BrandonTOWN MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2015

READ YOUR TOWN MAGAZINE ONLINE AT BRANDONSUFFOLK.COM

Brandon Riding AcademySee page 17

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Your town magazine team were recently invited to the B.R.A. horse show, where we acted as judges in the fancy dress class and managed to get some great images, some of which can be seen in this issue and the remainder online at BrandonSuffolk.com.

We love helping promote your events and even more so coming along to see the final result. If you would like any of the team to

visit you at your event drop us a line and we’ll arrange for one of the team to pop along and have a chat. This month were hoping to visit Shoestring’s showing of Fawlty Towers and we have Halloween already in our diaries. Keep your eyes open for the next issue which should be a treat, unless we’re tricking you.

RegardsThe Brandon Town Magazine Team

Deadline for November issue 16th October

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

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

To advertise your business please email magazine@brandonsuffolk.com

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Winter gritting: Volunteers are needed in Brandon for snow clearance on pavements and cycle tracks. Registered volunteers will be covered under Suffolk County Council insurance. Name and address please if interested.

Grit bins: Ten new grit bins have been ordered by Brandon Town Council. Subject to site approval by Suffolk County Council, they will be positioned at locations where the grit is usually heaped. It is, however, illegal to use the grit for personal use.

Allotments: Just one full plot and one half plot are available. These will be offered free of

charge on a first come first served basis until the renewal date of 31 March 2016; thereafter the charge is £30 per annum for a whole plot and £15 for the half plot. The Allotment Association are in the process of erecting a shed for use by plot holders. Contact the office on 01842 811844 for more information.

Remembrance Service: Note for the diary: There will be a short Remembrance Service on Market Hill on Wednesday 11th November at 11am. Please join us if you can.

Christine MasonTown Clerk

5

Brandon Town Council Report

The Rotary Club of Brandon & District are holding their firework display & Bonfire on November 7th at Brandon Hall, Chalk lane.

Tickets are on sale from Bunches & Bows and Tesco.

There is car parking but it is limited, so people are advised to leave their cars at home and walk if possible.

Please come and enjoy the fireworks with us, and help raise money for charity, your support is appreciated.

Gates open at 6.00pmFireworks starts at 7.15 to 7.30pm

If tickets are bought in advance:Adults £4.50Children £2.50Under 5 free

If tickets bought on the night:Adults £5Children £3.00Under 5 free

Brandon & District Rotary Club

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The Autumn term has got off to a very good start and the new students are all settling in extremely well. We also welcomed two new members of staff – Miss Pearson, teacher of RE and Miss Armsby, teaching assistant.

If you were unable to come to our Open Day on the 24th September please call the office to arrange a visit.

Applications for September 2016-17 intake need to be submitted by the 31st October. If you have any admission queries call the office or email admissions@breckland.iesschools.co.uk.

Kindest regards

Mrs A Tilbrook

Principal

As part of our extensive support that we provide for our students to ensure that they make the right post-16 choices, we are holding a post-16 fair on Wednesday 7th October 2015 from 6.30-9.00pm. This is open to all of our students and their parents.

The fair will include stands from numerous post-16 education providers and businesses from a local, regional and national level. There is also a programme of short talks by employers in break out rooms and by Karen Hull, our career adviser, who will clarify the government requirements for post-16 study and explain all of the jargon surrounding post-16 education.

Mr Leigh Foster

Assistant Principal

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CHRONICLES OF BRANDON AT WAROctober 1915

“INSTANTANEOUS.” Synonyms: imme-diate, instant.

When war was declared last year many of our lads enlisted with the Norfolk Regiment and this month they got their first taste of action. Poor Arthur Kent was merrily cooking dinner when a German artillery shell exploded close by. He is now lying in a Surrey hospital after enduring his third operation to remove shrapnel from his shattered body. Another Brandon lad is in hospital as a consequence of nearly being blown apart. Arthur Field suffered a massive haemorrhage, bleeding through his nose and ears. Apparently they are the lucky ones!

In the first two weeks of this month six Brandon mothers lost a son to the war. Mrs Talbot, who runs the Duke of Wellington pub with her husband, received a letter from a soldier. It seemed her son Walter had engaged the enemy close up and was throw-ing grenades at them. A German grenade came back at Walter and his team, explod-

ing amongst them, and Walter was killed. Harriet Randall’s husband died before the war and then her three sons went off to fight. In her loneliness she suffered a nervous breakdown, and now were are told that one of her sons, Walter, has been killed in Gal-lipoli. Albert Royal, always conscientious of his mother’s anxiety at him going to war, made a point of regularly writing home to her. His last letter was dated 8th October. It now seems a German machine gun took him permanently from his mother. No one

deserves to receive news like this, especially the Edwards family. They are still grieving for a daughter who passed away recently in Brandon. So we can’t imagine how they felt when they received notification stating their son Bertie, aged nineteen, had been killed in the fighting.

Late last month Bertie Wicks wrote to Charles Warren’s mother. Charles was a stretcher-bearer, going out to pick up the wounded and dying. I say, “was”, because he will no longer carry out this task. His body was ripped apart by red-hot shrapnel from a German artillery shell. A crumb of comfort was that Bertie stated Charles’ death was “instant”. It is often the letters written by our lads at the Front that breaks news of a Brandon lad’s death, long before the of-ficial notification. Those lads do their best to give the recipient any small comfort in an otherwise depressing letter. James Grass, aged nineteen, held down a gardening job in Brandon before the war. His mother is still grieving the loss of another son, Walter, who was killed in action two months ago. I guess it will be of little consolation to her to receive a letter this month from James’ friend stating James’ death was painless and “instantaneous”. Harry Wharf has just writ-ten to his parents to tell them of his brother’s death. Walter Wharf thought he would be safe from the artillery when he lay down in his dugout, six-foot underground. He was determined the explosions would not claim his life as they had done the other Brandon casualties. Nevertheless he was destined to die. During an artillery barrage the roof of his dugout collapsed and tons of earth came crashing down on him. Harry’s letter suggested Walter knew nothing about what had happened and in Harry’s words, Walter’s death was “instantaneous”.

October 1915 has been the deadliest month of the war so far. In our darkest moments we will grasp at any comfort … “INSTAN-TANEOUS.”

www.brandonatwar.co.ukBy Darren Norton

9

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Brandon in BloomCongratulations go to Jacob, Kieran, Ethan, and Miya for their efforts in sowing and tending to their Sunflowers.

Brandon in Bloom purchased over 1000 seeds which were enough to give every youngster attending school in Brandon or Weeting.

The take up wasn’t as good as we had hoped for but those that entered watched their seedling grow over the summer holidays with an eye on the chance to win the sunflower’s height in 20 pence coins.

The 2015 winning entry was a massive 2m 55cm which was looked after by Miya Hamilton and won her £23.45 in book or garden tokens. Further entries that caught the judges attention were Ethan Hughes with the most heads. Miya also had the largest flower head and Jacob Evans topped the pot grown height chart.

The In Bloom group have been responsible for planting 6000 daffodils in 2014 which produced a great display in spring this year.

They have also run the Blooming Barrows competition for the last 2 years and the latest project is taking place in conjunction with Brandon Country Park, where a benched area along a wild flower strip is almost at the stage of implementation.

The group meet informally 3 or 4 times over

the year but for it to continue more interest is needed.

Maybe some of the already formed groups such as Scouts or Guides might like to show some support or interest.

We know there are gardening groups at the schools and this would be a great chance for them to be involved in their community.

Brandon & District Photographic ClubNot long to go now to our Annual Photographic Exhibition takes place on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October 2015.

This offers you an opportunity to see mounted examples of our members’ work. So if you thinking of joining a Photographic Club or would just like to have a browse around, come into the Baptist Church Hall Room on High Street, Brandon. There is a small car park behind the Hall and after you have browsed the mounted pictures we will offer you a cup of tea/coffee and a piece of delicious cake while you watch a slide show of more of our work. This year there will be a feature

of Brandon and District in the past; a History of Brandon & District through photography. You may be able to recognise some of your family or your neighbours’ families; grannies, parents, aunts, uncles or cousins.

We look forward to seeing you on Friday 9th October or Saturday 10th October.

Don’t forget too to visit our website on www.brandoncameraclub.co.uk

Denise WhitingClub Secretary

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13

october

GardeningTO DO LIST

Protect half-hardy plantsLift & divide herbaceous perennialsSow hardy annuals into bordersLift Dhalia & Begonia tubersClear fallen leaves from lawns

Withdrawal of Fungicides:This month sees the withdrawal of many fungicides as a result of changes to EU legislation.The withdrawal list includes two major products that are currently the only approved fungicides for use on edible plants. (Note: I have listed the chemical name as these may be found in ‘own brand label’ products, always check the small print for the chemical name).• Copper oxychloride (Found in Bayer Fruit & Vegetable Disease Control) controls peach leaf curl, leaf spot, blight, canker and rust on many edibles. All remaining stocks must be used or disposed of before 30th November.• Myclobutanil (Bayer Systhane Fungus Fighter) systemic fungicide to control rust, black spot, powdery mildew, and scab on apples, pears, and currants. Cannot be sold after 30th November 2015, remaining stock must be used or disposed before 30th November 2016. This may leave us in a situation in which there will be no chemical control for fungus infections on edibles. It is always our view at P&R Garden Supplies that chemicals should

only be used in the garden when they are really necessary. Prevention is invariably better than a cure and many diseases can be kept down by good cultivation techniques including crop rotation.

Broad Beans: I always sow broad bean seeds in autumn, because if the soil was left fallow it’s structure would deteriorate and leach nutrients. It also gives the plants a good month’s head start on those sown in April, so they don’t get blackfly! I grow a very popular variety called ‘Aquadulce’ as it’s reliable and heavy cropping. Directly sow seeds in double rows in a sheltered position. Ideally the soil should have been manured for the previous crop. As the plants grow they will need supporting as the stalk of broad bean plants is very brittle and easily broken. Harvest broad bean pods when the beans are about the size of your thumb nail, and they will be very tender. Broad bean tops are delicious wilted with melted butter.

Rachel SobiechowskiP&R Garden Supplies

www.p-rgardensupplies.co.uk

“Gardening in October is entirely dependent on the weather. If there’s an Indian summer, there is no better time of year to be out in the

garden and there are plenty of tasks to keep us all busy!”

13

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

street, contemporary & cheerleadingPrincipal: Kerry Shoop

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

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

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15

The new school year started with a bang, with 60 new pupils joining the Glade community. Glade has grown as a school over the last few years, nearly doubling in size to over 270 eager and hard-working children. We have filled up the new extension and are now looking to the future with more plans to expand.

September saw the opening of our new play equipment. We would like to thank the Friends of Glade for their generous donation towards the cost of the equipment. Without their contribution, we may not have been able to buy such an impressive structure. The children are already clambering all over it and challenging themselves to develop their strength and fitness.

This month also saw the most recent of our WOW days where the whole school take on a curriculum project for the day. This time, it was the turn of languages and the whole school set out to look at the different languages spoken around the world. Children had the chance to read and listen to stories

from different countries and then take part in craft activities, learning about the countries and the languages spoken. Children even had the chance to dress up in traditional costume from around the world.

If you want to keep up to date with events at Glade follow us on Twitter: @glade_school, or subscribe to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gladeprimaryschool.

Glade Primary School

17

Brandon Riding AcademyThe weekend of the 11th and 12th September brought to an end the Western Horse Shows for this season, held at Brandon Riding Academy, Church Road here in Brandon where riders from various parts of the country meet to compete against each other.

We decided to include on the Sunday a special class for Fancy dress riders/handlers and their horses which was made open to anyone who wanted to come along. In all we had 15 competitors, a very good turnout.

No good just having a class, we invited judges, Jenny and Gary, along to pick the winners and Terry came along too to take some photos which you can see below and there’s more online at BrandonSuffolk.com. Of course we needed to put to good use our efforts, so we chose a charity close to many who took part heart’s and named Guide Dogs for the Blind

as our aim. We are pleased to report that a total of £175 was raised for this charity from entry fees for the class and donations, a very worthwhile sum, thanks to all.

Of course we had winners. Tracey Eaton with Madison came first, Ellie Bruce and Lou-la-Bell second and Karla Harris with Cherry Nic third, but all were very colourful; from Batman and Robin to the knights (St George even had his dragon) and Lady Godiva who made a grand entrance and many, many more.

At the end of the afternoon trophies for the Western Show were awarded, points having been gathered over the five shows for the season and now we look forward to next year, perhaps then we can include a similar charity event as part of our capers and who knows we might better this year’s efforts.

© BrandonSuffolk.com

© BrandonSuffolk.com

© BrandonSuffolk.com

© BrandonSuffolk.com

It was a busy summer at Brandon Library with our annual summer reading challenge, a Paddington themed tea party and an Author talk, all drawing in visitors.

The Paddington Bear Tea Party saw over 40 children enjoy colouring, crafts and a tasty themed lunch prepared by the ‘Friends of Brandon Library’. This included Paddington’s favourite, marmalade sandwiches - using home-made marmalade, and delicious bear shaped biscuits!

After lunch, the children enjoyed a treasure hunt in which they had to find 10 hidden items for Paddington to pack in to his suitcase. These included a duffle coat, a present for Aunt Lucy and a jar of marmalade for the journey.

70 children between the ages of 3 and 13 completed the six books or e-books necessary to finish the summer reading challenge and gain a well-deserved certificate and medal. The challenge is a national scheme, which encourages children to keep up their reading and visit their local library throughout the holidays. This year’s theme was ‘Record Breakers’ and there were a series of collectable stickers and incentives to reward those taking part as they progressed. Volunteers and library staff spent time listening to the children talk about their choice of book. There was also a treasure hunt and art competitions

to get involved in.

At the presentation, 47 children collected their medals and certificates from local councillors Reg Silvester and Christine Mason, in front of proud parents, staff and volunteers. Bill Bishop presented prizes sponsored by the ‘Friends of Brandon Library’.

The Library also played host to local Author Medea René. Medea read extracts from her horror novel “Reflections of Darkness”, a self-published e-book available on Kindle. Her writing explores family relationships and Gothic themes, and is influenced by her dreams and experiences. The happy ever after ending is not for her!

Medea was 15 years old, when she started the novel, three years ago. She developed it on the booksie website, where writers can post individual chapters and receive feedback from their readers. She is currently writing the prequel to ‘Reflections of Darkness’- titled ‘Shattered Remains’.

Library Manager, Mat Sheldrick said “These activities have been really popular and enjoyable for everyone involved. They are great examples of the library staff, volunteers and our Friends group all working together to provide events for the community.

I would like to thank the Friends group for all the assistance they provided, and Reg, Christine and Bill for the time and support they gave to our presentation. I also want to thank Medea, my staff, the volunteers and all our customers who made the events such a success.”

What the library did this summer

18

It’s that time of year when winter seems to be rapidly approaching! The flowering plants are mostly gone and there are far fewer food sources for our nectar loving insects, which now begin to die off or prepare to see out the winter months in hibernation. They will have laid eggs or produced larvae which will bury themselves away somewhere safe until the spring arrives again, then they will re emerge as adults. I was given a beautiful Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar last month. I put it in a tank with some food and we watched, fascinated, as it buried itself into the soil at the bottom and turned into a chrysalis. It has begun the long transformation from caterpillar to moth and will emerge as an adult in about May next year. There would be no point in it emerging now, as food sources are not so abundant at this time of year. I am keeping it safe in a plastic tub over winter and will release it when

it emerges and I’ve got a quick photograph!Ivy is an important nectar source for many different species of insect at this time of the year. So if you have some Ivy in your garden that you can leave to flower and form berries, you would really be helping things like bees and hover flies, also any remaining butterflies. The birds will appreciate the berries which will form after the

flowers have gone over. A particular species of bee to look out for is the Ivy bee, Colletes hederae. This is a newcomer to Britain’s shores, having first been discovered in Dorset in 2001. Since then, this bee has spread as far north as Shropshire, Staffordshire and Norfolk. Even though they are not native, they are not classed as an ‘invasive species’ as their presence here is not causing any problems. They emerge in September which coincides with the flowering of their main food source, Ivy. They love sandy soil, as is found here in the Breck’s, so keep a look out for them. They are quite distinctive in that their orangey brown and black stripes are clearly defined and of very even width. I would love to hear of any local sightings of this species! And if you could get

a photograph, that would be fantastic!

WILD ABOUT BRANDON

www.wildaboutbrandon.com19

Honey Bee Red Admiral

To the residents of Brandon and local surrounding areas,

As you are aware, on September 5th we had our first Canine Partners Family Fun Day. This was to raise money for Canine Partners, a wonderful charity that trains dogs to assist disabled people.

Despite wet and windy weather, we managed to raise a whopping £1050 through a combination of donations and sales on the day.

I want to thank the residents of Brandon and surrounding areas, volunteers on the day, local businesses and everyone else involved for getting behind such a wonderful cause and making our event such a success.

I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that,

with your support, we raised enough money to buy and sponsor a new puppy who, with specialised training, will grow up to change the life of a disabled person.

I’m personally on the waiting list for my successor Canine Partner assistant dog so I know first hand how much of an impact this charity has on an individual’s quality of life. So thank you all again!

On Friday October 16th we are hosting our next event. Brandon Pamper Evening, 5.30pm - 9pm in the St John’s Ambulance Hall which is behind the Brandon Leisure Centre. Free entry (donation welcome). Come and enjoy treatments from local beauty therapists, craft stalls, food and other treats. All proceeds will go to Canine Partners.

Many thanks!

Chloe Bellotti and Lianne Spooner

Canine Partners Family Fun Day

20

As you read this edition of the Brandon Town Magazine the evenings will be really drawing in and soon we will be out of British Summer Time, but there is still plenty of fun to be had before Christmas is here.

Following on from our Fawlty Towers/Cabaret production we will once again be taking part in the Nightmare on Market Hill event on Saturday 31st October 6 - 9pm. Although a few have come forward to join us this year we still have room for more, so if you are part of a group and want to join us with some spooky goings on whilst also raising funds for your group then give us a call.

Contact Jill on 01842 811532 or email jill.blanchard@btinternet.com

With the onset of the winter months, rehearsals have also begun for our traditionally held pantomime. This year to be a little different we are going to perform a more modern script Captain Righteous and The Christmas Crisis, so no, you may not know the story but be assured all the fun and dastardly deeds will be there and lots for the audience to hiss and boo. We hope enjoying the tale.

So watch this space for more information.

Shoestring Theatre Company

© dogtog.co.uk

© dogtog.co.uk

21

Slow Cooked Beef Chilli

If you attended the Halloween Family Fun Night on October 31st

on the Market hill and tried the Chilli and liked it then

here is the

recipe. The proportions for this serve approxim

ately 12 so you can scale down (or up)

accordingly..You will need a slow cooker for this..

Ingredients2 kg beef brisket join

t, trimmed of fat and silver skin and sliced into

2.5cm slices

across the grain.

500ml hot coffee

3 large dried chillies

Olive oil2 heaped teaspoons

ground cumin

2 heaped teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 fresh bay leaves

2 red onions, peeled and diced

3-4 fresh chillies, deseeded and chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

4x400g tins chopped tomatoes

3 tablespoons soft brown sugar

2x400g tins kidney beans,drained

Dark chocolate and soured cream (optional)

Make the coffee and put dried chillies in

this to re-hydrate, then remove and slice.

Coat the brisket in the herbs and spice

s and brown off in some olive oil.

Remove and add the onions and any herbs

and spices left over from the meat

procedure.

Fry until the onions have softened, the

n add half of the fresh chillies,all the d

ried chillies

and garlic and a glut of the coffee.

Transfer the beef and onion mix to a slow cooker. Add the tomatoes and brown sugar.

Cook on High for 3-5 hours or until brisket falls apart. When it does, remove and shred

the beef using two forks. Return to pot along with the kidney bean

s for another half

hour. Season with salt and pepper at this stage. You may wish to add the rem

aining

fresh chillies.

Serve with rice, flat breads or potatoes, or all

three!! Oh, and a dollop of soured cream

on top!

The chilli served on the Market Hill had the b

onus of some grated dark chocolate added

at the early stages of cooking. This adds an authen

tic Mexican richness to the chilli.

23

Brandon Country ParkIt was a great day at Brandon Country Park as we held our first “Forest Fest” on Friday 21st August. The event, supported by Breaking New Ground and the Heritage Lottery Fund, was a tremendous success, attracting over 500 people to the park, many of them new visitors.

The day was a fun discovery the forest; what lives in it and how it is used. Whole families got involved with diverse activities. These included “Cauldron Dell” with fire lighting, marshmallow cooking and bread making; “Wicked Willow” with willow weaving, art using hammers and flag making; “Woodland Crafts”

with painting and sewing; Pond Dipping and Bug Hunts; Archery; and “Herbal Superheroes” with herb safaris and secret tea tasting.

Participants collected a passport on arrival, gathered passport stamps as they completed activities, and then claimed a free goodie bag at the end.

David Falk, manager of Brandon Country Park says “The day was a great success, bringing lots of people to the park and helping to show what makes this such a special place.” This the next Forest Fest is already being planned for Spring 2016.

1st Brandon Scout GroupJuly & August proved to be a busy time for us all in Scouts. After attending the Tesco Family Fun Day we were inundated with applications to join our group. At the moment our Beaver section is full, Cubs have a few places as does our Scout section. Because of the increase in numbers we are looking to recruit additional Leaders.

All leaders will receive support & training, they will also need to apply for an enhanced disclosure & barring enquiry. If you would like further information please either contact myself or any of our section Leaders.

All sections during the summer months experienced camping together with additional outdoor activities. We had a group Fun Day at our camp site. Many of them had a go at canoeing, abseiling, climbing wall & archery. This was followed by a BBQ. Now the dark evenings are closing in on us we will be concentrating on indoor activities.

We will also be at the annual Firework Display in November with our BBQ. I hope that you will support us in this major fund raising event for our group.

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advert-02.pdf 1 15/08/2013 11:00

Around 100 new jobs are set to be created at a Brandon business after Forest Heath District Councillors voted to invest in its commercial property portfolio.

Three years ago the council stepped in and bought the London Road site in Brandon to support Omar Park Homes Ltd who needed to secure the site following the previous business going into administration.

This move helped to protect 130 jobs, with the council renting the site to Omar on a 10-year lease, in exchange for a healthy return. The £200,000 a year rent means the council will recover its investment in another four years. This in turn offers a steady income, which at a time of significant cuts in Government funding, helps to pay for the delivery of key everyday services.

Omar meanwhile has gone from strength to strength; last year it achieved 49 per cent sales growth and it now employs 330 full time staff.

The company has ambitious plans to expand over the next three years with sales increasing from £33M to £50M and the creation of 100 new jobs in Brandon; something that wouldn’t be possible without expansion of the factory.

Dean Westmoreland, Group Chief Executive of Omar Group said: “We wanted to demonstrate our commitment to Brandon and to Forest Heath for standing by us and

for seeing our potential to grow; this is why we offered to pay half of the cost towards the site expansion, despite only being tenants on the site.

“The factory expansion will take production and therefore sales to the next level, ensuring that we are able to maximise our order book and provide further full time employment opportunities in Brandon. Part of this employment growth has seen us take on ten young apprentices this summer; further confirmation our commitment to Brandon.”

On Wednesday Forest Heath voted to invest £537,000 – 50 per cent of the costs of the site’s expansion. The investment is subject to planning permission, but would see a 10 per cent return to the council via an increase in the rent it will receive as well as a new 15 year lease to Omar. Should the business choose to vacate the site at the end of the lease, the site and the new buildings, will remain in full ownership of the council.

Omar Expansion To Create 100 Jobs

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Brandon Stroke Support GroupThe Brandon Stroke Support Group has had to cease using the umbrella of the Stroke Association due lack of volunteers.

We will, however, with the few remaining members, meet as a social group at the same time, every second Wednesday of the month at the Brandon Park cafe 2-3pm.

Anyone wishing to join us will be made most welcome.

It is a sad conclusion as we felt we have been

of help to several stroke survivors and their carers to get through what is a traumatic and stressful period.

A stroke is no respect of age, rank, or who you are and it can strike out of the blue and at any time.

But there is life after a stroke as all our members will be able to tell you.

Anyone wishing to join us or know more can contact max-page2011@live.co.uk.

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A new season means new football kits, and we would like to say a massive thank you yet again to some of the people who have supported Brandon Town Youth by sponsoring new kits

U8 Lads: The U8 Lads are in their second season of non-competitive football in the South Norfolk Football League and have once again been sponsored by Warren Services. Andy and his team would like to say a massive thank you to Warren for their support and generosity over the past couple of years.

U15 Lads: This is a newly formed team under the management of Steve and Fabio. They have done a great job in the close season building this side ready to compete in the Ipswich & Suffolk Youth Football League Division 2 and play their matches on Sundays. Thank you to Frederick Hiam foods who have been a long term supporter and sponsor of Brandon Town Youth FC.

U16 Lasses: The Lasses have been lucky enough to secure a sponsor for some lovely training tops by local celebrity magician Jamie Segrave. The girls are pictured above with their sponsor after their first game of the season, a 5-0 win over Hadleigh. Jamie stayed behind (top photo) to treat the players & parents to a bit of magic after the game, first time the girls have ever been speechless!

U16 Lads: Under new management of Scott & Scott the U16 Lads have moved from Norfolk into the Ipswich & Suffolk Youth League and are another side sponsored by Blade logistics. Once again thank you to all at Blade logistics for your support! The team play their matches on a Sunday.

Ladies: Thank you to Colombo and Golden Fried Chicken for their continued sponsorship and support. The Ladies are pictured above in their new Joma kit before their recent county cup match against Bury Town. They play their matches on Sunday afternoons in the Norfolk Women’s & Girls Football League so come along and support.

T20: The T20 team (above) are sponsored by Blade Logistics for the following two seasons and a big thank you goes to Scott for the sponsorship as he has sponsored more than one team! The Lads play Sunday afternoon in the Tucker Gardiner Alliance league.

Brandon Town Youth FC

One day in August we had a call from the Tesco store in Brandon, asking for our help. They had been in touch with the RSPCA, but they didn’t have anyone to send out, so it was Cats Protection to the rescue!! The staff at the store thought there maybe a cat trapped behind two of their huge storage freezers in the warehouse at the back of the store. They couldn’t hear anything, but they could smell urine. Fortunately we have a fosterer and volunteer who lives quite close to the store, so she went with her husband to investigate. There was indeed a cat stuck there, but as the freezers were about 10 feet deep, they couldn’t reach him. What they needed was a grasper that the RSPCA use, but we don’t have one of those, and the vet’s we contacted only have a 3 foot long one. The volunteer’s husband had a think about it and thought he could maybe make something similar. He went home to his garage and found a paint roller extension pole and some rope and after a few hours work, hey presto, he had himself a grasper.

Back they went to the store armed with leather gloves, in case the cat was feral, a torch, a cat carrier and the cat catcher contraption and after a while they managed to put a loop of

rope around the cat’s neck and gently coax him out. A very smelly, bedraggled grey and white cat emerged, and was put into the carrier and taken to the vet to be checked over. Unfortunately he wasn’t chipped, but he was a friendly boy who obviously belonged to someone. He was temporarily put into one of our cat pens.

Shortly afterwards, our Lost and Found officer had a call from a lady whose cat had been missing for about a week. She lives behind the Tesco store. And low and behold he matched the description of the Tesco cat. The owner and Smokey as he is called, were reunited. He is only a year old and the lady was so pleased to see him again, as she had thought he had gone for good. I believe the Tesco store put together a get well hamper for Smokey, containing all his favourite treats. We suggested to the lady that she get him microchipped incase in wanders off again.

For advice, information, or help with neutering, call us on 01842 810018 or go to our website cats.org.uk/breckland

Rita Thompson

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Breckland Cats Protection

29

Sudoku Code Word

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

Number Pyramid

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

Word Wheel

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

PUZZLE PAGE

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Useful Telephone Numbers

Puzzle Page Solutions

Councils

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

Health Services

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

Help & Advice

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

Utility Companies

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

Sudoku Pyramid Code Word

Word Wheel

9 letter word: artillery