year Bordahoppa has outings, for members only, to various places such as garden centres, shops, pub lunches & to the seaside.
To become a member (which is free & only necessary if you want to enjoy our outings) give us a call & we’ll send you a short application form.
All our outings are individually priced depending on distance, admission prices etc. If you are interested, please give us a call & we’ll send you a list. Places are now limited on some of our outings.
Mon 5th Nov: Norwich - £12
Mon 12th Nov: Sudbury, followed by lunch (venue to be confirmed) - £16
(lunch extra)
Mon 19th Nov: Ipswich - £12
Mon 26th Nov: Highway Garden Centre - £12
Mon 10th Dec: Borderhoppa Christmas lunch
(venue & price to be confirmed)
To book a place on an outing, book a journey on our demand responsive service, or to hire one of our mini buses, please call 01379 854800.
Have you been on one of the Bordahoppa outings? If so, we’d love to hear all about it. Please contact the Editor on needhamlink@gmail.com or pop your report through the letterbox of Mill Farm Cottage in Mill Lane.
Some thoughts...
Derek Buttle
The Red Lion
Well done to our village pub which is one of only eight ‘Highly Commended’ pubs in the South Norfolk community pub of the year competition. The citation reads: “The Red Lion is much valued by the community and has proprietors that value the community.”
Visit www.theredlionneedham.co.uk for more information about The Red Lion.
Parish Council News
The Parish Council meeting held on Monday 24th September was preceded by a public forum at which a resident raised concerns over the impact on buildings of heavy goods vehicles that use the High Road. Through the assistance of our County Councillor a meeting was arranged between the resident and a representative of Highways. As a consequence of the meeting repairs are to be made to an area of the road that has suffered from subsidence.
The Parish Council is an effective means of passing on concerns that residents may have over any matters in the parish, and all are welcome to attend the public forum at the start of each Parish Council Meeting.
It was announced at the meeting that Sally Nicholson, who has been a long standing Parish Councillor, has stood down. The Parish Councillors recorded their gratitude for the support and help that Sally has given to the village.
The meeting agreed expenditure on two new notice boards for displaying Parish Council notices, to replace the two existing boards that are in a poor state of repair.
It was reported that South Norfolk Council has given planning consent to reserved matters for a three bedroom bungalow in Brook Lane. The Parish Council had previously supported this application, with conditions.
The meeting considered an application for a new three bedroom house in Brook Lane, and recommended approval, subject to design changes. The Chairman reported that he had previously been contacted by the applicant, and noted that anyone making a planning application in the village is free to request the support of the Parish Council.
The meeting also recommended approval of a Listed Building Application for replacement windows, and for a porch, both on properties in the High Road.
The next meeting will be at 7.30 on Monday 26th November at 7.30 in the Village Hall.
Andrew Major (Chair)
Contact details for members of the Parish Council are available on the village noticeboards or on www.needhamlink.co.uk
Message from the New Incumbent
It is always the same, when someone says, “Say something about yourself” my mind goes blank. But, thankfully, something usually comes back with time. To introduce myself, I'm a Church of England priest who may already be living in Harleston by the time you read this. From 25 September I will be Priest-in-Charge from Scole in the north along the A143 to Redenhall in the south.
I am married to Vivienne who is a writer (look her up on Amazon) and I have a daughter Elinor who is studying for her MA.
As you may guess from my profession, I'm a Christian. As well as being a Christian I have studied, worked in and continue to love science. I see no contradiction between faith and science as both help me to explore the world I live in and make sense of what I find. Faith and science as well as art, music, food, drink, fun and just about everything can give meaning to life and so I love all of these things. I ride a motorbike because it is a way of getting about that makes even the travelling into a joy, at least when it's warm and dry.
At the time of writing this introduction I am looking forward to the move being over and being safely in the Rectory on Swan Lane, Harleston. I am also looking forward to getting to know people; people in the churches (all denominations not just my own C of E), people in the schools and the people of Scole, Billingford, Thorpe Abbotts, Brockdish, Needham, Harleston and Redenhall.
There is not really much more to say. If you see someone in a dog-collar wandering around looking slightly lost, then it's probably me. I currently have the onerous task of checking out the pubs and places to eat so that I can give recommendations to friends and family. I am sure that you will see me around before too long, so if you want to know more, just ask!
Nigel Tuffnell
Open Space Theatre Company
Open Space Theatre Company, which rehearses in Needham Village Hall, will be touring its latest production - ‘From Russia with Love, Lust and Laughs’ - from 22 November until 1December This comedy production features two of Chekhov’s funniest one-act dramas; ‘The Bear and The Proposal’ as well as ‘Afterplay’ by Brian Friel, a new drama based on an imagined meeting between two of the main characters in Chekhov’s longer plays.
The cast includes professionally trained actors Cathy Gill and Stephen Picton, fresh from the theatre company’s last production, Betrayal, by Harold Pinter.
From Russia with Love, Lust and Laughs will have six performances:
Hoxne - Nov 23 (box office 01379 855101)
Fisher Theatre, Bungay - Nov 28 (box office 01986 897130)
Diss Corn Hall - Nov 29 (box office 01379 652241)
Tickets cost £9.50 and £8 and performances start at 7.30pm
Sunday 4 November 11.15 am Holy Communion
Sunday 11 November 6.00pm Remembrance Service
Sunday 18 November 11.15am Holy Communion
Sunday 25 November 11.15am Morning Prayer
Sunday 2 December 11.15am Holy Communion
Sunday 9 December 6.00pm Advent Songs of Praise
Sunday 16 December 11.15am Holy Communion
Sunday 23 December 6.00pm Carol Service
Christmas Eve 4.00pm Children’s Crib Service
Christmas Day No Service
There will be a tidy-up of St Peter’s churchyard on Saturday 17 November starting at 9:30am. All offers of help would be most welcome.
Services at St Peter’s Church
Sunday 4 November 11.15 am Holy CommunionSunday 11 November 6.00pm Remembrance Service
Sunday 18 November 11.15am Holy Communion
Sunday 25 November 11.15am Morning Prayer
Sunday 2 December 11.15am Holy Communion
Sunday 9 December 6.00pm Advent Songs of Praise
Sunday 16 December 11.15am Holy Communion
Sunday 23 December 6.00pm Carol Service
Christmas Eve 4.00pm Children’s Crib Service
Christmas Day No Service
Friends of St Peter’s
George Miller
Photographs
Securing the Jubilee Bench
Testing the bench
The chefs
The bar
Finding the shade
Enjoying a sit in the sun
Pimms for you sir?
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