Issue Number 196 - January 2013

Caston School New Year Bingo

Thurs 24th January
Doors Open 6.30pm, eyes down 7pm, lots of great prizes and cash to be won.

Town Team's Christmas Market

Wayland News digital on www.waylandnews.com

Town Team Chairman, Chris Edwards, presents Christmas Crawl winner Thelma Marsham her 400 worth of High Street vouchers The crowds turned out to the Christmas Entrepreneur's and Charity Festive Market in Watton High Street on the 15th December. Father Christmas paid a call to check up on whether he had the correct details for all the children in the area and also met some of them in his temporary Grotto in the Clock Tower while the Salvation Army band played Carols underneath the Christmas Tree in Chaston place. The charity stalls have reported a good attendance and all have raised some useful money to put towards their aims and objectives. In the afternoon, Watton Churches Together started the Town Carol Service in Chaston Place by the tree, before moving to the Sports Centre. The Town Team Christmas Crawl was won by Thelma Marsham and she received vouchers to be spent with High Street Business in excess of 400 and more than 20 children will be recipients of a Pirate's Chest consolation prize. Watton Town Team Chairman Chris Edwards said Today has been a really good day with lots of people coming out, Father Christmas and the band playing. Our High Street doesn't always get good press Davis Gibb, and last but no means least, Chris O'Connor. To all the regular club and other organisation's correspondents I also offer a special thanks. It is not easy to write something interesting month after month but you all manage to do exactly that. Another thank you to the very nice ladies and gentlemen in Peterborough at Sharman & Co, especially Jackie, Julie and Mark, who bend over backwards to help me every month. I am constantly amazed at the speed they are able to print the paper, turning the job round in hours, and do it at a price that makes it economic to continue and a quality that makes it worthwhile. coverage because of events this year, but today has shown that the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in Watton. The Town Team have done a marvellous job getting this and our other markets organised and turning out on cold mornings to get the stalls up and then later on down again, but I would pay special tribute to Beryl and John Bunning who have worked harder than most to make sure all goes well. And thanks to Jan at the Wayland Partnership for her support of Town Team. Mr Edwards concluded We have already started planning events for 2013, and it is going to be a busy year! Finally, to the advertisers who in the end pay for all this, and to you dear readers, the reason all this done, thank you. If you have glanced up at the top left of the front page at the Issue Number you will see it is creeping closer and closer to 200. By any standards I think this is quite an achievement and, assuming no disaster befalls us en-route, I hope to mark the event in an appropriate way. BUT I have no ideas about what to do! So, if you have any suggestions please pop in and see me as soon as possible. So here we go with Issue Number 196 and once again thank you one and all for your support. Julian

Thank you from the Editor

In the past it has been my custom to thank everyone associated with the production of The Wayland News in the December issue. This year the lack of space thwarted me! So, I would like to offer a very sincere thank you to all contributors, but in particular to the regular columnists Edith Pleasance (who has put her pen down for a while), Orbiter, John Egerton, Ken Knowles, Boy Sid, Lotta Potts, Rosalie

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Dance Away
at the Queens Hall
Ballroom, Latin and Sequence dancing at the Queen's Hall on 5th January 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. admission 4 No dance in February Dances on March 2nd, April 6th, May 4th, June 1st

Watton Troop The Blues & Royals Visit to Knightsbridge Barracks and the British Military Tournament

News

A big thank-you to all who was involved in making this trip possible especially Maj Charlie Meredith Hardy who hosted us and incidentally was the

Parade Marshall at the British Military Tournament. As you can see; we were lucky enough to have our photo outside No. 10 which was a big thrill for all of

us even though one of the Cadets was unaware who lived there. We are recruiting and if interested please contact Staff Corporal Robert

Gillbanks Troop Commander on 07929375911. Alternatively come along on Tuesday Evenings 19:00 21:15 Church Walk Watton.

Last Dance at the Queens Hall for Mike and Joyce Long

Ever wondered how you could support older people in your community?
This year Age UK Norfolk is celebrating 65 years of vital work supporting people in later life. We couldnt have achieved this milestone anniversary without the enormous contribution of our volunteers. Our dedicated volunteers make up over two thirds of the Age UK Norfolk team and the services we offer to support older people simply wouldnt exist if it wasnt for our valued volunteers. But we are always on the lookout for new volunteers and offer a variety of volunteering opportunities. Whether you are interested in fundraising, advocacy, admin, befriending or would like to become a charity Trustee there is something for everyone! Age UK Norfolk is holding a recruitment day at Watton Library, George Trollope Road on Monday 28 January 2013 from 10.00am to 3.00pm. Come along to find out more about what you can do to support older people in your community. Visit the volunteer page on our website www.ageuknorfolk.org.uk to find out more about volunteering with Age UK Norfolk.

On 1st December, dancers expressed their appreciation to Mike and Joyce Long for hosting over 30 years of ballroom dancing. On the first Saturday of each month since 1982 an evening of music and dancing has been presented by Mike and Joyce for the people of Watton to enjoy. Some

dancers travel from as far afield as Norwich, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds, and Wisbech to join local people on the splendid wooden sprung dance floor in the Queens Hall. Pictured presenting an arrangement of flowers and the proceeds of a collection taken on the evening is Mrs

Val Simpson who has formed a small managing group to continue the tradition. It is hoped that Mike and Joyce will be able to take a weekend break visiting a city of choice in the UK which is one of their pastimes. We all wish the couple a long and happy retirement.

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Ashill and Holme Hale Garden Club

Over 40 members enjoyed a festive Christmas Party on December 13th at Holme Hale Pavilion (pictured right). The afternoon started with a table decoration competition which attracted no fewer than 17 entries, all of a very high standard, and the members voted first prize to Sheila Malyon for a particularly artistic creation. The sumptuous food was prepared by Sue Saini and Vicky Maslen and the fact that barely a crumb was left at the end confirms how much the members enjoyed what they had to eat. Sue and Vickys efforts were warmly applauded when a presentation was made to them at the end of the afternoon. To earn their tea members were divided into six quiz teams by Chairman David Green and a hotly contested competition took place featuring a picture quiz on native wild flowers and questions on winter horticulture and Christmas generally. An enjoyably close competition kept everyone amused until the Fuchsia team emerged as narrow winners to claim their prize. It was a most enjoyable way to end Garden Club activities for 2012. The Chairman reminded members of the Annual Lunch on January 16th and the next meeting on January 24th when Graham Watts will talk about the development of his amazing Dale Farm garden in Dereham.

A Quick Look Round

by Orbiter Well, thats another year done and dusted, and what a great year it was! With the 60th anniversary of the Queens accession to the throne. and then the Olympics, it was excitement all the way, and if the Games were successful, the Paralympics that followed were even more thrilling. Unfortunately all the euphoria was to be dissipated by the goings-on amongst our political leaders, who continued to make the headlines with their tax avoidance dodges, while at the same time denouncing finance bosses for similar behaviour. Of course most of the trouble is caused by the complicated tax laws, which over the years have grown so excessive that even the Inland Revenue people cannot cope. While we may deprecate the fact that so many large companies do not pay what we deem to be a fair share of tax, if they act within the law we should not criticise them. It is up to the government to ensure that the laws are not at fault. It was a good year for democracy, for several ballots were conducted, such as that on the subject of the proposed Incinerator at Kings Lynn, where over 90% of the votes were against it, and for the electricity sub-station at Lt. Dunham, similarly turned down by a vast majority, as was the proposed re-siting of the bus station in Thetford. Despite the

adverse votes these projects will probably get the go-ahead when the appropriate Minister allows the appeals. Or else further ballots will be held until the voting goes the right way ! That is how democracy works. Having experienced the effects of the wettest summer in memory I thought it would be a good time to visit the local feature known as the Pingo Trail, and yes, these ancient pits were well filled. Transferring my perambulations to the Wild Life Reserve at E.Wretham I was rather surprised to find that Langmere, the famous water hole, was completely dried out, the birdwatching hide thus being redundant. I have been told that Langmere is well-known for this phenomenon, remaining dry in the wet season, but also tending to become a lake when all around is suffering from drought. No doubt some local historian will be able to tell me more about what appears to be a rather odd situation. About the time you read these notes the New Years Honours list will be published, and no doubt eye-brows will be raised when some of the names of recipients are revealed. Of course many of these people will have warranted recognition, but it might be thought that the whole system should be abandoned, since by the very nature of things many other equally deserving individuals will be overlooked. Perhaps only awards for outstanding bravery should remain, although even then other equally brave people would be missed out. As for medals for sports personalities, surely there is no justification for these at all. An important measure was discussed a few weeks ago, with the result that there will be no

women bishops at present. Surely their rejection must come under the heading of sexism. No? Can someone please explain why enquiries always last so long ? Conclusions have just been published regarding a crash involving Concorde which occurred in 2000, twelve years ago. It does not seem feasible that new evidence has continued to become available throughout that long period. Similarly delays in prosecutions seem to be excessive. Of course it is realised that the courts have so many cases to hear, but frequently trials are reported where the alleged crime may have taken place months or even years before, even when the defendant has been detained pending the outcome. My looks round have thrown up all sorts of items that I find hard to understand, and one that is most bewildering is in respect of railways and the cost of tickets. Apparently if one wishes to travel, say, from London to Bristol and the fare is about 90, if you take the trouble to take one ticket to a mid-point (about 20) and a second ticket from that point to Bristol (20), you can therefore, quite legitimately pay only 40 for the journey. How daft is that ? Furthermore having paid the full fare, should you decide to cut short your journey, you may be asked to pay even more for the privilege ! And there are so many different fares to the same destination, depending even on your method of payment, that the whole business of travel becomes a sort of lottery. Oh, for those old fashioned times when one would just ask the booking clerk for a ticket to wherever and the right ticket for the right price would be forthcoming with no hassle at all. Easy peasy.

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Did you know . . . ?

By Rosalie Davis Gibb the most famous scientist of the 20th century, Albert Einstein (right), a German Jew born on 14 March, 1879 in Ulm, Germany, didnt speak until he was four or read until he was seven, causing his parents and teachers to think he was slow, handicapped and anti-social? Having achieved poor grades in school he was told Einstein, you will never amount to anything and asked to leave. In fact he excelled at maths and science, taught himself geometry at the age of 12, wrote his first science paper at 16, gained his PhD at the age of 26 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Following his death in 1955 his brain was removed for research. These days Einstein would no doubt be classed a late developer. Paradoxically, it was his father, who thought his son a bit of a dunce, who sparked Einsteins lifelong passion for physics at the age of four or five when he showed him a small compass, the young Albert wondering at the mysterious force that caused the compass needle to move. As you will no doubt recall, Einsteins most impressive achievement was The General Theory of Relativity. Einstein was fascinated by the nature of light, leading to his recognition that light always travels at a constant speed, regardless of how fast the person measuring it is moving. However, to Einstein, time was an entirely different matter altogether. Whenever you ask someone What time is it? the chances are you would not expect them to reply That depends on how fast you're traveling. Thanks to Einstein, we know that the faster you go, the slower time passes. So a very fast spaceship, as featured in science fiction for decades, could well be a time machine to the future. It would take a spaceship travelling at 75% of the speed of light nearly six earth years to reach Alpha Centauri, our nearest star, but for the astronauts on board, the trip would take less than four years. If Einstein could have hopped aboard a spaceship traveling at 99 percent the speed of light in the year of his birth, he would still be in his late teens if he returned to earth today. Bizarre thought! Given that the speed of light is 299,792,458 metres, or 186,282 miles per second, todays fastest spaceships travel at only around 0.00004% of

this. Light takes about 8.3 minutes to reach earth from the sun, 1.3 seconds from the moon and 2.5 million years from the Andromeda Galaxy. And heres a thought worth contemplating the earth is travelling at 107,000 kilometres (67,000 miles) an hour around the sun. So if you are sitting still reading this, you are only still in relation to the earth. Relative to the sun, you are travelling through space very fast, known as relative motion. Einstein described the past, present and future as persistent illusions, since, in theory, one persons past could be another persons future. However, Einstein was not the first to have this idea. Galileo Galilei, the 17thcentury Italian astronomer, also had the same idea, expanded and refined by Einstein, resulting in his Theory of Relativity. The most famous equation in the world, Einsteins E=mc2, revealed a secret that had eluded scientists for centuries, that mass and energy are different forms of the same thing. Einsteins vivid imagination, ingenuity and curiosity more than made up for his perceived lack of intelligence as a child. Whilst on the subject of the mind, those of you with access to emails, facebook, etc may well have seen the conundrum doing the rounds apparently proving whether or not you have a strange mind depending on whether or not you can read this: 7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD, BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15. I obviously have a very strange mind since I can read it at normal reading speed! Translation is THIS MESSAGE SERVES TO PROVE HOW OUR MINDS CAN DO AMAZING THINGS! IMPRESSIVE THINGS! IN THE BEGINNING IT WAS HARD BUT BUY (spelt incorrectly I would just point out to whoever started this!) NOW, ON THIS LINE YOUR MIND IS READING IT AUTOMATICALLY WITH OUT (should be one word!) THINKING ABOUT IT, BE PROUD! ONLY CERTAIN PEOPLE CAN READ THIS. Im still waiting for expansion on what these certain people relates the Pentecostal Church for enabling us to hold our meetings there every month. We are extremely grateful to them. The first meeting of 2013 will be on Jaunary 14th at 10.15am. Our speaker will be Julian Horn, who will be talking about Bodney Camp and Watton High Street in the past. We are a friendly, informal, non medical group, with a variety of speakers and our members learn a lot from talking to each other. We extend a warm welcome to anybody new who would like to join us, newly diagnosed with

to! Most people can read it, the difference would seem to be in the speed that people can read it, which could be an indicator of intelligence rather than peculiarity, since the higher the IQ, the faster the neuron connectors in the brain, leading to higher speed of thought, computing information and recognising patterns. (Have you gone back to read it again in an attempt to gain a faster speed?!) Just as a matter of interest, to be a member of the high IQ society, MENSA, of which I am in fact a member, you must have an IQ of 148 and above (100 is average), which relates to approximately only 2% of the worlds population. Einstein wasnt the only late developer Charles Darwin was also considered unexceptional, gave up his medical career and was seen by his father as being lazy and too dreamy by far. Darwin wrote of himself I was considered by all my masters and my father a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect. Thomas Edison ended up with 1,093 US patents to his name but as a child was told by his teacher that he was too stupid to learn anything and that he was addled, thankfully ignored by his mother who taught him at home and obviously did a very good job. Beethovens first music teacher once announced that as a composer Beethoven was hopeless. On the entertainment front, an MGM talent scout wrote of Fred Astaire Cant act. Cant sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little. Steven Spielberg was rejected by the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television three times. Twenty five years later, in 2002, Spielberg completed his BA. So the moral of all this press on! and did you know one of Americas most famous Presidents, with a Norfolk connection, had only eighteen months formal education from several itinerant teachers, gained most of his knowledge from self-education and in his youth had a reputation for brawn rather than brains? But who was he? Answer in the next issue. Diabetes or a long term Diabetic. We also have to explain to any one new that John and Rod are best ignored! For further information please phone Helen, 01953 884713, leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Just a late item: I would like to say a big thank you to all the people who came to see us at the Festive Market. We raised 130.25 for our group and we are very grateful. Thank you also to the Town Team for arranging the Festive Market, they did a great job! A good time was had by all.

Diabetes UK News
Our last meeting of the year was the Christmas Party, with a guest appearance by Father Christmas! We were honoured that he could attend as this is his busiest time of the year. A good time was had by all, with plenty of good food and a very festive atmosphere. A presentation was made to Roger, Tina and Simon on behalf of the Diabetic Group as a thank you to

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Thetford Foodbank's delight at shoppers generosity

Organisers at Thetford Foodbank have been delighted at the genorosity show by shoppers in the run up to Christmas as they collected food at the two Tesco supermarkets in Watton and Thetford. Thetford Foodbank Manager, Ali James said We were absolutely blown away by the generosity of shoppers at the beginning of December. Some people even donated whole trolley loads of food! We're seeing a huge demand at Thetford Foodbank, particularly with our two new distributions centres opening in Watton and Brandon so the food donated by customers at Watton Tesco weighing in at 711kg and the 1173kg given at Thetford, could not have come at a better time. Thetford Foodbank would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated; Christmas is looking a little brighter for families in crisis as a result

Thetford Foodbank have distributed 3 days' emergency food to 656 local people in crisis (442 adults/214 children) since opening their doors on Christmas Eve in 2011. That's 7.2 tonnes of the 10.7 tonnes generously donated by people of the local community so far. They rely entirely on donations of non-perishable foods, funds and volunteer time to run this service and work in partnership with local professional care services for referrals. The organisation will soon be extending the provision to serve the communities of Watton and Brandon too. If you would like to give, they also try to stock some basic items needed for the household and toiletries, such as toilet roll, deodorant, 2 in 1 shampoo/ conditioner, shower gel, nappies, wipes, ladies sanitary items, razors, shaving foam, toothpaste, tooth brushes. For more information contact Thetford Foodbank on 01842 820825 (answerphone when unmanned), email info@thetford.foodbank.org.uk, or visit the website www.thetford.foodbank.org.uk Pictured are Thetford Foodbank Manager, Ali James and Tesco staff with donated food. very great numbers hereabouts. Also to be found are several bearing the name Gibraltar or Waterloo. OS also gives glimpses of the recent past by showing the routes of disused railways, which often have been turned into public footpaths, thus indicating suitable walks for those of us who are getting too old for strenuous climbing, since all railways feature fairly gentle gradients. Ruined churches and castles are also clearly marked, as well as those that are still in use, while monuments and other constructions that do not appear on other maps give added interest when studying territory not previously visited. With an all- over numbered grid OS can readily give an easily identified six-figure reference to any spot in the country, which can be a great help when meeting other tourists (provided they also have a copy) whether in towns or in the wilds of the most remote out-lying districts. Though they are long gone, I must record my thanks to those men, who, a hundred or so years ago, spent countless months measuring, observing and triangulating to produce the OS maps that have given so much information and pleasure to me and to all the other tourists who have used them ever since. Whatever sums I have spent on them have been repaid over and over through the years, since I have passed so many hours poring over their contents. Three cheers for OS.

My Friend OS
By Ken Knowles For the last sixty years or so, wherever in this country that I have travelled, OS has been my constant companion. I would not think of going away without OS, and I think it only right that I should record my appreciation of the excellent service I have received. Of course OS is just an abbreviation, the full name being Ordnance Survey, the wonderful creation that shows the whole of the British Isles in detailed map form. Of course there are other forms of mapping that are useful, such as the road atlases that are published each year by the RAC and the AA, the street maps that are issued for the cities and big towns, and the SAT/ NAV system, all of which serve their various purposes well. My favourite mapping medium is OS, but I like to use it as a means of fine tuning once I have reached my intended holiday area, the actual journey being planned with reference to the road atlas. SAT/ NAV is very efficient in picking out the most direct route, but does so in a most impersonal manner, and offers no alternatives, whereas study of the atlas enables me to choose what I feel might be a more interesting approach to a destination. For instance, when travelling from Norfolk to the west country, the road map will reveal various ways

to enable me to avoid the motorways, which, even when not subject to hold-ups, are simply boring race-tracks, whereas if I am going to spend a greater part of the day on the road, I prefer to make the journey a part of my holiday. Thus a study of the road map might show where there might be a good chance of stopping off for a pleasant meal, which would be too much to expect from the average motorway service station, or the prospect of an interesting tour through the beautiful English countryside. But once I have arrived then I rely on OS to help me discover the delights of the locality, for where the road atlas merely guides me from place to place, OS will reward a short study with all kinds of useful information. For instance, at a scale of more than one inch to a mile OS will show me the location of the best beaches, the local rivers, churches, forests, and interesting buildings, and by the means of contour lines, the position of hills and potential viewpoints. And, most important to me, it will indicate the positions of the many footpaths that are a feature of our countryside. From this information I have been able to organise many interesting walks for myself and friends over the years. At one time it was expedient to purchase a local OS map for whichever area where I might be staying, but with over 200 to choose from this can become quite expensive, so a good plan is to

borrow the appropriate ones from our excellent public library service. Though only a small selection may be available in the smaller libraries, the Norwich one offers a choice of the complete range, from which quite a lot of pleasure can be had from planning excursions, even before the holiday begins. Of course all maps, as well as SAT/ NAVs soon become out-dated when new roads or housing estates are created, but OS rarely becomes too affected by change, since such features as public footpaths are usually retained, even to the extent of their being bridged or tunnelled over or under motorways. One thing that OS shows up is the extra-ordinary number of farms that abound throughout the country, all of which are marked by name, and it is these names that spring so many surprises. I recently stayed on at a holiday lodge in Suffolk, located at a place called Red House Farm. Looking at the OS map I was amazed to see that within three miles were two more Red House Farms, and further examination showed this name to be repeated again and again. Equally abundant over Suffolk and Norfolk is White House Farm, and of course there are literally scores of Manor, Church, Home or Mill Farms, while a preponderance of Brick Kiln Farms throughout Norfolk gives a clue to the nature of the local subsoil. Rather surprising to me is the frequency that Walnut Tree Farm appears, since I am not aware that such trees abound in

Keep off the Ice!

Rosalie Davis Gibb As I write this on the 16th of December the day is sunny and bright. However, snow and ice is likely before the winter is out. Loch Neaton looks incredibly beautiful when sprinkled with frost or snow, but please DO NOT be tempted to walk out onto the ice, let alone skate on it. Last year several people were seen on the ice and we cannot stress enough how dangerous this is even if the ice looks thick it probably isnt and the chances of the ice breaking are very high, which could result in serious injury or worse. So please enjoy the view, but stay safe.

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The Wayland News wishes you a Happy New Year

New business start up support programme available in Wayland

A new programme of business start up support has launched in Breckland which will provide Wayland residents with practical support locally. Breckland Council has teamed up with Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services (NWES) to provide a suite of business support activities in the district with an emphasis on delivering practical support in Attleborough, Dereham, Swaffham, Thetford and Watton. The Enterprise Norfolk programme, which is funded by Norfolk County Council, will enable people to gain the necessary skills to start a successful business and receive ongoing advice and mentoring during the first year of trading. Awareness events will begin in Watton in January and will continue in the other market towns soon after that and people will also be encouraged to attend drop-in business support surgeries in Dereham and Thetford to find out more. Workshops and training sessions will then be scheduled in which will provide structured guidance on such things as how to write a business plan, self assessments, marketing and accounting. There will also be specialist advice on how to access other sources of funding and access to finance. Michael Wassell, Deputy Leader of Breckland Council, Executive Member for Finance and Democratic Services and Watton Town Councillor said: This is a unique opportunity for Wayland residents to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to start up a new business. Anybody with an idea that needs harnessing or who might need some advice or guidance in starting up, please get in contact with the programme. There will be practical support available here so it is important that residents take advantage of this opportunity. Richard Voisey, NWES Business Adviser working in Breckland said: We are delighted that we will be able provide our advice and training in the district as research has proved that businesses starting with our help grow faster and have more chance of surviving the difficult first few years of trading. To find out more about the Enterprise Norfolk programme please contact NWES on 0845 6099991 or contact Dan Cox at Breckland Council on 01362 656235 or dan.cox@breckland.gov.uk

The Wayland Recorder

There were many things that inspired the creation of The Wayland News and one of those was what I like to think of as an ancestor of The Wayland News, known as the Wayland Recorder. It was first published on 7th April 1977 and it was the brainchild of Keith Gilbert, then a well known photographer and now postman and Town and District Councillor. I asked Keith if he would mind me reproducing the first copy as a pull out souvenir in the build up to the 200th Birthday of The Wayland News. I am delighted to say that he readily agreed, and I asked him to explain how the Wayland Recorder came about . . . I moved to Watton in 1976. With my then wife and young son I had been staying in East Harling with my parents, after moving up from London. My parents had moved to East Harling when Jeyes, who my father worked for, moved to Thetford and I stayed in London. I always said that I did not leave home, my parents did. In London I did a lot of freelance photography work for the Recorder Group of local newspapers, which included the Ilford Recorder and the Newham Recorder. I had the plumb contract of photographing West Ham ever week, home and away. This gave me the greatest day in my professional life, when I was paid to go to Wembley to photograph West Ham winning the FA Cup. So newspapers were a big part of my life. When I moved to Norfolk I had no contacts and did not know anyone. I went to see John Kitson at the EDP offices in Thetford and immediately, on the strength of my press work portfolio, got a lot of work for the EDP and Thetford and Watton Times. Through that I met Graham Arnold, the PR man at Modus, and started to get a lot of work for them. Things were going well. Then things started to go downhill, with Modus in financial trouble and cutting down on the work I did for them, and then the EDP cutting back hard on freelance photography work. I had to find some more income. That is when I decided that a good idea might be to start my own local newspaper. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Although I had a lot of experience of the photography side of newspapers, I had never written for one. In fact I had never written anything professionally. I went round all the shops and as many businesses as I could and asked if they would advertise in a new very local newspaper. The response I got was terrific, They all seemed to think it was a good idea. They also seemed to like the idea of breaking the EDPs monopoly. The next step was to find a printer. Not an easy matter. Technology back then was not what it is today. I found a small printer in Suffolk who were really up to date with technology. They had a computer type set machine. There was no such thing as sitting at home and doing it yourself. It was not easy like it is for Julian (sorry Julian, only joking.) Every week I had to go to the printers in the morning and they would type it up, set it and then print it, and would bring the papers back with me. Of course I had to find the stories, after all, no stories, no newspapers. I also had to go round getting the advertising to pay for it, and, hopefully, pay me a wage as well. So, some how, the first edition was ready to roll. You can judge for yourself how good it was, because Julian has reproduced it here. I feel very proud that he has done this and that he feels that it was the inspiration for his now very successful Wayland News. It seems that it caught the imagination of the people of Watton. The first three editions were given away. There was no such thing as a free newspaper in those days, but I had to let people know it was there. Then came the moment of truth. Edition 4 went on sale. Would anybody buy it? There was a huge sigh of relief when they did. People seemed to like it. The big problem was the cost of production. Compared with now it was a much bigger percentage than it is now. I had some financial support from some very kind people in the town who appreciated what I was trying to do. Unfortunately the cost was too big and in the end I had to admit that it was not a commercial success, and I had to cease production. I had a great time doing it, and it helped put me on the map in Watton, the town I am now proud to call home. So, Julian, I am proud to think that I inspired you to start the Wayland News. Congratulations on the approaching 200 th birthday, and may the Wayland News go from strength to strength for years to come.

News

Shellrock Circle for Rocklands and the Surrounding Districts

Venue: The Village Hall, The Street. Rocklands
19th November: Members requested a trip to Highway Nurseries and this was very well attended. After our successful Christmas Bazaar on the 17th of November, we were able to achieve our goal of taking our members out to

dinner. Thanks was extended to the kind businesses in Attleborough who gave us items for our raffle etc. This year we went to the Dell Bowling Club in Wymondham whose staff was very accommodating to the requirements of our mixed group. Everyone enjoyed their chosen meal and the staff was given a round of applause. Our entertainment by the Busking Bargee was brought to an early conclusion as everyone wanted to get back home before it got too dark. 12th December. This was our last meeting of the year and unfortunately at this busy time of the year there were other events taking place, so some of our members were unable to attend. Others were at home in bed with the winter flu despite having had their flu injection. However, the children of Rockland Primary School came along to entertain us with an upbeat musical version of A Christmas Carol by Charles

Dickens. These youngsters certainly put their energy into singing and their enunciation was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed their performance and the children went off back to school with a small chocolate sweet as a token of our appreciation. The task was won by Irene Moore of Attleborough. Whats on in January. 9th Jan Shellrock Club meeting usual meeting time of 2pm till 4pm. We will provide our own entertainment . There will be no task for January. 15th Jan. Marions Lunch Club at the White Lodge, Attleborough. For further information ring Marion on 01953 483431. We hope that you had an enjoyable and happy Christmas and that the New Year will be good to you. New members are always welcome why not start the year right and come along to our club.

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The Wayland News Page 9

Harrand Quiz - Thompson Watton based entrepreneur remain champions

finds a new way to kill time

Joe Shepherd (right), founder of Arms of Chivalry, first came to our attention when he bought his business to the Watton Entrepreneurs Market in May 2012. Now he seeks to bring something new to the local scene. Joe believes that Watton has much to offer, and he seeks to add to that with a new Knight-club to be based at the Wayland Academy called Fight School. Fight School, he says, is a place were young and old, can come and train in the lost art of medieval combat, and an interpretation of swordplay from the 15th Century, along with the code of knighthood that is Chivalry. Joe has had a variety of training in swordplay and other weapons with different re-enactment groups since he was 16 years old. He looks back on those times with a fondness and wishes to give others the same experience. For as long as I can remember I have had a fascination with swords and how they were used. It was only after I joined my first re-enactment group that I realized how little I knew about them. Wanting to know more and more each time, I studied different methods until I found a 15th Century style that is easy to learn and very effective, both as a sport, but also as a fighting art as it was back in the day. Joe believes that the sword is an integral part of our history and heritage. If we dont teach these skills to the next generation, he said, they will be lost forever, and so will an important part of our history. Following his extensive research, and using evidence from historic fight manuals, Joe and Arms of Chivalry have put together a course that will teach an interpretation of these lost arts in a way that is both sport, self-defence and fighting art. Above all, I believe that the course that has been established will be intensive, physically demanding, but most importantly, highly enjoyable. Joe added. So, on the 9th and 10th of March 2013 at the Wayland Academy, Joe will be running the first of many courses and training sessions for ages 15 and over. The course will start at 200, with the option of buying your own padded clothing and polypropylene sword on the day. As an introductory package, Joe has created a starter bundle that will include padding and a free sword for only 288 including course fees and lunch on both days if you pay before New Year. Sessions will last from 10:00am-17:00pm on the Saturday, and 10:00am-15:00pm on the Sunday Training sessions after the course will happen on a once a month basis at a cost of only 30. Joe says, All those who complete the course, will undergo an official passing out ceremony and also will receive a certificate of achievement with the official Arms of Chivalry seal. All the money will be invested right back into Fight School, Joe said, in order to make it bigger and better. Eventually I plan to introduce metal weaponry of all descriptions, from swords, to axes, maces, flails and hammers, as well as plate armour, mail armour and period helmets for an authentic fighting experience. Places are limited to 12 applicants and the course needs a minimum of 6 for it to go ahead. Joe ends by saying, If you are a historical purist who wants to delve into a lost art, or an enthusiast who wants to know more about the weapons you collect, then come to Fight School and see as swords are brought alive in a way you have never thought possible. To enroll on a course please get in touch with Joe or any of the Arms of Chivalry Team on: info@armsofchivalry.co.uk or call 07828 007047

The Harrand quiz is held usually in November, between the four villages of Caston, Griston, Thompson and Stow Bedon with Breckles. The quiz has been held annually since 1982 in memory of Mr Jim Harrand who was a former Chairman of Caston Village Hall, Chairman of Caston Parish Council and a Church Warden as well as having been Deputy Head Master of Watton Secondary Modern School (now Watton High School). The 2012 Harrand Quiz was held in Caston Village Hall on Friday 23rd November when, yet again, Thompson ran out winners. They were six points ahead of their nearest rivals,Caston and Griston, who tied in second place. Thompson have now won the Harrand

shield for the last seven years in succession. The contest was fought out over eight rounds and questions covered a wide range of topics from Geography to Gardening and History to Sport. The spectator team also performed well. The quizmaster was David Blincow and the scorer was Alan Porter. The photographs show the captain of Thompson, Bronwen Tyler, together with team members Kate Winslow, Geoff Winslow and Leoni Paton, being presented with the winner's shield and certificates by Mrs Evelyn Harrand, the widow of the late Mr Harrand attended by the Chairman of the Village Hall Management Committee, David Blincow.

Did you know? December's answer

Rosalie Davis Gibb Most reported sightings of big cats are black panthers. However, this is most unlikely, but why would this be? More than half reported sightings of big cats in the UK are of black panther type cats, followed by brown or sandy coloured cats, believed to be pumas, then a small number of lynx type cats and a few of indeterminate species. Lynx only disappeared from the UK around 1,500 years ago, at the hands of man, but a few could quite easily have survived and been breeding and prowling every since. The chances of two of the same species meeting and breeding, other than lynx, is highly improbable, so recently spotted big cats would presumably have been released in recent years. The UK provides ideal habitats for big cats to survive, with plenty of space and food. In lean times, need for food would bring these naturally elusive predators into the open. It would be unlikely for most sightings to be of black panthers because strictly speaking there is no such species. They could, in fact, belong to one of a variety of big cats. The Felidae, or cat, family contains 41 animals in two subfamilies, Felinae and Pantherinae, which in turn contains the genus Panthera, containing four animals lion, jaguar, leopard and tiger the roaring cats. The cougar and jaguarundi (a small wild cat native to Central and South America, active during the daytime rather than at night) belong to the genus Puma from the Felinae subfamily. A black panther would mostly likely be a black, or melanistic, leopard (pictured) or jaguar mutant, due to spontaneous genetic changes or recessive genes surfacing, caused to too much inbreeding. Typical markings can still be seen at close quarters, but are hidden by the intensity of the dark fur, thus giving the impression of a black animal from a distance. Melanin is the primary determinant in the colour of the skin the more melanin, the darker the skin. Melanin also synthesizes vitamin D and protects the body from harmful ultra violet rays, explaining why people with pale skins are more prone to sunburn. Melanistic leopards are very common, especially in dense forests. Very rarely, black tigers can be found in Asia. The name panther has also been applied to black or darker versions of the the cougar, also known as the puma, mountain lion or catamount, although no cases of truly melanistic cougars have been authenticated. Most black panthers in captivity are melanistic lepoards. The leopard is the smallest of the four big cats. Tigers are the largest, followed by lions, then jaguars. And for the eternally curious like myself whereas nocturnal means active at night, diurnal means active during the day and crepsuscular means active primarily during twilight!

The Wayland News Page 10

WAYLAND CMA
January 19th Merv & Maria
Tel 01953 889 890 for details The Best In Country Music 8 til late

Entertained and entertained

News

On Sunday 2nd December 1st Saham Toney Brownies thoroughly enjoyed a trip on the Mid-Norfolk Railway Santa Special being entertained by clowns and seeing Father Christmas. We travelled from Dereham to Wymondham (and back again!). While on the train we visited Father Christmas in his Grotto and each Brownie was given a present. The clowns made parrots, dogs swords or hats using balloons and there was an inter-carriage singing competition. Our carriage came second! We were also served refreshments from a drinks trolley by Elves. On Monday 3rd December we went to Lime

Tree Walk and entertained some of the residents with a variety show. Some Brownies read poems, danced to music, one Brownie played Jingle Bells and Little Donkey on the flute, they put on puppet shows and sang Christmas carols and songs and four Brownies were brave enough to sing solos. The Brownies also mimed a play. The whole show was compered by one of the Brownies. They all hope to receive their Entertainers Badge at the next Brownie meeting. After we had finished we were provided with a feast of buffet food and drinks and given a donation of 25 for our

funds. The Leaders and Brownies would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Lime Tree Walk for all their hard work and making us feel most welcome once again this year. Brownies are for girls aged 7 10 years. If you know of someone who is interested in joining Brownies visit www.girlguiding.org.uk/interested or call 0800 1 69 59 01 Also use this contact for Rainbows (5-7) and Guides (10 14) or if you are interested in volunteering as a Young Leader or as an Adult Leader.

Some remarkable local women

Pictured Right Elizabeth Fry, Amelia Opie, Harriet Martineau, Anna Sewell, Edith Cavell ome of the remarkable women in past times have lived in Norfolk and the next WEA course to be held in Watton will look at the personal lives and public roles of seven of them who came from the Norwich area. From the medieval period we will look at Julian of Norwich, the anchoress who is regarded as one of the most important Christian mystics. She was born around 1342, lived for much of her adult life in St Julian's church in Norwich giving counsel to those in need, wrote a book which is thought to be the first book written in the English language by a woman, and died around 1416. Another medieval woman is Margaret Paston, who lived from 1423 to 1484 and whose family home was near the east coast of Norfolk. Her adult life covered the time of the Wars of the Roses, and she wrote letters to members of her family, many of which, with replies, still survive and tell us about their lives in those troubled times. From the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries we will consider Elizabeth Fry and Amelia Opie. Elizabeth Fry was born in 1780 and was a prison reformer and social worker. She was horrified by conditions in prisons and raised public awareness here and abroad of some of the problems. One of her admirers was Queen Victoria, who granted her several

audiences and contributed money to her cause. Amelia Opie married one of the leading artists of the day and was an author who published many novels. She was born in 1769, and, having become a Quaker in 1825, spent the rest of her life travelling and working for charities, dying in 1853. In the nineteenth century Harriet Martineau and Anna Sewell were also novelists. Harriet Martineau was born in 1802 wrote extensively on a variety of subjects, and is often cited as the first female sociologist, being particularly interested in political and economic issues. In contrast Anna Sewell's only published work was "Black Beauty", a novel still loved today. Finally we will consider Edith Cavell, who was born in 1865. Before the First World War she was a governess and then trained as a nurse at the London Hospital, but is best known for her death by German firing squad in the First World War for treason by helping allied soldiers. The tutor for the course will be Nigel Wimhurst. The course will be run by the WEA, the Workers Educational Association, which is an education organisation for adults over the age of 19, and runs courses all over the

country. The courses are interesting and enjoyable, with the emphasis on informal learning and discussion without any exams, so one can work at ones own pace and as intensively as one wishes. Fees are kept as low as possible; the WEA is a nonprofit-making body supported by funding from the Skills Funding Agency, and run by local volunteers. The course will be held at the St Johns Ambulance hall in Saham Road IP25 6AE. It is only 50 yards from Watton High Street so it is not far from the bus stops and easy to get to. There is plenty of space for car parking outside the hall and in the road. The course will run for ten weeks on Tuesdays, starting on 15th January at 2:00pm and will last for 1 hours. It will run to 19th March. The cost will be 50, payable on the second week, although people who are in receipt of income-based benefits or Job Seekers Allowance are not charged. Come to the first session without obligation and see whether you think its for you. Details of all local WEA courses are shown in a booklet which is available from the libraries, and you can also contact Peter Chappell on 01362 820641 for further information.

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The Wayland News Page 11

Watton Troop The Blues & Royals Norfolk Army Cadet Force Dinner Night and Awards
Our Inaugural Regimental Dinner Night and Award ceremony was a complete success and a great time was had by all. The event was hosted by Staff Corporal Robert Gillbanks and the Instructors and volunteers of Watton Troop and our special Guests were Maj Kenny Pickering (Officer Commanding CNE SQN) and his good lady Hayley. Award winner were as follows (back row left to right): Lcpl Chloe Chilleystone - Best Attended Cadet for 2012, Best Cadet Non NCO for 2012, Promoted to LCPL & awarded her 1 Star Badge. Lcpl Kara Sanger - Best Turned out Cadet of 2012; TPR Max Thompson; Best at Drill for 2012; Coh Jasmin-Alice Gillbanks - Best NCO for 2012 and recipient of the Bodney Shield; Lcpl Arek Brzezinski - Most Improved Cadet for 2012, Promoted to Lcpl and awarded his 1 Star Badge. Front row left to right; TPR Aiden Bunning - Awarded his 1 Star badge; TPR Jake Price - Awarded his 1 Star badge; TPR Liam Potter Awarded his 1 Star badge. My thanks go out to all who were involved to make this event the success it was, especially my wife Janice who was the backbone of the whole event. Staff Corporal Robert Gillbanks, Troop Commander.

The Inner Wheel in Concert and other news

If The devil makes work for idle hands there is no chance that Watton Inner Wheel ladies will get up to much mischief! Once again it has been a hectic month starting on Saturday 1st December with a Christmas Coffee Morning at the Queens Hall. Despite the sudden onset of winter, with strong winds and freezing temperatures, a considerable number of people came along to enjoy the various goodies on offer, these included home made cakes and preserves, Christmas decorations, household commodities and a large selection of second hand books. The Tombola did a brisk trade as did the raffle; the prize for which was a splendid Christmas Hamper. Upstairs the ladies were kept busy serving hot drinks and tasty cakes and pastries to a steady stream of chilly customers. As always, the support from the people of the town was tremendous. The Coffee Shop raised 137 for the Queens Hall Maintenance Fund, whilst the other attractions realised an amazing 422: 80 for charities supported by Inner Wheel. On Wednesday 12th December the Queens Hall was packed for another of the Inner Wheel Lunchtime Concerts. There was a sense of excited anticipation in the air as the audience streamed in to take their seats. This time the Concert was to be a bit different: the ladies

themselves not only prepared and served the food but also provided an entertainment entitled A Christmas Celebration thus adding to their already impressive list of achievements. Masterminded and introduced by member Brenda Davis, the programme included seasonal songs and readings, humorous verses and favourite Carols. Some Inner Wheel Husbands were also on hand to make valuable contributions to the event. After intensive rehearsals (often in very cold conditions) the ladies threw themselves into this new challenge with gusto. Their enthusiastic singing, and excellent reading of a variety of interesting pieces, engaged the audience from the very beginning and the atmosphere of warmth and friendship in the hall was almost tangible. The audience was encouraged to join in whenever possible and this they did with obvious enjoyment. Musical accompaniment was provided by June Garratt and Peter Cowling. A light lunch, served at the tables, followed the entertainment and a total of 500 was raised for charities supported by Inner Wheel. The members of the Club are always very grateful for the support given to its various events by the people of Watton and the surrounding area and send everyone greetings for Christmas and the New Year. See you in 2013!!

Breckland Funeral Services Quiz Night in aid of Nelson's Journey

Breckland Funeral Services held a quiz night on November 28th and raised 184 for Nelsons Journey, which is a charity dedicated to supporting bereaved children and young people throughout Norfolk. The quiz evening was hosted by Laura Stevens who also wrote all the questions, she was assisted in the smooth running of the evening by colleagues, Eirlys Johnson, Nicky Steward and Phil Starling. A fun night was had by all and it is hoped it may become an annual event. Eirlys and Laura wish to thank all who came along and so generously supported the event. To learn more about Nelsons Journey please visit their website. http://www.nelsonsjourney.org.uk

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News

The Wayland Recorder April 7th 1977 reprinted January 2013 by The Wayland News with the kind permission of Mr Keith Gilbert

News

Ovington Crower

In your Garden with Lotta Potts

January brings the snow - makes your toes and fingers glow. Thats the song anyway and it was ironic in the first place I think. Flanders and Swan or Joyce Grenfell? Younger readers probably wont have a clue. Anyway, up to the deadline in December we had rain, more rain, hard frosts, more rain, gales. All this has meant that anything put off for a while is still put off as the ground is way to wet to walk on. Unless things improve we will still be in the same state at the beginning of the year. Looking on the bright side, the shortest day has passed so more daylight hours are available to gaze miserably at the soggy drab mess that was a garden a few short weeks ago. This is as good a time as any to start on the learning curve. Some gardens will be open to visitors and if its dry go and have a look. The best gardens will have strategically placed evergreens, interesting shapes in twiggy bushes and trees with coloured stems and bark. Some also have heavily scented flowers. Some examples of trees and shrubs are Witch Hazel, Daphne (bohlua variety is also evergreen), Mahonias, Viburnums winter flowering honeysuckles, wintersweet. If you look down round the trees feet you may well spot early snowdrops, crocus tommasinianus, cyclamen coum and some irises. The Iris unguicularis (Algerian Iris) is really tough and will appear through snow. If the weather is forecast to be severe it will be better cut and put in a vase to enjoy indoors. With evergreen leaves that last all year theres no need to have a scruffy patch or to tidy it up - theres a bonus! On the other hand it takes a while to settle in and resents being moved. If necessary split up a crowded patch in spring. There are some clematis that flower now. Armandii is one of the favourites with a gentle vanilla scent. Oddly enough this variety grows very large in the right place and can become a thug, needing to be pruned with a chainsaw but at the same time is not as hardy as the cirrhosa varieties such as Freckles. If you do manage to visit an open garden dont forget that many of the design and planting ideas can be adapted to your own patch, however small. Most varieties of trees and shrubs have small versions that can be put into containers so you could reproduce quite a lot of the big ideas into small ones that will give pleasure for years and therell be at least one bit of the garden that will be at its best in winter. Now is a good time for a bit of retail therapy as many garden centres and sheds will have plants such as pansies in flower for instant colour and gives the gardener a lift. If the ground is frosty were back to the containers again (make sure yours are frost proof) until the plants can be moved into the ground later on. Its possible to carry out some tasks outdoors - repairs and maintenance mostly. On a dry still day with no frost forecast theres a good opportunity to refelt shed roofs. Yearly treatment or painting of timber is best done now while plants nearby are dormant and gets the job out of the way. At the same time its recommended that canes and wooden supports are treated as well. I dont! It does make sense, though, to slap a bit of preservative on the ends that go in the ground and things will last longer. Apparently this can be done by half filling a metal bucket or old tin can with preservative and standing the canes in it overnight. I suppose thats labour saving but still seems like a fiddly job for the perfectionist. On the other hand there are some essentials that need to be carried out indoors regardless of the weather. If you have a bit of heat in either the shed or garage (let the car out for a bit of fresh air) and a radio its quite pleasant to clean and sharpen tools that need attention. That would be all of mine then. If you can keep the bucket of water under control you could wash all the pots and containers that were going to be washed as soon as they were emptied. Did you do that? Well done. Check over stored fruit and veg (this should be done on a frequent basis anyway). If you are lucky enough to have a frost-free greenhouse water plants sparingly and with a bit of heat chit first early seed potatoes for forcing in pots under glass for really early new baby spuds, sow other extra early crops under glass, seeds of houseplants, tuberous begonias and tender perennials. Be warned, though. If you go overboard on this, specially if you have a heated propagator, do make sure theres enough room/pots to move the seedlings on as sure as eggs theyll be ready to go outside long before outside is ready for them. It pays to wait a bit but its so difficult. If theres no heat or no greenhouse, turn your mind to planning. If you have the skill (I dont) the best thing is to plan it all out on large sheets of graph paper so you know where all the boundaries are and which directions of the compass it all faces. You can also map out where existing plants are, well the visible ones anyway, and if you have taken a few photographs, pin these to the plan so you know what some of the invisible ones are as well. I guarantee that its impossible to remember! Next is to sort out the seeds you already have. Unless you have a huge garden or like growing lots of one plant you are bound to have seeds left over. I have some from years ago. It would be nice if the seedsmen could produce small packets of manageable numbers of seed for those of us not blessed with rolling acres. Now get out the seed or plant catalogues or go online and you will have whiled away several hours if not days. Beware. The bank manager will be watching. Thats about it really. Ah - two more things. I hope you all have a very happy and prosperous New Year but dont forget, if the weather is reasonable keep weeding.

The Wayland News Page 15

DEREHAM & DISTRICT

I thort ide betta git in arly an wish orl yew gud peepal the compelmints o tha season, cos I know boy Julian will be hossin abowt ter git tha ole Wailin Noos owt afore tha noo year gits a gooin. Waal how yer gittin on tergitha, hoop yar got yar winta droors on cos thas whooly cowld inna tha mornins o leart. Horrys bin a mobbin abowt tha corst o livin and rekkuns he ent sent owt noo Chrismus cards tha year, but hes arsd me to put a little ole bit in hare wishin yew orl yew wish yarselves, an iffen yew are inna tha pub oova tha noo year, yew ken pay him back fer orl his gud wishes by gitten him a pint or tew o tews. Yew hev bin worned. Hedda a larf totha day. Yew hev hard me tork of boy Jimma wot live nex door tew Horry, cor his a learzy yung chap, neva dew northin in his gardin, thas orl full o weeds and ole bitsa tackle. Horry he say tew him he say Thas toime yew tricolate thet up ole partna he say Tha ole weed seeds is orl cummin oova my teartas an sprowts, thas gitten parst o jook ole partna, yewl hefta dew suffin afore I gits suffin raw an gi yew a ding o tha lug This got boy Jimma orl of a mucksweat an he cum hossin rownd mine tew arsk wot he orta dew, he rekkuns he carnt dig cos hes gotta bad back. So I say ter him I say Yew orta git a pig I say Thetll git its ole snowt unda tha weeds and thetll sune put tha grownd tew rites, better than diggin Jimma goos oova tew ole Farma P and sez hed like wun of his pigs, but oonly iffen thas cheap. Ole Farma P wosnt born yisdy, so he gits Jimma a squity little ole pig thet warnt gooing tew meark eny munny at the slorta howse. Jimma gits tha ole gilt hoom an lets it lewse inna his gardin. Tha fust thing thet duz is hull tha worta bucket oova, an then roll obowt inna the mud thet meard. Jimma wos a gittin consarned cos thet warnt diggin up tha gardin. Duzzy fewl arsd Horry of orl peepal wot he orta dew. Horry thort abowt it an he say Thet ole pig needs tew go tew tha boar, thetll git har back to normal. Jimma ent best pleesed but gits his barra owt puts tha ole pig innit an tearks har back to Farma P and gits tha ole boar tew dew tha bizness. Wen he gits her hoom, Horry he say tew him. Dew yew look at har in tha mornin, an if shes eatin tha grass shes in pig an orl yar problims is oova Nex mornin Jimma looks owta tha winder an the pig is still rollin inna tha mud. Cor blarst he sware, I shell hatta teark her back agin So owt cums tha barra an back tew tha boar. Nex mornin tha ole pig is still a rollin in tha mud. Goo ta hell say Jimma, Not agin. So wunce mor the ole pig is put in tha barra an orf ta tha boar, who is probly gitten fed up by this time, but does the bizness anyoldhow. Nex mornin Jimma dassnt look owta tha winda an sez tew his missus Wos tha ole pig a dewin tha mornin gal She niva sed a word fer sum time, cos she wos larfin fit ter bust. Cum on gal wos she dewin, is she eatin tha grass? No she say Waal say Jimma Is she still a rollin tha mud? No, thet she ent say his missus. Tell us wooman he beg Wos happnin? His missus wos creased up, but she say. Shes sittin in tha barra Jimma ownt live thet down fer a while.. I rekkun he mite be hevvin pork fer his Chrismus dinna tha year. Horry is still larfin, so Jimma mite jist hev got away wi not hevvin ter dig his gardin tha year. Well fare ye well tergitha, an I hoop yew orl hev hed tha best Chrismus ever, an Ill see yew inna tha noo year. Happy Noo year ter orl onya an . . . De yew kip a troshin. Boy Sid

CAT ADOPTION CENTRE

Hoe Road, Longham, Dereham NR19 2RP Rehoming Cats and Providing Advice & Help With Neutering OPEN 7 Days a Week 11am to 3pm

Telephone . . . 01362 687 919

Bradenham & District Horticultural Society

There is no meeting in January. Our February meeting will be a special to start the new year. Our speaker will be Jim Paine from Walnut Tree Nursery at Rockland St Peter. His talk is entitled A Late Winter Talk. Jim has been to the Society before and has always educated and entertained us. If you havent been to a meeting before this would be a good one to start. It will also give you the opportunity to join us in March for our famous Beetle Drive and Fish Supper evening as booking is required for this one. The meeting will be held in the Village Hall on Thursday 21 February at 7.30pm All are welcome and if you have any queries please contact me: Marianne Kilmartin, Chairman. 01362 820744

The Wayland News Page 16

News

Caston Camera Club Art & Photography Exhibition

Caston Camera Club members were proud to support the Art & Photography Exhibition and Sale held at St Marys Parish Church Watton over the weekend of 17th & 18th November in aid of the churchs restoration fund. A total of 108 images were put on public display and were well received by visitors to the church. The images were all taken by amateurs and have featured in the past few months in the clubs bi monthly competitions judged by the East Anglia Federation of Photographic Societies. The photographic element of the exhibition raised 271 including the proceeds from the sale of some of the images all of which were donated by the photographers to church funds.

Could owning a dog be good for your health?

As an Osteopath, I am constantly trying to encourage people to get active! We all know that exercise is good for our health. But for many people however, the thought of joining a gym, going to a Pilates class, running a marathon or just moving more can be very daunting, especially if they are not used to regular activity. So, as the New Year fast approaches, ways to get fitter are grumbling and nudging the backs of our minds. I have a suggestion. Have you ever considered owning a dog? There is no denying the various health benefits to owning a dog. Regardless of your age or ability. Here is how a dog can make you healthier: Reduced blood pressure. Research has suggested that stroking and playing with a dog lowers blood pressure. A study of people who worked in a stressful environment revealed that high blood pressure was lower among those who were dog owners. A study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that male dog owners were less likely to die within one year after a heart attack than those who did not own a dog. Of course, you have to like animals for this to ring true as a fear of dogs would be more likely to have the opposite effect on blood pressure! Recovery from illness. It has been shown that dogs have the ability to help heart attack patients and patients who have a dog at home tend to live longer. Dogs can also serve as a loyal support system to bed-ridden owners as they provide them with comfort and companionship and that often results in a quicker recovery. Dogs have also been known to minimise the symptoms of diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers. Social enrichment. Dog owners tend to walk more and get more physical activity than those who dont. Dog owners are also more likely to explore their neighbourhood and take advantage of surrounding parks and sites. A study revealed that dog owners also have an increase interest in their neighbours and were more likely to be social than nonpet owners. There are many new friends to be made. A whole new world is there to embrace. Being active. Having a dog that needs walking twice a day is a great reason to get out of the house and get some much

needed exercise. Not only will you feel better but you are helping to improve your posture and fitness. You may also like to consider running with your dog. There are many safe, beautiful places in Norfolk to go and enjoy. Even if you want to take it to the next level, there are also Canicross (cross country) groups that meet regularly in East Anglia. Happiness. A dog can help us to cope with difficult situations in life such as pain and loss; they have even been known to help people suffering from depression. Some psychologists use pets in their therapy sessions as stroking an animal elevates serotonin levels in the brain. The unconditional love expressed by a pet can be a great self esteem booster and can work wonders against loneliness and isolation. Children with pets are healthier. There are many benefits to raising children with pets. Children growing up with pets have positive feelings toward them which can contribute to a child's self-esteem and self -confidence. Positive relationships with pets can aid in the development of trusting relationships with others. Experts believe that children who have good relationships with pets can also develop non-verbal communication, compassion, and empathy. Additionally, children that grow-up with pets have good health. According to various studies that monitor children at the earliest of ages, children who are exposed to pets are much healthier than children who do not live with pets. A Finnish study evaluated 375 infants (up to one years of age) that were born between the years 2002 and 2005 and lived with pets. The infants had fewer respiratory infections and needed fewer antibiotics than the babies who didnt live with pets. All of the above contribute to a happier healthier you whatever age or ability. So during the holidays, why not go and have a look around one of the many rehoming centres there are around and see if you can find the perfect pooch for your family. If you havent the time or the finances to own a dog , why not go and borrow one from a friend for an hour or so a week. There is nothing quite like the love of a dog and a perfect way to start the New Year. For more information on any of your health questions, why not call for advice. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy, Active, Healthy New Year! Sharon Gibbons BSc (hons) LSSM (dip) MSMA Osteopathic and Sports Injury Clinics Norfolk based at Watton Sports Centre. 07919401051 or email osteoclinics@gmail.com

Shipdham & District Book Group

For the discussion on 20th November members had been reading Family Album by Penelope Lively. Allersmead is a large Edwardian house which appears to be a perfect place to bring up six children. Alison is seemingly the ideal earth mother figure whose only ambition is to have babies; cook perfect meals and organise birthday parties and family holidays and events to a set pattern supposedly suitable for all from birth to late teens. Charles the academic father figure avoids most aspects of family life behind his closed study door. Ingrid a so called au pair who has been around for years helps with all matters domestic and later horticultural. The children grow up and scatter across the world returning one by one to the house that has guarded the family secrets, one more devastating than others. The book produced a mixed response. Most members were confused by the number of characters. Nobody particularly liked the parents and were somewhat bemused by the continued presence of Ingrid. As with so much of our reading we feel that all families are dysfunctional or is it that there would be nothing to write nor to discuss about those which are not? This led to an interesting discussion on the role of parents and sibling and parental relationships. This was probably not the most interesting or challenging book the group has read but was a pleasant change from one or two recent texts which have proved rather dark. Our December meeting on the 18th was a real break with tradition when for the first time in the seven and a half years that we have been meeting as a group the venue was not someones home but Kings Caf in Shipdham. We were provided with mulled wine, fruit juice and nibbles for the first part then afternoon tea with sandwiches, sausage rolls, mince pies, marzipan and cherry cake and other delicacies accompanied by tea or coffee. No member had to prepare the refreshments or wash up. The format followed our established Christmas custom whereby each member reads something of their own choosing whether prose or poetry, fact or fiction. These included: an account of medieval Christmas Customs; extracts from Little Women by Louisa M Alcott; amusing passages from the Yorkshire writer Gervase Phinn ; others from a short story by Alexander McCall Smith; poems including Jack Frost in the Garden , King Winter, The Innocents Song, The Crib, Christmas Dinner and much more. There was a great variety some being humorous, others sentimental and some reflecting the more serious side of the human condition, both historically and in 2012. For our first meeting of 2013 on 15th January we are reading Never the Bride by Mark Magrs. We hope that by the time you read this you will have enjoyed Christmas and wish all members and friends good health and luck for the coming year.

News

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pay no Council Tax, will have to pay something. I would be pleased to hear your views on this. My contact details are, telephone, 01953 880172, email, keith.gilbert@breckland.gov.uk and my home address is 39 Merton Road, Watton. I am always pleased to hear from you with your views and suggestions. On a totally different note I would like to talk about the fantastic state of amateur theatre in our area. To have three theatre groups in a population of our size must be almost unique, and the quality of the performances is shown in the audiences they attract. OK, I'm a bit biased as a member of one, but what a great year we have had. In September the Boo And Hiss Theatre Company, the one I am in, had a great hit with Up Pompeii, their seventh production. Then a few weeks later the Wayland Players, now over 60 years old, packed the Queens Hall for four nights with their production of Calendar Girls. What brave ladies!! And what a great night out. Everyone enjoyed a great performance. Well done. And we still have the Pantomime Group to come. If you haven't been to any of our group's productions then you have missed some good nights out, much better than sitting in front of the television!! Hope to see you in the audience next year. A big thank you from me, and I know from a lot of other people, to all you people who have lit up your houses with some amazing displays to brighten our lives. I've seen some of them and will be doing a tour to see as many more as I can. I love to see it, and I know it raises a lot of money for various charities. I would like to wish you all a very lovely Christmas and my best wishes for the New Year. Keith Gilbert

Councillor's Chat
With Cllr Keith Gibert I'm sitting here early Sunday morning at the end of a week off, and "looking forward" to two hectic weeks of post delivery to come. The bright side of it is that it will be my last Christmas delivery, as I retire next July. The Boundary Commission are at present carrying out a review of Breckland Council and it's ward boundaries. This could result in less Councillors, or maybe more, or the same. As part of this review they will be looking at whether multi member wards such as Watton, which has three Breckland members, should be split into wards with one Councillor for each. Personally I think multi member wards work well, as people have a choice of which Councillor they contact, and also different Councillors have a better knowledge of some issues than others, so if they think another Councillor can be of more help then they can refer someone to them. If Watton was split into Wards a member may have to refer someone who contacts them, and lives in Watton, to another Councillor. What do you think? As usual I would be pleased to hear your views. The Government are changing the way Council Tax rebates are handled. From next year billing authorities, in our case Breckland Council, will be responsible for introducing a local scheme for Council Tax rebates, but the Government are cutting the amount of money they give by 10%. This will inevitably lead to a cut in some people's rebate. Pensioners and vulnerable groups are going to be protected, so it looks like some people, and they are people on benefits and low incomes, who presently

Wayland House

Looking back over 2012

Each year at Wayland House seems to get busier as we offer a wider range of services in response to the changing needs of our Wayland Community and 2012 has been no different. Our Training room has hosted business meetings and seminars and business advice sessions, adult education classes, English for speakers of other languages and a wide range of meetings. It is a very well equipped space with laptops and multi-media projection and while we use it a great deal for our own meetings, it is also available to local businesses as well as local government and local community organisations for meetings and for training. The Youth, Health and Heritage Focus groups which are the forums for involving the community in delivering our charitable aims all meet there too. Wayland House has supported a wide range of services in 2012 bringing a constant stream of people to the building to the Community Bank, to Breckland Customer services, for a variety of health and social services, and although they are next door, to the police. Because they do not have a public office, many people assume that we are the police and come to ask for directions, to show documentation or to report a nuisance. Most of Wayland House is let to small businesses and this is the main source of income that allows us to provide training and services to the community and to meet our charitable goals, so when three of

What are you giving up for 2013?

Many of us start the new year with a New Years Resolution losing weight and giving up smoking being popular choices. This New Year, Total Health Pharmacy in Watton is backing the Dry January campaign. Run by Alcohol Concern, this national charity is throwing down the challenge Can you stay off the booze for 31 days. The aim is to make you feel better, save money and make a difference. According to Alcohol Concern, alcohol is often referred to as our favourite drug and as a society we pay a high price for our relationship with alcohol They report the following facts; Every minute, alcohol-related problems cost the UK economy around 48,000 Every hour more than 100 people go into hospital in England and Wales with an alcohol-related condition Every day more than 40 people die as a result of alcohol in England and Wales Every week more than 100 children call ChildLine upset about their parents drinking some as young as five years old. Pharmacist at Total Health, Geoff Ray, said We see many people in the pharmacy concerned that they may be drinking more than is recommended. Dry January is a great opportunity to try and change a habit and improve your health The government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for men which is about a pint and a half of 4% beer and 2-3 units of alcohol for women or one 175 ml glass of wine. Drinking over these limits on most days of the week can put you at increasing risk of developing health problems. Total Health Pharmacy is encouraging people to find out the facts. They have information, tips, tools and advice for people who want to learn more about safe drinking. Rachel Ray has signed up for Dry January and will be keeping a diary about how she is managing. You can follow and support Rachel by reading her diary on www.waylandnews.com If you want to take part in this chance to change your life then you can sign up for Dry January individually or as a team through the website www.dryjanuary.org.uk and you will receive motivational tips to keep you going through the month.

our tenants grew out of our small offices needing space to employ more people, we were at the same time delighted for them and sorry that they are leaving a gap which may be hard to fill in these difficult times. There are many advantages for small and start-up businesses taking an office in a business centre. Most of the basic costs and services are included in the rent and there are opportunities for networking, business advice and for training. The area that has developed most in 2012 is the Dragonfly Gallery, a delightful space much appreciated by artists from all over Norfolk where we hold a range of themed exhibitions and solo shows as well as supporting artists and crafts people by giving them an outlet for their work. For the first time this year the Gallery remained open through the autumn and this has proved to be very successful. 2013 will be challenging. All small local charities are struggling to survive as costs increase and income falls and we are no exception. We need the community we have served for almost 14 years to understand that we are a charity and that any surplus funds we have must be used to deliver our own aims and not those of other charities, however worthy. The programme for the Gallery is almost complete, much of it supporting the Town Team themes for the High Street. The growing Twitter network for local businesses and the community will be developed, and we are working with a range of agencies to ensure the best possible support for Wayland Businesses and the Wayland community. Despite the difficulties there is much to look forward to in 2013.

Watton Country Market

Happy New Year to all our customers. While the human producers are taking a welcome break in January the feathered ones are not: a hen's work is never done. So fresh eggs will be available from 9th January, when our Methodist friends restart their weekly coffee mornings in the rear hall. Eggs will be on sale in that hall on a Wednesday morning while coffee is being served until the full Country Market reopens on Wednesday, 6th February, at 8.30 a.m.

Community Radio has returned to Wayland

Available 24/7 on your PC & mobile devices www.watton-radio.co.uk @wattonradio www.facebook/watton-radio

Direct from our studio at the Youth & Community Centre, Harvey Street, Watton Email Studio@watton-radio.co.uk Call 01953 881778

Rocklands Bingo in January

The next Bingo will be held at Rocklands Village Hall on Wednesday 16t January. Doors open 7pm for 7.45pm start. Have a great night out for less than 5! As well as a warm welcome, there will be cash prizes, refreshments, raffle and a very generous Jackpot on offer. All Proceeds go to the Village Hall.

The Royal British Legion, Watton District Branch POPPY APPEAL 2012-13
The total of the Watton and District Collection as at 1st December last was 12514.97. While not quite as much as the previous year's collection it, nevertheless, is a magnificent sum in these harsh economic times for us all.Grateful thanks are given to all who contributed whether a large amount or small and to all who helped with the collections.I would, also, like to thank all shops and businesses in Watton and the district for their help and permission to allow collecting boxes and Poppy trays to be on display in their premises. Well done, Watton and District. Thank you all once again.Jean Sell (Mrs) (Hon Poppy Appeal Organiser)

Ovington Garden Club

The December meeting was our AGM where, apart from the usual items, the meeting closed with a quiz and refreshments. During this meeting, the programme for the next year was presented, starting on Wednesday 2nd January with Terry Rands speaking on 'Container Vegetable Growing'. Meetings are held in Ovington Village Hall at 7.45pm on the first Wednesday of each month and membership for the year is only 5. Contact Ed on 01953 885848 or Carol on 01760 440719 for details.

Church Times and News

Watton Churches Together

Service Calendar for January
St. Marys Church, Watton 1st, 3rd & 4th Wednesday at 9.30am Holy Communion 2nd Wednesday Morning Worship Church Office opens Tues, Wed & Thurs 9am-1pm Tel: 01953 881252 margaret@churchadm.freeserve.co.uk www.stmaryswatton.org Sun 6th 8.00am Holy Communion 10.45am Covenant Service at Methodist Church Sun 13th 8.00am Holy Communion 10.00am Holy Communion Sun 20th 8.00am Holy Communion 10.00am Holy Communion 6.30pm Watton Churches Together Unity Service Sun 27th 8.00am Holy Communion 10.00am All Age Worship 6.30pm Choral Evensong Watton Methodist Church Every Wednesday the Church is open for quiet reflection and prayer between 10.00am & 12.00noon Its your quiet place. At 10.30 there is a half-hour Midweek Service in the Large Vestry led by the Minister or a Church Member. www.wattonmethodist.btck.co.uk Minister: Deacon S Sowerby 01953 881035 Sun 6th 10.45am Covenant Service Deacon S Sowerby &Revd G Garrett 6.30pm Mr A Warby Sun 13th 10.45am Deacon S Sowerby, Mrs J Roebuck 6.30pm Mr M Cook & Mrs P Cook Sun 20th 10.45am Mr R Hompstead 6.30pm Watton Churches Together Unity Service at St Marys Church Sun 27th 10.45am Mr D Fisher 6.30pm Mrs J Roebuck Roman Catholic Community Each Sat 5.30pm Mass at Watton Methodist Church Pentecostal Church, Dereham Road, Watton Children have their own programme during the Sunday morning services Sun 6th 10.30am Romans 1 - Saved by the Gospel 6.00pm Pudding, Praise and Prayer Sun 13th 10.30am Romans 1 - Set apart by the Gospel Sun 20th 10.30am Romans 1- Serving the Gospel Sun 27th 10.30am Romans 1- Setting out the Gospel St. Nicholas Church, Ashill Tuesdays at 10.00am Said Holy Communion Sun 6th 9.30am Lay Led Morning Worship Sun 13th 9.30am Morning Worship Sun 20th 9.30am All Age Worship Sun 27th 9.30am Holy Communion Sun 13th Sun 20th Sun 27th Sun 6th Sun 13th Sun 20th Sun 27th Sun 13th St. Georges Church, Saham Toney 11.00am Morning Worship 10.30am Covenant Service at Saham Methodist Church 11.00am Holy Communion S. S. Peter & Pauls Church, Carbrooke 10.30am Benefice Service of Holy Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 10.30am All Age Worship 10.30am Lay Led Morning Worship St John the Evangelist Church, Ovington 9.30am Holy Communion Sun 30th 10:30 am Sun 6th 10:30 am Sun 13th 9:00 am 10:30 am Sun 20th 10:30 am Sun 27th 9:00 am 10:30 am Sun 3rd 10:30 am

Breckles, Caston, Great Hockham, Griston, Merton, Stow Bedon & Thompson Worship Calendar for January December - First Sunday after Christmas United Holy Communion Thompson Epiphany United Holy Communion Breckles

God be with you

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Second Sunday of Epiphany Matins (BCP) Merton United Holy Communion Caston Third Sunday of Epiphany United Holy Communion Third Sunday of Epiphany Holy Communion (BCP) United Holy Communion Presentation of Christ United Holy Communion Gt. Hockham Merton Griston Stow Bedon

Watton Food Bank donations will be received at all our regular Sunday morning services. PRAY AND PLAY Wednesdays at 10:15 am at Caston School Hall from 9th January For those of all our parishes with children aged 0-5 THE WAY YOUTH GROUP (ages 11+) 13th January, 7-8pm, Rectory th 18 January, with other youth groups, Caston Rectory,7pm Enquiries: The Revd. Bob Nichols: Tel.: (01953) 483222; Email: revbobnichols@gmail.com

SUNDAY AFTERNOON TEAS

Hosted by St. Marys Church in January
Sun 20th at Watton Christian Community Centre 2.30pm until 4pm Please join us, a warm welcome awaits you and your friends.

Watton Bereavement Support Group Meeting

Wed 2nd Jan 2pm Tea and Chat at Watton CCC Mon 21st Jan 12 for 12.30pm Lunch at Griston Wagon & Horses.

Thought for the month By Rev Geof Garrett, St Mary's, Watton Wow! What a year it was in 2012. We seemed to have packed a lot in, particularly in the second half. The first few months we were waiting perhaps at times wondering how things would go for the events of the Summer in particular. The Queens Diamond Jubilee including the river pageant (only we could have so much fun in such bad weather!) the concerts, the street parties and the parades. That was closely followed by the Olympics which were such an incredible occasion. The torch relay, the athletes achievements, the games makers (some of whom came from the surrounding villages here)and, as has been recorded, the best games ever! The sporting achievements continued, England beating, nay, thrashing the All Blacks and the cricketers after a slow start getting the better of India in their own backyard. Austrian Felix Baumgartner jumping from the edge of space and being the first person to break the sound barrier without any machine assistance. All of that has been an antidote to the woes of the world, but we have had to come back to earth and reality conflict in Egypt, Lybia, Syria, Afghanistan and many other places around the world. The continuing threat from nations like Iran and North Korea. The world economic downturn and the threat of double and even triple dip recessions. We have just celebrated Christmas which is a time of sharing, a time of peace and a time when we particularly remember those in need. The message of Christmas though is not a message just for December wrapped up in nativity plays, carol services, christingles and the giving of cards and presents. The message of Christmas is for all people and all time. Jesus came into the world as Immanuel which means God with us, a reminder that God is with us all through the year. As you look back over 2012 you will see unexpected things which have happened, some happy and joyful, some sad and difficult. Christmas speaks into all those situations that God IS with us. When we say Goodbye, we are in fact saying God be with you recognising the fact that God is always with us. That comes as a comfort as well as an inspiration to know that whatever comes to us good or bad, we can still know that because of Jesus, God is with us in all things. May God be with you and may you know that he is, so that whatever 2013 may bring your way, you will have the strength to cope, the wisdom to know the right path and the peace to be who God has made you to be.

Great Ellingham Chit Chat Centre

Great Ellingham Recreation Centre Every Wednesday 10 12 Noon
Great Ellingham Chit Chat Centre has now been running very successfully for 12 months. Around 45 folk pop in from time to time for a coffee and a chat. Books are always available for exchange and group users can bring their own produce to sell. Information on whats on locally to leaflets on Social Needs are always available. So many of the folk who attend the Centre find that through coming to Chit Chat the village has been opened up to them and they now belong to more groups; in fact the centre acts as a catalyst for other events. We celebrated our first birthday in November with a cake and refreshments at the Centre followed by a meal at the Great Ellingham Crown. The Group is for all ages, male and female, therefore no-one is excluded. Children are catered for and welcomed. Newcomers are welcome regardless of whether they live in Great Ellingham, in fact we have many folk who attend regularly who live in other villagers throughout the County. If there are any lonely people out there then Chit Chat will welcome you and may open up a whole new outlook on life, by offering friendship, information and much laughter. The Chit Chat Centre is self-funding, the only charge to group users is 1 for coffee/tea. A raffle is held each week for those who wish to participate. We think it very important to have the Centre open every week thus preventing any confusion with dates. There is no pressure on people who attend to do anything other than just come for a coffee and meet up with others. Some folk attend weekly, others just pop in from time to time if they are free, therefore if you have a Wednesday morning to spare please come to Chit Chat! Anyone wishing to know more about the Chit Chat Centre, please ring Ann Milner 01953 457808, annmilner@btinternet.com

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Princes Trust team complete a Surge makeover

Watton Rotary Roundup

Eleven students from the Dereham Princes Trust Team have completed a huge renovation project at The Surge young peoples Recreational & Community Centre in Watton where they fully redecorated 5 rooms and re-landscaped the inner courtyard, before collecting 20 bags of rubbish from the venue perimeter and cutting back the undergrowth. The project took the students a week to plan and fundraise for and two weeks on site to complete. Jan Godfrey of the Wayland Partnership, Paul Adcock from Project Rainbow and Cheryl Clayton representing

the youth workers at the venue, fully supported the team during the project and have praised the imagination and level of work the students have produced. The students raised nearly 400 pounds by doing a sponsored walk along the Norfolk Coastal path and were also able to do a bag pack at Dereham Tesco with their kind permission. These funds, along with some generous donations from Jewson, Myhills, Frimstone Pit, Tufts, and Toftwood Garden Centre, enabled the students to redecorate the Gym, Music Room, Pool Room, DJ Room and TV Lounge as well as re-landscape the inner

courtyard. It is a fantastic achievement for a small group and one that will hopefully benefit all of the groups that use the venue. The students are on the 12 week course to enhance their skills and give them confidence to proceed to future jobs or education. The Princes Trust course is run by Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service at 5 venues across Norfolk and is accessible to young people aged between 16 and 25. As recognition of their efforts the group have been put forward for a National, Celebrate Success, Princes Trust Award.

On Saturday 15th December we ran a stall on the Town Teams market in Middle Street, where we sold books, Christmas related bric-abrac and mistletoe from a members crab-apple tree. Our efforts raised 152, which, added to the 51 garnered on our Wednesday market stall ten days earlier, gave a nice boost to our charities fund. So, a big thank-you to all our patrons. We hope to continue with our market stall on the 1st Wednesday each month, starting in March. We are pleased to confirm that Winston the singing farmer has released a limited edition of his DVD recorded at our Sunday afternoon Audience with ... show at the Queens Hall on

21st December 2010. That was Winston's last performance and he says he has retired; however, we are trying to persuade him to have a proper farewell finale concert; maybe? The DVD, which costs 11, is available only from Winston or through the Watton Rotary Club; our initial supply sold out but we have replenished our stock, so, to obtain a copy call Martin or Derek on 01953 884224 or 884044. Current activities include the annual young poets and young chefs competitions at the Wayland Academy and planning for 2 more Jazz at the Queens Hall sessions with DixieMix on 22nd March and 4th October. Onwards into 2013! Martin Anscombe

Ashill Bowls Club Presentation

Pictured are Peter Bunn, Pat Davison, Richard Leighton & Peter Ewins Ashill Bowls Club held their Presentation Evening in November and it was a very pleasant event enjoyed by all attending. Peter Bunn gave and presented the Club Person of the Year to Richard Leighton, second was Pat Davison and Peter Ewins came third. Well done to all of them. The Winners of the club competitions were as follows: Ladies' Champion I Healy, Men's Champion A Willer, Mixed Singles R Hall, Ladies Pairs C Thompson & J Ewins, Mens Pairs C Breeze & R HAll, Mixed Pairs C Breeze and J Taylor. Triples Mens G Whitfield, T Thompson & R Hall Triples Mixed C Thompson, J De Boltz & R Hall Mixed Fours I Healy, G Davison, P Davison & J Taylor Anyone wishing to play bowls next season would get a very warm welcome at Ashill Bowls Club.

The Wayland News Page 20

News

Wayland Chamber Commentary

The Wayland Chamber has been busy this year in founding the Watton Town Team and supporting businesses with free advice. These initiatives will be active in 2013 along with others. The Chamber members will already have had some advice on how use their page on the Wayland Chamber website. This helps promote the Business through our authoritative site. With our presence on Twitter and Facebook our regular blogs will all help the member businesses find their audiences. Find us and see. Last month I promised to report on the Green Deal. The Green Deal is a new financing mechanism due to launch at the end of January 2013, (not autumn as stated on the website below) that lets people pay for energyefficiency improvements through savings on their energy bills in their business or at home. For example, this might include for businesses; improving lighting, ventilation and heat recovering measures. There are 4 simple stages: 1. Assessment. This is carried out in your business premises or home by a Green Deal Advisor or Assessor. They will identify what energy efficiency improvements you can make and what the financial savings will be. 2. Packages. Once the assessment has been carried out and it has been calculated that the payments made for improvements arent higher that the energy bill savings made, your Advisor will outline a range of packages available to fund improvements from a Green Deal Provider. 3. Installation. If you decide to take up the offer a Green Deal installer will carry out the work you have agreed to. 4. Repayment. You pay back the cost of the improvements over time through your electricity bill. The amount you pay back will be covered by the reduction in your energy costs as a result of saving improvements you have made. Interest will be charged at an expected fixed interest rate of 6 to 8%, but this is down to providers to set. For further information contact the Energy Saving Advice Service, see http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Takeaction/Find-a-grant/Green-Deal-and-EnergyCompany-Obligation-ECO or telephone Tel: 0300 123 1234. If you think you could become a Green Deal provider the same sources will start you on your Journey. We at the Wayland Chamber wish you all a prosperous 2013!

Richmond Park Golf Club Ladies WAYLAND EVENTS DIARY Section Christmas Scramble January
Wed 2nd Ovington Garden Club 7.45pm Ovington Village Hall Terry Rands on Container Vegetable Growing Weds 16th Bingo at Rockland Village Hall Eyes Down 7.45pm

February
Thurs 21st Bradenham & Dist. Hort. Soc. Talk Jim Paine A late Winter talk 7.30pm Bradenham Village Hall. See art. Weds 6th Watton Country Market reopens.

Despite the forecast of rain and snow there was a good turn out for the Ladies Christmas Scramble this year and surprisingly the weather was quite kind to us in the end. Great fun was had as the ladies turned out with their festive hats and decorated bags with supplies of mince pies chocolates and various goodies to be eaten on the way round. The competition was in the form of a drop out scramble and played over nine holes, with half the ladies playing the front nine and half playing the back. After the game the ladies changed into their finery and were treated to a superb Christmas lunch and prize giving. The winners of the front nine were Margaret Broadbent, Ann Achilles, Sandra Bennington and Pauline

Freeman, with a net score of 28.9 The winners of the back nine were Lesley Matthews, Jean Barrall Yvonne Shaw and Jeanette Fowler. The ladies in the picture are Brenda Fairhead, Hilda Whitmarsh, Geraldine Stammers and Lady Captain Eileen Chard. The winners of the November Medal were:- Division 1 Ann Achilles 93 net 74; Division 2 Mary Wakeford 90 net 69; Division 3 Hilda Whitmarsh 116 net 84(on c/b) The winners of the November Stableford were:- Division 1 Maureen Flack 29pts; Division 2 Rosie Sutterby 28pts; Division 3 Eileen Chard - 34pts

Watton University of The Third Age (U3A)

The committee wish all our members a happy and peaceful New Year. Sixty one members enjoyed an excellent Christmas lunch at the Richmond Park Golf Club in early December. This was followed by the Christmas Party meeting on Thursday 13th December highlighted by the performance of Gerry Morris presenting A Little Bit of Ireland Gerry really had the party swinging with his Irish humour and instrumental skills. Alan Bickers Pub Luncheon Groups next meeting is at The Golden Dog in Shipham on Thursday 10th January. Whilst the holiday in The Lakes from 29th April to 3rd May is full we are looking for reserves for twin rooms. Reserves are also needed for the Jaguar Plant tour on February 27th. The January monthly meeting is on Thursday 24th with speaker Rosemary Salt presenting The Making of Castle Mall Norwich For further information on the National U3A visit www.u3a.org.uk

THE WAYLAND NEWS

Page space is allocated strictly on a first come, first served basis. Deadline is 12Noon on 16th of the month preceding publication and that is the last date and time that copy will be considered for inclusion. Arrival of copy before deadline does not guarantee inclusion, if you wish to be certain your entry gets published, then please make sure it arrives in plenty of time otherwise you may still be disappointed. If you are submitting on paper you MUST sign and include your contact details with each item. If you do not, the item will NOT be published. You can contact Julian by ringing (01953) 858908. You can write to 8 Princess Close, Watton IP25 6XA The e-mail address is julian@waylandnews.com Views expressed in articles in The Wayland News are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers or printers.
While every care and effort has been taken to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.

This issue of the The Wayland News was published by: Julian Horn, 32 High Street, Watton IP25 6AE and printed by Sharman & Company Ltd, Newark Road

Peterborough PE1 5TD. Phone: 01733 424 949