Classified Ads
Graham Smith & Sons
Pest & Vermin Control for homes,
farms and businesses. 24hr/7-day service. Local family business (Clover
Farm, Mundford)
Tel. 01842 879904, Mob. 07946
733188
D W Services
Gardening and T V Aerials. Grass
Cutting, Hedge trimming, Tree pruning and general garden work. Also
Digital TV aerials fitted, CCTV, Signal boosters etc
Tel. 01366 728403
Mobile 07752 587111
D.E.T. T.V. Service - Repairs to
TV’s, VCR’s and Microwaves. Fast
reliable service. John Clifford. 01842
878486.
Feeling Stressed? Why not treat
yourself (Or someone else) to a relaxing massage by a fully qualified
Therapist. Fully BABTAC recognised
and insured. Gift vouchers available.
Body massage £17.50 (1 hour), Back
massage, £12.50 (half hour). Contact
Shelly Farrow on 01366 328835 or
07881 904099.
E.G. Dack
Approved Electrician, 25 years Experience. Small Jobs Electrical.
Tel. 01366 728118, Mobile
07766637077
The Man With The Power
Handyman – No Job too small
Woodwork, Metal work Iron work
Design/Technical drawing
Gardening work/Labour and constructions i.e. Pergolas gazebos and
decking
House maintenance – Doors, locks
and painting
Phone David George on (01366)
727582
Northwold Spiritualists
Issue February 2010
Copy date for the next issue is;
Meet every other Friday in the Village
hall at 7.30 pm and on other occasions.
Schedule.
4th December.
June Hughes
Jenni Hawkbee.
18th December
2010
January 15th
29th
Shirley Cimelli
Victoria Neal
Enquiries to Eileen on (01366)727174
Mill House Farm
Locally reared free range pork
and lamb for your Christmas table
and New Year
Lamb avail. Mid-Nov
Pork avail. from Jan
Home cured parma-style
ham from Dec
Order now to have it delivered to
your door!
14th February 2010
[email protected]
Tel. 728317
MESSAGE FROM
CAROL SHARP, CHAIR
OUR NEW EDITOR
I am very pleased to introduce
Stephanie Squires as your new Editor
of Village Life. Stephanie has lived in
the village for two years and I am
positive that she will be a worthy
successor to Mick Parfitt.
As you can see from the photograph,
Mick is already giving Stephanie good
advice. The Editor has executive
power over what goes into the
newsletter and I expect that things will
stay much as usual. However, as we
are all different, I have no doubt that
something to do with the packaging!
"Safe pair of hands" comes to mind
when I think of Stephanie's attributes
and I know that she will do an
excellent job editing our newsletter.
(new email address:
[email protected])
NORTHWOLD
PRODUCE SHOW DATE
FOR YOUR
DIARY!!
The Annual Meeting for the Produce
Show will be held in the Village Hall
on FRIDAY 19TH FEBRUARY,
starting at 7:30 pm.
01366 727679 / 07810 412371
Matters for discussion will include:
Accounts for 2009/Show Schedule for
2010 (It will be our 65th Birthday)/Any
Other Business.
THE CROWN INN
Home Cooked Food Served Daily 12noon—2pm
And 6pm to 8pm On Sunday and Monday
6pm to 9 pm Wednesday to Saturday
Closed all day Tuesday
there will be subtle changes to the
format and I am sure that Stephanie
will be open to suggestions from
readers.
Senior Citizens 2 Course Lunch every Wednesday £5. 95
Alternate Wednesday Quiz
Night
Tel. (01366) 727317
CBB Building and Cleaning Services
We can take care of all your cleaning,
Maintenance and Building Requirements
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Page 12
Weekly/Monthly Domestic and Commercial cleaning
Cleaning your property when you move out
Cleaning when you move in to your new home
Cleaning after you have had building work completed
Painting and decorating
Please contact for a free estimate
Plastering
or to discuss your requirements on:Flint work
Tiling
Fencing
Drain work
01366 727789 or
07860 508689
Stephanie moved here from London
two years ago mainly because her
sister, Cheryl, had become the
proprietor of the Crown Inn Public
House. Stephanie fell in love with the
village and decided to house hunt. Her
cottage came on the market at just the
right moment and she has settled in
very well with her two cats. She tells
me that she loves all animals but has a
particular love of cats.
Having had the privilege of visiting
her cottage I have to say that I was
aware of a profusion of pictures of a
well established musical phenomenon,
namely...Cliff Richard. She tells me
that he is her idol (I'd never have
guessed!).
She worked for twenty two years for a
S wed ish pac ka g ing co mp an y,
producing cartons and all sorts of
packets for large retail companies.
When you eat an M & S sandwich you
may be sure that Stephanie had
Anyone is welcome to attend but, if
you cannot make the date, and have
suggestions or are willing to help on
the day of the Show itself, please contact either Steve or Sharron
Freemantle on 727675.
“Messy Day” at the Village
Hall (organised by Grime
shoe Benefice Churches)
Friday, 4th December - School ended
and a crowd of mums and children
crammed into the village hall to make
Christmas cards, decorations and a
MESS! But what fun it all was for
mums and their offspring's.
The resulting decorations festooned a
Christmas tree in the church. A great
time was had by all.
Watch this space for future similar
events!
Jane Luckman
PLOUGH MONDAY,
11TH JANUARY
It was bitterly cold and icy underfoot.
The Molly Dancers couldn't make it,
but the plough had to be blessed, according to ancient customs.
The Rector had struggled from Feltwell and the plough was brought into
the church (which was colder than
outside!), and with a very gratifying
number of hardy and enthusiastic
spectators the plough was blessed to
ensure a successful and fruitful year.
There followed a traditional Mummers’ Play - the tale of Jolly Jack Tar,
his foul murder and subsequent revival, (the players of course, entirely
unrecognisable under their blue facepaint) and eccentric costume!)
After some warming refreshment the
ceremony ended and all went home in
the knowledge that another meaningful country custom had been properly
enacted.
NORTHWOLD
TENNIS CLUB
Holiday makers staying in the village
are very welcome to use the court.
There will be a charge of three pounds
per player, using the court for one
hour. It is pleasant to see visitors to
our village and the Club members
would be very pleased to welcome
them to the court. Please contact either
myself on 728227 or Veronica
Hutchby on 728555 to arrange a game
We are also pleased to welcome new
members to our thriving Club, if you
would like to join or just have a go
please contact Beverley Young, our
Membership Secretary on 727656.
With best wishes,
Carol Sharp, Chair.
St. Andrew’s Church
Inside this issue:
cover
Our New Editor
Northwold Produce Show
“Messy Day” at the Village Hall
Plough Monday
Northwold Tennis Club
Celebrate at The Crown Inn
St Andrew’s Church
Church Coffee Morning
TAI CHI Course
2
School Report
3
4
Pre-School
St. Andrew’s Hobby & Craft Exhibition
Northwold Youth Club
Bowls
Santa’s Sleigh Procession
5
Dr Nisbet
6
Northwold WI
7
Northwold Art Group
Carnival
Horse Race Evening
8
Riverwatch
Dog Poo Problem
9
Pog
Culture in the Country Side
Electric Wheelchair for loan
Classified Ads
10
11
12
The Village Life Team
Editor
Stephanie Squires
[email protected]
Tel 728317
Deputy Editor
Graeme Whiting
[email protected]
Tel 727425
Advertising
[email protected]
Circulation Manager
Mark Elwes
[email protected]
Tel. 728795
Committee
Chair
Carol Sharp
Tel. 728227
Secretary
Position vacant
Treasurer
Geoff Bartram
Tel. 728673
The views expressed in submitted items are not
necessarily endorsed by Northwold & Whittington
Village Life. Whilst we endeavour to ensure that all
information contained in the newsletter is correct, we
cannot be held responsible for errors. The Editor
reserves the right to refuse or omit items without
explanation.
Although this is February’s issue and
Christmas may seem a long time ago
now we would like to thank everyone
who supported all the church events
leading up to Christmas.
We started with the annual Bazaar, in
the church this year, and what an afternoon it was! It was good to have Rev
Horan to open the proceedings for the
first time.
Over £1,000 was raised which is fantastic sum so thanks again to those
who worked so very hard in setting up
the stalls, making all sorts of wonderfully tempting thongs to buy and
thanks to those who came and spent!
The Christmas services were again
very popular including the Christingle
and the Tree service. I’m sure all of
you who saw the church then will
agree that the trees looked fabulous
this year. It was a real pleasure to see
so many folk in church at both these
services as well as those who made it
to church for the Midnight service on
Christmas Eve and the morning service on Christmas Day.
We hope that the very wintry weather
which caused quite a lot of difficulty
over Christmas and the New Year is a
thing of the past and we would like to
wish you all a happy, healthy and
blessed New Year.
CELEBRATE AT THE
CROWN INN
Valentines night
Saturday , 13th February
St. Andrew’s Church
Diary for February
and March 2010
Bookings being taken now, pop in
or call (01366 ) 727317
The artists from the Sainsbury centre
were named David and Jacqui they
came from Norwich.
Sunday 14th February
11am Matins, Mrs. Carol
Nicholas Letch
Day 1
After we did that we went round the
village to look for chalk because the
village is made of chalk. We went to
Abigail Whiting’s garden and did
some rubbing of leaves and collecting
items.
20/10/09
Day 2
Ash Wednesday
17th February
7.30 pm Benefice, St. James’,
Hockwold Rector
The people from the Sainsbury’s
centre came to tell us about culture in
the countryside. When they came we did
lots of activities such as chalk carving.
When we did chalk carving everyone
had to use a nail to carve out the chalk
to make a picture on the chalk.
24.11.09
Sunday 21st February
8am Holy Communion, Rector
Sunday 28th February
11am Matins, Mr. Keith MacLeod
Sunday 7th March
11am Holy Communion, Rector
Sunday 14th March
11 am Mothering Sunday,
Mrs. Caroline Nicholas Letch
Sunday 21st March
8am Holy Communion, Rector
Sunday 28th March
11 am Palm Sunday,
Mrs. Caroline Nicholas Letch
THERE MAY BE CHANGES SO
PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON THE
NOTICE BOARDS
COFFEE MORNING
Please support the Church coffee
morning on Wednesday,
17th February @ 10.30 a.m.
QUIZ NIGHTS - EVERY
OTHER WEDNESDAY
Lots of homemade cakes to purchase
as well as raffles , bookstall etc.
MARCH 3rd, 17th, 31st
Page 2
We chose chalk carving because our
village is full of buildings made out of
chalk.
The people from the Sainsbury centre
told us to bring in something about our
own culture. We had to draw on a large
piece of paper in groups what we
brought in to show the people from the
the river Wissey in Northwold. Francesca, Amber, Hannah and Roxy carried
an old fashioned beer (not drink) to
carry our coins down to the river. We
made our mark on history in the beautiful river.
At the end of the day we found out
more about our community and our village.
Amber Harris,
Georgina Shorthose ,
Abigail Whiting,
Rebecca Paige
and Katie Louise
A month later the Sainsbury artists
came in again to do some different
things with us.
Before break time we examined the
ancient artefacts from all different
parts of the world, such as Mexico and
Costa Rica. We had to be very careful
and we had to wear blue gloves and
put protective cloths on the tables.
We tried to recreate Saxon coins,
Which we made out of organic clay.
We used a variety of
Tools and methods. Class four went to
Electric powered wheelchair for loan.
Please contact Mrs. Rosemary Crisp
on 728300 or Mr. John Haylock on
728217, Trustees of the Northwold
Charities.
3.00 pm Service for Mothering
Sunday, Rev. Nicoll
St. Patrick's night
Wednesday , 17th March
Charity quiz for the
Air Ambulance
FEBRUARY 3rd, 17th
centre. We had to explain why we had
chosen the thing. Hannah brought in a
hat and a stick because she goes
brushing.
Sunday 7th February
11am Holy Communion,
Rev Nicoll
Mothering Sunday
14th March
Also Cheryl and Dave’s 3rd year of
trading
Culture in the
countryside
Michael Arman
HARWOOD
HEALTH
& FITNESS
TPF
Sports Massage &
Exercise Therapy, Rehabilitation.
Charlie Harwood
BSc (Hons)
P r o p e r t y
Maintenance
Services
Interior, Exterior
Decorating, Carpentry,
Wall & Floor Tiling,
Wooden & Laminate
Flooring
Call Tim
07759 654135
01366 728 881
Ray Gribble
F E N L A N D
Antique Restoration & Traditional Upholstery
All aspects of antique furniture restoration including French
polishing, cabinet repairs and traditional upholstery
------------------------------------------Traditional Upholstered Furniture
Footstools, Sofas, Chairs made to commission
------------------------------------------Picture Framing & Mirrors
An extensive range of mouldings including hand painted
and gilded finishes
Antique and Reproduction Prints for sale
Vine House, Church Road, Wereham, King’s Lynn
01366-500387
www.raygribble.co.uk
GARAGE DOORS
The area’s largest range of manual & automatic doors.
Plus repairs to all doors, and spares.
Thetford 01842 880 008
Swaffham01760 790 009
Or please phone our Southery
SHOWROOM 01366 378481
www.fenlandgaragedoors.co.uk
Superb quality doors fitted by a professional, long standing
company, with up to 10 years no quibble guarantee.
Page 11
Our Past
According to Pog
(Aka Mike Coley)
I can hardly begin to tell you of all the
changes that our Village has undergone
in the past few years alone, those that I
remember from my childhood for instance, when I was a kid the bungalows
at the junction of High Street and
Church Lane didn’t actually exist, the
land they now occupy was then known
colloquially as Thick’s Green and would
have become the village green eventually if only certain locals had have had
their way. In my day however the site
had become derelict and overgrown
save for a few odd fruit trees, greengages amongst them I recall. What a
pity to have declined into the virtual
waste ground that it was then, after all it
had been at one time the property belonging to yet another of our old village
pubs called The Bull. The name of the
Green was taken from a couple of old
ladies that lived there, at least one of
whom was indeed named Miss Thick, I
don’t know about the other old girl I’m
afraid.
At this time and for many years prior to
this, one of the country’s biggest killers
was Tuberculosis (T.B, also known as
Consumption) which was eventually
overcome with the use of anti-biotic,
pioneered by Cambridge University at
nearby Papworth. I can still recall however the chilly glass outhouses where
people endeavored in vain to cure themselves before the proper medication became available.
Back to the boozer however, in its existence The Bull was said to have been a
Coaching Inn, where stage coaches
would stop and change their horses for
fresh ones as they passed through from
Norwich and elsewhere. It was also the
home of the village fire appliance, a
hand propelled affair by all accounts,
when then as now, in the event of fire,
time would have been of the essence,
the hand propelled gadget would have
been much quicker than readying a team
of horses should a fire break out of
course. It had been on the estate at
Didlington at one time, probably when
Lord Amherst of Hackney owned it.
At a later date, when the bungalows
were first built on the green, Danny
Dugan was one of the first inhabitants to
move in, he worked as a conductor for
the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company who’s depot had a garage on the
Top Road (A134). I think he, like
many more of our population had
lived down The Tan Yard previously,
behind Sycamore House in the High
Street. He was well thought of by most
of the youngsters of the village at
least, as he would often take us for a
ride from the church to the outskirts of
the village without ever asking for a
fare. That was quite a treat really, after
all there were virtually no cars to swan
about in at that time.
Danny was of Irish extraction and I
imagine that he would have been a
seafarer in his younger days as he
sported a large, colourful and probably
naughty tattoo over most of his body,
depicting a rampant snake I understand. I never actually saw it for myself but know of it as it readily passed
into the folklore of our home village.
Danny was never thought of as being a
wealthy chap, so you can just imagine
the shock which reverberated through
the community, when his household
belongings were being burned as part
of his house clearance after his demise. Especially when they discovered
that his old comfy chair was literally
stuffed with money, luckily the find
was made just before this and the rest
of his possessions were slung onto the
bonfire, to be lost forever.
Also on the green were a few odd
trees and miscellaneous bushes
growing hither and thither and on its
outskirts were a terraced row of cottages that ran at right angles to Church
Lane and who’s gardens ended just
before Cross Lane, it was there that
young Sid Stevenson lived with his
family at one time, their gardens were
separated from Church Lane by a low
brick wall that was topped by spiked
iron railings.
It was here, whilst clambering on
these that young Sid slipped and impaled himself, thus blinding himself in
one eye. A momentary lapse, the repercussions of which like, so many
before would have remained with him
for the rest of his days.
All this would have been about the
time that the Old Rectory opposite the
green would have been built, it’s now
known as the “Old Rectory” but it
never was because in fact that title
quite rightly belonged to the Grange
Page 10
behind the church. This new building
was specially built for the Reverend
David Savage and was enclosed behind
the old walled gardens, previously attributed to The Grange
David Savage himself was a farmer before becoming ordained and so fitted in
well with the majority of the population.
I can still remember the gist of the old
boys address during his investiture all
those years ago. It began with a word of
warning that regarded Teasels, and the
phrase I recall most vividly was “and if
your little nanny-goat should eat just
one of these!” Well the old boy was on
the ball there I have to say as goats are
very likely to get into all sorts of mischief as I can testify, having bottle fed
many of their Kids in my time.
One of his earliest duties when coming
to Northwold was to run Confirmation
classes to prepare us heathens for the
good Christian life ahead. Ours was a
church of England School and I was one
of those that attended his classes and
who later got confirmed by the Bishop
Walsh in St James Church at nearby
Hockwold. Then known as Hockwold
cum Wilton as the names of many small
villages became combined as their
populations grew, Wilton was once a
settlement in its own right.
Well my dears, that’s about it for another year, it’s time for me to wave you
farewell until we meet again, when I
shall be Looking Forward to Looking
Back with you all again, and so take the
greatest of care, not only of yourselves,
your loved ones and of course of all the
wild birds and the various animals to,
many of whom will be suffering first
hand, the deprivations of the cold
Winter weather .
Best wishes
Pog
Allotment
- Methwold Road
One allotment is now available for rent
by a Northwold resident.
Please apply to The Clerk to the Northwold Charities Trustees on 01366
500165
SCHOOL REPORT
A Happy New Year to Village Life
readers from The Norman School.
After a somewhat delayed start we
have made it back into full swing after
the snow and ice this Christmas.
The children have settled to their work
well and there is a ‘buzz’ about the
school. Classes 1 and 2 are delighted
to move into their new classrooms
which have been extended and refurbished beautifully. I am sure that it
makes the term they have spent in a
mobile very worthwhile.
We were rather worried that the
Pantomime, which we book annually
in January, would be a further casualty
of the weather, especially after we
were unable to enjoy our Christmas
Service and Christmas dinner due to
school closure. In the event, the
Pantomime company were able to
extend the contracts of the actors and
the children enjoyed a wonderful performance of Aladdin. The children
were royally entertained and we are
confident that some excellent quality
writing about the event will follow.
Many thanks to our PTFA for funding
the show.
My final thoughts for this a call for
help. Part of our duty as a school is to
put together a ‘Single Equality Plan’.
This requires us to show how we are
ensuring that we plan for a whole
range of equalities including, Racism,
Gender, Age and Disability. As part of
this process we need to speak to people within the school and local community as to how best we might
achieve this. If you feel that you
would like to be involved, in a consultation that I am sure will contain tea
and biscuits, please make contact with
the school and I will arrange an opportunity for a group to get together.
My very final thought is that there
may be some members of the local
community who would like to have a
look round the school, especially as
there have been so many changes. If
you would like to do so I will be glad
to show you round on Thursday 4th
February at 5.15pm. Please contact
Derek Johnson
the school office if you would like to
attend so that I can get an idea of
numbers.
Rob Hothersall
TAI CHI
Six week course
Starting WEDNESDAY 24th February
7.00-8.00 pm
At Methwold High School
All ages/abilities welcome
£5.00 per week
booking essential
For further information please contact
Viv Archibald at the high school
on 01366 728333
Mobile Beauty Therapist
PROPERTY & LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE
(Female clients only)
Interior & exterior painting, wood or UPVC facia boards
Relax and unwind in the
comfort of your own home!
Offering a wide range of beauty treatments
Gift vouchers, pamper parties
& packages available
For a price list or appointment,
please phone Suzanne
Guttering repaired, cleaned, replaced
Roofing repairs, damaged tiles replaced
Chimney pots & cowlings fitted
Chimney stacks and general re-pointing
Blocked drains & sinks cleared
General plumbing & drainage
Roof, patio & driveway pressure washing
Trees & conifers trimmed or removed
Hedges, bushes and ivy trimmed
Fencing & decking, landscape maintenance
TELEPHONE 01842 810816
01366 728192
or
07730 550415
MARK ROBERTS
Plumbing & Heating
DAIRY CREST
Plumbing & Heating • Boiler Replacement
Central Heating Installation
Bathrooms/Showers • Water Softeners
DEPOT : 01284 754720
Northwold ~ Foulden
Feltwell ~ Methwold
Methwold Hythe
Mundford
ALL WORK & MATERIALS GUARANTEED
REFERENCES AVAILABLE
Telephone 01366 727344
Mobile 07887 646587
Page 3
Welcome to all the new
children who have joined
the Pre-school this term.
We currently have 16
children registered and
are always looking for
more!
We now officially have our own website
thanks to Zoe Vanderstay! We are located at www.littlenormans.co.uk and
you can find us on Facebook as well in
order to keep up with the Pre-School’s
events and happenings.
We would like to say thank you to the
Village and to the Northwold Santa
Sleigh Procession for the generous
donation to the Pre-School. In particular
thanks to Jim and Brenda Ayres, John
Burton, Steven Freemantle, Ian Hales,
Michael Parfitt, Criag Ramshaw,
Joseph Whiting and Graeme Whiting
for participating in the event.
We would also like to thank The helpers
of the New Years Eve Party that was
organized down at the Social Club.
They were nice enough to split the
profits from the evening with us and
the PTFA.
A very special thank you to Mark and
Zoe Vanderstay for their
donation and continued support of the
Pre-School.
Thank you to Joanne Geddes-Green
and family for their continuous
donation of toys. The children
absolutely love them!
Also we would like to thank the
Northwold Social Club for their
ongoing support of the Pre-School.
They have been a real help to us over
the last year with fundraising and it
has not gone unnoticed.
We would like to invite all of you to
our Spring Fundraising Bingo at the
Northwold Sports and Social Club on
Friday the 19th February. Doors will
open at 6.30 pm and eyes down at 7.
30 pm. If you have any prizes you
would like to donate please contact the
Pre-School and we will arrange collection.
If you have a child of Pre-School age
(2 ½ to 4 years) and are interested in
the Little Normans Pre-School, please
call Kirsty Pryer on 01366 728 804
and make an
appointment to come and see us!
Session Times:
Monday & Friday
9:00am – 12pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
9:00am – 3 pm
Web address:
www.littlenormans.co.uk/
St Andrew’s Hobby &
Craft Exhibition
May 2010
To celebrate the creative talents of
the inhabitants of Northwold and
surround, we are planning to hold a
Hobby and Craft Exhibition with
live demonstrations during the weekend of May 1 2010.
We will have many stalls
(woodwork, jewellery, quilting and
cake making amongst them) together
with teas and activities for children –
and young-at-heart adults!
If you would like to be involved in
any way please contact:Jane Luckman (728921) or
Brenda Ayres (728565)
PR. Bowers & Son
Funeral Directors
24 Hour Service
Tel 01366 727432
Upholding Traditional Family
Values of Dignity & Respect
Memorials .
Floral Tributes .Funeral Plans
River Watch By Ivor
Hook
The alarm clock went off. It was so
early it was silly and still dark. Wind
battered the house and driving rain beat
on the window. Dread of all dreads I
had arranged to meet a mate at the river
and to be out in the boat for first light.
With supreme effort I left a cosy bed
and could fully appreciate why certain
animals choose to hibernate at this time
of the year!
Not long afterwards I was pushing the
boat away from its mooring. We glided
out into mid-water. It was as near to
black as black and we rowed away relying mainly on instinct. We wrestled the
wind and rain to make very slow headway. Eventually night vision took over
and improved matters. A party of geese
scattered and made known their annoyance as we rowed through the middle of
them. At last we anchored in the shelter
of tall reed beds and with our voyage
behind us the weather seemed to improve. The rain had eased and the river
was left with a nice chop which was
perfect for a day's pike fishing. The plan
was to be over a deep hole but we had to
wait to check our geography.
Gradually the darkness turned to grey. It
was never going to be a bright day but
there was now a familiarity. We could
just see the opposite bank together with
the all important tree which confirmed
our navigation to be correct. Despite the
rain which had become an annoying
drizzle there was a realisation of complete freedom with all reference to
man's daft world completely missing!
Rain dripped from the trees and undergrowth and at intervals we were sprayed
when the wind flattened the reed beds
behind us. Ironically the moon, which
had been missing, decided to put in a
late appearance but it obviously realised
all was futile so promptly disappeared
again.
Suddenly my mate gave me a prod. On
the opposite bank two red deer appeared. The lack of light was disappointing but we could just see them surveying the river up and down. They kept
exchanging positions as if posing for a
family photograph but alas, the pages of
the book started to turn fast! Our attention was drawn by a great uproar of
honking and clatter. Unbeknown to us
the field behind contained hundreds of
Page 4
geese who decided to prepare for
flight. A mass take-off just cleared the
top of our reed bed and disappeared
noisily over the tree line. We looked
again at the deer but they had gone
and were not to be seen again. A few
minutes later, following behind the
main flight of geese, came the inevitable stragglers – perhaps the slow witted or the old and infirm and you always wonder if they ever catch up!
The dim half-light continued and
dawn was definitely having a lay in!
Then skimming the water came and
went the blue flash of a kingfisher. He
had started his business early and we
knew we would now see him up and
down for the rest of the morning. The
wind returned with gusto and attempted to uproot the reed beds behind
us. Our sheltered spot was no more
and the boat rocked alarmingly. Our
confidence in it's sea-worthiness was
severely questioned. Then through the
noise of the wind we heard another
beating of wings. This time it was
more deliberate and methodical
whereupon down the centre of the
river came four swans with their five
foot spans in precise formation. They
landed a short distance away providing a brilliant whiteness lighting up
the gloom. There they were to stay and
supervise us for the rest of the morning.
It was still early on the clock and we
just sat there agog watching all the
episodes of 'The Mother Nature Show'
from the best grandstand seats on the
River Wissey! Full attention to our
fishing returned and our floats carried
on bobbing up and down riding the
waves. Almost instantly one decided
to snake off downstream but unfortunately it stopped. I sat on my hands to
avoid the temptation of doing anything
remiss. Eventually it continued on its
way down the river to finally disappear into the deeps. I struck hard to
find a solid resistance - it was certainly something big but surely the
morning couldn't get any better?
Ivor
DOG POO PROBLEMS
I would like to be the next person
to follow a whole string of letters
about the amount of dog poo in the
village. I walked my children to
school this morning via School
Lane. My son and I decided to
Page 9
count the amount of dog poo along
the lane as I felt I need to make him
aware of it. We stopped counting it
after 10, and that was just along
School Lane!
This is a polite plea to all you
irresponsible dog owners that still
insist on leaving YOUR dog’s mess
on the paths of our beautiful
village.
I have decided to look up the hazards of your dogs poop with children
and hopefully this will shock you into
being more aware of what could potentially happen if you continue to
ignore your dog’s bowel movements.
‘’ALL dog (and cat) faeces contains
nasty bacteria that can cause stomach upsets if ingested, including
toxocariasis. Toxocariasis is an infection of the round worm toxocara.
It is a disease that is spread via unwashed vegetables and dog poo.
Children in particular are at risk due
to weaker immune systems, because they are more likely to expose
themselves by ingesting the eggs. A
dog can pass as many as 15,000
eggs per gram of faeces, therefore
are a major source of environmental
contamination.
Dog faeces can also cause blindness. The worms in them can blind if
a child for example touches them
and then put their hand in their
mouth or eyes.’’
I hope this has shocked some of the
lazier dog walkers in the village into
picking up their mess. I am sick to
death that irresponsible dog walkers
are still leaving dog poo on a street
where there is a school, and is
clearly used by children daily. I cannot understand how you can leave it
on the ground and contribute to
making our quaint village look ugly
and dirty. London streets are cleaner
than this village at the minute.
Please pick up after you dog’s mess,
and if you can’t be bothered I hope
you can’t sleep at night.
Yours Sincerely,
Holly Sandford, on behalf of Eboni &
Max McGuirk and all the children at
Northwold Pre-School and
Primary School.
NORTHWOLD ART
GROUP - CHRISTMAS
AND 2010
On December 14th, before the snow
imprisoned many of us, Northwold Art
Group held it's Christmas Party in the
Village Hall. As always, it was a brilliantly successful evening. Patsy Hood
coordinated a wonderfully varied
'contribution supper' with lots of liquid
refreshment to ensure that we all went
home full. Entertainment was provided
by Carol-Ann, the local vocal artiste, who sang many old favorites, often
accompanied by her appreciative audience.
Members had contributed towards gift
tokens and house plants which were
presented to Patsy Hood and Hilary
Sharrington, with our grateful thanks
for all their administrative efforts and to
Glenda Burton who had decided to take
a break from her former role in coorganising the Group. We all enjoyed a
laughter filled evening to round off
2009. Without Patsy, Hilary and Glenda
the group could never have become as
popular and
successful.
The group also presented a gift to Jim
Booty in recognition of his services to
tea making.
Already there are great plans for 2010.
Northwold Art Group currently has 37
members, meeting each week. We
benefit from a widely varied programme, including frequent evening
demonstrations and whole-day workshops from a variety of visiting professional artists. Arranging these activities creates a huge work load. To ensure the Art Group's continuing success an organising committee of members has been set up, including Patsy
Hood, Hilary Sharrington, Jenny
Bunyan, Wendy Hodson and Derek
Lloyd. A new programme of exciting
events is in place for this year, which
should lead to ever more interesting
artistic efforts. These will be on show
in the Art Exhibition at the Village
Hall on 7th & 8th August 2010.
Please do come along to support your
local artists.
For any further information about the
Northwold Art Group, please contact
Patsy Hood on 01366 727582
NORTHWOLD
CARNIVAL
SATURDAY, 12TH JUNE
The theme for this year is “All at Sea”,
so get your thinking caps on for floats,
fancy dress and themed stalls….It
could be anything from the Royal Navy
to what lives in the ocean!
HORSE RACE EVENING
On the evening of Saturday, 27th
February, Northwold PTFA are
holding a horse race evening at the
school.
If you’ve not been to one of these
before, it’s a great social event. Don’t
worry if you’ve not into horse racing/
betting, it’s just a great evening out and
you’ll be surprised how exiting it gets.
Tickets are £4.50 each which include a
buffet. Tickets available from the
school.
Jacob Bunyan N.D.H.
Established
over20 years
Horticulturalist
Wildlife, traditional,
heritage/restoration gardening.
New complete gardens/
refurbishment
Organic options available
Herbaceous perennial borders
All year interest plant
schemes
Tree surgery
Problem areas
Problem solving
Hedging/hedge laying
Garden maintenance
Garden clearance
Environmentally friendly &
correct waste disposal
Phone 01366 728229
Mobile 07724 040216
[email protected]
EST 1992
NORTHWOLD YOUTH
CLUB
On 13 January we were scheduled to
have “Bingo! with Bernie” as our start
to the 2010 activities. Unfortunately,
we had not scheduled the bad weather
or for the fact that it would turn the car
park into an ice rink – so we’ve had to
reschedule Bernie as our Bingo Caller
to a later date.
In the meantime, we are looking forward to Mike Wabe visiting us on 27th
January, with his presentation on
“Medieval World and Life in a Victorian Goal”. His visits are always interesting and entertaining.
It seems so long ago, but before Christmas the Youth Club had some fantastic
fun:The Hand Bell Ringers from St Georges, Methwold, visited the Club in November and the young members showed
how quickly they could learn a new skill
because, by the end of the evening, 8 of
them gave a recital to the rest of the
club. Very impressive!
Children. Big thanks must go to
Jackie Squires, Community Development Officer at WNKLBC, who
helped fund the event, and to the
Sports & Social Club, for letting the
clowns throw water over everybody
(and hence the floor!) Everyone who
entered the best clown fancy dress
competition was a winner on the night.
Special Thanks must go to Santa, his
helpers and the residents of Northwold
Village. Your kind donation is really
appreciated by us all. We will use the
funds for a professional demonstrator/entertainer to visit the Club and
keep our activity schedule as varied as
possible. Thank you.
With best wishes from everyone at the
Youth Club; hoping that 2010 proves a
successful, happy and healthy year for
us all.
Steve Freemantle
Northwold Bowls Club 100 Club
Draw
December 2009
Adrian and Justin McGuirk also kindly
gave up one of their evenings to issue
Certificates of Competence for the use
of the Junior Pool Table. The young
members were put through their paces
to show they knew the basic rules of the
game, how to hold the cue and how to
strike the ball – all without damaging
the baize!
Eboni and Russell won the Christmas
Tree Decoration Competition – you may
have seen their efforts on the Youth
Club Tree in the Church.
D. Kimber
£ 20
Mark Cater £15
W. Lavender £ 10
What was, probably, the highlight of
2009’s activity schedule was the Christmas Party ... with a difference. Fool
Hardy Circus put on a riotous
“pantomime” for Northwold Village
Sylvia has been running this draw
for a very long time and making
much needed money for the Bowls
Club.
These numbers were drawn by
Mr. John Haylock.
January 2010
M Hull
P Everett
M Parfitt
£20
£15
£10
These numbers were drawn by
Mr. David Kimber
Monarch Gates
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Full, free
measuring
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Manufacturers and suppliers of quality timber entrance, field and garden gates
Call for Free Brochure & Price list on
(01366)727130
or email [email protected]
Mill House Farm, Thetford Road, Northwold
Page 8
Page 5
Northwold Santa’s Sleigh
Procession
On the Tuesday evening of Christmas
week A collection of people assembled
in the yard of Hall Farm. There they
found a Land Rover to which was attached a brilliantly illuminated Sleigh
complete with music and a large amplifier generously loaned By Rob the
School Headmaster and local Pop Star.
The sleigh had been assembled in the
afternoon by Jim Ayres and Father
Christmas himself but owing to some
mathematical misunderstanding it had
to be completed by Graeme.
And so at the appointed time the procession moved off into West End, with
seasonal music adding to the snow on
the ground which made things even
more like Christmas.
For two hours or more they made their
way around the village never giving
up on their mission despite the somewhat difficult conditions underfoot.
Unfortunately the event had to be held
on the Tuesday which is the night that
the Crown doesn’t open, but Caroline
and Graeme came to the rescue.
A total of £330 was collected. This will
be shared out equally between The
Pre-School, Tots and Co. and The Youth
Club.
Those involved in this venture were Jim
and Brenda Ayres, John Burton, Steve
Freemantle, Ian Hales, Michael Parfitt,
Craig Ramshaw, Joseph Whiting and
Graeme Whiting.
And a special thanks to the residents
and visitors to Northwold who made
donations and entered into the festive
spirit. Thank you and we hope you all
had a merry Christmas..
WHAT DOES THE
DOCTOR THINK THIS
MONTH?
The parallel universe.
A week or two before Christmas, Head
Office treated me, for my birthday, to
a Christmas concert at the Royal Albert Hall. We parked our car in the
park underneath Kensington Town
Hall (£10 for 8 hours – very reasonable) and, as we had a couple of hours
to spare, we decided to visit Harrods.
Now, neither of us has been there for
well over 15years. In those days, it
was frequented by Londoners, who
treated it as an ordinary shop, and by
housewives from Greater London the
Home Counties, known to me rather
disrespectfully as “Wah Wahs”, who
liked to show off at home with goods
bought from “H.A.Rods” as they
called the store. The place was always
a bit pricey but, if you were careful,
there were bargains to be found.
Well, this time, it was like entering a
parallel universe! There were very few
of our indigenous population to be
seen; the place was awash with folk
from the oil-rich Middle East, hijabs
(let’s call them head shawls) and
prominent noses everywhere. Deannie
and I realised very quickly that the
prices were set to match the market.
We fancied a cup of tea (don’t we always?!) but we were unable to find a
table at any of the restaurants, all of
which were full of head shawls and
noses who had apparently taken root,
so we ended up in a small café known
as a chocolate bar. Deannie had a cup
of tea (£3.50) and I splashed out on a
cup of real hot chocolate which, for
£5.00 was most inferior. Rather stung
by the prices, we decided against any
food. We were sitting there, licking
our wounds about the price but telling
ourselves that we were, after all, on a
treat and that we must enjoy the experience, when a very plump head
shawl aged about 20yr sat down be-
side us, took out a children’s book to
read and casually ordered hot chocolate (£5), a piece of chocolate cake
(£9.50), a single scoop of ice cream
(£3.50) and a small bottle of water
(£3.97), all without looking at the
menu. I suspect that, for her, this afternoon snack at £21.97 was an everyday
occurrence.
Next, we visited the food hall, where
turkeys were available at £15 per kilo,
fancy hand-sewn tea bags at £24.50
for ten tea bags (a woman came up
and bought 2 packs) and Deannie
bought me a tiny box of chocolate ginger, my Christmas favourite, but she
still refuses to tell me what she paid
for it!
Enough was enough – time to escape
back to the normal world. On the way
out, we passed through the fountain
pen department. I needed a bottle of
ink; I have used Parker Quink fountain
pen ink for about 50 years so I asked
for a bottle. “Oh no, sir, we don’t sell
Parker ink” “Well, what ink do you
sell?” “Oh sir, we only sell Cartier
ink”. “And how much is that?” “£12
a bottle, sir” (patronising-like). I am
still in need of a bottle of ink!
Management and I had booked for a
meal in the Royal Albert Hall restaurant before the performance. There
was one door open for the use of those
attending the restaurant. I heard a
youth shout “Let’s see your tickets,
Mate”. Me “MATE?!!!” Him “Yes,
you can be my mate” Me “I have no
desire to be your mate, thank you”
Him “Well, bu**er off then” while
inspecting our tickets. Oh Dear!
Happily, the meal and the concert
were fantastic and the evening was a
great success.
The Garden: Those of you who have
followed our garden exploits for years
will be pleased to hear that the resident pheasant has returned, looking
very chirpy. No doubt he will set
about setting up this year’s harem (7
‘Harness your own internal power’
At times everyone can feel low and if this continues it can build up as ‘stress’
moves in. We often make the mistake of thinking ‘that’s life’ we have to put up
with it. Taking away our ‘joy of life,’ as we look to gain comfort from the emotional pain, we may experience this in a number of ways.
This could be:
Inability to concentrate/focus Disruptive sleep patterns/anxiety/emotional/tearful.
Constantly on the go/Sickness from work/Irritable bowel syndrome/Weight gain/ Diseases
Aches and pains/Feeling of Loneliness even in the company of others/Poor relationships with self and others
Deep down you know life should be better. You can take the next step to living the life you deserve by contacting
Sue Leet for an appointment in Northwold now 01366 727782
[email protected] or visit www.hnlp.co.uk
Gain vision and passion to achieve personal change in the direction you desire.
Professional Registered Trainer and Therapist
Master NLP/Advanced Hypnotherapy/Reiki Master/Thought Field Therapist/Life Coach/Indian Head Masseur
Prices start form £35.00 per session.
Page 6
hens last year) and, by March, he will be
haggard, careworn and nagged to death
by his many wives. The moles are being
kept at bay by my row of 6 ultrasonic
mole movers and the bluebells are taking advantage of the thick layer of snow
to keep warm and recharge their batteries in preparation for their attack on my
flowerbeds in the Spring. We have been
discussing these thugs (especially the
Spanish upright terrors) for many years
now and many of you have told me in
private that you share my views but are
unwilling to say so in public. Over the
years, we have agreed that English
droopy bluebells are fantastic in bluebell
woods and other people’s gardens and I
had thought to leave it at that. However,
the RSPB has now declared that a
2degC rise in world temperature would
wipe out bluebells completely. You
bluebell lovers should look at
www.rspb.org.uk/letter to the future to
find out how to hug a bluebell. What am
I going to do? I shall install underground heating through all the flower
beds, sit back and smile!
One problem of growing older is that
sleep becomes fitful and various problems spring to mind:
Can an atheist buy insurance against an
act of God?
What was the best thing before sliced
bread?
Whose cruel idea was it to include the
letter “s” in the word “lisp”?
Who on earth coined the phrases “Civil
War” and “Friendly fire”?
What’s another word for synonym?
Would a fly without wings be called a
walk?
The good thing about egotists -they
don’t discuss other people.
There is a “Deer Cross Here” road sign
near us. They are going to have to move
it as several deer have been killed by
cars at that spot and the deer must be
directed to cross somewhere safer.
If you pick up an oriental person and
spin them three times, do they become
disorientated?
Best wishes to you all
Ian G. Nisbet
Northwold WI
held their first
meeting of the new year on January 19th.
This was a week later than usual, due to
the recent bad weather conditions. The
meeting this time was held at Methwold
High School at the kind invitation of the
Headmistress Denise Walker. Many
members attended the meeting and were
met at the School doors, and shown to
their seats in the Computer Technology
room, by young people from Year 11
who would be doing a presentation for
us later that evening. They were extremely polite, helpful and pleasant to
speak with.
A short business meeting took place and
birthday gifts were given to various
members who had birthdays this month.
The competition – for an African scene
– was won by Teresa Waller.
We were then welcomed by the Headmistress, together with Dr. Rosie Coxford, Head of Sciences and Mr Geoff
Prosser, Deputy Chairman of Governors. They were keen to impress upon
us their immense pride in the school and
the young people therein. Recent results
showed that Methwold School gained
best place in improvement for the
county's fifty-two schools and came 89th
out of 3,800 schools countrywide for
improvement.
Dr. Coxford told us how Methwold
School is one of only two schools in the
county to be invited by the Government
to participate in a scheme centred on
young people from Year 11 who face a
particular challenge in their personal
lives. This scheme is called the Extra
Mile Challenge and endeavours to take
ten young people from the school
through experiences that they would not
normally encounter in their present lifestyle. This enables them to develop selfconfidence, together with organisational
and relationship skills therefore enabling them to broaden their horizons
and widen their hopes and expectations for the future.
We were also told of the school's involvement with the Starehe Centre, a
school in Nairobi, Kenya and the
sponsored full-time education of Albert Opili, a 14 year old boy. In 2009
four students went to Kenya to work
in the school and the slums and this
year ten students will be visiting. The
school is currently raising funds to
cover costs. Albert has also been
brought to Norfolk from his mud hut
home in Kenya to sample his sponsors
lives here.
The ten young people on the Extra
Mile Project then spoke to us and told
us about themselves. They recounted
how they have faced up to difficulties
and with the help of the scheme had
overcome confidence problems and
found enjoyment in learning and now
had positive hopes for themselves in
the future. Recently they had planned,
prepared, cooked and served a threecourse meal for their parents and
School Governors with great success.
We were all looking forward to the
supper prepared by them which was
laid out at the back of the hall.
Mrs Ann Howarth, WI member and
wife of one of the School Governors,
gave the vote of thanks and expressed
the feelings of all the WI members
when she said how proud the achievements of the young people made her
feel, and she wished them well for
their futures.
We all then enjoyed the supper prepared by the young people and, considering the people they were serving
were all long-standing WI member
with years of experience of making
DIDLINGTON NURSERIES
Why not visit our walled in garden Nursery
New stock trees and hedging arriving end of
November
For all your ornamental trees,
shrubs and perennials -Aquatic Plants and much
more
Winter Pansies
Cut Flowers Trees and hedging available
Free range eggs
Tel. (01842) 878288
cakes and baking, the results certainly
passed the test! From delicious sausage
rolls, feather-light sponges and super
shortbread we were certainly well-fed.
One of the young people has recently
won a place on a college catering
course.
After supper the second event of the
evening took place. A Pantomime entitled Cinderella – with a Norfolk Twist,
had been written and rehearsed in secret
by members of WI. However, because
of the awful weather, rehearsals had
been limited, and no-one quite knew
what to expect – least of all the cast! A
moment of panic ensued when the
“Cow” went down with a tummy-bug
on the morning of the show, but Doreen
valiantly stepped into her hooves and
the show went on. Cinderella met her
prince and all lived happily ever after.
Judging by the tears (of laughter) running down several people's faces it was
thought to be a success. A really good
evening was brought to a conclusion by
the young people showing us to the exit
and bidding us goodnight.
Glenda Burton
FOOT HEALTH CLINIC
May we remind our readers that
the next foot health clinic is as
follows:27th January 2010, at the Village
Hall, Surgery Room.
For appointments tel.
01362 652757 David Noble.
WMSCh(Hons).,
MPSPract.,MVR.
Debbie HarwoodHarwood-Brown
C&G, IHBC, IIHHT, member of BABTAC
Beauty & Holistic Therapist , 16 years experience,
Treat your mind, body & spirit, treatments offered
include:
Jessica manicures
Jessica pedicures
Hot stone massage
Reflexology
Facials
Aromatherapy
Eyelash & brow tinting
Waxing
Indian head massage
fantasy tan Spray tanning
For an appointment/more information please call
Est. 1962
Page 7
01366 728212