Swaffham Newsletter

Merle Boddy Centre
To celebrate St David's day we made
dragons and the Welsh flag fluttered
over a day of all things Welsh. As
a romantic note love spoons were
created and displayed, we found out these spoons
are handed down through the generations ours may
not be but they were fun to create and make.
Swaffham & District Lions
Alistair Cairns, from the Pedlars
Hall Café in Swaffham, generously
started a raffle in aid of Swaffham
Lions. Following a trial period which
raised over £100 for the Lions, Alistair is running the
draw, with a meal for four as the prize monthly. Lion
David Elsom thanked the café for their support and
said that the donations will go a long way to help
Lions' local good causes.
Swaffham Lions were attending a charity walk in aid
of a youngster battling with cancer. A total of £1000
was raised for Esme Lambert through a glow walk.
The Swaffham Lions mascot turned up for the walk
and was arrested by the police in a light-hearted
moment.
Here at the centre we had 3 days of pancakes for a
sweet so everyone could enjoy this treat served with
lemon and sugar, ice cream and maple syrup and
the third day was apple and toffee sauce. Pancakes
galore and much enjoyed by all. We had our own
version of tossing the pancake which promoted
many giggles.
I was invited to talk to Age Concern, I had a lovely
afternoon talking about the Merle Boddy Centre
and the things we do. Thank you to everyone who
attended and made me feel so welcome.
I have been doing this wonderful job for 31 years
now and I am lucky that I still believe there is more
positive than negative in the world. For example,
every month we have a young man who donates a
large amount of our treats, such as biscuits and cake,
along with Swaffham Baptist Church who donate
their Harvest Festival goodies. We also have people
who bring us craft materials, most of which we would
never be able to afford. Of course we are in the food
share project which really helps with producing our
meals and being able to give all the extras we give
throughout the day. We also rely on the generosity
of money donations. Without all these wonderful
donations our provisions would be a little more basic,
so it's always nice to give a little bit extra to all our
clients. They may not always realise what they have,
but my staff and myself do and we will always strive
to give 100% so thank you to all our supporters. You
are truly well thought of and, of course, you all hold
a special place in our hearts .
Thank you to the customers and staff of The Gift
Gallery Swaffham for your kind donation of £55, it is
very much appreciated.
The Magpie Centre
Tea With A Pony Sessions Start At Magpie Centre
Following a successful pilot session last November, the
first Tea with a Pony event is scheduled to take place
at the Magpie Centre, home of West Norfolk Riding
for the Disabled Association, at Wallington Hall, South
Runcton, PE33 0AP on April 22. These sessions are
planned to take place every month during the summer.
Designed for people living with dementia, and their
carers, the session will include tea and cakes, plus the
chance for participants to meet and greet some of the
ponies and view the wheelchair-friendly carriages which
are used in carriage driving lessons. There will also be
a ‘sensory table’ with items of tack and grooming kit
for participants to handle and to provide a stimulus
for conversation. The cost is £10 per participant and
carer, so if you or anyone you know would like to attend
please call the Centre on 01553 810202 to register your
interest. Volunteers are also needed to make and serve
tea and cakes, so if you can help with these tasks your
assistance will be warmly welcomed.
Swaffham Lions held their annual Pancake Races
outside the Swaffham Assembly Rooms with sixteen
teams from Scared Heart, Nicolas Hamond and the
Church of England Primary School together with
teams from Ward Gethin Archer the atmosphere was
electric. The teams of two were drawn from a hat
for the competition, over four rounds, with the final
being contested by teams
from the Scared Heart
and Nicolas Hamond.
The eventual winners,
after a very close three
race final, were Matilda
Ahrenfelt and Rosabel
Pickard from the Sacred
Heart School. This is the
third time the school has
won the engraved frying
pan trophy, which was
presented by Lion David
Elsom. One spectator said that it's about keeping
traditions going and creating memories for years to
come, the day I ran in the Swaffham Pancake Race.
Swaffham Lions welcomed two guests to their regular
monthly meeting including Peter Wood the President
of Newbury Lions, who gave the club an insight into
the workings of their
club. Nicola Claxton
the President of
Swaffham Lionesses
talked about the
challenges the
Lioness faced and
the future of the
Lionesses in Swaffham. Both Lions clubs exchanged
their banners as a sign of friendship.
Due to the Coronavirus, and in line with many
other organisations, Swaffham Lions have cancelled
fund raising and social events until the end of
June, including the World Quiz for the Kings Lynn
Samaritans. The club will reassess the programme at
the end of June.
One important activity not cancelled is taking food
collected in Swaffham to the Dereham distribution
centre and returning with made up boxes for families.
Last week the Lions brought back 50 boxes of food to
be distributed from the Baptist Church in Swaffham.
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