Swaffham Newsletter

Interim customer support service
A new interim service as been
made available in three of
Breckland’s market towns to
provide support to residents when
a new national benefits system
is rolled out in the district. The
interim service will also help people develop their
digital skills, which will help them make use of online
options when contacting their district council in the
future. Breckland Council launched the new interim
service during the week commencing June 4, it will
be available two half-days a week within Norfolk
County Council-led libraries in Attleborough, Watton
and Swaffham:
• Attleborough: Monday pm (2pm to 5pm) and
Thursday am (10am to 2pm)
• Swaffham: Tuesday am (10am to 1pm) and Friday
pm (1pm to 5pm)
• Watton: Monday am (10am to 1pm) and Wednesday
pm (1pm to 5pm)
People making use of the new service will be able
to seek advice from Breckland Council’s customer
services staff as well as making use of the free
access to computers which will be needed to submit
Universal Credit applications. Universal Credit
replaces a number of other existing benefits, such as
Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, and Working Tax
Credit. Last year, Breckland decided to reorganise its
customer services in light of a rise in online contacts,
falling face-to-face enquiries at its small satellite
offices in Attleborough, Watton and Swaffham, and
in anticipation of the roll out of Universal Credit.
However, since this decision was made last year, the
roll-out of Universal Credit has been delayed by DWP
until mid-June for Dereham and its surrounding areas
and mid-September for Thetford and the surrounding
areas. The new interim service, which is expected
to be operated for 12 months from June, will mean
support remains available in each of Breckland’s
towns to help people transition to the new Universal
Credit system and improve their digital skills.
Cllr Alison Webb, Breckland’s Executive Member
for People and Information, said: “Libraries are an
excellent environment for local people to develop
and use the digital skills, particularly if they may
need to apply for Universal Credit in the future, as
there is free public access to PCs a well as printing
and scanning equipment and digital skills training
available. It also means our residents will also be
able to make even greater use of the increasingly
broad options that Breckland Council is making
available online, including online application forms,
e-payments, and forms to report local issues. This
will stand them in good stead for the future, after
the interim service comes to an end.”
SCALGA
Greetings from the allotments. There was a little
mishap with our May and June newsletters.
Unfortunately because we had to write in advance to
meet the deadline they got mixed up during editing
and you read June’s in May and vice versa. Not to worry,
I hope you all didn’t think I was being too previous or
optimistic? As the weather was lovely most of the
text applied. Most of the planting was about 4 to 6
weeks behind, we did not put our potatoes in until the
end of April but with the subsequent good weather
the crops flourished and I swear our peas grew at
least 6” overnight. Not everything was successful; I
mentioned that I had planted Everlasting Sweet Peas
in the hopes of getting a fence full of blooms. I was
doomed to disappointment, 1 plant came up!!
We held our AGM on the 30th May we had a good
turnout of members. It was quite a long agenda but
the meeting proceeded smoothly. On a positive note,
since the Forum meeting we have now reached an
understanding with the Open Spaces Committee
and Richard Bishop that more information that
could relate to the allotments will be shared. And
discussed. Unfortunately our long serving President
(and one of the original founders of SCALGA) Brian
Baxter has stepped down. In gratitude for his long
and tireless service the meeting agreed unanimously
to elect Brian to the position of Lifetime, Honorary
Vice President. Brian’s’ place as President was taken
over by Roger Trowell. It was decided to do the
judging of the best kept allotment on THURSDAY
the 12th July 2018. The winners will be announced
at the Afternoon tea 3pm in the Assembly Rooms on
9th September. We have had a sudden rush for the
starter plots, the entire Tumbler Hill site has gone
but there are a few remaining on Shouldham Lane.
It is not too late to get some produce in. Carrots,
lettuce, Shallots, (they say) should be planted on the
shortest day and harvested on the longest the list is
longer than you will have room for and you will want
another plot.
We often get a “glut” of soft fruits that is too much to
enjoy them to the full fresh, simmer the mixed fruits/
or fruit in a large pan with some sugar and a small
amount of water until the mixture is soft. You can
now eat it in four different ways.
1. As a simple fruit stew 2. As a puree (sieved to
remove the seeds) 3. As a Fool, just mix in double
cream or natural yoghourt and leave to chill in the
fridge. 4. In homemade ice cream.
We have our “fingers crossed for a really lovely
summer so that we can all enjoy our gardens and the
Children can run free during their holidays. Raspberry
picking is a favourite and digging potatoes. As our
broad beans went in so late we hope to be able
to eat them at the same time as the carrots, peas,
beetroot and runners. We can only hope. Enjoy your
gardening. If you are interested in taking a plot or a
starter plot, please call Graham or Jennifer Edwards
on 07919 888870 or 07919 888872.
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