S. CHAPLIN GARDENS All aspects of garden/grounds maintenance undertaken, including lawn care etc. Ring for full details & arrange a no obligation quote.

Call Seb on 07733 210151

THE CROWN INN

Home Cooked Food Served Daily 12noon—2pm

And 6pm to 8pm On Sunday and Monday

6pm to 9 pm Wednesday to Saturday

Closed all day Tuesday

Senior Citizens 2 Course Lunch every Wednesday £5. 95

Alternate Wednesday

Quiz Night

Tel. (01366) 727317

Page 12

Classified Ads Graham Smith & Sons

Pest & Vermin Control for homes,

farms and businesses. 24hr/7-day ser-

vice. Local family business (Clover

Farm, Mundford)

Tel. 01842 879904, Mob. 07946

733188

D W Services

Gardening and T V Aerials. Grass

Cutting, Hedge trimming, Tree prun-

ing and general garden work. Also

Digital TV aerials fitted, CCTV, Sig-

nal boosters etc. Tel. 01366 728403,

Mobile 07752 587111

D.E.T. T.V. Service - Repairs to

TV’s, VCR’s and Microwaves. Fast

reliable service.

John Clifford. 01842 878486.

Feeling Stressed? Why not treat

yourself (Or someone else) to a relax-

ing massage by a fully qualified

Therapist. Fully BABTAC recognised

and insured. Gift vouchers available.

Body massage £17.50 (1 hour), Back

massage, £12.50 (half hour). Contact

Shelly Farrow on 01366 328835 or

07881 904099. E.G. Dack

Approved Electrician, 25 years Ex-

perience. Small Jobs Electrical.

Tel. 01366 728118, Mobile

07766637077 The Man With The Power Handyman – No Job too small,

Woodwork, Metal work Iron work,

Design/Technical drawing, Garden-

ing work/Labour and constructions

i.e. Pergolas gazebos and decking.

House maintenance – Doors, locks

and painting. Phone David George

on (01366) 727582

Electric powered wheelchair for loan.

Please contact Ms. Rosemary Crisp on

728300 or Mr. John Haylock on

728217, Trustees of the Northwold

Charities.

COMPUTER DESK

Beech coloured computer desk, ex-

cellent condition: Dims: 75cm wide

x 50 cm deep x 90cm high. £10.00

CBB Building and Cleaning Services

We can take care of all your cleaning, Maintenance and Building Requirements

• Weekly/Monthly Domestic and Commercial cleaning

• Cleaning your property when you move out

• Cleaning when you move in to your new home

• Cleaning after you have had building work completed

• Painting and decorating

• Plastering

• Flint work

• Tiling

• Fencing

• Drain work

Please contact for a free estimate or to discuss your requirements on:-

01366 727789 or 07860 508689

ring 01366 728994 (Northwold) after

6.30 pm

ELECTRIC FIRE

Dimplex inset stainless steel flame

effect electric fire - 2 heat settings,

52cms w x 62 h - similar to Argos

page 1077. Excellent condition £45.00

call 728994 after 6.30 pm please.

MOBILE FISH & CHIP VAN Why not try a fish & chip super from

the mobile van which calls in our vil-

lage on a Thursday evening. It stops

at 3 destinations along School Lane

approximately 6.20 – 6.30 pm then

outside Village hall approx. 6.35pm

then Glebe Close approx. 6.45pm. For

further information call Andrew on

07876 485616

Gardening job in Northwold, light

work only, mostly grass cutting.

Approx. 2-3 hours per week, equip-

ment supplied. Tel. 07770 568728 /

01366 727425.

Advertise here? Contact the Editor,

editor@northwold.net or see inside

front cover for phone and address.

Issue May 2010 Copy date for the next issue is;

14th May 2010 editor@northwold.net

Tel. 728317

The Spring Term finished on a high note as it always does at The Norman

School. After a long term, where both chil-dren and adults had put in a great deal of hard work, we were able to celebrate with our Easter Church Service and our traditional Easter Bonnet Parade. The church service was delightful. We were pleased to see many people in the church to support us in our work. Each class had prepared a piece to contribute which com-bined to make the service varied, interesting and thought provoking from an Easter Rap to an explana-tion of the Stations of the Cross. The Easter Bonnet Parade was, as usual, a festival of colour and crea-tivity. Every year I feel that the children (and parents) have out-done themselves and that the stan-dard cannot surely get any better. Once again I have been proved wrong as this year we were again treated to a remarkable range of designs.

I had previously asked Village Life editor Stephanie Squires to judge the competition and suffered the familiar mixture of pleasure and guilt when she kindly accepted the

NORTHWOLD SPORTS

& SOCIAL FOOTBALL

CLUB

Crown Fire Central &South Norfolk

League

Ben Smith Memorial Cup Final

Bradenham Wanderers Res.

V

Northwold Sports & Social Club

At Aldiss Park, Dereham

on

Monday, 3rd May

Kick Off 10.30 a.m.

Maxine

(Secretary Northwold S&S FC)

offer. Pleasure to have found a suitable judge, and guilt because the job is such a difficult one that it feels somewhat like handing

over a ‘poisoned chalice’. Nevertheless, Stephanie did a great job. I know that it is often said but it remains true that all the children were winners. Any of the children could easily have won a prize. I, personally, think that we are lucky to have such an occasion at our school and I am very grateful to all the children and adults who make this possible.

Rob Hothersall

NORTHWOLD ART

GROUP

On Easter Saturday, 12 members of the

Art Group attended a workshop con-

ducted by Isobel Bartholomew from

Weeting, a well known commercial artist

in the field of flower painting. It was very

noticeable that despite the well known

acoustic problem in the hall, Isobel came

over very clearly which is a great help to

those with not such good hearing.

The morning began with a general talk on

the construction and make up of flowers,

after which each member selected a speci-

men from a wide selection provided by

Isobel, and attempted to transfer the im-

age seen on the table to watercolour.

During this time the members were over-

seen by Isobel who spent the entire day

going from member to member giving

very welcome and useful advice, which

was no doubt the reason why, at the end

of the day each member had a good pic-

ture to show.

A lunch consisted of food provided by

those taking part as well as very welcome

soup provided by Patsy. There was plenty

to go round and everyone was well filled.

The workshop finished at 4 pm just in

time to get home and watch the boat race,

rounding off a splendid day.

A member

Norman School

Northwold S&S Football Club

Northwold Art Group

cover

St Andrew’s Church

Whittington Church

Church Spring Clean

St. Andrew’s Hobby & Craft Exhibition

Northwold Carnival

2

Sponsor Playtex Moonwalk for Breast Cancer

Village Hall Quiz

Mobile Library

Northwold Bowls Club

3

Dr Nisbet 4

Little Norman Pre-school

Northwold Tennis Club 5

Northwold Parish Council 6

Northwold Care Group 7

Northwold Youth Club

100 Club Draw Bowls Club 8

Riverwatch

Art @ Stoke Ferry Church

Northwold WI

9

Northwold Produce Show

Norfolk Wildlife Trust

Hamish Bowls Club Football Pontoon

Bus Information for Whittington

10

Crown Inn

Swaffham & District Swimming

Hockwold Country Fair

11

Classified Ads

Electric Wheelchair for loan

Items for Sale

12

Inside this issue:

Page 2

The Village Life Team

Editor Stephanie Squires

editor@northwold.net Tel 728317

Deputy Editor Graeme Whiting

graeme@northwold.net Tel 727425

Advertising

ads@northwold.net

Circulation Manager Mark Elwes

circulation@northwold.net Tel. 728795

Committee

Chair Carol Sharp Tel. 728227

Secretary Position vacant

Treasurer Geoff Bartram Tel. 728673

The views expressed in submitted items are not necessarily endorsed by Northwold & Whittington Village Life. Whilst we endeavour to ensure that all information contained in the newsletter is correct, we cannot be held responsible for errors. The Editor reserves the right to refuse or omit items without explanation.

DON’T FORGET

St Andrew’s Hobby &

Craft Exhibition

1st,2nd & 3rd May 2010

To celebrate the creative talents of the

inhabitants of Northwold and surround,

we are holding a Hobby and Craft Exhi-

bition with live demonstrations.

We will have many stalls (woodwork,

jewellery, quilting and cake making

amongst them) together with teas and

activities for children – and young-at-

heart adults!

If you would like to be involved in any-

way please co tact:

Jane Luckman (728921) or

Brenda Ayres (728565)

Chris Collins

CHURCH SPRING

CLEAN

MAY 10TH – MAY 14TH

If you can spare an hour or two please

come and help spring clean our church.

There will be a coffee morning in the

church on Wednesday, 5th May between

10.,30 – 12 noon

to arrange details .

A big thank you to all the helpers who

have so faithfully cleaned the church

every week during the year.

Betty Akers

ST. ANDREWS CHURCH Diary for

May and June 2010 Sunday 2nd May

11.00 a.m. Holy Communion Rev.Nicoll Sunday 9th May

11.00 am Martins, Rector Ascension Day

Thursday 13th May

6.30 pm Benefice, St.George’s,

Methwold, Rector Sunday 16th May

8.00 am Holy Communion, Rev.Nicoll Whitsunday 23rd May

11.00 am Holy Communion, ,Rector Sunday 30th May

11.00 am Benefice, St. Mary’s, Feltwell

Rector Sunday 6th June

11.00 am Holy Communion, Rector Sunday 13th June

11.00 am Martins , Mr. Keith Macleod Sunday 20th June

8.00 am Holy Communion, Rev. Nicoll Sunday 27th June

9.15 am Matins, Rector

THERE MAY BE CHANGES SO

PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON THE

NOTICE BOARDS

NORTHWOLD

CARNIVAL

SATURDAY, 12TH JUNE

The theme for this year is “All at

Sea”, so get your thinking caps on for

floats, fancy dress and themed

stalls….It could be anything from the

Royal Navy to what lives in the

ocean!

WHITTINGTON CHURCH

SATURDAY 15th MAY

OPEN DAY

From 10 am to 4pm

With Refreshments, stalls, raffle & dis-

plays

Come along to see our refurbished

church with

the new facilities.

SUNDAY 16th MAY

9.30am

Holy Communion & Thanksgiving

for the Refurbishment

By Bishop David

Followed by Refreshments

Everyone Welcome

Ray Gribble

Antique Restoration & Traditional Upholstery

All aspects of antique furniture restoration including French

polishing, cabinet repairs and traditional upholstery

-------------------------------------------

Traditional Upholstered Furniture Footstools, Sofas, Chairs made to commission

-------------------------------------------

Picture Framing & Mirrors

An extensive range of mouldings including hand painted

and gilded finishes

Antique and Reproduction Prints for sale

Vine House, Church Road, Wereham, King’s Lynn

01366-500387

www.raygribble.co.uk

Page 11

TPF P r o p e r t y Maintenance Services

Interior, Exterior Decorating, Carpentry, Wall & Floor Tiling, Wooden & Laminate

Flooring

Call Tim

01366 728 881

Northwold

Spiritualists Meet every other Friday in the Village

hall at 7.30 pm and on other occasions.

Schedule. 7th May Brenda Hanley

21st May Ashley George

4th June John Sherwin

18th June Gay Harrison

Additional Event

15th May - Psychic Supper with Carol

& Len Minnett, Rachel Finbow, Sheila

James, David Yaxley and June Hughes 26th June - Clairvoyance Evening

with Pat Smith Enquiries to Eileen on (01366)727174

Date: Saturday 8th May 2010

Time: 9 am till 12 noon

Town/Village Swaffham

Venue: Methodist Church Hall,

London Street

Event Title: Coffee Morning

Details: Just turn up and enjoy tea, cof-

fee and home baked cakes/sausage rolls Admission Charges: Free Entry

In aid of: Swaffham & District Swim-

ming Pool Association (S.P.A.) funds

HARWOOD HEALTH & FITNESS

Sports Massage & Exercise Therapy, Re-

habilitation. Charlie Harwood

BSc (Hons)

07759 654135

CELEBRATE AT THE

CROWN INN

Raised from St. Patrick’s night

Charity quiz was a total of £208.50 in

aid of the Air Ambulance

A BIG THANK YOU for all those

people who supported us

Don’t forget

QUIZ NIGHTS - EVERY

OTHER WEDNESDAY

MAY 12th, & 26th

JUNE 9th & 23rd

Cheryl and Dave are asking if any-

body in the village has any old photo’s

inside and outside or any information

on previous years as far back as possi-

ble of their pub would be much ap-

preciated as they are trying to get the

history of the pub.

The area’s largest range of manual & automatic doors.

Plus repairs to all doors, and spares.

Thetford 01842 880 008 Swaffham 01760 790 009

SHOWROOM 01366 378481

www.fenlandgaragedoors.co.uk

PA ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

Swimming Pool Association

Hockwold Country fair.

Sunday 20th June 2010

at Wilton Farm, main

street,

Hockwold. Bookings now being taken for craft

and trade stalls. If you are interested

or how someone who might be inter-

ested please contact me, Tony Crosby

(Chairman) on 07876 780100

Page 10

FOOT HEALTH CLINIC May we remind our readers that the next foot health clinic is as follows:-

12th May 2010 at the Village Hall, Surgery Room.

For appointments tel. 01362 652757

David Noble. WMSCh(Hons)., MPSPract.,MVR.

NORTHWOLD

PRODUCE SHOW

4th September 2010

THIS YEAR WILL BE

THE 65TH ANNUAL

SHOW

Be sure to put the date in your diary!

We hope there will be a large number of

entries from both “old hands and new”

at this milestone in the Show’s history. There are classes to appeal to everyone

– vegetable and flower growers, cooks,

artists, craftspeople and children. Please note that entries for Hanging

Baskets and Wall Troughs will be

judged on 12 August, so Northwold

should be “in bloom” with all the

displays/entries at that time! If you have never entered the show

before, don’t worry – at last year’s

Show, three awards were given to a

couple who classed themselves as

“novices”. Sharron Freemantle,

Show Secretary, has a sheet of handy

hints and rules for anyone who wishes

to make the most of their exhibits.

Go on! Have a go! Schedules will be distributed with

“Village Life” and extra copies can be

obtained from:

The Crown Inn, Northwold

or from Sharron at 17, Church Lane,

Northwold. Tel. 01366 727675

Sharron Freemantle

IF YOU DID NOT GET

YOUR SCHEDULE IN THE

VILLAGE LIFE AND

WOULD LIKE ONE PLEASE

CONTACT

SHARRON FREEMANTLE

NORFOLK WILDLIFE

TRUST

Make it a date…

Norfolk Wildlife Trust has produced a

toolkit on how to record wildlife. To

support the toolkit we will be running

six workshops on the basics of wildlife

surveying. If you are part of a wildlife-

related community group, if you help

manage a piece of land for wildlife con-

servation or you are interested in setting

up a wildlife group in your parish why

not make a date in your diary and come

along to one of these workshop?

Putting local wildlife on the map:

A wildlife recording workshop for vol-

unteers, parish projects, and community

groups on recording wildlife in your

local area, organised by Norfolk Wild-

life Trust.

When? Saturday 15 May - 10am-1pm

Where? Holt Hall Field Study Centre

When? Sunday 16 May - 10am – 1pm

Where? Saxlingham Nethergate

When? Tuesday 25 May - 10am – 1pm

Where? Barton Turf Adventure Centre

When? Wednesday 2 June - 7 – 9pm

Where? The Green Quay, King’s Lynn

When? Thursday 3 June - 10am – 1pm

Where? The Assembly House

When? Tuesday 8 June - 10am – 1pm

Where? Ecotech Centre, Swaffham

m

These workshops are free and include a

copy of the 200 page parish wildlife

survey toolkit. However, booking is

essential and will work on a first come, first served basis. To book or for

further information contact Norfolk

Wildlife Trust: email

wild@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk or

phone 01603 598333.

Bookings to be made by

Monday 10 May 2010.

Gemma Walker

Wildlife & Community Officer

HAMISH’S BOWLS CLUB

FOOTBALL

PONTOON RESULTS FOR

LAST SEASON

14.11.09 - 21.11.09

1 Winner A. Doughty - £26

28.11.09 – 19.12.09

1 Winner P. Coley - £52

26.12.09 – 09.01.10

2 Winners J. Eyles & D. Rust - £19.50

each

16.01.10 – 30.01.10

1 Winner R. Barnett - £39

06.02.10 – 13.02.10

1 Winner G. Askew £26

20.02.10 – 06.03.10

1Winner S. McCabe £39

13.03.10 – 27.03.10

1 Winner P. Rust £39

03.04.10 – 10.04.10

1 Winner P. Askew £26

BUS INFORMATION FOR

WHITTINGTON

Coach Services No.28 - Brandon – King’s Lynn

Tuesday’s only

Whittington Bus Shelter @ 09.52

Leaves King’s Lynn @ 14.00 No.40 – Thetford – King’s Lynn

Monday – Friday

Whittington @ 09.59

Leaves King’s Lynn @ 13.10, 16.00 or

18.00

(non College day @ 16.15) Please note there is extra bus on Tues-

day’s - Market Day, @ 09.35 Pick- up

Points as above.

Leaves King’s Lynn bus station @

1.20 pm (or as above) Saturday

Whittington @ 10.00

Leaves King’s Lynn @ 13.10 or 16.30 Eagles Coaches Whittington – Downham Market

Friday’s only

Whittington @ 09.26

Leaves Downham Market @ 11.40

Pick-up Point: where the bus drops you

when you arrive For further information please speak with

the bus drivers or contact the following: Travel Line – 08712002233

Coach Services – 01842821509

Eagle Coaches – 01760725392 or

01760755641

Page 3

MARK ROBERTS Plumbing & Heating

Plumbing & Heating • Boiler Replacement Central Heating Installation

Bathrooms/Showers • Water Softeners

ALL WORK & MATERIALS GUARANTEED REFERENCES AVAILABLE

Telephone 01366 727344 Mobile 07887 646587

Interior & exterior painting, wood or UPVC facia boards

Guttering repaired, cleaned, replaced Roofing repairs, damaged tiles replaced

imney pots & cowlings fitted Chimney stacks and general re-pointing

Blocked drains & sinks cleared General plumbing & drainage

Roof, patio & driveway pressure washing Trees & conifers trimmed or removed

Hedges, bushes and ivy trimmed Fencing & decking, landscape maintenance

TELEPHONE 01842 810816

Derek Johnson PROPERTY & LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE

Mobile Beauty Therapist (Female clients only)

Relax and unwind in the comfort of your own home!

Offering a wide range of beauty treatments Gift vouchers, pamper parties

& packages available For a price list or appointment,

please phone Suzanne

01366 728192 or 07730 550415

Mill House Farm PorkMill House Farm PorkMill House Farm PorkMill House Farm Pork

Traditionally cured bacon and parma-style ham now available. Frozen sausages available year-

round. Pedigree British Saddleback

weaners for sale

Call Gill for details and prices

01366 727679 / 07810 41237101366 727679 / 07810 41237101366 727679 / 07810 41237101366 727679 / 07810 412371

NORTHWOLD

BOWLS CLUB

The green will be open mid April,

new members will be welcome, young

and old, boys and girls. Tuition will be given by the club

members.

For information contact: Mr. B. Barlett 727250

Mr. T. Cater 500313

Mr. R. Preston 728694

PC Repair and Care

01842 810853

Mobile PC Service Virus Checks & Removal Internet Security Repairs & Upgrades

Computer Setups Internet Connections Training Sessions Program installations

Georgina Sims

VILLAGE HALL QUIZ

The Northwold Village Hall Committee

held their 4th annual quiz on Friday 16th

April with 18 teams competing. The hall

was packed and there was food provided

during interval. The winners of the eve-

ning, who will now hold the coveted

cup, were a team from Shouldham. The

runners up were Biggles and Busters

Buddies. There was also a raffle and the

total profit of the evening was a mag-

nificent £550 which goes to the village

hall. A good evening was had by all!

JOHN BURTON

MOBILE LIBRARY

Calls in our village on a Thursday, nor-

mally every 3 weeks and stops at the

following:

Arrival Depart.

Time Time

Inghams Lane 13.35 14.00

Tile Centre 14.05 14.30

Manor Place 14.35 15.00

School 15.05 15.20

Council Houses 15.25 15.35

Bulldog Garage 15.40 15.55

Little London 16.00 16.20

SPONSOR THE

PLAYTEX MOONWALK

2010 FOR WALK THE

WALK UNITING

AGAINST BREAST

CANCER

We are trying to raise as much money as

we can for this great cause. Please click

on this link to visit Caroline’s very own

fundraising page to find out all about it.

Please dig deep to sponsor us. It only

takes a few seconds.

Spread the word and send to as many

people as possible.

You can visit Caroline’s fundraising

page at :

http://www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/

northwold_moonwalkers

Thank you very much.

Caroline Whiting

And

Tina Billmen

Page 4

PR. Bowers & Son Funeral Directors

24 Hour Service

Tel 01366 727432 Upholding Traditional Family

Values of Dignity & Respect

Memorials.

Floral Tributes. Funeral Plans

WHAT DOES THE DOC-

TOR THINK THIS

MONTH?

sent when he hired the car but he had not

been assiduous in his own pre-hire survey

of the vehicle.

When I picked up my car this time, I was

told that the Car Hire Excess was £1,250

(a vast increase from past times) and that I

could insure this amount for a one-off

payment of £210 (£15 a day). I declined,

drove carefully and was fortunate enough

to escape any extra charges.

With an eye to the future, I did some

homework. It is possible to take out Car

Hire Excess Insurance which insures the

policyholder against all the above

“excess” charges. A policy for one year

costs £49 for Europe or £109 for USA,

each covering up to 31 days rental per

annum. I have bought a policy from insur-

ance4carhire.com (0844 892 1770), who

pioneered this form of insurance, but there

are several companies offering these poli-

cies.

Premium rate telephone numbers: This

is a reminder from a previous article a

couple of years ago. If you need to contact

a company or a utility and they offer you a

premium rate 0870 number, go to

saynoto0870.com and enter the number

into the box provided. You will then be

given an ordinary land line number or,

This month’s article is full of “bits and

pieces” and I hope you all find something

to inform you and that you enjoy it.

Madeira: Deannie and I spent the last two

weeks of March in our humble timeshare

in Madeira. They have had a terrible win-

ter and we caught the last week of such

weather (what do we do today – read, go

to the supermarket, visit the cinema, top

ourselves?) before the weather changed

and the glorious sunshine took over. Of

course, two weeks before our visit, there

had been terrible landslips with thousands

of tons of rock, rubble and mud pouring

into the main town and port, Funchal, with

terrible devastation at some places inland.

However, the Madeirans have worked flat

out and, to the casual tourist, there is now

very little sign of the problems. They have

gathered up all of the rocks and gravel

which poured into the town and have used

it to reclaim a large area from the sea in

the harbour and, no doubt, this will form a

car park or be put to some other use.

Inland, the rivers are full of heavy equip-

ment, smashing rocks and using all the

materials which came down during the

disaster to make new roads to replace

those roads which were washed away.

Any of you who have been thinking of

visiting Madeira but have not yet done so

should do so now. Bookings for Madeira

have “fallen off a cliff” since the disaster.

Prices have been slashed and it is now

possible to have a week in a three star

hotel, including flights, for about £150. Of

course, there are no beaches and most of

the tourists are over 60 years old so it is

really quiet. The Levada walks are real

fun if you are looking for activity, ranging

from “easy” to “vertiginous”.

Car Hire: We always hire a car for our

two weeks in Madeira and for weekends

away – booked well in advance, a small

car is very reasonable and works out

cheaper than using taxis. The rental agree-

ment includes Collision Damage Waiver

and theft insurance. However, there is an

“excess” payment (the first part of repair

or replacement costs) which must be made

if the car is lost or stolen. This is known

as the Car Hire Excess. Also, you can be

charged for damage to tyres and wind-

screen. So, car hire can be quite nerve-

wracking as a passing lorry could chip

your windscreen, your car could be

scratched by others in a car park, and so

on. I once saw a man being charged £700

at Dublin airport for a chipped windscreen

– he was adamant that the chip was pre-

Page 9

The river Wissey ran its course as always.

The wind stirred the waterside tree tops

and several long dead branches creaked in

protest. A barn owl up there in the midst

stared out into the darkness. His perch was

sheltered so he just patiently watched and

waited as he did every night. With his

acute vision and the light of the moon he

could see every happening in the world

below. Day break was still many dreams

away but already it had seemed a long

night. A handful of bright stars twinkled

away and added to the classic setting. No

man or creature was afoot and thus the

picture was of an utter sleepy peace. A disturbance in the river startled the owl

but he merely repositioned himself and

stared at the spreading waves. They mul-

tiplied outwards and smacked into the

reed-beds and rocked a long forgotten

rowing boat. Over time fast growing

sedge had overtaken the mooring and hid-

den it from view. The owl became uneasy

and gave a string of hoots which echoed

out into the night. As if to answer a lonely

dog fox somewhere over the fields barked

away but soon all was quiet again. The

waves became mere ripples and then

faded away returning the river to a com-

plete calm. A weathered and wrinkled hand gripped

the old oars of the boat and pulled steadily

backwards. The large black shape slowly

glided out into the river with the oar

blades gently dipping into the water and

so it was until it just vanished! It didn't go

right or left, it didn't reach the other side –

it merely faded away! Our friend the owl

hooted again whereupon there was an-

other hefty splash from the river sending

more waves to the bank. Now owls, and

all our fur and feathered folk, have no

imagination such as ourselves and they

only see what is for real. In fright he took

to flight and with a single effortless flap

he glided away and was gone. The midnight hour had long passed but

full darkness still laboured. Suddenly the

wind strengthened and there was a sur-

prise spell of lightening with a single

crack of thunder that shook the ground.

The river became rough and crests grew

which travelled in wide bands down the

narrow length but there was no rain.

Clouds formed but when they overtook

the moon the wind lessened and all re-

turned to quiet - exactly as a night should

be. Dawn eventually commenced as light

slowly became obvious. Fish topped and a

water rat swam the width to the opposite

bank. An evergreen grebe appeared from

the reeds and proclaimed to the world

that small doesn't mean quiet! In the

margins the newly formed tight buds of

water-lilies hoped for a hint of the sun.

So another morning began. A mile or so away in a tiny village

churchyard our barn owl sat on the top

of a mossy and ivy clad grave-stone.

Everywhere nettles grew tall confirming

a total neglect. The owl was now desper-

ate and surveyed this highly probable

place for a fat field-mouse or similar for

he had been without any find all night

and hunger was becoming a real pain.

However, fear not, for he was soon to be

satisfied (and just by way of informa-

tion, the grave stone on which our owl

was perched referred to a local man, an

eel catcher by trade, who had sadly

drowned in the river Wissey on that

same day some 60 years ago!)

By Ivor Hook

ART @

Stoke Ferry Church A Free Exhibition

22nd May to 6th June

Open Every Day 10am - 5pm

Another exciting event by the acclaimed

local group "All Saints Painters". Around

100 new works demonstrate a wide range

of techniques and amazing creativity.

There are examples of wildlife; flowers;

local scenes; land and seascapes; still-life

and figure painting in a wide range of me-

dia including watercolours, pastels, acryl-

ics and pen and wash. There are also

unique greetings cards for every event.

The artists thank their patron, Kit Hes-

keth-Harvey for the use of his beautiful

church building with it's adjacent parking

and easy access for all visitors.

Everyone is welcome. Please come along

and support your local artists. Further de-

tails from Teresa Waller on 01366

501369.

I would emphasis that this exhibition is

not the annual Northwold Art Group

show which will be later in the summer.

As a separate group we have adopted

the name of the Stoke Ferry church.

Thank you in anticipation of your coop-

eration and support. I hope to meet you

soon and to welcome you to our exhibi-

tion.

Teresa (on behalf of

“The All Saints Painters”)

RIVER WATCH NORTHWOLD

WOMEN’S INSTITUTE

An evening entitled “Antiques Road

show” brought twenty-nine members of

NORTHWOLD WI to the April meeting.

Mr Barry Stevenson came from the New-

market area to talk to the group and

proved to be a very knowledgeable and

talented speaker. His interest in antiques

began in early childhood and inspired a

lifetime of visits to as many museums and

galleries as he could manage to fit into his

busy life. The enthusiasm for the evening

was shown by the large number of items

brought by group members for Mr Steven-

son to discuss. There were at least fifteen items of all

shapes and sizes placed on the tables,

ranging from a minute compass originally

sewn into the uniform of an RAF pilot, to

a large, and beautifully brass-ornamented

wooden stick stand. Mr Stevenson – who,

incidentally, was doing his 478th talk - was

able to speak about the origin and history

of nearly all the items. However, one

item puzzled him. This proved to be a

rare Persian incense burner and was iden-

tified by a member of the group who had

seen a similar object in a private collec-

tion of Persian artefacts. Mr Stevenson then judged the objects in

the order of his personal favourites. This

proved to be a difficult decision as all the

objects were beautiful in their own way

and most had a story behind them. The

object provided by Ann Howarth came

first, followed by Rosemary Crisp's and

then by Glenda Burton's. Mr Stevenson was thanked for his most

interesting and entertaining talk by Teresa

Waller and the group then enjoyed a deli-

cious supper – somewhat later than usual

– provided by Chris, Margery and Peggy.

The raffle was drawn and birthday gifts

were chosen from the Birthday Basket by

members whose birthdays fell in April. The Ladies who Lunched reported on an

excellent meal at NICO's of Swaffham

where they were served superb food and

were very well looked after. Their next

meal will be at The Squirrel's Drey at

Sporle. The next WI meeting will be held

in Northwold Village Hall on Monday

May 11th when the speaker will be Laurie

Steel who is a Storyteller.

Glenda Burton

Page 8

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It doesn’t seem possible, but we’ve just held our fourth Annual

Indoor Bowls Competition! Eve-

ryone thoroughly enjoys the buzz

and friendly rivalry. Normally, the

children play in pairs, but this year

we had some teams of 3, so that

everyone could participate!

The winners were:

Senior Cup

Winners: Louis Wortley and Kya

Raven

Runners-up: John Pearce and Lilly

Bowers

NORTHWOLD YOUTH

CLUB

Junior Cup

Winners: Callum Roberts and

Megan Billmen

Runners-up: Alice Ireland, Rhys

Davies and Louis Pryer A big thank you goes to Jill and

Tony Cater who kindly donated

the cups and who help Bernie

Bartlett run the competition each

year. Future events include a visit by

the Police who will be explaining

DNA, fingerprint techniques and

showcasing the Road Safety Unit

(Camera) Van. A drama workshop will also be

held at the Youth Club in the fu-

ture. These two events are open to

non-members of the Youth Club

– but SHARRON MUST BE AD-

VISED OF YOUR WISH TO

ATTEND PRIOR TO THESE

EVENTS. For more details call

her on 727675.

Northwold Bowls Club

100 Club Draw for

March 2010 D. Ghost £20

R. Carter £15

P. Rust £10

April 2010 Ron Knights £20

Sue Eyles £15

Mary Carter £10 These numbers were drawn by

Mr. Roger Preston There are a few places to fill if anyone

would like to join. Please contact Roger

Preston, Secretary of the Bowls Club on

727694.

Sylvia has been running this

draw for a very long time and

making much needed money

for the Bowls Club.

(PS – a gentle reminder to last year’s winners ... please return

your trophies ready for future com-

petitions. Thank you.) Steve Freemantle

Page 5

sometimes, a free 0800 number to tele-

phone.

Telephoning Airlines: To avoid the

automated systems and to talk to a per-

son, for EasyJet use 0871 244 2366 or,

for others, try

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel and enter

“travel cheat sheet” in the search box.

This lists telephone options for more

than 20 airlines.

School reports: These days, school

reports are politically correct and use

“computer speak” so they are relatively

unthreatening. The school I attended

(Birkenhead School) was a six full days

a week academic pressure cooker and

the school reports were all hand written

by the individual masters and were,

frankly, terrifying. The Daily Telegraph

letter pages have recently contained ex-

pupils’ reminiscences of those times and

some are reproduced below (none of

these was from my school reports – they

are secret!)

Unlike the poor, this boy is seldom with

us. At least his education hasn’t gone

to his head. This boy does not need a

scripture teacher. He needs a Mission-

ary. Give him the job and he will finish

the tools! His handwriting has improved

enormously – this has revealed his in-

ability to spell. He has an overdeveloped

unawareness. The tropical forests are

safe when this boy enters the woodwork

room for his projects are small and his

progress is slow. French is a foreign

language to this boy. This lad has use-

ful speed when he runs in the right di-

rection. When the workers of the world

unite, it would be presumptuous for this

boy to include himself in their number.

This boy suffers from insufficient mater-

nal neglect

Best wishes to you all

Ian G. Nisbet

NORTHWOLD TENNIS

CLUB Holiday makers staying in the village are

very welcome to use the court. There will be a charge of three pounds

per player, using the court for one hour. It

is pleasant to see visitors to our village

and the Club members would be very

pleased to welcome them to the court.

Please contact either myself on 728227 or

Veronica Hutchby on 728555 to arrange a

game We are also pleased to welcome new

members to our thriving Club, if you

would like to join or just have a go please

contact Beverley Young, our Member-

ship Secretary on 727656.

With best wishes,

Carol Sharp, Chair.

Yet again, we

have finally come

to the end of an-

other term and

enter the summer

term looking for-

ward to the sun-

shine and being

able to play out-

side more! Al-

though unfortu-

nately we have

had some issues over the Easter holidays

that yet again involve a small minority of

members of the village. Before the end of

term we entered the outside area of the pre

school, a little upset, as we discovered that

somebody had been tampering with the

gate (that is padlocked at all times) in the

corner of the fence. In which it had totally

been pulled of the hinges and pushed

down. As we at the pre school have to

follow certain fire regulations and rules,

this gate is used as the main fire exit for

the children and staff to get out safely

when we are in the outside area. As you

can appreciate we need to be out in sec-

onds rather than minutes. But because of a

small group in the village, we now have to

have a chain and padlock to secure the

gate from unwanted trespassers, which

may delay our time getting out.

We thought our problems may have

stopped there but no. During the Easter

break, it has come to the attention of staff

(that I would like to add went in volun-

teering to clean up the toys and outside

area.) yet again, valuable toys have been

vandalised by intruders. The children's

beloved wooden train table has been dam-

aged (which now has to be fixed using

somebody time and effort) and their plas-

tic bench that is valuable to the children

for increasing their social skills as they all

enjoy sitting round it chatting, has been

broken and is unfixable.

As we here at pre-school spend a lot of

time raising money, and have recently

been quite successful in some fundrais-

ers. It becomes quite disheartening do-

ing all this work for the benefit of the

children, so we can give them lovely

new toys to start their educational future

and then a group of people have to come

and ruin it with no benefit to themselves

and just causing heartache to small chil-

dren. We are pleading to these villagers

to think about what they are doing and if

everybody could please keep a special

eye out for anyone that may be acting

suspiciously around the Fendick field

and the pre-school. If there is any more

damage to the pre school and equipment

the police will have to be notified.

Thank you for reading and hope every-

one enjoys the sunshine.

All @ Little Normans.

Page 6

pipe at the Playing Field. The me-

tering of water at the Playing Field

will need to be discussed as soon as

possible. It is felt those who use

water at the Playing Field ought to

contribute towards the water used. Clerk’s Report

Contact has been made with the motorist

who damaged the fence at the Old

Chalk Pit. He is to make arrange-

ments to repair the fence.

Notices have been displayed in the par-

ish stating the vacancy on the Parish

Council can now be filled by co-

option and volunteers are invited to

apply in writing to the Clerk.

Two tenders have been received for

grass cutting in the parish for 2010.

This matter will be an agenda item

for the March Parish Council meet-

ing.

An e-mail has been received from the

Environment Agencies Operations

Delivery Team Leader based at

King’s Lynn who is responsible for

maintenance activities carried out

on the Northwold stream. Weed

control maintenance has been car-

ried out downstream of Northwold

from the mouth of the River Wissey

to the point where there is no longer

access for the tracked excavator.

This ensures that water flows

quickly away from Northwold. A

large blockage has been removed

which was the cause of high water

levels and two large fallen trees that

could cause a build up of debris will

be cleared as soon as the weather

permits. This year a thorough clear-

ing of the stream in the village will

be undertaken by hand. This will

include clearing any overhanging

branches. Water levels are moni-

tored on a daily basis in the vicinity

of Northwold and all levels have

been normal for the time of year.

The Parish Council public liability in-

surance covers anyone using Parish

Council facilities but does not ex-

tend to cover the Bowls Club in any

other way. Pride in Norfolk will remain an agenda

item as there is a need to agree

how to spend the £400 allocated

from this fund.

Mr. George attended a meeting on January

27th regarding the provision of

affordable housing. A Housing

Needs Survey was undertaken

around three years ago and it was

suggested this should be repeated

to gauge whether needs have

remained the same. There are

presently thought to be six fami-

lies in Northwold eligible for

affordable housing and four in

the adjoining parishes. It is

planned to hold a drop in session

on April 7th in the village to out-

line what is meant by Affordable

Housing and see what interest

there may be for provision of

such accommodation. Proposals

will be published in the Village

Life and the Village Pump.

OPEN FORUM

The dog bin on the corner at Riverside has

been damaged. Mr. Ian Harper of-

fered to undertake a temporary repair

and the matter of replacing the bin

will be an agenda item for a future

meeting.

It was noted that rent on the garden land

next to the cemetery is due in March.

Rental agreements need to be drawn

up with tenants.

It was reported by a member of the public

that the river should be dredged once

arrangements have been made to sus-

pend the electricity supply to allow

the dredger to safely pass underneath

the electrical wires.

A request has been made for a reduction

in the speed limit to 30mph between

Little London and Northwold. This

matter has been raised before and it is

thought unlikely this will happen. 6. The following payments were

agreed: MHB Services (street lighting mainte-

nance x3 ) £148.28

E.on Energy (street light electric x2)

£287.88

Village Hall Committee

£10.00

Adventure Playgrounds Ltd

£6748.00

Allianz (insurance for play equipment)

£195.69

Internal Audit

£180.00

Clerk’s salary (Nov., Dec,. Jan.)

£320.49

Anglianwater

£217.53

Car scheme

£129.30

‘Harness your own internal power’ At times everyone can feel low and if this continues it can build up as ‘stress’

moves in. We often make the mistake of thinking ‘that’s life’ we have to put up

with it. Taking away our ‘joy of life,’ as we look to gain comfort from the emo-tional pain, we may experience this in a number of ways.

This could be:

Inability to concentrate/focus Disruptive sleep patterns/anxiety/emotional/tearful.

Constantly on the go/Sickness from work/Irritable bowel syndrome/Weight gain/ Diseases Aches and pains/Feeling of Loneliness even in the company of others/Poor relationships with self and others

Deep down you know life should be better. You can take the next step to living the life you deserve by contacting

Sue Leet for an appointment in Northwold now 01366 727782

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MINUTES OF

NORTHWOLD PARISH

COUNCIL MEETING

HELD AT THE VILLAGE

HALL

TUESDAY FEBRUARY

2ND 2010

Present: Mrs R Crisp, Mr D George, Mrs

V Lynch, Miss A Muir, Mr J Norris, Mr

M Peake, Mr M Roberts, Mrs T Waller. 3 members of the public Mrs Crisp apologised that no Parish

Council meeting had been held in January

due to the bad weather conditions. 1. Apologies for absence Mr M Wells 2. Declarations of Interest

Mrs V Lynch declared an interest in item

8.1. 3. The minutes of the meeting held on

01/12/09 were agreed as a true record. 4. Matters arising from previous meet-

ings

Miss A Muir attended planning training in

January and is booked to attend an-

other session on March 5th. 5. Reports

5.1 Chairman’s Report

Anne Howarth has spent many hours

working on the update of the burial

records for the cemetery. Several er-

rors have been corrected and the Par-

ish Council are grateful for the hard

work undertaken by those endeavour-

ing to ensure the burial records are

rectified and up to date.

Northwold application for funding to-

wards new notice boards has been

short-listed in the Norfolk Associa-

tion of Local Councils Your Parish

Your Decision awards project. Repre-

sentatives from the village will attend

an event on February 20th to present

their idea to a voting audience. If suc-

cessful grant funding will be released

for the new notice boards.

Mark Roberts was thanked for the work he

carried out to repair a leaking water

Page 7

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E.on Energy (street light electric x2)

Village Hall Committee

Adventure Playgrounds Ltd

Allianz (insurance for play equipment)

Internal Audit

Clerk’s salary (Nov., Dec,. Jan.)

Anglianwater

Car scheme

Support

Notice of Decision – Permission granted

to remove condition 3 of planning permis-

sion DM 6634 to allow property to be

occupied without agricultural residency at

Winyards, Methwold Road 09/01650/F Further reports

A request was made to investigate the

possibility of obtaining a 40mph speed

limit and flashing Vehicle Activated Signs

at Whittington Hill.

Grit boxes were requested for both ends of

Church Lane, Whittington – to be an

agenda item for a future meeting.

The playground sign at Whittington needs

to be put back.

It was suggested that information regard-

ing the role of the Parish Council could be

published in the Village Life magazine.

Names and addresses of Councillors are to

be included in the next edition. It was

requested that Councillors details should

be published in Stoke Ferry pump also.

NORTHWOLD CARE

GROUP

Northwold Care Group enjoyed their

Easter lunch on Monday April 12th.

Twenty members were present and these

included Janet, Lynn and Percy who had

all recently had a spell in hospital. It was

good to see them out and about again.

Next month's lunch takes place on Mon-

day 10th May and on the menu this time

will be shepherds pie, mixed vegetables

and gravy followed by rhubarb crumble

and custard not forgetting, of course, a

glass of wine and a cup of tea or coffee –

all for £2.50. If you would like to join us

please ring Glenda on 727018 for more

details.

Glenda Burton

7. Correspondence

7.1 A letter has been received from

Mr. I. Harper regarding the accuracy of

the minutes of the Parish Council meet-

ing held on November 3rd 2009. It was

noted that Mr. Harper felt reporting of

item No. 17 was inaccurate. Correct

procedures at meetings are followed but

acknowledgement was made by Coun-

cillors that formalities were perhaps not

adhered to on the occasion in question.

7.2 Boundary Committee Structural

Review of Norfolk – latest update

7.3 NCC top priority Salting Routes

7.4 Development Services Newslet-

ter – http://www.west-

nor-

folk.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=24831

7.5 Street lighting policy – introduc-

tion of part night lighting

7.6 LDF Core Strategy – Proposed

Submission Document

7.7 Letter from Mr. Cator regarding

the water bill for the Playing Field

It has been suggested that two water

meters should be installed at the Playing

Field and quotes will be obtained for

this. The Bowls Club is still to pay a

contribution to the water bill.

7.8 Northwold Tennis Club has re-

quested permission to plant a hedge

along the length of the tennis court on

the side of the cricket field to act as a

windbreak. It was agreed this should be

allowed. 8. Planning

Mr. M Peake took no part in discussion

relating to agenda item 8.

8.1 Two storey extension to dwelling

at 11 Pinfold Lane 09/02090/F

09/02090/F

Support 8.2 Internal alterations to existing

second floor bedroom to form new en-

suite shower at Sycamore House, 43

High Street, Northwold 10/0007/LB

The bank balance stood at £10254.25 on

January 14th with the above cheques to be

issued.

6.1 It was agreed to make the final

payment of £6748.00, as listed above, to

Adventure Playgrounds. Discussion took

place regarding the latch on the gate to

the new play equipment and Mr. Roberts

offered to look at the latch with a view to

removing it. If it is deemed necessary to

fit a latch to the gate this will be under-

taken.

6.2 Neither original nor current lease

agreements seem to exist between the

Parish Council and the Sports & So-

cial/Affiliated clubs. However, it is indi-

cated in past records that a new agree-

ment would be due in 2010. Legal assis-

tance may be needed to draw up new

agreements and Norfolk Association of

Local Councils will be approached for

advice. It was agreed the best way for-

ward would be for all parties to meet to

discuss what would be wanted in any new

agreements.

6.3 The 2007/08 and 2008/09 Annual

Return forms were completed as appro-

priate. It was agreed that a covering letter

from the Parish Council will be submitted

to the external auditors with the Annual

Returns explaining the Councils re-

sponses. This will be supported by a letter

from the internal auditor. Present Coun-

cillors are not able to confirm the budget-

ary process was adequate and this will be

conveyed in a letter to accompany the

Annual Return forms to be submitted to

the External Auditors.

6.4 Mrs. R Crisp and Mrs. V Lynch

are cheque signatories for the Parish

Council bank account and it was agreed

that Mr. D George would replace Mr. S

Freemantle as the third signatory.

6.5 Arrangements relating to the lease

of the Constables Charity land at Stoke

Ferry need to be reviewed and this will be

an agenda item again for the March meet-

ing of the Parish Council. A new tenant

agreement may be needed and an accept-

able rent for the land needs to be set.