BrandonTOWN MAGAZINE JANUARY 2016

READ YOUR TOWN MAGAZINE ONLINE AT BRANDONSUFFOLK.COM

Brandon Christmas FayreSee pages 20 & 21

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We would like to start 2016 by saying a huge thank you to everyone that has supported us since our launch.

As we look ahead to the new year we would love to hear from anyone that would like their event, group or club mentioned in the magazine this year or just wants to share a little good news amongst the town.

A new year is time for fresh starts and resolutions a plenty are made. Might 2016 be the year to make a resolution for your town, club or group. Inside this months issue is a gift voucher just waiting for you to pass on. Full details are on page 27.

RegardsThe Brandon Town Magazine Team

Deadline for February issue 15th January

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information contained within this publication, the publishers take no responsibility for the accuracy of statements made by its contributors, in any advertisements or for any loss arising from non-publication of any advertisement. Reproduction of any part of this publication without

permission is strictly forbidden. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher.

To advertise your business please email magazine@brandonsuffolk.com

Welcome to Brandon

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Christmas Fayre: Yet again our Christmas Fayre was a resounding success. Feedback has been very positive with stalls already booked for next December.

Unfortunately, Lord Iveagh was stranded in Dublin due to the recent storms and all flights

back to the UK were cancelled. However, the next day I did receive a personal email from him saying how disappointed he was that he was not able to switch on the lights. I understand he has carried this out for the last twenty years without fail.

A big thank you to everyone for your valuable help and support. Roll on next year!

Gritting: We are still awaiting the date when Suffolk County Council will be delivering the grit. Once this has been received, our town keepers will be siting the new grit bins. If any residents would like to volunteer for gritting the pavements outside their properties, it is a legal requirement to be registered with the County. This will ensure insurance cover is in place. If interested, please contact the council office on 01842 811844 for further information.

Precept: Budget time again. The date for the precept meeting will be set at the next Town Council meeting to be held on the 4th January 2016. There is no public participation at the precept meeting but all residents are welcome to attend.

Christine MasonTown Clerk

5

Brandon Town Council Report

We have recently welcomed two new members, Tom and Mervin. We now have thirty members and our numbers are steadily growing.

Aside of the charitable work often reported, Rotary has a foundation built on fellowship; the charity work provides an opportunity for us to foster mutual friendships.

We meet very Thursday at the Santon Downham Community Hall for dinner. If you are interested in Joining Rotary & help change

the lives of others through charitable work please contact any Rotarian who can arrange for you to come along to one of our meetings, or please visit our Facebook page and leave a message.

For more information please visit https://www.facebook.com/brandonrotaryclub where you will also find details of how you can get involved with Rotary and events that are taking place.

Brandon & District Rotary Club

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7HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR PLAYERS, PARENTS & SUPPORTERS!

Its been a busy end to 2015 at Brandon Town Youth Football Club with the purchase of two sets of new goals and an investment in new flood lights which will enable all the teams to train in the evenings during the winter months more about all that next month though!

Along with all the equipment the teams need, constant sponsorship each season is essential to ensure teams are kitted out in Brandon colours and looking the part when they represent not only the club but Brandon each match and at training. We would like to take the opportunity this month to say a BIG THANK YOU to two local companies for supporting and sponsoring two of the lads squads.

Firstly, the Under 11 boys would like to say a massive thank you to TWR Accountants for sponsoring their Joma match kit this season in the club colours of yellow and royal blue. The boys are pictured with Patrick Smith and Simon Taylor from Brandon based TWR showing off their fabulous new strip. The U11 Lads train on a Saturday morning and play their matches on a Sunday in the Mid-Norfolk Youth League and are coached by Dan, Jason

and Dave.

Secondly, the Under 8 boys are thankful for the generous sponsorship of Scott Holland Refrigeration and are pictured here in their brand new hoodies. All the boys and coaches would like to send their thanks to all at Scott Holland as these have arrived just in time for the colder months!! The U8 squad play their matches on a Sunday morning and train on a Saturday morning; they are coached by Andy, Layne, Jim and Lewis.

The support that the Club gets from all of

their sponsors is so gratefully received and goes a very long way to helping us maintain the amazing grass-roots football club that we are - now in our 32nd year!

If you are interested in joining Brandon please contact our club Chairman or direct message us on Facebook (Brandon Town Youth FC) or Twitter (@BrandonTYFC).

Along with players and volunteers, we are continually looking for sponsors and local companies to support the club, so if you are interested in seeing your name on the front of one of our kits or hoodies, please contact our Club Chairman Gary Rampley on 07716 188000.

Brandon Town Youth FC

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CHRONICLES OF BRANDON AT WARJanuary 2016

Happy New Year. The sound of Auld Lang Syne had barely dispersed before Brandon said goodbye to two notable con-stants. The first was the announcement from the Post Office that they were cutting the number of postal deliveries in the town. By the end of the month Brandon will lose its evening delivery of mail, leaving us with only the early morning and mid-day deliver-ies. The other departure was the passing of ninety-six year old James Kent, who lived on the London Road and was rumoured to be one of East Anglias oldest people. Born in 1821, he outlived five monarchs and two wives, and his excellent health saw him con-tinue working until just a few years ago.

During his lifetime James saw many changes in Brandon, some of which certainly caught us out on more than one occasion. This month a couple of children going about their play, as children had done for hundreds of years previous, suffered the consequence of change in Brandon.It is true to say that since the start of war Brandon has witnessed an increase in traf-fic, but I am not talking of the commonly used carts and cycles. There are noticeably more motorised vehicles travelling on Bran-dons roads, roads built with the foot or hoof in mind and, along with the ancient bridge, they are showing the strain. The bridge has since been patched up and the council are under pressure to do likewise with the roads.

Although our wealthier residents own a mo-torised vehicle, the increase has more to due with military traffic and other visitors passing through the town.When Harold Clarke set off from his Ix-worth home on Monday 17th January, he had no idea that his vehicles mudguard would impact upon young Ernest Hunts head. Hunt, aged seven, was wholly unaware of Clarkes vehicle as he ran onto Bury Road, near Heath House. Clarke was mortified, even though eyewitnesses declared he was not to blame. He drove the boy, and the boys father, to Dr Trotter, but the doctor could do nothing other than send the boy home and hope the boys condition improved. Ernest Hunt has always been a delicate child, so people are naturally concerned for him now he is too unwell to leave his bed.Perhaps that incident should have raised awareness of the dangers of motorised traffic? Alas it was not so and there was another ac-cident, eight days later, on the 25th, when six year old William Baker, was hit by a motor vehicle driven by Harry Adcock, from East Harling. A soldier saw the ac-cident and once again verified that the driver was not to blame. In fact, by all accounts, Adcock was driving quite slowly as he ap-proached children at play on the Market Hill. Young Baker was heading to school af-ter lunchtime when the impact occurred out-side the Five Bells public house. Once again the instrument of the accident was employed to ferry the victim to see Dr Trotter. This time the doctor stitched up a nasty wound to the back of the childs head. Then Adcock drove Baker to Town Street and reunited the boy with his family.We are never sure if change is for better or not, but some suggest we would do well to adapt our ways if we can. That is if you want to be more like James Kent and less like Ernest Hunt or William Baker.

www.brandonatwar.co.ukBy Darren Norton

9

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P&H Sur-Prize EventOn Saturday 5th December local firm Palmer and Harvey held a sur-prize event on Market Hill to help raise money for St Nicholas Hospice Care.

A fantastic day was had by all with a total of over 2000 raised for charity.

Amongst the raffle, tombola and their wheres my delivery competition there were 150 prizes won, and with the lucky dip there was a further 150 presents given out.

The support for the event shows how

important the St Nicholas Hospice is to so many people.

Palmer and Harvey would like to thank the suppliers and the local businesses who supported the event by donating great prizes, the many people who helped and assisted with the set up and organisation, everyone who participated and donated, and a big thank you to the P&H volunteers who gave much of their own time to make the event a success.

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READ YOUR TOWNMAGAZINE ONLINEWHENEVER, WHEREVER

13

januaryGardening TO DO LISTStart forcing Rhubarb.Inspect stored tubers of Dahlias, Cannas & Begonias for rot.Prune Apple & Pear Trees.

When its warm enough to brave the elements, there are plenty of tasks to do in the garden and its the perfect time to put your (possibly new) secateurs to use, starting with Wisteria. You dont have to prune Wisteria; they can live a long, healthy life with no pruning at all, sprawling over everything in its path. However for the gardener who has limited space and wants to enjoy more visible and abundant flowers, routine pruning in summer and winter is a necessary chore. Pruning twice a year is referred to as biannual pruning. By tiding it up before the growing season starts whilst it is dormant and leafless its much easier to see what needs pruning. Simply cut back side shoots to 2or 3 nice buds, creating lots of small spurs along a main stem, this will direct energy to flower production rather than vegetative growth.

As well as Wisteria, deciduous hedges such as hawthorn, beech or hornbeam can be renovated in January when they are dormant and leafless. If drastic renovation is required its better to stage this gradually over two or three years.

Later in the month seed potatoes will be

available. Its best to purchase them as soon as they arrive in store as the best choice will be available. I recommend growing basic seed, (or Scottish seed potatoes includes our supplier JBA) as this is the best grade available to the home gardener.

They are completely free from potato specific viruses, pests and diseases such as mosaic virus, leaf roll, blackleg, brown rot, ring rot, cyst nematodes and wart virus to name a few! Certified or CC seeds are a low grade and may still contain a small number of pest and diseases so are best grown in bags or containers and not in the soil. We do not recommend growing ordinary supermarket potatoes as these can carry high numbers of bacteria, fungus and eel worm. Once youve purchased your seed potatoes, remove them from the net/ bag immediately and place in trays (or egg boxes) eye end up for Chitting. Chitting is the term used for the process of developing shoots on the potato. You should start chitting your seed potatoes six weeks before you intend on planting them outdoors.

Rachel SobiechowskiP&R Garden Supplies

www.p-rgardensupplies.co.uk

Happy New Gardening Year! The New Year brings a new start for the garden, and why not begin the gardening calendar by recycling the

Christmas tree, shredding it for mulch.

13

Brandon School of DanceClasses in ballet, tap, modern, freestyle,

street, contemporary & cheerleadingPrincipal: Kerry Shoop

Please call Kerry on 07864 025041 or visit our website for more information: www.brandonschoolofdance.com

(Ballet from 3 years, Tap from 4 years, Street/Modern/Freestyle from 5 years,Contemporary from 8 years, Cheerleading from 5 years)

15

Brandon & District Photographic ClubA Happy and Prosperous New Year to everyone.

We are kicking off the New Year with a tutorial on Flash Photography. This will be run by one of our members, Pat Childerhouse, and he has asked that we all bring our cameras with us.

So if you are new to our club and think that this will interest you, please come along to the Baptist Chapel on the High Street, Brandon at 7.30pm on Wednesday 6th January 2016.

The meeting following this will be competition night on Wednesday 20th January 2016, an ideal opportunity for anyone to see the work we produce at the club and listen to our very knowledgeable judges give constructive critique to our work.

Dont forget too to visit our website on www.brandonphotographicclub.co.uk

Denise WhitingClub Secretary

Brandon Foto-Imaging GroupBrandon Foto-Imaging Group wishes you all Festive Greetings for the season.

Club members will be enjoying their New Year party at the Crown Inn, Mundford on the 21st January 2016 and resuming their meetings on

the 28th January for the 2016 season.

New members are always welcome, details can be found on our website at brandonfoto-imaging.co.uk.

By the time you receive your copy of the Brandon Magazine Christmas will be over and we will all be looking towards a New Year.

Our Cub Pack will be celebrating their centenary. A hundred years way back in 1916 Wolf Cubs were formed as part of the Scout Association. Since then they have had a lot of changes apart from being called CUB SCOUTS. We have a very full programme planned for the pack with special camps, outings and activities. We will also be celebrating with our Beavers who will have been part of Scouting for 30 years. Again they too will be taking part in above activities.

Over the Christmas lead up our group were busy making festive decorations. They all enjoyed parties held at our HQ. The Beavers

went Carol Singing in Tescos Store in Brandon. I have to say I had a tear in my eye when they sang Away in a Manger. The stores customers came to a standstill. I would like to thank the Management & Lianne Spooner for inviting us.

We are still in need of additional helpers and Leaders in our group. If you would like an informal chat please contact me on the number below.

On behalf of everyone at 1st Brandon Scout Group can we wish everyone a HAPPY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR.

Lynda Smith Group Scout Leader

01842 878765

1st Brandon Scout Group

Its that time of year again where thoughts begin to turn towards the seasonal festivities, the first mince pies and perhaps the odd glass of mulled wine! The Breaking New Ground team are lucky enough to be based at The Brandon Country Park where the festive baking smells from the cafe regularly waft into the office! It is also the time of year for the team to reflect on their fantastic 37 projects and look to next year for new opportunities to involve as many people as they can to enjoy everything that is The Brecks.

So what is so special about The Brecks and why has the Heritage Lottery Fund decided to support the scheme? The Brecks is full of cultural and natural history with so many unique features, species and habitats. The characteristic dry sandy soil has led to the plantation of huge forest blocks and distinctive tree lines to stabilise what was once a network of inland sand dunes. This soil is difficult to farm and so the area is a real mix of different land uses which suits many species.

In fact, the variety of the Brecks landscape has led to international recognition of its importance with 72 species relying solely or heavily on this region and nowhere else. Many rare species of plant thrive here such as Spanish catchfly and basil-leaf thyme as well

as an abundance of invertebrates.

Stone Curlew can be seen during their breeding season, scuttling over the ground with their striking yellow eyes darting around looking for danger. The Brecks is a national stronghold for this bird, as well for species such as woodlark, nightjar and goshawk which have all suffered massive declines over recent decades across the UK.

The Breaking New Ground Landscape Partnership Scheme is bringing this uniqueness of The Brecks into the local communities and we are particularly excited to enable people to get out into the landscape via our access projects. A particular highlight is the Brecks Forest Way which our partners, Norfolk Trails, are leading to create a multi-use path through Thetford Forest to connect Brandon with Thetford along the Little Ouse. The project will also deliver 5 circular paths along the route to explore different features within the forest. Work is well underway and will be open for use in late Spring 2016.

The Breaking New Ground scheme has many opportunities to get involved with and appreciate this special area. For more information please visit our website: www.breakingnewground.org.uk and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @The BrecksBNG.

16

Breaking New Ground

17

Breaking New Ground

Brandon Town FCBrandon Town Football Club is your local football club which is going from strength to strength both on the field and off it! We now have a Saturday and Sunday team, with the Sunday side being the first in Brandon in nearly 20 years!

The Season So Far

As of the 11th December 2015, the Saturday side are sitting 7th in Division 3 of the Anglian Combination League having won more games, scored more and conceded fewer goals and more importantly have a better points tally than this time last year.

The top goal-scorer (as of 1/12/15) is Ian Bethell who has scored 9 in 9 games and is now only 3 goals away from last years top scorer. Chasing Ian is club captain, Simon Wal who is currently on 4 goals with no less than 5 others on 3 goals.

To the same date, the Sunday side currently sit 8th in Division 3 of the Bury & District Sunday League with Lewis Garner top goal-scorer with 7 goals in 6 games.

Advertising Banners

Over the past 18 months, we have had various sponsorship banners which have helped the club purchase much needed new equipment.

We would like to publically thank the following companies for their support: Star Transport, Breckland Roofing, Aztec Electrical, Aqua Drainage, JR Services, Mangle Painting and Decorating, Omars, Arrowpak, Brandon Chiropractic, Shires Estate Agent, Simon Long Removals, Chris Allen (Painter & Decorator), The Gas Company, William H Brown, Weeting

Tyres, Chase Timber Products, SPA UPVC, Lookatme1st.com, Mobiclean, Thetford Home Improvement Services and Independent Leisure.

If you would like to have or know more about having a sponsorship banner with us, please contact the club directly via email at brandontownfootballclub@hotmail.com for more information.

Jackets

We have recently received tracksuit jackets for all of the players. These have been sponsored by Asghar Indian Bar & Restaurant. Thank you for your support and helping the players look smart and presentable off of the field of play

Twitter

We have our own Twitter feed with regular updates on the club and sides; follow us using the tag @BrandonTownFC

18

January always seems to be a long, dark month, but the days are getting longer! With Christmas and New Year over, our thoughts turn to spring and summer, which now seem

a lifetime away!There was a very mild start to the season, which caused some plants to flower well into December. I have some glorious red poppies in my garden, that flower in the early summer before dying back, one of them flowered again in November! I have seen reports of out of

sync daffodils and primroses too. It really has been a very peculiar winter!

January is a great time of the year to start learning bird songs. Pretty much the only bird that will be singing this month is the Robin. So familiarise yourself with its song, and you will have a head start when the Mistle Thrush and other species start singing in February and March! There are plenty of great birdsong apps available to download if you have a smart phone. If not, there are still good old fashioned books available, which include recordings of birdsong on a CD! It is a tricky subject to master, but immensely satisfying

when you begin to identify a few species, just from the sound of their voice. Last month we talked about feeding birds in the garden. This month, have you thought about recording them? The RSPB are holding their annual Big Garden Birdwatch on the weekend of the 30th/31st January. In 2015 over half a million people participated and counted a whopping 8.5 million birds! All you have to do is sign up for your Big Garden Birdwatch pack from the RSPB website, then settle down for just one hour and record the birds that visit your garden within that time. It really is that simple and children and adults alike can join in. The packs are free so please consider taking part in this project. The data you provide will help to reveal increases and declines in bird numbers throughout the UK.

WILD ABOUT BRANDON

www.wildaboutbrandon.com19

Father Christmas arrived at Market Hill to take his place in Santas Grotto as this years Brandon Christmas Fayre begun.

The event, which took place on Sunday 6th December 2015, kicked off at 4pm with an introduction by Brandons Town Crier.

Crowds soon gathered to look around the stalls, enjoy the food and drink on offer and take part in the family activities that had been organised.

Local rock band Heathen took to the stage just before 5pm to perform a selection of rock

covers and classic Christmas songs, a sure fire hit for a winters evening.

As the evening drew to a close the town crier, along with Town Council Chairman David Bimson and Town Clerk Christine Mason, took to the stage to start the countdown.

The Christmas lights switch on just before 6pm was followed by a fireworks finale to end the evening.

Further photos and videos of this years Christmas Fayre can be seen online at BrandonSuffolk.com.

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Brandon Christmas Fayre

BrandonSuffolk.com BrandonSuffolk.com

BrandonSuffolk.com

21

Brandon Christmas Fayre

BrandonSuffolk.com BrandonSuffolk.com

BrandonSuffolk.com BrandonSuffolk.com

BrandonSuffolk.com

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Weve attended over 13,000 life-saving missions across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire

The majority of incidents we attend are serious road traffic collisions, people suffering cardiac arrests and horse riding, motorbike and cycling incidents

We have a wide range of volunteering opportunities available - take a look at our website for latest positions

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East Anglian Air Ambulance

East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) patient, Molly Goodchild has featured in a CBBC documentary.

My Life: Knocked Back follows Molly and Adam, two teenagers telling their dramatic stories and how they are trying to recover from their road traffic accidents.

Molly is 14 years old and suffered a traumatic brain injury on 6 December 2014 when she was hit by a car, near her home in St Albans. Molly was treated by Dr Vicky Smith and critical-care paramedic (CCP) Jemma Varela. She was then airlifted to the Royal London Hospital by Chris Sherriff. In the summer, Molly visited the EAAA Cambridge base where she met her heroes, Dr Smith, CCP Varela and pilot Chris.

Dr Vicky Smith said: I was delighted to see Molly this summer and she is doing wonderfully well. She is taking one step at a time towards a long and arduous recovery. She is a really brave young lady and on behalf of EAAA, I wish her all the best and a speedy recovery.

With no direct government funding, the Charity relies on the donations of local supporters to continue to save lives and deliver pre-hospital emergency treatment to patients like Molly.

Joanna Dew, EAAA Director of Fundraising, said: This CBBC programme gives our generous supporters, the chance to see what we do and how we turn their donations in to lifesaving missions.

The programme aired at 5pm on 24th November 2015 on CBBC.

On 24 November, students at Emneth Primary School were given the opportunity to learn CPR from an East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) critical-care paramedic.

Neil Flowers, who has been a paramedic with EAAA for over seven years, ran three interactive workshops with students in year five and six, teaching basic life support skills, including the recovery position and CPR.

At the end of each session, pupils received a certificate and badge to take home and show what they had learned.

Kate and Lorraine, teaching assistants and part of the charity committee at Emneth Primary School said: the pupils were very engaged and enthusiastic whilst learning these valuable skills.

Earlier this year, the pupils voted for EAAA as their charity of the year during National Air Ambulance Week in September.

Leanne Tyers, EAAA Fundraising Officer, coordinating the school sessions said: Weve enjoyed working with Emneth Primary School so far this year! We hope the children will never have to use the skills they have learned from us this week but they are well equipped to help save a life if they do.

The Charity are keen to run these workshops in more schools around Cambridgeshire this academic year and beyond.

We cant over-emphasise the importance of basic life support. It really can mean the difference between someone surviving and not surviving which is why we want to raise awareness of these skills to as many people as possible, starting with schools says Neil.

East Anglian Air Ambulance

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25

Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh P

esto

This is an ideal winter warmer soup bu

t low in calories and great to

kick start your New Year healthy eatin

g plan .

Ingredients

2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-

virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 cup carrot or diced red pepper

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breas

t, cut into quarters

1 large clove garlic, minced

5 cups reduced- salt chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram

170g baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 425g can cannellini beans

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leav

es

Freshly ground pepper to taste

3/4 cup plain or herbed multigrain cro

utons

for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucep

an over medium- high heat. Add carrot

(or pepper)

and chicken; cook, turning the chicken

and stirring frequently, until the chicke

n begins

to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic a

nd cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. St

ir in broth

and marjoram; bring to a boil over hig

h heat. Reduce the heat and simmer,

stirring

occasionally, until the chicken is cooked

through, about 5 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the ch

icken pieces to a clean cutting board

to cool. Add

spinach and beans to the pot and brin

g to a gentle boil. Cook for 5 minutes t

o blend

the flavours.

Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oil

, Parmesan and basil in a food proces

sor (a mini

processor works well). Process until a c

oarse paste forms, adding a little wate

r and

scraping down the sides as necessary.

Cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. S

tir the chicken and pesto into the pot

. Season

with pepper. Heat until hot. Garnish wit

h croutons, if desired..

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27

An Offer Of HelpThe season of giving has just passed, but as we enter a new year and resolutions are made, what a time to give your first gift of 2016. There are numerous groups in Brandon that need a helping hand. Often an hour is enough, but sometimes a more regular commitment of maybe an afternoon a week.

Why not take this chance to fill in your name and your offer and give the gift voucher to someone. The elderly neighbour that needs the path clearing, a local school that wants someone to listen to the children read, maybe visit the old folks home and have a game of cards. Perhaps you have a skill and would be happy to go and paint the Scout hut, fix that leaking gutter or during carnival week

you could help put up signs or flags.

There are so many good causes, all of whom either rely on the same old faces or just put off the odd job because of lack of funds or knowledge.

Lets make 2016 the year we offer to give, not money, but our time. After all, thats the one thing we have that we can give that we can all afford. If you dont know where you want to help pop in to see Christine, our town clerk, or ask in the Library. Someone will point you in the right direction.

And heres your first payment... THANK YOU SO MUCH!

With the New Year upon us, and female cats about to come into season and produce lots of kittens, I thought it might be a good time to remind you about the importance of neutering.

Female kittens can come into season as young as 4 months old, when they are far from fully grown. We have had young cats with kittens and the mother still hasnt got all her adult teeth. They dont always make good mums at this young age, as they are more interested in playing with toys!!

A cat can have 3 litters of kittens in a year, and if she has 5 or 6 each time, thats up to 18 kittens than need to be found caring homes. There is a misconception that a female cat should be allowed to have one litter of kittens

before spaying. As a cat has no anticipation of motherhood, there is no benefit to the cat from having a litter. A cat only recognises a kitten when it squeals at her the first time she gives birth. This first experience provides the memory so therefore it would seem kinder to spay before the first pregnancy. A female cat can, in just 5 years, be responsible for 20,000 descendants.

A neutered cat is less likely to catch life-threatening diseases such as Feline Aids and Feline Leukaemia both of which are viruses in cats, and are transmitted through saliva, often during cat fights. Neutered cats are less aggressive and so fight less and make better pets as they are more likely to be homebodies.

We at Cats Protection recommend neutering male and female cats at 4 months of age. If you are on a low income of less than 15,000 a year, we can help you. You can apply for a voucher which has a value of 40 for a female cat and 25 for a male, which you can take to any vet. Call us on 01842 810018. Please be a responsible cat owner and have your cat neutered.

Rita Thompson.

28

Breckland Cats Protection

Shoestring Theatre CompanyOur pantomime production this year is Captain Righteous and the Christmas Crisis. This show is a super-powered, hilarious panto-ish comedy adventure, suitable for all the family, with lots of chances for the usual cheering the goodies and booing the baddies. The pantomime dame will be making an appearance too. The story revolves around the baddie (Red Claw) threatening to spoil Christmas for the citizens of Cosmopolis. Along comes the hero Captain Righteous, a man who knows no fear, a man who wears his underpants over his trousers. Come along to the show to see if he can save the day.

Performance nights are on Thursday 7th January, Friday 8th January and Saturday 9th

January at IES Breckland School, Crown Street. Curtain up at 7.30pm and there will also be a matinee performance on the Saturday at 2.30pm. Ticket prices are Adults 6, Senior Citizens and children (4-16 years) 4. Tickets are on sale at Tramps Hairdressers, London Road and Cobra Electrical, High Street. Tickets will also be available at the door, on performance nights, subject to availability.

Please come along to what promises to be a fun filled show for all the family. We look forward to seeing you there.

From all of us at Shoestring Theatre Company, we hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2016.

29

Sudoku Code Word

Enter numbers into the blank spaces Each letter A-Z is represented by a number 1-26.so that each row, column and 3x3 Can you crack the code and solve the crossword?box contains the numbers 1 to 9. Every letter of the alphabet us used at least once.

Number Pyramid

Fill every box in the tower with anumber. The value in a square isthe sum of the numbers directlybeneath it.

Word Wheel

Find as many words as you can. Words must be at least 3 letters and must use the central letter. No letter can be used more than once. There is a 9 letter word to be found.Solutions can be found on page 31

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31

Useful Telephone Numbers

Puzzle Page Solutions

Councils

Brandon Town Council (Town Clerk) 01842 811844 Forest Heath District Council (Main Switchboard) 01638 719000Suffolk County Council (Public Enquiries) 0845 606 6067

Health Services

Doctor - Brandon Medical Practice (High Street) 01842 810388Doctor - Forest Group Practice (Bury Road) 01842 810206Dentist - Apex Dental Care (Bury Road) 01842 812276Dentist - The Dental Surgery (High Street) 01842 812381Hospital - West Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds) 01284 713000NHS 111 - Medical Help (Less urgent than 999) 111

Help & Advice

Citizens Advice Bureau (Brandon Office) 01842 811511Social Care Services (Customer First) 0808 800 4005Suffolk Constabulary (Non Emergency) 101

Utility Companies

Electricity - UK Power Networks (Fault Line) 08007 838 838Gas - National Grid Gas (Emergency Number) 0800 111 999Water - Anglian Water (24 Hour Leakline) 0800 771 881

Sudoku Pyramid Code Word

Word Wheel

9 letter word: colourful

29-Jan16-P129-Jan16-P229-Jan16-P329-Jan16-P429-Jan16-P529-Jan16-P629-Jan16-P729-Jan16-P829-Jan16-P929-Jan16-P1029-Jan16-P1129-Jan16-P1229-Jan16-P1329-Jan16-P1429-Jan16-P1529-Jan16-P1629-Jan16-P1729-Jan16-P1829-Jan16-P1929-Jan16-P2029-Jan16-P2129-Jan16-P2229-Jan16-P2329-Jan16-P2429-Jan16-P2529-Jan16-P2629-Jan16-P2729-Jan16-P2829-Jan16-P2929-Jan16-P3029-Jan16-P3129-Jan16-P32