"THE MALLARD" April 2016
"THE MALLARD" April 2016
"THE MALLARD" April 2016
Even the
Village
sign had
its annual
overhaul.
Mallard News
This parish magazine is
published every month for the
residents of Great and Little
Massingham with the support of
the Great Massingham Parish
Council, the Parochial Church
Council and Massingham
Village Hall Trustees.
STONE PICKING
Histry Bits
If youve ever wondered what those massive agricultural machines that roar through the village actually do for a living,
check out the Standen Uniweb. According to its website it is a
high-capacity stone and soil separator for preparing crop beds
www.greatmassingham.net before planting.
e-mail:
What many people may not realise is that, until surprisingly
mallard.editor@btinternet.com
recently, local farmers employed low-capacity stone and soil
Editorial Committee
separators to do much the same job: in other words, village
Editor: Bev. Randall.
women and children. Stone picking was carried out in late
6 Abbeyfields
Great Massingham
winter, when the corn was about two inches high and would
01485 520899
take no harm to be trodden on. Stone-free soil was believed to
Treasurer: David Baines
01485 520966
encourage plant growth and increase yields. It was a family
Website : Caroline Boyden
occupation, with each family being assigned a field to work
01485 521 816
Deadline for the on. The men of the family raked the land over first to loosen
the stones so they could be picked up more easily.
next issue
Then each picker, woman or child, was given a two-gallon
th
pail. When the pails were filled, the stones were emptied in a
heap on the headland. Eighty pails of stones made up a load,
In this issue
which was carefully measured when it was collected by horse
and tumbril. Boys often had to pick two or three buckets of
A Hunt for Litter
stones before going to school in the morning. It was hard, tedi Histry Bits
ous and badly-paid work. However, it brought in vital extra
Parish Council
Acknowledgement
money for poor village
Trefoil Guild
families and was often
Play Park
used to pay for new boots
Thank You
for the children. The
Village Hall Events
West Norfolk Folk
stones were not wasted.
Defibrillator Update
In the days before universal
Pet Photo Reminder
tarmac, they were dumped
Open Gardens
at the side of the road
Charlies Success
Dance
where roadmen used them
Go Bus Timetable
to mend pot-holes gouged out by winter rains.
David Miller
Historical Society
Community Cars
Parish Council Meeting - March ..... Main Points Discussed
Baby & Toddler
Six councillors, the clerk and one parishioner attended.
Film Club
Revd Judiths Message Complaints about a car repair business operating from a
Biodiversity Project
Sunnyside Road property will be followed up by writing to
Grassroots Malawi
the tenant in addition to the owner and the Borough Council.
Baby & Toddler
Church News
The Borough Councils decision to forward planning applica Church Services
tions electronically to Parish Councils was considered unaccept Easter Garden
able in view of the low broadband speeds and the fact that not
Church Easter Fayre
all councillors have computers. The Council will be notified.
Film Club
Dates for your Diary
Next meeting, 18th April, at 7.30pm, Village Hall.
8 April
Mallard News
TREFOIL GUILD
The Trefoil Guild meets
every second Thursday of the
month, at 7pm at the Village
Hall. They are a very friendly group and
organise talks and many other activities.
New members are always welcome. Why
not come along to their next talk on
Thursday, April 14th and meet everyone?
Pippa May will be talking about
Befrienders
at 7pm
2 a visit with refreshment
Acknowledgement
Lena and all the family would like to thank
everyone for their many cards and messages of sympathy and all those of you
who attended Dereks funeral.
We would like to also express our thanks
for the kind words in the Mallard.
Derek is greatly missed by us all. Donations
received in his memory went to:Gt. Massingham Surgery 400
The Big C
280
Please accept this as our most sincere
Acknowledgement...... Lena
Shop window
Complete
make up
&
hanging
service
Mark Large
Tel:
Field Barn
House
School Rd.
CHOOSE AT HOME
Discounted Curtain Fabric Sales
07795 958639
A.K.FABRICS
Local Instructor
Dual Controlled Citroen DS3
Auto Smart FourFour
Pass Plus Registered
Weekly or intensive courses
Mallard News
Village Hall
REMINDER
Pet Photo Competition
Closing Date 30th April
Contact 01485 578380
photocompetition2016@hotmail.com
Shop window
Carol Walker MCFHP MAFHP
GARY KNIGHT
DOMESTIC ENERGY ASSESSOR
QUIDOS ACCREDITED
Contact: carolwalker3060@gmail.com
Tel: 07714192521 or 01485 520 187
Sara Barns
Seamstress
Dress Making
Alteration
Loose Covers
Curtains
telephone
Patrick Jacques
07976981270
Shop window
S & R Reeve
GUITAR TUITION
All styles and levels
Stephen Reeve
07879 885521
Reasonable Rates
Contact Andy Graham
01553 630747
Mole Catcher
Call Steve
01485 520142
07745 163149
No Mole, No Charge!
email: steveoutthere66@gmail.com
Ducklings Pre-School
H.
I.
Lynn Road
West Rudham
Norfolk
PE31 8RW
S.
Tim Margereson
3 Weasenham Rd
Gt.Massingham PE32 2EY
Oyster
House
Bed & Breakfast
Mrs. Veronica Prentice
Phone O1485 528327
www.oysterhouse.co.uk
JOE SISTO
TERRY DOWNING
30 Years Experience
Free Estimates
All Makes & Models Work Guaranteed
Qualified Engineer Discount for OAPs
Mallard News
OPEN GARDENS
Why not join in?
Once again we are hoping to have an OPEN GARDENS event and invite all gardeners
to join in. Size is not important, a tiny yard can be just as attractive as a big area, so now
is the time to plan your efforts!
The date chosen is SUNDAY, 19th JUNE from 2 5pm
Please join in as we had to cancel last time as there were so few entries.
There is no competition this year, just a chance for others to enjoy your garden.
Please join in and make it a worthwhile event. Closing date is 5 th June.
Liz Foster and Tina Andrew
Shop window
FUN FRIENDLY
ZUMBA CLASSES
Harpley Village Hall Mon. 7 - 8 pm
Wed. 9.30 - 10.30 am
Leziate Village Hall Thurs. 6.30 - 7.30 pm
01553 636531
Stunning location.
Luxury accommodation. Suit any occasion.
www.meadowvalebedandbreakfast.com
DOGS AT HOME
Boarding for dogs in the comfort of our home
Your dogs will be treated as one of the family for
the duration of their stay. Daily walks & spacious
grounds for your dog to play in.
Love and cuddles guaranteed!
N.Davies
Silverlink
Weddings
Theatre
Airports
32 Walcups Lane
Gt. Massingham
01485 520768
MOB. 07768 384 305
etc.
Mallard News
A Hunt for Litter Report (Continued from page 1)
I am pleased to report that there was relatively little rubbish and no fly-tipping found.
The one disappointing part was the amount of dog waste bags that had been dropped into
litter bins instead of the dog waste bins provided. See picture
The Parish Council has invested your money in installing dog
waste bins around dog walking routes and pays for these to be
emptied regularly. The Council does not pay me or other volunteers who empty our litter bins each week to deal with dog waste.
So please, dog owners, use the correct bins they are enclosed
red boxes with a bin liner inside. (If you are not near one take
the bags home thats what Doggie bags are intended for!)
Right Ive had my grumble now to thank all those who came on
Saturday morning; those of you I know pick up rubbish each
week and the Dabbling Duck for providing us with coffee afterwards. The roll of honour is as follows:
Dave Butterworth, Brian & Sandy Francis with Evie and Maddie,
Simon, Arianne and Poppy Henson, Ben, Mark Bailey, Jules &
Tony Lodge with Sophie, Lucy & Jemima, Keith Bowes, Barbara
Taylor, Dickie and Brian, Geoff & Bev Randall, Peter Lawton and Rosemary who kept a
check on all the equipment handed out, and Ray at the shop for donating the bin liners
which should have been delivered with the kit from the Borough Council.
Andrew Bickerton
DANCE TO
DNA
Great Massingham Village Hall
DNA are a
Rock, Blues,
Funk, Pop &
Jazz group
from
Kings Lynn.
Good music
not to be
missed.
Tickets available from Mel Whitmore
07833 475 864 ,
the Village Hall or the Village Store.
School Day
0945
1345
1635
1645
1745
QE Hospital
0956
1356
xx
1656
1756
1012
1412
1705
1712
1812
1013
1413
1705
1713
1813
1016
1416
Drop off
Drop off
Drop off
1018
1418
1708
1716
Drop off
Gt Massingham Surgery
1022
1422
1711
1719
Drop off
Gt Massingham Shop
1025
1425
1713
1721
Drop off
1730
Drop off
0837
1035
1435
1732
Rougham Church
.....
.....
.....
1722
Helhoughton
.....
1041
Drop off
West Raynham
0852ps 1047
Drop off
East Raynham
1050
1057
Fakenham Ok St.
1103
Fakenham Morrisons
1110
NEW
GO BUS
TIMES
AND
STOPS.
New service
begins on
4th April
2016
Orange
colour
denotes link
with the X8
service.
CollegeDay
CollegeHoliday
1245
Fakenham Ok St.
1255
Drop off
East Raynham
1311
School day
GO FOR
IT ON THE
NEW
GO BUS
West Raynham
0915
1315
1510 ps
Helhoughton
0921
1321
.....
Rougham Church
0725
......
......
.....
0735
0927
1327
1525
Gt Massingham Shop
0745
0938
1338
1742
Gt Massingham Surgery
0748
0941
1341
1745
0753
0946
1346
1750
0755
0948
1348
......
0759
0952
1352
1753
0803
0956
1356
1756
QE Hospital - outside
0820
1012
1412
1812
KL Bus Station
0840
1025
1425
1825
1732
Organised
by West
Norfolk
Community
Transport,
a company
limited by
guarantee,
registered
charity
number
106918
Tel:
01553
776971
Mallard News
Massingham Historical Society Gets A Revamp
The Massingham Historical Society is having a revamp with a view to making available
our collection of artifacts, photographs, people's memories, and much, much, more material to more people and to encourage active participation in discovering our villages past.
We have a committee, a formal constitution and a plan for the future. We just need more
members. Thats where you come in!
You may remember that we offered the Sister Lawrence RAF Museum to the City of
Norwich Aviation Museum and they were thrilled to receive it. Whilst it was a superb
collection it was becoming difficult to keep it in good condition. Knowing that it has
gone to a good home, we can re-focus on the much longer and more varied history of the
villages.
On 9th May we will hold our
Annual General Meeting at the Village Hall from 7.30pm to 9.00pm.
We'll have lots of things on display, so please come along to see the Heritage of Great &
Little Massingham. Well briefly outline our vision for the next few years and well welcome your thoughts and comments. Currently, we are looking at producing some high
quality story boards to use for displays in the village hall, the church, the school and
possibly other locations, at involving the schoolchildren in collecting memories from
older residents and also marketing some of the photos as souvenirs. The list of potential
projects is endless so please help in any way. We are also inviting sponsorship of the Display Panels with your Company Logo & details displayed on the board.
Membership of the Society costs a modest 10 per year starting at the AGM.
Please give your support by coming along.
Ant Robinson
GM A
CC S
At its March AGM, the car scheme was able to look back over
another record year with more trips being taken than at any time
since the Scheme began in 2003.
Over 99 % of requests for trips were fulfilled. The upward trend
in trip numbers has slackened recently for some parishes but
Great Massingham Area
Community Car Scheme demand from residents of Great and Little Massingham grew
approximately 16 % in 2015. It is a credit to the Village that, all
-told, 22 residents volunteer for the Scheme as drivers, office co-ordinators or committee
members a magnificent response to rising trip numbers. However, driver numbers are
falling overall and this trend needs to be reversed. Car owners with a little time to spare
are therefore are asked to consider joining the Scheme. It is important and rewarding.
To find out more, please ring 01485 520 823.
It is easy to apply. Drivers are paid 40 pence per mile and are always free to decline requests to take trips. Passengers are invariably highly appreciative. Following the AGM,
the Scheme has a new Chairman. He is Malcolm Tibble who lives in Great Massingham.
Malcolm has been a driver for three years and a Committee member since October.
David Butterworth, also from Great Massingham, joins the Committee. The Scheme is
thus in very good hands and Malcolm and David will surely enjoy the same remarkable
level of support we received from a wide circle of friends, volunteers and donors over
the last five years.
Mike and Pam Jackson (outgoing Chairman and Secretary)
10
Shop window
Neil Brodie
NORFOLK WOODBURNERS
Electrical Contractor
Tel:
Mobile:
SUPPLY &
INSTALLATION
OF WOODBURNERS
01328 700161
www.norfolkwoodburners.co.uk
T&A
11
T A
April is
breeding lilacs out of a dead land... The poet TS
Othe cruellest
LL month
ARISHIONERS
Eliot was referring to the annual resurgence of new life in Spring - which will
only die once more when its time comes, hence the cruelty: the annual cycle
always leads to death. But this is a bleak way of seeing the world.
As Christians we know that in Spring-time, each Easter-tide, we can bear witness to the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the life-blood which invigorates and sustains our
churches throughout the year. Our Christian faith is nourished by the life-giving power
of God in Christ Jesus, who gives us hope that will never die; the power of the Holy
Spirit is always at work in all our lives. April is, in fact, the most joyful month and the
season of Easter-tide lasts all month.
As a former city-dweller, I really appreciate the joy of rural life and being surrounded by
the natural beauty of the countryside in Spring. I was at an RSPB reserve last week and
saw the reed beds quivering with new bird-life. In our villages, the toad patrols are on
high alert near our wonderful ponds, as toads emerge from hibernation for their spring
migration to breed where they were born.
Gardeners too are stirring in their potting sheds, planning for the year ahead. Our lawnmower has been dusted off but during its annual service it gave up the ghost so investing
in a new mower became a priority. We decided against a self-propelled one in case it
ran away from us and attacked Rufus, always at our heels, but we have gone for the best
petrol engine we could afford, an investment in many happy years of mowing to come!
With Easter falling early this year we can now enjoy a leisurely stroll towards late
Spring and Summer as we welcome the new influx of visitors to our beautiful county,
passing through our villages and churches. Springtime activity in churches is similar to
that of gardening: dusting off the produce stall and trying to summon up new energy for
fundraising as well as doing a bit of spring-cleaning. If you have ever thought of getting
a bit more involved in Church life, now is the perfect time we really do need your help
and support. Have a word with one of the churchwardens or myself. Do come and join
us for our Sunday services, especially as the weather gets warmer!
Happy Spring-cleaning, Happy Gardening! Most of all Happy Easter-tide!
Reverend Judith
Biodiversity Group
Next Working Party
The next working party has been arranged
for 10am, Saturday 23rd April, at the biodiversity site on the Weasenham Road.
In addition to general maintenance, jobs
will include planting ferns in the wood and
dealing with encroaching Norfolk reed.
New recruits to the project and old hands
will be most welcome. Gardening gloves
and a rake and hand fork are helpful but
not essential.
Mike Jackson
GRASSROOTS MALAWI
Stalls on the Green for Malawi
Church Services
Date
rd
Time
Service
3 April
6th April
Location
Harpley
Great Massingham
Harpley
10th April
Gayton
Pott Row Methodist
17th April
Little Massingham
Great Massingham
Harpley
24th April
Great Massingham
1st May
Harpley
Great Massingham
Monthly Benefice Prayer Meeting, Sunday 3rd April at 6pm, at All Saints, Roydon.
For more news please visit our benefice website at www.ggmbenefice.uk
CHURCH NEWS
Easter Lilies
A Huge thank you to Anna Burpitt, Gladys
Newton and all the team of flower arrangers
for the truly beautiful display of lilies.
Thanks also to all who donated. The Easter
Garden was also excellent. (See Page 16)
Church Gates
Our new gates should be fitted early April.
They will greatly enhance the security and
appearance of our church entrance. We are
very delighted that donations totalling 900
have been received towards the gates and
are very grateful to everyone.
Wednesday Afternoon Teas
Our Wednesday teas will start again in the
church on 6th April, so come along and have
a cuppa and, of course, cake!
We are really grateful to Dickie and Bryan
for providing Teas during the winter months
and thank them for their 'warm' hospitality.
Spring Fayre
We will be holding our Spring Fayre in the
Village Hall on April 9th. Please come and
support. See poster on page 16.
13
Shop window
www.tenacityinteriors.com
CALL TODAY
01485 521888
14
Useful Numbers
Organisation
Contact
Phone No.
Allotment Association
Gill Goold
07513125964
Borough Council
Mike Tilbury
520340
Denys Winner
520598
Bowls Club
Peter Wadham
520796
Church Contacts
Office
520823
Coronation Club
Pam Hales
520236
County Council
John Dobson
534989
Doctors
Massingham Surgery
520521
Fishing Warden
Nigel Yates
Football Club
520653
Shirley Rae
520259
Anthony Robinson
520455
Arthur Allen
520628
Parish Council
Pre-School
Pip Armitage
Police
Non-emergency
101
School
Ann Beardall
520362
Village Hall
520588/520387
OVEN CLEANING
CARPET CLEANING
SOFA CLEANING
Range Eggs
Local Free
ing Service
kly Dry Clean
Twice Wee
Currency
nce & Foreign
ra
su
In
ay
id
ol
H
emand
Euros on d
Ray and staff
welcome you to
your local shop,
7days a week.
Mon. to Sat.
8am to 5.30pm
Sun. 9.30 -12.30
Tel: 520 272
Clean Tech
01485 609223
Village Store
Great Massingham
EASTER
GARDEN
Pictured left is the
beautiful Easter garden
designed and set up in
the Church for Easter
by Revd Julian
Thomson, the Foster
family, Anna Burpitt,
Shirley Rae and Dick
Nally.
Well done all of you
for making something
so special.
T h e Fi l m C l u b
The Dressmaker
SPRING FAYRE
A glamorous woman
returns to her small town
in rural Australia. With
her sewing machine and
haute couture style, she
transforms the women
and exacts sweet revenge
on those who did her
wrong.
Event
2 April
Time
8.30 -11.30pm
Place
Village Hall
3&10 April
7 - 10pm
4&18 April
9 April
2 - 4pm
11am - 2pm
12 April
14 April
16 April
Mobile Library
Trefoil Guild
Stalls on the Green
From 11am
7pm
9am
As Timetabled
Village Hall
Near the Well
18 April
21 April
23 April
28 April
Quiz Night
30 April
Dance - DNA
7.30 pm
7 for 7.30pm
10am
7.30 pm
8.30 -11.30pm
16
Village Hall
Village Hall
Weasenham Road Pond
Village Hall Bar
Village Hall