Swaffham Newsletter

What’s On at Swaffham Library
The Pightle, Swaffham PE37 7DF Tel: 01760 721513
Chair Exercise Taster session - Sunday 7 October,
10.30-11.30am. Find out how you can get active
even while remaining seated! We're holding a free
chair exercise taster session at Swaffham Library.
Refreshments provided. Please wear comfortable
clothing and footwear. Call to book a place.
Games Afternoons - Thursdays 2-4pm
Come along to our new weekly Games Afternoon and
enjoy a game of Scrabble or backgammon, dominos
or draughts over a chat and a cuppa. Starting on
Thursday 11 October. No need to book, just pop in.
Book Sale - Saturday 20 October 10.30am-12.30pm
Come and grab a bargain at Swaffham Library's book
sale! Junior and adult titles available, fiction and
non-fiction. Refreshments available. Supported by
the Swaffham Library Friends group.
Catholic Parish of Swaffham & Watton.
A Walk in the Woods
I am writing this at the end of August, but there is
already a distinct feeling of autumn in the air. By the
time you are reading this it will be October with the
morning mist and bright moon. I always find autumn
a thoughtful time. It’s a time for thinking and taking
a walk in the woods. Autumn has a smell of the earth
and gives us a heightened sense of the changing of
the season as the leaves begin to drop to the earth. I
call this ‘thought time’. Perhaps it’s because autumn
brings a reminder of mortality. as the earth begins
to die back into winter, as the trees shed their leaves
the sky begins to look bigger. Whatever it is, autumn
brings a thoughtfulness of heart and mind. Maybe
there is a spirituality of autumn. I certainly feel it and
I’m sure many of you do too.
For me it’s a time for walking meditation.. Sometimes
it can feel a bit bleak to walk alone in autumn. But
we are not alone. This loneliness is an illusion. We
Christians believe that we live and move and have
our being in the presence of God and that Jesus
walked the same earth as we do. May I suggest a
walking meditation practice that I learnt from Thich
Nhat Hanh a Vietnamese Buddhist monk Walking
meditation is simply walking slowly and in a relaxed
manner. When we walk in this way we feel at ease
and our steps are gentle on the earth. All our sorrows
and anxieties drop away and peace fills our hearts.
Anyone can do it. It just takes a little time, a little
commitment and a wish to be at peace and be happy.
Fr Gordon Williams
Our lady of Pity
Swaffham Saturdays: Vigil Mass, 5pm, Watton
Methodist Church. (Please note new time of 5pm
from 6th October 2018)
Sundays: Our Lady of Pity Swaffham, 8.30am,
10.30am (Sung Mass)
Swaffham Jazz Club
The circus came to town for the Club’s September
session when we welcomed Roger Hewett, piano,
and his vocalist wife Kari. Roger was born in
Norwich, but left in 1985 to work full-time in bands
on cruise liners. He settled in Montreal in the late
80’s where he joined the famous Cirque du Soleil,
and met Canadian wife Kari. They are currently on
a long UK tour with the Circus and had a couple
of days break. Both said how much they enjoyed
playing in a real Jazz Club setting. Their backing
group was the Lee Vasey Jam Band: Lee on guitar,
Pete Oxborough-sax and clarinet, Matt Furnacedrums
and Ian Hireson-bass guitar. Early in the first
set they launched into the ‘happy-clappy’ Oh Lord,
won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz? - turning the
Club into the epitome of a gospel revivalist meeting,
with the ‘congregation’ clapping along. In What’s
Up? Kari demonstrated her tremendous vocal
agility by bouncing from low to high notes rather
like a Swiss yodeller, without any loss of quality in
either register. In Sir Duke she was at times scat
singing at fast tempo in perfect unison with Lee’s
guitar – a truly astonishing feat of musicianship by
both. Roger, as well as playing great jazz piano in
What’s Up? and an up-tempo version of A Foggy
Day in London Town could switch seamlessly to
a straight classical style as in Once I had a Secret
Love and when accompanying Pete in Stranger on
the Shore. Roger and Kari combined brilliantly in
Mack the Knife which she sang with real venom. As
always, the Jazz Jam Band played superbly, with Lee
producing some of the best improvisations I have
ever heard from him: I also enjoyed some of the
most subtle drumming I have heard from Matt.
A wonderful evening played to a packed Club,
ended with the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard
Cohen’s Hallelujah sung with a depth of feeling
and emotion that was just thrilling, and held us all
spell-bound. To my amazement, within minutes of
finishing, Kari was happily going around collecting
up the empties and taking them back to the bar.
What a lovely lady!
Next up The Nene Valley Jazz Men: Tuesday 9th
October, 7.30pm at the Conservative Club, London
Street PE37 7DD. £7 on the door.
Merle Boddy Centre
I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who
attended the talk I gave at the U3A. You made me feel
very welcome and at ease. it was an absolute pleasure
to have the opportunity to talk about our work at the
Merle Boddy centre and to give a little insight to the
world which is dementia care.
What a surprise when we were told that our hare came
first for the best dressed in the drove. This beautiful hare
was covered in blue butterflies. Our other handsome
hare which was all about Swaffham in black and white
will be doing the rounds with the Mayor. This was a
lovely end to a lot of fun and hard work by our craft
minded clients.
In August we were very lucky to be one of the charities
picked by Tesco. Some very athletic people gave up
their time to get on an exercise bike in the foyer on
one of the hottest days. They raised £107.17. Thanks to
everyone who took part.
We have a wonderful volunteer who is not only a lovely
lady but also a gold medal winner. Trisha went along to
the Transplant Games in Birmingham and won 2 golds
and a silver medal. What a star and what a smile! Well
done from everyone at the Merle Boddy centre.
What a fantastic moment, both of these handsome men
have been coming to the centre for a while. They have
sat near each other and had lunch together on many
occasions, but today they met again for the first time.
A hand shake speaks many words with many emotions,
‘this is dementia’. We are so privileged to witness times
like these and there are many that warm our very souls.
We are so glad that this job gives us such moments.
I would like to tell you about my volunteers. I am so lucky
to have such a dedicated group of the nicest people who
come in and help us. These wonderful people come
in week after week doing lots of different jobs; from
playing dominos, helping with crafts, making sure the
clients and staff are well hydrated and of course having
a chat and a laugh. So, my thanks go to you a thousand
fold, this message comes with love and admiration for
all your hard work.
We have just given the garden fence a new coat for the
winter. Keith is helping with the prep, he is very handy
with a brush and not frightened of spiders! We have also
put up our new sign with the help of Mick and Andrew.
The sign was designed and painted by our very talented
Jo Anthony who is a support worker at the centre.
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