Wereham Village News November 2007

An excellent report on the goings on in Wereham over the past month.

St Margaret's News

Pammie Walker

A message from the Church Warden

I would like to thank all those people who came to support me on my Authorisation as a Lay Minister for Pastoral Care at Ely Cathedral on 16th of September and helped to make it a happy and memorable occasion.

Sheila Smith

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Various Items for Sale

Wooden High Chair converts to low chair -- £10

Car Seat hardly used from birth to 4 years -- £10

Stainless Steel single drainer sink unit still in packaging -- £10

Large Dog Bed -- £8

Please contact Sheila 01366 500 414

Second Local Performers Concert

By popular request, we are pleased to announce our second Local Talent Concert to be held in St. Margaret's Church. Tuesday 4th December is the date to keep free in your diaries. The concert will start at 7.30, there will be a 'special Christmas raffle' and seasonal refreshments during the interval. The cast will include some performers you have seen before but who will sing, recite or play something different from the last concert and there will be some performers you have seen before. There could be a slot available for you should you want to take part in this second concert and if so, please contact Tom on 500052 who will try to include you in the programme.

Tickets are available from Tom, Ivy, or Patricia or from the village shop. Admission is £3.50 with all the proceeds going to the Clock and Bell Restoration fund. As some of you may be aware, the clock and bell have been taken away for restoration and we hope they will be reinstalled by 4th December when you will be able to see and hear the results of your continued support. We look forward to welcoming you to share with us what we know will be another very enjoyable evening.

Best regards

The Clock and Bell Committee

Wereham Village Hall events

Jumble sale: it Wereham Village Hall 10th of November at 2 p.m. Any jumble can be left on the doorstep and will be taken in daily or phone 01366218

Christmas Prize Bingo on Wednesday 5th December starting at 7:30 p.m. at Wereham Village Hall. Donation of prizes- please leave these with Doreen at Wereham Village Stores. Thank you. Doreen

Temporary closure of the Post Office Wereham Branch, Church Road, Wereham, PE33 9AP

A letter, addressed to the Parish Clerk at the Wereham Parish Council was received from the Field Change Adviser in the National Consultation Team of the Post Office in Watford, quote:

"I am writing to advise you that, for operational reasons, the above branch closed temporarily on the 14th of September 2007. I am sorry for the late notification of closure on this particular occasion.

The provision of a Post Office service to our customers in the local community is important to us, and I can assure you that we are working to resume Post Office services it Wereham. I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this temporary closure may cause our customers is in Kings Lynn.

During this period we hope that our customers will continue to conduct their business with Post Office Ltd. Customers are free to visit a branch most convenient for them, however I can confirm that there are two branches in the surrounding area the addresses of these along with the opening time services available and access are shown at the end of this letter......".

Clock and Bell Update

As some of you may have noticed, Monday 1st October saw the clock face come down off the tower with the clock itself and the bell come out of the tower. The restoration is scheduled to take approximately 6-8 weeks, after which all will be reassembled and put back in its original place. We have started ahead of our original schedule due to the fact that the bell restorer Mr Baines needs to retire this year and our bell is one of the last he will restore. We are very lucky to have been able to employ him. Because we have started this project before we have raised the full amount required to cover the cost, we need to carry on fund raising a little while longer. To this end we are arranging two more concerts to be held in the church.

The first is the Cantable Youth Choir on Thursday 1st November and, by popular demand, our second Local Performers Concert to take place in December.

Details of the Second Local Performers' Concert

We are pleased to announce that our second Local Talent Concert will be held in St. Margaret's Church on Tuesday 4th December. The concert will start at 7.30,and there will be a 'special Christmas raffle' and seasonal refreshments during the interval. The cast will include some performers you have seen before but who will sing, recite or play something different this time and there will be some performers you have not seen before. There could be a slot available for you should you want to take part in this second concert and if so, please contact Tom on 500052 who will try to include you in the programme.

Tickets are available from Tom, Ivy, Patricia or from the village shop. Admission is £3.50 with all the proceeds going to the Clock and Bell Restoration fund. As some of you may be aware, the clock and bell have been taken away for restoration and we hope they will be reinstalled by 4th December when you will be able to see and hear the results of your continued support. We look forward to welcoming you to share with us what we know will be another very enjoyable evening.

Best regards

The Clock and Bell Committee

Wereham Wildlife Woodland

Christmas Hall of Stalls - Wereham Village Hall Tuesday 20th November: 7 to 9 pm

Please do not forget this opportunity to shop for Christmas gifts with a difference at our Christmas gift fair. There will be a raffle and home-made cake stall together with quality jewellery, toys, chocolates, distinctive greeting cards, personal gifts and creative ideas to decorate your home and table, plus many others. Tickets available now.

Fundraising

Some of you may be wondering why we are enthusiastically raising funds before we have been able to obtain a woodland, the answer is very simple -- although there are pieces of land regularly becoming available for purchase by auction, them we need to have accumulated the funds in order to consider them. Funds are available from many conservation and charitable organisations who are looking for projects like ours to espouse, but they require a prescribed amount of money to be raised by the community before any application can be considered.

"A Bicycle Made for Two" --The Boundary Ride

Congratulations to Dudley and Margaret who completed a boundary ride of 287 miles a really excellent effort. Margaret revealed that the aspect she enjoyed the least was the passing of the huge pantechnicons and long- haulers on main roads. These enormous vehicles generating, as they do, a huge sideways blast of air, create an alarming sense of insecurity, just as, out of nowhere, a large dog jumping up on the bike barking hysterically at the unfamiliar sight of a tandem, is quite heart-stopping. However, happily, no disasters overtook them and we were so glad to welcome them home safely. Pammie Walker

Dudley's report;

We had a very enjoyable ride around the Norfolk boundary; it was a bit of a challenge for us as we have never done any touring on the tandem before and only done a few rides before hand. The weather was kind to us in general, but with some headwind as we rode east; for our final day we had lovely sunshine.

We were on the road for four days at an average of 72 miles each day [287mi in all]. We had one overnight at home after doing the western end [as far out as West Walton], a second night with grandchildren at Cromer, and a third night at Gillingham, near Beccles. We completed the circle as we turned right off the Feltwell -Southery road towards the Sugar Factory.

Our only mishaps were one puncture, a chain coming off twice, and Margaret's leg being nibbled by an out of control dog!

Thank you, to all who have sponsored us. We don't know yet how much we will have raised as money is still being offered and collected. Margaret & Dudley

The Wereham Tots

The " Wereham Tots" will also be holding their own fundraising fair which will include stalls and a Car Boot Sale at the Wereham Village Hall on the morning of Sunday the 9th December. Please watch out for more details of this event and news of their activities next month.

More news from the Magpie Centre (West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled)

Volunteer helpers are urgently needed at this special Riding Centre, where children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties are to able to develop in new and amazing ways which significantly improves the quality of their lives.

If you are willing to spare an hour to per week or more you could be a valuable addition to this wonderful work. No knowledge of horses is needed as you learn from the staff members. Volunteers are mostly needed to walk alongside a rider on the horse, and make sure that he or she is safe and to chat in a friendly fashion so that they feel comfortable and happy.

Interested?.... then phone the Manager Rachel on 01553 810202 or Stina (who is a volunteer and trustee) on 01366 501253 to find out what it is like to help at RDA.

Pammie Walker