Swaffham Newsletter

SN

April 2021

Your free town newsletter published by Iceni Partnership

SWAFFHAM

newslet ter

NEWS EVENTS INFORMATION

Your lockdown photos still

put a spring in our step!

See p.6

Read about on p.7

A beautiful Spring image of daffodils starting to bloom in Gooderstone, taken by reader Paul Easton

REGULARS

Swaffham

Primary

Academy

p.4

Swaffham

Lions

p.13

Swaffham

History

Group

p.14

published by

Your monthly magazine is published by:

Contact the editor:

01760 722 800

swaffhamnewsletter@gmail.com

Swaffham Newsletter

Iceni Partnership

Swaffham Community Centre

The Campingland

Swaffham

PE37 7RB

Registered in England Company Number 4257830 Charity Number 1101814 VAT Number UK800057775

Comments or queries welcomed - we are a

resource for all of the community to enjoy.

We are always open to new contributors from

Swaffham and surrounding villages.

Deadline for editorial and advertising is the

12th day of the previous month.

Advertisers - We operate an industry standard

pre-paid system of billing. The rates were subject

to a small increase beginning April 2020, in line

with production costs.

Contents

4 School Speak

5 Church News

6 Iceni Photo Competition

7 Swaffham Rugby Club/Golf Club

8 Hospital LoF's/Pickenhams WI

10 Swaffham Climate Action

13 Swaffham Lions/ Lionesses/WEA

14 Swaffham History Group/SCALGA

15 Museum Matters

17 Camera Club/Mayor's Parlour

18 Town Council

1

Beauty @ The Barn Salon

Nestled away in the private gardens of The Barn

Swaffham, lies the newly opened Beauty @the Barn

Salon. Linked to the converted 18th century Barn this

exclusive salon boasts a unique, glamorous and relaxing

environment. Emphasising a calming atmosphere

enabling you to fully appreciate the wide range of

vegan, henna and cruelty free products and treatments.

Eileen Childs, owner of Beauty @ the Barn holds a

doctorate of nutrition, is a full member of the guild of

professional beauty therapists and nail technicians and

is Covid 19 trained. “At Beauty @the Barn I strive to

offer a total pampering experience. The past year has

been hard on us all. We have neglected our well-being

and low self esteem has been an issue with a lot of

us. Allowing time, peace and quiet for ourselves every

once in a while helps you to forget about the strains of

your day and just enjoy a few precious moments being

pampered. So whether it’s a fresh set of manicured/gel

nails and a friendly chat you're after, a luxury relaxing

facial, beauty treatment or a divine pedicure and foot

treatment, I can offer you a high quality service at

reasonable prices and you’ll leave the salon feeling

totally pampered and amazing."

Due to government rules I open on 12th April. Just

phone, message or text 07971 011087. To avoid

disappointment book in advance. www.facebook.

com/Beauty-at-the-barn.

Beauty @ the Barn

3

Come and explore the wide

range of treatments and

therapies available.

Beauty treatments are offered

on an exclusive one to one

basis within a private salon.

Set within the grounds of an

18th century barn in Swaffham,

the relaxing salon boasts a unique,

contemporary environment.

At Beauty @ the Barn you leave your

cares and worries at the door and

embrace a time when you can focus

on your well-being and enjoy the full

pampering experience.

To book your appointment call or text

or email eileen.childs@ymail.com

Find us on Facebook: Beauty-at-the-barn

Treatments offered by Eileen

Childs PhD, MGNT, MGBT

over 30 years experience in weight

loss counselling

Beauty Treatments Include:

Facials

Waxing

Manicures

Extensions

07971 011087

Tinting

Pedicure

Gel Nails

Re-open

12th April

Book now!

The Nicholas Hamond Academy

The Nicholas Hamond Academy Sixth Form

Consultation 1st March to 11 April 2021

All Community Stakeholders of The Nicholas

Hamond Academy

We wish to inform you about a consultation that

we are launching into temporarily closing our Sixth

Form provision at The Nicholas Hamond Academy.

Consultation on a proposal to temporarily close

the sixth form at The Nicholas Hamond Academy

Why we are proposing to temporarily close our

sixth form: The numbers of students studying in

the sixth form at The Nicholas Hamond Academy

have decreased in recent years. In 2019-2020,

we only had 9 students. This number was neither

financially nor academically viable. However, we

believe firmly that the young people of Swaffham

should have access to local, high-quality post16

provision, and we also believe that The Nicholas

Hamond Academy should offer this. In order to

rebuild the provision, however, we will need to

take a little time to develop a curriculum offer and

staffing plan as well as a marketing and admissions

plan. We believe that this means we will be able

to re-open our sixth form provision in September

2023 and we look forward to our students who are

currently in Year 9 becoming our new Year 12 at

that point. Until this is possible, however, we are

required (by the Department for Education) to

formally apply for a temporary closure, and this

requires us to consult with key local stakeholders.

We would be pleased to hear your views on the

temporary closure of course; but would also like to

hear your thoughts on how we can ensure a vibrant

post-16 offer at The Nicholas Hamond Academy

from September 2023.

Purpose of and process for the consultation -

Change of age range – to temporarily exclude Post

16 provision

The Trustees of Academy Transformation Trust

are seeking your views on the future of post-16

provision at The Nicholas Hamond Academy.

The proposal is that the provision should be

temporarily closed with immediate effect with a

view to re-opening in full from September 2023.

This will not impact upon any current students or

staff members. This is also a formal consultation

in regard to the admissions arrangements for

The Nicholas Hamond Academy, as it is proposed

to temporarily remove the post-16 Published

Admission Number (PAN) altogether.

Next steps The Trustees of Academy Transformation

Trust welcome comments from all local stakeholders

on the proposal set out in this paper. All views

expressed during this consultation will be reported

to and considered by the Trustees after the

consultation period has ended. The consultation

closes on 11 April 2021.

We especially invite comments from the following

groups:

• parents of children and young people between

the ages of 2 and 18

• other persons in the Swaffham area who

have an interest in the proposed arrangements

(stakeholders)

• all other admissions authorities within the local

area

• our local authority (Norfolk County Council) and

other neighbouring local authorities

Please contact us via Email: office@tnha.org.uk

should you wish to respond to the consultation

whereupon you will be sent the appropriate form.

Timeline

• Consultation period - 01 March to 11 April 2021

• Report on consultation to Trustees for approval -

April/May 2021

• Communication to the Education and Skills Funding

Agency and the Regional Schools Commissioner for

approval - May 2021

• Implementation - September 2021

4

Swaffham CE Primary Academy

Young learners are inspired to write, imagine and

create, all through street art, as they return to school.

Curlews Class, Year 3, at Swaffham Church of England

Primary Academy are very excited to explore their

new topic of street art! To develop the children’s

skills and encourage their love for writing, Curlews

class are experiencing some fantastic opportunities

that they have described as 'awesome.' This week

they created street art designs to show what they

are thankful for. Soon they will be collaborating

with a well-known female street artist to write a

biography! We hope that through this modern topic

we can inspire children who are returning to school

as they continue on their learning journey.

Swaffham Primary Academy celebrated World Book

Day and World Sleep Day when all of our children

had returned to school. We had a fantastic day

together, sharing our favourite books with our friends

rekindling our love of reading and bringing together

the wonderful community we are lucky enough to

have at our school.

Swaffham Methodist Church

Swaffham Methodist Church are pleased to announce

that beginning on Easter Sunday services will resume

at 10.45am. All usual covid precautions will be in

force. Kindly let us know if you'd like to attend, by

telephoning 01760 722611. The service will be taken

by the Worship Leaders.

St Peter and St Paul's Swaffham

The April services in Swaffham parish church will

be as follows, and are still subject to the pandemic

restrictions: -

Sunday 4th April

Sunday 11th April

Sunday 18th April

Sunday 25th April

9.30am Easter Day

Eucharist

9.30 Parish Eucharist

9.30am Parish

Eucharist

9.30am Parish

Eucharist

At the time of writing, we are not sure when choral

singing can resume, but look forward to restarting

this as soon as it is permitted. Updates on services,

both in church and virtual (streamed on Facebook),

will be advertised each week under ‘Services’ on

the Swaffham Parish Church website https://www.

swaffhamparishchurch.org/ and notified via the

Swaffham Parish Church Facebook site. Similarly,

opening the church for private prayer and for visitors

will be announced there. We would be glad to hear

from anyone who would be interested in assisting

with stewarding during visiting hours, in the hope

of maximising the opening of the church building in

the summer – contact by email, by website, or ring

01760 622241 and leave a message. Many thanks.

Norfolk Libraries Online

We're providing activities and groups you can join in

with online as part of our response to the coronavirus

outbreak. There are also lots of exciting, interesting

and stimulating online resources you can use to help

you stay happy and healthy at home. Discover more

at https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/libraries-localhistory-and-archives/libraries/whats-on

5

Iceni Lockdown Photo Competition

• Pets & Animals

• In Your Neighbourhood

Brian Armitage managed to capture the magical sight

of Swaffham's resident starlings murmarating over

the town at dusk at the end of February.

• Black & White

We love this stunning wintery image of a white and

grey horse in the snow taken by John Millward in

Shouldham Thorpe.

Another great image from Paul Easton in Gooderstone.

Paul is certainly our contributor of the month, he

made it very difficult to choose!

Another beautiful capture taken in the snow was this

image of a beautiful kingfisher taken by Paul Easton

near his home in Gooderstone.

Our final selection for this category was this amazing

image of Knot and Curlew at Snettisham, captured by

Lyn Ibbitson-Elks back in December.

6

Swaffham Players

Like everyone else, Swaffham Players are looking forward

to getting back to normal this summer. It will be different

sort of normal though! We’ve just passed our 50th

anniversary, and we’re starting to form our plans for the

next 50 exciting years.

As soon as we can, we’ll draw our members back into the

swim with a quiz social night, always a popular event in

our year. Shortly after that, like many other organisations,

we’ll be having an Extraordinary General Meeting to catch

up on the normal AGM items we haven’t been able to

do. Then for the future! We’ve kept ticking over by doing

weekly play readings on that life-saver, Zoom, and started

learning recording and editing techniques for producing

top-notch audio podcasts of plays, which we hope will

continue to be a feature of our offering.

We are also looking forward to working with the Town

Council with a view to developing the Barn Theatre as a

dedicated community performance space.Finally, any

club always needs new blood, and we’ll be looking at

ideas to recruit, teach and develop new members of all

ages in whatever aspects of theatre they are interested

in, whether it’s acting, or behind the scenes designing

and building sets, lighting, or any of the many other

indispensable specialist roles.

If any of this appeals to you, why not get ahead of the game

by contacting our Secretary, Nicky, on 01760 721568, or via

our website, https://swaffhamplayers.org/. Meanwhile,

we wish you all a safe and happy summer.

Ladies Welcome At Swaffham Golf Club

Swaffham Golf Club is encouraging more ladies to take

up the sport and with our trainee golf professional, Abi

O’Riordan on hand for tuition, why not come and join the

club and see how much fun golf can be both on and off

the course; and with the club celebrating its centenary

in 2022 plans are progressing for an exciting year. Ladies’

days at Swaffham are Wednesdays, usually for qualifying

competitions, with Saturday tee times allocated for a

ladies’ roll-up which is a great way to get to know the

ladies who are always welcoming to new members.

Tuesdays are allocated as seniors day, and ladies over the

age of 55 are eligible to join in with the senior men making

it a good mix for a recreational morning, with mixed

competitions both at Swaffham and at other golf courses

arranged throughout the year.

If you would like to join us you can be assured of a friendly

welcome from our lady members and to help you settle

in you would be paired with an established member

to ensure that you quickly feel part of the section. With

various membership packages available please contact

the club office on 01760 721621 where Rachel, the Office

Manager, can advise you on which package would suit

your requirements whether you want to play several times

a week, or only have time to play occasionally.

Give golf a go at Swaffham Golf Club and discover a new

hobby with the benefit of fresh air, exercise, good company

and a friendly welcome.

7

Swaffham Rugby Club

With schools now open again after a long break,

children looking for sport and recreation to blow away

those winter cobwebs should soon be able to take up

rugby at Swaffham again. Unless the Government

plans are changed, Swaffham Mini and Youth sections

are planning six weeks of training starting on Sunday

April 11th until the end of May. The minis will kick

off the new sessions at 9.30am and are expecting a

good turnout as it will be the first opportunity since

November to exercise with their team mates. The

youth teams, aged 13 and upwards, will train straight

afterwards from 10.30am and will be hoping that

they get some opportunity before the end of May to

continue their good form of last year. All new players

are welcome to turn up and have a look, or contact

Andy (Minis) 07535 820762 andypbolton@hotmail.

co.uk or Rob (Youth) 07780 389232 salter.robert@

sky.com

Senior rugby alas will have to wait a while longer, as

full contact games are unlikely to begin before the

middle of the summer, but training and warm up

games are already planned ready for a restart of the

league season in September. Dates have yet to be

fixed but look likely to be during the summer.

If lockdown relaxes as expected, the club is already

planning some social events through the summer,

starting with a fun open day on or around the

weekend of July 3rd/4th. We can only hope that the

pandemic declines and with the promise of senior

rugby again in September, we will be organising a

10-a-side tournament against invited clubs, as a preseason

warm up in early August.

The club will be celebrating its 40th anniversary

in October and plans are already being made for

celebrations, as well as the staging of the 10th annual

fireworks display in November.

Whilst no one really knows yet quite when things are

going to happen we can at least start to say that they

will happen, and we look forward to seeing all our old

members, plus new ones, whenever that may be. The

new website is almost complete, and can be seen at

www.swaffhamrugby.co.uk.

Swaffham Community Hospital L of F's

Another fairly short article this month as there is still

little new to report. I hope you all are weathering this

enforced period of having to mainly stay at home.It is

harder than it looks and we all greatly miss the direct

contact with family and friends.

By the time you read this we will be near getting

some of our lives back. As time goes on I must admit

it is getting harder to keep our spirits going. However,

when feeling a bit low it is best to remember all

those less fortunate, including those who have to be

admitted to hospitals, including ours.

We are all pinning our hopes on the continuing

vaccination roll out and it is encouraging to see the

national numbers are still doing well. I hope you

are availing yourselves of this as you are called. The

situation in care homes has improved and it is good

news that at least some limited direct contact with

loved ones is now possible.

Our NHS colleagues, as ever, are doing a wonderful

job and here in Swaffham the pressure remains as the

hospital has expanded the number of beds available

for extra patients.

As before we are delivering further supplies of

refreshments and hand creams for the staff as a token

of appreciation.

There is still no sign of us being able to commence

any fundraising activities so I continue with my

suggestion that if you would like to help, a good way is

to participate in our coin collection. The idea is to ask

you all to consider whether you would like to have

a jam jar or tin at home in which you might donate

any spare change over the coming weeks. It would be

a small way of recognising the fantastic service our

NHS colleagues are giving over this difficult period. If

you would like to do this the donations could be left

at hospital reception or if you ring me I can arrange

collection. We have had some more response to

this and I would like to thank those of you who have

contributed. Nothing further to report at the moment

on any capital schemes.

We are really keen to attract new people to join

our small committee (especially after the loss of a

member). Do ring me for an informal chat, I promise

it's not too onerous, so why not give us a try?

It is important that we all follow the latest Government

guidelines, so stay safe and well.

Colin Houghton (Chairman)

01760 336025

The Pickenham's WI

On Tuesday 9th March Carolyn

hosted an on-line Zoom meeting,

at 2.00pm and this time we were

able to stay on for a full 2 hours, thanks to Francesca

hosting Zoom for us on her contract. This did make

it all so much easier and we are very grateful to

Francesca. Francesca was initially unable to join us,

but she did manage to "arrive", virtually of course!

Our meeting started on a sad note as we held a

minute's silence in remembrance of our former

member and President, Sheila Warner, who passed

away only very recently following a long illness.

Sheila was a good friend and we will all miss her

immensely.

We were then joined by our speaker, Mandy Wild,

who had had to try out Zoom for the first time in

order to join us. Considering this was Mandy's

first experiment with Zoom, she made it all very

entertaining! She is an expert on style and fashion

and gave a presentation on "Looking good in a bin

bag". For the next 45 minutes we learned how to

assess our own body shape (triangle, pear, hourglass,

lean column). The danger is that if you put on

weight you can change from being a lean column to

a rectangle or from an hourglass to a circle!

Mandy is so amusing, sharing tips on how to

improve your appearance, that we all spent the

whole time grinning. We got advice on style and

colour, i.e. whether to change colour at the waist

or the hips, as well as the best style of shoes and

even handbag for a better line. Mandy did in fact

put on her bin bag plus belt and she still looked a

dream. After we said goodbye to Mandy, we spent

some time chatting - those of us who are now used

to Zoom chats are finding it keeps us in touch with

each other. In line with Government advice, we are

going to try meeting in groups of 6 in the outdoors

on 13th April. Arrangements will be firmed up in the

coming weeks. Our next meeting will be delayed to

20th April when we will again be on Zoom and the

speaker will be Christopher Peskett - representing

the charity 'Doctors without Borders'. We are all

looking forward to it immensely.

8

01760 336029

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Swaffham Climate Action

Just over a year ago,before groups such

as SCA had to resort to Zoom meetings

rather than face-to-face discussions,

James Dean volunteered to be secretary

of the newly-formed Swaffham Climate Action. The

twenty plus members of the group have relied on

James to organise agendas, write up meeting notes

and produce an article for the monthly Swaffham

Newsletter. He has kept the rest of us on our toes.

Following recovery from a fall a few weeks ago,

James and his wife Barbara have decided to move

away from Swaffham. Like many other Swaffham

organisations, we will miss James for his friendship,

his reliable efficiency and his interest and concern for

our endangered planet, particularly in the Swaffham

area. If you are concerned about Climate Change and

its effects and how we humans can undo the damage

we have done since the start of the Industrial

Revolution, please contact us. Normally we meet

(at present via Zoom) on the second Thursday of the

month at 10 am, with a follow-up on the following

Tuesday evening.

Colin & Janet Abbiss

(01760 723118)

NHS Norfolk & Waveney CCG

The CCG has set up a page on our website where we

have put local information that has been translated by

Translate Plus into the languages we have been told are

local priorities. The page also contains other translated/

multi-language resources we have found regarding

the Covid-19 vaccination programme: https://www.

norfolkandwaveneyccg.nhs.uk/coronavirus/17-

coronavirus/236-covid-related-documents-translated

This page is part of the first steps in meeting the needs

of non-English speakers/BAME communities, and

primarily focuses on the operational details of when,

where and how people will receive the vaccine. We

plan to add and update this page as more information

becomes available.

Easy Read – also available on our website is an easy

read page which contains local and national resources.

https://www.norfolkandwaveneyccg.nhs.uk/covid-

19-vaccination-programme/2-uncategorised/219-

easy-read-information-for-the-covid-19-vaccinationprogramme

10

Cancer Appointments Survey

At Healthwatch Norfolk we are launching a project

alongside Healthwatch Suffolk to find out how

people affected by cancer have accessed their

appointments during the pandemic.

We are working with the people in charge of cancer

services in Norfolk and Suffolk to help shape the

way appointments are accessed in the future, so

it is vital that we get as much feedback as possible

to get an authentic sense of patient opinion. If you

live in Norfolk or Waveney and have had a cancer

diagnosis, referral or treatment since March 2020,

Healthwatch Norfolk and Suffolk would love to

hear from you.

Whether you have had virtual appointments

(by phone or video call, for example), in-person

appointments, or a combination of both your

experiences could help shape future provisions.

If you would like to participate, please contact

Healthwatch Norfolk by calling 0808 1689669,

or emailing enquiries@healthwatchnorfolk.

co.uk. Alternatively, the survey can be completed

online by visiting www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/

cancerappointments/

We are also asking our audience to forward the

information to as many people as possible, to help

us with this important piece of work. We would be

extremely grateful for any support you can offer.

Healthwatch Norfolk and Healthwatch Suffolk are

the independent voices for patients and service

users in our counties. We gather your views of

health and social care services to ensure they

are heard by the people in charge. For more

information about what we do, visit our website

www.healthwatchnorfolk.co.uk.

Family Action - Social Prescribing

Many things affect your mental and physical

health and your feeling of wellbeing. GPs tell us

that a lot of people visit them feeling isolated or

lonely; stressed by work, relationships, money

and housing problems. We understand that living

with a long term condition can be stressful too,

and social prescribing has many ways to help you

manage your condition on an ongoing basis. To

find out how Social Prescribing might be able to

help either contact

your GP Surgery, or

Family Action Norfolk

(01760 720302) to

find out more about

Social Prescribing and

how to be referred.

from my friends

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SwaffhamNewsletter_HalfPage_Template.indd 1 24/02/2021 10:54

12

'Computers for Home' Scheme

Iceni Partnership were delighted with the community

response following an appeal for laptops that could

be repurposed, and then donated to our local

schools to support the town’s young people with

their home learning. Well Swaffham, we asked and

you delivered! Thank you very much for your kind

and generous donations and we are really pleased to

report that our local schools have now informed us

that currently their needs have been met. We would

also like to thank Anglian Computers, Dereham for

their help and support regarding software upgrades.

We are happy to continue to accept your unwanted

laptops since there are still members of the

community that we can help. Donations can be

made at Swaffham Community Centre, Campingland

Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm.

If you still do not have a laptop to assist in your child's

home studies, please contact us, we may be able to

help! Thank you!

Do y

SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

SINCE 1999

Befrienders & Hospital Buddy Drivers Needed

Telephone

befriending only

at present

In the current pandemic it is amazing how many people

have volunteered to help those that have had to shield

due to age or health. Hopefully, lots of you have found

this extremely rewarding and may like to continue as the

restrictions lighten. If you have enjoyed helping others

and have an hour or two to spare a week or enjoy driving,

we would love to hear from you. We need caring

compassionate people like yourselves to join our

fantastic team of volunteers to help elderly people to get

to medical appointments or just to stop an elderly person

from being lonely. Please call us for an informal chat to

see how you could help. Thank you.

Office currently

closed to visitors,

please contact us

on 07393 981295

instead.

We are here to improve the quality of older

people’s lives in Swaffham & the villages nearby

Tel: 07393 981 295

EMAIL: swaffhamsss16@outlook.com

www.swaffhamsupportservices.co.uk

The Community Centre, Campingland, Swaffham. PE37 7RB

Swaffham & District Lions

Following the success of the Lions

Sunday Food collection, and their

partnership with the Iceland food

collection, the Lions are pleased

to announce that the Necton Co-op have joined the

food collection for the Foodbank. One of the Co-op

managers, Sarah Faulkner, was delighted to be able to

support such a worthy cause in these trying times and

thanked the Lions for setting up the project. Since the

Lions Sunday Food Collection started the Lions have

collected over 1500kg of food.

We were thrilled to received this letter of thanks from

Mid Norfolk Foodbank. It's amazing to know that our

collections have helped to feed over 2000 people in

need in the local area. None of this would be possible

without the continued support of the residents of

Swaffham and their generosity, so a big thanks must

go to all of you too.

Please continue to

donate if you are

able to, it really does

make a difference.

A big thank you to

Sarah of Precious

Petals Norfolk florist

who kindly donated

some surplus flowers to give to as a treat to Mums

visiting the community fridge on Mother's Day.

Swaffham Lionesses

The Pride of Swaffham

After some time “sitting it out” during all the Covid

Lockdowns and restrictions, for the last two months we

have been meeting on Zoom in order to make plans for

later in the year when we will hopefully be back up and

running as normal. Our National Lioness Conference

which should have taken place in Gloucestershire this

year, sadly cannot take place, so this means that our

AGM business will have to take place on Zoom.

We are continuing to support our local foodbank

collections, and will be donating some extra Easter

treats to the Lions Foodbank collection at the end

of March. We also want to do our bit for the local

environment and will be doing another Litter pick in

April. Looking to the future, we will hopefully be having

a stall once a month at the Friday Indoor market in the

Assembly Rooms. This will be good publicity for us

and will enable us to sell some items to benefit local

Charities. Also we are planning to hold a MacMillan

Coffee morning later in the year.

Our Swaffham Lioness Club was formed in May 1991,

and we will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary with a

meal out, all being well sometime in the summer. Let’s

keep our fingers crossed for a speedy recovery back to

normality!

Best wishes, Swaffham Lionesses.

Swaffham WEA

Gotta Sing - Gotta Dance

Need something to lift your

spirits? Fed up with all the

uncertainties of what we can and can’t do? Why not

come and join us for a couple of hours a week and

enjoy a variety of musical treats on film?

A 6-week course (7th May - 11th June 2021) will be

available on Friday mornings, 10 am - 12 noon, which

our tutor Nigel Herwin will be delivering. The cost is

£38.40 and it will be run using zoom.

To enrol, visit our website: www.wea.org.uk (Course

number: C2227994) or phone 0300 303 3464.

Courses are free for those on benefits or reduced

income. For further information, or to get a simple

guide to access the course via zoom, please phone

Swaffham Community Centre on 01760 722800.

It was with sad hearts that we arranged yet another

course online. However we are planning to return to

the Community Centre, autumn 2021, completely

refurbished during lockdown. We look forward to

seeing you soon.

13

Swaffham History Group

John Child M.R.C.V.S.

One of the earliest (recorded) 'Veterinary Surgeons'

who practised in Swaffham was John Child. He was

born 24th January 1812 in Swaffham and was the only

son of two children born to Christopher and Frances

(Jessup) Child, a blacksmith. His formative years and

the family home of John were located in London

Street, Swaffham where his father Christopher had

his blacksmiths premises.

John had studied, obtained the necessary

qualifications from the Royal College of Veterinary

Surgeons and now practised his skills in Swaffham as

a veterinary surgeon. He married Mary Ann Rix and

they raised a family of 3 sons and 4 daughters (the

eldest son William worked as an assistant veterinary

to his father).

N.B. All John Childs' sons had a professional life with

animals becoming and having careers as veterinary

surgeons. On the death of his father, Charles Rix

Childs then took over and continued in his late

father's business as Veterinary Surgeon, Swaffham.

For more details regarding the group please phone

01842 879140 or Email jbaz@go-plus.net

John Child 1812--1876, Swaffham.

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

52 Filby Road, Swaffham, Norfolk PE37 7SX

14

SCALGA

Greetings from the allotments

We have had vast swings in the weather since our

last letter. Rain, snow, sun, high winds, short of

locusts we’ve pretty much had it all so far this year.

Along with Avian Flu restrictions and of course

COVID19, it has been difficult to report anything

really positive, however we keep battling on (what

else can you do)?

At last we seem to be creeping towards the slightly

better weather and plot holders have been able to

get on with the jobs that have been put off. Last

Sunday being sunny and quite warm the Allotments

were alive with sounds of rotovating, digging,

mowing and generally getting on with things. Whilst

we came home tired with the physical work it was a

nice feeling of moving forward.

Hopefully the restrictions regarding Avian Flu will be

lifted by the time this is published. It has been hard

to restrict the birds but luckily the allotments have

not been affected and I think that when we can let

the chickens out it will be like children rushing out

of school, so pleased to be able to scrap in the grass.

Since the first lock down we have had many new

people take over the vacant plots. We can only

admire the hard work that has gone into resurrecting

overgrown areas into working spaces. We will

certainly have our work cut out when (and if) we

have the Best Kept Allotment Competition this year.

For those of us who did not get round to planting

Broad Beans in the autumn early spring is a good

time and they do catch up, hopefully early plantings

have not rotted with the wet weather.

The potatoes are chitting away and it is becoming

a rush to get seeds going in the greenhouse or

indoors. Walking about everything is starting to

bud; it is uplifting even in these worrying times.

Some of our plot holders work the “no dig” system.

I had a very interesting and constructive chat with

one of our aficionados of this way and I am going to

try it out in some areas I am sure it is good for the

back and the environment!

'Spring is sooner recognised by plants than by men.'

Chinese Proverb

Forward dates for your diary

• AGM 26th May 7.30pm, Assembly Rooms.

• Other events to be announced, subject to easing

of restrictions.

If you are interested in taking a plot or a starter plot,

please give Graham or Jennifer Edwards a call on

07919 888870.

Swaffham Museum, Town Hall, London Street,

Swaffham PE37 7DQ. Tel: 01760 721230

Email: swaffhamheritage@gmail.com

To keep up to date join us on our website:

www.swaffhammuseum.co.uk

Museum Shop and TIC

opens Tues 13. April

Mon-Fri 10-4. Sat 10-1. Museum opens in May

• £25,000 jackpot!

• Sign up from £1 per week

• Help our cause help the community

• Don't miss the special draw!

To start supporting, visit:

www.ourbrecklandlottery.co.uk

and search for: Iceni Partnership

Supporters must be 16 years of age or older. Offer ends 24 th April. See website for terms and conditions.

Howard Carter snippets no.2 /10

The Parents

Samuel John (1835–1892) was a well- known

Victorian animal portrait painter. He spent his

childhood with his three brothers and two sisters

at Keeper’s Cottage. it is said that he was tutored

in art at a drawing class in Swaffham but we don’t

know where the children went to school. As an

adult he exhibited at The Royal Academy.

He married Martha Joyce Sands (1837 – 1920)

whose family home was on Lynn Street. Her father

was a builder and carpenter.

The couple’s first child, Morris Samuel, was born

and baptised in Swaffham and was buried in the

churchyard less than two years later. Shortly

afterwards, before 1861, they moved to London.

Samuel John was a prolific and popular painter of

animals, tame and wild. For many years he was also

the agricultural illustrator for The Illustrated News

in London.

The family would spend extended holidays in

Swaffham at the Sporle Road House.

15

Even ironing!

Tracy: 01362 820 966

Caroline: 01953 882 154

Mobile: 07927 161 201

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Swaffham & District Camera Club

In place of the club's normal competition evening

in February members sat back and enjoyed an

evening of stunning internal images taken in grand

and ruined buildings presented by James Kerwin.

By the wonders of the web, James, whose

current base is in Georgia was live from there and

interactive, via Zoom, on every member's screen.

We depict below a typical screen shot taken from

the presentation:

In place of the clubs normal competition evening in February members sat back and enjoyed an

evening of stunning internal images taken in grand and ruined buildings presented by James Kerwin.

By the wonders of the Web, James whose current base is in Georgia was live from there and

interactive, via Zoom, on every members screen. We depict below a typical screen shot taken from

the presentation.

The club's first meeting of March consisted of

the A.G.M. followed by a general knowledge

competition, with some rounds dedicated to

photographic subjects. The average score members

achieved would be a pass mark in many public

exams, but did leave some room for improvement.

The club's popular image competition evening

will be back for our second meeting of the month,

with the opportunity to enter images in three

individual sections which will be adjudicated by a

qualified external judge. It is intended that winning

images will form part of next month's entry for the

Swaffham Newsletter.

The club assists and encourages photographers of

all abilities, and looks forward to reconvening at its

new venue as soon as possible.

For further information please contact us by e-mail

at richardludlow@compuserve.com

The club's first meeting of March consisted of the A.G.M. followed by a general knowledge

compitition with some rounds dedicated to photographic subjects. The average score members

achieved would be a pass mark in many public exams. but did leave some room for improvement.

The Clubs popular image competition evening will be back for our second meeting of the month,

with the opportunity to enter images in three individual sections which will be adjudicated by a

qualified external judge. It is intended that winning images will form part of next months entry for

the Swaffham Newsletter.

The club assists and encourages photographers of all abilities, and looks forward to reconvening at

its new venue as soon as possible.

For further information please contact us by e-mail at richardludlow@compuserve.com

17

Mayor's Parlour

Dear All, Well, we are still waiting to really

be released, as I’ve said before, best be

safe rather than sorry. The vaccination

programme at Manor Farm for the area

is proving a great success, being rolled out

efficiently with the maximum doses being delivered.

Children are back to school and most I’m told, thrilled

to do so, well done to all those parents, it must have

been quite a challenging time.

As I speak, we’ve high winds and rain which is

contributing to very bad internet, so much so that our

meeting had to be concluded early due to so many

councillors unable to connect. Having said that our WiFi

in the town is pretty awful, it would be good to have the

views on this from the public so that we could try and

get something done.

We remain busy in the council especially regarding the

barn which we hope to purchase in the next couple of

months. A steering group will be formed and interested

parties with ideas encouraged to participate, it’s a very

exciting time for the town and what can be offered here

for our residents. At the moment we are waiting for the

consultants to come back and give us their thoughts on

how this can be managed.

Our event programme for this year has had to be

curtailed somewhat due to Covid, however, do hope

during the summer months some entertainment will

be possible. I must say I can’t imagine a day out in

Norwich, it’s going to be either a treat or something so

strange not to be repeated! Keep yourselves safe.

Best wishes, Jill

The Town Council

Mayor – Cllr. Jill Skinner

CllrSkinner.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Deputy Mayor – Cllr. Judy Anscombe

CllrAnscombe.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Lindsay Beech

CllrBeech.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Stewart Bell,

CllrBell.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Wendy Bensley

CllrBensley.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Paul Darby

CllrDarby.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Graham Edwards

CllrEdwards.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Brendan Holmes

CllrHolmes.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Colin Houghton

CllrHoughton.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Shirley Matthews

CllrMatthews.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Ian Pilcher

CllrPilcher.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Les Scott

CllrScott.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

Cllr. Kurt Oliver

CllrOliver.SwaffhamTC@gmail.com

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.

COVID thoughts and gradually coming out of

lockdown…

Just the mere thought of coming out of lockdown, fills

most people with hope, a hope for some normality

and the chance to meet up just for a cup of coffee

with friends and family, safely of course. There is

Covid or lockdown fatigue evident amongst us all,

that differs from person to person, depending on their

own experience. The roll out of the vaccine has been

nothing short of extraordinary and we have a lot to

thank our scientists for, and thank you, will never be

enough to our NHS and key workers. On a local level,

we have seen some great examples of selfless acts of

kindness and there are too many people to mention

here, and we will be forever in their debt.

From a Town Council perspective, what does coming

out of lockdown mean? First of all, we will get to see

all of the Councillors in the one room and not just on

a screen, at the very latest, it does look like this will

be possible for the Full Council meeting in July, if all

goes well with the roadmap targets that are now set

by government. Whilst we have managed to get by

with virtual meetings, the Council as a whole have

missed the dynamic of meeting face-to-face. Like

everything in life, it is a question of balance, and there

will still be a time and a place for virtual meetings,

but Councillors will relish the chance of getting back

to the Council Chamber, for the first time since March

last year.

For Council admin staff, it has been a case of just

getting on with the job in hand. Whether working

from home or at the Town Hall, an e-mail looks exactly

the same, the staff sound the same on a phone call

wherever they are, and the back-office admin has

been deliverable, even if the volume of work has

increased slightly during the pandemic period. So

much has been organised in the form of events, only

to be postponed, delayed, then cancelled, very time

consuming for a zero result. Again though, there is a

loss of the dynamic of working in the same office and

communication between colleagues and delegating

tasks, can be more challenging from a distance. It is

a different way of working, and as things come out

of lockdown it will be a case of getting the balance

right to maximise our output and presents us with an

opportunity of cutting some costs.

18

For Council outside staff, other than the first

lockdown where facilities were all closed, things have

only changed in working practices, where staff have

been requested to work alone, instead of in a team.

Services like our Market have had various stages to

manage, with total closure, gradual re-opening as a

food and essential goods Market, then a full phased

return, and partial closure back to limited stalls

remaining opening. All Covid safe measures were

put in place and remain in place. Managing more

burials than usual, again with the limited numbers in

attendance, it hasn’t been an easy period for anyone.

Keeping play areas and open spaces open, also

allotments and public toilets. Attending to the floral

displays around the Town, cutting grass and checking

play equipment all part of the routine on a daily basis.

If we can summarise what it means for the Town

Council to come out of lockdown, it gives us all a

chance for the person-to-person interaction again. In

general, the Town Council are no different to anyone

else, they have missed the human contact, even the

face-to-face complaints! Everyone has had their own

personal difficult issues and concerns to deal with,

so Councillors and Council staff are no different in

that respect. So, we’ll end back where we started, as

‘hope’ is what coming out of lockdown means, hope

for our local business to survive and thrive, hope for

everyone to keep healthy, to put a smile on the Town

and for Covid to be under control, hope that those

who have suffered loss can find some peace and

most of all is hope for some normality – stay safe…

Zoom Town Council Meeting – Adjourned In March…

Your Town Council have been holding all of their

meetings virtually since the 4th May 2020, this

followed the Covid-19 law being rushed through

parliament in April last year. On 10th March, due

to adverse weather conditions the Mayor had to

call a halt to proceedings, as the situation became

extremely difficult. We had sometimes three or four

Councillors dropping out of the meeting with no

signal, others you could see on screen and either

they couldn’t hear everyone else, or they couldn’t

hear them, and some did not have enough signal

to generate a video screen. So, the meeting was

adjourned first of all for 24-hours, then for a week,

as the shorter period became difficult for some

Councillors to re-arrange previous commitments. The

first meeting of its type that we have had to abandon.

So, the highlights will have to wait another month, as

the newsletter deadline has arrived too soon…

So, maybe this month we are not as exciting or as viral

as Jackie Weaver and Handforth Parish Council, but

we have had our moments… In general, all Parish and

Town Council’s have done well to adapt to a new way

of working, to keep things ticking over and address

the issues of the day. Virtual meetings have added a

new dimension and has given us some cost cutting

work practices, that may well continue beyond

the Covid Pandemic. Certainly, if legalised, hybrid

meetings could become the norm, with part face-toface

and part virtual meetings, to maximise the use of

the virtual technology. We do have an issue cropping

up after 7th May, as the ‘virtual meeting’ platform

was only legalised by the Covid-19 law up until that

date, so we await guidance from Government on

what we do between 8th May and 21st June, when

all the restrictions are planned to be lifted, subject to

the data confirming that it is safe to do so…

Recycling Bins Re-location

The recycled bins previously located outside the

Pedlars Café have finally been relocated to the Pedlars

Car Park. This has been a long-standing issue that

our Transport, Access and Environment Committee

have been trying to resolve. The previous location

meant that the first thing that people saw when they

entered the Town Centre from the Theatre Street Car

Park were the recycled bins, and it was hardly the

best advert for the Pedlars Café. Hopefully, people

will find the new location just as easy to access and

less imposing…

Litter Bins – If Full, Please Don’t Use The Floor…

Last month we had Ducks and Duck Poo, with Dogs

and Dog Poo, this month we’ll take a look at general

litter in and around the Town. It has been noticed

that the litter bins in the town are filling up at a rapid

rate, and part of the problem may be associated to

the increase in the take-aways, which are the only

choice at the present time. The bins themselves

are emptied on a daily basis by Breckland Council’s

contractors Serco. So perhaps additional bins are

the answer, as the High Street starts to open back

up again, so that we are able to keep the place tidy?

In the past we have also had groups of volunteers

who have successfully carried out a litter pick of

other areas of concern in the town, as these parts

are not under the contract, but still attract litter.

This could be a possibility in the future, as it is on

a Council Committee agenda very soon. One of the

new items that get discarded at the present time is

that of the ‘face-mask’, it is noticeable that these are

now a regular part of the litter pick operation and not

something you want to see in the hedgerows on the

entrances to the Towns either. PLEASE be vigilant as

you walk around our town, use the bins and if they

are full, take your litter home, as throwing the litter

on the ground means someone has to be paid to

pick it up, and the frequency and volume adds to the

cost, which means that public money gets spent on

this, rather than other more positive things the Town

might like or need – THANK YOU.

19

Swaffham Town Council

Tel: 01760 722 922

www.swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Town Hall opening times:

Monday 9.30am – 1pm. 1.30pm – 4pm

Tuesday - Friday – 9.30am – 1pm

Officers:

Richard Bishop – Town Clerk

townclerk@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk,

@SwaffhamClerk

Claire Smith – Deputy Town Clerk

deputyclerk@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Hannah Duggan – Office Administrator

administrator@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Town Council Committee

meeting dates

Virtual Zoom meetings

• Tue 6th – Transport, Access & Environment - 4pm

• Wed 14th - Full Town Council - 6.30pm

• Mon 19th – Market, Events & Tourism – 6.30pm

• Wed 21st - Estates, Heritage/Town Hall - 4pm

• Mon 26th – Finance Committee – 6.30pm

• Tue 27th - Planning & Built Environment – 4pm

Breckland District Council

www.breckland.gov.uk

01362 656 870. For all enquiries regarding: Planning,

Refuse Bins, Housing, Recycling, Licensing & Benefits.

Your Breckland District Councillors:

Cllr. David Wickerson

01760 725 741

david.wickerson@

breckland.gov.uk

Cllr. Ian Sherwood

07795 236 878

ian.sherwood@

breckland.gov.uk

Cllr Ed Colman - also your Norfolk County Councillor

07940 406 356

ed.colman@breckland.gov.uk / ed.colman.cllr@norfolk.gov.uk

Highway issues

Norfolk County Council – www.norfolk.gov.uk

– 0344 800 8020

For Highway issues & faulty street lights:

- Highways - please give the location of the issue and

a telephone number where further information can

be obtained.

- Faulty streetlights – please give the precise location

of the light and the number on the column.

Alternatively visit the website and search for Highways

or Street Lights to report your concerns.

OUR STORES WILL REOPEN AGAIN FROM MONDAY 12TH APRIL

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