THE REEVE’S TALE TEXT ONLY VERSION JULY 2009
NOTICE
BOARD
BAWDESWELL FETE & CAR BOOT SALE
Sunday 28th
June
11am start
12 -1
Penalty Shoot Out
1 -2 Races
Funfair Stalls Hog
Roast Bar
GRAND DRAW A great day
out for all the family
Bawdeswell and Foxley –
Then and Now, a photographic story through the ages.
So far I have had quite a few photos and newspaper
clippings to help me in my quest to create this book – however, I would still
like more… especially more up to date ones.
I really am interested in ANY photos of the villages. Before the book is printed, we will hold an
exhibition to show the collection – in October; more details nearer the time.
If you can help in any way, please call Fel Roberts
on 01362 688876.
ICENI CHOIR
Spring & Summer
Concerts
Saturday
27th June
All
Saints Church, East Tuddenham, 7.30 pm
Saturday 4th July
St
Thomas’ Church, Earlham Road, 7.30 pm
For more details please contact: James Lilwall on 01362 688499
BAWDESWELL AND FOXLEY JULY DIARY
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Thu 2nd |
Bawdeswell Book Club 8pm at the Old Workhouse Bar |
|
Sat 4th |
ICENI concert at St Thomas’ Earlam Road 7.30pm |
|
Mon 6th |
Biking Club 6pm Bawdeswell Village Hall Bawdeswell Parish Council Meeting 7.45pm |
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Fri 10th |
Julian Group meet 8pm |
|
Sat 11th |
Studio Norwich Photographers at Bawdeswell Village Hall |
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Mon 13th |
Walking Club 6pm Bawdeswell Village Hall Table Tennis & Pool 7.30pm Bawdeswell Village Hall |
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Wed 15th |
Foxley Parish Council meeting 7.30pm |
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Sat 18th |
Ladies Pamper evening 4 – 10pm Bawdeswell Village Hall |
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Mon 20th |
Biking Club 6pm Bawdeswell Village Hall Bawdeswell Village Hall Committee meeting 7.30pm |
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Wed 22nd |
Football Match Bawdeswell v. Corpusty at Bawdeswell |
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Fri 24th |
Bridge for Fun 2 – 5pm Bawdeswell Village Hall |
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Sat 25th |
Project Bawdeswell Meeting 10am B.A.G. Family Quiz Night 6.30pm Bawdeswell Village Hall |
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Mon 27th |
Summer Club for 5 – 11 yr olds 10 – 12 all week Sparham Walking Club 6pm Bawdeswell Village Hall Table Tennis & Pool 7.30pm Bawdeswell Village Hall |
|
Regular Weekly Events Bawdeswell Village Hall Young Farmers Tuesdays Countrysiders Every other Wednesday WeightWatchers Thursdays Parents & Toddlers Fridays 9.30am Pilates Fridays Runners Thursdays 6.30pm Basketball Thursdays 5pm |
Foxley Village Hall Exercise Classes every Tuesday morning at
9.30am. Short Mat Bowls Every Monday & Friday Evening |
EVENTS ORGANISERS & CONTRIBUTORS, PLEASE NOTE THAT AUGUST & SEPTEMBER MAGAZINES ARE COMBINED and the deadline is 15 July .
Bawdeswell Activities
Group
Family QUIZ
NIGHT
Saturday 25th July
at 6.30pm
In the
Village Hall
Raising funds for Activities at the Village Hall and
Recreation Ground.
Buffet Supper served
£25 Prize for the Winning Team
BAR
RAFFLE
Tickets from 688749
Adult £5
Children 5 to 15 £2.50 Under 5’s free
6.30pm for 7pm start
BAWDESWELL ACTIVITIES GROUP (BAG)
News
The second bay of the cricket nets has
now been erected – thanks again to our donor.
BAG for BAG collected 118
bags weighing 562kg & raised £224 for the village (£112 for BAG and £112 to
Project Bawdeswell). Thanks to all who
filled a bag or two! Next collection is
Friday 27th November – look out for blue bags a week or so before
then. If you can’t wait until then to
have your clearout, you can drop off any filled bags to
Our 3 on 3 Basketball tournament
finished early because of the rain.
However we had 11 teams from all over
Summer Holiday
Activities
There
will be 20 days from 3rd to 28th August this year – see August Magazine for
details.
Current
Activities
Table Tennis/Pool Evenings –
Mondays 13th & 27th July – 7.30 pm
It doesn’t matter how well you play - come
along and have some fun or just come along to socialise. Other games available
and the BAG café open for refreshments. Charge of £1.50 towards
the hire of the hall. Check your
Reeve’s Tale magazine each month for future dates.
Bridge for Fun Afternoons – Friday 24th July 2pm - 5pm
The following
further dates: 25th September, 23rd October and 27th November have been arranged
for 2009. There is no charge and you
don’t need to book, just come along.
The cafe will be open for light refreshments.
Our
new clubs have raised over £50 for Project Bawdeswell
since they started:
The
Running club meets
at the village hall on Thursdays at 6.30pm
The
Basketball club has moved to Thursdays at 5pm
The
Biking club has moved to 1st
and 3rd Mondays each month at 6pm
The
Walking club has moved to 2nd and 4th
Mondays each month at 6pm
They
help raise funds for the new village hall by charging just £1.
For further info, call Fel
Roberts 01362 688876
Sunday 28th June is FETE DAY – this year we are having a prize draw with
over 50 prizes including lots of
free entry passes to many of the top Norfolk Attractions – Please ensure you buy
your tickets to be in with a chance of winning!
Studio Norwich Photographers will be in the village hall on Saturday 11th July
Book your slot to have a family, pet, or
grandparent portrait done locally;
Fel Roberts 01362 688876.
Perfect presents for Christmas.
Family Quiz Night – This will now be
on 25th July - see
separate page.
Rock at the Rec
is Saturday 15th August
– BBQ, Bar, or bring your own picnic.
Adults £2, children under 16 free (when accompanied by an adult).
Tickets in advance ONLY. For
more info call Fel Roberts on 01362 688876
Bawdeswell Village Hall
Bawdeswell Village hall can be hired by parishioners and non residents. You can also hire tables and chairs for your own events. Regular activities at the hall include Table tennis on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month, Young Farmers on Tuesdays, Countryside Rangers every other Wednesday, Weight Watchers on Thursday evenings and Pilates on Friday evenings. The Mothers & Toddlers group meet on Friday mornings 9.30 to 11.30. Seekers meet on the 1st Saturday morning each month.
Hire Charges are unchanged for
2009
When the hall is not otherwise in use on weekdays,
Bawdeswell village voluntary groups may use the hall free of charge.
For availability,
more details and a booking form please contact the booking clerk:-
David
Cockburn, Tel: (01362) 688749,
The next Village Hall Committee Meeting
will be held on
Monday 20th July 2009 -7.30 pm at the Hall
The
To make an
appointment call the National Blood Service on 0845 7 711 711
or visit their web
site www.blood.co.uk for more information
Bawdeswell 2009
5
August, 16 September
1pm
to 3.10pm and 4.30pm to 6.55pm
REEPHAM
YFC
Are you aged 14- 26? We are the newest of Norfolk Young
Farmers making a grand total of 24 clubs, around the County. We meet Tuesday
evenings at Bawdeswell Village Hall.
Throughout the year we have done a variety of activities - both indoor &
outdoor and also fun & educational meetings, these have included a quiz
against our advisory which was very close...(we are
determined to beat them next time!), a
talk by YANA (You Are Not Alone project), learning martial arts and self
defence which was a very enjoyable night and left some of us keen to learn
more. We have had a talk by East Anglian Air
Ambulance which is our charity for the year, and even had a tour of Norwich
City Football Club and got to run across the pitch! We have loads of fun and
interesting meetings so have a look at our website.
We have also competed in lots of competitions such as the
Senior Quiz, Public Speaking, Exhibits making, Member of the Year, in which
Mary Jones our club secretary came 1st for Junior Member of the
Year!, and we’ve also done Farm Events competitions and still to come is the
big one – The Rally!
We’ve had a great year so far and got loads more coming up
-!!
After working hard, we also enjoy meeting up with other
members at social events across the County.
So for more information and to see what Reepham Young
Farmers get up to visit our club website at www.reephamyfc.co.uk or contact Amy 07765 527272
Are you, 10 -16? Why not join our junior branch, Countrysiders, who meet fortnightly on Wednesday at Bawdeswell Village Hall.
If these sounds like something you might enjoy please
contact on Norfolk YFC on: 01603 731307.
We look forward to meeting you!
PROJECT BAWDESWELL
At our last meeting on 8th June we were very happy to welcome Lucinda Leonard, who is a Development Officer, Community Assets with Norfolk Rural Community Council, as a guest speaker. She was incredibly informative and helpful in her remarks about our governance and status. There is a lot to look into legally which is being done with her help and we hope we are getting closer to establishing an operating framework that will be suitable for all future projects. All our usual activities are continuing and a lot is being done in conjunction with BAG for the summer holidays. We are also preparing for the fete on 28 June, which we are sure will be a great event as usual. Our next meetings are on 27 June and 25 July at 10am in the village hall.
More information on www.projectbawdeswell.org.uk or call the Secretary on 688749
SUMMER CLUB
Children aged 5 to 11 years
Sparham Old School Room
Monday 27th July to Friday 31st July
10.00 until 12.00 each day
£1.50 per session; discount for more than one child
Karin
Mason 01362 688338
Fran
Neale 01362 637782
QUEST SEEKERS - The adventure starts at your local library
The 2009 Summer Reading Challenge will take children
into a wondrous and mysterious land where they can discover the joys of books
and reading.
They can help our three Quest Seekers,
Raj, Belle and Louis to complete a three-staged challenge to find the golden
book.
As a Quest Seeker children will get a cool
‘moving image’ membership card, fold-out poster, stickers (including some
smelly scratch and sniff ones) and some great books to read.
By collecting stickers to complete the
pictures on the poster, children taking part will find the golden book and complete
the challenge.
Reepham
Library will be registering children
on 17th July between 3 and 5pm, but if you can’t get to the library
then you can join the quest at any library or mobile library and find out just how
exciting reading can be – and it’s all absolutely free. There will be an afternoon of activities
connected with the Reading Challenge at Reepham Library on Tuesday 11th
August between 2 and 4pm.
For details of other library activities check out www.library.norfolk.gov.uk An interactive Quest Seekers website will launch in mid June
and can be found at www.questseekers.org.uk
Research shows how much children enjoy taking part in
the reading challenge and those children who take part read widely and develop
skills that will benefit them throughout life.
PARENTS
& TODDLERS / BABY GROUP
We meet at
Bawdeswell Village Hall from 9.30am to 11.30am every Friday in term time.
Come along for a
chat and a coffee & let your child have some fun with play dough, colouring
and puzzles plus lots of toys. £1.50 per family includes a free tea/coffee and
juice.
For more
information call Kate on (01362) 688834
COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH
is now operating in Bawdeswell. Following concerns raised by many residents
about speeding in the village, the Parish Council has facilitated the setting
up of a scheme and we are now one of over 30 villages involved in Norfolk.
Sites being
monitored are marked with temporary signs on the approach from both directions
and the trained volunteers wear distinctive hi-visibility jackets. Drivers tend
to slow down on seeing the prominent signs and the presence of the volunteers,
the aim being to encourage drivers to choose to drive at or below the speed
limit. For practical purposes, recording of vehicle details are restricted to
those significantly exceeding the speed limit.
Offending
driver’s vehicle details are recorded and forwarded to the Police who arrange
for letters to be sent to registered keepers.
A maximum of two letters are sent to the same registered keeper. If reported a third time the vehicle details will be circulated for targeted police intervention with a view to prosecution. As the record keeping is a centralised activity, vehicles may be reported in more than one village.
If you would
like to volunteer to help keep your community safer please contact the Parish Clerk
on 01362 688415 or come and visit the display at the Village Fete on 28th
June.
BAWDESWELL PARISH COUNCIL -
DIGEST OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 1 JUNE 2009
Present: Councillors Mason, Beane, Kirby, C Boer and 2 parishioners.
Ongoing
Issues from Previous Meetings
Community Speedwatch Scheme: Fingers crossed, the Community Speedwatch training will take place on 16 June, and the Bawdeswell Scheme will be launched as soon as possible thereafter. Given the ongoing concerns of parishioners about continued speeding of vehicles within the village this will hopefully prove to be a worthwhile scheme, and the Parish Council would once again like to take thank the people who have volunteered their services. This is also an opportune time to ask any other parishioners who feel they could volunteer 1 – 2 hours a week to support the scheme to contact the Parish Clerk.
Any Other Business of Interest to Parishioners
Proposal Submitted to Breckland Council for the “Gladedale” Site:
The latest proposal submitted by the landowner to Breckland Council,
requests a minor settlement boundary amendment to allow the provision of 10
dwellings on the edge of the Gladedale Site,
bordering
Parish Council Closed Meetings: In response to questions raised by parishioners, the Parish Council would like to re-emphasise that the closed Council meetings that normally take place in August and January are non-executive informal sessions to discuss possible ways of improving the efficiency of the Council. No formal Council business is undertaken.
Planning Permission: The Parish Council would also like to remind parishioners that, because of the ever changing regulations regarding what requires planning permission, even for temporary buildings, it is important to seek advice from the Breckland Council Conservation Officer and Planning Officer to ascertain the current regulations. Breckland Council telephone number is 01362 656870.
There is an opportunity for public participation at the
Parish Council Meetings, so if any parishioner wishes to add items to the
agenda for discussion then please contact the Parish Clerk 01362 688415. Date of Next
Meeting: Monday 6th July 2009 at 7.45pm
FOXLEY
PARISH COUNCIL - EXTRACT OF MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 14 MAY 2009 IN THE
VILLAGE HALL
Present: Councillors
Harvey, Mears, Barrett, Hatch, Mr G Bambridge,
Mrs I Floering-Blackman,
C Boer and 19 Parishioners
Matters
Arising
Bawdeswell
Community Car Scheme: The Clerk confirmed
that this scheme was launched on 1st May 2009 and reminded those
present at the meeting that this service is available for the parishioners of
Foxley to use. Although the scheme does already have one volunteer driver from
Foxley the Parish Council would like to ask parishioners for others to come
forward to be a volunteer driver. Please
contact the Parish Clerk.
Planning
PA
3PL/2009/0210/F: Hernfield, Mill Road;
Modifications & extensions to existing bungalow: Planning Permission granted
with 4 conditions.
PA
3PL/2009/0230/F: Longacre, Chapel Road West;
Construction of double garage and carport including games room and storage:
Planning Permission granted with 7 conditions.
PA
3PL/2009/0305/F: Mews Cottage, Single Storey extensions to provide new
bedroom, conservatory and kitchen – revisions 3PL/2008/0944/F: Planning
Permission granted with 6 conditions.
Mobile Home at
Moor Farm: PA 3PL/2008/1577/F Mobile Home
(Retrospective). The Clerk confirmed
that the Parish Council's comments which supported Breckland Council's decision
to refuse this Planning Application had been forwarded for the appeal hearing
and efforts would be made for members of the Parish Council to attend the
appeal hearing on 9 June. (Note from Clerk: This appeal was withdrawn prior to
the hearing).
Finance
Donation
Letter: Following letters that had been received from
the Bawdeswell Badgers Pre-School and the North Elmham
Community First Responders requesting a donation from from
the Parish Council, it was agreed that unfortunately at this present time the
Parish Council were not in a position to be able to make any donations but
would again consider these requests in September.
Village
Matters
Items Raised at the Meeting:
a. Concerns raised about the state of the
ditch in front of the Natterjack the Clerk commissioned to discuss this with Highways.
b. It was reported that weeds were already
appearing in the newly resurfaced
footpath along the A1067, the Clerk was commissioned to discuss with Highways.
Date
of Next Meeting - Wednesday 15 July 2009 at 7.30pm
in the Village
Hall.
FOXLEY PARISH
COUNCIL EXTRACT OFTHE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD ON 14 MAY 2009 IN THE
VILLAGE HALL
Present: Councillors Harvey, Mears, Barrett and
Hatch,
Mrs I Floering-Blackman, C
Boer and 19 Parishioners.
Anglian Water
Presentation on the Proposed Anglian Water Sewerage
Pumping Stations for Foxley:
Ian Boon an official from Anglian Water gave
an overview of the proposed sewerage pumping stations for Foxley. To summarise Mr Boon confirmed that there
will two pumping stations one located in West Foxley on the verge at the end of
Chapel Road (and not in the village hall car park as originally proposed) the
other pumping station will be located in East Foxley on Mr Howell's land .
Work is scheduled to commence at the end of August and be completed by
the second week of December. Mr Boon
confirmed that all parishioners will be invited to a village meeting scheduled
to take place in mid July which will be an opportunity for all parishioners to
have one-to-one discussion with engineers/contractors etc to discuss individual
private connections and any issues relating to the works.
AND THE ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL
MEETING HELD ON 14 MAY 2009 IN THE VILLAGE HALL
Present: As above and Mr G Bambridge.
Parish Councillor Vacancy: The Chairman addressed the co-option of a new
Parish Councillor but none of the parishioners present at the meeting were
willing to stand but all were encouraged to find someone to fill the the vacancy.
Election of Officers:
Councillors Harvey and Mears were re-elected as Chairman and
Vice-Chairman respectively.
Chairmans
Report: The digest of the
Chairman's report was published in the June Reeve's Tale.
Clerks Financial Report: A Summary of
the Parish Council Account for 2008 – 2009:
Total income amounted to £5,088.63, which included a balance brought
forward from 07/08 of £1,385.15. Total
expenditure for the year was £4529.81, leaving a balance to be carried over to
year 09/10 of £558.82.
Village Hall Committee Report: The Chairman,
Mrs Whitmore gave an excellent and detailed report on the past years activities
of the Committee. The Parish Council
thanked Mrs Whitmore and the Village Hall Committee for all the sterling work
they continue to do in providing an excellent facility for the village.
BAWDESWELL BOOK CLUB
BIRDSONG by Sebastian Faulks
This is a beautifully written book bringing places,
people and situations vividly to life.
Stephen Wraysford arrives
in Amiens in 1910 to stay with a family whilst learning about the local textile
trade. There he has an ill fated affair with his hostess Isabelle Azaire which has a lasting effect on him.
Later, Stephen is an Officer in France during the
1st world war which is depicted in all it's horror and brutality; the fear, the
noise, the everyday hardships, friends made and lost ,
unspeakable injuries and deaths and the appalling events of the Somme. Less
well depicted in other books of this period are the awful conditions of the tunnelers who are generally unappreciated by the other
troops.
In the 70s we meet Elizabeth who is interested to
find out about Stephen, the grandfather she never knew, and through her we
eventually find out more about the rest of his sad life.
The book was spoiled a little
for me by an unrealistic event at the end of the war but apart from that it was
enjoyed by us all. KM
We meet in the bar on the first Thursday of the Month at 8 pm and
welcome new members.
Our book choice for July is :- " Nothing
to be Frightened of " by Julian Barnes.
BAWDESWELL
BOWLS CLUB.
Bawdeswell has an excellent venue situated behind the
Village Hall and
new members are
invited to join the club.
For
further information please contact Paul Digby on
(01362) 688615
BAWDESWELL
FOOTBALL CLUB.
Following a good start to the season BFC will be
disappointed to have come in 7th place in their division. Results
for the year were 12 won, 3 drawn, 9 lost with 68 goals for and 62 against. For
information about the club please contact Philip Duffield on (01362) 688611
FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
Steve Williamson Memorial Trophy
Arrangements are now in place for our annual football competition in memory of our son Steven, the purpose of which is to raise money for the children’s hospital at the N & N.
I can now confirm that the six teams that took part last year are all taking part this year. The fixtures are as follows:-
Tuesday 14th July Reepham Res v. Cawston at Reepham
Wednesday 15th Corpusty v. Lyng at Corpusty
Thursday 16th Foulsham Res v. Bawdeswell at Foulsham
Tuesday 21st Lyng v. Reepham at Lyng
Wednesday 22nd Bawdeswell v. Corpusty at Bawdeswell
Thursday 23rd Cawston v. Foulsham at Cawston
Tuesday 28th Corpusty v. Reepham at Corpusty
Wednesday 29th Lyng v. Foulsham at Lyng
Thursday 30th Cawston v. Bawdeswell at Cawston
The final, Wednesday 5th August at Bawdeswell.
The presentation Saturday 8th August 8pm at Great Witchingham Cricket Club, together with our Raffle and Sport Quiz. Everybody Welcome.
If you wish to donate a raffle prize, please bring it to any of our football games or contact me, Phil, 01603 872145.
The Williamson Family
Wensum Valley Birdwatching Society
It was great to see so many young visitors at our
stand at the ‘Wild about the Wensum’ fair at Pensthorpe
Nature Reserve. Deb Jordan, Pensthorpe's owner, said
“It was a phenomenal success, attracting over 4,000 people. This is our third Wild
About The Wensum and we are delighted that people
took the trouble to come and experience the amazing natural world in the
valley.” To help stimulate young people’s interest in nature the event was
opened by the CBeebies' star Jelly. Pictures of the event can be seen on The BBC
Norfolk website. Money raised will go toward providing improved habitats for
Barn Owls.
Our annual Dawn Chorus outing must have struck a chord
as several non-members rang me and asked to attend. In fact over thirty people
turned up to enjoy the birdsong and the stunning sunrise over mist cloaked
lakes and meadows. It felt like we were intruding on nature as sedge warblers
scolded us from reed stems and reed buntings kept an eye on us from branches
overhanging the river. Several cuckoos
were heard and seen in flight and good views of a barn-owl breakfasting in the early morning light. Over 50
species were seen including, garden warbler, whitethroat, sparrowhawk,
blackcap (the best song), cettis warbler, sparrowhawk and some suspicious looking cows. The event
ends, as always, with a hot bacon bap, a chat and home before the world awakes.
Diary dates: Bird ringing is a serious business with
serious purpose. Catching and ringing wild birds requires a license and we have
several members who are licensed to do just that. Two of our members will carry
out a ringing session during
the week-end of July 25th to 27th, depending on the
weather. Ring me for details on this event.
On Thursday July 16th we have our summer social evening at
Weston Longville Village Hall. In August we have our annual visit to Minsmere. More about this in next months report.
All are welcome to any of our events but please note
we make a small charge for non-members at all our outdoor and indoor events.
Colin Wright 01603 740548 www.wvbs.co.uk
A DATE FOR YOUR
DIARY!
* * * * * *
The
Elsing Duck Race
8th August
2009
2PM ONWARDS
At
The Mill, Elsing
* * * * *
FOR ALL THE FAMILY
GAMES, STALLS, TEAS
All proceeds will be towards Elsing Memorial Hall improvement fund, and also St Marys Church, Elsing
Offers of Raffle or Tombola prizes are always welcome and gratefully received! Any help is greatly received, or if you would like to bring a stall, plants, etc Contact Jan Kemp 01362 638253 or Di 01362 637877
A
Thank-you from
ST.
MARY'S CHURCH, SPARHAM
Sparham's Annual Garden Party, set in the grounds of
the Old Rectory by kind permission of Mr and Mrs J. Mainstone,
took place on Saturday 6th June and was blessed with periods of sunshine and
fluffy white clouds. It attracted a crowd even before the official
opening by the Revd. David Head. Visitors headed
for the various stalls on offer to pick up a bargain whilst others tried their
luck to be a prize winner in
one or more of the games. Many enjoyed sitting on the lawn in the sun
just to enjoy the music of the jazz band.
David was on hand at the end of the afternoon to announce the prize winners of
the various games and handed out the Grand Draw prizes. The first
three prizes were won by Zillah Egmore, Mrs G.
Underhill-Smith and Ian Parkin, with many other lucky
people amongst the long list of prize winners. Thanks to everyone - we
raised approx
£1300.00 for our village church.
Fred Parkin
Benefice
News and Events
The Benefice Walk
What a
wonderful day of sunshine for our walk.
10 people left Sparham at 9am after a few words in the church to inspire
us on our way. We reached Elsing via the
church at Lyng in time for the 10.30 One More Step service. How nice to walk through meadows to church
hearing the bells calling us to worship – just as it must have been in days
long past. Our lunch stop was at
Confirmation
There will be a service of confirmation led by the Bishop of Lynn in Bawdeswell Church on the evening of October 15th. If anyone would like to be confirmed on that date please contact the Rector on 01603 872381
Surplus Hymn Books
Bawdeswell
church has a number of hymn books they would like to find a new home for. With
One Voice and Hymns Ancient and Modern Revised. If any of the other churches in the Benefice
would like to have any of them please contact Robin Taylor on 01362 688268.
Events Events for July are as follows:
4th Friends of Bawdeswell Church coffee morning 10.30 in the church
11th
From
the Rector
Dear Everybody, hello again,
After the European elections, there
was a lot of soul-searching about why the BNP got the vote they did. Are we as a society becoming more
racist? Or was it a protest vote about
the MPs’ expenses? Or do we want to
leave
Since the elections, more people are now willing to talk about the issue of immigration. Political correctness used to make people afraid to broach the subject; now they know they have to. The BNP did have a point; some people felt that the way they saw the truth was not allowed to be spoken. And indeed, the MPs’ expenses scandal was not just about thefts, but truths that were not being spoken. What may we not say? And are the BNP really victims of a conspiracy to shut them up?
I think the reason that the BNP
will not be successful in
A sense that the whole world is our neighbour is implicit not only in Christianity, but also humanism, and many other creeds. We need to look after our neighbour, and that may mean welcoming them where we are; as we hope they would welcome us if disaster struck.
But we are reaching a point where we must talk about things. If we’re wrong, then maybe we’ll find that out. We must hope to find the truth. Is fear of immigration more than racism? Does our desire for cheap goods and cheap food impoverish other countries, and cause immigration? Does the world have a maximum safe population? Would this country need immigrant labour if we retired at 70? Do we care whether foreigners are safe in their own countries, or not? Do we think about what they need, or only what we need?
God bless you in your search for the truth. David Head