FREE - Issue Number 255 - March 2018 HELP YOURSELF TO A COPY - THIS PAPER IS FREE!!

Mason's journey
to fame continues
8 year old Mason Foster from Watton has grown
strength to strength this year competing in the Cool
Fab British Racing Championship for Mini Moto’s.
After completing his first season in 2016 competing
around the UK, he has now been recognised by the
Italian Factory Polini Team and was asked to attend
a test in November 2017 in Italy with the possibility
of riding for the Factory Team in 2018.
This test was successful and a contract has now
been signed with the Italian Championship Team,
and Mason will begin in April this year!
This is an amazing
opportunity which will see
Mason receiving the very
best in tuition and guidance
from the Italian Team
Manager Roberto Basso
and his team of mechanics,
still being so young he has
the advantage of training
with the very best in this
field which will provide
him with the knowledge
and race craft needed to
potentially keep achieving
and nurturing the talent
which people see in him.
Roberto Basso has nurtured
vast amounts of riders of
whom have progressed to
the Moto GP paddock such
as Simone Corsi and
Franco Morbidelli to name
a couple.
Mason is attending a 10-
day test in Spain at the end
of February to warm up for Championship which kicks off in continuing help and support and who
the pending season, which March travelling around the country are still maintaining his high level of
includes a 3-day training until the end of October. learning. Pease support Mason by
camp at Cartagena and 7 Mason would like to take this visiting his Facebook page, and if
days at the very demanding opportunity to thank everyone that anyone wishes to help Mason by
circuit of Finestrat, helps him in this incredible journey – form of sponsorship or if anyone can
Benidorm. X-Lite Helmets, Jewsons, The Sign help in anyway in this very expensive
Mason will also be Box, Anglia Karting Centre and sport please get in contact.
competing in the British Caston Primary School for their

Looking ahead to the summer, we

Concerned Griston will be selling toys & games at our
14th July event, so de-clutter now
about Church Book and donate your unwanted items for
a good cause.
Policing? Sales If you have items to donate, or would
Saturday March 17th is the next like to help us in any way, please
Ask the Grand Second Hand Book Sale at contact Keith and Caroline on 01953
Griston Church in aid of our 880153. Thank you and we look
PCC and heating fund. We’ll be open from forward to seeing you there.
10.00 am until 4.00 pm, and as
Chief you’d expect we’ll have a HUGE
Watton Library
new range of books on offer, with
Constable no book costing more than ONE Friends
POUND. There will be hot and
A public Question & cold drinks, cakes, snacks, and hot We are looking for people to
Answer session will be held soup on sale inside the church, with become part of a new group who:
in Watton on 7th March with seating available. Just in time to Support and develop ideas for
the Police and Crime tempt you with Easter approaching, library activities
Commissioner for Norfolk there will be a tombola with just Plan and hold fundraising activities
and the Chief Constable. It chocolate as prizes. In addition, we to fund special projects/events,
will be held at Queens Hall, will have cakes and savouries for such as author visits
Watton, from 6pm-8pm. If you to take away, along with a Act as a link between the library
you have any questions selection of both indoor and garden and the local community and
around policing and crime plants, cut daffodils, and general promote library services.
please come along and take gardening paraphernalia. Donations Socialise and have fun!
this opportunity to speak of cakes and bakes, and any garden Pop into Watton Library or call
directly to the PCC and related items will be most 01953 881671 for more
the Chief Constable. appreciated! information.
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 2
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 3
A Quick Look
Round
By Orbiter
Here we go again, into the merry
month of March, with its hares and
high winds and there is an old term for
the middle of the month (more
precisely the 15th.), namely the Ides,
though I used to think that the Ides of
March were actually a Cambridge
family, akin to the Jekylls of Bedford !
No, I didn’t, really.
The dreaded February is now behind
us, thank goodness, as it did its best to
live up to its reputation as the Fill-
Dyke, with water lying in fields
everywhere, and flooded roads all
around the area. Hopefully the damp
days are behind us and normal service
may now be resumed.
In recent weeks there has been a great
emphasis on the fact that plastics are
polluting seas, beaches, rivers and
many other sites, and many volunteers
have been helping to clean up all over
the country, though their efforts are but
puny, given the extent of the problem.
But what happened to the War on
Waste Paper that was given such
prominence a decade or so ago ? We
were told that the rain-forests were
being decimated by the annual
increases in the use of newsprint, yet in
recent times our newspapers are
wasting more and more on such items
as full-page advertisements, often
containing just a single word. Of
course businesses want to publicise
their products but blatant wastage
should not be permitted. Or have the
rain-forests made a sudden recovery
that we have not been told about ?
Now we all know that fashions have
always dominated the interests of our
female friends, but the men now seem
determined not to be left behind, and
not just in the area of clothing, for if
you ever watch televised football
matches you will probably have
noticed that a great proportion of the
players are now heavily bearded, most
of them resembling the face that used
to adorn the packets of Players Navy
Cut cigarettes. And many of them do
look quite manly, and, in fact, the clean
-shaven few do sometimes appear
somewhat inadequate in comparison.
At one time footballers’ fashions were
reflected by the length of their shorts,
which varied between the ‘Alex James’
pre-war style of shorts nearly ankle-
length, to the mid-sixties brief, almost
‘bikini’ mini-shorts, and back to the
present day knee-length, often with
obvious under-shorts included.
This year we celebrate the centenary of
the women’s suffragette movement,
and rather belatedly it seems that all
their efforts are at last bearing fruit, for
we now have female Prime Ministers in
many countries, notably here, in
Scotland, and in Germany, while they
appear prominently in all aspects of
athletics, have world-class football
teams, both soccer and rugby, and are
even seen competing in boxing and
wrestling matches.
On radio and television they dominate
news-reading and present many
programmes in which men have just
minor involvement, so it seems that the
pendulum has swung completely, and
soon it may be necessary for the men to
start campaigning for their rights.
Back here in Norfolk the recent plague
of temporary traffic lights, affecting so
many of our local roads seems to have
been superseded by an outbreak of
diversion signs, which are so numerous
that one gets the impression that every
journey we make is part of a diverted
route, though from where or to, we are
never told, though possibly these are
connected to the repairs now being
made to the A47 between Dereham and
Swaffham.
Additional puzzles are posed by a large
number of ‘Road Ahead Closed’
boards’, once again giving no hint of
where the closure is actually located.
One can ignore the warnings and take a
chance of an un-interrupted journey
and be lucky or suffer a considerable
delay. But do not make your decision
by tossing a coin, for to do so while at
the wheel is an offence akin to using a
mobile phone, and a fine and penalty
points may result if you are seen by the
law. Yes,you can rely on the old saying
“You can always find a copper when
you don’t want one”. Happy motoring.
Good afternoon.
Tha Ovington
Crower
That there Boy Sid – he's bin a bit outa
sorts lately. Reckun he hev got himself
the dreaded lurgy I spect.
Oi hev his missus we are all wishing
him well and are hopin to read sum
more of his old squit again soon. Kip
you a’troshin. Boy Julian
Breckland's
Customer
Service Office
in Watton to
close
Breckland Council is reorganising its
customer services in a move which will
see the closure of the Watton office
meaning Wayland residents will now
have to travel to Dereham or Thetford for
one to one help.
The council's own figures show that in an
average day only 12 people come to the
Watton office. Therefore in light of the
falling demand at this and their other
sites, together with the increasing
demand in the council’s main offices in
Thetford and Dereham, the council has
decided to consolidate its customer
services teams into the two largest and
most-visited offices (Dereham and
Thetford), while expanding online
options, which are available 24/7.
The council says it will be improving the
support available at the council’s
headquarters at Elizabeth House in
Dereham and at its St Nicholas Street
office in Thetford. This will see the
offices revamped, more staff made
available to support visitors, and
additional ‘self-serve’ machines installed
at these locations. But, the restructuring
of the service will see the closure of the
small satellite offices in Watton,
Swaffham, Attleborough and Dereham
town centre.
Cllr Alison Webb, Breckland Council’s
Executive Member for People and
Information, said: “We are making these
changes as a result of changing trends in
how local residents are choosing to
access our services. We have seen falling
footfall at our satellite offices, a rise in
people contacting us online, and we
anticipate that an increase in visits to our
main sites in Dereham and Thetford will
continue further when Universal Credit is
rolled out later this year. In short, we are
putting greater resources where the
majority of our customers need us most.”
The Wayland News emailed all three
District Councillors inviting thoughts on
the changes and Councillors Michael
Wassell and Claire Bowes gave the
following joint comments:
“The Watton office is currently open
Wednesdays and Fridays. Of the 12
people who attend on average for each of
these days 85% of these customers’
enquiries are about Council Tax, Benefits
and Housing.”
“In light of the above most popular
topics, the vast majority of the customers
at the Watton office will already be, or
will become DWP customers. This is due
to the introduction of Universal Credit in
summer 2018. The Department of Work
and Pensions require them to be seen in
person at Elizabeth House or at the
Thetford office (also to be shared with
Breckland), which means customers will
be there anyway for DWP and so will be
able to access Breckland services at the
same time.”
“Residents quite rightly expect the
council to be as efficient as possible with
public money, which continues to be
severely constrained. Breckland Council
has calculated that the average cost of
seeing a resident at the Watton office is
almost double the cost of seeing them at
the main offices. We can be more
efficient by delivering the service in other
ways, so that’s why we’re taking action.”
“It is important to bear in mind that
Breckland not just closing offices – this is
a reorganisation of the service so it is
provided where most customers need it –
more self-serve in main offices, online by
telephone etc. We are also investing time
and money in creating other options for
people, such as report it online forms.
Residents can also contact us at any time,
either by phone (Claire Bowes 07789
796937; Michael Wassell 07778 491569)
or by email,
(Claire.bowes@breckland.gov.uk
Michael.wassell@breckland.gov.uk) who
will be able to give assistance and
guidance.”
Breckland say the satellite offices are
expected to remain open until the
summer.
A Glimpse
Behind the
Scenes!
Do you enjoy the Thursford Christmas
Show? Would you like to know how it
comes into being every year ? If so come
along to the Christian Community Centre
on Tuesday 17th April at 2:30pm and
hear the story straight from the Creative
Director and Producer himself!
John Cushing has agreed to come to an
Open Meeting of the Methodist Tuesday
Fellowship to give a talk entitled ‘From
Page to Stage’. It will be a wonderful
opportunity to hear how the imaginative
planning, the choices of music, the
scenery, the lighting, the glorious
costume designs, all come together to
create what is undoubtedly ‘The Greatest
Christmas Show on Earth’ year after
year.
Tickets are available now priced at £5 per
person (including light refreshments) and
may be obtained from Fellowship
members, from the WCCC on
Wednesday mornings or by ringing
01760 441094
If demand exceeds the seating availability
in the Centre, the event will take place in
the Church (disabled access available in
both venues)
After expenses, any profits will be
donated to Action For Children to
support the wonderful work they do in
helping families and young people to
reach their full potential.
Let’s make John Cushing feel really ‘at
home’ by having a ‘Full House’ just
like he does at the Thursford
performances!
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 4
U3A Update
In January we were visited by Bob
Lloyd, ‘Town Crier to the fine city of
Norwich’. He delighted us in full
ceremonial uniform carrying a
ceremonial staff presented to him by
the previous Town Crier. Bob was a
baker for 20 years then employed by
the Royal Mail for 23 years. He was
not frightened of standing and talking
in front of people and was often
asked to host parties, so when he
reached retiring age he applied to go
on a course as a Toastmaster and
qualified in 2008. He saw an advert
for a deputy Town Crier and was
offered the job. Fortunately he took
voluntary redundancy from the
Royal Mail which gave him enough
money to pay for his own uniform.
He was the deputy Town Crier for 6
years before becoming the official
Town Crier. Bob told us some of the
history of town criers who were
called Bellmen. They have a long
history being spokesmen for the
King. There are two town criers on
the Bayeux tapestry. Proclamations
were read outside the local inn and
then nailed to the door. In some
countries a gong or a drum or a
hunting horn is used to herald the
EASTER CASH BINGO
Tues 20th March at Wells Cole CC, Saham
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announcements instead of a bell. The
Town Crier is appointed by the
Mayor and wears similar robes to the
Mayor and Lord Mayor. Town
Criers were phased out with the
advent of newspapers and television.
Norwich revived the post in 1984.
The post is purely ceremonial. Bob
was a highly entertaining and
interesting speaker.
The no 1 pub lunch group will be
visiting The Chequers in Thompson
on Thursday 8 March. The no 2 pub
lunch group will be visiting The
Windmill at Great Cressingham on
27 March.
Unfortunately, with no notice, we
were told by the Sports Centre that
we could no longer use the Gallery
Bar and they could not offer an
alternative room that was large
enough for our meetings so we will
be meeting at the Christian
Community Centre on the 22 March.
There will be no speaker in March as
it is the Annual General Meeting.
Please contact our Membership
Secretary, Anita Taylor on 01953
881110 if you would like to become
a member of the Watton U3A, or
would like further details.
For further details on the National
U3A, go to www.u3a.org.uk
In your garden
with Lotta Potts
It’s an odd thing but as we age we think
that time goes more quickly as in ‘time
flies’ you can add ‘when you’re having
fun’ or not. However this winter has not
flown. It has dragged on for ages, more
than its allotted three months and now we
are out of it. Hooray spring is here. Let us
hope it does come in like a lion then out
like a lamb but not too lion-ish as it will be
wonderful to just get out there. Anyone
else stir-crazy? There were a (very) few
days in February that were neither frosty,
snowy or pouring with rain and it was
great to see them. Despite the miserable
weather by the middle of February a lot of
plants were starting to show new growth –
a patch of lupins, two or three plants of
geraniums (the hardy ones, not the
summer pelargoniums) and I wonder if
they’ll survive if the forecasters are going
to be accurate about the weather taking a
turn for the colder at the end of February
which I assume includes the beginning of
March. Let’s hope that for once they are
way off accuracy!
I even got outside a couple of times and
found a few bulbs, mainly snowdrops, in
flower and it was encouraging that some
came in early then went over, giving way
to others so that was a bit of a triumph.
Later in February (the middle actually) I
found a pulmonaria struggling to flower
and some hellebores. The ‘stinking’ ones
came late Janury with their green-white
flowers edged with pink and the hybrids
mid-month. The ‘stinking’ refers to the
roots, not the flowers which haven’t got a
scent I have found but they are very
welcome and show up nicely on dark days.
They are pretty good value as well because
once established they seed about like mad.
It gives something green and fresh in
winter and if you feel there are too many
you can bin them or give them away to
anyone with a gap in a border. The good
old Christmas Box is still flowering as is
the dratted wintersweet. It’s flowered
again but once there was a frost the
flowers looked as though they’d been
fried. Not an attractive look. The hazels
beat me to it again. Every year I look out
for the catkins and every year they appear
overnight (apparently) looking as though
they’ve been there for ages. The A47 from
Dereham is alight with them.
So what’s to be done? Assuming that the
weather is going to join in and be spring
there’s lots to do. It is no coincidence that
indoors we have, or our ancestors pre
household appliances used to have, spring
cleaning. Go in the shed and have a look.
Our garage is a shed. Plain and simple. It
houses a freezer and heating boiler but
otherwise is pretty much shed and it looks
as though a bomb went off some time ago.
Spring cleaning there. Even if you only
have a bit of tidying up to do I bet you can
find a few ‘missing’ tools (and their
replacements) that need cleaning and a
stack of pots. There is a difference of
Gt. Ellingham &
District Flower
Club News
On 20th January we had our first meeting
of the year and it was our first on a
Saturday afternoon instead of our usual
meetings held on the 3rd Monday of the
month - this new idea to make it safer than
going out on cold, dark winter nights will
continue next month too. It seemed to go
down well with most members and our
apologies to those of you who had to miss
it through work or family commitments. It
was attended by 28 members and guests.
The afternoon gave 11 of our own talented
opinion on used pots. Some people insist
that they have to be washed and even then
they can’t agree – some say hot, soapy
water and rinsing in clean water is
essential, followed by drying in the fresh
air. Others say disinfectant, Jeyes Fluid
being popular, for a good soak, then drying
in the fresh air. I tend to ignore both and
agree with those people including one or
two experts who say that if you have
raised plants or seedlings in compost
(sterile) a quick wipe with a clean, damp
cloth once all the compost is out is
sufficient. It shows good intent if you can
do this before you are rooting round to find
a suitable pot later as they can be stacked
once clean. I will try this year as quite a lot
of my pots have blown around and are all
over the place.
Then we get to the spring cleaning outside.
This is a lot more fun and for the first time
in months and months we are gardening. If
the soil dry or dry-ish and can enough to
be walked on without clinging to the boots
what's to be done? On empty areas if the
winter digging lagged behind then that can
be finished. While the soil is still nice and
fluffy give it a mulch of compost – the
stuff left in grow-bags and pots from last
year is fine. Otherwise use home-made
compost, manure, mushroom compost or
bark. The mulch should be 5cm/2ins deep.
This is a good time to tidy the borders as
well. Start at the back so you don't have to
fork the soil over twice. Remove any
weeds you find and loose debris such as
twigs and leaves – beware there are
possibly slugs and snails lurking. Trim
back dead stems so you can see how the
plant is doing and the whole border will
look a lot tidier. If there's time dig up and
divide perennials that have grown too
large or look a bit shabby in the centre.
Once out of the ground split them into
pieces, each having some root and a shoot
or bud. Then replant the best bits,
enriching the planting holes with well-
rotted compost as you go. If you have too
many 'best bits', a friend will be glad of
them and maybe you'll get a swap.
Another bit of tidying that will look
instantly good (not to mention safe) is to
clear moss and weeds from paths, patios
and drives. On gravel use an old hoe to get
the weeds out then rake it over and top up
the gravel if necessary. On paving slabs
dig out the weeds with an old knife, or a
proper weeding knife. These methods
mean hands and knees. If, like me, your
knees aren’t up to it a neat way round
this weed removal is to use a hoe. Turn
the business end so that it points along
the line to be weeded and either push or
pull gently along the joints of the slabs.
If the gaps left are to be used for rock
plants or small flowers put a little
compost in but otherwise use a dry
mortar mix (1 cement to 5 sand) then
damp down lightly with a slow-running
hose on a fine spray. That should be
labour saving for the future.
Now is a good time to prune trees and
shrubs. Many people get anxious about
pruning anything, roses in particular. It is
(and brave!) members the chance to shine
and demonstrate their skills and my word
what super arrangements they produced!
25 arrangements were completed and
raffled and the stage was full to bursting!
Brilliant - Congratulations to all - next
year perhaps we will get more members to
enter in the Norfolk Show!
Our next meeting is on Saturday 24th
February, again in the afternoon at
Rocklands village hall 1.30 - 3.30pm. We
look forward to a good turnout as it will be
a WORKSHOP, an unusual Table
Decoration - demonstrated by our
Chairman, Brenda Tubb and is free to
members and costs £10 to guests. All
materials supplied - simply bring along
scissors and a bag for your rubbish.
highly unlikely to do much harm with light
pruning and even drastic pruning can be
beneficial in the long run. One rule to
remember is that growth follows the knife
so be wary about the direction when you
remove branches. Roses are probably the
most popular shrubs for spring pruning,
down to nine inches to a foot. Ignore
climbers and ramblers unless they are out
of their area as they are normally pruned in
late summer after flowering. As a general
rule for shrub roses first of all find any
dead wood and prune it out to healthy
wood. If you aren't sure, gently rub a
finger or thumb nail down a bit of bark. If
the exposed surface is green it's alive. If it's
brown it's dead. Simple as that. So now the
dead wood has gone, look for any crossing
branches. If left they will rub the bark off
and cause wounds allowing disease to
enter. Now have a look at the shrub. Don't
panic if it looks a bit bare. You have done
nothing but good. The aim is to let air and
light into the middle, vase or goblet shape
if you will. If all the dead, dying and
diseased material has been taken out it
should be fairly easy to spot the desired
shape. Look at each branch and see if
there's an outward facing bud. Cut the
stem on the slant slightly above the bud so
that the cut slopes away from the bud to
prevent water getting in. The buds are
slightly swollen areas on the surface of the
stem or branch. If none are visible it's
perfectly acceptable to shorten the stems or
wait until some leaves appear. If all else
fails there are books on the subject but
don't be put off by a lot of technical stuff.
Some professional gardeners with large
rose beds sheared the lot with hedge
trimmers and the shrubs came to no harm.
This works on a domestic level but only
for two or three years then they have to be
pruned properly. Incidentally the general
rule above applies to all shrubs. If you
have a neglected specimen that needs a
radical prune, once the dead, diseased and
dying branches have gone remove a third
of the oldest stems back to the ground.
Repeat next year and the year after and in
three years it will look as good as new.
Whilst pruning it is beneficial to add some
compost round the plants but save feeding
until next month.
This is the last month to plant bare-root
trees and shrubs. Start planting
perennials and seed-sowing. Some seeds
like sweet peas may already be under
way in pots in the greenhouse or cold-
frame but save the direct sowing until
the soil has warmed up. This may
happen in March but this is where the
advice to garden with the weather not
the instructions on the packet or in the
book should be taken. We have all heard
the way to check the temperature of the
soil for seeds. Drop your kecks and sit
on it. This is not recommended for front
gardens so all round use the test with the
elbow or forearm as in the bathwater.
Not as much fun for the audience but
just as effective. This is going to annoy
Boy Julian as it’s too long so the last
thing for now, as ever, keep weeding.
The following month we meet on Monday
March 19th starting at 7.30pm, a
Demonstration by Timothy Green entitled
'Wedding Bells'. It will be great - I have
seen this one - don't miss it!
If you would like more information or a
lift to meetings please telephone me on
01953 498694. We are associated to
NAFAS and we are a very friendly club
that would love to welcome more
members. We meet every 3rd Monday,
monthly for demonstrations, workshops,
garden visits etc. Membership is £25 per
year, usually £5 per visit as a guest.
We have lots going on!
We meet at Rocklands Village Hall, NR17
1TR, 7.30pm - doors open 1/2 hr earlier.
Jane Dalton.
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 5
Wayland Watton Rotary
Mens’ Shed
Roundup
Unlike the weather we have got off to a
good start this year with our activities
still proving to be popular, Friday 2nd
february was the first of our Quiz &
Chips evenings with another full turn
out of 36 members and friends
attending, with the fish and chips from
middle street chippie enjoyed by all and
a few corny jokes from our master of
ceremonies Malcolm Trayhorn.
Tuesday 6th February was 10 Pin
Bowling afternoon at “Strikes” in
dereham with 10 members And 2 guest
ladies attending for what turned out to
be a battle of the sexes! The gentlemen
won the afternoon the ladies
complaining they had an off day! (No
comment) but the afternoon was
finished off with a bacon buttie and a
coffee or tea and was enjoyed by all,
and a rematch is on the cards for later in
the year. Interested? Why not come and
join in.
Friday the 23rd is our next “Cheese and
Wine” evening, its just a fun evening
with a few Wines to try and help wash
the cheeses down it starts at 7pm, £4 per
head for members and guests so it
should be another good evening. On the
horizon for the future is more of the
same plus a “Video Horse Racing”
evening the date as yet to be arranged
but most likely in the next few weeks.
Our membership continues to increase,
as most of our membership is of
retirement age I am now pleased to see
we have some younger gentlemen
joining reminding us of what its like to
be 40 again and hopefully bringing
some new ideas and suggestions for the
future as we must remember that
Wayland Mens Shed is for any
gentleman over 18yrs of age not just us
old pensioners.
Well that’s it for now Remember new
members are always welcome so call in
to Church Walk, Watton, IP25 6ET and
say hello and have a cuppa the kettle is
always on, we ore open: Monday and
Wednesdays 10am to 2pm, and
Saterdays 10am to 12pm, Saturdays are
our Computer Day when our computer
boys like to pull them apart but
everyone is welcome. Please note that
some closing time may vary slightly
due to activities going one elsewhere.
(we may Close at 1pm-1.30pm instead
of 2pm)
Any Enquiries e mail:
waylandmensshed@gmail.com or
Tel:01953 881004 Look forward to
seeing you all Cheers, Richard
What's on at Ashill
Community Centre
Race Night on Saturday 24th March. Doors open
7pm 1st Race 7.45pm Tickets £3.5 inc
Following our report in the January edition of the refreshments. Deb 01760 722 235
Wayland News of the passing of Richard Crabtree, Family Coffee Morning on Good Friday 30th March
we lost two more past presidents of the club in that with Delicious Cakes, Bric-A-Brac, Puzzles, Books
month. Vernon Brodie (pictured right) passed and Raffle. Games for the children. Free Entry.
away peacefully at home after a long illness. Bonmarche Fashion Show Tuesday 3rd April at
Already a Rotarian of some standing, Vernon 7pm. Tickets £3.50 inc refreshments on the door
joined Watton Rotary Club having been a member or phone Janet 01760 441 651
of the King’s Lynn Club for about 5 years. A All proceeds for the Community Centre funds
primary school teacher his move to Watton was to
take on the headship of Watton Junior School, a
position he held for about 10 years before taking
early retirement and concentrating his efforts of
community and church activities. He was president
of the club for the Rotary year 1996/97 and was a
stalwart member until illness overcame him a
couple of years ago.
Ian Shaw (pictured right lower) joined Rotary in
1995 and spent some 9 years with us including
holding the presidency for the year 2000/01. In
2004 Ian pursued a long wanted ambition and
emigrated to France, settling in Burgundy near
Chalon-sur-Soane.
But the work of Rotary goes on. The latest venture is
an international ecological drive to plant a tree for
each member of Rotary International. After quite a
lot or research, we found a suitable area for planting -
Bullock Park in Shipdham, where they will be
managed and looked after for the foreseeable future.
Young and old are invited to take part in the planting
and associated activities (see ad), which are taking
place at Bullock Park Pavilion on Saturday 10th
March from 10am to midday
During March we have major fundraising events.
On Friday 9th March, we have the first of our
biennial “Jazz at the Queen’s Hall” sessions,
featuring DixieMix. East Anglia’s leading Jazz
Sextet. Tickets at £12, including a light supper, are
available from Adcocks in Watton High Street. On
St Patrick’s Day, Saturday 17th March our Pat
Murphy is running a Grand Quiz Night at the
Wells Cole Community Centre, Saham Toney.
Teams of 4 (max) are invited to book a table
(01953 498164); the cost is £8pp, including a
supper of fish, chicken, sausage or veggie wrap, &
chips. Places are already limited at the time of
writing. There will be a raffle and full bar service
at both events. Martin Anscombe
making you believe that what they are saying is true.
Diabetes UK Basically just be very careful and if you think you have
Our February meeting was an extremely interesting been scammed, please get in touch with Norfolk
one. Our speaker was Stephen Maunder from Trading Standards.
Norfolk Trading Standards. He took us through the Our next meeting will be on Monday 12th March,
different types of scams that were happening not 10.15am, at the Pentecostal Church, Watton (whom we
only here in Norfolk, but throughout the country. thank for the generous use of their facilities.) This is
Phone, Online, Postal and Doorstep scams are all our annual lunch meeting, so will be shorter than usual,
very common. but we will be at the church until 11.45. For details of
Many people get taken in by these, including people any of our meetings please phone Helen, 01953
who say they would never be! The people who do the 884713, leave a message and I will get back to you. Or
scamming are very clever in the art of persuasion and you can email rjwhrt56@btinternet.com
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 6
Museum for Watton
opening to the public in March
After several years of negotiation, fund-
raising and hard work, the Trustees of
Museum 4 Watton have announced that
the Museum will finally be opening on
Friday, 16th March at 10.00 a.m..
Everyone will be welcome and admission
will be absolutely free.
The whole group are very excited that they
have reached this point so soon after being
granted funding by The Heritage Lottery
fund – thanks to all those who bought
lottery tickets! There has been a great deal
of work done to reach this point, with
much renovation and decoration of the
building by volunteers and local
tradesmen.
Work is currently under way to display
items from Museum 4 Watton’s growing
Shipdham &
District Book
Group
The group continues to meet and thrive.
Unfortunately as our meetings are on the
Third Wednesday of each month they are
often too late for publication in The
Wayland News thus the report
sometimes appears in the following
edition and occasionally there are two
together. The meetings for February and
March are both on the 21st. In February
we will be discussing Gallows End by
Peter Robinson and in March The
Miniaturist by Jessie Burton.
Where possible we try to obtain copies
from the library and are very grateful for
the support from the Dereham Branch
over the years. Some members choose to
read the books in electronic form and
collection of local artifacts. Chairman of
the Trustees, Chris Hutchings is keen to
stress that they are always seeking
additional items, either as gifts, on loan or
just so that they may photograph and
return them so that they may be recorded.
The items on display range from an early
Paleolithic hand axe of roughly half a
million years old up to items from the last
twenty years, and from seventeenth
century documents to a full size replica of
a Roman skeleton found in Watton. There
will be a children’s corner for
accompanied children with various
activities for added interest.
Although the group has an enthusiastic
band of volunteer helpers, they are looking
for more volunteers to help man the
occasionally we buy copies where the
library has insufficient or there is too
high a demand. In addition to the book
discussed we have a session of 'I've been
reading', following a break for
refreshments. This is very useful for
ideas for personal and group interest and
many copies are passed around.
Good reading to all those who love it as
much as we do. Sue Hart.
Women’s
World Day of
Prayer
We have received a letter from the
National Committee for England, Wales
and Northern Ireland detailing the
possibility of a name change for this
organisation.
Many countries have never had or have
museum. Anyone wishing to find out more
about this interesting work will receive a
warm welcome to the museum and should
contact Jackie Greenbrook, the Volunteer
Co-ordinator by email, phone or at the
museum.
Normal times of opening will be:
Wednesday to Saturday, 10.00 a.m. to 4.00
p.m. and there will be a programme of
talks at the museum and a Saturday
children’s club – details to be announced
later.
The group may be contacted on
info@museumforwatton.org.uk or
@MuseumForWatton. Or on 01953
797060, or by visiting the museum. Until
the opening there will generally be
someone there during the day.
dropped the word ‘Women’s’ from the
title, as it has been seen as a possible to
barrier to involving younger women and
encouraging men to attend the services.
The National Committee are asking us to
consider prayerfully and thoughtfully
whether or not the time has come to
follow the rest of the world and drop the
word ‘Women’s’ from the title. If this
were done the Movement would still be
entirely women-led and our branches and
committees would still consist only of
women.
We wanted to make sure that everyone
who has an interest in this is informed
before the service day on Friday 2nd
March and if you have an opinion and
would like it to be known please be in
touch with Margaret Cator 01953
882187 or margaretcator1@gmail.com.
Watton Branch will be considering our
response when we meet up after the
service.
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 7
Consultation on Saham Toney
Neighbourhood Plan Opening
A six week public consultation on Saham
Toney's Neighbourhood Plan will begin
on Monday 12th March 2018.
It will be open to everyone who lives,
works or runs a business in the Parish.
It is the first of two public consultations
on the Plan. The second will concentrate
on legal compliance of the Plan with the
regulations, so this is the main chance for
people to influence the final version of
the Plan.
Neighbourhood Plans are the central
feature in the Localism Act of 2011,
which aims to devolve decision making
to individuals and communities. The Act
says that Neighbourhood Plans are
intended to allow everyone with a stake
in an area's future to say where they think
new houses and other development
should go and what they should look like.
The Plan has been prepared on behalf of
the Parish Council by a small group of
parishioners, based on feedback villagers
gave earlier in response to a series of
questionnaires. It sets out rules for
development in Saham Toney up to 2036,
and if later accepted by villagers at a
referendum, it will become part of
Breckland Council's development plan
for the district.
The Plan sets out a vision for the future
of the Parish. It's most important aspect
is the thirteen policies, which deal with
housing allocation, the size and location
of new developments, the type of houses
to be built, business and tourism related
development, keeping Saham separate
from Watton, safeguarding the area's
historic buildings, green spaces, best
views and wildlife, and preventing new
developments from adding to flood risk.
The Plan does not aim to stop
development, but instead to guide it
towards the most appropriate locations
and to ensure it is on a scale that is
sustainable and fully respects the
character of the village and its
surrounding countryside.
Publication of the Plan will be discussed
at the Parish Council meeting on 5th
March and if Councillors approve it,
consultation will commence on Monday
12th March.
The Neighbourhood Plan Committee
encourages all Saham villagers to
participate in the consultation to ensure
the final Plan best represents their
wishes.
The Plan is supported by a series of
documents that set out to justify each
The Watton Society Quiz Nights at
Scoulton Village Hall
February 17th, March 31st
policy. From 12th March, both the Plan
April 28th & May 26th
and those supporting documents will be
available on the Plan's website - Quiz and Chips £7.50 Quiz only £3.50
www.stnp2036.org - to view and
download. A questionnaire and Call Roy Potton on 01953 852337
comments form on the website will allow Tony Grover on 01953 483654 or
responses to be sent online. For those Roy Gutteridge 01953 850096
who prefer paper, copies of the Plan will
be available at the Wells Cole
Community Centre, St. George's Church
and Penny's tearoom, and also available
on loan from the steering committee.
Paper versions of the questionnaire and
comments form will also be available.
During the consultation period a series of
"drop-in" sessions will take place at
Wells Cole Community Centre, Broom
Hall Hotel and Penny's tearoom, where
villagers will be able to view the Plan,
talk with those who have prepared it, ask
questions and complete questionnaires.
The Parish Council has generously
agreed to a prize draw for all villagers
who return a properly completed
questionnaire, with three cash prizes of The members of Watton Society queued up on the landing
£50, £25 and £10. jetty with nervous apprehension, ready to board the ship.
Following the consultation all responses The Titanic? As it turned out, we should not have been
will be reviewed to determine how each nervous. The evening's talk by Genista Davidson was
should be addressed. A document known about Ocean Liners especially those of the Art Deco period.
as a consultation statement will then be The history of Cunard ships specifically, the different class
prepared giving details of comments of travel, dressing for the occasion i.e. ball gowns and
received and describing what has been dinner suits, and quality of service. So after a very stable
done about each. Another new document crossing and a most enjoyable trip it was bon voyage and
will set out how the Plan satisfies all the hope to see you all at the next meeting which will be on
regulatory requirements it is required to Wednesday 21st March at 7.45pm in the Christian
comply with. Community Centre. Watton, when the speaker will be
Once those two documents are ready, Simon White talking about "Gardens of East Anglia"
providing there have been no significant
changes to the Plan's policies, the Plan
would normally be submitted for a
second and final public consultation The Wayland
prior to its review by an independent
examiner leading to a village referendum.
This will happen, but the timing will
Players get The
depend very much on Breckland
Council's Local Plan, with which the Health Bug!
Saham Plan must conform. The Local New Year’s resolutions to go to the gym, lose weight or
Plan will undergo its own independent get fit may be a remote memory for some of you but the
examination in April and May and Wayland Players would like to take you to a health farm
Breckland Council do not expect it to be for their Spring production.
approved till late 2018. If changes are ‘Kindly Keep It Covered’ is a frenetic farce in which a
made to the Local Plan as a result of its mannequin, a stuffed camel and a guest driven to
examination that may lead to changes to distraction by his manic search for food are just a few of
the Saham Toney Neighbourhood Plan, the challenges facing the owners of the establishment.
which is why there is some caution about So get set to book into the Farm on April 19th to 21st at
setting a date for the second consultation. 7.45 each evening or at the 2.30 matinee on Saturday.
Much more information can be found at Tickets, at just £7.50, will go on sale at our honorary
www.stnp2036.org and any queries may ticket agents, Adcocks of Watton on 19th March.
be sent to stnp2036@gmail.com Jenny Mann, Chairman and Director of ‘Kindly Keep
It Covered’
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 8

Dereham Indoor Watton Wretham to welcome

Bowls Club
The Club has seen a dramatic increase in membership of late, terefore it
you are interested in learning to bowl contact Terry on 01362525042 or
visit us at Dereham Leisure Centre Tuesday's or Thursdays from 10.30 to
12 noon for further information. The club is open all year round and
leagues plus roll ups are organized during summer months. A short mat
club has opened at the centre on Friday mornings run by the centre. For
more information telephone 01362 693 419
Evening WI Easter visitors
Although it’s still winter, the spring bulbs are
appearing and with them starts a new programme
of events. The first of these was a fascinating and
informative talk by Martin Kay of the East Anglian
Air Ambulance service from its humble
beginnings to the present day. Martin then
introduced Jane a trauma victim who had been
helped by EAAA. Jane, a most courageous lady
spoke candidly of how, on a beautiful summer
day, she became engulfed in flames when her skirt
caught light from a candle and how the EAAA
were called and took control of the situation which
ultimately saved her life having had 45% burns
and spent 6 weeks in hospital recovery from this
ordeal. Jane is now an ambassador for the EAAA
supporting and promoting them and travels around
telling her story and reliving those memories to
help others which is obviously not easy. We
commend her courage, and those supporting her,
as she comes to terms with her dramatic lifestyle
changes. The EAAA was in the news recently
when Prince William flew the helicopters for a
while and saw first-hand the job the dedicated
pilots, ground staff, paramedics and drivers of the
Rapid Response vehicles perform. It is amazing
that this much needed service is resourced solely
from donations and various fundraising activities.
During our meeting we voted which organizations
should be in receipt of money collected in lieu of
sending Christmas cards. It was decided we should
split this between Little Lifts (offering cancer
patients those little extras to cheer them) and
EAAA.
We also presented a card and a ‘Diamond Day’
rose to Pat in recognition of her
60th wedding anniversary to Michael. Grateful
thanks were also received from our member
Chrissy for the donations of items to be included in
washbags for homeless women. Refreshments The Easter weekend will see with small forest walk, walled
were enjoyed and names were collected for a volunteers at Wretham prepare to gardens and herbaceous borders.
group visit to Watton Cinema, this is a new event welcome visitors from near and far Admission is £5 with children free
for us and many readily signed up. Many as both gardens and church open for all proceeds going to NGS charities.
members enjoyed a nice lunch at Lincoln’s on the them. On both Easter Sunday and Across the road the church of St
Green at Hingham. All in all a good start to the Easter Monday, April 1st and 2nd, Ethelbert will be open over the same
year. the National Gardens Scheme times, offering refreshment and
We hold our meetings on the 2nd Thursday of the gardens of Wretham Lodge will be cakes, with a big second hand book
month at 7.30pm in the WCCC. If you would like open to visitors from 11am to 5pm. sale.
more information please contact Carol, our On show in the gardens of the former There is ample parking at the spot, to
Secretary, on 01953 881006 who will be pleased to rectory will be tulips, hellebores, be found off the A1075 Thetford to
speak with you. fritillaries, daffodils and narcissi, Watton Road at IP24 1RL.

about the general work of the NWT and
Norfolk also the work ongoing in the Brecks. The
Brecks is a very special area with
Wildlife Trust wildlife flourishing here which in some
cases lives nowhere else. There is much
Breckland work to do to protect it, but Jonathan is
very keen and although he has only been
in this role 7 months, he really has got
Local Group down to what is needed to do just that.
We held our AGM in February ahead of We are very grateful for those that turned
a very interesting talk by new Reserves out on a horrible evening to listen to him
manager, Jonathan Preston. He told us and support us.
On 14th March 7.30pm in the Christian
Communty Centre, High Street, Watton,
IP25 6AB, we will be hearing “The story
of Houghton-on-the Hill Church”. Dr Sue
Gattuso will speculate on the whats and
whys , follow the history of the parish
and describe the re-emergence from an
ivy-ridden, roofless, windowless shell to
a church of almost secret charm.
We hope you’ll join us.
Cost is £2 members, £3 non-members
and includes refreshments.
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 9
Polydactyl cats
Polydactyl cats are cats that have extra toes on
either their front and/or hind feet and the
condition has been seen in many breeds of
pedigree and non-pedigree cats.
Polydactyl comes from the Greek words for
many (poly) and fingers (dactyl), and is inherited
as an autosomal dominant gene defect. Cats
should have 18 toes, five on the front feet, which
includes the dew claw and 4 on the back feet.
Often the
positioning of an
extra toe gives
the appearance
to the cat having
four fingers and
a thumb. The
‘thumb’
however, is not
truly opposable, and polydactyl cats are not able
to open their own tins or perform any other very
un cat-like feats!
The extra digits vary in number and also in
structure from being small pieces of soft
tissue, through to being complete functioning
digits. Polydactyl cats generally have just one
extra toe per foot and on the front feet only.
Although additional toes on the rear paws and
as many as three additional toes per paw is not
unheard of either.
Generally having extra toes poses no problem to the
cat in question at all, and may even give him the
edge in climbing and hunting when compared to his
18 toed counterparts. It is a condition in and of itself
and is not indicative of any other underlying
problems. However, sometimes the additional toes
are located in such a way that the claws are not
naturally worn down by walking or scratching and
so may grow overly long and cause problems if left
unchecked. The extra claws may need to be
trimmed down to avoid problems.
We have in our care at the moment, a kitten who
was born with less that 5 toes on both her front
feet. She has the dew claw, but only two toes on
each front foot. Although she has a claw on each
toe, one claw on each foot is pointing upwards
instead of downwards. So the vet has decided
that she needs to have those nail beds removed,
to avoid them being caught on something and
getting torn. With just one claw on each front
foot she may not be able to climb to get away
from danger, and it maybe that she will have to
be an indoor cat, to keep her safe. And being a
little black girl, it maybe difficult to find
someone to adopt her. She is a very sweet girl
who has no idea that she is different, and gets
around perfectly well with just two toes.
You maybe interested to know that we have had
a massive response to our neutering campaign, of
having any cat neutered for just £5. As I write
this, we have arranged to neuter over 100 cats in
the Breckland area, so thank you to all those who
have taken advantage of our offer and in helping
to keep the cat population down.
For help or advice, call us on 01842 810018.
Breckland Cats Protection, Rita Thompson.
Ashill and Holme
Hale Garden Club
For our first meeting of 2018 Ian Roofe made a
welcome return to talk about 'Spring Garden
Flowers'. His presentation included photographs
from some of the many gardens he is involved with
including Alan Gray's Old Vicarage Garden at East
Ruston.
While hellebores, snowdrops, aconites and even
early clematis can be considered late winter flowers,
the real heralds of Spring are the crocus and
daffodils. The miniature narcissi are now very
popular as their diminutive height is better for
withstanding the windy weather. Tete-a-tete is still
the best known but Jet Fire with its multiple flower
heads is worth a try. Iris reticulata 'Harmony' is a
lovely scented perennial but to ensure its survival
plant the bulb 6 to 7 inches deep. Another bulb to be
planted deeply is the Crown Imperial which should
be planted on its side and up to 12 inches below the
ground. By contrast, the crown of the peony should
not be planted too deep. Other problems to be aware
of are hellebore black death (destroy stem or leaves
which show any sign of blackening) and Lily Beetle
on the Crown Imperials.
Ian has a particular fondness for primroses and
showed us many different varieties. Primroses
which bear one flower on each stem are
distinguishable from polyanthus which have flower
clusters on a single stem. These are not as hardy as
the primrose which will naturalise readily and
benefits from regular lifting and dividing every one
or two years.
Of the tree family, magnolias can look spectacular
but need plenty of space as they don't like to be
pruned. They also need water in the dry summer
months. However, there are now some very
compact Prunus (flowering cherry) which are
suitable for smaller gardens. These should be
pruned in the summer to allow time for recovery
before early flowering the following Spring.
While many early flowers, like tulips, are relatively
short lived there are some which will carry on
flowering through the summer, such as erysimum,
the perennial wallflower. Bowles Mauve is
probably the best known variety but Winter Orchid
is a great alternative. These are tough plants which
don't need or want any pampering. Ian's advice is
"treat them mean".
Earlier in January 38 members enjoyed our annual
lunch at the Necton Windmill. Our thanks to Jackie
and David Priestley for another well organised
event.
What's on in the next 3 months: Thursday March
22nd Graham Benefer 'Bonsai'; Thursday April
26th Jim Paine 'Plants for Shade'; Thursday May
24th Tony Goode 'Alpines in the Time Challenge'
Lunching Club
A message from Christina & Paul Weatherill.
Lunching Club will be starting again on the 1st
Wednesday of March at the Sports Centre. For
further details please ring 01953 884 213
Letter to the Editor
A Grave Concern for Watton.
Councillors` inactivity over advancing a
neighbourhood plan for Watton's growth has
enabled opportunist developers to get permission
for unwelcome and excessive housing
development. Now our Town Councillors have
decided that they have no public duty to make
provision to provide for needed additional burial
space when in a few years time no space will
remain at St. Mary`s Churchyard and Cemetery.
We must hope that sufficient public outcry may
lead to the overturn of this disgraceful decision.
Can we believe that the majority will not support
the comment of one Councillor, “you're wasting
your time, it's all been decided" !
This problem does bring to light an important
aspect never so far as I recall considered when
deciding Planning Permissions. Adequacy of
local infrastructure, traffic, roads, schools,
medical and other support is discussed, so often
ignored, but never a thought to provision for
burial when appraising needs or essential
contribution to costs when awarding approval. A
significant omission by Planning Department,
Councillors and we must admit, by such as the
now sadly defunct W.W.W. who so valiantly
opposed unjust excess of housing. Surely this is a
provision that should be considered.
Now a further thought; for many wishing to
delay the inevitable, use of good local provision
for sport, gymnasium and social facilities is
important. Over recent times many users of our
"Sports and Recreational Centre" have been
denied proper social use of the facility and faced
an aggressive management. Knowledge of
confirmed long term bookings denied by the
manager; attempts to gain facts by seeking
information on line reveal only a grotesque page
and "website coming soon", not even brief detail
of management team and contacts.
Persevering by searching the Charity
Commission site reveals limited detail of
Trustees and officers and Statutory information.
What is significant is that the excuse given by the
manager when denying bookings, that the
decision has been taken to refuse social or private
useage so as to convert areas thus used, to be
exclusively for sports use is in contravention of
the wide "Charitable Objects", an essential part
of the Centre`s constitution. It is unwise to
comment upon rumour but the lack of control
and of overall management and direction by the
Trustees and appointed officers are the main
cause of concern. It is recalled that last year there
were alarming reports as to the future prospects
of the Centre. In the light of the failings over
recent months what confidence can there be in
those responsible having any ability or skill at
making a reliable long term plan for the future of
an essential facility for the Town. Will any
initiative come perhaps from our Town Council,
the Wayland Partnership or the Chamber of
Commerce to take to task those failing at
managing the Sports AND RECREATIONAL
Centre? Don't hold your breath . Keith Taylor.
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 10
Watton Churches Together - March Sat 31st 7.30pm Easter Eve Group Service of
Light with Renewal of Baptismal Vows The HAPPY Project
St. Mary’s Church, Watton Sun 1st Apl 11.00am Easter Day Service
www.stmaryswatton.org Follow us @StMarysWatton The HAPPY Project is coming to the end of its pot of money that was very
If I can be of help to you please do not hesitate to contact me, S.S. Peter & Paul’s Church, Carbrooke kindly awarded to The Wayland Partnership Development Trust by The
on 01953 881439, I shall be available at church on Tuesdays Sun 4th10.30am Family Holy Communion Peoples Health Trust, which in turn is funded by The Health Lottery.
between 10.30am and 12 noon - Gerry Foster Sun 11th 10.30am Mothering Sunday Service Many people have asked if The Partnership will be applying for more
1st, 3rd & 4th Wednesday at 9.30am Holy Communion Sun 18th 10.30am Holy Communion funding to keep the Project going. The idea of HAPPY, as we call it in the
2nd Wednesday Morning Worship Sun 25th 10.30am Palm Sunday Lay Led Worship office, was to start groups that would, once established, become self-
Thurs 5pm - 5.30pm & Sats 9.30am - 10am Parish Prayers Mon 26th 7.30pm Said Compline sustaining. We have managed to achieve that with The Wayland Men’s
5pm - 6pm Prayer & Praise Fri 30th 2.00pm Good Friday Meditation Shed, The Games Group, The Ashill Family Art and Craft Group and The
Sundays 10.00am-11.30am ADventure-free for 0-16 yrs Sun 1st April 10.30am Easter Day Holy Communion Griston Babes in the Wood Festival. There is also a craft group taking place
Breakfast - Crafts - Games - Faith in Jesus Teaching at The Grange in Great Cressingham which could be very successful if
St John the Evangelist Church, Ovington people participate. That too would be self-sustaining, but it is struggling to
Church Office opens Tues, Wed & Thurs 9am-1pm
Sun 4th 9.30am Holy Communion get off the ground.
Tel: 01953 881252 email:wattonchurch@gmail.com
Sun 11th 10.30am Mothering Sunday Service I began the project without any real idea of what I would like to see happen.
Sun 4th 8.00am Holy Communion
Sun 18th 10.30am All Age Worship My only aim was to start groups to encourage people, who may feel lonely
10.00am Holy Communion
Wed 28th 7.30pm Said Compline and isolated, to join in with activities. I knew what I didn’t want to do, and
Sun 11th Mothering Sunday
Fri 30th 10.30am Good Friday Meditation that was tread on anyone’s toes! I met with lots of people involved in
8.00am Holy Communion
Sun 1st April 10.30am Easter Day Service operating established groups to find where the gaps in provision were. We
10.00am Informal Holy Communion
Sun 18th 8.00am Holy Communion had a launch event for the Project which lots of people attended, little did
10.00am Holy Communion some of them know but I was hoping they would join the steering group to
2.30pm
Sun 25th Palm Sunday
Café Stop at Blenheim Centre All Saints Church, Threxton help run the Project….and some of them did, others I recruited along the
way and what a wonderful team they are! Everyone I have met have been
8.00am Holy Communion Our next service at All Saints Church Threxton so helpful and supportive of the Project and I have made lots of friends.
10.00am 4th Sunday at 10 will be on Sunday 4th March at 10.30a.m. The main problem in our area that prevents some people from participating
4.30pm Choral Evensong A warm welcome to all. in activities and joining groups is the lack of transport, especially in the
Wed 28th 6.00pm share a light supper before the evening, but you know, there are ways around it.
7.30pm Sung Compline So, what worked with The HAPPY Project? By far the biggest success is
The Wayland Men’s Shed. The first meeting took place in a room in The
Thur 29th 7.30pm Maundy Thursday Group Service
of Holy Communion & Stripping the Altar followed by Vigil
Thought for the Month Sports Centre, ten men attended with Suzanne Rhind and myself. We were
Fri 30th Good Friday Revd Barbara Winner Watton Methodist Church so thrilled that so many had made the effort to come and see what it was all
10.15am Procession of witness from St Mary’s for Last October I visited my son and his wife in Houston Texas with one about. From the Sports Centre we gravitated to The Hare and Barrel, all the
11.00am Service at the Methodist Church of my granddaughters. Not many weeks before our visit, Houston and time talking about finding premises and where they should ideally be
Sun 1st April Easter Day many other parts of Texas experienced floods the like of which had situated. Eventually after lots of highs and lows (and a bit of bullying from
8.00am Holy Communion not been seen in living memory. My daughter in law Sam volunteers me), the men found the current premises in Church Walk and the rest is
10.00am Holy Communion at a Horse Rescue Ranch and I went with her one day to help out. The history. Well done, guys!
Ranch is typical of those seen on Western films – real cowboy The Games group is currently re-inventing itself! From 7th March 2018 the
Watton Methodist Church country! The markers for the depth of flood water were frightening – group will now meet on Wednesday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm. There
www.wattonmethodist.btck.co.uk over 10 feet. I asked what had happened to the horses during the will be an opportunity for refreshments and social time as well as game
Every Wednesday the Church is open for quiet reflection and floods. I was told that all 80 had survived. They survived because they playing. Look out for the posters around the town and in the library.
prayer between 10.15am & 11.30am It’s your quiet place. At had been set free and being able to swim had made their way to Thanks go to the library staff for their support and help with this group.
10.30am there is a half-hour Midweek Service in the Large higher ground. Sadly this was not the case for all horses in the area as The Ashill Family Art and Craft Group will continue to meet on the second
Vestry led by the Minister or a Church Member. some owners unaware of what they were doing, had left their horses Saturday of the month at Ashill Community Centre from 10am to 12 noon.
Sun 4th 10.30am Mr R Cunningham stabled thinking this was safer. At the time of writing we have sufficient funding to pay for three months
3.00pm Songs of Praise at Thursford The good news we celebrate in the church calendar at this time of hire charge for the hall, and I am currently seeking funding to enable us to
Sun 11th 10.30am Mrs E Warby year with Lent, Holy Week and Easter is one of being set free continue using the premises. We will be asking for a small contribution
6.30pm Mr A Warby from those things which restrict us from being the people God towards the cost of materials. We have a lovely, fun morning each time we
Sun 18th 10.30am Revd B Winner created. Often we set limits on ourselves and on one another meet. Why don’t you give us a try? It is for everyone!
6.30pm Revd E Reddington instead of celebrating all that God’s love encourages us to be. The Griston Babes in the Wood Festival will take place on 23rd June 2018.
Sun 25th 10.30am Mr A Warby There are two verses in one of our hymns written by Frederick This year it will be a one-day Festival with the Dog Show and a Tractor
6.30pm Mr & Mrs Cook William Faber which I find helps me Display with a run to Stanta, which is very exciting. There will be more
Fri 30th 10.15am Good Friday Procession of Witness stalls and attractions this year, should be a good day! Oh! and this year
from St Mary’s Church for For the love of God is broader there will be a tea tent with cake! There will also be evening entertainment
11.00am Service at Methodist Church than the measures of the mind; at The Waggon and Horses with BBQ food.
Sun 1st April Easter Day and the heart of the Eternal The Bereavement Café has been meeting at Babaco’s on the last Thursday
10.30am Revd E Reddington is most wonderfully kind. of the month from 4pm to 6pm, by kind permission of Sandra and Peter
6.30pm Revd B Trinder Merry. I am not sure if this will continue, watch out in the Town for posters
But we make his love too narrow
Roman Catholic Community by false limits of our own; advertising the event.
Each Sat 5.30pm Mass at Watton Methodist Church and we magnify his strictness Other ideas we have tried have been The Social Group. Attendance
Sat 24th Vigil Mass of Palm Sunday with blessing of palms with a zeal he will not own. numbers were always low, and members were reticent to share the load so
at Watton Methodist Church. eventually it folded. The lovely thing that materialised from that group was
As we approach the wonderful celebration of new life this two members have set up home together and are living happily ever after!
All Holy Week Services at Our Lady of Pity Swaffham
Sun 25th Palm Sunday Easter why not come and find out more at one of your local So, The HAPPY Project will live on in the form of the groups that it
churches. If time is short we do have a half hour service each successfully leaves behind.
8.30am & 10.30am Mass & blessing of palms
Wednesday 10.30-11am in the vestry at the back of the church. There will be one last epistle from The HAPPY Project next month when I
Thur 29th Maundy Thursday
Don’t just give up something for Lent – do different. ALL are may recall some of the other activities we have been involved in!
7.30pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Fri 30th Good Friday invited – and YOU will be very welcome.
10.00am Children’s Stations of the Cross
3.00pm Celebration of the Passion of the Lord
What’s on at St Mary’s Dance Away at The Queens Hall
Sat 30th Holy Saturday
8.00pm The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night Ballroom, Latin & Sequence Dancing
Sat 1st April Easter Day Church, Watton 7.30pm to 10.30pm Admission £4
8.30 & 10.30am Mass of Easter Day Thursday 1st March 10.00am Thursday Chat a social coffee morning
at St Mary’s all welcome Saturdays March 3rd, April 7th, May 5th
St. Nicholas’ Church, Ashill
Sun 4th 10.00am Lay Led Worship & Sunday Funday Mondays 5th, 12th 19th, 26th March 9.30am Story Bags at St Mary’s
for school age children Church for parents and preschool children during term time only.
Sun 11th 9.30am Mothering Sunday Service Mon 5th, 12th 19th 26th March 4.30-5.45pm 1st Watton Rainbow
Sun 18th 9.30am Morning Worship Brownies at St Mary’s Church Rooms for girls aged 5-7 years. The
Sun 25th 9.30am Palm Sunday Holy Communion Rainbows will be meeting each Monday at St Mary’s Church during
Mon 26th 10.00am Celtic Holy Communion at Ashill Rectory term time. Rainbows1stwatton@hotmail.com or look on Facebook
Tues 27th 10.00am Celtic HC at Ashill Rectory Wed 7th March 3.00pm The Third Agers Ukukele Band “Singalong”
7.30pm Said Compline in Church at St Mary’s Church, Watton Free admission, raffle, tea & cakes.
Wed 28th 10.00am Celtic HC at Ashill Rectory Bucket collection for Church Funds.
Fri 30th 2.00pm Good Friday Meditation The February Winner of the 100 Club Draw No 55 Mr Galen Baldero
Sun 1st April 9.30am Easter Day Holy Communion Friday 23rd March 2.15pm, & Saturday 24th March 7.15pm Watton
Community Cinema at St Mary’s “Murder on the Orient Express”
St. George’s Church, Saham Toney Refreshment Café opens one hour prior to screening. Tickets
Sun 4th 11.00am Lay Led Worship available at the box office on the day.
Sun 11th 11.00am Mothering Sunday Service Sat 24th March 9.30am – 12 noon Easter Coffee Morning at St
Sun 18th 11.00am All Age Worship Mary’s Coffee/tea hot cross buns and cakes. Easter crafts for children,
Sun 25th 11.00am Palm Sunday Holy Communion table competitions, cakes to buy, raffle. All welcome to come along
Fri 30th 10.00am Procession of Witness leaves Wells with family and friends. Proceeds to Church Funds.
Cole CC for 10.30am Good Friday Meditation
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 11
Snowdrops and Other
Spring Treasures
On a cold, dull, windy, rainy day, when
the last thing on your mind is gardening,
we had the pleasure of basking in the
sunshine smile of Guy Barker. Otherwise
known as the Naked Gardner Guy gained
his alias by advocating a pared down
approach to the subject free of, as he sees
it, unnecessary complications. Guy
trained to be a garden designer at the
Otley College of Agriculture and
Horticulture. Rather than designing from
behind a computer he prefers to work ‘in
the field’, tracing his designs on location
with an aerosol. As well as designing,
Guy currently has four gardens where he
works on a continuing task of
development and maintenance.
Guy is redesigning the rose garden of
Breckles Hall, a 16th century grade I
listed building, with varieties
contemporary with the original date of the
hall. The vegetable garden is also being
developed. He has worked at Great
Hockham Hall, 18th century grade II
listed, for about three years. Alterations
include the conversion of five ponds,
which reminded Guy of the
sedimentation tanks of a sewerage plant,
into just one. Reshaped and planted with
water lilies to maintain the quality of the
water, the pond is now a haven for newts.
In a quite different concept he maintains
the garden of Wilby Hall, a 17th century
grade II listed building near Eccles. After
a death in the family, for the past 12 years
the garden has been preserved as the
person would have known it, wild and
informal. The garden of the grade II Old
Vicarage at Shropham is also under his
care.
Guy continued his talk by showing us the
cuttings he had bought along. There were
examples of arum, cornus, hamamelis,
hellebore, iris, viburnum and winter
flowering honeysuckle, the point being to
highlight the wonderful variety of plants
available to tempt you out into the garden
at this time of year.
There are, apparently, something like
around two and a half thousand varieties
of snowdrop. Guy began by discussing
some of the more usual and available
varieties: Charlotte, S Arnott, and
Magnet, among others, were quite
inexpensive and readily available.
Surprisingly there are varieties originally
discovered in this area: Wendy’s Gold,
Lynford Titan, West Harling, and Moby
Dick (found in West Acre). These
varieties have been the result of natural
cross-pollination and are only known to
have originated in those locations,
perhaps just a single clump in an out-of-
the-way place. Some of these crosses, if
they turn out to be of a desirable
character, can command high prices. In
the case where a cross produces a non-
fertile plant, propagation requires tissue
culture and the price can increase
accordingly. Prices for rare varieties can
command very high prices. In a reflection
of the Dutch tulip mania of the 17th
century, a cross between the varieties
Wendy’s Gold and Trumps took 10 years
to develop and one galanthophile paid
over £1000 for just one plant.
We emerged from an extremely
interesting and informative presentation
to find that the weather had deteriorated.
Competition results for February.
Flowers (8 entries). 1 Sue Cunningham. 2
Chris Dalton. 3 Jane Dalton.
Fruit/Veg (4 entries). 1 Jane Dalton. 2
Hazel Dunn. 3 Sue Thomas..
Photos (7 entries). 1 Patrick Alzetto. 2
Chris Dalton. 3 Jane Dalton.
Our Next indoor meeting will be on
Wednesday 14th of March. Abi Bell will
be giving us some advice on ‘ Integrated
Disease Control’.
Bradenham & District
Horticultural Society
On Thursday 15th February, Bradenham
and District Horticultural Society were
privileged to meet at the village hall to
hear Ralph Kinsley share his expertise on
“Growing and Preparing for Show”.
Ralph is an inveterate winner of show
prizes for both fruit and vegetables so his
was the voice of experience after years of
trial and triumph. Preparing plants for
show requires time, effort and attention to
detail and Ralph`s interactive presentation
gave tips on varietal selection and
selective pruning. Whether the
Horticultural Society members, taking
Ralph`s advice, can begin to meet his
amazing track record for prizes remains
to be seen...
Our April 7th Spring Show at Bradenham
Village Hall is rapidly approaching and
eagerly awaited. There will be a variety
of flowers, produce, cookery,
photographic art and crafts from our
members. Doors open to the public at
3.30pm. Come and see the exhibits and
join us for refreshments.
Keep a date in your diary for Bradenham
Village Sports Day on May 28th where
there will be a Plant Stall run by our
members with a wide variety of healthy,
home grown plants at bargain prices. A
great way to fill those gaps in the border!
Future dates (all free to members):
March 15th Members Only Social
Evening; April 7th 2018 SPRING
SHOW 3.30pm open to the public
(members only entries); April 19th
Honeybees in the Garden (Kate and
Collin Sayer) £1.00 to non-members;
May 17th Flower Arranging Sandra
Howard £1.00 to non-members; May
28th Plant Stall at Bradenham Village
Sports Day
Look out for our updates on Facebook at
Bradenham Community Hub. Marianne
Kilmartin Chairman 01362 820744
Laurene Henderson Publicity Officer
01362 821164 / 07942 820590
Project Linus
Fifteen quilters attended the Project Linus
Norfolk workshop in February, at the
lovely new venue of Thompson
Community Hall.
We had a fun filled day making and
finish quilts with coffee, cakes and a
lovely lunch from Thompson Chequers.
It was such a good day that we have two
more workshops booked at the same
venue, on Monday March 5th 2018 and
April 23rd 2018.
Places are limited! If you wish to join us
please contact Jane by email -
plnorfolk@yahoo.co.uk or 07809702357.
We have also arranged another coach trip
to the Fabric Guild, Leicester on
Thursday 13th September 2018. If you
would like to book a place on this very
poplar day out to buy fabric and other
sewing notations.
Please contact Pat on 01953 882966.
Mission Improbable at
Ovington Village Hall
Following the success of ‘Rubber
Ring’ at the end of January, Creative
Arts East are bringing us another
lively show on Friday 16 March at
7pm. This time it is musical
entertainment in the form of The
Opera Dudes – super slick
performers, yet determinedly silly!
Find out how a classically trained ex-
brickie and an ex-Cambridge scholar
can entertain you with singing of the
highest quality: grand opera,
showstoppers, heart-rending ballads,
plus classical piano, ridiculous
impressions and slapstick humour to
boot! The Guardian gave them a 5*
review, saying ‘These are
conspicuously skilful performers –
everyone is exhilarated on stage and
off!’ Tickets, costing £10 each, are
available from the village hall any
Monday between 10am and 12 noon,
or ring 01953 885848 to book.
Another part of the
Saga of the Old Codgers
When Morag saw the Waiters’ Show
She booked without delay,
For us to help her celebrate a special
day,
With Irene too, the birthday girls just
laughed the time away,
As we did our best
In song and jest
Our talents to display.
The 31st of January was cold and
dank drear,
Our welcome from St Helen’s group
was friendly and sincere
The power went off – the keyboard
died – and a capella loomed
But – ‘It’s back!’ – who’d guess
At our success –
When everything seemed doomed!
Peter Cowling
Coffee Morning in aid of
the Stroke Association
My Grandson, Keir Hardy, is running
the London marathon this year and
raising funds for the Stroke
Association, in memory of his
Grandad - Dick Hardy.
To help him reach his sponsorship
target a coffee morning will be held
on Saturday 3rd March, 10 - 12 in
Ashill Community Centre. Pauline
and her family would be most
grateful if you are able to support this
event.
The Wayland News March 2018 Page 12
Events in aid of Friends of
St Andrew’s Church, Votes For Women - By Women !
Bradenham
On FRIDAY 20TH APRIL 2018, we will
be holding a FASHION SHOW, BY
RUFFLES BOUTIQUE (SHOPS IN
BOTH WATTON AND SWAFFHAM).
It will be held in BRADENHAM
VILLAGE HALL, starting at 7.00pm.
TICKETS are £7.50 EACH; included in
the price will be a GLASS OF WINE
AND NIBBLES.
At the event, there will be a wide range
of smart and casual, well priced clothing
for ladies (size 8 to 22) and gents, with a
variety of footwear, bags and accessories
to see, try and buy. In addition, there will
be a SALE RAIL and a raffle with
excellent prices. So why not bring along
your family and friends for a jolly
evening. BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL.
If you are interested in coming, please
ring Lavinia Rix 01362 820349 or Diana
MacMullen 01760 440571
At a time when the National news has Also at our meeting, the last details of
ALSO, on SATURDAY 12TH MAY
been full of the celebrations our plans were finalised for the next
2018, you are warmly invited to a
commemorating the achievement of the two events, The Lunchtime Concert
PLANT SALE at BRADENHAM right to vote for women it was, perhaps, with KYLE on February 21st and the
VILLAGE HALL. Further details
appropriate that the greater part of the Coffee Morning at the Queens Hall on
regarding this will be given nearer the
February meeting of the Inner Wheel March 3rd .
time.
Club of Watton was devoted to voting. Then it was on to the next big event in
Every third year a Convention (this the Queens Hall on Friday, March 23rd
Petal and Purl in year in Melbourne) is held at which the when our ladies will be 'strutting their
President and Officers of The stuff ' as they model spring fashions for
the Forum Norwich International Committee are elected, dress shop Artichoke. There will be a
Petal and Purl is a new Crafting Group The National Committees and the wine reception from 7.0p.m., tickets
in Caston – it is an offshoot of Blossom District Committees come up for cost £7.50 and as usual will be
& Yarn. We are planning an election at the same time as do those of available from Mullengers in Watton
extravaganza in Caston in 2019 but each individual Club. There are also High Street. An event not to be
meanwhile we have been invited to Motions to be discussed for both missed !
take part in Makers Month in the Convention and the National Our photograph this month shows
Forum Norwich want to know more?: Conference. dancers at our popular Valentine's Barn
www.theforumnorwich.co.uk All this activity was preceded by a Dance held on February 9th, member
We are busy creating a doppelganger of glass or two of wine and some delicious Stella Leonard reports that this was
the young Queen Elizabeth on her “nibbles' after which the voting was another very successful evening
Coronation Day (65 years ago). She completed in record time and the enjoyed by all. There was non stop
will take centre stage in the Forum for motions discussed with enthusiasm. dancing from 7.30 until 11.00p.m. to
the whole month from Monday 12th The results will be forwarded the music of Shinanikins, a very
March until Sunday 7th April. On appropriately by Secretary Pam popular band. The evening was well
Monday 19th March until Sunday 25th Challand and President Lesley Cowling supported by dancers from the town
March Petal and Purl will have a stand will record our votes at the National and surrounding area, all enjoying the
with more handcrafted items on Conference in Bournemouth from fun and the happy atmosphere and the
display. You will be able to learn how March 19th to 21st. Although this need supper buffet was well received. People
to knit and crochet and chat with us or for our participation is sometimes left in a lighthearted mood on a very
help us craft towards our next big thought of as rather “boring” it is a cold winters night.
event. You don’t have to live in Caston necessary part of belonging to an If you think you may like to join Inner
to be part of it so come and join us International Organisation and those of Wheel or would like any further
now. More information from Lois Gill us who have been lucky enough to go information on any of our events please
01953 488157 or to an International Convention have contact our secretary, Pam on
loisgill@btinternet.com or follow us on seen at first hand how important it is 01953880904 or me, Brenda, on
Petal & Purl Facebook page. that the views of individual clubs and 01953881792.
members are taken into consideration.

THE WAYLAND NEWS

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While every care and effort has been taken to ensure accuracy,
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