BALE - BINHAM - COCKTHORPE - FIELD DALLING GUNTHORPE - LANGHAM - MORSTON

SAXLINGHAM - SHARRINGTON - STIFFKEY

NEWS FROM OUR VILLAGES

ISSUE 84 JUNE & JULY

2012

Read Local Lynx on-line at: www.locallynx.co.uk

Morston Quay

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- is a non-profit-making community newspaper, run for the benefit of ten villages. We warmly welcome drawings, articles and letters for publication, but must reserve the right to edit or exclude items. The items published do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the village representatives. For information about submitting items for publication, or if you want to help in any other way, please contact your village representative, through whom all village news must be submitted. For general information please send a message to our email address:

lynxeditor@pobox.com

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please contact: Rita White, tel: 01328 830821

WHAT’S ON JUNE 2nd Sat. Langham. Coffee morning. Parish Room 3rd Sun. Binham Priory Thanksgiving Service 11am 3rd Sun. Binham Priory Jubilee Picnic 12.30pm onwards 3rd Sun. Langham Ladybirds Tea Parish Room 3-5pm 4th Mon. Bale Diamond Jubilee Party, Village Hall 2.30pm 4th Mon. Binham Village Hall Cricket Match 2.00 pm

4th Mon. Binham Village Hall Jubilee Tea 3.30pm 4th Mon. Binham & Cockthorpe Lighting Beacon 10.01pm 4th Mon. Gunthorpe Village Diamond Jubilee Lunch, Institute 1.00pm (BYO Food and Drink) 4th Mon. Morston Jubilee Beacon/bonfire 8pm onwards 9th Sat. Bale Garden Fete Manor Farm 2pm 9th Sat. Langham Church Memorial for Helen Brandt 12noon 13th Wed. Langham Ladybirds Parish Room 7.30pm 14thThurs. Langham Mobile Library 15th Fri. Langham L.S.F Concert in church 7.30pm 16th Sat. Morston Crab Supper Village Hall 6.30pm on Quay 17thSun. Bale Church Concert 6pm 20th Wed. Langham Coffee morning Parish Room 23rd Sat. Morston FMC Committee Meeting 5.30pm and AGM Village Hall 6pm 30th Sat. Gunthorpe 50:50 Club Institute 10.30am

JULY 6th Fri. Gunthorpe “Friends” AGM followed by Fish & Chip Supper Institute 6:30pm 7th Sat. Binham Priory Picnic 2 Jazz. 5-8 pm 7th Sat. Langham Coffee morning Parish Room 10-12 11th Wed. Langham Ladybirds Strawberry Tea 3pm 11th Wed. Langham Ladybirds Parish Room 7.30pm 12th Thurs. Langham Mobile Library 13th Fri. Bale Village Hall fish and chips 7pm 14th Sat. Langham Leukaemia Research Sale Parish Room 10am-1pm 15th Sun. Binham Priory Tea Concert 4 pm 18th Wed. Langham Coffee morning Parish Room 19th Thurs. Binham Open Circle Garden Party Toad Cottage 6.30pm 20th Fri. & 21st Sat. Binham Comm.Archaeology 10am-4pm 20th Fri. and 21st Sat. Morston Regatta 21st Sat. Gunthorpe 50:50 Club 10:30 Institute 22nd Sun. Binham Fun Day, Village Hall 2.30-5pm 25th Wed. Langham Quiz night Parish Room 7.00pm 28th Sat. Binham Priory Concert ‘Brassed Up’ 7.30pm 28th Sat. Gunthorpe Friends BBQ Gunthorpe Hall 7pm 28th Sat. Langham Street Fayre 10am-4pm 28th Sat. Langham BBQ and Music 8pm Bluebell Pub 28th Sat. Langham Street Fayre 10am onwards 29th Sun. Gunthorpe Fete Gunthorpe Hall Gardens 2:00pm

REGULARS Tuesdays Binham Guild of Artists Village Hall 10-12noon Wednesdays in term-time Binham Youth Group Village Hall 6-8pm

BLAKENEY METHODIST CHURCH High Street Blakeney

Minister: The Rev’d J Pathmarajah Tel: 01263 712 181 Sunday Services at 6.30pm

For weekday services, details of preachers and any change in times, refer to ‘The Glaven Valley Newsletter’.

BLAKENEY CATHOLIC CHURCH Back Lane Blakeney

Father Michael Simison 12 Hindringham Road Gt. Walsingham Norfolk Tel: 01328 821 353

Priest in Residence Father William Wells (the house behind the church)

Service Times Masses: Wednesday 9.30am Sunday 11.00am Vigil Mass: Saturday 6.00pm

DEANERY NEWS Next Deanery Synod: Thurs June 21 7.15pm for 7.30pm at Swanton Novers Village Hall. Speaker: The Rt. Reverend Jonathan Meyrick. Bishop of Lynn. Fri July 22nd –‘Olympic Themed’ Fun Day at Binham.

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My Dear Friends and Parishioners,

As Christians, no words are more familiar to us than “the Body of Christ,” and none are more venerable. For the phrase, “This is my Body,” is the earliest record we have of words of Jesus, older than any of our Lord’s teachings and sayings recorded, for example, in the four Gospels. And what those familiar words point to and represent is indeed a mystery which, like the peace of God, “passeth all understanding.” As St. Thomas Aquinas wrote:

“Word make flesh, by word he maketh Very bread his flesh to be; Man in wine Christ’s blood partaketh, And if senses fail to see, Faith alone the true heart waketh To behold thy mystery.”

Yet, however profoundly mysterious the sacrament of Holy Communion may be, that does not let us off the hook. For even as St.Paul handed the Lord’s teaching about this great mystery of his body and blood, the apostle felt obliged to warn the Christians in Corinth, the New York of its day, that they needed to understand the meaning and significance of the Lord’s Supper and to act accordingly. And so he wrote to them:

“for if you do not discern the Body of the Lord when you eat the bread and drink from the cup, you bring judgement on yourself as you

eat and drink.” (1 Corinthians 11:29) And surely that warning extends to us as well, so that

it is not enough for us to celebrate the mystery of the Eucharist and to receive it gratefully and reverently. No, for something more is asked of us every time we gather to make Eucharist together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to try, with God’s help, to understand what we are about and to act accordingly. We are to grasp the meaning of Corpus Christi and to discern the Body of Christ.

Perhaps the Epistle comforts you in the same way it comforts me. For the most ancient description of the Lord’s Supper that we have tells not of saints who were being rewarded with this blessed Sacrament, but of sinners who were in need of being rebuked, forgiven, reconciled and reunited by means of it. Sinners, uncomfortably like ourselves, who saw to their own needs but were indifferent to the needs of others. Sinners, uncomfortably like ourselves, who failed to discern the Body of the Lord. Yet there it is, the Body of the Lord, waiting to be discerned by faithful eyes and loving hearts. Waiting to be received by those who stretch out their hands in grateful recognition to their brothers and sisters in Christ. Yours Very Truly, Ian Whittle

Church Services for Bale and Stiffkey Benefice for June and July 2012 HC=Holy Communion. CFS=Church Family Service. MP=Morning Prayer. BCP=Book of Common Prayer

All Communion Services are in traditional language except those marked *

24th June: Patronal Festival Service at Stiffkey at 6.30pm, followed by light refreshments.

29th July: Holy Communion Group Service at Saxlingham 10.30am

Regular Weekday Services Binham: Tuesday, 6.00pm Evening Prayers, Langham: Wednesday, 10.00am Holy Communion

Stiffkey: Friday, 10.00am Holy Communion

Parish 3rd June 10th June 17th June 24th June Bale 9.30am HC 9.30am HC 9.30am HC 9.30am HC Field Dalling At Saxlingham 11.00am CFS At Saxlingham 11.00am MP BCP

Saxlingham 9.30am HC At Field Dalling 11.00am HC At Field Dalling Gunthorpe 11.00am MP 4.30pm Silent Meditation 11.00am HC Sharrington 9.30am Jubilee Service 9.30am HC 9.30am MP CW 9.30am HC Binham 11.00am Jubilee Service 11.00am HC 11.00am CFS 9.30am HC Morston 9.30am HC BCP 9.30am HC BCP

Langham At Stiffkey 9.30am MP At Stiffkey 9.30am HC Stiffkey 9.30am CFS At Langham 9.30am HC At Langham

Parish 1stJuly 8th July 15th July 22ndJuly Bale 9.30am HC 9.30am HC 9.30am HC 9.30am HC Field Dalling At Saxlingham 11.00am CFS At Saxlingham 11.00am MP BCP Saxlingham 9.30am HC At Field Dalling 11.00am HC At Field Dalling Gunthorpe 11.00am MP 4.30pm Silent Meditation 11.00am HC Sharrington 9.30am MP BCP 9.30am HC 9.30am MP CW 9.30am HC Binham 11.00am HC 11.00am HC 11.00am CFS 9.30am HC Morston 9.30am HC BCP 9.30am HC BCP Langham At Stiffkey 9.30am MP At Stiffkey 9.30am HC Stiffkey 9.30am CFS At Langham 9.30am HC At Langham

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HELEN BRANDT 1935-2012 It is with deep regret that we must record that Helen

died after a short illness at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on 3rd April.

It was in the late autumn of 1999 that the Reverend John Penny approached Helen and Bob to ask them to take over the publication of Local Lynx after its founder, Adrian Hill, had found himself unable to continue publishing it. Helen had had previous experience of helping to run a community newspaper in Bristol and had been helping Adrian with the typing of copy.

A Support Group of representatives from each of the ten villages covered was formed, a distribution network was set up and the rest, as they say, is history.

It was Helen’s wish that as many individual people as possible should be involved with the paper, whatever their level of technical expertise. In recent years the burden of producing the paper has been spread over two teams and the production of the paper has become more technically complex but we have tried to keep that idea alive.

Apart from the paper, Helen has been involved in many aspects of community life in Langham, a community she loved to be part of. For eight years she served on the Langham P.C.C as secretary and also took the minutes. She remained a regular attender at church services in Langham and in Stiffkey, where she also had many friends.

Helen joined the WRVS in 1988 and continued her membership in Langham where she drove for the Langham Community Car Service during all the 17 years that she lived here. She also took her turn delivering villagers to the Glaven Centre and helping with lunches. She played an active part in a whole range of village events, with her lemon drizzle cakes and patchwork quilts making regular appearances for fund-raising. Her model farm buildings raised a substantial sum for church and village funds and in recent years she organised bookings for the Parish Room.

Her family have received a very large number of messages of sympathy, flavoured with individual memories of Helen and her riding round the village to deliver messages or visit friends, for which they are most grateful.

Helen was cremated at a private ceremony but a memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at 12 noon on Saturday 9th June in Langham Church.

Thank you, Helen, for all your work for the community.

FAKENHAM CHORAL SOCIETY

SUMMER CONCERT Music by Mozart, Faure, Haydn, Bernstein,

Rutter, Durufle & Mendelssohn Fakenham Parish Church

Saturday, June 16th, 7.30pm Tickets £10 from 01328 830639 or on the door

HEARING AID CLINICS Glaven Centre, Thistleton Court, Blakeney

10am - 12 noon Wed 27 June, Fri 27 July, Wed 29 August, Fri 28 September, Wed 31 October, Fri 30 November, Wed 19 December 2012.

COUNTY COUNCILLOR NEWS Natural England and Marsh Zoning

Although standard letters keep arriving from DEFRA claiming a consultation is inevitable, proposals from Natural England are still being processed - indeed the socio-economic report has yet to be finalised. And we are still waiting for an official response from the Minister for the Natural Environment as to local rejection of the proposed zoning of the marshes. In the meantime, I was invited, together with the Chairman of Blakeney Parish Council (a Morston Parish Councillor

THE QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE BEACON/BONFIRE

On Morston Quay, Monday 4 June 2012 8pm (bonfire lit at 10pm)

ALL WELCOME

Bring your own food & drink barbecues will be provided

Morston Parish Council in association with the National Trust

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and representatives of boating and wildfowling) to meet with Natural England officers to “share the perspectives of people who are not wholly supportive of MCZs”. Yet again we put forward the view that there was more than adequate protection of the marshes and that doubt continued as to how vigorous had been the research behind the proposals. The meeting closed at what is best described as stalemate. One piece of concrete information is that we can anticipate a report appearing on the 17th July - undoubtedly more news later.

Primary Schools There is a proposal to federate four primary schools,

namely Blakeney, Hindringham, Kelling and Walsingham. Part of the proposal is for Walsingham and Kelling to become Church Schools. If you have children at any one of these schools you should have received details of the proposals. If you have not received details simply ask at the school. All four parish councils have been informed and in fact anyone within each village can obtain details and pass comment. This is an important step so please take part in the consultation.

Sub Post Offices On Tuesday 8 May I proposed a motion which

sought to find a way in which the county can support our sub post offices. I will report in more detail next time.

Paralympic Games Active Norfolk and SportsPark at the University of

East Anglia NCC is helping stage a paralympic flame celebration on Saturday 25 August at the Sportspark. For further information email norfolk2012@norfolk.gov.uk.

Broadband When the ‘Say Yes to Broadband’ campaign closed

on March 31 over 14,000 residents and businesses had signed up. Later this month Broadband Delivery UK’s ‘national framework contract’ will be awarded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Norfolk will use this framework to select its private sector partner to deliver Norfolk’s better broadband infrastructure. Framework suppliers who want to bid for the Norfolk contract will submit a detailed implementation plan and description of their technical solution to enable maximum broadband coverage and speed for Norfolk. Norfolk will evaluate the bids and announce its project partner in the summer. Keep watching this space!

MMO The Marine Management Organisation returned to

Wells on Monday 23 April to explain its ‘Draft Visions and Objectives for East Marine Plans’ and their significance for Norfolk. Hopefully this visit will have offered a lucid explanation and answered outstanding questions. There is, for example, continued concern as to the effect the plans may have on fishing and tourism. It is important for us to keep informed of the plans as they are progressed and certainly once the formal consultation commences. Log on to: http://planningportal.marinemanagement.org.uk.

Children in Care The number of vulnerable children coming into care

is increasing and NCC is seeking carers from a range of backgrounds to provide a supportive home for children who cannot be looked after by their parents. Anyone interested should visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/fostering or call 0344 800 8020. Dr Marie Strong County Councillor Wells Division - Glaven, Priory and Walsingham Parishes. e: marie.strong@norfolk.gov.uk or 07920 286 597

DISTRICT COUNCILLOR'S NOTES As this edition of the Lynx is delivered, all our villages

will be celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee with great pleasure and success.

Parish Councils have been invited to attend a discussion on the new National Planning Policy Framework. NNDC is now charging for pre-application advice and 'do I need planning permission?' enquiries.

Over the last 18 years, NNDC has recognised environmental achievements across the District through its annual Environmental Awards. This year we hope to attract a high number of entries, each with a chance of winning the £500 prize and commemorative plaque. All other shortlisted entrants will receive a certificate recognising their achievements. Closing date is 8th June and Peter Lumb on 01263 516331 or sustainability@north-norfolk.gov.uk will be happy to help or www.northnorfolk.org for entry forms.

Entries, too, please for the Graham Allen Awards for 'excellence in conservation and design', closing date 30th June. More information from the website or Paul Rhymes on 01263 516367 or paul.rhymes@north-norfolk.gov.uk.

Shortlisted entrants for both Awards will be invited to the award ceremony, due to take place at NNDC's

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Greenbuild event at Felbrigg Hall grounds on 10th and 11th September.

Following on from the Vision, NNDC and Holt Town Council have been successful in their application to the fifth wave of the Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners' Scheme, being awarded £20,000 from the Department for Communities and Local Government to support the development of a Neighbourhood Plan for Holt. While all this is excellent, the original Vision was for "Holt and its hinterland for the next 3 - 5 years". Representing the Glaven Valley villages, I emphasised the need for car parking and public transport.

At the latest North Norfolk Museums Forum, all our local museums gave their reports and highlighted plans for events this summer which I then took to the Norfolk Joints Museums and Archaeology Committee in Norwich. Details via websites and leaflets, generally available, or from the Tourist Information Offices. The Sheringham Museum and Fakenham Museum of Gas and Local History offer immediate local interest whilst, further a field, the Museum of the Broads and Norwich Castle have new events. The Leader of Norfolk County Council has confirmed that, as the move to Trust Status was not supported, a working group would be set up to review the Norfolk Museum Service.

Finally, a reminder for 'Glad about the Glaven' at Holt Hall on the afternoon of Saturday 21st July - A celebration of the local area and environment based on the catchment area of the River Glaven. Lindsay Brettle

District Councillors’ Contact Details: Jonathan Savory (01328 820719) e:jonathan.savory@north-norfolk.gov.uk & Peter Terrington (01328 711126) e: peter.terrington@north-norfolk.gov.uk (Binham, Langham & Stiffkey) Lindsay Brettle (01263 710030) e: lindsay.brettle@north-norfolk.gov.uk (Sharrington, Field Dalling, Saxlingham & Morston) Ann.R.Green (01328 878273) e: ann.green@north-norfolk.gov.uk

LYME DISEASE The increasing prevalence of ticks in this area, and the

large numbers of tourists and visitors visiting our heath and woodlands who may not be aware of the potential dangers, highlights the importance of an article which appeared in the

April 2012 edition of “Your Dog” and which is summarised below.

Experts now believe that the prevalence of ticks infected with the bacteria that cause debilitating Lyme disease in a number of animals, including dogs and humans, is much higher than first believed. New research by the University of Bristol found that, of 3,534 dogs inspected between March and October 2011, 739 had ticks and 17 of these samples were positive for the borrelia bacteria which causes Lyme disease – this figure of 2.3% is much higher than the expected prevalence of infected ticks on dogs which has historically been just 0.5% (481 infected ticks in 100,000 dogs). Thus this research appears to show that the borrelia in the UK tick population is considerably higher than previously thought.

Information from the NHS web-site indicates that the earliest and most common symptom of Lyme disease is a pink or red circular rash that develops around the area of the bite, three to 30 days after someone is bitten. The rash is often described as looking like a bull’s-eye on a dart board. Early treatment is essential as further complications, which can, with Lyme disease in its late stages, trigger symptoms similar to those of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, include:

• muscle pain • joint pain and swelling of the joints • neurological symptoms, such as temporary paralysis of the facial muscles

NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM AT HOLT MEDICAL PRACTICE

On Wednesday 23rd May, Holt Medical Practice had a new telephone system installed.

The new system will improve the service currently offered by the Practice with a greater capacity for incoming calls and a new menu for patients to choose from. All calls will be recorded for staff training and we shall be able to monitor the number of calls coming in to allow us to staff the lines accordingly.

The Practice number remains as 01263 712461 with

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only direct dial numbers being changed. The new direct dial numbers following the change

over on Wednesday 23rd May for members of staff are listed below:

Sue Preston, Practice Manager 01263 714330 Jennie Reynold, secretary 01263 714321 Jan Mortlock, secretary 01263 714322 Caroline Sadler, secretary 01263 714320 Sarah Walker, secretary 01263 714325 Botox clinic: 01263 714343 Nurse Administrators: 01263 714328

If you have any comments or concerns in regard to the new system please do contact me on 01263 714910.

Sue Preston, Practice Manager

BLAKENEY DIAMOND JUBILEE Saturday 2 – Monday 4 June

(In the event of bad weather, most of these events will be moved inside so do still come along!) Saturday 2nd June 4.30pm approx: Blakeney Harbour Jubilee Pageant. Including a Flotilla of Boats sailing past Blakeney Quay. Sunday 3rd June THE PASTURES (Village Hall IF ‘bad weather’) From 12 noon: BBQ, Teas, Soft Drinks, Ice-Cream, Popcorn & Candy Floss. 10am – 1pm: Open Gardens. Maps available. 10am – 3pm: Stalls on The Pastures (If you would like to have a ‘tabletop’ then please call 01263 741106 as soon as possible.) 10am – 3pm: Memorabilia & Local Charities – Village Hall. 10am onwards: Children’s Rides/entertainment. 1.30pm – 3.30pm: Children’s Activities on The Pastures. 4pm – 4.50pm: Songs of Praise on The Pastures. Local Primary School Children singing, Blakeney’s ‘Jubilee Song’. 5.30pm – 9.00pm: Live Local Music on The Pastures. Monday 4th June HIGH STREEET (Harbour Room IF ‘bad weather’) 2pm – 3.30pm: Crown and Bunting Making - High Street. 4pm - 6pm: The Big Jubilee ‘High Street Tea Party’. Entertainment from ‘The Old Wild Rovers’. Professional Children’s Entertainer ‘Mister Fied’ 10.15pm: Jubilee Beacon will be lit on Church Tower. All Weekend Flower Display – in the Church, Painting for Fun – Children & Adults – (Open Studio in the High Street)

MARK ALLISON We have to report the sad passing of Mark, one of

our Bale elders, a village hall committee member, and always involved in village life. He is very much missed. There will be a proper account in the next edition of the Lynx.

THE PURCELL SCHOOL CONCERT ALL SAINTS CHURCH, BALE SUNDAY 17 JUNE AT 6 p.m.

Adult tickets £8.00 Children free Drinks on sale from 5.30 pm

We are delighted to welcome The Purcell School once more. If you have not heard them before we heartily recommend them. The high standard of their musicianship is inspirational. You may well have seen members of the school perform on television in the final stages of the BBC Young Musician 2012. At the time of going to press the winner is still unknown. It is wise to book early. Contact Alan Sankey on 01328 878 874.

BALE DIARY 1st May 2012

Ne’er cast the clout ere May is out, says the old English proverb and goodness, this year it feels like there won’t be much opportunity to cast any clouts. I am having to keep the woodstove on in the workshop, except yesterday, which was a rare sunny and warm day. Since that Aprille with his shoures soote/The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote, we have no shortage of water here, in over-flowing water butts and in the ground, although hosepipe bans are still in place, and the ponds still look a little low. Plant life seems to be happy with the rain, although the storm on Sunday knocked buds and new leaves off. Migratory birds are back, but the weather subdues them … I hear blackcaps and garden warblers in all the woods (today a blackcap perched and performed right in front of me in Cake’s lane) and in the gardens around my house, yesterday I heard whitethroats in the hedges, and last week there was a willow warbler singing in the fringes of Bale wood … I hope he stays. The chiffchaffs have been present since the end of March.

Yesterday we made the annual pilgrimage to Bullfer grove to photograph the bluebells; they grow all over the banks of the bridle-path and the hedgerows surrounding the wood, so I assume it is a place where there has been an ancient continuity of woodland. There are wild garlic clumps amongst the oaks at the northern end, but it is the beech trees that encourage bluebells, as they generally keep the woodland floor clear of undergrowth. A lovely purple-blue mist which

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photographs rarely do justice to – and a sweet scent, despite the rapeseed fields quite close with their heavy sickly-sweet smell. The rain and wind may have flattened their leaves but the flowers still stand straight and look as if they have another week or so of flowering. The orchids I noticed the year before last are still there – two flowering heads of early purple. Back in the workshop, door open to the sunshine yesterday – not today – I have been working on new things, and new old. Potter friend Dameon Lynn kindly brought me some clay his neighbouring farmer had dug up – it’s fenland clay – riverine – all black with anaerobic life and smelly – black mud just like the saltmarsh, so I am trying it as a slip over an off-white stoneware clay … I brushed it on with a big chinese brush and scratched lines through it. It fires pale orange at 1000 C; that will darken at stoneware temperature. I will put it on some bits and pieces for glaze tests. Yesterday I was very optimistic and put in four rows of carrot seed, also some more salad greens. I am already eating the thinnings of the first lot of salad sowing, in the mini-poly-tunnel. I have another poly-tunnel for the second lot – partly to discourage the rabbits – I have seen young rabbits in my garden a couple of times this week. I have a bed of love-in-the-mist and cornflowers and a few wildflower annuals which are coming up now, as are the scabious, candytuft, and other flowers for insects and butterflies I have sown along the edge of the drive, where it gets the sun. The beauty of bath has all its blossom out, but there are very few insects to pollinate it – a solitary honeybee in the sun, and a comma and an orange tip – this time last year orange tips were everywhere, and the jack-in-the-hedge they love had been up tall and flowering for weeks … this year it is not at that stage yet. Jane Wheeler

BALE VILLAGE HALL NEWS Diamond Jubilee Party

We are holding a 50s themed street party for the Jubilee on Monday 4th June from 2.30 until the drink runs out, based at the Village Hall. Everybody is welcome. Carole Lee is organising the food, so if you would like to contribute, please get in touch with her to find out what is needed. We are planning games and races along the lines of the theme; we will be closing Sharrington Road for the afternoon, and holding the hundred club draw.

Due to the fish and chip van’s terrible accident we are trying out different ideas; by the time this goes to print we will have had a lasagne evening, meat and veggie lasagne provided by Anne and Jim Peppitt; we are going to miss a month in June because it is very busy with the jubilee party and the fete. In July we are hoping to put an order in for fish and chips at Drifters in Fakenham, so come at 7, we’ll place the order, and probably run the raffle and the draw first. So please come along and support our efforts; every 2nd Friday in the month (except for June). We have a lot of fun at these evenings, with a raffle and the hundred club draw. Bring your own drink/booze, 7pm, in the village hall.

Keep an eye on the Village Hall noticeboard for information on events. We are hoping to put up a lockable noticeboard opposite the church for Bale Village news – watch that space!

Further ahead, our August bank holiday event will be Bale’s Big Barbecue this year, on Saturday 25th August. Bale Village Hall Committee

BALE GARDEN FETE Bale Garden Fete is on Saturday June 9th at 2.00pm

at Manor Farm. The fete is fun for all the family with lots of garden

games and competitions to play. There are lots of irresistible stalls too; cakes, books, plants, white elephant, designer knitwear, tombola and many more......

Homemade cakes and refreshing cups of tea are served on the lawn and everyone can relax listening to the Sheringham and Cromer Brass Band.

We hope you will come along to enjoy a really traditional garden fete.

VILLAGE HALL SOCIAL CLUB DRAW March 2012 February 2012 Charlie Mitchell £25 Geeta Maude-Roxby £25 Victoria Waite £10 Keith Usher £10 Richard Scott £5 Christina Broughton £5 Susan Buttifant £5 Alastair Macorkindale £5

BALE 2012 ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION

COLLECTION Many thanks to everyone who contributed so

generously to the recent house to house collection. The total fund raised was £258.06 which is a superb effort for a small village and underlines Bale’s commitment to this very worthy cause.

The RNLI does not receive any funding from central government to help with the very high running costs incurred, currently £339,000 per day! This underlines the importance of these fund raising exercises without which this completely voluntary organisation would cease to exist. This year’s collection has been the highest figure achieved for Bale. Sincere thanks to all who contributed. Christina Broughton

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BINHAM FUN DAY Sunday 22nd July at Binham Village Hall

2:30pm - 5:00pm Inspired by the London 2012 Games, this is an

afternoon for all the family with an opening/closing awards ceremony, lots of fun activities like beat the goalie, circus skills, face painting, mini challeages, 100m races, tug of war, total-wipeout style relay and much more ... plus food & refreshments, cake stall, smoothie making and toddlers’ play area.

Come along and join in with the fun, try something new and celebrate the start of London 2012 Games.

*** Free admission, parking & activities *** Organised by the Holt Deanery in partnership with Children's Task Force (Diocese of Norwich) and YMCA Norwich. For further info; please contact Simon Fenn on 0758580145/simon.fenn@norwich.anglican.org

CONCERTS AT BINHAM PRIORY

Please check website for latest information: www.binhampriory.org

Sunday, 15 July, 4.00pm Tea Concert: Rejoice and be glad - great music to restore the soul! A welcome return by the excellent a capella choir “Vocality” with Jayne May Sysum. Retiring collection.

SUMMER SERIES Tickets £14 per concert, or £12 if three or more concerts booked in advance. Contact: 01328 830362 or davidfrost226@btinternet.com. Saturday, 28 July, 7.30 pm “Brassed Up” with James Stretton, multi brass instruments and Iain Jackson, piano. Saturday, 11 Aug., 7.30 pm Heath Quartet - Mendelssohn, Britten, Tchaikovsky. Sunday, 19 Aug., 7.30 pm Norwich Quintet - Mozart (flute and harp concerto), Beethoven. Friday, 24 Aug., 7.30 pm Xeufei Yang, classical guitar - Bach, Paganini, Falla, Debussy, Villa Lobos, Koshkin. Saturday, 1 Sept., 7.30 pm Norwich Baroque - Handel, Vivaldi, Purcell, Boyce, van Wassenaer Geoff Scott

DIAMOND JUBILEE

Binham and Cockthorpe have been preparing a happy, glorious and prolonged party to celebrate HM the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee over the special Bank Holiday weekend. Events are confidently expected to end with a bang.

The villages are coming together to mark the royal

occasion, starting with a service of thanksgiving at Binham Priory at 11am on Sunday, June 3, to be followed by a drinks reception. Then, at 12.30 pm, all will be welcome to enjoy a “bring and share” picnic in the Priory grounds (or in the Priory itself, if wet).

On Monday, June 4, at 2pm there will be a family fun cricket match on the playing field at Binham Memorial Hall. While this game may not provide immediate entry to the sporting hall of fame there will be every opportunity to enter the village hall, at any rate, for a traditional Celebration tea, served from 3.30pm. Local young people have been preparing decorations celebrating aspects of the Queen’s long reign, from 1952 to the present.

A fund-raising effort has been taking place to help meet the cost of the tea and the distribution of commemorative mugs to every household in Binham and Cockthorpe.

Finally the blue touch paper will be lit to conclude events on Monday evening. Between 10pm and 10.30pm more than 4,000 beacons will be set alight nationwide. The Queen will fire the national beacon in London to complete the chain.

Our beacon, accompanied by fireworks, is among those on farmland and private estates scheduled to be lit at precisely 10.01pm. It is placed, appropriately, between Binham and Cockthorpe on the hilltop site on the south side of the Stiffkey Road overlooking the Priory, a spot best viewed from, say, Westgate or in the Priory grounds. Andrew Moncur

PICNIC 2 JAZZ

BINHAM PRIORY PRECINCTS SATURDAY 7th JULY 5pm – 8pm

Advance Adult ticket £9. Children free.

TRAD JAZZ by DIXIEMIX JAZZ BAND

For tickets call Mike Jeffery on 01328 830886 e-mail mj.sj@btinternet.com.

Plenty of free parking in the adjacent field. Tickets on the day £12.

Bring your own picnic and chairs and enjoy the evening.

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BINHAM LOCAL HISTORY GROUP ROMAN BRITAIN

By the time you read this a number of one metre square pits should have been dug by the young students as part of the continuing connection of Binham with HEFA (Higher Education Field Academy, part of Cambridge University Department of Archaeology). Some of the pits will have been located around the area in which it is believed there may be the remains of a Roman villa.

The results of the examination of the artefacts from these pits, and from two or three more “community pits” to be excavated on 20th and 21st July, when added to the existing knowledge will, we hope, give more certainty that the field south of the Memorial Hall playing field is a site justifying professional archaeological investigation. David Frost is liasing with Richard Hoggett, Community Archaeologist at Gressenhall, about this project.

However before BLHG commission a non-invasive survey, we also intend to further build up confidence that this will be worthwhile by organising field walking later this year and arranging for more metal detection across the target area.

A date for diggers’ diaries perhaps – Sunday 22nd July “Archaeology Day – A Day with a Difference” at Gressenhall. More details on their website.

If anyone would like to be involved with either the community pits on 20/21 July or the field-walking please contact Carolyn Wright 01328 830362. Email: cpwrightuk@aol.com

DIARY OF BINHAM FARMER’S SON Aged 34

April, 1856 1st Ems came to dinner. We read “The Lump of Gold”. 3rd Went to dine with my darling Ems on her birthday. She looks very thin and delicate. Mademoiselle called in the evening and sang very nicely. 8th Sally returned from Overy and I went to see dear Ems – the mither not well. We had a nice rain this evening, much wanted. 10th Dear Ems came to stay at the cottage. We had our last market dinner. They had better accounts at Guildford Street. 11th I had a horrid headache all day.

18th Ems and I drove up to Holt to fetch my guns home and returned by Thornage but found it very cold. 26th Sally went with me to Norwich to look at furniture. May 1st Very cold and cheerless May Day. Went to Fakenham and made 31/- of wheat. Ems has sore throat and not able to eat meat. 4th Mr Gilbert preached this morning and made a collection for the church in Constantinople. 12th Went again to see dear Ems. From there went to the Priory with Teddy and Sally. Mary charged me seriously with flirting. 19th I took dear Ems to see the railway tunnel in progress at Barklow, then dined at O.W. with them. 22nd I bought some lambs of Strangleman at 23/-, very dear but a very nice sort. We had a beautiful rain today. 27th Went up to London this afternoon to be godfather to Harriet’s baby. 28th Went to the christening at 11.00 and then to the Royal Academy. Richard and Norah Lewis

BINHAM YOUTH GROUP Binham Youth Group is staffed by volunteers and runs

at the Binham Village Hall on Wednesdays, 6-8pm, term time only, ages 5-16, £1 entry fee, tuck shop, staff CRB checked.

Thank you to Thursford parish council and to North Norfolk Radio for their recent donations that will be used towards some more equipment and costs. The children are busy at present making decorations for the village Jubilee celebrations. The trees given out from the Woodland Trust and us to mark the celebration have been planted and are reported to be doing very well. The Royal Oak will be presented to the village at the celebration weekend.

Andrew and Wendy Marsh 01328 830178

BINHAM PLAYGROUP PROJECT Many thanks to all who supported our recent Bingo.

We raised £285 towards our target. Planning has been applied for and as soon as we get the all clear, work will start on the project, starting with the toddler area. Forthcoming events include a raffle to be held on the Jubilee weekend. We are looking for helpers for our fête on the 19th August – more details in the next Lynx. Following the success of our first quiz last year, we will

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be holding another one in October. We have also been awarded a £5,000 grant from

Victory Housing, giving us a grant total of just under £17,000. Rebecca Bunting 01328 830505

BINHAM GUILD OF ARTISTS The group consists of anyone interested in art or

craft, beginner or otherwise. Artists with professional experience form part of the group and will gladly advise if needed.

We meet every Tuesday morning from 10 to 12 in the Village Hall. A fee of £2 per morning includes coffee and biscuits. A demonstration of painting or craftwork normally takes place on the first Tuesday of every month except in January, February and the week in which the annual exhibition takes place.

In March, Lionel and Brenda Wilde each gave a talk and demonstration on painting with acrylics, both showing their individual stimulating and interesting approach to using this medium. In April, Rosemary Carruthers, a very talented artist, showed how to create an abstract composition from a still life using shape and colour. In May, James Bucknill gave a talk on drawing with reference to different techniques.

BINHAM & HINDRINGHAM OPEN CIRCLE

At our meeting on Thursday, June 21, chiropractor Michael I'Anson will lead an interactive evening, explaining ways to keep our backs healthy. And our garden party this year, on Thursday, July 19, will be held at Amanda Able's home, Toad Cottage, Westgate, Binham at 6.30pm. The Open Circle Women's Club meets at 7.15pm on the third Thursday of each month at Hindringham Village Hall. New members are always welcome - just come along on the night or ring secretary Fiona Thompson on 01328 830639.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Treasure every moment that you have,

for time waits for nobody. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery.

Today is a gift and that is why it is called the present.

BINHAM MEMORIAL HALL 100 + Club Winners

March: £25 Alex Wales, £10 Mrs Pepper, Mr Marshall. £5 June Read, Julia Wright, G. Savory. April: £25 Paddy Bartram. £10 Jack Stevens, Stanley Hewitt. £5 Amy Walduck, June Read, Alistair Taylor May: £25 Mr Marshall. £10 Mrs J Calvert, Mrs V Lane. £5 Mr G P Martin, Don Richie, Beverley Taylor.

If anyone would like to join the 100 Club, there are still numbers left. Please call at 8 Priory Crescent or ring June Read on 01328 830106.

A HISTORY OF BINHAM DID YOU KNOW?

In 1603 the notorious Press Gang were busy in the North Greenhoe Hundred. The only man they found in Binham was Henry Chapman aged 34 said to be of low stature with a black beard.

We are collecting information to produce a history of the village from Roman times to the present day. If you have any facts or anecdotes or snippets about the village then please let us know: Pennie Alford on 830700, David Frost on 830362, Richard and Norah Lewis on 830723 or Carolyn Wright on 830270. These could be included in future "DID YOU KNOW" items in future Lynx columns. We look forward to hearing from you.

NSPCC COFFEE MORNING This was a very successful and enjoyable morning

and £477 was raised for the NSPCC. Congratulations and many thanks to everyone involved. Beverley Taylor

THE BINHAM FLAG The Binham Flag has been designed and will be

blowing in the wind some time very soon. The design is a combination of three entries: the background design by Brenda Wilde, the background colours by Tony Hull and the village hall letters design by Sue and Mike Jeffery. So keep a look out for it at the village hall. Liz Brown

BINHAM PARISH COUNCIL The Parish Meeting and Village Hall A.G.M. were held

on Tuesday April 24th. Thank you to all 26 parishioners who attended, the evening ending with cheese and wine. It was good to see such a good turn out. All village clubs and societies attended, giving a brief report of their various events and activities.

Next year’s date is Tuesday April 23rd, perhaps you could mark it in your 2013 diary - we would love to see you there, maybe there are things going on in the village that would interest you. Thanks again. Liz Brown

No news from Cockthorpe this time.

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FIELD DALLING & SAXLINGHAM SUMMER FETE in the Village Hall

on 18th August from 2 – 4pm Plans are well underway for this year’s Fete. We are

keeping our fingers crossed for a fine afternoon so that everyone can enjoy all the various activities on offer. As always, there will be the traditional stalls such as cakes, books, white elephant, gifts, toys, plants and produce, etc. There will also be games and side shows for adults and children alike, as well as a Grand Raffle and, of course, the ever popular tombola. Live music will be provided by Four in a Bar throughout the afternoon, as well as teas, delicious cakes and strawberries and cream.

All the money raised is divided between the two village churches (St Andrew’s, Field Dalling and St Margaret’s, Saxlingham) and the shared Village Hall. This is our main fund raising event of the year, so do please put the date in your diaries and come along to support us and have a lovely afternoon. Sue Findlater, on behalf of the Fete Committee

WELCOME... to St Andrew’s Church

A warm welcome to the new residents who will be moving into Field Dalling this spring. We hope that you will soon feel at home in the village and we look forward to meeting you. As you explore Field Dalling, do include a visit to St. Andrew’s Church. It is open, and a leaflet on the table inside the door explains its history and features. On a warm day, the churchyard is a pleasant place to sit and relax, and should be looking particularly attractive following our May churchyard clear-up.

We hold two services a month in the church, both at 11 am: on the second Sunday, a Church Family Service for all ages; and on the fourth Sunday, a Morning Prayer Service using the Prayer Book. Both services are followed by coffee, and you would be very welcome.

Margaret Smith, Churchwarden

RECYCLE FOR CHARITY Old Mobiles and Print Cartridges

Please don't throw away your old mobile phones or printer/toner cartridges! These can all be recycled with the money going to charity. Having recently had two knee replacement operations there, my chosen charity is the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore. This is recognised as one of the leading hospitals in its field, with a worldwide reputation. It is currently at the start of a major redevelopment of the hospital site, with a projected total cost of £150 million, of which £90 million will be provided by the government's Public Finance Initiative (PFI). Once completed, the new hospital will be a truly world-class innovative healthcare centre. Any contribution we can make will aid this process.

I will collect if required (please telephone 01328 830442) or please deliver to Millstone Cottage, 9 Holt Road, Field Dalling. I, and the RNOH, would be most grateful for your support. Roy Findlater

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FOGPC 50/50 Club Draw Results

March April James Worsley £20.00 Be Kassapian £20.00 Hardy Russell £15.00 Joy Luscombe £15.00 Tom Elwell £5.00 Diana Arthurson £5.00 Zena Churchill £5.00 Miriam Rawlinson £5.00 Myfi Everett £5.00 Virginia Worsley £5.00 Diana Arthurson £5.00 Deborah O’Driscoll £5.00 Peggy Corney £5.00 Martin Swindells £5.00

The enhanced May draw marked the end of the current “50:50 Club” year, and as well as asking existing members to renew their subscriptions we always welcome new ones, so if you are new to the village or would like to join us please do so as soon as possible – to “borrow” from another place “you have to be in it to win it”! If you would like more information on the 50:50 Club please contact John Blakeley on 01263 861008.

As always we would again like to thank all those members who have contributed, and continue to contribute, raffle prizes or who organise and provide the monthly refreshments for the 50:50 Club Meetings – your support is vital to our monthly meetings and is much appreciated.

At the time of writing we do not have any volunteers to take over the running of the Club so the May coffee morning was the last for the foreseeable future. However the monthly draw will continue with the draw numbers being picked by a different member of the Club each month and the subscriptions being collected together with the “Friends” subscriptions. Winners will continue to be notified personally, and a list of winners will appear in the Local Lynx.

FRED’S GARDENING DIARY Fred’s continuing mobility problems have led him to

decide that he is no longer able to contribute his popular gardening diary to the Lynx. We would like to thank him for his long-running past contributions and wish him well for the future. John Blakeley

ST MARY’S CHURCH The Memorial Service for Sir George Blunden was held

at St Mary’s on 16th March. It was a beautiful service with lovely music and everyone enjoyed Theodora Richard’s wonderful singing.

The Easter service was taken by Canon Michael Wilson and was very well attended. We were especially pleased to see so many small children and young people at the service, with everyone then enjoying coffee and Easter cakes at its conclusion. A special thanks goes to all the flower ladies who made the church look so festive.

Another thank you, too, to everyone who helped with the churchyard clear-up on 15th April. We were a very jolly crew and achieved a lot – despite the rain and hail.

If you have received your copy of this issue before the end of May we plan another pew cleaning session on Wednesday May 30th at 10:00am – thanks in anticipation for your support as our volunteers’ efforts are really making a big difference - please join us if you can. Penny Brough

FRIENDS OF GUNTHORPE PARISH CHURCH

(A REGISTERED CHARITY) The Friends of Gunthorpe Parish Church held their

annual Churchyard Clear-Up on Sunday 15th April. Twelve people participated, with a few apologies from others who were away and unable to attend. The weather was mixed but that didn’t put off the volunteers … and many jobs were accomplished. All donned their tools and re-coated the gates, weeded, raked and edged the path, strimmed, pruned back and tidied up shrubs small and large. The church interior was given a clean and fading Easter flowers removed and refreshed for the following week. We all enjoyed sausages and baps before heading home. Thanks so much to all who attended, and to those who sent their apologies. We hope to see you all, and more, next year. It is a small, annual effort, but makes a big difference to the churchyard for the year.

The Friends AGM will be held in the Village Institute on Friday 6th July at 6:30 pm. Fish and chips will be on sale after the meeting, and there will be a raffle. We very much hope all new and old villagers will join us for the AGM. If you have not already paid your subscriptions payment for the Friends’ annual subscription membership, which is a minimum of £5 per person, and for the 50/50 Club membership of £12 a year, will be taken on the night. It helps greatly if you can bring these payments along to the AGM, and we very much hope we can inspire you to join both groups. We also encourage all who pay tax to fill out a Gift Aid Form for their Friends’ subscriptions and any donation.

The Friends BBQ takes place in the Gunthorpe Hall garden at 7pm on Saturday 28th July - the evening before the Gunthorpe Village Fete. Tickets should be booked in advance by calling Rod, Sue, Jeremy or

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Marie on 01263-861373. Tickets cost £9 for adults and £6 for children aged 5-12 (under 5s are free). There is a vegetarian option to the BBQ meat main course, home-made bread, salads, dessert and fruit punch and dips to start the evening off, but please bring your own wine. Also please let us know when booking if you are a vegetarian. It’s always a fun evening and all the money raised goes to the Friends.

Please do come along to the AGM and BBQ and help towards the maintenance of the fabric of Gunthorpe St. Mary’s Church for both present and future generations. We also hope to see everyone at the Fete on Sunday! Marie Denholm, Chairman FOGPC

PETER GEORGE CHARLES EVERETT This article was inadvertently omitted from the last

edition of the Lynx. With apologies for this error we are including it in this issue.

The whole village was shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of Peter Everett at his home on 16 February. He was 80 years old and, supported by his wife Myfanwy (Myfi), had been a leading and very active supporter of village social life and facilities as well as a keen local golfer – he was also still in part time business, as a writer of commercial computer programs until the end. Peter and Myfi would have celebrated their Golden Wedding in August this year.

Peter had a varied and very full professional career – ranging from being a teenage boy entrant in the Royal Navy to deciding to study and then become a Principal Lecturer in Industrial Psychology – finally setting up a series of computing companies of which Everett Associates was the last – and the company he and Myfi were running until his death.

Peter and Myfi have lived in the village for some 20 plus years, and they have contributed much to village life, for example ranging from being a serving elected Parish Councillor to being the current Chairman of the Village Institute Committee. Our deepest and heartfelt sympathy goes to Myfi – we will all sorely miss Peter, and he will long be remembered by his many friends for his great sense of humour and his dedication to the village.

Peter’s funeral took place at St Faith’s Crematorium on 5 March with some 120 members of his family,

golfing friends and Gunthorpe villagers and friends present. It was followed by a party in Gunthorpe Institute, provided by the villagers, to celebrate his life. Myfi Everett has asked that I pass on her most grateful thanks to all who have shown such kindness and have supported her in so many ways since Peter’s death.

John Blakeley

JESSIE MARION EVERITT We were all saddened to learn of the death of Jessie

Everitt (nee Neve) in the Field View Residential Home in Fakenham on the 11th of April. She had been ill for some time and would have been 95 later in the month. Jessie was born in Honingham, but had lived in Gunthorpe, firstly in Valley Farm and then at West View, since marrying farmer William Everitt in September 1939. Jessie had trained as a dressmaker before going into service at Barkway near Royston and then at Raveningham Hall in Norfolk as a Ladies Maid before her marriage.

Music was her principal pastime and in her early years Jessie played the organ at Gunthorpe Chapel Sunday school and occasionally the piano for her brother in law’s dance band (Rhythm Aces). During the war years she played at dance socials at Gunthorpe to help raise funds for the Institute - during that period it was still an old barn!

Much later on, after her family had grown up, Jessie was a strong supporter of St Mary’s Church Gunthorpe together with All Saints at Bale, and she was the church organist for 30+ years before ill health prevented her from carrying out this task.

Jessie’s funeral and interment was held at St Mary’s on the 1st of May, followed by a buffet reception in the Village Institute. Jessie is survived by her sister Mary and her children Janice, Alwyn, and Wilson as well as her 9 grand-children and 22 great grand children. We offer them all our deepest condolences. John Blakeley

WELCOME A very warm welcome to Jeanette and David Rigby

who moved from Bury in Lancashire to Gardener’s Cottage in early April, along with their Border Collie “Bob” and two cats. Jeanette and David have twin sons, aged 25, Mark, who is now running David’s old business of excursions on inland waterways in

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Manchester, and Andrew who lives in Cardiff. Jeanette has joined the Sheringham Medical Practice as a nurse/practitioner and David who is semi-retired will be working in Cromer this summer as a Foreshore Officer for the NNDC. They have been visiting North Norfolk for many years and are planning to buy a house in this area in due course. We wish them every success and trust that they will enjoy life in their new home in our friendly village.

We also warmly welcome Carolyn (Lindy) Soame who has come to live with her daughter Louisa and son-in-law John Clark at White Horse Farm. Until recently living in Henley-on-Thames Lindy was born in Norfolk, and has known the county and indeed the village all of her life - so she is looking forward to making the move to Norfolk a permanent one in the near future.

INSTITUTE NEWS Despite the very sad death of our Chairman, dear

friend and fellow "Gunthorpian" Peter Everett, The Village Institute AGM was held as planned on the 17th of April and was followed by a social Event to celebrate St Patrick's Night. Peter had been very much looking forward to this event and had been busy helping with the organisation. Although a very difficult and sad time, the evening was a great success and I know Peter would have been very proud and pleased to see so many people attending and enjoying themselves.

The Institute Committee are stoically committed to carrying on Peter's ethos for the Institute; that of providing inclusive, fun and new events for all to enjoy. Peter was an inspirational Chairman, and we all continue to miss him dearly. We are so pleased however, to be able to confirm that following a Meeting of the Institute Committee, Tony Dufour has offered to stand as Chairman, as we most definitely need someone to keep the rest of us in check! Tony is a keen advocate of the Village and has supported, attended and helped with all of our events as well as very successfully running the Grand Draw, with Lin, at last year’s fete. We welcome and look forward to working with you Tony.

This year’s fete is fast approaching and will be held on Sunday 29th July at 2pm in the gardens of Gunthorpe Hall. The Fete Committee have met regularly this year and preparations are now well under way. The fete is a

much loved event which we all look forward to greatly. Further information about the fete and how you can get involved and help will be sent out to the village in May; however, please don't be shy and contact me directly if you are able to help in any way. We need you!!

Thank you to all the Institute Committee Members and "fete" people, who continue to beaver about busily in the background; your hard work and commitment means so much to the village and is appreciated and enjoyed by many. Zena Churchill

GUNTHORPE HISTORY PICTURES As many people will be aware we now have a

comprehensive photographic data base of Gunthorpe historical pictures. Whilst we have a fair number of early pictures – for example the first photograph of Gunthorpe Hall is dated 1853 so our records are amongst the early ones (the oldest known surviving photograph in the world is dated 1825 and the term photography was “coined” in 1839) - we are always looking for more. If you have or find any old photographs (or even new ones that others may not have) of Gunthorpe village, the lives of villagers, village activities or social life can we ask if we could add them to the history data base. All hard copy photographs, black and white or colour, will be scanned and returned, and you can send computer files, preferably in jpg or tiff formats, to John Blakeley: e-mail jbconsult@btinternet.com. Please remember that you must be the copyright owner of the photographs although we will seek permission to use them if you know the copyright is owned by somebody else.

BOB’S STORY In this part of Bob’s Story, which follows on from the

extract in Lynx 82, and which was narrated now some 30+ years ago (so a lot of village history has been written since then) he continues his story of his life in the agricultural community of Gunthorpe in the early 20th Century

James Lynn lived at 4 Swanton Road, the middle part of what is now “Pebble Cottage”, and carried on working until he died in 1957. He was a tall man but lightly built and had a happy disposition, and he was a familiar sight travelling about in his donkey cart. Apart from his garden his other great interests were his union work and politics. He had been a member of the earlier union called the National

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Agricultural Labourers and Rural Workers’ Union, and I still have his badge and a special certificate awarded to him. One of his sons, James, was at one time chauffeur to the Cozens-Hardy family who were at Gunthorpe Hall for a while. (Baron Cozens-Hardy was killed in an accident in Germany in 1924 and is buried in our churchyard).

Although Gunthorpe was an agricultural area there was not always work to be found in the period between the wars. Sometimes farmers would hire labourers only for specific jobs such cutting beet or threshing corn, and when the job finished the labourer would be stood off. If he could not get another job locally he would report that he was unemployed to his Union Secretary, who would then inform the Board of Guardians. In due course a relieving officer would come out to see the man, who might then be offered relief work or be given a grocery allowance voucher to tide him over. Usually the Guardians would insist on three or four farmers signing a form, to the effect that the man could not be found work, before relief was offered. Sometimes the man might be offered relief work for which he would be paid by the hour, and if no such work could be found then a form of dole would be paid. A common form of relief, or casual, work in this area was breaking stones in Bulfer Pit and sieving to separate stones from sand. It was hard work, as I well know. The materials were used mainly for road repairing, and piles were kept in various places in the village. There was usually a pile near “White House”, and I believe a pile was kept near the school at one time.

I think it must have been in the period 1928-30 that I left John Grief and went to work at Belle Vue Farm. [Briningham] Harry Stalham, who was running the farm at that time, had a butcher’s shop at Melton Constable. The shop was where Baxters were until a year or two ago, but it is a frozen food shop now. One of my jobs for Mr Stalham was chopping sugar beet and, although not then an adult, I was given full money if I could keep up with the other men. With their help I usually did so. Cecil Stevens was working with me at Belle Vue, and I stayed there for about six years, after which I went to John Woods at Field Dalling. That would be just a few years before the war started, and it was after the war ended that I stopped working at Field Dalling. It was not long after I started working for Woods that I married James Lynn’s daughter Margaret in 1937.

[Editor’s Note: Bob does not mention his marriage again in these memoirs, but Bob and Margaret moved to 4 Swanton Road before moving back to no 7, when Bob’s

father died. His marriage was not blessed with children and Maggie sadly died in the early 1960s leaving Bob as a widower in Gunthorpe for some 20 plus years.]

After Field Dalling I went to work for Bertie Preston at

Glebe Farm, Bale, and stayed with him for six or seven years. I think our wages just after the war were about 90 shillings [£4.50] a week. For a short while I was working for Lord Hastings cutting down faggots in Swanton Woods. I was with David Hammond at Bale for a year or two in 1964-5, and afterwards started working for Frank Grief at Boundary Farm. He and his brother Maurice had taken over the running of the farm from their father John in about 1940. John Grief died in 1956, aged 81, the year after Bersie’s father and Fred Wright’s father also died. I remained with Frank Grief until 1974, when, having reached the age of 65, I retired. I had been a farm worker for just over 50 years but I don’t know whether or not I shall ever be given my 50 year badge from the Union. I had my 30 year badge in 1954.

Much has changed in the village during my lifetime. There is now no Squire, the railway has gone and the two shops, in Post Office Row and at West View, have closed. So also have the school, the Methodist chapel and the “Cross Keys”. Gone also are the blacksmith and the village carpenter. And, quite recently, Jack Gaskin the local baker ceased his late-night round. Jack, who came from Hindringham became famous nationally when the Sun newspaper carried an article on “Jack, the midnight baker” to mark his retirement.

Bob’s story of a changing life in Gunthorpe, which he originally told to Gunthorpe historian Ray Steffans in 1978 is published in a short booklet which costs £5.00 and is available through the Gunthorpe Lynx representative – all profits going to the Village Institute. The booklet contains pictures that it is not possible to include with these extracts.

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HELEN Langham Church has lost a loyal and valued member

of its congregation with the sad passing of our friend Helen Brandt.

Helen loved Langham Church and supported its upkeep wholeheartedly in many ways.

This loss has left a massive void. Helen will be sadly missed but ever remembered.

In conjunction with the above please read the obituary in the general section at the beginning of the paper.

WELCOME We would like to offer a warm welcome to: Keith,

Linda and Chloe; to Milly and to Rosemary and John. We hope you will all be very happy living in Langham.

MOBILE LIBRARY

This will now visit on a four weekly basis, on Thursdays: June 14th , July 12th and August 9th; calling each day for 20 minutes at: St. Mary’s - 10.00am. Old Post Office - 10.25am. Swan’s Close - 10.50am The Cornfield - 11.15am. Enquiries : Wells Library Tel: 01328 710467

WRVS LANGHAM CAR SERVICE

Schedule to August 5th 2012 Weekly driving duties beginning on a Monday

May. 28th Tel: 830 537* July 2nd Tel: 830 606* June 4th Tel: 830 847 July 9th Tel: 830 731 June 11th Tel: 830 537* July 16th Tel: 830 731 June 18th Tel: 830 605 July 23rd Tel: 830 821* June 25th Tel: 830 348 July 30th Tel: 830 624 Rate: 25p per mile *These drivers do not go to Norwich

If the driver for the week is unable to do the trip, contact the next person on the list. If your appointment is cancelled, please also cancel your car service booking.

Please give three days notice wherever possible, except in an emergency. It would be very helpful if a car booking is made as soon as an appointment is arranged or journey planned so that drivers can arrange their schedule. Please bring change.

In the infrequent event that no driver is available – contact the Holt Caring Society Tel: 01263 711243 giving as much notice as possible. This roster is also sited in the Bluebell and on the church porch and village notice boards with dates beyond the above schedule, after July 9th. To save a driver doing two shifts we would really like one more driver. Please contact me if you are interested.

Ann Sherriff Tel: 830 605

RUMMAGE SALE Sheila is very grateful for all the help and support

she had with her recent Rummage Sale. A total of £500 was raised for the Langham Parish Room Floor Fund.

Thank you all. Sheila Jenkinson

GOLDEN WEDDING Roger and Sheila Jenkinson celebrated their Golden

Wedding anniversary on 29th March. Instead of presents they asked for donations for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. The total sum received was £800. Thanks to everyone who donated.

LANGHAM STREET FAYRE ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE

Please note This year, only the main Street (Holt Road) from the

crossroads at the Church to the Hollow Lane junction will be closed. Access to Hollow Lane, The Cornfield and Swans Close will not be compromised.

On Saturday 28th July the road will be closed from 6.30am and will reopen at 11.30pm. Emergency vehicles will have access at all times.

We do hope these arrangements will not cause too much inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation. L.S.F Committee

PRE-FAYRE ENTERTAINMENT Friday 15th June

Concert at 7.30 pm in Langham Church. Featuring: Merv & Maria, Norfolk’s premier

country music duo supported by our own Nic and Jason, an acoustic blues duo. Tickets available now at £7.50 from John, Tel: 01328 830 595, or at the Bluebell.

Wednesday 25th July Quiz Night Langham Parish Room

Doors open at 7.00pm for 7.30pm start. Admission £2.50 per team member at the door. There will be free tea and coffee and you are welcome to bring your preferred beverage and glass. Teams of four. To book a table contact John Hughes on Tel: 01328 830 595.

AVAILABLE NOW “London Underground” quiz sheets £1 available from

John on Tel: 01328 830 595 or The Bluebell Tel: 01328 830 502.

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LANGHAM STREET FAYRE Saturday 28th July 2012

The Fayre will start at 10.00 am. There will be entertainment for all from The Pinxton Puppets, Professor Crump, Punch & Judy, children’s games and competitions together with music from The Wild Rovers. There will be the usual mix of craft and village stalls, together with outside caterers offering a wide choice of food, plus filled rolls and homemade cakes and drinks in the Parish Room.

Evening Entertainment from 8pm BBQ and music from David Baird and friends

outside the Bluebell.

PARISH ROOM BOOKINGS Jan Hope has kindly agreed to take on the role of

Bookings Manager for the Parish Room. To enquire about booking the hall, please telephone her on 01328 830847.

Should she not be available, in an emergency you can try 01328 830056.

BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT FOUND IN LANGHAM

Who needs to go further than Langham to witness the best talent in England.

Nic Page and friends treated the full house in the Parish Room to the most wonderful evening of musical repertoire and comic sketches that has been heard for many a year.

The laughter and applause could have brought the house down and the floor did survive I’m pleased to say.

Nic with his guitar, accompanied by Trevor Dockerill on clarinet and saxophone; Steve Benson with ‘The Voice’; Jason with his harmonica accompanied by Nic, and the Sam Smith singers were the musical acts, accompanied by Gill Mellor on the piano.

Nic and Dave Long had the audience falling about laughing with their Peter Cook and Dudley Moore sketches, then Richard Newton and Dave Long with their Norfolk humour.

Some of us thought we knew most of the Norfolk jokes, but no, they had plenty up their sleeves to astound us.

Thank you so much Nic for putting on the whole evening and Sue with her helpers producing the refreshments.

I dedicated the evening to the memory of Helen Brandt

who sadly died a few days before the event. A magnificent sum of just under £900 was raised for the

floor refurbishment fund. At your peril do not miss Nic and Jason with Merv and

Maria in the pre Street Fayre concert on 15th June. Edward Allen

LANGHAM LADYBIRDS What an interesting talk we had in April – all about

the U3A. The Holt branch is obviously very active and there appears to be a subject for everybody. If anyone is interested I have the details of the contacts in the area.

U3A is a unique and exciting self-help educational movement for people no longer in full time work.

May meeting heard Janet Harcourt tell us some lovely poems she had written plus a couple of true Norfolk jokes. A fun evening all round. June 3rd Jubilee Tea Party 3pm – 5pm. June 13th Travel with a Puppet, talk by Pat Willis 7.30pm July 11th Strawberry Tea at Jan’s 3pm.

We would be pleased to see lots of you at our events. Maureen Dennis 830 371

DIAMOND JUBILEE Langham Ladybirds invite all residents of Langham to

Afternoon Tea Sunday June 3rd 3pm – 5pm. in the Parish Room.

Come and help us celebrate this very special occasion. Maureen 830 731

LEUKAEMIA RESEARCH Grand Sale July 14th 10am – 1pm.

Langham Parish Room We look forward to seeing you there. We will also

be having a stall at the Langham Street Fayre. The news of my brother is not so good. He is quite

poorly at present so we just keep hoping that further treatment will be successful. Thanks for all your concerns. Maureen 830 731

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LANGHAM PARISH COUNCIL New planning application from the

Developer of the Langham Glassworks site At a meeting some weeks ago we heard that the new

application covered reducing the physical size of the proposed hotel and converting the roadside barn into four dwellings. The development would still have the same number of bedrooms as before.

From views gathered, Langham Parish Council (LPC), decided to advise the NNDC’s planners that it neither objected nor supported the new planning application.

However, we did raise concerns about some of the changes, mainly relating to safety on North Street, which would see significant increases in traffic, once the development was up and running.

We asked for more on-site parking and for construction workers’ vehicles to be parked on-site so avoiding parking on the street which would create the potential for accidents, particularly at school times. In addition, we asked to have the proposed 20mph limit on North Street reconfirmed as a further safety feature.

Finally, we asked to disallow the proposed road side barns to become residential, as this would be a further relaxation of the 106 agreement which was a restriction to be placed on the site to ensure certain criteria of what could and could not be built but which has already been altered twice at the developer’s request.

At the NNDC’s planning meeting last week however, the committee members’ attention was turned away from the application before them, to a proposal just discussed between the NNDC and the developer, that in exchange for all dwellings on the site to become residential and therefore have a higher sale price, the developer would contribute monies toward an affordable housing scheme but not within the old glassworks site.

Sadly, our concerns were effectively forgotten within these discussions and approval was given to the new plans without changes, plus, encouragement for the developer to submit another application for all dwellings to become fully residential, together with details of how much money he would contribute towards the affordable housing scheme.

So, more to follow, when we know what is afoot, and what all this means to Langham. Just a shame that our Parish Council voice was not heard amid all the evident excitement. John Hope Chairman

MORSTON CHURCHYARD We are all deeply grateful to Stephen Bean for taking

over the mowing of the churchyard from John Bean, who is ill in hospital in Norwich. The churchyard looks amazing, immaculately mown by Stephen - and ablaze with colour from the wallflowers that John planted two years ago.

We all send best wishes to John and his whole family.

BEWARE A few days ago I received the following email from

Bill T----, a friend and former army colleague: “I really hope you get this fast, my family and I came

down here to Madrid Spain, for a short vacation and unfortunately we got mugged on our way back to the hotel where we are staying, all cash, credit cards and cell phones as been stolen of us luckily we still have our passports in our hotel room but don't have enough money to sort our hotel bills so we can get out of here.

We've been to the embassy and the cops but they're not helping issues at all and our round flight leaves soon and the hotel manager won't let us leave until we settle the bills, I'm freaked out at the moment I will be indeed be very grateful if I can get a loan of €2,750 Euros from you, this will enable me sort my hotel bills and get my self back home. I will really appreciate whatever you can afford in assisting me with via western union. I promise to refund it as soon as I return.let me know if you can be of any assistance.”

As a one-time English teacher, I exclaimed: “Bill would never put a comma in Line 1, followed by a different subject… and he has no children – so he is unlikely to write ‘my family’ in Line 3… and he’s not

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American – so why write ‘Madrid Spain’..and there is “as” for “has” and a small ‘i” for “I,” etc, etc.

Suspicions aroused, I rang Bill at home in Ireland. He and his wife were never mugged, but a hacker had removed their address book from their computer – and presumably sent this message to all in his book. (BT replaced it within 24 hours, so Bill could contact everybody who was being approached for money).

Oh, and I forgot to mention, my computer placed the message straight into the Spam box.

DIAMOND JUBILEE KNEELERS The PCC is most grateful to Mrs. Ann Wootten for

the presentation to All Saints’ Church of four sturdy, beautiful, tapestry kneelers commemorating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY VISIT The Prayer Book Society recently held its AGM in

Morston Village Hall, followed by Evensong at All Saints’ and the giving of £70 to Morston PCC. The PCC is most grateful to the PBS for this donation

The Prayer Book Society was formed to promote and preserve the use of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer-the traditional service book of the Church of England containing the Church's historic beliefs and its official standard of doctrine. 2012 marks the 350th anniversary of this remarkable book, which has shaped the worship and doctrine of the Church of England and the Global Anglican Communion, and remains the cornerstone of Anglican identity.

FMC BOOK SALE The Friends of Morston Church 3-Day Book Sale,

which ran in the Village Hall from 5th - 7th May, sold many, many of its thousands of most interesting books to raise a grand total of £4,132.55 for the Friends (£3,250.57 book sales, £146.45 refreshments and £735.53 via ebay.)

FMC Treasurer Rob Metcalfe and Sally with their wider family, supported by many other hodmedods, organised this major and most successful operation. Rob and the FMC hereby thank profusely all those who gave books to the sale, all those who helped sell the books and tea, coffee and cakes, and – not least – all those who bought books, etc.

NT UPDATE ON LOCAL AREA Following the meeting with the minister and his advice

we have in the last month sent a letter to the DEFRA voicing our concerns about the proposed Blakeney Saltmarsh Reference Area and offering our involvement in finding a solution to the current situation that involves local people. We emphasised the NT has for many years maintained the fragile balance between nature conservation and public access on the Norfolk Coast and we know the importance of sustainable use of the coast to people here for both work and play.

The first Sandwich Tern of the year was heard screeching in the distance and then seen near Blakeney Point on Sunday 18th March by mussel fisherman Johnnie Webster… since then the colony has expanded and at the time of writing we have counted around 3000 Sandwich Terns: many on eggs, 200 Little Terns, 60 Common Terns and six Arctic Terns and we expect many more to arrive.

With the arrival of the terns sees the timely arrival of our seasonal warden / ranger team to support Eddie on the Point; and like the returning terns we welcome back to the Lifeboat House, Paul who was has now been with us for six years and Ajay and Joe both of whom have worked with us before in the last two years. Chris will be joining us again to help manage the work on the mainland, whilst surveying the birds on Blakeney Freshes and managing the water levels to ensure there are sufficient soft feeding areas for birds like the Lapwing during this period of drought.

The tern fencing has been put up to indicate the breeding areas for the shorebirds and waders to minimise their disturbance; hopefully it’ll be as successful as last year!

If you see the team say hello – they will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the wildlife on and around Blakeney National Nature Reserve.

Thanks to a generous donation by a local family, Graham and the rest of the team have been busy repairing the bird hide overlooking Stanley’s Cockle Bight. The refurbished hide will now provide dry shelter for visitors watching the waders feed on the invertebrate-rich mud inside Far Point. Thank you to the Keys family for their generous donation including a library of books in memory of husband and father David Keys.

Please make a note in your diary for Sunday 5th August for the ‘Point Picnic Day’; a day on Blakeney Point to mark the 100th anniversary of the National Trust caring for this particularly special place and the

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surrounding area. We plan to have a number of free guided trails around the Point with the team and with a tide in the morning and the evening a chance to relax, enjoy and discover all that makes it such a unique and special place for a whole day. Further details to follow – just make sure you join us.

On Saturday 18th to Tuesday 21st August visit our ‘Tidal Lands’ exhibition in association with the Blakeney Area Historical Society in Blakeney Village hall between 10:30 to 16:00. The four day exhibition is free to enter and will cover a broad spectrum of topics about Blakeney Point and the surrounding area.

A big Thank You to all the 30 plus volunteers who helped support our very successful annual beach clean. About 70 bags of rubbish were collected, a great result but also less than last year, which is even better news. Iain Wolfe

SGT ROBERT DIAMOND JUBILEE BEAN, DCM, MM, 9TH ROYAL

NORFOLK REGIMENT Many will know the story of John Bean’s heroic

uncle, who “went over the top” from his regiment’s trenches at Trones Wood on 13th September 1913, (and Morston’s Pte George Balding – who was wounded in the action - was in Di’s platoon), and Di went on to be awarded two medals in that horrific war, World War I: the Distinguished Conduct Medal, and for bravery: the Military Medal. (See picture by the organ in church and Local Lynx, Issue No.49 for Aug-Sep 2006).

Now, as we approach another Diamond Jubilee, perhaps young mums and dads will consider “Diamond Jubilee” as two great christian names! Call it a Morston tradition if you like!

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Sat 23 June: 6.30 pm. FMC AGM in Village Hall (after 5.30 FMC Committee Meeting in Coastguard House) Mon June 4th: 8.00 pm. Parish Council’s Jubilee BBQ on Quay with 10.00 pm Lighting of Jubilee Beacon/Bonfire. BYO food & drink.

Sat 17th June: PCC Crab Supper at the Village Hall preceded by a boat trip to see the seals. Tickets at £20 a head from Mary Athill (01263-740306) or Hope Todd (01263-740118). 6.30 pm on the Quay or 7.30 pm at the Village Hall. Tickets cover supper and include the (free) boat trip. There will be a bar, serving wine, beer and juice. All

proceeds to the PCC Building Fund

Fri 20th& Sat 21st July: Norfolk Oyster and Gypsy Regatta at Morston. Saturday Evening: Prizegiving and Fish & Chip Supper and Nautical Quiz at the Anchor. (Further details from Neil & Chenda Thomson on 01263-741172)

Sat 28th July: Morston Stall at Langham Street Fayre

[27 July-12 Aug: Olympics (XXXOlympiad)

Sat 4th Aug: Morston Regatta: a.m: Sailing Races. Evening: BBQ: BYO food and drink to NorfolkEtc field. All welcome. No entry fee. The Parish Council has organised live music

Sat 8th Sep: NNCT Bike Ride

Sat 6th Oct: Shovell Dinner in the Anchor

OPEN STUDIOS 2012 at Bluejacket Workshop, Morston

Textile artists Saffron Paffron and Wendy Watt will be demonstrating their skills on the weekends of 26-27 May, 2-5 June and 9-10 June from 10am-5pm.

Local writer and conservationist, Caroline Davidson will be signing copies of her new children’s book, The By-Mistake Guide to Norfolk on Saturday 2 June from 11am – 2pm.

Open Studios runs throughout Norfolk from 26 May to 10 June. Brochures are available at Bluejacket Workshop and www.nnfestival.org.uk/openstudios.

MORSTON QUIZ QUESTIONS By Samphire (Answers on Page 26)

1. What is the largest reptile in the world? 2. What do the following stand for: Xe, Xt, XL, XQ? 3. Name Japan’s four main islands. 4. Mt Everest is the highest mountain at 8863m - but which is the mountain with 4205m ASL and 6000m below the sea (i.e. 10,205m in all)? 5. Name three inert gases beginning with A, N and H. 6. What was the artist van Rijn better known as? 7. On what river does King’s Lynn stand? 8. Name four European countries that remained neutral in World War II. 9. With which group did Diana Ross first achieve success? 10.Whose senior and favourite wife was called Ayesha? 11.What are the larvae of bluebottles called? 12. Name the three primary colours.

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DIAMOND JUBILEE SERVICE On Sunday 3rd June at 10.30 am in St.Margaret’s,

Saxlingham a joint service to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen will take place for the villages of Field Dalling and Saxlingham. This event which replaces the usual Communion Service will be led by the Revd. Peter Bowles.

JAZZ IN JUNE On Friday 15th June at 7.30 pm. in our church

Gresham’s School’s Jazz Groups will be giving a concert of lively music, much of it extempore! Tickets @£8.00 are good value as they include wine and Saxlingham’s delicious canapés. Contact Caroline Robson (01328 830298) or John Rayner (01328 830564). Proceeds to Saxlingham Church.

GROUP SERVICE ON 29TH JULY The fifth Sunday in the month will see a Holy

Communion service for the whole Benifice in St. Margaret’s, Saxlingham.The service, led by the Rector, will also include a celebration of our church’s patron saint. Please note the the start-time : 10.30 am.

LOOKING AHEAD Saxlingham’s Annual Fete held jointly with Field

Dalling will take place on Sat 18th August from 2.00pm. Everybody, locals and visitors alike, is most welcome to attend and listen to the live music of Four In A Bar! Parking and entrance are free. Proceeds to our village hall and two churches.

THE “RITZ” COMES TO SHARRINGTON

On Saturday 17th March vintage china was imported to Sharrington Village Hall when about sixty people attended a 50s style tea party for raising awareness of ovarian cancer. This is often known as the silent killer and the aim of Target Ovarian Cancer, a registered charity, is to get more people aware of the symptoms and so aid earlier diagnosis.

This was a fund raising event and people were most generous before, during and after the event with donations to and buying from raffle, tombola and cake stalls. The amazing sum raised was £890.00. Mary Lee, organizer of the event wishes to thank everyone involved in any way.

Information leaflets on the symptoms are available from her by telephoning 01328 878282 or for those with access to the internet full details of this charity can be found on www.targetovariancancer.org.uk

SHARRINGTON GARDENERS

Sharrington Gardeners continue to meet on the first Wednesday of each month in the Village Hall.

Despite the low turnout on Friday 20th April for: An Evening of Gardens, Gardening Design and Wit, an enjoyable evening was had by those in the village who attended. Trevor Harrison from South Creake Nurseries provided valuable information on Spring planting along with his usual wonderful plants for sale, Jackie Finch gave a design insight into the clever garden she created at Back to the Garden and the Rev Ian Whittle carried the evening through with his usual wit and wisdom. Many thanks to all who supported and contributed to this event. PC

SHARRINGTON CHURCH NEWS

It has been a busy time over the last few weeks commencing with Mothering Sunday, on the 18th March. A simple lay led service with appropriate readings, pretty posies, with coffee and cake to finish.

On Good Friday the Reverend Ian Whittle took a reflective and contemplative service of prayer, hymns and readings appropriate to the solemnity of the day and appreciated by the congregation. Easter Sunday did not dawn warm and sunny but the weather’s deficiencies were more than compensated by the beautiful flowers in church, the alter dressed again, candles alight all in marked contrast to the austerity of Lent. Easter Day is the most important festival in the Christian Church marking as it does new life, new beginnings, reflected in the natural world outside with trees coming into leaf,

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blossom, spring flowers, the wonderful acid yellow of the rape fields, lambs and our garden birds in a hurry to find their mates and build nests for the next generation. Our Holy Communion Service was taken by the Ven. Michael Handley to a congregation swelled by visitors and holiday makers. We had the added bonus of two toddlers, Poppy-India and Ben whose inimitable chatterings were a good accompaniment to our singing. Will, Ben’s big brother was a model of good behaviour. A lovely family occasion.

On the Wednesday after Easter we had a coffee morning in the village hall, selling books, plants and cakes with a raffle. My thanks to all who helped make the morning so enjoyable and a good success - to Teresa, Eunice, Lesley, Anne, Paul, Anna and anyone I may have forgotten and lastly and most importantly to those who came from the village and further afield. A goodly sum was received for both the church and the hall.

Then, on Sunday 22nd April, Martyn and Anne Sloman celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary with a Holy Communion service taken by their friend the Right Reverend John Gladwin, retired Bishop of Chelmsford. Lessons were read by Owen and Hywel Sloman and Lesley Forrest and our usual congregation was swelled by many friends and family members. Baby Jack Sloman, 8 weeks old, made his first appearance in Sharrington and slept throughout in his grandmother’s arms. Big sister Lucy, 20 months, arrived a little late with daddy, a little miffed as she had been put into a pretty dress for the celebrations, but she soon settled down with one of her shoes off and pencil and paper. It was so lovely to see the church full and ringing with singing voices.

Finally a reminder to all that this year’s fete will be on Saturday 16th June at 2pm in the delightful gardens of Paul and Eunice Morgan of Church Farmhouse. Tea and cakes on the lawns, drought permitting, your favourite stalls, games raffle etc. Let’s make it a bumper fete this year bring yourselves, visitors and friends and grab a bargain.

It is a pleasure to announce that Roger and Claire Dubbins have now become permanent residents of Sharrington - may we wish then a warm welcome AG

NATURE NOTES Summer migrants such as Warblers, Blackcaps,

Chiff-chaffs have been slow to arrive – but should be in full song by publication date.

At last rain has arrived; to save farm crops. The Environment Agency continually warns of a drought and it is probably true that ground water resources are depleted.

Why the UK has not and cannot, apparently, move water from Northern Britain down south must be one of the greatest government failures in the last 50 years. Privatisation of water supplies probably stifled investment in a national water grid.

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust owns Norfolk’s largest remaining ancient woodland at Foxley. Specialities include White Admirals, Speckled Woods (common around Stiffkey), Commas, Purple Hairstreaks and Ringlets. And bluebells of course in season. There used to be Purple Emperors – but maybe not anymore. The great country writer and naturalist ‘B.B.’ (Denys Watkins Pitchford), was an expert in finding the Purple Emperor eggs (on Sallows), and breeding these magnificent butterflies in his garden. They are still rare, and only ancient oak woods are favoured. Ancient and semi-natural woodlands are rich in wild-life. Swanton

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Novers is another precious area strictly controlled and managed for its biodiversity. Norfolk is cram full of wonderful places! Let’s count our blessings! Pightle

STIFFKEY VILLAGE PARTY There will be a village party on the playing fields on

Monday 4th July (Jubilee) at 1pm. Our village musicians will entertain. Denis Lotis will sing to us from 3pm to 4pm and the early evening will be sweetened by the Mark Fawcett and George Crawley Band. In between the Cricket Club will organise a ‘soft’ cricket game that everyone can join. There will be a bar, a BBQ, a tea tent and entry is free. For more information contact Jamie on 01328 831806. Janey Sugden

‘AN ENGLISHMAN’S HOME…? At the junction of the Walsingham-Thursford road

and the Great Snoring-Thursford road is a wooded and overgrown ruin of an old chapel, with a few other ruinous walls. An old gatepost proclaims this is ‘Thursford Castle.’ A mysterious place, the name does not appear on the Ordnance Survey map, but the name surely points to some glorious times in our past?

No, this is the remains of the workhouse which served as ‘home’ for the poorest in the 50 parishes of the Walsingham Poor Law Union, including all the parishes in the Local Lynx area. It was erected in 1836 following the ‘New Poor Law’ of 1834 to house 250. Built to ensure the poorest were kept in conditions worse than outside, its architecture incorporated much of contemporary prison design. High walls separated men from women, and both from children. Families lived yards from each other, but barely met. Workhouses offered a starvation diet, based on porridge and with long hours of hard work, often supervised by cruel bullies attracted to manage workhouses. Charles Dickens described workhouses as ‘offering slow starvation within, rather than quick starvation outside’.

Built to encourage the idle to seek work, they were successful, and gradually over time tended to be

occupied by the helpless old, infirm, mentally ill, and unmarried mothers and their children. Thus we can see examples from the 1881 Census:

Maria Elizabeth Bailey, an unmarried baker’s daughter aged 27, born Cley and her two children Arthur Edward aged 4 months born Great Snoring (in the workhouse?) and Ernest Albert aged 6 born Field Dalling.

William Curson, a 72 years old widower, a sailor born Stiffkey.

Thomas William Otway an unmarried agricultural labourer’s son aged 70 born Blakeney and labelled ‘idiot’.

And the workhouse name, Victorian black humour? It was not unique – near Beckham can be found the remains of the infirmary to ‘Beckham Palace’ workhouse for the Erpingham Union.

Here in Norfolk we have the museum at Gressenhall, based at a former workhouse to remind of the horrendous workhouse life.

So this short piece is rather sombre publicity for the visit of Stiffkey Local History Group to Gressenhall on Monday 25th June. Meet at the Museum at 11.00am using members’ cars, and perhaps some of us may stop and look over the fence at ‘Thursford Castle’ en route. Museum staff will give guided tour, after which we hope to be able to see museum items relating directly to Stiffkey. Contact Steven Bashforth tel. 01328 830569 if you wish to attend, and if you need transport.

Steven Bashforth S.L.H.G.

THOUGHTS ON A BONE UPDATE The archaeology report on the bone found on

Stiffkey beach in March has been received. It is a right femur, probably from a female of about 5 feet 8 inches in height. The damage, wear and lack of fat in the bone suggest that death occurred at least 70 years ago and possibly much earlier. This description is similar to a jaw bone found in close proximity, seaward in the creek, of a jaw bone in 2000.

Most interesting was a small cut mark, about 10mm behind the knee. The report suggests that it is possible that the injury is ante-mortem and could be interpreted as sword damage and interpersonal damage. Now all we need is the rest of the skeleton. Geraldine Green SLHG

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CHURCH NEWS

The service on Easter morning was attended by over 50 villagers and visitors. It was so uplifting to have a large congregation to do justice to those fine Easter hymns. We are grateful to the Revd. John Wilson from Wells for leading our worship, and bringing the full glory of the Easter message to us. In the afternoon almost as many came to search for eggs in a windswept churchyard. Many thanks to Beverley and Steven Bashforth for providing and hiding the eggs, and making the lovely Easter garden. Our egg hunt begins there each year, to remind us that the Easter story starts in a garden.

We are looking forward to more good support for two very special services in June.

The first on Sunday June 3rd at 9.30 will be a short joyful celebration of our Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, in which we will give thanks for her life of dedicated service to her church, her people and her country. Please join us for that. If you would like, please bring your commemorative mugs from 2002, 1981, 1977 or even 1953. You may like to give them a good spring clean first to drink a cup of tea or coffee, but if you have doubts about the wisdom of that alternative mugs will be provided. After the service we will have a photograph of those present to commemorate the event and provide much thought and speculation for local historians of the future. The 60th anniversary of a reigning monarch is a very rare occurrence! It will not happen again in our lifetimes!

Three weeks later on Sunday June 24th we will have a special Village Patronal Evensong for St. John the Baptist. There will be drinks and light refreshment afterwards, to be enjoyed outside, we hope, in the warm evening sunshine. The service will be at 6.30.

Finally we held our church AGM on Sunday April 22nd, at which churchwardens (Keith and John), secretary (Helen) and treasurer (Heather) were all returned to office for another year, and Margaret, Shirley, Eva and Chris remained as PCC members. We also reflected at the meeting, and in the churchwardens’ report, that, although our normal congregations are small, we gain comfort and hope from the fact that others in the village help us in all sorts of ways, including cleaning the church, cutting grass and helping

with fund raising. Unlike many village churches we are managing to pay for essentials including the parish share which amounted to over £5,000 last year, and considerably increased insurance costs. We supported worthy causes like Crisis at Christmas, Tear Fund and the diocesan Lent Appeal to help women in Papua New Guinea. We have also completed a project to improve drainage on the north side of the church. We appreciate the support and generosity of many residents and visitors in helping us financially. John Adnitt

JOHN EVERETT’S FUNERAL

The church was full to capacity for John’s funeral on March 20th as over 250 filled every seat and standing space. The congregation gave thanks for a life lived generously and well. Apart from John’s friends, neighbours and family members, there were many representatives of the church, farming and freemasons’ communities in North Norfolk, in which he was highly respected and loved. Following John’s wish the most generous retiring collection will go to the church funds, enabling us, among other things, to replace the very faded and incomplete list of incumbents who have served our church for well over 600 years. John Adnitt

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STIFFKEY MUSIC CIRCLE By the time you read this the 8th season of meetings

will have finished. On April 23rd we celebrated St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s 448th birthday with a programme of music inspired by his plays, and a rousing chorus from the “Dream of Gerontius”, the finest work by England’s greatest composer. We also heard a message from Sally Bass thanking us for helping her with her study and living costs.

For details of the start of next season please study the next issue of the Lynx. John Adnitt

PLANT SALE ALBARACA SCHOOL

The grand plant sale on May 7th raised, on the day, £701 for the nursery school in The Gambia. The trustees, pupils and staff of the school are indebted and grateful to those who gave plants, those who nurtured them and prepared them for sale, those who bought so many on the day, and those sellers who gave invaluable information and tips about the plants. It was a truly magnificent result.

Thanks also to the members of the village who read the piece in the Lynx in April and have offered to sponsor pupils and help in other ways. John Adnitt

STIFFKEY WI Stiffkey WI is meeting regularly on the third

Thursday of each month - 7.30 at the Old Hall. We enjoyed a great meeting in April on plant-hunting in Bolivia with Tim Marshall from Holkham Hall. In June (21st) we look forward to experiencing a practical session of Laughter Yoga with Chris Halford - bring a mat or blanket if you would like to relax on the floor. Visitors are always welcome (£3 a head!). Come and enjoy an evening of friendship and fun and excellent refreshments! Any questions? Ring Helen Leach at 830 349 Helen Leach

MORSTON QUIZ ANSWERS (See Page 21)

1.The Salt Water Crocodile (aka The Estuarine). [SE Asia & Australia].

2. Xenon, Christ, Extra Large, Cross Question. 3. Honshu, Shikoku, Hokkaido, Kyushu. 4. Mauna Kea [Hawaii]. 5. Argon, Neon, Helium. 6. Rembrandt. 7. The Great Ouse. 8. Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland. 9. The Supremes. 10. The Prophet Mohammed. 11. Maggots. 12. Red, Blue, Yellow.

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SCHOOL NEWS It’s summer term at Langham Village School and at the

end of the day the playing field is full of children enjoying the lighter late afternoons undeterred by the recent cold winds and rain. Just as well, as spring and summer is the peak season for getting out and about with trips.

Class 2 (aged 6 – 8) visited Norwich Castle Museum in March as part of their Egypt project. They looked at ancient Egyptian artefacts and enjoyed some hands-on workshops. On the school website there is a fantastic short film of the day which makes you feel part of the trip – visit www.langhamvillageschool.com to take a look.

Class 3 (aged 8 – 11) continued their ‘Secrets of the Sea-shore’ project with a day at Holkham accompanied by PhD researchers at the John Innes Centre and the UEA. This project puts the children in the forefront of environmental research working alongside agencies such as Natural Eng-land and Norfolk Wildlife Trust to record beach plants and wildlife. In addition to regular monitoring visits to local beaches, this particular trip focussed on being environmen-tally aware and how we all have a part to play in the care of our beaches. Armed with litter pickers, strong gloves, large bags and recording sheets, the children quickly collected 53 sweet wrappers, 27 paper items, 45 plastic bottles, 123 plas-tic items, 11 pieces of rope, 8 pieces of polystyrene, 29 drinks cans, 38 other metal items, 23 deflated balloons, 6 glass bottles, 21 items of clothing, 103 pieces of wood and many other ‘odd’ items, which they then proceeded to create art from. The children noted that “one of the most frequent and disgusting bits of litter (which we left alone for obvious reasons) was over 100 bags of dogs’ mess which people had just thrown into the dunes. We were shocked that this irre-sponsible attitude exists and we really want to make people aware of the need to look after the coastline, after all, it is for everyone to enjoy”.

Class 3 are also getting ready for this year’s residential visit, which will take place in June to Horstead Centre, a great opportunity for the children to experience the inde-pendence of a trip away.

Children in years 3-6 (ages 7 – 11) enjoyed a ‘Countryside Day’ at Salle Park on 9 May. The annual whole school trip is also coming up with a visit to Banham Zoo, always an enjoyable day for all the children to get away together.

World wide work Langham Village School continues to have an interna-

tional outlook with links to other schools around the world. Year 5 (aged 9 – 10) took part in a Languages Day at

Alderman Peel High School on 30 April, experiencing Pun-jabi, Hungarian, German and Italian workshops.

Children who have penfriends at La Ferté Saint Aubin

school in France were delighted to receive Easter gifts and cards brought by Mrs Howes, who teaches class 1 and, as the leader of the school’s international connections, visited La Ferte over Easter.

Four teachers from Eklavya School in India will be visit-ing Langham Village School and Alderman Peel High School at the end of May.

We are also developing links with a school in Spain and have been developing a Spanish theme in preparation. Key Stage 1 enjoy a Friday lunchtime Spanish Song and Dance Club, while Key Stage 2 languages groups have enjoyed a flavour of Spanish with Mrs Howes and Mrs Hallett from Alderman Peel High School. Mrs Hallett was delighted to see Class 1 dance ‘Juan Pequeño baila’ for her. Class 3 cre-ated a Spanish Café, and used their maths skills to calculate the bill.

Poetry next the sea Children from Langham Village School take part in the

annual poetry festival at Wells-next-the-sea. Well done to the winners of a poetry competition – Monty Rolfe, Rhian-non Betts, Chloe Balls, Olly Holden, Arran Coe, Elijah Jackson, Ben Williamson, Archie Harrod, Archie Coleman-Eke and Kieron Belton – who have their poems published in an anthology and have the opportunity to read them aloud at the Maltings in Wells on 12 May.

This sporting life With the Olympics around the corner, there is more en-

thusiasm than ever for all the sporting opportunities on offer at the school. Children from all three classes took part in the Sport Relief Mile, raising £100 for the charity – you can enjoy the photos on the school website at www.langhamvillageschool.com. The school won the Wells cluster tennis tournament and will now participate in the North Norfolk event at Fakenham High School. The school football team played in the Norwich City Champions Finals and only lost one match to the overall winners from Nor-wich, Robert Kett School (with 600 pupils, over 6 times the size of Langham School). The Langham girls’ team played an extremely competitive and enjoyable match against Cro-mer Junior School.

The children are all looking forward to celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on Friday 1 June with a family picnic lunch and fun activities in the afternoon. In readiness the children are busy making red, white and blue bunting to give the place that traditional festive touch.

Anne-Marie Coe

28

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