FREE - Issue Number 280 - MAY 2020 THIS PAPER IS FREE! COVID-19 Edition No.

1
From The Editor . . . Need something to do in the
I just want to say the biggest thank you I can to everyone
associated with the production and distribution of the Wayland
lockdown? Teach your dog to read!
News in these difficult times.
The advertisers who, despite many of them having to stop
work, have agreed to try and keep the paper alive. Please
support them whenever you can. The printers, Sharman and Co
in Peterborough who have bent over backwards to assure
production (yet again!). The regular contributors – Orbiter,
John Egerton, Lotta Potts, Boy Sid, Ken Knowles and the
correspondents of the various organisations who are trying
keep in touch and last but by no means least the businesses,
especially Watton Edwards News and Post Office, helping to
get the paper to you when we are not even allowed from our
homes most of the time. You all deserve and get my grateful
thanks for helping produce this edition.
In these uncertain times it is difficult to say with any certainty
'we’ll see you next month' but I sincerely hope that is the case.

From Watton Town

Council . . .
Following the Government Guidelines Watton Town Council
Office will be closed to the Public until further notice.
Staff are generally working from home and will continue to
answer the telephone and respond to email enquiries.
We trust you will all understand that to ensure the continued
running of the Council, this is an essential step.
The Town Councillors are still working on behalf of our
Townspeople, working with local partners, Breckland District
Council and Norfolk County Council to help to provide
services to local residents who can't get out because they are
shielding. So far we have 16 volunteers helping 44 people -
volunteers who have come forward are to be thanked for the
assistance they are providing. jobs that we have been so successful at
A list of local businesses and groups within the Watton and Wayland Men’s putting off for the last couple of years,
Wayland area that are offering help and support has been Cleaning out the Shed, Painting the living
collated and available on Facebook and the Town Council Shed, Social room, Pressure washing the Patio and the
website. The list is a work in progress and although updated Dog has never walked so much in his life!
regularly it is subject to change. If there are any businesses or Group, Church so she indoors is now a happy lady!, well we
groups who are not listed or who would like to update the always try to please dont we chaps. I know
information provided please get in touch Walk, Watton that one of our members is finally writing
wattonswaffhamevents@gmail.com or 01953 881007. The Usually at this time of the month I manage that Novel he always talked about, and we
safety of our staff and the public is to have quite a lot to talk about but with the wish him good luck with that but I think the
of paramount importance to us at unreal situation we all find ourselves in life most adventurous of our members is John
this time. As normal, contact as we know it has almost come to a who is learning rock climbing in his front
details are as follows:- standstill, our daily or weekly routines hove room and he tells me it driving him up the
Telephone - 01953 881007 or gone and we now many of us find ourselves wall! and if that wasn't enough hes teaching
email: for our own health, isolated in our homes. his Dog Barney to read! (above) Sorry John
clerk@wattontowncouncil.gov.uk For many of my fellow members at but I think you have been isolated a bit too
Thank you for your patience and "Wayland mens Shed" social Group I know long.
understanding at this difficult time. this has become difficult as we have become Well hopefully we can get back to normality
The safety of our staff and the used to sharing company with others on a at some time soon, for me I now have to go
public is of paramount importance weekly basis. and help her indoors clean out our shed that
to us at this time. At this time and for the near future our daily I promised to do last year, then have a bit of
Please keep safe and stay at home & weekly Shed activities have come to a lunch, and then its off for our permitted
where possible. standstill and our Outings postponed, daily countryside walk in the hopes I can get
Pat Warwick, Chairman and members are now expelling their pent up a bit fitter!-- Some Hope.
Mayor. Watton Town Council energy at home getting on with all of those Cheers All, Richard

What's on at St Mary's
For the latest news from St Mary's please check our website
www.stmaryswatton.org and our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/StMarysChurchWatton, as we are
continually updating them.
The April Winners of the 150 Draw: 1st prize £50.00
number 43 Mrs Sue Marks and 2nd prize £25.00 number 57
Mr Victor Sladden. Congratulations!

Please support local

businesses! You would miss
them if they weren’t here!

Councillor's Chat
With Cllr Claire Bowes
As I write we are heading into the Easter
weekend and necessarily but sadly in a
lockdown which looks set to continue for some
time if the fight against the progress of
Covid19 is to be won. My thoughts are with all
those working on the front line in the NHS, the
emergency services, and all those who continue
to deliver the crucial services that we all need
but also my thoughts are with the brave
individuals in our community who have been
asked to self isolate, many of whom are elderly
and alone and who would never have
anticipated this situation and yet are quietly
complying because they don’t want to put
pressure on the system. Many thanks to them at
this time. There are also a number of people
who will be experiencing increased anxiety due
to the unfamiliar circumstances they find
themselves in. If you know of anyone who
urgently needs help and support now or in the
coming weeks please let me know and I will
make sure they are contacted.
The following is an update on what has been
put in place by the County and District Council
to support and help residents as we all comply
with the necessary restrictions in place in
response to Covid19
Community Support Hub Network
Our most vulnerable residents are being
encouraged to get the help they need by calling
Norfolk County Council on 0344 8008020 or
visiting www.norfolk.gov.uk/coronavirus.
Customer calls and contacts are being triaged
and those with a social care need are being
directly supported by the County Council.
Those who need help with essential supplies
like food or medicine or just a welfare check
(with no support from friends or family) are
being referred to Breckland’s Community
Support Hub. The Community Hub makes
welfare calls, and delivers food parcels to those
most in need, in addition the Hub works with
the food banks, who have received an
additional £10k funding from Breckland to
help source and distribute food to local people.
Volunteering: Individuals who want to help the
Community Support Hub can register their
interest at bit.ly/39WwWl7
Businesses who can help the Community
Support Hub by providing services, vehicles or
other resources can email:
covidbusinessresponse@voluntarynorfolk.org.uk
Communities can provide vital services to
those most in need by making a donation to the
‘Covid-19 Community Response Fund’ at:
www.norfolkfoundation.com/giving-
philanthropy/covid19communityresponsefund
Watton has a higher percentage of ‘vulnerable’
individuals than other Towns in the District
and working with Breckland Community
Support Hub, Community Action Norfolk and
St Mary’s Church, Watton Town Council staff
are working hard to coordinate a team of
volunteers to help ensure that no one slips
through the net of support. If you would like to
volunteer to help Watton residents who are self
isolating please contact
deputyclerk@wattontowncouncil.gov.uk
Impact on services: Many may wonder or be
naturally concerned about the impact of the
Covid19 restrictions on the normal democratic
process and decision making. The Coronavirus
Act 2020 bill received Royal Assent on 25
March and includes a range of provisions
including handing local authorities new powers
to hold public meetings virtually by using
video or telephone conferencing. Whilst
technologies to support this are being put in
place officers will make any urgent decisions
utilising urgency powers in consultation with
key elected members. Planning delegations
will be exercised in consultation with the
Chairman’s Panel.
Critical services, such as Housing, Waste,
Customer Services and Public Protection, all
continue to operate.
To help manage customer demand Breckland is
asking customers to self serve via it’s website
wherever possible so that the Contact Centre
staff can prioritise calls from vulnerable
customers and those with urgent enquiries.
Grounds maintenance work has been scaled
back so that workers can be redeployed to
support household waste collections
Housing and homelessness support:
Breckland’s Housing Team have seen an
increase in the number of people presenting
homeless or rough sleeping, but to date, they
have managed to source and make offers of
accommodation to all these residents.
Tenants, whether in social or private housing,
who are experiencing financial difficulties are
being urged to make early contact with the
Council, to ensure they are accessing all the
available support to which they are entitled.
National benefits changes: As part of a
number of measures to support the country
during the pandemic, Working Tax credits have
been increased from this week (6 April 2020)
with the basic element of Working Tax Credit
being increased by £1,045 to £3,040 until 5
April 2021. The government is also uprating
Child Benefit, other tax credits rates and
thresholds, and Guardian’s Allowance by 1.7%
with effect from 6 April 2020.
National (Council Tax) Hardship Fund:
Breckland is using its £919,967 share of the
national £500m Council Tax Hardship Fund to
support everyone of working age (4,524) in the
district who currently receives Council Tax
Reduction Scheme benefit to get a revised £nil
bill, by applying a £150 credit to each person.
The remaining, unallocated funding (£427k)
will be used for new claims of working age
people during the year: this is expected to be a
minimum of 1,736 applicants based on last
year’s claims, but the Council is preparing for
more as a result of Coronavirus.
If any residents are experiencing difficulty
paying their Council Tax please contact
Breckland Council to request a change or delay
in your instalment plan using this link
www.angliarevenues.gov.uk/coronavirus
Local Hardship Fund: Breckland Council’s
local hardship scheme, offering one-off
payments of either £50 (to assist with food and
medicines) or £300 (towards emergency
household repairs or essential household
appliance replacement) is in operation.
Administered through the Breckland
Community Support Hub, the £60,000 fund is
targeted at those residents facing extreme
hardship as a result of Coronavirus. It is
anticipated that cases will be identified through
the work already being undertaken by the
Community Support Hub who will understand
the specific nature of the assistance needed,
working with a new team set up to arrange
payments.
Highways: Highways teams are keeping
Norfolk moving durning the pandemic.
Alongside the crucial work authorities are
doing to look after vulnerable people across
Norfolk the county’s highways teams are
ensuring essential infrastructure stays safe.
Great care is being taken to ensure highways
teams are able to follow the latest guidelines
from Public Health England while at work.
Child Safety: A campaign has been launched
to keep children safe, as families face pressures
of staying home. See Something, Hear
Something, Say Something is a county wide
campaign which encourages neighbours,
extended family and those working to provide
essential services and volunteers to look out for
the county’s children as the lockdown
continues. The campaign, backed by the
Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership
asks people to contact the council on
03448008020 if they hear
Aggressive or repeated shouting; Hitting or
things being broken; Children crying for long
periods of time; Very young children left alone
or outdoors by themselves.
These are fast moving times so please do
refer regularly to both the County Council
and District Council websites for the latest
up to date information. If you cannot access
the information you require during this crisis
please do contact me and I will assist you.
Claire Bowes, Breckland District Councillor,
Watton Ward.
claire.bowes@breckland.gov.uk
Norfolk County Councillor, Watton Division
claire.bowes.cllr@norfolk.gov.uk
07789796937
Inner Wheel In
Lockdown!
Firstly a BIG THANK YOU to Julian for
keeping The Wayland News running in these
troubled times. Like most organisations Inner
Wheel has had to cease club meetings and our
public concerts have had to be cancelled and it
seems very unlikely that our Strawberry Tea in
June will be able to take place.
With the majority of our members in the
'vulnerable' category and therefore confined to
their homes we have been doing what we can to
stay in contact with each other by phone but we
also have an excellent 'in house' newsletter
called We'll Write.. Up to the start of the virus
the magazine was just for our club members but
it has now been extended to include news from
Rotary members as well and has become
Tandem. Our splendid editor, Lesley, has been
doing a superb job putting it together and
encouraging us all to participate with news,
articles, puzzles and jokes. We all enjoy reading
it as we do our copies of the Wayland News.
As many of our friends in the community will
know the events we run raise funds for charity
and it has been our usual practice to give these
funds away on two occasions during the year,
once at Christmas and then in June at our AGM.
With £2000 sitting in the bank we felt we
should give this money away now where it
could do some good to the community causes
which need it now more that ever. Our
President's charity for her year is to support The
Benjamin Foundation and the sale of the club
cookery book which she produced raised £600,
£500 has been sent to the local Foodbank, £400
is going to ARC, the shelter in Norwich for the
homeless which is run by The Salvation Army
in conjunction with The Matthew Project. The
remaining £400 will be sent to the NNUH
Charity Fund which buys equipment for the
hospital and supports the nursing staff. The
choice of these charities was circulated and
agreed by all members.
We do all hope that by the end of the year we
shall be able to get going again and see all our
friends in Watton….. we must have our annual
Christmas Concert to cheer us all up!
In the meantime we wish you all well and
STAY SAFE.
Rotary Roundup
The last piece, for the April edition of Wayland
News, was written just before the screws were
being turned on to control the rate and spread of
COVID-19. As, in common with other clubs, all
Rotary meetings and activities have been cancelled
for the foreseeable future, there is somewhat little
that we can talk about. Many of our members are,
by age, in the vulnerable category, and quite a few
of us are very vulnerable, ie shielded, so there is
not a lot we can do individually or collectively for
our local community. However, we are open to
suggestions, and those that can surely will!
In order to maintain communications between
members, and our sister organisation Inner Wheel,
one of their members had the bright idea of
producing an in-house magazine style document,
which has been called, appropriately, “Tandem”.
The third edition has just been published and runs
to 6 sides of A4 paper. It is distributed to members
as an email attachment; let’s hope we do not run
out of paper or printing ink!
As we are not meeting but our individual
accounts are being topped up monthly, some
members are making monthly cash donations
from their ‘meals account’ to the local food
bank.
Although we have lost some of our charities
fund income (eg Jazz Evening), our Trust Fund
is healthy and solvent. That cannot be said of
many other charities that rely on cash flow.
There is concern that some of the larger Rotary
inspired charities, such as Shelter Box and End
Polio Now are affected by the downturn in
income.
What we have now is almost Biblical –
Pestilence (locust storms in Africa), Flood, in
many places, none the least in England (those
poor folk who can’t even isolate in their own
homes), Earthquake, and Pandemic etc.
Martin Anscombe
The Wayland News May 2020 Page 3
Lavender de Grey
By Bronwen Tyler
Lavender Hyacinth de Grey (later Garnier)
was born on 14th October 1923 the first
child of Lord & Lady Walsingham. She
was always called L by the family; her
siblings were called by their initials too but
in the army, unsurprisingly, and no doubt at
school she was often called Lav, or even
Lavvy and very occasionally Lavender
Westmere in Tottington, now one of the
lost villages in STANTA, the military
training area just a few miles away from
here, was where Lavender and her younger
siblings, her brother, J (John), and her two
sisters M and K, were brought up until they
and their parents were forced to leave in
1942 in the middle of the Second World
War. This was when about 12,000 acres of
the Merton estate were taken over by the
army to become what is known locally as
the Battle Area.
As a child she was surrounded by horses
and ponies, dogs, cats, cattle, pigs -
Lavender once had a pet pig that slept in
front of the kitchen range until it got too big
to stay inside and had to live in a sty (she
said it soon died of a broken heart). And, of
course, there were the children in the
village. A lifelong trait was that no one was
too poor to be a friend and no one was too
grand to be given the de Grey special
treatment. She could be playing with the
children from the end of the drive and a few
moments later be summoned by her father
to see the Duke of Connaught, Queen
Victoria’s third son, changing out of his
shooting clothes. Her father said she would
probably never have another opportunity to
see a Royal Duke take his trousers off!
Westmere was where L and her sisters were
educated alongside fee paying pupils, their
mother having set up a small school in the
house. Lavender’s diary as a 13yr old
shows just how much freedom they had,
and occasionally how mischievous they
could be. Horse riding and cooking were
part of the curriculum and in winter they
could skate on the Mere. Their subjects
included French from a Mademoiselle who
seems to have been the butt of some of the
mischief. No doubt a suitable marriage and
future of home management was mapped
out for her. Lavender would have preferred
to have had a formal education like her
brother and clearly wanted more from life
than that of a dutiful daughter.
The War changed everything. Not only did
it lead to the loss of her childhood home in
Tottington but it also meant she could leave
home, join the army and meet new friends
and travel in a way and to places that might
not have proved possible had peace
continued. She joined the FANYs, the First
Aid Nursing Yeomanry, not as a medic, but
as a signaller working alongside the SOE.
Signallers received from, and sent messages
Hold Very Tight Please
by John Egerton
Being a car driver for many years, after
moving to Norfolk I have not had to make
much use of the local bus services, but
recently I did have occasion to visit
Norwich, and decided to take the number
Three from Watton. Due to depart at 09.30,
I was impressed to see the bus arrive at the
stop by the Post Office with five minutes to
spare, and as the waiting handful of people
boarded, they were greeted by a welcoming
smile from the driver. Then a man arrived
on one of those electric-powered invalid
carriages, and the driver promptly left his
cubicle to lower the front section of step to
allow this handicapped person to drive
straight on.
Then, at each stop, after the boarding
customers had paid their fares or used their
passes I noted that the driver always waited
a few seconds to give them time to reach
their seats.
to, secret agents among other roles.
Accuracy and speed were vital and could
mean life or death for the agents in France
and other occupied countries.
Her first posting was to Knightsbridge
Rectory in London where she was taught
drill. Here she met and made friends with
women who were to remain friends for life
and with whom she served in England,
North Africa, Italy, India and Ceylon. The
memories of one who served with her show
how much she was loved but also recount
the fun, such as L sleeping in a luggage
rack on a long train journey, and obtaining
a, then very shocking, copy of “Lady
Chatterly’s Lover” which she disguised in a
brown paper cover entitled “Dusty the
Story of a Grey Pony”.
After her preliminary training in London
she was stationed in Thame, in Oxfordshire,
and Grendon Underwood, in
Buckinghamshire, where she was taught the
Morse Code and the skills required of a
military signaller. Her first overseas journey
was from Glasgow to India on a Merchant
ship where she was one of the very few not
to be seasick. From Bombay they went to
Meerat and after a few weeks they were
sent to Ceylon. She had volunteered to
parachute into France as an SOE agent to
fight in with the Resistance but fortunately
she was rejected because her spoken French
was not good enough. Those days of
teasing the French mistress and bunking off
lessons had seen to that. In Italy she
hitchhiked to the front “just to see what it
was like” and, had she been allowed to, no
doubt she would have grabbed the next rifle
or machine gun and set about the enemy
with as much vigour as any male soldier.
In later life Lavender decided she would
like to meet up again with some of her
wartime boyfriends, though she was quick
to add that they were friends who were
male and there was ‘never anything of that
sort’ in their relationship. She phoned me
for some help with how to go about this. I
suggested using local radio and with her
characteristic bluntness told me she thought
I was more intelligent than that, and I was
as stupid as another friend who had
suggested the same thing; they didn’t live in
Norfolk so what use was that? I gently
pointed out that other places had local radio
and she just as quickly retracted her
comment. Using a range of methods
including phoning everyone in the phone
book with the same names and initials she
eventually found them. She visited one in
particular several times in Scotland. She
would stay nearby in a hotel. Her friend had
the beginnings of dementia and she was
quite touched that, ever the gentleman, he
would insist on seeing her back to her
lodgings each evening, However, this left
her worrying that he would get lost on the
way home and admitted she was tempted to
follow him back to ensure he had made it.
Obviously the service was first class, but I
still felt there was something missing. But
what? I spent the next part of my journey
trying to think of what that might be, and
then it came to me – there was no
conductor!
All through my earlier life in London, when
I had made probably hundreds of bus
journeys, they had all been in the care of a
conductor. I can’t recall ever speaking to a
driver, but the conductor was the point of
contact for everyone. Obviously in rush-
hours he was so busy issuing tickets and
controlling the numbers of prospective
passengers trying to board, often in far
greater numbers than the seats available,
that his true personality would not be
revealed. But once the rush had subsided he
would settle into a role of friendship with
the sole aim of making the rest of the
journey a pleasure for everyone.
The London bus conductor was usually a
mine of information regarding travel
around the capital, and if, for instance, a
It was not until
the restrictions
were finally
released on
people talking
about such
wartime roles
that many
people knew
what L had
done during the
War. A chance
conversation,
about writing
articles for a
publication,
was the first
time she had
ever told me of
her role, and
even then it
was quite
dismissive.
She said that
she couldn’t
write (in the literary sense) because the
war had stopped her education. She had
learned only 4 useful things in life. One
was to darn socks, but we now threw
them away, and another was Morse Code
which they had now decided was
redundant. Of course, I asked her why
Morse Code and she began to tell me a
little but never very much. She never told
her family very much either. One
memory they have is of her still able to
decode Morse Code into old age and
getting very irritated when it was used in
films and TV programmes, but
inaccurately, so that the message she
heard was not the one it was claimed to
be.
Never one for public display, when asked
why she did not wear her campaign
medals on Remembrance Sunday and at
other British Legion events – she replied,
half in jest, that she had never applied for
them because she did not want people to
think she was old enough to have served
in the War. She was barely 22 when the
War ended and had seen more than many
today will see in a lifetime. In her
seventies she got her medals but even
then was just a bit embarrassed – “I was
only doing what I was supposed to do.”
Lavender’s third cousin William Garnier
and her brother were also posted to India.
By the end of the War Lavender and
William were engaged; they married at
Merton’s church on 9th April 1946. This
was the start of an exceptionally happy
marriage, first as an army wife travelling
the world and then, in retirement, buying
College Farm Thompson, and beginning a
very successful B&B. She died there on
13th September 2010. Over 350 people
attended her memorial service at
Thompson.
passenger asked how to reach a remote
destination, he would quickly supply details
of where to alight, whether any further
transport might be appropriate, and if so.
what form it should take. In the rare event
of his not knowing the answer, he would
consult his little book to make sure he
could supply the correct information.
Of course, like any other person, he might
himself be a bit ‘under the weather’, but
normally his cheerful demeanour would be
infectious and this would put his passengers
in an equally good mood.
While a journey on a bus today can usually
be a pleasant experience, we are no longer
treated to the banter we once enjoyed with
this, possibly closest of all our public
servants, and I am sure we all miss his cries
announcing our approach to various
important points along the way,
such as “Lewisham Obelisk, Queen’s
Road, Peckham “. Or “Exhibition Road.
Science Museum, Albert Hall”.
”Hold very tight, please”.
The Wayland News May 2020 Page 4
Great Hockham
Gardening Club
Corona Diary
How times change. On the beginning of March
we were all together at our talk on bees and
before the end of the month reality had struck
home. About a week after the meeting we
were wondering whether we needed to shut
down. A week later we were wondering why
we were wondering. Things have happened
so fast. Along with an increasing number of
institutions. we have seen no alternative but
to suspend our gatherings.
Rather than just go into hibernation I feel we
should try and keep some kind of contact
going. We are not having meetings, but we
are all doing something. So instead of a
report on our last meeting I am hoping that
our members can let us know what is
happening and I will compile it into a
coronavirus diary and pass it on.
For example, we have a little blind dog. Her
name is Bella. She requires a regular
coiffure. Amanda, her regular coiffeuse, is
unable to attend due to the lockdown – so
the task falls to me. I am rubbish, but as she
can’t see, I am getting away with it. All her
trimmings get thrown into the flowerbeds for
compost. We have a bird box. We are able to
view what is going on inside. It has been
occupied. The nest is beautifully lined with
Bella’s hair.
One of our members, Julie Brown, sends her
regards to all and writes,
I was at the village hall today, I do the
garden there, trying to fill it up so I don't
have to do much in the way of weeding, I
planted allium bulbs, looking forward to
seeing what they look like, they were being
sold off loose at half price.
In some ways I am looking forward to the
forced 'stay at home', it will galvanise me into
getting on with changing my garden. I am in
the process of emptying my wildlife pond. It’s
about 10 feet square and 2 feet deep in places
and it got flooded by run off water from
farmers field. The pond silted up with lots of
fertilised soil 3 years ago. It’s full of yellow
flag, which is one complete mass of root,
rhizome and new shoots,
Needless to say I am pretty tired but it is
empty of the rhizome and shoots. I am going
to fill in the pond so I have to find soil
within the garden to fill it in. I am going to
put the mud back in the hole, take some turf
up as my grass is not good and put that in
upside down and rake a hummock level, ha
ha how ambitious an I?
I am going to make it into a rose garden and
make ponds in the bog garden out of black
tubs that I have. I am aiming for a Japanese
garden too, to place my Mums rocks and
bonsai horse chestnut. The weather forecast
for next week is sunny and bright and I have
digging to do so I won't mind it being a bit
chilly
Take care of yourselves, regards Julie.
We have been getting on in the garden with
one of our projects; putting a hard edge
between our drive and a patch of grass we
call Boot Hill (our pet cemetery). This really
must be the last job we do that involves 160
heavy edging bricks, 1000 kg of crushed
aggregate and five bags of cement.
Mary Watkins sends us a picture of a couple
of rabbits in her garden; The view from my
window. Little daffodils just right for their
little furry bottoms.
We have an agave. As far as I am concerned
it is about as boring a plant as - all the other
agaves you might come across. But this one
has launched into something rather
spectacular by producing a 9 ft. tall
flowering stem. We have been told that
when they only do this just before they die.
We shall see. (pictured below left)
Well, who knows when things will get back
to something like the way they used to be.
All we can do is hang in there and try and
stay safe. Hope you’re all still there next
month, best wishes, Edward.
Edward Szczepanowski: Secretary, Great
Hockhan Gardening Club.
The Ovington Crower
By tha Boy Sid
Well thas a rum owld dew an no mistake,
hent sin northin like this afore.
Harf tha willage orl shut down, doors
locked, tha other harf are gooin arownd
gittin tha shoppin fer them wos not gooin
owt. My missus she say “ Sid” she say
“Tha Govinment hev sed we hev gotta
stay indoors cos we are of thet age now”
“How am I gooin tew dew thet woman,
we got hell an orl wuk tew dew on tha
farm, and thars oonly me an tha guvner”
“Wot abowt Horry?” she say “Yew ont
see much o him” I say “ Enny excewse
an he’ll shut hisself away and git stuck
inta orl thet hoom meard wine he’re got
hid away in his shud an thas cos tha pub
hev shut down an orl”
“ I better goo an see wot tha guvna heft
tew say on tha matter” Well he sed tha
same as me, we’re got a lot on and we
best git stuck in, we dunt hefta see or
speak with ennywun cos we nearly allus
wuk on our own. We agreed we are wot
they corl key wukkers an hefta git tha
country fed, an thas wot we shell tell tha
law if they wonta know wot we’re on,
driving threw tha willage.
If yew remember larst time we was in tha
pub an this lad cum in who looked jist
like Horry, only abowt 6o years younger,
while I wos torkin tew tha boy at tha bar
I see Horry makin a sharp exit owt tha
door. So I arsked him wos he related tew
Horry, “Why yis” he say, an I wos shure
he wos gooin tew say “heese my ole
man” but I wos disapointed, cos he
reckoned his Ma an Horry ware distent
cuzzins, but she hent niva sin him. She
wos dewin wun o these famly histry
searches an sent har boy to try an find
Horry an see ware he fit in with tha rest o
tha famly.
I tolt him I dint think Horry wud fit in wi
enny famly. I tolt him thet Horry hed tew
git hoom cos his owld hins hed tew be
shut up, but if he cud git back inna tha
pub temorrer nite I wud meark sure
Horry wos thar.
I finished my pint an hossed orf hoom
kwick tew give Horry tha gud news,
oonly I thort I mite hev a gearm wi him
fer a bit tew see wot heed dew.
I fownd Horry in his shed jist hidin a
bottle o parsnip wine heed bin sampling
wen I cum along.
“ Cor blarst Horry” I say “ yew missed a
bitta histry ternite, thet boy reckon yore a
werry cloose relative tew him an heed
luv tew git tew know yew betta”
Horry got owt thet bottle agin an tuk a
rare owld swig, an dint leave much in tha
bottem eetha. “Oh” he say “Wot sort o
cloose is he tew me then?” “Waal” I say
“He dint let on much but he thort his ma
an yew got on real well fer sum time a
few years back, an he want ter git tew
know yew, so duz his Ma” Horry dug
inta an owld sack an pulled owt a full
bottle of wine, an downed it in wun goo.
I bust owt larfin an tolt him tha propa
story, I dint know how much more o thet
wine heed got but I knew how strong it
wos. Well thas orl fer now people, keep
safe an dew yew kip a troshin. Please support local businesses
You would miss them if they
Well, There’s A weren’t here . . .
Funny Thing
By Ken Knowles. as we have been discovering!
The Year: 1937. The Scene: School
Classroom. The Crime: Disruption of
Lesson by Laughter. The Accused: Me.
Punishment: Detention and/or Lines.
Yes, I was always getting into trouble
by making my classmates roar with
laughter, because of my ability to see
the funny side of everything before
anyone else.
The same ability, I think, lies behind
the success of the cartoonists whose
work is a feature of our daily
newspapers, for the very fact that we
find their products funny proves that
we share their senses of humour, but
need them to bring our minds up to
their speed’
I first came to admire them when I was
about ten years old, and used to
accompany my mother whenever she
visited the Public Library. While she
was in the main hall choosing her
books, I would visit the Reading Room
and pray that no-one else had beaten
me to the latest copy of Punch, which
was famous for its cartoons.
This ability to see the funny aspects of
things just a shade quicker than others
was emphasised years later when, as a
member of the armed forces during the
war I was at a camp concert in an
audience of about 500. At the end of
one sketch, which had finished on an
apparently ordinary word, I suddenly
realised that there could be another
aspect, albeit rather rude, and could not
help making a loud guffaw. My lone
laughter sufficed to make the rest of
the audience think quickly back, and in
a moment the hall shook with their
mirth. Whether the writer of the sketch
had intentionally included the word or
not, he must have been very pleased
with the subsequent applause.
But every part of life has a humorous
aspect, and as a regular reader of the
Daily Telegraph, I enjoy the cartoons
by the artist known as Matt, and I am
told that each day he produces at least
four for every one that is printed,
which a quick calculation shows that
his wit generates well over a thousand
possible laughs a year, and he has been
at it for some considerable time !
I have also been inspired to try my
hand at cartoons, and they have
appeared in my village magazine and
Wayland News but have had to lack
topicality, since those publications
appear only monthly, and entries have
to be made in advance, but my
scrapbook does raise the odd smile
from people who have come across it
on my bookshelf.
Of course humour registers with
different folks in different ways. There
have been the times, even at funerals,
when I have found something amusing,
though to recount these would appear
irreverent, even though the deceased
would have found them extremely
funny. Anyone who remembers the
Dave Allen TV show will recall that
there were a frequent comic episodes
involving funerals, and church
services, which to some were
extremely funny, though there were
many people who regarded them as
sacrilegious.
In these days of self-isolation, and the
menace of the virus, it sometimes is
difficult to discern a funny side, but, as
Matt shows us every day, there is one.
Perhaps I am fortunate, but I have an
innate sense of fun that makes me
agree.
The Wayland News May 2020 Page 5
Saham WI’s
Trauma
Teddies at the
ready
Following a request from the Norfolk
Federation of Women's Institutes for
members to knit trauma teddies for the
emergency services photo shows members of
Saham WI (before lock-down) with teddies
they had knitted. The aim was to produce 50
teddies to mark our 50th birthday but with
contributions from family and friends and
from Fiona and some of her customers at the
wool shop in Watton we almost doubled that
number. Photo also shows the
commemorative tea cloth that was
commissioned to celebrate our 50th year.
This shows landmarks around Saham Toney
and Saham Hills drawn by our member
Yvonne Harrold.
Ashill, Holme
Hale & District
Garden Club
A Good Time
for Gardening
Website:
ashillgardeningclub.wordpress.com
Email:
ashillholmehalegardenclub@gmail.com
With the current rules on social
distancing and ‘stay at home’ request
there has never been at better time to get
out into your garden to get it in shape for
the coming summer months. While the
gardening club is currently not able to
hold monthly meetings we are providing
gardening advice via newsletters and our
website to keep everyone active with
gardening tasks. The RHS website
(rhs.org.uk/) is a good source of things
you should do each month in your garden
as is the BBC’s Gardeners World on a
Friday evening on BBC2.
Spring is a good time of the year to do a
number of seasonal tasks around your
garden:
Trees, shrubs and Flowers: Now is a
good time to prune certain shrubs and
split up other shrubs:
Roses: Prune by about a 1/3rd, especially
if not done in winter (except ramblers,
which should have been done in the
autumn) and give them a feed with rose
fertiliser or granular fertiliser.
Dahlias: Check your Dahlia tubers that
were stored over winter (or well mulched
in the garden bed) to see if they need
splitting into several clumps if getting
large and remove any rotten tubers.
Replant in pots (or garden bed) with a
little drink and some peat-free compost.
Agapanthus: Now is the time to split
your Agapanthus. If potbound soak
before splitting with a knife or gently
prising apart.
Snowdrops: With your snowdrops now
fading away and foliage yellowing it is a
good time to lift out, divide and replant
so you increase the number you have
next year.
Garden Borders: Apply a layer of mulch
to your garden borders. Use organic
matter such as well-rotted manure,
garden compost or wood clippings. This
will help retain moisture, suppress weeds
and improve soil texture.
Vegetables, fruit and herbs: Now is the
time to get planting seeds both in the
greenhouse and in your vegetable and garden
beds:
Potatoes: Your first early potatoes should have
been left to ‘chit’ in the greenhouse or on a
window February for planting in March. Plant
6 inches deep in the your vegetable bed. 2nd
early and main crop potatoes should be left in
bright frost-free place to ‘chit’ so they are
ready for planting later in April.
Tomatoes: If you grow your tomatoes from
seed now is the time to sow the seeds in either
a seed tray or small pots and keep at around 20
centigrade until germination. Pot on to 9cm
pots once the first true leaves appear. They
will need potting on again in about a month.
Runner Beans: If you grow from seed now is a
good time to place single beans (hopefully
saved from last year’s crop) in 9 cm pots in the
greenhouse to get them off to an early start for
planting outside in late April / early May.
Herbs: Sow seeds for herbs such as coriander,
parsley, dill, chervil etc in prepared seedbeds
or pots. To keep a regular supply of herbs sow
a small amount every 3-4 weeks.
Garden Design
The Club’s March monthly meeting was to be
on ‘Garden Design’ but like all social
gatherings it had to be cancelled due the
coronavirus restrictions. However, on the
club’s website we shared links to some virtual
garden design which allowed a virtual tour of
some lovely gardens in the UK and Italy.
Please feel free to visit our website (address
below) to see these lovely gardens by clicking
on the ‘Virtual Garden Club' page in top menu.
A virtual tour of Waddesdon Manor Gardens –
running time 5 minutes
youtube.com/watch?v=EyYuxTfdtKo
Italian Garden Design
Monty Don’s Italian Gardens – Episode 1
Rome – running time 59 minutes
youtube.com/watch?v=OY413RwBzB0
A Garden Designed over 40 years by Prince
Charles
A tour of Highgrove Gardens – home of Prince
Charles – You click through the images using
the arrow on right hand side of the screen (or
at bottom of screen on iPads). There are a few
small videos within the presentation.
artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/
igLSEOWqhVHoJw
Wildlife on your
doorstep!
As most of you will now know, especially if you
visit the reserve regularly, due to the Covid-19
outbreak, we have had to close Lakenheath Fen
completely following government guidelines.
Apart from regular essential security checks, which
we are taking it in turns to do, our small team of
staff are currently working from home, or trying to
at least (it’s not so easy to do with a lively three
year old on the go!)!
What does closing the reserve mean for the wildlife,
and for us who look after it?! Well, the wildlife I’m
sure is doing fine, and having a wonderful, peaceful
time without any people pointing binoculars,
telescopes and camera’s at them! For us reserve
staff, and all our volunteers and visitors, maybe not
quite as fine! It means a reserve full of wildlife that
we can’t go and see or show people, and a breeding
season that will, for the most part, go un-monitored.
For many of us, springtime is our favourite time of
year and carrying out surveys is one of the best
things about working on reserves! There will be a
lot of frustrated RSPB staff out there!!
So what would we be doing on the reserve this
month if Covid-19 hadn’t turned everything on its
head?! Well, most of our migrants should now
have arrived, and we’d be looking forward to seeing
how many hobbies we’ll get, we’ve topped 60 in
the last few years! We’d also be spending many
hours looking out over the reedbed, recording
booming bitterns and feeding flights, and watching
for marsh harrier food passes too. We would also all
be carrying out our own bird surveys, in various
areas, involving up to seven or eight early morning
visits to record territorial males singing, and other
signs of breeding. And on top of all that, there’s the
routine reserve maintenance to be done, including
keeping on top of the grass and reeds along paths
and at viewpoints and filling potholes (our
volunteers most favourite job!)! And then of course
there are all our visitors to be enthusiastically
welcomed!
Despite missing what’s going on at the reserve, I’m
certainly not missing out on nature, and I find it
somewhat reassuring that although our lives and
daily routines have been turned upside down, nature
is carrying on regardless. Trees are coming into
leaf and flowers into bloom, our resident birds are
singing and the summer migrants have returned.
Swallows and house martins are around as I write,
and by the time you read this, swifts should be
screaming around the village too.
There is also the bonus of being able to spend time
with our energetic son, who has been ‘helping’ me
in the garden. We’ve planted lots of vegetable and
flower seeds, and he’s enjoying finding about all the
bugs in the garden – he happily picks up earwigs,
beetles and millipedes to show me!!
So until the reserve is open again, and our lives can
get back to some sort of normality, enjoy what
nature is around you, and take good care of
yourselves and those close to you.
Katherine (Warden)
When Mother Nature
Speaks
By Alicia Eldridge
When Mother Nature speaks,
believe that she’ll be heard.
She has control of everything,
the seas, the lands, the birds.
She remembers when we cared for her.
When we treasured the beauty she gave.
All she wants is for us to see,
and hear what she has made.
When Mother Nature speaks to us,
she is trying to open our eyes.
Our soul is darkening each generation,
this ‘Angel of Death is no surprise.
But from this darkness she'll spread our wings,
and teach us how to listen,
then life will blossom on every street,
our hearts and minds will glisten.
Remember that the world is ours.
It is all we have to share.
If we work together as people should,
we’ll fix the pollution in the air.
You've seen what shutting the world down,
Can do in just a little time.
Imagine what a difference we can make,
when we work with her design.
With kindness, hope and love in our hearts,
We’ll bring the world to Glory.
'Once upon a time' will be,
The beginning of our brand new story!
The Wayland News May 2020 Page 6
PLEASE MENTION A Quick Look Round
by Orbiter
THE WAYLAND What a change has occurred since my last look
round ! One minute I was contemplating my next
NEWS holiday, and the next I was being commanded by
my son to lock myself away from the rest of the
WHEN SHOPPING world, since being over seventy years of age the
virus would grab me and affect every one within
WITH OUR spitting distance, though spitting, even short
distances, is not part of my repertoire.
ADVERTISERS It seems that Mother’s Day was the turning point in
our lives, for although everyone had been told to
stay at home, the weather was so nice that many
families decided that it would nice for Mum to go
out for a drive and enjoy the fresh air in the
countryside, while, of course, keeping well clear of
any other folks who might also be out. Alas it seems
that nearly every family in Norfolk
had the same idea, and every open space, beach and
beauty spot became even more crowded than usual.
Incidentally what is Mother’s Day ? In all my
diaries the date is recorded as Mothering Sunday,
and I always understood that this was the one day in
the year that young ladies that were employed as
live-in servants in big country estate houses were
allowed a day off to visit their mother, a privilege
secured on their behalf by the Church. Apparently
some astute business person saw the possibility in re
-naming it and now every year restaurants,
chocolatiers and florists do a roaring trade, and
Mummy sees her family. What a good idea !
Since that day this year things seem to have sorted
themselves out, or have been sorted for us, by
governmental edicts, and, at least in our part of the
world, some semblance of normality has returned,
and the first rush of panic buying has diminished.
Yes, that person has far more in her trolley than a
normal person can need, but she is not necessarily
hoarding, she may be a kind person shopping for
several old folks, or simply someone sensibly
doing a whole week’s buying in one go instead of
making two or three visits.
Of course things are not so easy in big towns and
cities, and the pictures we still see in our daily
papers of empty supermarket shelves can be quite
alarming, and make us feel thankful to live in such
a comparatively quiet area.
Every time the country experiences some crisis or
other, we are treated to new slogans to help us
carry on, and one of them this time assures us that
We Are Not Alone, and the truth of this one has
been emphasised by leading figures, such as Boris
Johnson, and Prince Charles, among other
prominent people all testing positive and having to
self-isolate, thus helping to re-assure folks that we
are all in this together.
A n announcement that, in order to ensure
shoppers keep six feet apart, the police force
would attend at supermarkets, some of them being
of the old-fashioned kind that used to patrol the
streets in the days before high visibility jackets
and walkie talkie radio sets were heard of, raised
amused memories among some of us oldies, of
when constables, known as bobbies, flatties, or
simply coppers, patrolled our streets on regular4
beats, twenty four hours a day, although it was
accepted that there would never be one when you
wanted one.
Of course anyone under sixty years old today will
probably never have seen one, their presence was
once an accepted part of the daily scene in every
high street.
In busy towns they were sometimes able to keep
in touch with their superiors by means of special
telephone boxes, such as the one that used to be
used by Doctor Who, on TV, and these boxes had
a blue light on the roof, which flashed whenever
the Bobby was required at the s local police
station.
It seems strange to recall those days which lacked
most of the things that make our lives easy today,
when toddlers carry mobile phones and no longer
have to be told “if you want to know the time, ask
a policeman.”
And even little villages had their very own
policeman, who would probably be finishing his
active days living in a police-house, keeping his
eye on the local teenagers, riding around on a
bicycle, and making sure the pub closed at the
correct hour.
It seems strange that these things can seem so
recent, but at the same time so long ago
I expect I am not alone in regretting the fact that I
have allowed my garden to become merely a
display facility, no longer a source of supply for
home-grown potatoes and vegetables of all kinds.
I used to enjoy the delights of fresh-picked
produce, but like many others, I found it easier to
buy, say, fifty-six pounds of spuds from a garden
centre and save all that digging, earthing up, and
so on, and covering the ground with pretty shrubs,
and now I am not permitted to go out.
But, as they say, always look on the bright side,
and there always is one. For instance Norwich
City haven’t lost a match for some weeks, so
things are not all bad. And . . . And . . . .er . . .
Good afternoon.
In your garden
With Lotta Potts
Since we aren't going anywhere soon, now is a
perfect time to perk up that garden and get some
much needed fresh air and exercise too! This year
a lot of plants are about two weeks early. We've
had a great early spring and it doesn't take much to
get the spring bulbs shooting up and into flower.
The magnolias were also early and on my final
trip to Dereham before being shut infor the
duration or 12 weeks whichever applies it did my
old heart good to see the various magnolias about
to open fully. Pity to miss the show at its peak but
there you go.
All the experts will tell you not to rush out and
buy lots of bedding (not frost hardy) until at least
the middle of May in case of late frosts. This is
good advice but if you've got fruit trees you can be
in a bit of trouble. If you are starting off with fruit
it might be worthwhile seeking out the really
dwarf ones that can be grown in pots on the patio.
These are handy as they can be brought in over
winter and put out once frosts are over or they can
be covered with fleece at nights when frost is
threatened. This leads to the annual question, of
course, when do you know you've had the last
frost? You don't. The best bet is to just aim for
mid-late May and hope.
Now for the annual point I tended to make: I make
no apology for asking gardeners with a bit of a
shady area round trees or shrubs not to plant
Spanish bluebells. Whilst quite pretty these are
scent-free and very sturdy. They are so sturdy they
cross-pollinate with the natives so that with both
the Spanish and the hybrids proliferating soon we
shall have no native scented bluebells. This would
be a crime against nature so I am asking you now
the season is upon us to look out for Spanish
bluebells or hybrids and get rid of them. How to
tell? It's quite easy. The native is slender and
curves slightly at the top of the flower stem. The
bells are deep blue to blueish purple and hang
mainly to one side of the stem. The leaves are
narrow, dark green and pointed. They also have
that glorious scent. The Spanish and hybrid ones
are stiffer in the stem, the bells are all round the
stems, they have little or no scent and the leaves
are noticeably large and wider, almost floppy. If
you are able to take a walk in a bluebell wood just
marvel at what we have. Please leave the flowers
as they'll die before you get them home (if they
don't they're Spanish so well done). If you want
some for your garden don't dig up wild bulbs, it's
illegal. Plenty of sheds and garden centres sell pots
so you can ensure they are natives. If you buy mail
order make sure the seller states native and bred
for sale. If you aren't sure give them a call and ask.
Like snowdrops bluebells should be planted 'in the
green' so the growers may well have started to lift
bulbs ready for sale before the flowers appear. If
you buy mail order this way you can tell by the
leaves whether they're natives or not. It's also a lot
cheaper than buying them in pots. I still stand by
that plea despite the fact that some expert earlier
this year announced that the natives are holding
their own and the hybrids aren’t really as close to
Spanish as they were. Maybe. Stick to the natives
please!
I need to be getting on with the jobs that need
doing in May. After all the digging and weeding
and preparation of the past few months this is
where the fun starts. From the middle of the
month onward plant bedding, tender exotics,
dahlias, tender veg and sweet pea plants that have
been hardened off. I realise that we have early
plants and flowers now but with the tender stuff
it's worth sticking to the recommended rules and
waiting. Early in the month take care of the lawn.
If you couldn't feed in April now's the time to get
on with it otherwise the grass will burn as the
temperature rises. You can weed and feed but
large weeds will have to be removed by hand.
That's for the purists. The grass will need cutting,
the blades on high, and the weeds will be cut as
well. They're green. Eventually they will give up
trying to flower and seed so job done without
more effort than cutting the grass.
If you didn't prune the forsythia and flowering
currant bushes once flowering had finished now's
the time otherwise next year you will have lots of
long stems that don't produce flowers. A quick
reminder if you forgot. It's quite easy. Follow the
flowered stems down to a shoot that didn't flower
and cut just above it. If there is old wood take one
or two stems out completely, about a third of the
redundant stems. Same again next year and the
year after and there you have a brand new plant.
Forsythia and flowering currant can be pruned
drastically and will make a neat hedge. Other
hedging plants such as beech, hornbeam and box
should be pruned late May or early June. Privet
needs more care, cutting every six weeks or so but
will thrive for it. Just make sure when pruning
anything that any birds have flown. Sometimes
they nest in ridiculous places. Robins are well-
known for making their homes in sheds in pots
and even the odd watering can.
Plants that have formed large clumps such as
primroses can be divided now. Just dig up the
clumps and pull them apart and spread the
divisions round a bit. Nice clumps next year! I
found out early last year that primroses grow up
hill. So all those lovely plants lining the
hedgerows stared off at the edge of the road or
field margin. I tried it on a very small slope in my
garden and this year I am sure the clumps are
bigger upwards. Difficult to tell on the flat but
another experiment sounds like a good idea.
You can direct-sow all sorts of vegetables now if
you have room or even a few pots. Tomatoes do
well in pots as do all manner of peas and beans.
There are now lots of dwarf varieties that produce
very well. The downside is, of course, they need
lots of watering. They need watering in the ground
too but the soil holds the moisture better. Plant
hanging baskets with tumbling tomatoes and herbs
as well as flowers – mix them all up! Last year I
tried a few climbers in hanging baskets and they
worked just as well. Once they’d worked their
way to the tops of the chains and wrapped
themselves round the brackets they then trailed.
Maybe they should have been given more space as
I tend to cram baskets full (they still don’t look as
good as the professionals’ photos) but black-eyed
susans did quite nicely. Another experiment
coming on.
For all those of us prohibited from leaving home
this may well not apply as you’ve done it but just
in case the usual reminder: keep weeding.
Have Courage and be kind
Stay at home but look to the skies,
Know that courage in your heart lies.
Don't forget that together we stand.
This is our future, this is our land.
We can change the world, oh yes we can!
That's one small step for every man.
Spread the kindness if help is in need.
Be careful, be safe and soon we'll be freed.
We don't need a hero with magic or powers,
Just look to the skies, land, ocean and flowers.
We won't see the end until change happens
within.
This is the start of a new world...let's Begin!
Alicia Eldridge
The Wayland News May 2020 Page 7
Thought for the Month
Revd Gerry Foster, Vicar of Watton
HARAMBEE is Swahili for ‘working
together in harmony’. I have been reading
a book written by Bishop Wilfred Wood
describing his life and work. He was one of
the founder members of the HARAMBEE
in Islington, London, where he was fully
involved in the battle in the late 1960’s
between black juveniles and the police.
This reminded me of being a schoolgirl at
that time in the West Midlands, when roads
in the community became filled with
intriguing sounds and smells, as families
immigrating from Pakistan moved in.
Communities change and continually we
need to find ways of integrating. It is a two
-way process and we need to find a
‘common language’ through which we can
communicate.
In these critical and, indeed, in any times,
there is a language which is common to us
all, from wherever we hail. It’s called
COMPASSION and it’s at the heart of
HARAMBEE. COMPASSION seeks to
listen closely to, in honour and respect, with
understanding, taking account of the human
body language….what is being said and
what isn’t.
I learnt about this when I was a Student
Nurse in the mid 1970’s at St Thomas’s
Hospital, London and many people were
patients from overseas and couldn’t speak
English. As I write, at this time of the
Coronavirus Pandemic, this St Thomas’s
Hospital is continually on the news,
because of its excellent work with
Infectious Diseases. This is where I trained
and qualified and worked shifts on a
medical ward, where many had
compromised breathing for acute
respiratory problems. Training at St
Thomas’s made me a ‘Florence Nightingale
Nurse’, as that was the home of the
‘Florence Nightingale Training School for
Nurses’ and hearing about the Nightingale
Hospital built in the ExCel Centre in
London, takes me right back to wearing a
very different uniform from today…..
But whether we’re in the frontline or self-
isolating, whether we’re considered
vulnerable or volunteering, whether we are
young or older, from whatever cultural or
credal background, or none, because we are
all human, each of us has that common
language, the capacity for COMPASSION.
Together, in our thoughts, prayers and
actions we can be part of HARAMBEE.
It’s a privilege to be in the community of
Watton and St Mary’s at this time. With all
our friends in the surrounding areas and
reaching out around the world, more and
more we can be HARAMBEE…’working
together in harmony’. And when we
come through this time, may we have been
further strengthened to take HARAMBEE
to even higher levels of COMPASSION,
for the good of Everyone. Praying for
You…Praying for Everyone: Revd Gerry
Foster, Vicar of Watton
VE Day a child’s memoir
I was born in September 1939 and was
fortunate enough to live in a remote rural
area surrounded by fields and woods. I
never heard a bomb, slept in a shelter or
suffered the privations experienced by
many of my contemporaries. As I grew I
remember parents talking about something
called ‘Before the war’. I was unable to go
to a school as it was too far away when the
time came and was taught by someone
called ‘Auntie Nans’ who had been a
Nanny at the Big House when there were
children there. My mother always referred
to my attendance at a Private School, I
suppose it was as I was the only pupil. It
didn’t interfere with my making of mud
pies; reading, which I seem to have been
doing from the age of 3; working my way
through a few childhood illnesses, caught
from the occasional playmate or visiting
cousin I imagine and breaking an arm from
time to time. I remember my fourth
birthday, convinced that overnight I woulod
reach adult height (still waiting on that
one).
One day my mother rushed in and took
down all the blackout curtains and blinds,
she had to put them up the following night
it being summer and I could only sleep in
the dark, a pattern for life I’m afraid. She
then produced a huge red, white and blue
rosette for me, made I presume from fabric
hoarded for the purpose and told me the
war was over and we were going to a big
VE parade, I never did know how she knew
this but in my innocence assumed it was a
regular occurence and anyway mothers
knew everything. I swear that rosette was as
big as a dinner plate.
My goodness what a parade that was for
someone who’d never seen more than two
or three people at any one time! I thought it
would never end. That’s where I saw Girl
Guides in the old brimmed hats and long
skirts and immediately wanted to be one,
there was music, bands, singing and
marching. My father had been in the War
Emergency Police Force and took me in the
police station and pretended to lock me in
the cells, child psychology was never his
strong point.
This was a golden day and there was never
another like it. We moved soon afterwards,
first to a war torn, bomb damaged London
then just over the Norfolk Lincolnshire
fenland border and life was just never the
same. VJ day seemed as nothing to me and
I spent my time looking fruitlessly for fields
and woods to play in and making do with
dyke sides for grassy areas. My next rosette
was for the Coronation and very small in
my eyes. Sue Hart 2020
Great Ellingham Chit
Chat Group
Every Wednesday 10-12 Noon Gt
Ellingham Recreation Centre
Childhood memories Book launch (A
Social history BOOK of the time)
The book launch was extremely exciting
and successful. There were nearly 200
people attending and supporting us during
the afternoon. It was such a happy day.
One to be remembered by everyone who
attended. The books were awash with
signatures from the authors and the room
was filled with flashes from photographers.
Lady Dannatt, the Lord Lieutenant of
Norfolk, attended the event and was
presented with flowers and all of the lady
book contributors plus some of the other
ladies were also given bunches of flowers.
The men had plants and chocolates. A big
thank you to The Crown for hosting the
event.
There is an article and photographs in the
Let’s Talk Magazine, May edition, now
available and we will also be in the Norfolk
Magazine with an article and photographs
in their diary page. The book is available at
three local shops: Great Ellingham Post
Office, Rocklands Community Shop and J
C Books, Watton; we thank these shops
for supporting us by stocking the book.
The Childhood Memories Book is also
available at Jarrolds and other Norfolk and
Suffolk shops plus on-line from our
website.
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE
CORONAVIRUS
It is with great sadness, that due to the
Coronavirus outbreak, we are now unable
to meet. At our last meeting, it was with a
heavy heart that we turned the key in the
lock at the Recreation Centre, not knowing
when we would be opening again. Many of
us had tears in our eyes as this is the first
time in eight and half years that we are
unable to think about ‘next week’s
meeting.’
Some of us are self-isolating, however,
thankfully we have computers and
telephones, therefore I urge anyone,
whether a regular attender of Chit Chat or
someone who just reads about us to keep in frantic now we are back to the strange times we now find ourselves
contact with as many folk as possible. If living through. There have been several well publicised funerals in
anyone would like to contact a member of the district and one of our own members all who have had
Chit Chat, then please ring me and I will be representation from the branch. Particular thanks go to Ron
able to give the contact details. Likewise, Wheeler, our president and Steve Bibby our standard bearer for their
if anyone would just like a chat or advice, efforts.
then I am happy to chat and direct them to The biggest change however will be that during our stay in Texas we sold
someone who will be able to give any our house and will be heading north. Indeed by the end of the year we hope
correct advice needed. I suggest we all try we will be living in Cumbria in a small town called Wigton. It’s just about
and keep in touch with folk wherever the same as Watton but with rain. It has 1 doctor surgery, a dentist, 3
possible and I urge everyone, Chit Chat schools, 2 bakers 3 butchers; you get the idea and about 6,000 residents not
members or not, if they think they have a counting the surrounding villages. So in March we held, what I expect was
problem, to please use their phone to make our last meeting for some time, due to the government Covid-19 lockdown
contact. PLEASE DO NOT SUFFER IN restrictions. Helen and I resigned from our posts and new members were
SILENCE elected to interim appointments pending notification of an Extraordinary
Going back to the Child Memories Book, General Meeting (EGM) or the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in
some of the stories told really do highlight November, whichever comes first, to have the roles ratified. My very able
the hardships suffered by so many during vice Chair Victoria Southward will take over as interim chair. Many of you
the Second World War, and although we may know Jayne Eastwood who has stepped up to act as interim vice chair.
are going through a very difficult time of And the biggest boots to fill have been the secretary role will be taken on by
uncertainty, then the book really is worthy Alan Diver, but Helen has left and extremely well organised role for him to
of a read, just to show how people coped. slot in to. We wish them and of course the whole branch all the very best for
For those with computers, please follow our the future during these challenging times. I hope it will be business as usual
website. I will update this from time to as much as possible but without the social aspect for the branch members,
time and I will also be writing in the even though it is a very important part of what we do. You will still be able
Wayland News with information on when to contact and expect assistance via the usual channels but we may just not
Chit Chat will start their weekly meetings be as visible as we have been.
again. So it just remains for Helen and I to say cheerio we will miss all our
Great Ellingham Chit Chat Group Contact: friends and we have had a wonderful time in Watton. The original
Ann Reeve 07733211410/01953 882065 plan was that by the time you were reading this we would have
annreeve2008@gmail.com moved but a certain little bug has put that on hold, as is everything
www.greatellinghamchitchatgroup.co.uk else, but we hope to go as soon as restrictions are lifted. Please
follow the government advice and stay home and stay safe. Many of
Norfolk Wildlife Trust you are now experiencing, what the ex-military community have
already, and that is “we are all in this together” so let’s get on with it
Breckland Local Group
and look forward to the next challenge.
On 11th March we had a talk from Brenda
The couple buying our house have visited a couple of times and
and Ralph Todd, “The Return of the
commented on how friendly and welcoming the town is. I heartily
Osprey”.
agree with that sentiment and although Helen and I have travelled all
This was beautifully illustrated with photos
around the country and much of the world home will always be
taken by the Todds over years of their
Texas. Ha didn’t see that coming unless you know me really well.
involvement with the project and birds in
Thank you everybody for a fabulous 30 years in Watton and the
general.
After being successfully living in this
branch contact details are on the website www.Watton-Legion.org
country for many years, the Osprey were
persecuted to extinction, much of which
was due to egg collecting.
Since the 1950s, there has been a lot of
work to bring the Osprey back and the first
successful mating was 1959.
There are now good populations in
Scotland and Wales and they have featured
on the BBC’s Springwatch and
Winterwatch.
Unfortunately, this was the last of the
Group’s events before the Coronavirus
Lockdown.
NWT have cancelled all events to June, but
they and we do not expect to start again
until the Autumn at the earliest.
I will write again when we have an update.
Many thanks to our supporters and we hope
you all stay safe and well.
Covid-19 and Adcocks
Just a quick update for you on our
‘operation’ during the Covid-19 crisis.
We’ve had to close the shop in line with
Government restrictions, however we can
still assist over the phone, 01953 881248,
and we are still able to deliver and install
to you if required.
Orders can also be placed on our website
for delivery or ‘click and collect’ but we
advise a phone call to the shop first to
confirm stocks as supplies are becoming
a little ‘unpredictable’!
As we’re operating on a skeleton staff at
the moment we are now closing at 4pm.
Regards to all and stay safe, Paul Adcock
Watton and District Royal
British Legion
I guess it may have seemed that the Watton
branch has ceased to be due to lack of input
over the last few months, mostly due to the
fact that Helen and I have been sunning
ourselves in Texas for the winter. For
anybody who is new to this publication I am
John Daly and have been Chairman for the
last two and a half years and Helen is my wife
and secretary. It has been a busy time for the
branch while we were away and just as
The Wayland News May 2020 Page 8
THE WAYLAND NEWS
PLEASE READ!!! Page space is allocated strictly on a first
come, first served basis. 12 Noon on the 15th of the
month preceding publication is the last date and time
that copy will be CONSIDERED for inclusion. Arrival of
your 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.
You can contact Julian by ringing (01953) 858908.
The e-mail address is now: newsfromwayland@gmail.com
Views expressed in articles in The Wayland News are those of the
contributors and not the views of the publisher 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
Coronavirus in Oz
Letter from Australia
by Chris O'Connor
The most sacred day in Australia has
been cancelled thanks to coronavirus.
Anzac day, a day when hundreds of
thousands of Australians gather at war
memorials scattered from city to small
country town to pay their respects to the
fallen of far too many wars will remain
empty this year.
On April 25th 1915 Australian and New
Zealand troops landed in the pre dawn
darkness on the sandy beach of Gallipoli.
Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of
Australia’s most important national
occasions. It marks the anniversary of the
first major military action fought by
Australian and New Zealand forces
during the First World War.
When war broke out in 1914 Australia
had been a federated nation for only 13
years, and the government was eager to
establish a reputation among the nations
of the world. When Britain declared war
in August 1914 Australia was
automatically placed on the side of the
Commonwealth. In 1915 Australian and
New Zealand soldiers formed part of the
expedition that set out to capture the
Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the
Dardanelles to the allied navies. The
ultimate objective was to capture
Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital
of the Ottoman Empire, and an ally of
Germany. The Australian and New
Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25
April, meeting fierce resistance from the
Ottoman Turkish defenders.
What had been planned as a bold stroke
to knock Turkey out of the war quickly
became a stalemate, and the campaign
dragged on for eight months. At the end
of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated
from the peninsula, with both sides
having suffered heavy casualties and
endured great hardships. More than 8,000
Australian soldiers had died in the
campaign. Gallipoli had a profound
impact on Australians at home, and 25
April soon became the day on which
Australians remembered the sacrifice of
those who died in the war. By the time
the war had ended more than 60 thousand
Australian soldiers were dead. There
were so many women left as widows
from both sides that many of them were
unable or did not want to marry again
such was the carnage. One woman asked
if she wanted to get married again simply
replied “there are not enough men left.”
Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in
its military objectives, the actions of
Australian and New Zealand forces
during the campaign left a powerful
legacy. What became known as the
“Anzac legend” became an important part
of the identity of both nations, shaping
the ways in which they viewed both their
past and their future.
In recent years Anzac dawn services have
see a growing number of young people
attending along with the fathers and
grandfathers; men who had fought in
Korea, Malaya, Vietnam and
Afghanistan. Now they are forbidden to
congregate and must stay at home. One
young man has suggested that people
who want to pay homage to the fallen
should go to the end of their driveway
and stand with a lighted candle as dawn
breaks over Australia. It is a small but
significant way to honour those who died
so that we might live today.
On a lighter note. When the nation's strict
coronavirus travel laws slowed passing
trade to a trickle, in the far north it was
time to try something new. The
Dunmarra Wayside Inn, located 315
kilometres south of Katherine, is owned
by pilot Gary Frost (below).
He said with most of the surrounding
cattle stations now in lockdown, he had
little choice but to take to the skies in a
bid to keep the locals in high spirits.
"Nobody can go anywhere, they're
limited to how they get their supplies and
refreshments," Mr Frost said. "So we
thought we might do something to help
them out a little bit.
"We make pizzas at Dunmarra roadhouse
anyway, so we thought we would get all
the pizzas together and see if they were
interested, if we can fly them out, so they
don't have to leave the properties."
So now the lifeline is the Flying Pizza
Delivery not the Flying Doctor!
Saham Toney
Neighbourhood Plan
Update
Shaping the future of Saham Toney!
We are acutely aware that the
Neighbourhood Plan is of no significance
at the present time and the first thought of
the Work Group is for the health and well
-being of all villagers and your family
and friends in the wider world.
On the other hand, continuing work on
the plan is one way to maintain a sense of
normality amidst the endless stream of
bad news in a world that’s been turned
upside down. Hopefully in a very small
way, keeping up to date with what we are
doing may also help divert your minds
briefly from all that’s going on.
Over the last month we’ve made good
progress with incorporating our
consultant’s comments on the updated
plan and housing needs assessment, and
in my opinion that has further improved
both documents.
Other consultants have moved on to the
next stage of the Strategic Environmental
Assessment (SEA) and in accordance
with the regulations are now reviewing
alternatives to what’s in the plan
regarding allocated sites. We’re
expecting their draft report around the
third week of April, so I should be able to
update you on the that next time.
Depending on that report’s
recommendations we may have to modify
the plan again, and once that’s done both
the SEA and Habitats Regulations
Assessment (HRA) will move onto their
final stages. The first stage of the HRA
resulted in a few minor changes to the plan,
mostly concerned with ensuring greater
protection to the Breckland Special
Protection Area, which lies just to the south
of the parish.
We have also received a draft transport
study report and have recently returned our
comments to the consultants, so we expect
the final report to be ready any day now.
Pending that, the three main findings of the
study are:
Safe access to and from all the allocated
sites can be provided in accordance with
Highway Authority standards.
The cumulative increase in traffic resulting
from all allocated sites will have a
negligible impact on traffic flows in the
village and queue lengths at key junctions
will not increase.
Local Highway Authority objections to
sites that lack a footpath to the village
school are not justified.
When the report is finalised, we will upload
it to our site, www.stnp2036.org.
Hopefully we are now in a position where,
barring any surprises, the only additional
changes there might be to the Plan will be
as result of anything that comes out of the
final stages of the SEA and HRA, the
‘health check’ of the plan by a qualified
examiner, and final reviews by our policy
consultant and the neighbourhood planning
coordinator at Breckland Council.
While the present pandemic may delay any
or all of those stages, for now we’re
working on the basis of getting everything
finished if we can without thinking about
all the ‘what-ifs’ of events we can’t control.
Then at least when life gets back to normal,
we’ll be ready. For now, our various
consultants are continuing to work, so we
remain on track to submit the plan around
mid-August.
Given all the changes and improvements
we have made to the Plan since the
consultation last autumn, in the normal
course of events we would be starting to
think about preparing a village event to
update the parish. Obviously, a public
meeting is out of the question for the
foreseeable future, but in due course we
will investigate if there are ways – within
our capabilities – of arranging something
online, over and above simply uploading
documents. If anyone has expertise /
ideas for doing that we’d be delighted to
hear from you!
On the subject of meetings, the work
group continues to meet weekly, but
virtually by a WhatsApp group call,
rather than in person of course.
On related planning matters, you may
have seen that Breckland Council
recently upheld the developer of
Warwick Farm’s request to waive the
payment of around £40,000 to the Parish
Council, even though that had been
agreed in writing at the time the
development was approved. It seems that
decision was based on a technicality.
Apparently Breckland’s planning
committee judged although their decision
was suspect morally, it was legally
correct. Naturally we think it wrong that
our village has lost a large amount a
money because of a loophole. While it’s
unlikely much can be done, since there is
no right of appeal, we have drafted an
initial letter to Breckland Council and
offered it to our parish council as a first
step in possibly taking things further.
As usual, if you have any comments or
questions on any of this, or the
Neighbourhood Plan in general, or if
you'd like to be added to our mailing list,
please get in touch with Chris Blow at
stnp2036@gmail.com
Most importantly, stay healthy and safe!