Swaffham Newsletter

November 2017 

SWAFFHAM 

newslet ter 

Local Causes 

Pitch Their Wares 

At The Lions’ Den 

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Your monthly magazine is published by: 

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swaffhamnewsletter@gmail.com 

Swaffham Newsletter 

Iceni Partnership 

Swaffham Community Centre 

The Campingland 

Swaffham 

PE37 7RB 

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Comments or queries welcomed. 

Delivery issues should be addressed to Kerry at 

Swaffham Town Council - details at rear of magazine. 

Monthly deadline for editorial and advertising is 

the 12 th day of the month prior to the next issue. 

Advertisers - due to a change of policy, decided 

at Iceni Partnership director level, we will be 

operating an industry standard pre-paid system 

of billing from the February issue onwards. 

We will not be increasing our rates in 2018 and 

our 6 for the price of 5 offer will be available to all. 

1

Contents 

4 Upcoming Events / Regular Events 

6 Rainbow Choir / Iceni Rural Writers 

7 School Speak 

8 Church News 

11 Green Britain Centre 

12 Rotary 

14 Plowright Medical Centre / Swaffham Arts 

15 Women’s Institute 

16 Swaffham & District Lions 

17 Museum Matters 

18 Twinning / Merle Boddy Centre 

19 Wissey U3A / Swaffham Jazz Club 

21 Age Concern 

22 Ashill & Holme Hale Gardening Club 

24 SCALGA 

25 Swaffham Lionesses / WEA 

26 Swaffham Rugby Club / Swaffham Sparklers 

28 Swaffham & Litcham Home Hospice 

30 Swaffham History Group 

31 Mayor’s Parlour 

32 Swaffham Town Council 

34 Mind, Body & Spirit 

You are cordially 

invited to 

an afternoon 

of Christmas 

companionship at the 

Swaffham Assembly 

Rooms on Christmas 

Day, noon until 4pm. 

Traditional 

Christmas meal 

and entertainment 

afterwards, no charge. 

All are welcome, 

no strings attached. 

Ring 01760 722 800 to 

book your place. 

Swaffham Town Team 

The Town Team is very pleased to announce that we 

have been granted approval to establish a Swaffham 

“parkrun” with the inaugural event scheduled for 

mid-February 2018 at the Nicholas Hamond Academy 

sports field on the Brandon Road. 

What is a parkrun?? The concept of a 5k timed 

run/walk was founded 13 years ago with just 13 

participants and has proved incredibly successful 

and popular at venues across the UK and 14 

other countries worldwide with now over 3.9 

million participants of all ages and abilities taking 

part every Saturday morning at 9.00am. For full 

information, please visit the parkrun website at 

www.parkrun.org.uk 

parkruns official charity partner is Alzheimers 

Research UK and to date over 18,000 individual 

participants have raised over £600,000 for this very 

worthwhile organisation. 

Well supported parkruns have been organised in 

Thetford and Kings Lynn and the Town Team is 

delighted that our efforts to bring the concept to 

Swaffham have finally born fruit. 

We are very grateful to the NHA and the adjacent 

Junior School for allowing us to use their facilities, 

to Active Norfolk and Breckland District Council for 

agreeing to fund the initial start-up costs and to the 

parkrun regional ambassadors for their guidance 

and initial groundwork. 

This venture represents a great opportunity for residents 

of Swaffham and the surrounding villages to take part 

in a free, family friendly, non-competitive activity 

promoting fitness, general health and wellbeing. 

In order to introduce this new Town Team 

initiative there will be an event held on November 

22nd at 7.30 in the Assembly Rooms, Swaffham 

when we hope all those interested in taking 

part and/or getting involved as volunteers will 

be able to meet the organisers, view the course 

and learn more about the Parkrun concept. 

Light refreshments will be available and we look 

forward to seeing you all. 

Fond Farewell 

After a six month internship morphed into a twelve 

month contract, Iceni Partnership wishes a fond 

farewell to Sammy Harrington. 

Sammy almost instantly fitted into the Iceni way of 

doing things and she has grown in confidence and 

coped admirably with the cornucopia of clients that 

pass our open-office door. 

We all wish her well as she goes off to pursue her 

career path in the musical arts sector.

Upcoming Events 

The Levens Choir 

The Levens Choir, Cumbria’s Choir of the Year 2017, presents a concert of sacred music, 

including Monteverdi, Barber and Dvorak at St Peter & St Paul Church, Swaffham on 

Fri 27th Oct at 7pm. Tickets £10 available from 7 Oct at Ceres Bookshop 

Rotary Swaffham Visual Arts Festival 2017 

Friday 27th October to Sunday 29th October at the Assembly Rooms, Swaffham 

Pop-Up-Pub & Cafe 

Johnsons Playing Field - North Pickenham. Friday 27th October Noon - 

Midnight.7.30pm Dits Fish & Chips. Saturday 28th/Sunday 29th Noon - Midnight 

West Acre Bonfire & Halloween Night 

Saturday 28th October. Gates open 6pm for a bonfire, fancy dress competition 

(7pm) & firework display (7.30pm). There will be a BBQ, soup, bar and raffle and 

all proceeds go towards the village hall fund and future events for the village. 

Halloween At Plowright Place 

Tuesday 31st October. Free for all ages. 4pm to 7pm. Traditional fun. 07585 706970 

Nar Valley Ornithological Society (NarVOS) 

Tuesday 31st October 2017, 7.30pm at the Barn Theatre, Sacred Heart 

Convent School. Jim Scott ‘Montagu’s Harriers & Snettisham’ £2 non 

members. For more information call Ian Black on 01760 724092 

Swaffham History Group 

“Swaffham in Pictures”, a film show at the Assembly Rooms on Thursday 9th 

November. Doors open at 7.30pm; admission by donation. Refreshments available 

Remembrance Concert at St Peter & Paul’s Church 


Thursday 9th November, 7:30pm. Collection taken for the Poppy Appeal 

Beachamwell Local History Group 

BLHG is hosting a talk on Oxburgh Hall by Roger Farmer on Thursday, 

November 9th at 7:30pm. Entitled “Oxburgh Hall, Past and Present”. £3 

Swaffham Jazz Club 

£6 on the door. Tuesdays, 7.30. Swaffham Conservative Social Club, 23 

London Rd PE37 7DD. Tues 14 Nov: Swing That Thing - six piece Jazz Band. 

Tues 12th Dec: Colin Mason Quartet with Eleanora vocals/keyboard 

Barton Bendish Xmas Wreath Making Workshop 

Village Hall. Only a few places left on Thursday 16th Nov. & Saturday 18th, both 

at 7.30pm. £15 pp. Everything provided, just bring secateurs & dress for mess! 

Includes Festive refreshments. To book call 01366 347 849 or 347563 

Rotary Charity Christmas Fayre 

Saturday 18th November 9:30am until 2:30pm. Swaffham Assembly Rooms, Free 

Swaffham & Litcham Home Hospice Prize Draw 

On sale at Tescos from 21st - 25th november, draw at Tescos on December 

9th, 6pm. £1 each, prizes £250, £150 and £100 

St Andrew’s Fayre, North Pickenham 

Saturday 25th November, 11 am till 2 pm at St Andrews Church. 

Cards, decorations, craft and cake stalls, soup lunches, coffee and mince pies 

Traditional Christmas Craft Fair 

Swaffham Assembly Rooms, A range of unique handmade crafts to suit every pric 

range. Saturday 25th November 9am until 3pm. Free. In aid of Community Hospital 

Swaffham Parish Church: Christmas Bazaar 

Saturday 25th November 9.00am till 12 noon. Christmas Prize Draw first 

prize £100. There will be refreshments and many stalls 

Nar Valley Ornithological Society (NarVOS) 

Barn Theatre, Swaffham. Tuesday 28th November 2017, 7.30pm Dr Moss 

Taylor ‘Norfolk through the Lens of a Naturalist’. £2. 01760 724092 

Christingle Sunday at St. Andrews Church, Barton Bendish 

3rd December at 3pm. Rev Ken Waters will be taking the Christingle 

Service. Everyone most welcome. Festive refreshments after the service 

Mid Norfolk Singers Christmas Concert 

Candlelit carols for choir and audience and choral music from Bach to Verdi. Conducted 

by Robert Hamwee. Saturday 9th December 7.30 St Nicholas Church Dereham. £10 

Westacre Theatre 

Westacre Theatre Company: CROOKED WOOD; a black comedy by Gillian 

Plowman, adapted from the successful television play by Michael Palin. Fri 

17, Sat 18, Fri 24, and Sat 25 Nov; Fri 1 and Sat 2 Dec at 7:30pm £16 (£12 for 

under 21s). Optional pre-booked suppers on Fridays at 6pm £18 

THE SELFISH GIANT by Oscar Wilde is especially adapted for Westacre with 

live action puppets and music. Opens on 16 Dec through to the end of the 

year. Matinee, Tea-time, and Evening performances £12 (£8 under 12s). 

In the Foyer – Murder Mystery: DEATH ON THE STAIRS. Sat 4 Nov at 7pm 

All-inclusive ticket covers an evening of suspense and a 3-course supper £30 

Wednesday Flicks: all films start at 2pm for £8 with optional pre-booked 

lunches from 12:30pm. CHURCHILL (2017) [PG] starring Brian Cox – 1 

Nov. MY COUSIN RACHEL (2017) [12A] starring Simon Russell Beale – 15 

Nov. THE VICEROY’S HOUSE (2017) [12A] starring Hugh Bonneville, Gillian 

Anderson, and Michael Gambon – 29 Nov. 

WESTACRE THEATRE www.westacretheatre.com 01760 755800 

4 

Regular Meetings & Events 

MONDAY 

1st Swaffham Scouts 7-9 at Cockley Cley, Iceni Village, Scout Hut. 

For ages 10 1/2 -14. New recruits welcome. Boys or girls. Contact Paul 

07711761364. Paul@1stswaffhamscouts.org.uk 

Art Class at The Old Art Room 93 Market Place. Techniques, 

Tips, Inspiration in a modern equipped Art Studio. 10am until 12.15 £10 

Tel.01760 337181 je.clark176@btinternet.com 

Central Norfolk Dog Training Club Upstairs in Church Rooms, 

Campingland. 4 classes available, from puppies to intermediate.Tel: Chris 07745892417 

Citizens Advice Swaffham Community Centre, 10am until 12:30pm 

Kickboxing Club Juniors 5+ 5pm – 6pm, Inters 6-7pm, Adults 7pm – 

8.30pm Plowright Place. Call Trevor on 07585707196 

The Phoenix Singers rehearse each week in the Methodist Church Hall 

at 7:30pm. New members welcome. Contact Marion 01760 724 473 

Playdayz – Parent/toddler group Sacred Heart School 9.30- 

11.30am term time only. £1 per session/per family (includes a snack) 

Contact: Tor Howman 07854 736 920 

Rotary Club of Swaffham Meets at The George Hotel - 1st Monday of 

the month, 12:45 for 1pm, other Mondays 7 for 7:30pm. Tel Claire Dunne 722504 

Seniors Keep Fit 6.15pm at Stanley’s, Lynn Road Tel Gemma on 07702 

197994/07425 607667 

Swaffham 1894 Squadron Air Training Corps 7.00 - 9.30pm. 

TA Centre, Sporle Road, Swaffham. Ages 13 to 18 years. Tel: 01760724617 

Swaffham History Group 2nd Monday, 2 – 4pm, Swaffham Museum. 

New members always welcome – no charge. Tel 01760 724470 

Swaffham Lions Meet on the 2nd Monday of the month at Swaffham 

Assembly Rooms,7:30pm. All welcome. Contact Peter Young 01760 724120 

Swaffham Players every Monday and Wednesday, 7:30pm Baptist 

Church, Swaffham. If you are interested in joining a fabulous team please 

come along but call Marcie on 07867943102 to ensure we are in rehearsal 

Junior Snooker & Billiards 4-7pm @ The Norfolk Snooker Academy, 

West Acre 01760 755337 for details and to book, 9 -16 years 

TOSH community drama group meets 7.30pm Monday & Wednesday at 

Stanley’s, Lynn Street. All ages welcome. More details Fiona 07768211087 

Youthie 5:30 – 7pm, Swaffham Community Centre. For ages 8 to 11. 

Free entry. Contact sally@iceni.info 07772 852284 / 01760 722800 

TUESDAY 

1st Swaffham Beavers 1st Swaffham Beavers 5 - 6.15 at Cockley 

Cley Iceni Village Scout Hut. For boys and girls ages 6 - 8 . New recruits 

welcome. Contact Paul 07711761364 Paul@1stswaffhamscouts.org.uk 

1st Swaffham Cubs 1st Swaffham Cubs 6.30-8pm at Cockley Cley, 

Iceni Village, Scout Hut. For ages 8-10 1/2. New recruits welcome. Boys 

or Girls. Contact Hayley 07516095019. Akela@1stswaffhamscouts.org.uk 

Swaffham Army Cadets TA Centre, Sporle Rd 7.30-9.30pm. Ages 12 – 18. 

www.norfolkacf.org 2907pea@armymail.mod.uk 07899 189 973 The 

Art Studio Modern Art Evening Classes By Peter Henry PGCE, BA. 

Tuesdays 7-9pm Church Rooms, Campingland. Refreshments. Adults/all 

abilitiesEmail: salsum06@aol.com/01760 720540 

Swaffham Bridge Club The Church Rooms,Church of Our Lady of Pity 

31, Station Street. Swaffham PE37 7HP 6.30pm for 6.45pm. Sue 01328 701545 

Swaffham Carpet Bowls Community Centre. 2 hours from 2pm for £2. 

Tea & biscuits inc. Call Alan on 01760 723 910 

Child Health Clinic at Swaffham Children Centre. 01760 721101 1st Tuesday 

monthly 1.15 - 2.45pm run by local Health Visiting Team 

Civil Service Retirement Fellowship Coffee Morning, third Tuesday 

at 10:15am. Methodist Hall, London Street. Tel: David Moore 01760 723740 

CAMEO Coffee 10am-noon. ‘Come And Meet Each Other’. Free tea, coffee 

& hot chocolate in a relaxed cafe style setting. Discovery Hour: 10am - 11am. 

Looking at and discussing a small bible passage. Oasis Centre 01760 723 175 

Crafts, Textiles and Dressmaking at The Old Art Room 

93 Market Place. Techniques, Tips, Inspiration in a modern equipped Art 

&Textile Studio. 10am until 12.15 and 12.30 until 2.45 £9 Tel.01760 337181 

Jump, Jive & Swing Swaffham Community Centre, 7.45pm. Classes 

8pm until 9.45pm with social dancing until 10.30pm. www.jumpjiveswing.com 

Little Treasures and Breastfeeding Support 1.15 - 2.45pm Drop in 

for parents and babies aged 0-1year at Swaffham Children Centre. 01760 721101 

Mamma Munay (Mother Love) - antenatal classes on alternate Tuesday 

afternoons at The Green Parrot. …all welcome at all stages of your pregnancy. 

Booking essential on 01760 724704 or Anne 07469243052 

Pickenhams’ WI 2nd Tuesday 2pm St Andrew’s Church (not August) 

PROBUS Club of Swaffham Meet second Tues of the month for lunch at the 

George Hotel, 12.30 for 1pm. Rod Goddard 01760 722 834 rodgoddard@hotmail.com

Rainbow Community Choir 7.30-9.30pm. Swaffham Community 

Centre. Interested in joining us? 01760 336 313 rainbowcommunitychoir.org.uk 

The Royal Elizabethan Lodge Meets alternate Tuesdays, 8pm in the 

Conservative Club. Tel: W Rogers 01760 720632 or S Trattle 01760 721760 

The Royal Naval Association 8pm on the 4th Tuesday Swaffham 

Conservative Club. Telephone Jill Bowers on 01362 691820 

Swaffham Rugby Football Club Tuesday Seniors Training 7:30 - 9 

Seniors Keep Fit 3pm See Monday’s Senior’s Keep Fit 

Stitch, Mardle and Mend A group of keen crafters covering Patchwork, 

Knitting, Crochet, Cross Stitch etc 7-9pm, £1. Tel Adrienne 01760 336268 

Slimming World Conservative Club, 10am. Swaffham Asssembly 

Rooms 7pm. Clare Hughes 07535237618 

Sporle WI 3rd Tuesday, 1.45pm ready for our speaker at 2pm. For any further 

information please ring Celia on 01362 687316 

Swaffham St John Ambulance Cadets 7.15pm until 8.45pm,10 to 

17 year olds. Natalie Rudd on 07771620634/natalie.rudd@btinternet.com 

Taekwondo 6:30 - 7:30pm Swaffham Community Centre 01760336044 

Tai Chi beginners welcome 1.15pm Narborough 01760723102 

Swaffham Wellbeing Group Are you feeling low, or recovering from ill 

health? Just want to meet other people? Make new friends at Community Centre, 

every Tuesday 10.30 – 1.00. Contact Family Action. Tel: 01760 725801 

Swaffham Market (Morning) WI Second Tuesday of every Month, 10.30am 

Assembly Rooms. Ladies over 18 welcome. Deb Forrest 01760725669 quilter856@gmail.com 

West Acre Carpet Bowls Club West Acre Village Hall, 2 - 4pm. £2 per 

session. Equipment and refreshments provided – all welcome. Tel: Belinda 

01760 755184 or Betty 01760 755235 Email: belindabush@hotmail.com 

Women’s Section Royal British Legion At Valentine Barker Court, 

2nd Tues at 2.30pm. Tel: Frances 01760 724445 or Iris 01760 721430 

Weight Watchers 5:30-6.30pm Swaffham Community Centre. 

Nikki 07970316054 

Yoga Gt Dunham Village Hall, 10 -11:30am, £6.50 Tel: 01603 478456 

Yoga Necton Community Centre £7 2-3:30 Tuesdays Jayne 07544974342 

Yoga 10.30-12.00 Green Britain Centre, Swaffham. £7 per class. Contact 

Jayne on: 07544974342 or email: greenwillowyoga@outlook.com 

Zumba With Becks Swaffham Assembly Rooms 7-8pm bectuff@hotmail.co.uk £5 

WEDNESDAY 

1st Swaffham Rainbows Term time only, 17:00-18:00 Swaffham 

Infant School. Girls aged 5 to 7 yrs. Tracey Clements 07770236689 

2nd Swaffham Brownies Term time only, 18:00-19:30. Meeting at 

Swaffham First School. Girls aged 7 to 10 yrs invited to join. Contact Clare 

Smith 07917468057 or Chrissie Brown 07970104771. 

Swaffham 1894 Squadron Air Training Corps 7:00-9:30pm. 

TA Centre, Sporle Road, Swaffham. Ages 12 (yr8) to 18 years. Tel: 01760724617 

Alzheimer`s Society Dementia Café first Wednesday every month 

from 10am-12noon. Swaffham Assembly Rooms, Market Place, Swaffham. 

Support, information and social activity.Refreshments provided. 01603 763556 

Arts Lounge beginners/refreshers art classes Wednesday, 

Thursday & Friday 10-1pm or 1.30-4.30pm, £25 per session Call 01760 723624 

Bingo First Wednesday of every month, Holme Hale Pavilion. Eyes 

down 7:30pm. Cash prizes. Tel: June Hewing 01760 441327 

Bingo Swaffham Conservative Club 7:00 – 9:00pm (eyes down for 

7:30). Non-members 30p entry. 

Swaffham Camera Club 1st and 3rd Weds of every month, 7 for 7:30pm 

at Lydney House, Norwich Road. All abilities welcome! Steve Ward 01366 328567 

Creative Textile Certificate 10 Week Course at The Old Art Room, 93 

Market Place Swaffham. Tel Jane 01760 337181 

Dementia Café Free cafe offering support, information for those living with 

dementia and their families/carers. Free refreshments. Assembly Rooms. 01603 763 556 

Swaffham Evening WI Church Rooms, Campingland. 1st Wed 7.30pm 

Telephone Fiona Walker on 01760 722879. 

Healing Rooms The Oasis Centre, Cley Road 11am - 12noon. Book a 

session to experience the healing power of Jesus. Tel: 01760 723175 

Henchmans Junior Magic the Gathering for 8-11 yr olds at Henchmans, 

13 Station Street, Swaffham from 5pm to 6.30pm £2 per person, first 

session free. Alternate weeks: RPG night or or MtG Standard Showdown 

at Henchmans, 13 Station Street, Swaffham from 7pm. Please see www. 

henchmans.com or our facebook page or call 01760 788427 for details 

The Swaffham and District Branch of the Labour Party meets in the 

Community Centre at 7.30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month 

Stitch, Mardle and Mend A group of keen crafters covering 

Patchwork, Knitting, Crochet etc. From 10am at Market Cross Inn, Swaffham. 

Oasis Wednesday Worship: 10am - 11am. Worship and prayer 

Studio Sessions at The Old Art Room Studio and Inspiration in a 

modern equipped studio 93 Market Place. 10am-1pm £6.50. 01760 337181 

St. John Ambulance - Swaffham (Adults) Every Wednesday 

7.30pm - 9.30pm First Aid training 18 years upwards. 07900927233 

5 

Swaffham & Watton Club for the Visually Impaired Swaffham 

Community Centre 4th Wed (except August) 1.30-3.30pm £3. 01603 629558 

Tai Chi beginners class 10am Swaffham Community Centre 01760723102 

Whist Drive Bradenham Village Hall, 7:30pm. All welcome. 01760 440038. £3 

Youth Café 7:30 – 8:30pm, Swaffham Community Centre. For ages 13 – 18. 

THURSDAY 

Beachamwell WI 1st Thursday 7.30pm. New members or visitors always 

welcome. Contact Maggie 01366 327023 or Helen 01366 328589 

Swaffham Bridge Club See Tues for details. 6.30pm for 6.45pm start 

except for the first Thursday in the month 2pm to 6pm 

Swaffham Chapter 3 Book Group 10.30am on first Thursday of the 

month. Contact Kate Gordon 01760 723 034 

Crafts, Textiles and Dressmaking at The Old Art Room 

93 Market Place. Techniques, Tips, Inspiration in a modern equipped Art 

&Textile Studio. 10am until 12.15 and 12.30 until 2.45 £9 Tel.01760 337181 

Happidojo Marham Judo Club Sandringham Centre, Marham, PE33 9NP 

3-4yrs 5.20-6 Fun & Games,5-7yrs:6-7pm, 8-16yrs:7-8pm. Adv. Juniors, Seniors 17+ : 

8-9.30pm FIRST LESSON FREE. Then 3-4yrs £2, 5-12yrs- £3. 13-16yrs -£1.00. 17+ - £3.50. 

Colin McCallum. 07905278857 or www.happidojomarhamjudoclub.btckco.uk 

Henchmans Board games. £2.50 per person. 7-11pm. Henchmans, 13 Station 

Street, Swaffham. 01760 788427. New players always welcome (over 18) 

Holme Hale Carpet Bowls Every Thursday 7-9pm, Holme Hale 

Community Hall. No experience or equipment needed. £2 

Iceni Stitchers Ladies group meeting on 3rd Thursday of the month at 

Swaffham Community Centre, 1.30 - 4.30pm. Kate Davies 01760 622254 

Kickboxing Club Juniors 5+ 5pm – 6pm, Inters 6-7pm, Adults 7pm – 

8.30pm Plowright Place. Call Trevor on 07585707196 

Free Lipreading Classes for people with an acquired hearing loss. 

Thursday’s at 10 am to noon in the Catholic Church Rooms, 31 Station 

Road, Swaffham. Contact Hayley at lipreadingwithhayley@gmail.com 

Phoenix Writers welcome new and experienced writers to their 

monthly sessions on a Thursday afternoon in Swaffham. We are a 

friendly group who enjoy writing works of fiction, articles and poetry. For 

further details please email Jan at Dandelionmoon@btinternet.com 

RAF Marham Food and Craft Market 1st Thursday 12am to 5 pm. 

Sandringham Centre Upper Marham PE33 9NP (Behind Spar) 07766 078123 

Royal British Legion, Swaffham & District Branch 8pm, 3rd 

Thursday Swaffham Conservative Club. Tel: David Thorogood 01760622751 

Swaffham Lioness Club First Thurs of every month, 7.30pm in Our 

Lady of Pity Catholic Church rooms, Station St., Swaffham. Enjoy friendship 

whilst serving the community. All ladies welcome. Tel: 01760 723377 

Pilates 3 – 4pm, Swaffham Community Centre. Call Di Graham – 01328 

851970 – before your first session. 

Swaffham Rugby Football Club Seniors 17+ training 7:30-9, social after 

Salsa 7-9pm Swaffham Assembly Rooms. 07912366661 

Swaffham Sparklers Swaffham branch of the Red Hat Society meets 2nd 

Thurs of the month, 7 pm, The George Hotel,: Jill Neale 01760 723466 

U3A The Wissey U3A 1st Thursday of the month at Holme Hale Pavilion, 

09.45 - 12 noon. Annual Memb. £10. Contact 01760 721247 for more details 

Weight Watchers 10-11am Swaffham Community Centre. 

Cheryl 07941 319 742 

Young Explorers 1.30 - 3pm at Swaffham Children Centre. 01760 721101 

Youthie Plus 5:30 – 7pm, Swaffham Community Centre. For ages 11 – 14. 

Free entry. Contact sally@iceni.info 07772 852284 / 01760 722800 

West Acre Carpet Bowls Club See Tuesday listing 

FRIDAY 

2nd Swaffham Guides Term time only, 18:00-20:00. Church Rooms, 

Campingland. Girls aged 10-16yrs invited to join. Contact 07769294414 

Acoholics Anonymous Every Friday at 1pm in Parish Rooms at St 

Dominic’s RC Church,Howdale Rd, Downham Market 

Adult Ballet For Beginners 6:15pm See Monday’s Senior’s Keep Fit 

Age Concern-Swaffham Support Services at Community Centre 

Volunteer recruitment 10.30am - 12.00 noon 1st Friday of the month 

Adult Tap 7:15pm See Monday’s Senior’s Keep Fit 

Arts Lounge Drawing/sketching classes 10-1pm and 1.30-4.30pm. 723 624 

Art, Printing and Paper Craft Session at The Old Art Room 

93 Market Place. Techniques, Tips, Inspiration and printing presses in a modern 

equipped Art &Textile Studio. 10am until 12.30 £10 Tel.01760 337181 

Bingo at Narborough Community Centre Doors 6.30pm, eyesdown 

7.45pm Contact Mrs Hennessy 01760 337540 

Swaffham Bellringers Practice St. Peter & St. Paul Church, 7:30pm on 

the Friday preceding the 2nd Sunday of the month. Beginners welcome. Tel: 01760 

724944/lindaringer0447@gmail.com 

Swaffham Carpet Bowls Community Centre. 2 hours from 6.30 for £3. Tea 

& biscuits inc. Call Alan on 01760 723 910

Coffee Morning At Ashill Community Centre 

2nd Friday every month, 10am until noon. 01760 441 651 

Country Music Last Friday of each month at the communal lounge 

at Valentine Barker Court, 7.30 to 22.30. Families and friends, free raffle & 

donations for Wish Upon a Star children’s cancer charity. 0370 192 4797 

Games Evening & Social 2nd Friday/month Swaffham Baptists 

Church Hall - 7:30. All welcome 

Swaffham’s Green Gym Friday 8.30am Recreation Ground, Haspalls Rd 

Henchmans Early Friday Night Magic at Henchmans, 13 Station 

Street, Swaffham. 2pm to 6pm. Friday Night Magic at Henchmans 

Iceni Lunch Club Swaffham Community Centre, £6.00 for two 

courses and tea/coffee every Friday 12.30pm. 01760 722 800 

Indoor Market Swaffham Assembly Rooms 9am-2pm, free entry. 

Refreshments, various stalls… bookings contact Haydn 07957 862 239 

Judo Sacred Heart School 6-7:30pm £2.50 5 years+ Tel. 07920440235 

Oasis Messy Church 6pm every 3rd Friday Fun event for all ages. 

£1. www.facebook.com/oasiscentreswaffham 

Rise and shine Baby & Toddler Group: 10am - 12noon. Large play 

area. £1.50 per adult/chld. 50p any extra persons. Incl drink & a biscuit 

Senior Snooker (60 years +) @ The Norfolk Snooker Academy, West 

Acre £4 per session Facebook - Norfolk Snooker Academy 01760 755337 

Sporle Art Group meets every Friday at 1pm-3pm. in the community hall. No 

tuition given, bring your own materials. Free intro then £2 per week. 01760 724615 

Swaffham Senior Section Term time only. 19:30- 21:00. For young women 

aged 14 to 25yrs. Contact Tracey Clements 07770236689 or Chrissie Brown 07970105771 

Tai Chi for Health 10am Advanced Class. Swaffham Community Centre. 

Tel: 01760 723102 or barbara.smith58@yahoo.co.uk 

Swaffham Veterans Snooker Group (60+) 2-5pm at West Acre 

Village Hall, PE32 1TQ. £3 per player. Call Phillip on 01760 755337 

Yoga 10.30 - 12 Green Britain Centre, Swaffham. £7 per class. Contact Jayne 

on: 07544974342 or email: greenwillowyoga@outlook.com to book a place. 

SATURDAY 

Art Class for over 12s ...and accompanied Children who want to use 

the sewing machine. The Old Art Room 93 Market Place. 2nd Saturday of 

the month.10 until 1pm £10 Tel.01760 337181 

Arts Lounge Silver Workshops 9:30-3:30 October 22nd & December 

10th. All equipment, silver and refreshments inc 01760 723 624 

Swaffham Bingo Club Community Centre last Sat in month, 7pm for 

7:30pm start. £2.50 annual membership, 50p for visitors. Paul Darby 07880 568628 

Board Games Group For Adults At Swaffham Library 

Saturdays 10-11am. The board games include Draughts, Scrabble and Dominoes. The 

group provides people with the chance to meet others in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere 

Children’s Art Club 1st Saturday of the Month. 10am until 12.15 

£10 All Equipment, Snack and Drink provided Tel. 01760 337181 

Henchmans Miniature Painting Workshop or Pokemon Battles 

(alternate weeks) 10am to 1pm. MtG Standard Showdown or Yu-Gi-Oh 

(alternate weeks) 2pm to 5pm. 01760 788427 www.henchmans.com 

Pentney Country Music Club www.pentneycowlsclub.co.uk 

weekly 01760 337 392 karenpentneycountryclub12@yahoo.co.uk 

Pilates Class 9-10.15am All Saints Centre, Church Lane, Boughton. 

Beginners welcome. £8 per session. 07515834729 

Pokemon; Yu-Gi-Oh! Magic: The Gathering for beginners alternate 

Sat. www.henchmans.com. Children welcome. 10.30am – 2pm 

Swaffham Market Traditional market, now 800 years old! Every 

Saturday 6am until 3pm. Swaffham Market Place. Details 01760 722 922 

Swaffham Rugby Football Club SwaffhamRUFC@outlook.com 

West Norfolk Crafters & Needleworkers Stitchers, crafters and 

knitters who meet at Leziate Village Hall on the 2nd Sat. 01760 720767 

SUNDAY 

Henchmans Yu-Gi-Oh or Star Wars X-Wing (alternate weeks) from 12 

noon to 4pm. 01760 788427 or visit our website www.henchmans.com 

Kuk Sool Won Narborough Com. Centre 5.30 - 6.30pm. 07541261713 

Pentney Indoor Bowls Club bowls coaching for beginners and 

improvers Sundays 10am - 12noon. G Freezer 01760 722262 

Star Wars @ Henchmans 12-4pm www.henchmans.com 

Swaffham Rugby Football Club Minis 10:30-12. Games see Saturday 

Snooker @ The Norfolk Snooker Academy West Acre 

3 hours play £9. Facebook - Norfolk Snooker Academy 01760-755337 

Spiritual Awareness Group Most Sundays 5:15pm to 6:30pm for 

Healing and 6:30pm to 8:30pm Service at Swaffham Community Centre 

Rainbow Community Choir 

In our fifth year! 

So, I said I would let you know about our Christmas 

concert. We will be singing with Singers Inspired, 

Downham Market's own community choir, and 

Anglian Accents, who perform a wide range of a 

cappella works. 

We are three choirs of a similar size and we’ll sing in 

our own choir to begin and then get together for the 

finale. The sound should be amazing so come along. 

You shouldn’t be disappointed. 

This concert will be held at the Methodist Church 

in Downham Market at 4.30 pm on Saturday, 16 

December. An earlier concert means you could 

have a look around the town before the concert; 

maybe finish your Christmas shopping; listen to 

the singing; and be home by 8.00 pm at the latest. 

There’s plenty of parking on the Hollies carpark 

and the church is warm and comfortable. What 

more could you want? All this and refreshments 

in the break! 

We’d love to welcome you. Tickets will be on sale 

early December. 

Meanwhile Rainbow is learning some brilliant new 

songs for the concert. We’ve already started so we 

should be pitch perfect by December. 

We meet term time at 7.30 pm at Swaffham 

Community Centre and we’d love you to join us. 

If you’re interested you should have a look at our 

website:www.rainbowcommunitychoir.org.uk 

where we have recordings of some of our music or 

visit our Facebook page, you can also contact Alan : 

on 01760 724308 or Anthea on 01760 336313. 

Iceni Rural Writers 

Through our writing, we have explored some of the 

important changes which we have made during our 

lives. Here Jurgita describes moving to Swaffham. 

New Beginnings 

Why have I left my safest place 

And dropped everything I had? 

My heart is bouncing like mad - 

What is waiting for me ahead? 

Deep down inside I know it’s time to grow, 

Challenge myself again. 

My heart will meet another heart 

Oh dear does it sound true? 

The trees and fields shout ‘Hi’ to me 

Norfolk welcomes me tonight, 

Stars wink to me and it feels 

That everything will be fine … 

Jurgita Stipiniene 

6

The Nicholas Hamond Academy 

Rain did not discourage students studying the dynamics 

of urban living whilst visiting Norwich city centre recently. 

As part of their Geography course they investigated the 

links between where people live, their access to services, 

the local environment and quality of life. 

Investigators were called into action to assess a crime 

scene at the Academy. In true CSI style, and using skills 

learned whilst studying GCSE Psychology, students 

collected witness statements and used forensic 

psychology together with criminal profiling to discover 

the perpetrator. 

A ‘Thunk’ (a discussion arising from a philosophical 

question) is the way students begin a new subject in 

the curriculum called Leaders of our Lives. Learning 

cultural, religious, political, mental health awareness 

and philosophy allows a genuine chance for students 

to shape their own learning and make sense of 

the world around them. Students will discover the 

role they play as members of their families, towns, 

country and ultimately citizens of the world. 

Cakes and pizza were just two of the ways in which cells 

were demonstrated during a recent Science project. 

Not only did students ably label the various parts 

required – the models they used tasted good too. 

Chocolate, sweets and bread making were amongst the 

culinary delights students experienced on a tour of the 

Opal Coast on a recent trip to France. Whilst immersing 

themselves in the culture and history of the region 

some of the particularly brave even tried the snails! 

7 

The Hamond Educational Charity 

When Nicholas Hamond, Lord of the Manor of 

Swaffham, died in 1725 he bequeathed £1000 

to build and endow a school for boys on the 

Camping Land at Swaffham. The school was 

built in 1736 and run under a Trust. One of the 

first trustees was Edmund Nelson, grandfather 

of Admiral Lord Nelson. 

The school had ups and downs. There was no 

secondary education in Swaffham between 1892 

and 1895. The need for a school was clear and 

under a new scheme proposed to the Charity 

Commissioners buildings in Swaffham Market 

Place were purchased and added to using money 

originating from Nicholas Hamond's bequest. The 

Hamond's Grammar School Charity was established 

in 1909 to own and let out the property to the 

school. The premises were used for educational 

purposes until 2011. The Sixth Form College 

which was housed in the premises at that time 

was closed. Norfolk County Council decided they 

no longer needed the premises. Until this time 

the rental income provided the funds to enable 

the Charity to fulfil its aims. 

The Charity had no choice but to sell the premises, 

no appropriate use being found for them. The 

proceeds of that sale and the sale of the school's 

playing field have been invested to secure the 

future of the Charity and enable it to continue the 

essential work started by Nicholas Hamond. 

The Hamond Educational Charity is a combination 

of the former Hamond's Grammar School Charity 

and five other scholarship and prize funds which 

all had similar aims. 

The Charity's primary object is to promote the 

education of young persons under the age of 21 

years who are in need of financial assistance and 

living in the Breckland DC area, particularly those 

residing in or near Swaffham. It may also support 

schools in the local district. 

In 2016 the trustees approved 18 grants to individual 

applicants totalling over £9,000. £1000 was given 

towards the cost of the dedicated pathway at the 

Infant and Nursery Schools in Whitecross Road, 

Swaffham, £5,000 was approved towards the cost 

of the new Skate Park in Swaffham and £10,000 

was approved towards costs of developing part of 

the Nicholas Hamond Acadamy, Swaffham. So far 

this year the trustees have approved ten grants to 

individuals totalling £4745. 

More details of the Charity's Scheme and what 

it provides for, plus information on how to apply 

for a grant, are available at the Charity's website 

www.hamondeducationalcharity.org.uk.

Our Lady Of Pity, Swaffham 

I have recently returned from my fourth trip to 

Japan, a country I had fallen in love with long before I 

actually visited. It has held a fascination for me since 

my late teens and early twenties. My one regret is 

that I never learned to speak Japanese. I think it is the 

Japanese love of nature that is so alluring. The love 

of nature the Japanese people originally had was no 

doubt their innate sense for things beautiful. One 

cannot think of Japan without thinking of Mt Fuji’s 

cone that rises to the clouds with its snow capped 

peak. One of the early poets of Japan, Yamamoto 

Akahito wrote of Mt Fuji: 

To the beach of Tago 

I come, and behold, 

In pure whiteness enveloped 

There it rises Mount Fuji – 

Snowing it seems above us! 

Fuji is now so identified with Japan. Whenever Japan 

is talked about or written about, Fuji is inevitably 

mentioned. Justifiably so, because even the Land of 

the Rising Sun would lose much of its mystery and 

beauty if the sacred Fuji were erased! Mt Fuji needs 

to be seen to be appreciated, though it is known 

as the ‘shy mountain’ often hiding behind mist and 

clouds. The spectacular sight of Fuji in its majesty 

can be a rare thing! Another poet wrote: 

In fair weather, 

In cloudy weather, 

Beautiful indeed 

And never changing- 

This peak of Fuji! 

There is an ancient saying: Which is the highest 

mountain in the world? 

But only a fool would answer Mt Everest! 

Fr Gordon Williams 

St Mary’s, Houghton on the Hill 

“This tiny ancient church in the middle of nowhere 

with some of the oldest and most remarkable 

wallpaintings in the country”. 

Many thanks to all who visited our Open 

Weekend “Recalling Houghton”. It was a very 

enjoyable event and we learnt a lot about life 

in the little village before it was abandoned in 

the 1940s. 

Winter opening hours: 

From Monday 30 October to 23 March 2018 the 

church will be open only on Saturdays and Sundays 

between 2 and 4pm. If you wish to visit outside these 

hours we are happy to accommodate you. 

Please email houghtonstmary@gmail.com or phone 

01760 720 070. 

8 

St Peter & St Paul’s Swaffham 

November Services 

Wednesday 1st All Saints Day 

10.00am Holy Communion 

Sunday 5th 8.00am Holy Communion 

9.30am Sung Eucharist 

3.30pm All Souls service 

Wednesday 8th 10.00am Holy Communion 

Thursday 9th 7.30pm Royal British Legion 

Festival of Remembrance 

Saturday 11th 10.55am Armistice Day 

The Two Minutes Silence at the town War Memorial 

Sunday 12th Remembrance Sunday 


10.45am Act of Remembrance 

Beginning at the town War Memorial then church 

Wednesday 15th 

Sunday 19th 

Wednesday 22nd 

Sunday 26th 

Wednesday 29th 

December Services 

Sunday 3rd 




11.15am Family Service 




6.00pm Lions International 

Centenary Celebration Service 


Advent Sunday 



6.00pm Advent Carol Service 

Swaffham Methodist Church 

Friday 3rd November 9.30-10am Power of Prayer 

Saturday 4th November 

9.30-noon Coffee Morning. All welcome 

Sunday 5th November 

10.45am-11.45am Morning Worship followed by 

refreshments. All welcome 

Thursday 9th November 

2.30pm-4pm Thursday Group. Remembrance Poetry 

Afternoon. All welcome. 

Friday 10th November 

Power of Prayer 9.30-10am 


9.30-12noon Coffee Morning. All welcome 


Service starts at 11.15am to allow for attendance at 

the War Memorial. 

Friday 17th November 

9.30-10am Power of Prayer. All welcome 


9.30-noon Coffee Morning and Christmas Fayre. 

Stuck for a present? Perhaps we have what you want! 


10.45-11.45am Morning Worship followed by 

refreshments. All welcome 

Thursday 23rd November 

2.30-4pm Thursday Group. Renee Vincett recites monologues 

Friday 24th Novembe 

9.30-10am Power of Prayer. All welcome 

Saturday 25th November 9.30-noon Coffee Morning

9

Green Britain Centre 

Suddenly it’s Autumn - fallen leaves are swirling 

around in the wind and the colours have changed 

from bright green to browns and yellows. Apple 

Fest at the Green Britain Centre was a happy 

and busy weekend - several hundred people 

were entertained and informed. There was an 

emphasis on living in a way that does not pollute 

or drain our resources. Recycling textiles, wood, 

paper, eating food in season, all help to reduce 

the human impact on our beautiful planet. We 

were encouraged to eat a plant-based diet, such 

as we have in our cafe - the benefits to our own 

health and wealth become obvious. The use of 

freshly grown vegetables and herbs for variety of 

flavour were enjoyed by those who ate and drank 

with us during those two days. Freshly pressed 

apple juice was available and we still have 

bottles of our own juice for sale in the cafe and 

herb plants and perennials in the sale area on 

the way to the organic garden. GBC is now open 

every Friday evening. Meals will be available and 

our website should give information on quizzes, 

special food, open mic nights and other events - 

do join us for relaxed evenings. 

Experience wind 

power from the 

top of a modern 

windmill 

The first windmill in the world open 

for the public to climb. Follow the 

eco trail around our heritage 

orchard and organic gardens, enjoy 

Fairtrade coffee and homemade 

cake in our vegetarian café. 

For opening times and to 

book your turbine tour call us 

on 01760 726 100. 

www.greenbritaincentre.co.uk 

The Green Britain Centre, Turbine Way, 

Swaffham, Norfolk, PE37 7HT 

11

Swaffham Rotary Club 

President’s Corner 

As I write, we are in the middle of our 

Visual Arts Festival which ran through 

October and culminated in the Annual 

Exhibition and Sale of Art at the Assembly Rooms on 

the last weekend in the month. 

The first events have been very successful. The 

launch event, a special production of the play “Art” at 

Westacre Theatre was thoroughly enjoyed by all who 

attended. The play revolves around one character’s 

acquisition of an expensive work of art that is simply 

white canvas with white lines added, and examines 

the reaction of two of the buyer’s friends, resulting 

in a humorous examination of friendship that has 

serious undertones. 

The following week a fascinating talk on design by 

Pearce Marchbank, a Royal Designer for Industry drew 

a good audience. Pearce talked about his various 

projects over the years, with illustrations, including 

covers of “Time Out” magazine and the designs for 

the Royal Mail stamps for the 2012 Paralympics. 

I hope that the remaining events of the Festival have 

been equally successful. 

Swaffham Rotary Club strives to support the 

community in the outlying villages as well as in 

Swaffham itself. Last year and this year we have 

assisted Litcham School’s “Author in Residence” 

scheme, in which children’s author Helen Moss 

conducts workshops with the children and 

encourages their writing. Last school year they 

were able to produce an impressive collection of the 

children’s work and sell copies to raise funds for the 

school. They are currently planning the focus for 

this year’s activities, and a few Rotarians visited the 

school recently to meet Helen and members of staff. 

Within the Club we are currently planning for our 

Charter Night, the annual celebration of the Club’s 

12 

receiving its Charter from Rotary International. This 

will be the 48th Charter Dinner, and planning is 

already under way for the 50th anniversary in 2019. 

On Saturday 18th November we are holding our 

annual Christmas Fayre in the Assembly Rooms, 

which allows local charities and voluntary groups to 

showcase themselves and raise funds. Why not come 

along and see how much goes on in Swaffham. 

Bill Muir 

Furnishing Homes & Delivering Style 

Poppi Interiors has recently moved into their new larger 

shop and as they prepare for their busy run up to Christmas 

they tell us what makes them popular with their customers. 

As a local independent retailer the range of products and 

services is quite impressive, offering everything you need 

to dress windows, upholster furniture or maybe purchase 

an individual piece of furniture, lamp or mirror. Having 

firmly established themselves in the area they continue 

to expand their ranges and bring fresh ideas into homes 

across Norfolk. Offering a full made to measure service for 

curtains, blinds, upholstery and more besides, this young 

vibrant business continues to offer a professional service 

built on experience and reputation. 

"As an independant retailer we can offer absolutely 

anything, it’s only limited by imagination, we pride 

ourselves on our service taking time with everyone to 

help them find the right products to achieve the perfect 

look. People are very different in terms of taste and style 

our aim is to help them create the perfect finish that's 

personal and fits with their budget and style. With 20 

years experience in Interiors & furnshings we have seen 

huge changes in styles over the years. Current trends are 

for the newest range of woodslat blinds we offer in natural 

woods & subtle paint finishes, with a fauxwood alternative 

at extremely reasonable prices. lots of geometrics and 

bold florals are very popular. 

Curtains poles continue to develop now in finishes such as 

copper, soft painted greys, distressed woods all of which 

enhance the overall look". On the run up to Christmas it's 

the perfect time to pop in and look for a unique gift such 

as the decorative pieces and candles on offer. 

If you are thinking of updating, reviving an old piece of 

furnture or trying to source some fabric, then why not pop 

in and discover what this great local business has to offer or 

call them to take advantage of their FREE measuring service.

er 

r in 

ly 

Tai Chi 

Has been found to be beneficial for: 

Helping relieve arthritis 

Improving balance & posture 

Tones muscle 

Improve mobility 

Promoting good health, Physical and mental 

wellbeing and being fun 

Our classes are relaxed, 

friendly and fun – and a good 

way of meeting new friends… 

Contact us on: 01760 723102 

barbara.smith58@yahoo.co.uk 

Classes are at: Swaffham on Wednesdays 10.00am. 

Also Narborough on Tuesdays 1.15pm. Beginners 

Always Welcome. 

lar 

e 

s 

W J CLARK & SON 

Painters and Decorators Est. 1970 

Call us today for a free quote and experience the difference. 

We offer competitive quotes on all interior and exterior jobs 

TEL: 01760 - 722511 

MOBILE: 07902 013785 or 07789 906854 

by 

52 Filby Road, Swaffham, Norfolk PE37 7SX 

ed 

e 

is 

Bespoke Curtains, Blinds & Upholstery 

Vertical, Roller, Roman, & Venetian Blinds 

Curtain poles & Tracks, 

Furniture, Lamps, Mirrors & Candles 

Measuring Design & Fitting Services 

19 Market Place Swaffham PE37 7LA 

Tel: 01760 722541 / 07704901552 

www.poppiinteriors.co.uk 

13

Plowright Medical Centre 

We are pleased to announce that Dr Paul Wisdom joined 

the team in October, and will be working alongside Dr 

Sorensen–Pound and Dr Alistair Richardson. He will be 

working at both Swaffham and Necton practices. Dr 

Wisdom has been a GP in south Norfolk for 25 years. 

Last year he took an early retirement to become a 

lecturer at the University of East Anglia, but soon 

realised he missed the patient contact, and so we are 

very pleased to welcome him to Plowright. Dr Wisdom 

is married with grown up children, enjoys dog walking, 

gardening, running and cooking and will still continue 

to lecture at the University of East Anglia when he isn’t 

practising at Plowright. 

Two busy Saturday Flu Clinics were held in September 

with a total of 632 vaccinations being given during the 

2 clinics. Coffee mornings were run fantastically well 

by some ‘Friends of Plowright PPG Members’ and we 

managed to raise £252.91 from our patients’ generous 

donations ‘The Friends of Plowright PPG’ also donated 

£200.00 from second hand book sales, which enabled 

us to present cheques of £232.28 to West Norfolk 

Carers and £220.63 to The Stroke Association. A thank 

you to all our patients who attended the clinics, and 

to our PPG Members for their help. 

Would you like to become a ‘Friend of Plowright’ and 

join the Patient Participation Group?? All patients and 

staff of Plowright Medical Centre are eligible to join. We 

operate a virtual group where we communicate using 

e-mail and/or post. It is intended to help the on-going 

communication between the Practice and its Patients. 

The practice welcomes the views, ideas and comments 

from the members, as these are invaluable in helping us 

to improve the services offered to our patients. 

If you would like to join, please fill in a ‘Sign Up’ Form 

when you are next in the practice, or email plowright. 

medical@nhs.net using PPG as the subject. We look 

forward to hearing from you. 

Swaffham 01760 722797 / Necton 01760 441344 or 

visit our website www.plowrightmedicalcentre.co.uk 

Swaffham Arts 

Tale Dolce Musica lived up to their name by bringing such 

sweet music to the Assembly Rooms in October. As on many 

previous occasions, as much as we praised the musicians, 

they complimented the ballroom on the very fine acoustics 

which particularly suited the woodwind instruments played 

in the concert. A programme of Baroque sonatas and songs 

was enjoyed by a most appreciative audience. 

At our next event, on Saturday November 25th at 7.30 

pm, the Gambian musician Sefo Kanuteh will be bringing 

his band Meriya to the Assembly Rooms. Sefo comes 

from a family of musicians, so learned to play, as he was 

growing up, the beautiful instruments of their musical 

traditions. These days music absorbs influences from 

around the world, so Sefo’s compositions blend highly 

traditional pieces with styles from every continent, 

including latin, reggae, jazz, blues and pop. 

He has played gigs around East Anglia, and this year he 

played at Latitude in July, and appeared on a live World 

Music programme on Radio 3 in September. You can 

see and hear more by looking up Sefo Kanuteh on his 

website, just to whet your appetite! 

Tickets are available, priced at £9 members and £12 nonmembers, 

from Ceres Bookshop (01760 722504) and 

The Green Parrot (01760 724704), and on the door. It is 

going to be a great concert. We hope to see you there! 

INTERFIT Builders 

All forms of building 

work undertaken 

from domestic extensions 

to period refurbishments 

contact John 

on 

01760 724817 

or 

mobile 07977 235929 

Swaffham Parish Church 

Christmas Bazaar 

Saturday 25th November 9am till 12 noon 

Christmas Prize Draw first prize £100 

Refreshments and many stalls 

Swaffham Counselling and Psychotherapy 

Barbara O'Hanlon is now working from her private 

practice in Swaffham. For more information or an 

initial consultation contact Barbara on: 

07516 917171 / barbarann688@gmail.com 

www.swaffhamtherapy.co.uk 

14

Pickenhams’ WI 

Carolyn opened the meeting held on 

Tuesday 10th October welcoming a 

visitor and all members, new and old. 

Muriel Small read a lovely poem. 

Reports of the WI Activities over the last month: 

1) The tour of Historic King’s Lynn was very interesting. 

We had a good guide who took us to some lovely old 

buildings in King’s Lynn and told us their history. We 

hope to go again next year and see a bit more. 

2) Anne Francis gave us a fantastic music and dance 

session, which was well attended and enjoyed. She 

is coming again on Friday 3rd November from 11am - 

12 midday. Do join us if you can - it was such a lovely 

session and is open to all. Free!!! 

3) Members enjoyed a trip to see Victoria and Abdul 

on at the Dereham Cinema. 

Future Events: 

1) the Arts and Crafts Group should be starting soon - 

date of an inaugural meeting to be arranged at our next 

meeting. We will meet at Gillian Simpson’s house. 

2) Lunch at the Iceni cafe on Tuesday 24th October, 12.30. 

Our speaker was Simon White from Peter Beales Roses, 

Attleborough. Simon gave us a talk and slides about 

roses, climbers and ramblers. There are 20-30,000 

different types for very situation - wall, pergola, arches, 

obelisk, shed - and how to look after them. Two words 

only: water, water, water and feed, feed, feed. 

He had bought some plants to sell so we all went merrily 

home with our bargains. Val won the competition for 

the prettiest pot with Melanie coming second. 

Next month is the AGM on Tuesday 14th November 

at 2.00pm in St Andrew’s Church, North Pickenham. 

Please come along and vote in the officers and 

committee. This will be followed by a beading 

demonstration. Costs £3 to make your own. 

Competition is “ The Best Beader”. New members 

welcome. Contact Melanie Cousins . 01760 440456. 

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS EVENT & MARKET 

FRIDAY 1 st DECEMBER 2-8PM 

MARKET PLACE, SWAFFHAM 

15 

Sporle Afternoon WI 

When does a “lady” pull faces and stick 

out her tongue? When she’s at the 

monthly WI meeting been instructed by a Yoga teacher 

of course! Our October speaker told us that Yoga 

has different exercises for different parts of the body. 

Pulling faces, sticking out the tongue and shaking the 

chin being just a few of the exercises for the face. If the 

gardener, who was cutting the grass outside the hall at 

the time, had glanced in the window – well!!! After all 

that facial exercise the tea and cake was a very welcome 

opportunity to chat and laugh at our antics. Then our 

President thanked the committee for organising the 

summer outing to Great Yarmouth and expressed her 

delight at the circus, echoed by all the members. 

Our Secretary read the WI news followed by the raffle 

and the meeting closed with a poem. 

November is traditionally our AGM when we discuss 

the year’s activities, our finances and any other 

business. This year we are having a belated Halloween 

lunch so watch out for any “witches” you may see, they 

are not lost just looking for Sporle WI as it will be the 

3rd Tuesday of the month. 

December’s meeting, our Christmas celebration, is to 

be a Christmas style meal for members and friends. 

We then look forward to the new year with our 1st 

speaker of 2018 on the subject of Hypnotherapy – 3rd 

Tuesday of January 1.45pm – 4pm 

Beachamwell WI 

On Thursday, October 5th, 

Beachamwell WI members were 

entertained by a most interesting talk by Liz Nally 

on “Antique Quilts and their stories”. Liz brought a 

number of beautiful old quilts, each of which had a 

story to tell. Liz is not just an expert on the making 

and stitching of quilts, but in some cases had found 

out about the individuals who had made them. A 

fascinated evening which got us all talking. 

Next month, we will be back in our usual home in 

Beachamwell Village Hall for a demonstration of Holly 

Wreath making by Simon White, followed by our Annual 

Meeting. As always, visitors are very welcome to join us. 

On Saturday, 2nd December, there will a warm 

welcome for all visitors to our CHRISTMAS FAYRE. 

The doors of Beachamwell Village Hall will be open 

from 12 till 3pm, for the sale of delicious cakes and 

jams, “nearly new” items, decorations and unique 

hand crafted gifts. We also have our very own popup 

café, with a range of refreshments. Last year, the 

soup, sausage rolls and mulled wine went down a 

storm! So why not come for lunch? 

Enquiries to Maggie 01366 327023 or Helen 01366 328589.

Swaffham & District Lions 

Swaffham Lions hosted a Musical 

Play, The Pedlar of Swaffham, at the 

Barn Theatre. A packed audience 

were enthralled by the players from 

Eyes Write Theatre group who put on a very amusing 

play about the well-known story of the Pedlar. With a 

cast of 18 and a dog, the story evolved through music 

and scenery changes much to the enjoyment of the 

audience. The playwright, Alan Huckle, approached 

the Lions earlier this year, following their success 

in putting on the Jeffery Holland play, to see if they 

would help put on the play in the home town of the 

Pedlar. The Barn Theatre was an ideal place and with 

the Lions connections in the town, the event turned 

out to be an outstanding success raising over £800 

for Lions good causes. 

Swaffham Lions took part in the Health Forum along 

with thirty other groups in the Assembly Rooms. The 

main focus for the Lions was their Message in a Bottle 

scheme; it gives medical and other information about 

the householder to the emergency services and is 

held in a special container in the fridge. Despite the 

Lions promoting the scheme for many years, they 

find that it is still unknown to some people. Twenty 

bottles were distributed during the event to people 

who thought the scheme was a wonderful idea. 

Swaffham Lions held their annual Trolley Dash at 

Tesco Store in Swaffham. The winning ticket holder 

was Doug Smith who asked his daughter, Julie Gibbs, 

to do the Dash for him and the Lions agreed. With 

the help of Lion President, Pam Tallon, Julie had a 

preview of the isles to see which goods she would 

wish to put in the trolley. After ninety seconds of 

dashing she managed to fill a large trolley with loads 

of food and chocolate, dad Doug was over the moon 

with his daughter’s efforts especially the chocolates. 

The proceeds from the Dash will go to the British 

Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK. 

16 

Swaffham Lions have had a busy week with Foodbank 

deliveries. A large number of Harvest Festivals 

have taken place in schools and churches with the 

surplus food being donated to the Foodbank. With 

the help of the Lions this was then collected and put 

into bread baskets ready for delivery, by the Lions 

volunteers, to Dereham. As there was such a high 

intake of food the Lions had to put on extra delivery 

runs to cope with the forty bread baskets full of food 

and household items. The Foodbank team had a stall 

at the Health Forum explaining the type of food and 

household items they were looking to be donated. 

Swaffham Lions held their Lion’s Den at Swaffham 

Community Centre, with over forty people in the 

audience. The nine groups who applied for funding 

gave a presentation on why they required the funding 

to a panel of four Lions including Lion President Pam 

Tallon. After careful consideration the panel awarded 

1ST Swaffham Scouts, who have forty members, £250 

for benches and tables, 2nd Swaffham Guides who 

have fifteen members with more joining at the end 

of the year awarded £250 for ovens for camp,2nd 

Swaffham Brownies, who have 24 members, 

awarded £300 to attend a regional summer camp, 

Wayland Carers Social Group, 24 carers who meet 

socially awarded £250 for outings, Swaffham Town 

Football and Social Club, who have fifty adult players, 

awarded £200 to replace battery and pads for their 

defibrillator, Swaffham Cricket Club, who have two 

teams together with youth groups awarded £200 for 

benches, Swaffham Visually Impaired Peoples Society 

meets monthly with twenty four members required 

funding for room hire awarded £250, Friends of 

Swaffham Infants School required funding for a shed 

for children to use as a den for learning awarded 

£200, Necton Youth Football Club with sixty two 

young players awarded £300 for running costs. There 

was a real buzz from the audience when the awards 

were announced. All the groups who benefited 

from the evening said that it would be a major help 

to them and thanked the Lions for holding the event. 

Each year the Lions hold events for Lions charities; 

this enables us to support events such as the Lion’s 

Den where the total donated to local groups was 

£2,200.

01760 

721 230 

Swaffham Museum 

2017 season 

Open 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. 

Saturdays 10am to 1pm 

Prices: adults £3. Concessions £2.Children 5 

and over £1. Family tickets available. 

Many thanks to those who contacted me about the 

railway station. All sorted now. 

Next conundrum. 

I have been told that there is a special tree 

in the copse near the turn onto the A47 

eastbound near Waitrose. This was planted 

by the parents of a Canadian pilot in the 

2nd World War who was killed nearby. Does 

anyone know exactly where, which tree, who 

the pilot was and what happened? 

Friends Outings and Events 

Celebrate Christmas with the Friends for Mulled 

Wine Party, Sunday, 10th December at Suffield 

Court. Tel: 01760 722 903. 

The 100 Club 

Run by the Friends - open to ALL 

A yearly subscription of £20 could win a prize of 

£40, £20 or £10 each month with special extra 

prize of £100 in May and November. For more 

information contact Stan Roberts Tel: 07825885254 

or stanroberts4@icloud.com 

Prize winners Sept 

£40 No.10 / £20 No.18 / £10 No.81. 

Have you seen our screen in the museum window? 

Is there anything you would like us to put on the 

screen? – Like a few old photos of Swaffham. Is the 

dwell time too long? Too short? It would be good to 

have your feedback. 

Come and find the spooky Halloween figures 

around the museum! Autumn and Halloween 

pictures to colour as well as the usual dressing up 

and museum trails. 

Don’t forget to include the Museum Shop on your 

search for Christmas presents. We have souvenirs, 

puzzles, games as well as collectables. Or you could 

give a family gift card for entry to the museum. 

Even better value - Enjoy life membership of The 

Friends of the Museum giving you access not only 

to free entry to the museum but also preferential 

rates on museum trips and events. With the Family 

Membership you, your partner and your children 

under 17 have free entrance. Pick up a form from 

Museum Reception. 

Swaffham Museum, Town Hall, London Street, 

Swaffham PE37 7DQ 

Tel: 01760 721 230 

www.swaffhammuseum.co.uk 

Trending Now - visit us there for 

up-to-date news and events 

17 

Wanted – Volunteers for ‘behind the scenes’ work 

at Swaffham Museum. For more information please 

contact Steve Gregory on 01760 721230 or 755596 

FoSM (Friends of Swaffham Museum) 

We support the Museum financially. 

Our Membership Scheme is a one off Life Membership 

payment of just £10 for an individual and £15 for a 

family. This gives you free access to all the museum 

galleries for life. 

For more information please contact our Hon Chairman 

Stuart Clapton; Tel: or stuartclapton@aol.com 

Beachamwell Local History Group 

BLHG is hosting a talk on Oxburgh Hall by 

Roger Farmer on Thursday, November 9th 

at 7:30pm. Entitled “Oxburgh Hall, Past and 

Present” , the talk will include a brief history 

of the house and some of the people who lived 

there, a behind the scenes look at the work 

going on to preserve the house today, as well 

as a guide to the “unseen Oxburgh”, the parts 

visitors never see. The venue is Beachamwell 

Village Hall and the cost (payable at the door) 

will be £3, to include refreshments. This is a 

unique opportunity to find out more about 

one of our local historical gems.

Twinning 

On 29th September Members of the Swaffham Twinning 

Association enjoyed a wine and cheese social in the 

Regency rooms - a great get together. Our next event is 

the Christmas Party on December 9th in the Assembly 

Rooms at 7.30pm when we will be welcoming Ian Clews 

to entertain us -enjoy dancing to his music - you do not 

need to be a member for this event. For further details 

please contact our secretary Stan Sole on 01760 724 413. 

Merle Boddy Centre 

Oh my word what a great night, every seat filled 

with more having to be got out. The Merle 

Boddy bingo was a hit. We had some fantastic 

prizes given by local businesses who we whole 

heartedly thank for their generosity. Also our 

thanks go to Paul Annakin for the use of the 

Conservative Club, Norman who called the 

bingo, Linda who sold the books and checked 

the winners and of course all you lovely people 

who supported us. We made a fantastic £541, 

best ever. We will be having a Race Night same 

venue on the 25th November, £5 a ticket. Please 

ring 01760 724 527 to reserve your tickets. 

Mid Norfolk Singers 

We are an adult choir with 80 members drawn from 

Dereham, Swaffham and surrounding villages. Conducted 

by Robert Hamwee the choir are singing a selection of 

well known choruses by composers from Handel to Verdi. 

Add to those a selection of carols and mince pies and you 

have a great evening of festive entertainment! Tickets are 

£10 on the door or email info@midnorfolksingers.org.uk. 

I would like to say thank you to everyone who 

either raises money for Merle Boddy Centre 

or gives us such lovely gifts to either use in 

the centre or to use as raffle prizes. I am 

saddened that this has been marred by an 

article on the EDPs web site which indicated 

that we had been given £157k, as much as 

it would have been fantastic the article was 

wrong .I have been in touch with the said 

paper and the article has now been changed 

to the correct amount, it has taken a week 

for this to have been changed on their web 

site. We are very grateful to Henchmans 

for their kind donation of £157.00 and all 

the lovely games that they have donated, 

but unfortunately people have seen this 

great windfall article and assume that we 

don’t have to worry about money, this is 

not the case fundraising is still very high 

on the agenda so please come and support 

us at our fundraising events which is a race 

night 25th November for tickets please ring 

01760724527. 

18

Wissey U3A 

The University of the Third Age (U3A) was conceived 

in France at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Toulouse 

in 1973 as an extramural university activity and 

later was significantly modified in the United 

Kingdom where it was recognized that most people 

of retirement age had something to contribute to 

society and the emphasis was on sharing, without 

formal links to traditional universities. The U3A is 

now an international movement whose aims are 

the education and stimulation of mainly retired 

members of the community or those in their ‘Third 

Age’ of life. 

The Wissey U3A was founded in 1995 by Betty 

Evans who, with other founding members, would 

meet in Holme Hale’s Playing Field Pavilion. Since 

1995 the Wissey U3A membership has grown to 

over 330 members. Membership is open to any 

individual who by definition is not in full-time 

gainful employment, so anyone working ‘part-time’ 

can also apply for membership. The Wissey U3A 

has 30 interest groups with subjects such as Art 

and Book Appreciation through to Bird Watching 

and Rambling. Sporting activities such as Indoor 

and Ten-pin Bowling, Softball Tennis, Table Tennis 

and Croquet are all represented. All groups have 

a leader who organises their own activities and 

arranges outings or trips as required. Leaders 

do not have to have any formal qualifications for 

their interest activity but enthusiasm and drive 

to help and guide others is usually fairly high on 

their agenda. There are still monthly meetings at 

Holme Hale when members can meet friends and 

chat over a cup of tea or coffee then listen to an 

interesting presentation. Past presentations have 

included ‘The Origins of Surnames’, ‘Overland to 

China and Myanmar (formerly Burma)’, ‘Murder, 

Sex and Mayhem in Norfolk Churches’ and ‘Weather 

Quest’ which was presented by weather presenter 

Chris Bell from BBC1’s Look East. Eight members 

of the Wissey U3A recently visited Norwich Castle 

to witness a re-enactment of the ‘Blood or Bread 

Rioters’ trials of 1816. The Science and Technology 

group met to hear Dr Fiona Barker give a fascinating 

presentation on ‘The Use of Psychological Theory 

in Behaviour Change’. The U3A table tennis group 

helped to showcase a new table tennis facility as part 

of the official opening of the new ‘Multi-Use-Games- 

Area’ (MUGA) at Swaffham’s recreation ground. In 

November, a number of U3A members will visit the 

Sports Centre, Fakenham for a one day conference 

on ‘True Crime’ when topics to be included are: ‘A 

History of Poison Murder in the 19th Century’ and 

‘Re-investigating the Mystery of Lord Lucan’. For 

more information about the U3A movement, go 

19 

to www.u3a.org.uk. To enquire about Wissey U3A 

Membership contact Ian Clews on 01760 721247. 

For information about group activities in the Wissey 

U3A contact Dave Thorogood on 01760 622751 or 

visit the Wissey Homepage at www.u3asites.org.uk/ 

wissey. If you are a ‘Third Ager’ and may have just 

moved to the Swaffham area, come along as a guest 

to a Monthly Meeting which is held in the Playing 

Field Pavilion at Holme Hale on the first Thursday 

of every month. Annual memberships cost £10 

and renewals are £7 with a small charge of £1 for 

admittance to each monthly meeting. November’s 

meeting features an interesting presentation about 

the North Walsham and Dilham Canal Trust. 

Betty Evans (centre) and Committee Members (1995) 

Swaffham Jazz Club 

For our September session we welcomed back 

Melody Brooker, this time with her own backing 

group of Colin Borrill, guitar, Joel Humann, double 

bass and Paul White, keyboard, who at one point 

unexpectedly somersaulted backwards off the stage! 

They all live and work around Cambridge and are a 

fabulous trio. Melody as well as singing some great 

jazz standards, such as Georgia, and Love for Sale, 

included some pop numbers, the audience lustily 

joining in for Down Town. 

In October, for the first time, we had The Bays River 

Jazz Group, a quartet plus vocalist Hugh Lynch. 

Guitarist, Peter Pease from Norwich and tenor sax/ 

clarinet player John Temple from Gt.Yarmouth gave 

us some inspired improvisations, both individually 

and together. They have promised to come back next 

year which is something to look forward to. 

Our next events are on Tuesday 14th November 

with the six-piece jazz band Swing That Thing, 

and on Tuesday 12th December the Colin Mason 

Quartet and Eleanora, vocals and keyboard, with Tap 

Robinson, guitar. 

7.30pm Swaffham Conservative Club, 23 London 

Street, PE37 7DD. £6 on the door. 

Geoff 01366 328 730 or Norman 01760 722 384.

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Age Concern Swaffham & District 

On Tuesday September 26th we held a fund raising party for our members with a massive raffle of 84 prizes !!! - 

we raised over £180 in total. We were entertained by Ian Clews with music from the 50’s 60’s and 70’s. A very big 

thank you to Tesco’s for providing all the food and entertainment esp Candy and Michael 

Age Concern also has a regular entertainment event for our members on the last Tuesday 

each month, at 2 pm in the Assembly Rooms (in house), unless otherwise shown. 

Everyone is welcome, so just turn up. We also have a membership scheme which costs 

£5 per year so if you are interested in joining please contact our Membership Secretary, 

Vicky (see below). Upcoming events are: October 31st Wiltshire Farm Foods (In house), 

November 28th Cllr Colin Houghton – “The future of Swaffham” (in house), December 

7th (note date) Matinee outing to Thursford Spectacular Christmas Show 

Please contact John Clarke, Outings Organiser (see details below) regarding trips 

out. Chair, Diane Sanderson, 725715; Treasurer, James Dean, 720756; Trips Organiser, 

John Clarke, 720140; Membership Secretary, Vicky Slater, 627031. 

Age Concern Swaffham 

and District 

Recruitment Drop-In For 

Befriending & Hospital Buddy 

Driver Opportunities 

Come and join 

our friendly team 

Office open Monday, Wednesday & Friday 

9.00am – 16.00 

Please note for users of the Buddy 

Service we need a minimum of 7 

days notice. 

Friday 3 rd November 

10.30am – 11.30 

At Swaffham Community 

Centre 

Supporting older people in the local community 

Contact Pam – email: swaffhamsss16@outlook.com 

Telephone: 07393 981295

Ashill Holme Hale Gardening Club 

Tom West from Treecreeper Arboriculture 

Ltd visited us in September to talk about his 

experiences as a professional tree surgeon in 

Norfolk and Suffolk. He has been working in 

arboriculture for 22 years, running his own 

business for the last five. 

He began by talking about his involvement with 

conservation. As a young man he travelled the 

world visiting and working in some amazing places, 

including Mauritius and New Zealand. More recently, 

and nearer home in the Brecklands, he has helped 

with the ringing of young Goshawks at Stanta and in 

Thetford Forest. 

Safety is, of course, a high priority when 

working as a tree surgeon for both the workers 

and general public. So Tom not only showed and 

explained about the extensive equipment used 

but also the rules and regulations which he is 

required to follow. 

There are various diseases and fungi that can 

affect the health of a tree, such as Ash Dieback 

and Honey Fungus and Tom brought along some 

amazing specimens of unusual growths which 

he had collected in the course of his work. 

Unfortunately, old or diseased trees which pose a 

danger must be taken down but Tom was keen to 

explain that as much of the timber as possible is 

recycled using a portable milling machine on site. 

At the end of the talk Tom answered questions 

from the audience of 54 members relating to issues 

concerning their own trees. 

What’s on in the next 3 months: 

November 23rd 

Barry Gayton” Weird and Wonderful of the Plant Kingdom” 

December 7th 

Christmas Party (members only) 

January 25th 

Ian Roofe “Spring Garden Flowers” 

Doggie Style Grooming 

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SCALGA 

Greetings from the allotments. 

This will be our last column until the spring. 

The Work is slowing down and the allotments have 

been “put to bed” more or less for the winter. 

Autumn crops such as cauliflower, onions, pumpkins 

Sweetcorn etc. have been harvested and enjoyed. 

We have never had much luck with Cauliflower and 

I admire those who produce these wonderful white 

heads. I am particularly fond of Cauliflower soup 

however, and either have to beg a head or buy one. 

The slugs and other pests get to enjoy mine before 

I do. The Overwintering crops such as leeks, garlic, 

artichokes and parsnips to name a few should be 

established and getting ready for next year. 

Overall we have had a good allotment year. 

The weather has not been very special but 

despite that the crops have been good and in 

the main the potato blight avoided although 

our tomatoes in the poly tunnel got some sort 

of disease, luckily towards the end of fruiting. 

We ended up making huge amounts of Passata 

for pastas and soups. 

An inexpensive way of reducing tomatoes down 

is to put them roughly chopped in a slow cooker 

overnight and in the morning whizzing them with a 

blender then sieving the liquid. The result is a lovely 

rich Passata that freezes well. At the point of cooking 

a little oil basil or garlic can be added and the mix is 

ready to go for most recipes. 

We all enjoyed our October Halloween meeting. 

Burgers and homemade soup was on offer. Thanks 

to all who helped make is a special evening. The 

hollowed out pumpkins lit the area giving a deliciously 

“Spooky” atmosphere for the children. 

In these next few months we really only have to 

do maintenance and the feeding and watering of 

chickens. Hopefully hedgehogs have found a cosy 

spot in piles of sticks and some stacked wood that we 

have left for them. The bee hotel has had a vacancy 

sign up all summer so we hope that it is fully let. 

It’s not too late to take on a Starter Plot as there 

is preparation and planning to be done as well as 

thoughts of water conservation and composting. 

Even making a plan of how the plot can be laid out is 

not a waste of time. 

Come the spring we will start all over again with fresh 

hope that no disasters will befall the new plants and 

dreams of summer days. 

Merry Christmas to you all and a happy healthy New Year. 

If you are interested in taking a plot please call 

Graham or Jennifer Edwards on 07919888870 or 

07919888872. 

3 TOWER MEADOWS, SWAFFHAM PE37 7LT 

The team at Swaffham are 

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We provide our own out of hours 

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24

Swaffham Lionesses - Pride Of Swaffham 

The Lioness Club has had plenty going on over the 

last month. We have had a visit from our District 

Governor, Lion Derek Prior who attended our 

October meeting. The DG’s Lady’s chosen Charity 

this year is Breast Reconstruction Awareness, 

which we will no doubt be supporting in some 

way during the year. 

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Some of us went to the Cromer Pier Show and had a 

very enjoyable day. We also went to see the Pedlar 

of Swaffham Musical, a fund-raiser sponsored by the 

Lions Club, which was a good evening’s entertainment. 

Our President Christine and others went to the 

Thetford Lioness Club Anniversary Lunch held at 

Thetford Golf Club, always good food and good 

company. 

WEA 

November sees the return of Swaffham WEA’s 

popular day schools. This time the subject is Famous 

Jewels and Their Place in History. Tutor Michael 

Nash will talk about the separate Crown Jewels of 

England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland and how these 

precious stones have played a part both in the unity 

and division of the United Kingdom. 

Christine also attended the AGM at the Merle Boddy 

Centre, which is her chosen Charity to support for 

this Lionistic year. 

Thursday 16th November will be our Children 

In Need Bingo Night which will be held at the 

Conservative Club at 7.30pm. All are welcome 

to join in and there are lots of lovely prizes to 

be won. 

Looking at Royal Houses wider afield, including 

Russia, the House of Savoy and the Habsburgs, he 

will show how ownership of jewels has often been 

disputed and a point of conflict between private 

individuals and the state. 

The course takes place on Saturday 25 November, 

10am-4pm at Swaffham Community Centre, 

Campingland, Swaffham, PE37 7RD. The course fee 

is £16 and lunch at the Community Centre Café is 

available for £8. Course places and lunches must be 

booked in advance on 01760 723558. 

25

The Hamond Educational Charity 

reg no: 277789 

The charity invites applications for 

financial assistance from individuals 

under the age of 21 years, living in 

the Breckland DC area particularly 

those living in or near Swaffham. 

The charity can provide assistance 

in cases of need for such things 

as books, tools, equipment, 

instruments, outfits and educational 

trips, including assistance for those 

leaving school, in preparation for 

taking up an apprenticeship or 

further education. The trustees meet 

twice a year in April and October. 

For further information 

contact the clerk by email: 

contact@hamondeducationalcharity.org.uk 

www.hamondeducationalcharity.org.uk 

Swaffham Rugby Club 

Swaffham Rugby Club is a family friendly club 

welcoming all ages and abilities which operates 2 

senior teams on a Saturday in the Eastern Counties 

Leagues with training every Thursday. We are always 

looking for new players so if interested please 

contact Matt (Fish) on Clarke100294@gmail.com . 

We also have a thriving Youth and Minis section with 

over 80 children aged 4 to 17 who train and play 

in matches every Sunday in the season. Both boys 

and girls are welcome to come along to join the fun. 

Please contact Jim on 07775 763840 who will be 

able to provide you with full information. 

The newly renovated Clubhouse is also available for 

Functions, with a bar, through-out the year at very 

competitive prices. Contact Ned on 07743 39894 for details. 

Club Website - www.pitchero.com/clubs/swaffham 

Swaffham Sparklers Fundraise 

On the 20th September 2017 Swaffham Sparklers 

(Swaffham Chapter of the Red Hat Society) held a 

coffee morning in the Conservative Club to raise 

money for Mcamillan. On the day we raised £368.37p. 

A big thank you to all the members for their hard 

work and to the general public for their generosity. 

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Swaffham & Litcham Home Hospice 

Quite rightly we should start with a huge thank you to 

Peter Harris and his epic undertaking in walking 136 

miles in aid of the Hospice and the Rugby Club. Peter 

averaged eighteen miles a day and with the help of 

voluntary drivers was delivered and picked up each 

day, completing his walk in eight days. He started his 

walk from the Rugby Club and took in the Peddars Way 

to Holme next the Sea, along the Coastal Path finally 

joining the Weavers Way near Felbrigg and ending at the 

Britannia Pier, Great Yarmouth where he enjoyed two 

pints of Guinness, well deserved too. We are unsure at 

present as to how much Peter has raised, but it will be 

announced in next month’s edition of the Newsletter 

but if you want to consider making a donation go onto 

Peter’s web page at www.virginmoneygiving.com/ 

giving/make-a-donation then type in Peter Harris as 

your friend, or alternately at our office in Brocks Way. 

The photograph shows Peter about to start his day’s 

walk from Felbrigg Hall to Aylsham. 

Charity News 

An evening of Clairvoyance was held with local medium 

Wendy Barnard at Steve Allen Gallery in Plowright 

Place on Sunday 8th October. The evening was a great 

success and raised £302 for Anthony Nolan charity, 

which saves the lives of people with blood cancer. 

Organiser Janet Qualters, who lost her son to Leukaemia 

and has raised £98,577 for the charity so far, was 

delighted with the amount and would like to thank 

Steve and Sue Allen for their help and support with the 

evening and to all those local businesses who supported 

the evening with raffle prizes. Janet would especially 

like to thank Wendy who instigated the evening after 

meeting her recently, and wanted to help raise funds. 

Wendy can be contacted on 01760 725158. 

If you would like to learn more about Anthony Nolan charity 

go to www.anthonynolan.org or ring 0303 3030303. 

The Race Night in September organised by The Rotary, 

The Lions and The Home Hospice raised a grand total 

of £1,500.00, each of them receiving £500.00. 

The Concert of Choirs staged in the Assembly Rooms 

with The Marham Bluebirds and the King’s Lynn Male 

Voice Choir, who incidentally were accompanied in 

one of their songs by the talented local girl, Amber 

Battem. Singing to a very appreciative audience the 

evening proved to be an enormous success for the 

Charity, raising £1,200.00. Thanks must be directed 

to those who organised the evening. 

Our forthcoming Christmas Draw is drawing close and 

tickets are available from the Main Office, 17-19 Brocks 

Road, EcoTech Park on Swaffham 01760 722937. Look 

out for us in Tesco too on 21st to 25th November where 

we will with help of volunteers be selling them. 

The Charity is always seeking out further volunteers 

to join the Fund Raisers Committee, a vital part 

of our Organisation’s day to day running. The 

Committee, a great bunch of individuals have always 

worked tirelessly together and raise many thousands 

of pounds, money that is so vital in the Hospice’s 

existence. If you have a few hours to spare why not 

come along to one of their meetings as a taster, there 

is always a cuppa available. 

David Gulliver 

Swaffham Swimming Pool 

The current campaign for a swimming pool in Swaffham 

is gathering momentum. This will be a unique all-year 

indoor/outdoor facility, heated by green energy. The 

water will be warm and the changing rooms and 

facilities will be built to a high standard. 

Plans have been drawn up and the committee 

is working towards securing funding. Swaffham 

Swimming Pool will be owned by a charitable 

community trust; the application for charitable 

status is awaiting confirmation. The land for the 

pool was purchased by Swaffham Town Council and 

is located between the Green Britain Centre and the 

A47, near Waitrose supermarket. 

To see the plans and find out more, keep a look out 

for the display which will be on show during the next 

couple of months at the Community Centre and in 

our local Tesco store. 

Or check out the Swaffham Swimming Pool faceBook 

page to see the plans and to join in the campaign. 

Contact Sarah at saspickard@icloud.com if you 

would like to contribute to fund-raising events. 

28

The Peddars Inn 

70 The Street, 

Sporle PE32 2DR 

01760 788 101 


Branch 

01760 

725801 

http://www.family-action.org.uk 

building better families 

Open for lunches, dinners & Sunday Roast 

in our conservatory and dining room. 

Visit our website to see our menus: 

www.thepeddarsinn.com 

email: info@thepeddarsinn.com 

facebook.com/thepeddarsinn 

Family (& dog) friendly Welcoming free wi-fi log welcoming fire Locally open sourced log food 

fire 

What’s On In November 

Friday 11th Friday April 10th - 8.30pm November: - Live Music 

‘Vicky’ Live Music singing with the 60’s Kirstie to Smith the Duo current (from 8pm) day 

Friday 17th November: 

Friday 18th April - 7.30pm - Quiz Night 

Raising funds Saturday for The 25th Benjamin November: Foundation 

Live Music: Country music with Jonny Rondo (from 8pm) 

Friday 25th April - 7.30pm - Disco & Barbecue 

Christmas Menu now available (from 1st Dec) 

60’s, Motown, Soul 

Quiz Night - raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support - booking essential! 

2 courses £16.95 3 courses £19.95 

Wood Burners & Multi Fuel Stoves 

Professional HETAS Registered Installers 

Chimney Liners & Fireplace Re-construction 

Tel: 01760 788 407 

info@stovesman.co.uk 

www.stovesman.co.uk

Swaffham History Group 

On Thursday 9th November the Group 

will be giving a film show “Swaffham in 

Pictures”, at the Assembly Rooms - doors 

open at 7.30pm. Admission is by donation 

and refreshments will be available. 

As it is just over five years ago since 

the Group’s first completed project 

was published (The Book of Swaffham - 

compiled at the request of Swaffham 

Museum) we thought it was a good 

opportunity to show just how much more 

we have achieved and published ourselves 

since then - a total of 23 booklets, 

including 14 on the history of pubs and 

inns in the town. 

Only One Of Its Kind 

On Friday morning 29th September, Forces TV 

arrived to film and interview the owners of The 

Wellington pub at Feltwell, Mr & Mrs Samuels and 

also the artist Colin Mason from the Arts Lounge 

Gallery in Swaffham. The interview and film of the 

mural went out on Forces TV News on Saturday 30th 

September and Monday 1st October. 

On Saturday 30th the sun shone, and Radio Norfolk 

did an early morning interview with Colin whilst he 

was just adding a few final touches to the mural. As 

soon as the acrylics were dry, the covers were draped 

over the entire 60 feet of the wall in readiness of 

the official unveiling. By 1400hrs, guests started to 

arrive, and the sun was still shining too. 

The latest of our own publications, 

‘Postal Services in Swaffham’ has now 

gone on sale in the museum - just in time 

for Christmas! This traces the history of 

postal services in the town since the late 

17th century. (In 1660 the Post Office Act 

created a publicly owned post service, 

known as Royal Mail.) 

For further details of the Film Show, or of the 

Group, please contact littlebethany7@gmail.com. 

30 

The guest of honour was 93 year old Mr. Ivan Potter 

who flew in the Wellington as a radio operator and 

air gunner. Also attending the ceremony was the New 

Zealand Air Attache from London, Wing Commander 

Lisa D’Oliveira, representatives from RAF Honington, 

members of 75 NZ Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, Group 

Captain Richard Dixon who was one of the last to fly 

the Wellington, and other invited guests. 

Ivan Potter unveiled the mural in stages whilst the 

artist Colin Mason explained each part of the mural 

and what it signified. The ceremony was a huge 

success and a few who were touched by the whole 

mural had tears in their eyes, as it meant so much 

to them. So if you are in the area, go and visit The 

Wellington in Feltwell and see this magnificent mural. 

http://www.forces.net/news/only-one-its-kind-60ftwellington-bomber-aircraft-mural

Ladies Lunch 

Thank you all so much for your help with the 

Neuroblastoma UK fundraiser on Wednesday 

September 2017 very generously supported by Stella 

Rimington in Swaffham's Assembly Rooms. We raised 

a total of £2770.73 for the charity which is fantastic. 

It’s the second event Strattons Hotel has collaborated 

in with Sarah Simonds of Artichoke to support the 

valuable work of this society. Earlier this year we raised 

over £2000 at a hair and fashion event at the George 

Hotel supported by Andrew Baker Hairdressing, 

Artichoke and match funds from Barclays bank. 

Recently Neuroblastoma was brought to wider 

public attention with the sad news of the death of 

young sufferer Bradley Lowery. Our first grandson 

Rafe, was born in Swaffham and was diagnosed with 

Neuroblastoma when he was not much more than a 

year old. Neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood 

disease in which cancer cells form in nerve tissue of 

the adrenal gland, neck, chest, or spinal cord. Rafe 

died before he was three years old. 

Neuroblastoma UK is run entirely by Trustees and 

volunteers, with no paid staff or offices, meaning 

that 95% of everything donated goes directly into 

funding the best UK-led research. 

Lots of lovely messages today saying how much 

people enjoyed the event and how good it was to see 

so many people taking part in it especially the children 

of the Sacred Heart School who gave up their lunch 

hour to help serve the meal. Vanessa Scott 

From the Mayor’s Parlour 

I really don’t know where September went, 

meetings galore and some wonderful civic 

events to attend. Ones that stand out in my mind are 

firstly the Scouts regional AGM in Dereham, it was 

so good to see this organisation so active still and 

providing great opportunities for young people. 

The second was the Joan Mann Day at Mildenhall 

American Base which was held in a hanger. This was 

a games day for 270 disabled people which, focusses 

the mind to see what enjoyment there was to be had, 

even in challenging circumstances. It really was a great 

day and so well done by the base, bringing together 

the military and civilian communities, they really were 

a lovely bunch of young people. There was a great 

atmosphere, the commander of the base stayed all day. 

I remembered his inauguration speech a few months 

earlier ending with the words, “go execute”, well, the 

games day certainly proved that. Of course there were 

endless hot dogs and cake, not too good for the diet! 

It was my privilege to present the certificates at the Library to 

the young Summer Holiday Reader Scheme which parents 

can sign their children up to. It was so good to see so many 

parents encouraging this and the children so excited as to 

what they’d achieved, I felt, even at a young age they were 

obviously passionate about books 

Work in the council seems busier than ever with lots of 

decisions coming before us. The Neighbourhood Plan 

now goes to the Steering Group stage and many thanks 

to those people who gave their time to get this off the 

ground. There will be a plenary session for all to attend 

before the Steering group, made up of representatives 

from the topic groups, take the Plan forward. 

Thanks to our Norfolk County Councillor Ed Colman, 

the Town Council and members of the public writing in, 

Swaffham (Network Improvement Strategy) has now 

been upgraded to be one of the first towns to be looked at 

regarding, traffic, parking and issues to improve the town, 

we are grateful for Ed’s enthusiasm and commitment. 

I love this time of year despite the weather and nights 

drawing in, how lucky we are to have the seasons, 

Best wishes Jill 

Highways 

Highway problems should be reported to Norfolk 

County Council: Tel. 0344 800 8020. Give the location 

of the problem and a telephone number where 

further information can be obtained. 

Faulty street lights can be reported at the Town Hall 

during office hours or by telephoning Norfolk County 

Council 0344 800 8020. Reports should give a precise 

location of the light and the number on the column. 

Alternatively visit www.norfolk.gov.uk 

31

In Touch With Your Town 

‘In Touch with your Town’ is 

put together by the Town Clerk 

Richard Bishop or occasionally 

by the Deputy Town Clerk Claire 

Smith. It deals with some of 

the most topical items of the day 

and the odd item where the Council want to share 

information with the Town. 

Light Switch On 

Book your stalls for the Christmas Light Switch On 

Friday 1st December. Stall space is filling up fast for the 

annual Christmas Light Switch-On event with almost 30 

stalls booked up, the event itself will only be a month 

away when you are reading this newsletter. There are 

lots of repeat bookings, as the event was well received 

last year, and we are filling any gaps with a variety of 

new stalls. Avoid disappointment, if you intend to 

book up, please don’t leave it too late… Any booking 

enquiries to Hannah Duggan, Office Administrator 

administrator@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk 

Father Christmas will be in his grotto this year at 

the Arts Lounge, the Live Reindeers are returning 

to Plowright Place, there will be entertainment on 

the Buttercross and a Funfair, full details will come 

later. For those who were wondering about the 

Town lights being turned off before the big Switch- 

On including all the other lights, Swaffham will be in 

darkness from 1st November until the 1st December. 

Lots of Towns have a light switch-on event, Swaffham 

is quite unique in that we have a switch-off too! 

Ducks – Please don’t feed them… 

The message remains the same from the Town 

Council on behalf of the residents plagued by ‘duck 

poo’ on pavements and in gardens, please don’t feed 

the ducks around the town, as this is making the 

problem worse. It is not fair that resident’s lives are 

being made a misery by those people who choose 

to feed the ducks. The Town Council are employing 

the services of contractors to reduce the numbers 

of ducks in the town and taking advice from Natural 

England who are the regulators. This has never been 

about removing all the ducks, just about controlling 

the numbers. 

Footpath Registration 

The Town Council have started the process of 

registering part of a disused railway track from 

Sporle Road through to Norwich Road, as a Public 

Footpath. You can help us by volunteering to fill 

in an evidence form, to state that you have used 

the path over a number of years. Thank you to 

those people who have already done so. Please 

contact us at the Town Hall if you are interested 

32 

enquiries@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk Telephone 

01760 722922. The Town Mayor Cllr Jill Skinner and 

Town Clerk Richard Bishop met recently with the 

owner of the land in question Mr. Tony Mallon. The 

current state of play has come about because of 

complaints from residents in Longfields regarding 

dangerous trees bordering their property, on 

inspection Mr. Mallon found that there was indeed 

a number of dangerous and diseased trees that 

needed urgent attention, the most urgent issues 

have been attended to on health & safety grounds. 

Fencing was restored to the boundaries of what is 

currently private property. Mr. Mallon making a 

valid point, stating that residents of Swaffham would 

not want him walking around their garden, so he 

has simply applied the same principle to his private 

land. He then had to turn his attention to harvesting 

the maize crop in the adjacent field and then he 

has contractors returning to complete the job that 

has been started on maintaining the trees in this 

location. Mr. Mallon was made aware of the Town 

Council’s application to register the disused railway 

track as a public footpath. The meeting concluded in 

a very amicable manner, but the fences will remain. 

The process of registration is measured in months, 

sometimes more than a year, depending on whether 

matters are disputed or not. This one does not look 

to be straight forward, but the Council appreciate the 

support that they have had to date. 

Church Clock 

At the time of writing this report everything is 

working properly, but we are not shouting this out 

from the belfry… Our problems with chiming out of 

sync were documented last month, what work has 

been carried out for the moment appears to have 

been successful, as long as we haven’t talked up any 

further problems. The Clock goes on… 

Neighbourhood Plan 

There will be a Plenary meeting on Thursday 23rd 

November from 2pm – 4.30pm in the Council 

Chamber at the Town Hall. The purpose is to draw 

together all the issues and data collected to date 

within the five Working Groups as each group are 

producing their report, from the recent Survey and 

from Workshops held in the Summer. The next part 

of the process transfers over to a Steering Group, 

where representatives of each Group come together 

for the final push through to the end. We have an 

early draft Neighbourhood Plan, we are working 

towards a second draft informed by all of the 

evidence collected to date. A final draft will not be 

ready before the middle of 2018, as this is the subject 

of an independent examination and after that will 

come a Town referendum. As only a majority vote

endorsing the Neighbourhood Plan will give it the 

legal clout it needs, as it will become part of Planning 

Policy for our Planning authority Breckland Council 

to adhere to. 

Swaffham Network Improvement Strategy 

& Breckland Market Towns Initiative 

These are two very different things, but often 

confused for each other or seen as the same. The 

Network Improvement Strategy is an initiative 

by Norfolk County Council. As Swaffham was 

identified as one of eight Market Towns to be 

allocated £20,000 each to fund the strategy. 

Swaffham’s strategy was first of all scheduled 

to happen in the second year of a two-year 

programme. However, your Town Council backed 

up by their Neighbourhood Plan Groups and 

County Councillor Ed Colman made a case to be 

included in the first year, due to the Neighbourhood 

Plan timetable and the recent designation of an 

‘Air Quality Management Area’. Norfolk County 

Council have now agreed that Swaffham will be in 

that first-year programme. The strategies are to 

look carefully at how each Town is growing, with 

development in the pipeline and to see if the 

road network is fit for purpose. There will be a 

local workshop organised shortly, and at the time 

of writing the date has not yet been confirmed, 

but do keep an eye out for this event, as the start 

of our Highway ‘Network Improvement Strategy’ 

from our County Council. 

Breckland Market Towns Initiative details have 

not yet been rolled out by our District Council. 

We have been made aware that there is an overall 

budget for £230,000 spread amongst the five 

Breckland Towns. We have been told that there is 

no specific grant scheme for each Town. We have 

been informed that there will be some joined up 

thinking between the County Council’s Network 

Strategies and the Market Towns Initiatives, in 

order to achieve more for each Town. We just 

need to have the meat put on the bones, so that 

we can maximise this opportunity for Swaffham. 

Town Council Dates 

Wednesday 8th - Full Town Council meeting 

6.30 pm - 9.00 pm 

Monday 15th - Open Spaces Committee 

6.30pm - 8.30pm 

Thursday 23rd - Neighbourhood Plan Plenary meeting 

2.00pm – 4.30pm 

Tuesday 28th - Planning Committee 

12 noon 

All at Council Chamber, Town Hall 

33 

The Town Council 

Mayor – Cllr Jill Skinner 01760 336 121 

Deputy Mayor – Cllr Colin Houghton 01760 336 025 

Cllr Steven Allen 

Cllr Terry Jennison 

07825 801 605 

01760 720 608 

Cllr Robert Bartram 

Cllr Sheila Lister 

01760 721 022 

01760 720 114 

Cllr Wendy Bensley 

Cllr Shirley Matthews 

01760 722 524 

01760 723 205 

Cllr Brenda Bowler 

Cllr Les Scott 

01760 788 519 

01760 720 465 

Cllr Jan Buckley-Stevens 

Cll Anne Thorp 

01760 722 604 

01760 722 611 

Cllr Paul Darby 

07500 818 282 

Breckland Councillors: 

Cllr Paul Darby, Cllr Shirley Matthews and 

Cllr Ian Sherwood 01760 725 550 

twitter@ CllrIanSherwood (your.cllr@breckland.gov.uk) 

Your County Councillor is Cllr Ed Colman 

01362 697 397 / email ed.colman.cllr@norfolk.gov.uk 

Officers 

Richard Bishop – Town Clerk 

townclerk@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk 

Twitter - @SwaffhamClerk 

Claire Smith - Deputy Town Clerk 

deputyclerk@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk 

Hannah Duggan – Office Administrator 

administrator@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk 

Swaffham Town Council 

Tel: 01760 722 922 

www.swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk 

Town Hall Opening Times 

Monday 9.30am-1pm and 1.30pm-4pm 

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday : 9:30am-1pm 

Swaffham Relief in Need Charity 

Registered Charity No. 1072912 

Relief in Need is a Registered Charity which meets 6 

times a year, offering grants for a specific purpose for 

the relief of persons resident in the area of benefit 

(i.e. Swaffham) who are in need, hardship or distress. 

Application Forms are available from the Town Hall 

or reliefinneed@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk 

Agencies at Swaffham Town Hall 

Swaffham Museum Gift Shop & Tourist 

Information Centre Open: Mon-Fri, 10am – 4pm 

& Sat 10am - 1pm 01760 721230 

Breckland Council Room 1: Open 9am – 1pm & 1:30pm 

- 4pm every Monday. 9:30am – 1pm every Tuesday, 

Thursday & Friday. Council Tax & benefit enquires.

Mind, Body & Spirit 

I have been asked to write something for the Mind, 

Body and Spirit section of the Swaffham Newsletter. My 

name is Michael Balshaw. I am an acupuncturist living 

in Swaffham and I specialise in Japanese acupuncture. I 

had no hesitation in agreeing to write something about 

a practice and art more people should know about. 

Years ago, the practice of acupuncture spread from 

China around Asia. In each country it developed in 

a way that represented the particular character of 

the population. This means Vietnamese, Korean and 

Japanese acupuncture are all based on the Chinese 

principles but are different in their own individual 

way. I lived in Japan for 5 years and have a particular 

affinity with that country so once I had graduated from 

university, with a degree in Chinese acupuncture, it 

felt logical to specialise in Japanese acupuncture. 

In this article I would like to explain a little about 

the practice and hopefully answer some common 

questions people often have. The most common is 

does it hurt? Japanese acupuncture is famed for its 

subtlety requiring extra fine needles. The needles 

are much thinner than most acupuncturists use. 

This means the sensation is minimal. Unlike Chinese 

acupuncture, there is no stimulation of the needles 

once inserted, making the treatment as relaxing and 

pleasant as possible. Many people who come to 

see me, once the initial problem has been resolved, 

often continue with regular treatment as they find it 

a great way to relax and refresh their mind and body. 

What does acupuncture help with? Theoretically 

acupuncture can help a wide range of conditions. It is 

very helpful in painful conditions such as back, neck, 

shoulder, hip pain. Also headaches, migraines and 

menstrual problems can be treated. It is important 

to mention your first port of call should always 

be your GP as acupuncture works well alongside 

conventional medicine. The outcome of treatment 

is often dependent upon how long a condition has 

existed, the age and physical health and activity of 

the individual. Sometimes acupuncture can help to 

greatly alleviate the symptoms or sometimes it helps 

people to cope with the symptoms. It does this in a 

safe way with no side effects. 

What happens in a typical session? During a treatment 

I enquire about the persons complaints and general 

health. I then use palpation techniques, particularly 

of the abdomen and pulse and also of the effected 

area if it is appropriate, to determine the pattern of 

disharmony. Treatment takes place initially with the 

person lying on their back and then their front so 

the whole body is involved in the treatment. Using 

needling, heat and other techniques I work to create 

an environment where the body can let go mentally, 

physically and emotionally. It is at this point the 

34 

body can find a place to start the healing process. 

To enhance the treatment I often suggest particular 

yoga exercises for the person to practice at home. 

Acupuncture is an ancient art and practice. Many 

people find it a great way to help them deal with the 

stresses of modern life and the aches and pains 

that are associated with it. 

I hope this has given a brief incite. If you are 

interested to find out more, take a look at my 

website www.nourishingyin.co.uk If you have 

any questions you can call me on 0781 842 

2613 or email michael@nourishingyin.co.uk 

Thank you Michael and I hope this has been 

useful for our Swaffham locals, Steve. 

Swaffham Spiritual Awareness Group 

Meets in the Community Centre, 

Beech Close, Campingland, Swaffham 

at 6.30pm. 

12th November Linda Rae Ashill 

26th November Sheila James Clenchwarden 

We offer healing from 5.30pm prior to our Sunday services 

Our trained healers can help with various types of pain and tension from 

stress. This service is free although donations are gratefully received

Even ironing! 

Tracy 01362 820 966 

Caroline 01953 882 154 

Mobile 07849 652 713 

PAWSOUTDOORS 

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Professional treatment 

for animals suffering from 

separation anxiety, dominance, 

nervousness and aggression. 

Dog walking provided whilst 

owners at work. 

ARDEN GRANGE pet food supplied 

and free delivery to your door. 

01366 328 780 

07767 708 933 

pawsoutdoors42@outlook.com

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