May/June 2020

Needham Village Link

May/June 2020

www.facebook

Twitter:  @needham_link

COMMUNITY NETWORK EDITION 2

photo - Georgina Frost

Editorial

What strange times we’re living through! I’m sure that we’ll look back in the future in disbelief. I have been very impressed with all the initiatives taking place in the village as well as the contributions to the Link. 

As we’re having to produce the newsletter on a home computer and printer it has been reduced in size but we hope to resume normal service asap. You will see several articles about people’s experience during lockdown and please keep sending them in. Stay safe.

Alan Jeffery

NB: 

The Red Lion has a Takeaway Menu for only £7.  

Available on Monday - Wednesday - Friday.

Please call 01379 853930 for  menu details and delivery 

Adapting To A New Way Of Living

As I write this at the beginning of the 4th week of the Coronavirus lockdown, I look back on New Year’s Eve which we spent with close friends when we talked about our plans for 2020. Well, those plans are not going to come to fruition, not this year anyway. Instead we are separated from those friends and even more sad is the separation from our families and especially our sons and there is no certainty about the future.

We have been so impressed by the way the community has come together. There is a register of volunteers in Needham and another in Harleston and people are looking out for their neighbours. The local shops have really stepped up to the plate by offering deliveries of almost everything we need. The postmen and couriers have delivered other essential things and the internet has been wonderful. I have been keeping up with my Zumba sessions courtesy of Zoom. Zoom has also allowed us to keep in virtual contact with friends and family. We have had online wine tasting, quizzes, a tea party and a birthday party. Not quite the same as physical contact but better than nothing.

Another positive is that we are able to take advantage of using our ‘government authorised exercise’ periods by walking safely in our beautiful surroundings without the risk of meeting lots of other people doing the same. We are so lucky to be living in such a lovely area and when this is all over, we’ll never take anything for granted again.

Helen Major

A few photos taken on 'authorised walks' around Needham

 A143 over the Easter Bank Holiday

Extra Delivery Services to Needham

Earsham Street Delicatessen, Bungay. They have a list of their available products on their website and you order by email. http://www.earshamstreetdeli.co.uk/

Giddens & Thompson, Green Grocers, Bungay. Contact them either by email: shop@giddensandthompson.co.uk or phone 01986 897944 to be emailed a list of their available produce. Then order by email.

  

Needham Parish Council

Firstly, a very big thank you to all those residents who came forward to volunteer to help others in need during the Corvid-19 epidemic. If you have not been contacted this does not mean you are being ignored. I am encouraged that the community appears to be highly resilient in the lockdown. It appears that most residents either have family, friends or neighbours who are stepping in at times of need. However, if you are a vulnerable person without this help and need prescription medication collected or basic shopping please either; contact the Parish Clerk Philip Freeman on 01379 783203 or 07958 623897 or myself on the number below.

Alternatively you can contact South Norfolk Council on 01508 533933. They can pass your details on to a wider hub of volunteers who are able to help with transport to a hospital appointment and also emergency financial aid and help with benefits.

Also, we have in the village a qualified Counsellor who is able to provide wellbeing advice or help for anyone suffering from stress or other mental issues as a result of self-isolation or other Corvid-19 issues. If you would like help or even just a chat to alleviate loneliness please call me and I will put you in touch.

Andrew Major

Chairman

01379 852958 andrewmajor@mac.com

Calling on the Great Needham Community Spirit.

Your ambulance service needs your help. Every day crew are being faced with covid-19 patients. They then travel home in their uniform before washing it. We want to supply as many crew members with wash bags so that they can take their uniform off before leaving station and them put the whole bag straight in the wash once at home.

We are looking to make as many washing bags as possible and we need your help! Can you sew? Could you sew a draw string bag? Or a simple pillow case shaped bag? We've even convert a mans shirt into a button up bag! Even just donating some pillow cases or shirts would be appreciated. Bags could be approximately 30/40cm by 60/65cm.

Please get in touch with Helen Walker if you can help. 07880733584.

Needham Carpet Bowls Club

In view of the current Covid-19 crisis, all our Wednesday club nights have been cancelled until further notice. Our last Waveney League match of the winter season, against Kenninghall, and a ‘friendly’ match against our friends at Blythburgh, have also had to be cancelled.

The club did, however, hold its Annual Dinner/Club Trophies’ Presentation Evening at the Needham Red Lion on 22 February. Our thanks, as always, to Sue and Joe at the Red Lion for providing an excellent meal. Our Chair Person, Frances Burton, presented the club trophies to the following winners:

 Frances & George (singles winner)

John & George (doubles winners)

Congratulations to both George and John on their awards, and “well done” to George who won his first club trophies.

With the current cancellation of club nights, we were unable to complete our Mary Howlett trophy, but hope to do this when club nights resume.

Our members have been keeping busy dealing with all those jobs that needed doing in the garden and around the house, and they are looking forward to “exiting lock-down” and returning to the club!

If you are interested in finding out more about our club, we would be pleased to hear from you. You would receive a very warm welcome from our members, who would be pleased to show you how the game is played and answer any queries. We meet in Needham Village Hall at 7.30 pm on Wednesday evenings, and all the equipment is provided. 

If you would initially prefer to have a chat with one of our members, then ring Frances Burton on 07790 286484.

Celia Snaith

Life in Lockdown

It is very strange that while there is so much suffering and anxiety in the world spring arrived with such vigour. Everywhere in the garden and countryside life is bursting out. I find great consolidation and distraction from the sad news in the natural world. There are beautiful flowers in the garden, tulips, narcissus, camellias as well as blossom on the apple trees. All of these attract some beautiful butterflies. Yesterday, on our bike ride I saw lots of cowslips as well as primroses. There are lots of hares racing across the fields on the far side of the A143, such beautiful animals. The bird song seems louder than usual, always something chirping. In our garden we have seen lots of birds - sparrows, dunnocks, great tits, blue tits, long tailed tits, gold finches, blackbirds, robins and, my favourite, wrens. We see lots of buzzards circling overhead and yesterday a kestrel landed on our fence by our bird feeder! At night we have heard tawny owls. For anyone interested, I would recommend an app called ‘chirp!’ for birdsong.

There is so much to see and learn about out there that can also raise the spirits. We are lucky to have all that on our doorstep. Have you seen anything interesting?

Georgina Frost

News from St Peter's Church

Contacts:
Rector: Revd Nigel Tuffnell - 01379 308905 Email: rector@7churches.org.uk
Website - www.7churches.org.uk
Facebook - www.facebook.com/7churches.org.uk Administration - 01379 851148
Email admin@7churches.org.uk

On March 11th 2020 it was unanimously agreed that regular Sunday services will NOT continue in St.Peter's Church after the end of March 2020. This is not a sad decision - it is made with optimism for the future. This decision will allow the dedicated few who care for St Peter's to no longer be weighed down by their weekly responsibilities.

St Peter's will now be a Festival Church and just hold services at Harvest, Remembrance, Carols, Christingles and Easter. Dates for these will be announced in the Link nearer the time. Weddings, baptisms and burials can still be carried out when necessary.

A reminder that if anyone needs to gain entrance to the church there is a key safe in the porch with contact numbers for the code.

On May 23rd there is to be a Church Yard Spring Clean starting at 9.30 am so if anyone would like to support us, please come along as we still need the church yard to be kept tidy. (Weather permitting)

Many Thanks to everyone who has supported St.Peter's Church over the years and hopefully in the future

Contact Revd. Nigel Tuffnell for more information

Revd. Tim Rogers who has been curate with us for the last 3years now has his own parish at Yoxmere and he will be taking up his post once the lockdown is lifted. We would all at St Peters like to wish him and his family well for the future and thank him for his support while he has been with us.
Revd. Nigel Tuffnell has arranged a leaving collection for Tim so if you would like to donate to it please contact Nigel or pop it into his letterbox at his home address at 10 Swan Lane in Harleston.

Gill Powell

News from North of the By Pass

I'd like to thank, on behalf of my family all the tractor and lorry drivers for showing consideration when passing our front door by slowing down, checking for dogs, grandchildren and humans. However, I'd like to also say how disappointed we are with other drivers who think they're on the M1 and drive like maniacs. I might put a speed camera up here one day just to prove a point!

Most of the walkers and drivers would have noticed a new fence which has gone up over the last two weeks. All the wood used, is recycled that I purchased from different sources. Let's have a small competition! for a bottle of wine, how many screws have I used in putting this up. (Within 50!) I have to say I was incredibly surprised at the number we used, which weren't recycled! Having taken down the massive, overgrown large hedge, the extra light into the house, is quite amazing! Never mind the wonderful sunsets that we can now share!

I'd like to say how much I appreciate Vicki (my partner) has done to support Harleston's help hub. Every day Vicki has prepared meals and delivered to numerous homes around Harleston. Vicki has isolated me since the 21st of March and I'm so grateful where I live on the progress my family have made around the farm. What with my business closedown since the 21st of March and 90% of my staff being on furlough, it is not a good time! (for them and the future). However I’m in enjoying my training for retirement... never mind the wonderful weather we are all enjoying. (Farmers are not happy!) Hoping that we continue to be safe in our valley .... 

Robin Twigge

Robin & Vicki with their new fence. To WIN a bottle of wine, guess the number of screws used in making it.  Reply by 18 May to www.needhamlink.co.uk or needhamlink@gmail.com

Local History Alert

While the exciting Mayflower400 Programme organised by Harleston’s Future and the Harleston Players is on hold you can learn fascinating stuff about life in Harleston in the 1600s through a Mayflower 400 e- newsletter. The first issue will be sent out in May.
To receive a copy send your email address to: nmstainton@gmail.com

Life at Tithe Barn

We are enjoying the peace and quiet - no combustion engines, apart from mowers. Makes quite a difference to the lack of noise and cleaner air! We can hear the birds...

my garden has kept me sane...ferocious gardening has been taking place here...

I have never had such a clean and tidy garden. I have planted so many veg from seed instead of buying plug plants, and saved money.

Everything this year, has been cancelled, obviously, except the Budapest Café Orchestra on Friday 30th October 2020 at the Pulham Market Memorial Hall. If anyone is interested, please contact me on 01379 852721. They are really popular and have a huge following.

If you have not heard of them, google them and have a listen. They perform all sorts of music and all four of them are extremely talented. The Alan Barnes concert which was cancelled for May this year, will now take place on Friday 14th May 2021. He is a virtuoso saxophonist and a very funny man, and is accompanied by a great talent, the pianist, Dave Newton. Perhaps, when all this dreadful situation is over, if anyone else has been gardening like mad, the village would be interested in opening those gardens and collect for the fabulous NHS. What do you think? We wish everyone in the village all the best in this terrible time... Happy weeding!

Blitzing the Litter Pick

The litter pick in Needham took place as planned on 15 March. Although not very well attended there were sufficient people, including some children, to cover the lanes of the village. It was surprising how much was collected, consisting largely of drinks cans and bottles and snack wrappers, which must have been discarded from car windows! It is upsetting to see that some black bags have since been dumped in Brook Lane.

A delicious breakfast was provided for all participants by The Red Lion, funded by the coffee mornings. A big thank you to all who took part and to the Red Lion for their support.

Georgina Frost

From the Harleston Kindness Admin Team

Yesterday (27th April) 3 more people in Harleston were hospitalised with confirmed Covid19. (This information has come from the families of those hospitalised) Harleston has already had several deaths and many more confirmed cases. While some of you have been out and about, you will not yet know if you have been in contact with Covid19 in our own town. This is why it is vital that you STAY HOME unless absolutely necessary. Yesterday the town was like any normal day and volunteers had trouble finding parking places. Please do not get complacent, this virus is very real, it is killing people and it is here in Harleston. We have an amazing team of volunteers in Harleston that are out picking up essential shopping items and prescriptions for those that need it. Our volunteers are under exactly the same government guidance as you all. They are out for essential items only. Please don't put these good people at risk. Please, stay at home, do not socialise with anyone that doesn't live under the same roof as you, and if you must go out, keep 2 metres away from anyone you see. Harleston Kindness Admin Team.

VE Day Celebrations

Stay in Touch

6 free and easy ways for family and friends to stay in virtual touch

It’s fair to say the past few months have been very disruptive with Covid-19 and the government lockdown temporarily restructuring our way of life in rapid and profound ways.

What has become very clear is that the internet has become our fourth utility, essential for providing entertainment, remote working and educating children – especially for those of us in more remote rural communities.

But perhaps most important is staying in virtual touch with family and friends as there’s nothing like seeing their faces to boost everyone’s spirits. However, with so many online services available, it can be hard to know where to begin.

So, here are six easy to use platforms to help get you started – and they’re all free. For video calls from a laptop or PC, you will need a webcam, microphone and speakers/headphones:

1. FaceTime
Video call an individual or group. Easy to use but only works with Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, MacBooks etc.). The app should come pre-installed.

2. Facebook Messenger

Share messages/photos/videos and video call an individual or group. Available on most smartphones and tablets with a desktop version for laptops/PCs. If you already have a Facebook account, just download the app.

3. WhatsApp

Share messages/photos/videos and video call an individual or group. Available on most smartphones but not usually tablets. For longer calls or with more than one person it’s better to use a service accessible on devices with bigger screens.

4. Skype
Video call an individual or a group. Available on smartphones, tablets and laptops/PCs. However, for those less savvy with technology, the platform can be a bit more complicated to use than others on this list.

5. Google Duo

Video call an individual or a group. Available on most devices but mostly android smartphones. If everyone in your family has as iPhone it’s often easier to use FaceTime as the app comes pre-installed.

6. Zoom (free trial)

Video call an individual or a group of people. Very similar to Skype but traditionally used more by businesses. However, works just as well for family catch ups and very easy to use. When setting up a call, create a ‘password’ people have to enter when joining for security.

The above platforms all require a stable and reliable internet connection which can be tricky with more of us at home and traffic moving from roads to routers. That’s why at County Broadband we’re building new Hyperfast full-fibre networks to provide lightning-fast speeds up to 1,000mbps only available to 10% of UK households.

We’re also putting together some exciting new offers for customers who sign up to our network so stay tuned. For the latest updates and to get Hyperfast full-fibre, visit www.countybroadband.co.uk