Saturday 28 June 2014

Busy July in Old Buckenham

Diary dates for July

Tuesday 1    Coffee and chat, Church Rooms, 10.30am to 12 noon

 Wednesday 2    Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

 Wednesday 2    Women's Fellowship, Methodist Chapel, 2.30pm

 Thursday 3    Parish Council, Village Hall, 7.30pm

 Saturday 5    Cream teas, 26 Hargham Road, 2pm to 5pm

 Saturday 5    Village Cinema, The Railwayman, Village Hall, 7.30pm

 Sunday 6    Wargames Club, Village Hall, 2.30pm to 6pm

 Monday 7    Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

 Thursday 10    Breckland Flower Club, Village Hall, 2pm

 Thursday 10    Social and Wine Circle, al fresco, 1 Mill Road, 7.45pm

 Friday 11    Quiz evening at High School, 7pm

 Sunday 13    Askew Agricultural Museum open, 2pm to 5pm

 Sunday 13    Old Buckenham Windmill open, 2pm to 5pm

 Monday 14    Whist drive, Church Rooms, 2pm

 Monday 14    Closing date for Chapel Road School comments

 Wednesday 16    Luncheon Club outing

 Wednesday 16    Songs of Praise, Methodist Chapel, 7.30pm

 Friday 18    Primary School Fete, 3.15pm to 6pm

 Saturday 19    Village fete, Village Hall, 2pm to 5pm

 Monday 21    Monday Mardle, Church Rooms, 2.15pm to 4.15pm

 Thursday 24    Women's Institute, Village Hall, 7.30pm

 Saturday 26    Old Buckenham Airshow, doors open from 10am

 Sunday 27    Old Buckenham Airshow, doors open from 10am

 Wednesday 30    Luncheon Club, Village Hall, 10am to 2pm

Thursday 26 June 2014

July newsletter available in Old Buckenham

Read the latest village news
Look out for the July issue which is out and about now.

Tuesday 24 June 2014

Old Buckenham 2000 Trust AGM

One year of the OB2000T
These notes have been produced by the blog editor from the chairman’s information given at the Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 11 June.
It has been a turbulent year for the Trust with a mixture of frustrations and successes.
The frustrations? Since the last AGM in March 2013 the Trust had to suspend all grant awards due to unforeseen circumstances. However the Trust is now as confident as it can be that this situation has been resolved and will soon be able offer the chance for village organisations to apply for funding.
Also during this period from March 2013, three trustees have resigned because of other commitments and heavy work loads.
The successes? Saturday 6 July 2013 saw the Old Buckenham Summer Ball raising funds for the Trust. This proved to be an excellent evening – well organised and thoroughly enjoyable with plenty of positive feedback. A small profit was made from the evening but all agreed that fund-raising had not been the main driver for this function – rather it was to provide a nice event for the village. The Ball was organised by a sub committee of volunteers from within the village and the Trust is extremely grateful for all their hard work.
On Saturday 31 August the Trust ran the barbecue at the Village Fete and a small profit was made.
The Trust presented a ‘Carols on the Green’ evening on Friday 20 December. This was a ‘free of charge’ event as a way of thanking the village for their continued support to the Trust. The evening was well received by all who attended.
Then on Sunday 22 December there was the annual Sainsbury’s collection for St Martins Housing Trust. This raised a staggering amount of money, the total of £1051 is the largest ever.
The launch of the Old Buckenham 2000 Trust 2014 Village Calendar proved to be a success. It is hoped to create another one for 2015.
Finally, thanks go to all those who have supported the Trust over the past year. Thanks to the Trustees for their dedication and hard work. Thanks also go to the Ox and Plough who organised quizzes and donated proceeds to the Trust, and to the anonymous Winter Fuel donation. This is all very much appreciated and with continued help and support the Trust are confident that they can look forward to a successful year. 

A little history. The Old Buckenham 2000 Trust was created in 2002 as a means of distributing funds raised from the Old Buckenham Country Fayre. The original committee consisted of eleven members who were Brian Parish (chairman), Val Parish, Bob Babel, Richard Allbury, Trevor Crook, Steve Knight, Chris Knight, Colin Sapsford, Joanne Page , Jeremy Walker and David Smithson. Three of this original committee are still Trust members. However this AGM sees the departure two of them, Brian and Steve. Brian was the Trust Chairman for eleven years. During the time that Brian and Steve served on the committee the Trust has donated approximately £25,000 to 18 organisations for 45 different projects.
Don’t get the impression that it has always been about the money. Many social events have taken place - race nights, golf days, Santa runs, summer balls - to name just a few. On behalf of the Trust and indirectly the village, the current chairman David Hannah said a huge vote of thanks was due to both Brian and Steve for their dedication, help, support and last but not least their humour.
Election of Executive Committee. All members resigned and with the exception of Brian Parish and Steve Knight all expressed an interest in continuing. They were re-elected en-bloc. Meg Batchelor expressed an interest in becoming a member and was duly elected.
Election of officers. The following were elected for 2014/15: Chairperson Celia Clarke, Vice-chairman David Hannah, Treasurer Terri Hammond and Secretary Trevor Crook. The committee members are Meg Batchelor, Jenny Devaux and Sarah Dye.


Sunday 22 June 2014

The Railwayman showing in Old Buckenham

Village Hall Cinema
Old Buckenham Village Hall will be having a film night on Saturday 5 July starting at 7.30pm. The film this time is “The Railwayman” starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. The film tells the extraordinary and epic true story of Eric Lomax, a British Army officer who is tormented as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labour camp during World War II. Decades later, Lomax discovers that the Japanese interpreter he holds responsible for much of his treatment is still alive and sets out to confront him and his haunting past.
Seats are limited so book early to avoid disappointment. Call 01953 860866 or email obvhboxoffice@gmail.com to reserve your seats. Advance tickets are £4, bought at the door they will be £6.
A number of people commented when the last film was shown that it was difficult to hear the dialogue. The organisers are endeavouring to correct this and will be trying a different amplifier.

Friday 20 June 2014

Test your knowledge in Old Buckenham

Quiz night at High School
On Friday 11 July there will be a Quiz Night at the High School to raise funds for the outdoor gym. It will start at 7pm in the school hall and will be for teams of up to six with an entry fee of £20 per team. Prizes will be awarded for those coming first, second and third and other fun games will be played. Feel free to bring your own refreshments and drinks, alcoholic or otherwise.



Team application forms are available from reception at the school and from the village shop. The completed forms need to be returned by Friday 4 July.

Thursday 19 June 2014

Latest on Chapel Road School move to Old Buckenham

More public consultation
The blog editor went along to the meeting early to look at the plans but was unable to stop for the main presentation. The following item is based on a report kindly provided by Jenny.
Following last year's drop-in sessions about the proposal to re-locate the Chapel Road School from Attleborough to Old Buckenham, further views were sought from villagers on Tuesday 17 June when there was a presentation made by the Norfolk County Council. It has to be said that the village attendees expressed the view that, whilst they do not object to the building of the school in our village, there is a need for the infrastructure to be properly investigated so that the extra traffic occasioned by additional pupils and staff moving through the village every day does not cause accidents (or worse) to the residents or to any of the school pupils at any of the three schools.
The proposal is for an access road off the B1077 (so that Abbey Road is not congested more than at present) but with no means of slowing the traffic as it approaches the school access road or of any other consideration for the residents of the village. It is hoped that a representative of the Highways Department might be persuaded to visit to respond to the serious concerns that many people have about the additional traffic through the village as well as the journeys that must be made throughout the day to take the children either to Attleborough or to other destinations to assist with their integration and development.
The presenter, Chris Hay, advised us that the statutory processes must be gone through which are determined by the Education and Planning Acts and this consultation formed part of this process. Whatever the views of the villagers, it is important to let Norfolk County Council have these formally as soon as possible.

Views can be expressed at www.citizenspace.com/norfolk/consultation/chapelroadschoolrelocation
email schoolreview@norfolk.gov.uk
or post to Chapel Road Complex Needs School Consultation, FREEPOST, IH2076,County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2BR.
The consultation closing date is Monday 14 July 2014.

Tuesday 17 June 2014

New affordable homes in Old Buckenham

Close to completion

Following nine years of planning, hard work and support from Old Buckenham Parish Council and Breckland District Councillor, Adrian Joel, fourteen new affordable homes at St Andrews Close are finally scheduled to be completed by the end of August this year. A mix of one, two and three-bedroom rental properties, for people with a local connection to the village, are being provided by the Cotman Housing Association.
If you are in need of affordable housing and have a local connection to Old Buckenham then you may be eligible for one of the new properties. You must be registered on the Breckland Council's Housing Register in order to apply for the dwellings, via the Breckland Key Select website. The properties will be advertised on this website from the first week in July. If you are not already registered, it is advisable that you do so as soon as possible. To apply, please visit
http://www.brecklandhousing.co.uk/
If you need any information regarding the process, please contact Breckland Council's Housing Team on 01362 656870.

Monday 16 June 2014

The weekend Fair on Old Buckenham Green

Three days of entertainment
Ben, landlord of the Ox and Plough on Old Buckenham Green, decided to organise a weekend of entertainment from Saturday 13 to Sunday 15 June. He had arranged a small fairground, racks of real ales, various refreshment stalls and live music. The weather stayed dry and lots of people turned up to enjoy themselves.
The first match for England in the World Cup also took place on the Saturday night/Sunday morning resulting in an over-subscribed full house in the pub itself. 





Sunday 15 June 2014

Garden Party in Old Buckenham

Enjoyable evening amongst the flowers
The garden party to raise funds for All Saints Church has now become the social event of the year with locals crowding in to the Frost's garden in Mill Road. There were people of all ages admiring the garden plants and vegetables as well as spending their money on the a huge tombola, a large raffle, various garden plants and a further glass of wine or two.
John must have been working all day to get the garden to perfection while Barbara was slaving away in the kitchen getting the refreshments ready. The sun shone down for much of the time but as the  evening got that bit chillier everyone listened attentively to see if their raffle ticket was drawn out. All that was left to do then was tidy up the tables and chairs so that things could return to near normal.
An initial count of the money raised showed that some £1,100 had been raised during the evening.




Saturday 14 June 2014

Gate theft in Old Buckenham

Gates to childrens' playground disappear overnight
A pair of five-barred gates that provided part of the fencing around  the children's play area in Old Buckenham have been stolen sometime between late last night (Friday) and 8am this morning. Should you have been in the area outside the Church Rooms during that time and noticed anything suspicious then the police would like to hear from you.
You can ring the police on 101 or, if you prefer, you can speak to the Parish Council chairman Steve Milner on 01953 860866.
They were large, heavy gates (seen on the right in a photo taken at the opening of the play area in June 2010) and would have needed probably more than one person and a largish vehicle to take them away.
New gates will be needed to help keep the play area safe for the children playing there. They will be expensive to replace so any help you can give will be much appreciated.

Thursday 12 June 2014

June Fair in Old Buckenham

Set fair for the weekend
There is plenty of activity around the Ox and Plough at the moment. Grass has been cut, tents have gone up, fairground vehicles have been bringing in rides and the guest beers will be settling in their barrels. The weather looks like being fine and dry too.



Wednesday 11 June 2014

Proposed Chapel Road School relocation to Old Buckenham

Meeting for all villagers
The following is the text of a note being distributed to residents throughout the village.
You will have now received information from Norfolk County Council about the proposal to relocate Chapel Road School from Attleborough to Old Buckenham.
The Parish Council and our County Councillor are in discussion with the County Council to explore initiatives that will alleviate the impact of this move on our village.
However what is crucial is your opinion on this development and there are numerous opportunities to have your say which are detailed in the information you have already
received.
Please make the effort to turn out to the consultation drop-in session at the Primary
School
on Tuesday 17 June. To make our voice heard consider making sure you are there for the presentation at 6pm.

Tuesday 10 June 2014

More on Old Buckenham June Parish Council meeting

Notes on the public recess
At the June meeting the members of the Parish Council agreed that it was happy for a summary of the items raised during the public recess to be reported. The follow report has been written by the blog editor from the material supplied to him.
A resident raised concerns over parking on the Green and asked what was happening with regard to tidying up the area. The resident had spoken to the pub landlord at the Ox and Plough who would put some money towards creating a pub parking area. Steve Milner informed the resident that a working party had been set up but they needed to get the views from all parties concerned. Carol Marshall had been trying to do in order to get their thoughts on the matter. Tom Johnson suggested approaching the Green Right Proprietors to allow more parking on the Green. Carol Marshall said local residents think one of the parking areas is dangerous and needs looking at - suggestions included getting rid of the rope and posts at the parking areas to make it look tidier. Steve Milner suggested getting a quote to repair one area and then to seek contributions from local residents. Another resident raised the matter of Standing Orders and suggested that the Working Party on this subject should include some residents. After discussions it was agreed that two residents would join the working party which was going to review Standing Orders. A resident also raised the matter of having a public recess at Precept meetings. Steve Milner replied that the Parish Council had voted on this matter recently and voted that no public recess would be included at Precept meetings. Adrian Joel said public recess notes at Parish Council meetings should form an appendix to meetings and should be published and main headings of matters raised included in minutes. The Parish Clerk advised that this could be done if the Parish Council wished. It was agreed this policy would be adopted. One resident raised the matter of the Parish Council’s Bullying and Harassment Policy and the Parish Clerk replied about this. A resident also raised the matter of employee’s records being made available to Councillors and members of the public. This resident was informed that employees’ records are covered in Standing Orders and they would not be made public. The matter of Chapel Road School was raised and a resident said the Parish Council should have a formal meeting and not a drop-in session. Steve Milner said two consultations are taking place at the moment. A resident raised the subject of who was organising the ‘Old Buckenham Spring Fair’ and was informed that the Ox and Plough were responsible. One resident said the war memorial will be cleaned on Tuesday 10 June. A resident spoke about the Green which he thought was a great village asset but looked untidy at the moment. He was informed of the issues surrounding the grass cutting of the Green.

Monday 9 June 2014

Old Buckenham Parish Council meeting in June

June Parish Council minutes
These notes have been written by the blog editor from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is changed at a later date.

All members of the parish council were present apart from Tim Ing who had sent his apologies. There were also eight members of the public. Steve Milner declared an interest in the planning applications for Stonehouse Farm and Crown House.
The meeting was adjourned for the public to comment on various items including parking on the Green, one of the planning applications, the line management responsibility of the Parish Council, having a public recess at Precept meetings, the Standing Orders working party, Chapel Road School and the village war memorial. Notes on these discussions should be posted on the blog tomorrow.
Minutes of Old Buckenham Annual General Meeting. This was held in May and the minutes were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting. There were no matters arising from the minutes.
Minutes of May Parish Council meeting. These were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting. There were no matters arising from the minutes.
Chapel Road School. Steve Milner had met with Chris Haye and Steve Askew of Norfolk County Council (NCC) and they were trying to resolve a number of the issues raised by the Parish Council. There is to be a drop-in meeting on Tuesday 17 June at the Primary School and NCC will submit a planning application later in June. The new access road will only be used for the new school. There are two major concerns regarding the new school which will greatly increase traffic levels on B1077 at school times which will increase accident risk levels. The access road will come on to the B1077 where there is a national speed limit in operation and this is considered highly dangerous. Steve Milner suggested a 20mph speed limit should be installed at all main crossing points of the B1077 and this suggestion is being taken back to NCC Highways for consideration. Steve Milner had also suggested further road safety improvements at the crossroads to the village primary school. Also suggested was community use of facilities at new school and the possible part use of the Primary School playing field for access to the new school. Steve Milner said the Parish Council is doing as much as possible on the school through the proper channels.
Roughlands planning application. Adrian Joel said that he had attended, with Tim Ing, the Breckland Planning Committee which had considered this planning application. Breckland had to consider that the site was previously used for pigs and had put 23 conditions on the planning application before giving their consent. All these conditions must be met by the applicants and if any resident has any knowledge that they are not being met then they can report them direct to him. Steve Milner raised the question of residents’ objections that had been written to Breckland and Adrian Joel said that over forty objections had been received by Breckland. Derek Smalley suggested the Parish Council keep a register of any complaints they receive of violations. Adrian Joel agreed to keep the register. Derek Smalley also suggested getting together with Terry Cracknell and writing a letter to try to get vehicular access restricted to the hours between 10am and 2pm.
Allocation of Council funds. The Parish Clerk said there were funds of approximately £4,000 that could be allocated to Council projects. Steve Milner suggested putting money towards new 20mph speed flashing signs and any balance left towards restructuring parking on the Green. Jonathan Kemp said the Recreation Area project also needed funds. The Parish Clerk said there could possibly be an extra £2,000 available from the 2014/15 funds and an item will be put on the September agenda.
Planning applications. Stonehouse Farm, Stacksford. Conversion of former pump room to form self-contained holiday rental. There were no objections from the Parish Council.
Crown House, Stacksford. Demolish existing timber-framed cottage and erect two single storey extensions. There were no objections from the Parish Council.

Almshouses, The Green. Replacement of corrugated asbestos cement roofing and steel windows to ten Almhouses. There were no objections from the Parish Council.
Sunnyside Farm, Church Green. Proposed alterations, conversions of outbuildings to form annexe. There were no objections from the Parish Council.
Planning decisions received from Breckland. Roughlands, Grove Road. Erection of livestock building and associated feed silo (Buildings 1and 2). Alterations to access and provision of passing bay. Permission granted with 23 conditions.
47 Fen Street. Two storey extension to rear including demolition of existing conservatory, infill carport to provide additional garage. Permission granted.
Downmoor Farm. Single storey residential extension. Permission granted.
The Bungalow, Grove Road. Proposed single storey extension to existing dwelling. Permission granted.
District Councillor’s report. The Electoral Commission is introducing a system of Individual Electoral Registration. This means that all electors will have to register as individuals rather than households. Breckland Council will be explaining the new arrangements using bin hangers during July. Breckland Council’s web pages will reflect the changes in the way people register to vote and will have a banner across the front page of their website advertising the changes. Adrian Joel also reported that the World War One Heritage Fund have had 14 applications for grants and an independent panel including the British Legion, armed forces ex-service personnel and the press will be considering the applications. Creative Arts East will be producing a theatre programme linked to WW1 with a hangar at Old Buckenham Airfield being identified as a possible venue. Breckland Council have assessed the public areas in Elizabeth House and, apart from some additional signs, the physical environment meets the criteria to assist those suffering from dementia. Four training sessions for officers and members have been held with great interest and success.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Sarah Dye reported that the people who were going to repair the fence at the play area have gone out of business. John Hicks will do temporary repairs but some fencing will have to be replaced. Derek Smalley reported that he was unable to attend last SNAP meeting but will circulate the minutes from that meeting. He also reported a thank you letter had been received from Buckenham Pre-school playgroup regarding their recent grant. Steve Milner thanked Tim Ing for all his hard work during his period as Parish Council Chairman. Adrian Joel raised the question of employees’ appraisals. The Parish Clerk read from Standing Orders which showed that the Chairman only had access as line manager. John Frost said he had cut the grass around the benches and signs on the Green. Scaffolding will be going up at All Saints Church in July to carry out repair work on the tower. Hopefully the work will be completed by the end of the year. Carol Marshall said that annual inspections would soon be arranged for both the Play and Recreation Areas. Adrian Joel reported that the bottle bank had not been emptied but this was expected to be done by the following day.
Highways. Various potholes were reported around the village along with reflector posts still being needed in Cake Street and a drain blocked in Banham Road. Also a hedge in Fen Street was overhanging the highway. The Parish Clerk is to speak to Highways on these matters.
The Green. The next meeting of the Green Right Proprietors would be the following week and the grass will be cut in the near future. Tom Johnson raised the matter of the pond near the Gamekeeper public house. The Green Right Proprietors are looking at the possibility of allowing grazing on the Green.
The next meeting of Old Buckenham Parish Council will be on Thursday 3 July in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.

Sunday 8 June 2014

Rufty Tufty enjoyed in Old Buckenham

Cool music in a cool place
Temperatures may have been in the mid-twenties outside but everything was comfortable inside All Saints, Old Buckenham, for the concert performed this afternoon by Chanter's Jigge (fuller details can be seen on the post for Monday 19 May).
There was a wide selection of traditional and folk music played on a large number of different musical instruments with the audience encouraged to clap along and to join in the choruses. A special treat at the half-time interval was the oportunity for the younger members of the audience to try out the various wind instruments and to be educated in the workings of the hurdy gurdy.



At the end of the concert it was time to move on to the Church Rooms to enjoy a nice cup of tea, to eat the homemade cakes that were on offer and to sit and mardle about the afternoon's entertainment.

 

Monday 2 June 2014

Next Chapel Road School meeting in Old Buckenham

Date for drop-in meeting
The date has been announced as Tuesday 17 June at Old Buckenham Primary School from 3.30pm to 7.30pm with a presentation at 6pm.
The blog editor understands that a letter (with very vague artist's impressions of the proposed building) is being posted out today to all occupants of Old Buckenham and this will give you the opportunity to have your say on what is proposed.