Local Lynx No.146 (v2) October-November 2022

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deadly assassin, the speed of the catch was astonishing. Caught right above the river, then quickly off across the meadow for a tasty dinner of bat. The agility of this raptor knows no bounds, and it obviously has no respect for the protected status of bats. A final word about water quality developments. The Norfolk Rivers Trust has applied for planning permission to develop a re-naturalising diversion scheme along a stretch of the River Stiffkey where it passes the Iron Age fort site outside Warham. The plan is to divert the river into several channels and create more variation in flow velocity, using natural lows in the landscape. The aim is to improve the health of the river, increase biodiversity and return it to a much more natural state. There are a lot of technical issues to be overcome before permission can be obtained, but long term it is hoped this scheme and others like it will significantly improve our river’s health. Martin Williams NORTH NORFOLK BOOK WORMS Stiffkey Book Worms June & July Reviews Our June meeting was kindly hosted by Isabelle Tipple and the book discussed was Anxious People by Frederick Backman published in English in 2020 from its Swedish original. The plot is set on new year’s eve and involves a crime that never really takes place and the hostage situation of eight characters taking part in an open-house event by the failed would-be bank robber. As the novel progresses, the strangers begin to open-up to each other and hidden truths surface. There are themes of parenting, hope within hopelessness and the kindness of strangers. The local police are father and son with a complex relationship and all characters seem have reason to be the anxious people of the title. The book is heart-warming, poignant and witty and the group felt the translation was well done. With regards to the structure, there are times when the reader knows things that have yet to be revealed to the police which works well and the author definitely has a quirky writing style. There is a dry sense of humour that comes through the writing but several of us felt this led to some characters becoming quite annoying. There were times when the novel felt “farce like” and you need to suspend belief. Overall the book scored 3/5. Anxious People has now been made into a Netflix series which several of us had watched and thoroughly enjoyed so if the book does not appeal, do check the series out which gets a thumbs up. Our July meeting was hosted by Jane Hiscocks and was an outdoor event. The book discussed was Dare to Know by James Kennedy, 2021. This is a thriller set in a world where for a price, the exact moment of your death can be predicted. The story is narrated by a talented salesman working for a prestigious, world leading company in the death prediction business. Through flashbacks, we get to see how the narrator’s life became a failure, broke, divorced and estranged from his children. Its leads him to the ultimate employee sin of forecasting his own death – except he should have died 23 minutes earlier! The book was described as a “razor-sharp sci-fi corporate noir nightmare.” However, for most of our group, this book underdelivered. The premise of this book is intriguing although the reader is subjected to many flashbacks that are boring and do not seem to add to the story. It is a third of the way through before the narrator looks up his death. The final third of the book left most of us confused and a sense of the plot just unravelling. Several struggled to even finish this book so it was not a hit for our group. One of our members however did enjoy the writing style and found it to have a Raymond Chandler feel about it. Overall, not a hit for our part group it scored 2/5. Jane Hiscocks CHURCH NEWS This August, our church underwent a full architectural survey, which occurs every five years, 26
initiated by the diocese of Norwich. The usual comprehensive report will be provided to the parochial church council (PCC), enabling us to understand points of regular maintenance, any deterioration in the fabric of the church and helps to prioritise remedial and preventative actions. The PCC and many volunteers ran stalls (books, brica-brac, plants, produce, cakes, and Stiffkey aviary honey) on the church knoll on the August bank holiday Sunday morning in aid of our church. It was well attended by our local villagers and many passing motorists and cyclists and raised £499.76 including donations. We thank all involved and those who contributed to the sales. On Saturday 10 th September we held a sponsored walk/ bike ride of Norfolk churches run by the Norfolk Churches Trust. On writing this article, we are not able to report on this year’s event, but it is a regular feature in early September and a great way to help fundraising. Finally, as we reflect on the challenges faced by the farming community this year, we are happy to announce that there will be a harvest festival service at St. John’s, Stiffkey at 9:30am on the 2 nd <strong>October</strong>. All welcome. Alan Duff STIFFKEY PARISH COUNCIL Contact Details The Parish Council has changed its contact email. The website address will remain the same www.stiffkeyvillage.org but the email details for Catherine Moore, our Clerk, is now clerkstiffkey@gmail.com. Catherine can still be contacted via telephone as normal. Bridge at Stoney Road The National Trust have been asked to keep us updated on progress and actions but, unfortunately, there does seem to be a reluctance to do this in any meaningful way. As a result, the only updated information we had at the time of writing was that the National Trust were looking to meet a contractor in September about the bridge and that the earliest date they are working toward is 2023. This is obviously very disappointing. We will continue to keep trying to get information and updates and share these accordingly, but we would also encourage you all to communicate directly with the National Trust to ensure that the reinstatement of the bridge is not quietly forgotten about. Ambulance Response Times We continue to attend the regular meetings with the aim of trying to ensure response times improve. Response times, unfortunately, remain poor. It has become increasingly obvious that these are not going to improve in the short to medium term and as a result we are looking to see how Stiffkey residents can be better served. The best way to do this, at this point in time, is through the Community First Responders (CFR) network. Many of you will have seen the leaflet which accompanied the last copy of the <strong>Lynx</strong> and we have successfully recruited two people. They are currently undergoing training. We still need more volunteers. If you think you might be interested or would like to know more – please get in touch. You can go to the following https://www.eastamb.nhs.uk/join-the-team/ community-first-responders or you can email Alex via the clerk or talk to Alex (walking the dog or if you see her in the village). We Need Help To support the work of our Community First Responders (CFRs) we are looking to raise funds to provide them with the equipment they need. The CFR themselves are volunteers and receive no payment. The cost of fully equipping one CFR is approximately £3,000. Can you help us? For example, if you don’t need your £400 energy support payment – could you donate this and help with these costs? We know this is a lot of money to raise, but we would be very grateful if you could support us. Any support/contribution will be confidential. Please get in touch via clerkstiffkey@gmail.com. Alexandra Hooper No news from Langham School this time. DUNCAN BAKER M.P. N. Norfolk Conservative Assoc: 01692 557140 London Parliamentary Office 0207 2194841 www.duncanbaker.org.uk JEROME MAYHEW M.P. Broadland Conservative Assoc: 01603 865763 www.broadlandconservatives.org.uk 27
Page 1 and 2: ISSUE 146 October- November 2022 HM
Page 3 and 4: Church Services for Bale and Stiffk
Page 5 and 6: Developers Forum and Town and Paris
Page 7 and 8: June at the Salvation Army Hall in
Page 9 and 10: SAVE A LIFE Norfolk Accident Rescue
Page 11 and 12: TRIBUTE Mr Andrew Taylor, you will
Page 13 and 14: BINHAM ART GROUP The 2022 Binham Ar
Page 15 and 16: Ceilidh The Ceilidh is back on Satu
Page 17 and 18: London, and it was he who, between
Page 19 and 20: started racing. Her training for th
Page 21 and 22: £5376 including the cash collected
Page 23 and 24: hard to spot whilst others, like th
Page 25: everyone to be seen, Keys suggest a

Local Lynx No.146 (v2) October-November 2022

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