Local Lynx No.138 - June/July 2021

ISSUE 138 

June - July 

2021 

Gunthorpe, June 2012 

ADS DIRECTORY now on back page and at 

www.locallynx.co.uk 

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WHAT’S ON 

Village Hall = VH 

JUNE 

15 th Tue. Sharrington Gardeners Group, Thorpland Hall 

2pm 

21 st Mon. Binham Memorial Hall AGM, VH 7pm 

22 nd Tue. Sharrington Village Hall AGM, VH 7pm 

26 th Sat. Sharrington Church Coffee Morning, All Saints 

Cottage 10am 

JULY 

1 st Thu. Sharrington Craft Group, VH 2pm 

7 th Wed. Sharrington Gardeners Group, Garden Safari, 

Great Snoring 2.30pm 

17 th Sat. Bale Pizza Party, VH 6.30pm 

17 th Sat. Langham Blood Cancer Sale, VH 10am-12noon 

24 th Sat Binham Priory Concerts, Norwich Baroque, BP 

matinee and evening tbc 

POST OFFICE & LIBRARY BUSES 

Wednesdays Langham Mobile Post Office VH 8.50-9.20am 

Thursdays 24 June & 22 July Field Dalling Library Bus, 

Highfield, 16.25-16.45 

Thursdays 24 June & 22 July Langham Library Bus, St 

Mary’s Estate 15.30-15.50 

Thursdays 24 June & 22 July Langham Library Bus, 

Cornfields, 16.00-16.15 

Thursdays 24 June & 22 July Morston Library Bus, Anchor 

Pub 10.50-11am 

REGULARS (All subject to easing of Lockdown) 

Tuesday Binham, Art Group BMH 9.30am to 12.30pm 

First and third Tuesdays in the month Binham, Sew and 

Natter, The Gallery in the Chequers, 7-9pm 

Wednesdays term time Binham Youth Group, BMH 6- 

8pm 

Third Wednesday in the month, Binham, Cosy Club, 

BMH, 2-4pm 

Third Thursday in the month Binham & Hindringham 

Open Circle Meeting, Hindringham VH 7.15pm 

Fourth Thursday in the month Binham Local History 

Group, BMH 7.30pm 

1 st & 3 rd Saturdays in month Langham Coffee Mornings, VH 

10am -12noon (VH currently closed at time of going to 

press) 

Lynx 138 and all back issues are permanently available 

on our website at www.locallynx.co.uk. The website now 

has an Ads Directory, an ‘In More Detail’ page and a 

‘Local Charities’ page to cover relevant articles in 

greater depth. (Paper copies of website articles are always 

available from Roberta on 01263 740188.) 

Local Lynx is a non-profit-making community 

newspaper for the ten villages of the benefice. 

_________________________________________________________________________ 

We welcome articles, drawings, photos, poetry and 

advertisements for publication fr om all ages but 

the editor reserves the right to edit or omit 

submissions. A maximum of 400 words is 

recommended. Please contact your local rep on 

their email or phone number listed under your own 

village heading. 

All submissions must go through the village rep. 

For general information: lynxeditor@pobox.com. 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Deadlines for submissions to reps are: 6 January, 

6 March, 6 May, 6 July, 6 September & 6 November 

Newsletter and Website Advertising 

For enquiries about advertising in Local Lynx, contact 

Sally Metcalfe: sallymetcalfe@btinternet.com 

Rates for advertising (pre-paid) are: 

One column x 62 mm (1/8 page): £72 for six issues. 

Small Ads Panel on the back page: 

Available for individuals and businesses 

providing local services. Cost: £36 for six issues. 

CLASH DIARY 

If you are arranging a big event, contact your village rep 

to add it to our clash diary, then check the diary to see 

what else is going on. 

August: Sat. 22 Langham Party on playing field 

BLAKENEY METHODIST CHURCH 

Minister: The Rev’d Jacqui Horton Tel: 01760 720858. 

rev.jacqui.horton@gmail.com 

Samantha Parfitt: Steward/Pioneer Rural Church Planter 

sammi.1980@live.co.uk Tel: 01263 711824 

BLAKENEY CATHOLIC CHURCH 

Back Lane Blakeney 

Parish Priest: Father Keith Tulloch, 

Contact : Tel: 01328 713044 

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Church Services for the Stiffkey and Bale Benefice for June and July 2021 

HC=Holy Communion. CFS=Church Family Service. MP=Morning Prayer. BCP=Book of Common Prayer 

Parish 6 th June 13 th June 20 th June 27 th June 

Bale 9.30am HC 9.30am HC 

Field Dalling 11.00am CFS At Saxlingham 11.00am MP BCP 

Saxlingham At Field Dalling 11.00am MP BCP At Field Dalling 

Gunthorpe 11.00am MP BCP 4.30pm Silent Meditation 

Sharrington 9.30am MP BCP 9.30am HC 9.30MP CW 9.30am HC 

Binham 11.00am HC 11.00 MP BCP 11.00am MP BCP 

Morston 9.30am HC BCP 9.30am MP BCP 

Langham At Stiffkey 9.30am MP BCP At Stiffkey 9.30am MP BCP 

Stiffkey 9.30am MP BCP At Langham 9.30am HC BCP At Langham 

Parish 4 th July 11 th July 18 th July 25 th July 

Bale 9.30am HC 9.30am HC 

Field Dalling 11.00am CFS At Saxlingham 11.00am MP BCP 

Saxlingham At Field Dalling 11.00am MP BCP At Field Dalling 

Gunthorpe 11.00am MP BCP 4.30pm Silent Meditation 

Sharrington 9.30am HC 9.30am MP BCP 9.30am MP CW 9.30am HC 

Binham 11.00am HC 11.00am MP BCP 

Morston 9.30am HC BCP 11.00am MP BCP 

Langham 9.30am MP BCP At Stiffkey 9.30am MP BCP 

Stiffkey At Langham 9.30am HC BCP At Langham 

Zoom services: 6 th June and 4 th July, 5.00pm. 

For details please contact Ian Newton on 01328 830947 or iannewton46@gmail.com. 

RECTOR’S LETTER 

My Dear Friends and Parishioners, 

Over the years this little bit of the Old Testament has 

come to me with ancient and new vigour, Isaiah Chapter 

35; and I would recommend you to have a look: v.1 

“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for 

them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the 

rose.” – Here is Spring..., the remembrance and daily 

delight of newness. I have watched flowers and leaves 

come to life here and have been pulled up with them. 

But there is sadness, always sadness. I see more 

dying and dead people than do most, but there is another 

line: v.4 “Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be 

strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with 

vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come 

and save you.” That floors me. And it lifts me. Our Lord 

God is the Lord of Life. It was wonderful that in our 

parishes on Easter Sunday 266 people worshipped 

publicly. He rose for us all. 

Now, v.10 ”And the ransomed of the Lord shall 

return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy 

upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and 

sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Christ Jesus is 

King and Lord of All. You. Me. The Pigs. The Goats. 

The Chickens. The newts. Now is the time of our Wake 

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up. Be stirred. Be of good cheer. By His blood we are 

saved. 

May I wish you a full Enjoyment of the Summer. 

Yours very truly, 

Ian Whittle Sanguis Christi vivifira nos. 

The Rectory, Langham 01328 830246

LOOKING AFTER LOCAL LYNX 

Local Lynx is a not-for-profit community paper 

covering the villages of Bale, Binham, Cockthorpe, 

Field Dalling, Gunthorpe, Langham, Morston, 

Saxlingham, Sharrington and Stiffkey. 

Published every other month, it contains community 

news as well as news and articles from each of the 

villages together with details of church services and 

news from the local school in Langham. 

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COMMUNITY nEWS 

COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S NEWS 

...from Steffan Aquarone 

The green vote came out loud and clear in North Norfolk 

and for this reason I have stepped down as group leader on 

the county council because of my party’s stance on the 

Western Link. I am grateful to the people of Melton 

Constable for their continued support of me and look 

forward to continuing my role as their representative. I 

would be delighted to respond to any county related queries, 

on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, from anyone else in the 

Lynx area. 

Steffan Aquarone 

County Councillors’ contact details: 

NEWLY ELECTED Michael Dalby: County Councillor 

Wells Division - Glaven, Priory and Walsingham Parishes (incl. 

Binham & Cockthorpe, Brinton & Sharrington, Field Dalling& 

Saxlingham, Langham, Morston, Stiffkey) 

michaeljdblues@outlook.com 

Steffan Aquarone: County Councillor Melton Constable 

Division ( incl. Bale and Gunthorpe Parishes) 

steffanaquarone@gmail.com or 07879 451608 

DISTRICT COUNCILLORS’ NOTES 

...from Andrew Brown 

Rural Services Network (RSN) Seminar 

I attended a zoom meeting of the RSN with delegates 

from all areas of the country dealing with problems of rural 

transport, economies and affordable housing in rural areas 

and national strategy for levelling up rural areas such as 

ours. Since 2009 there has been a 45% drop in funding for 

rural transport and 500% more is spent on transport in urban 

areas although people travel twice the distance to access key 

services in rural as compared to urban areas. 

The Government White Paper on buses as good as 

recognises the failings of previous public transport policies 

and with £3 billion being injected now we will wait to see if 

the much needed reforms do materialise. 

Support For Businesses Re-opening After Covid 

The Council recognises that many businesses will be 

busy making arrangements and adjustments to their 

businesses ahead of projected re-opening dates; many 

businesses may be feeling uneasy or unsure how to safely re 

-open their doors and welcome customers back in to the 

premises. 

To alleviate some of the stress of working out how to reopen 

safely, the Council’s Public Protection team have put 

together some checklists and information on best practice 

for making sure your work place is as safe and COVID-19 

compliant as possible. This includes guidance on 

completing a COVID-19 Risk Assessment, a Foods 

Standard Agency re-opening checklist and a list of COVID- 

19 priority actions for shops and retail businesses. 

Arrangements For Future Parish Council Meetings 

The Government announced that they would not extend 

the emergency legislation on virtual meetings beyond 7 th 

May despite announcing that indoor gatherings by business, 

charities and public bodies cannot take place until 17 th May. 

We on the Council urged the Government to reverse their 

position and not to force face-to-face meetings until all 

restrictions are lifted. An application to the courts has been 

made to obtain a legally binding declaration that Councils 

already have the required powers to continue holding online 

meetings. 

Andrew Brown

…from Dr. Victoria Holliday 

I am delighted to become the new district councillor for 

Coastal Ward. 

Please do get in touch with me about any issues or 

concerns and I’ll do my best to help. I’m Chair of Cley 

Parish Council and been based in Cley most of my life, so I 

know the pressures on our beautiful villages and coast. 

Apart from what you ask me to help with, my main focus 

will be: planning decisions that respect, protect and preserve 

the unique character of our villages and landscapes; the right 

balance between tourism and the environment; building 

affordable housing where possible and where not, retaining 

what there is; abolishing loopholes in second home taxation; 

improving broadband and mobile phone coverage; reducing 

ambulance response times. 

I’m looking forward to hearing from you. 

District Councillors’ Contact Details: 

NEWLY ELECTED Dr.Victoria Holliday(Morston&Stiffkey) 

victoria.holiday@north-norfolk.gov.uk or 07557 054629 

Richard Kershaw e:richard.kershaw@north-norfolk.gov.uk 

(Binham, Cockthorpe, Field Dalling, Gunthorpe & Bale, Langham 

& Saxlingham) 

Andrew Brown e:andrew.brown@north-norfolk.gov.uk 

(Sharrington) 

NEW POLICE & CRIME COMMISSIONER 

Giles Orpen-Smellie has been announced as Norfolk’s 

new Police and Crime Commissioner following elections 

held across England and Wales on Thursday 6th May 2021. 

FARMING UPDATE 

MARCH – APRIL 2021 

Singin’ in the rain 

As usual, I’m writing this update after the required 

submission deadline and in doing so, it struck me how 

quickly fortunes can change when you rely so heavily on 

the weather. Had I written this when I was supposed to, I 

would have focussed on the arduous and somewhat 

inevitable lack of rainfall that occurred for the six weeks 

between mid-March and late-April. Despite moaning about 

the fact it wouldn’t stop raining for the previous six months, 

the situation soon tipped the other way and we desperately 

required rain to help the newly planted spring barley and 

sugar beet start growing. As my wife was quick to point out 

“you are never happy about the weather”. Although the 

disdain in the delivery of this statement is entirely justified it 

is not wholly correct: you see I am happy with the weather 

on lots of occasions…just never for very long! 

However, today is one such rare occasion because in the 

last 48 hours we have received about an inch of gentle, 

steady rain, which has reinvigorated winter cereals and 

given previously ungerminated spring seeds a chance of life. 

If the forecast is correct, which they often are these days, 

then we will soon see a return to sunny weather and 

potentially even an increase in temperatures, breaking free 

of the chill that has stayed with us since winter. There is a 

long way to go yet but the probable yield-robbing effects of 

the dry soil, and hence lack of nutrition getting into the 

plant, have been curtailed for the time being and many crops 

now look full of potential. JD,Albanwise Farming Manager 

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Do you suppose Nurse Trubshaw might be dissuaded from yelling 

“One hundred and eight-tay…” every time her vaccination needle 

lands smack on target? 

BALE 

Contact: Maggie Thomas 01328 822481 

maggie2403@icloud.com 

WILD BALE 

Nesting Birds 

The nesting season is in full swing with some fledged 

birds already appearing in our gardens and many more 

incubating eggs and feeding nestlings. 

The structural complexity of avian nests has interested 

ornithologists for centuries and with nests ranging from 

Oystercatchers nesting in a scrape on open ground to the 

Kingfisher digging a metre-long tunnel in a sand cliff and 

the Osprey constructing a metre-wide nest of large sticks, 

the diversity of nests is fascinating. Factors that determine 

the nest type include the habitat the bird occupies, the size 

and structure of the bird and competition for nesting sites 

among species. Nests must provide satisfactory shelter for 

incubating eggs and prevent predation of, generally, the 

female on the nest. 

House Martins construct very conspicuous nests, sited 

on buildings, having evolved from cliff nesting. The nest 

structure, made from mud, is well built and inaccessible to 

most predators. Oystercatchers and Ringed Plover, found 

along our shingle beaches in north Norfolk, nest directly on 

the ground with the eggs ‘hidden’ among the stones and 

well protected by the parents. These ground-nesting birds 

are vulnerable to disturbance by dogs, even when the dog is 

on a lead. Dogs, and their owners, are seen as threats, 

causing the Ringed Plover to leave the eggs in order to 

distract the intruder away from the nest leaving the eggs or 

young to be taken by the local gulls. 

Our Swifts have now returned and will nest under the 

eaves of a building or in a purpose-built nest box. They 

collect all their nesting material from the air, gathering 

feathers from woodpigeon and gulls as they shed them in 

flight. The nest is a simple pile of feathers. The eggs have a 

thick shell, giving extra protection from the parent birds: the 

Swift is clumsy in the nest and will often knock or move the 

eggs. However, the main reason for the thickness of the eggshell 

is to enable the adult to leave the eggs unincubated for 

up to three days if the weather turns colder and they need to 

fly south, to a warmer climate, to feed. 

The cuckoo does not build a nest but lays an egg in the 

©AndrewMoncur

nest of a dunnock, meadow pipit or reed warbler. The 

surrogate parents incubate and feed the 

cuckoo chick, the impulse to care for the 

young in the nest overwhelming the fact 

that it is a different species. (right: reed 

warbler with cuckoo in nest - photo 

Paul Laurie) 

We can help our garden nesting 

birds by providing nesting sites, leaving 

shrubs and hedges to grow between 1 st 

April and 1 st August and ensuring there 

is food and water available for the parent birds allowing the 

insect food to be used to feed the nestlings. Paul Laurie 

ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH, BALE 

We were very pleased to welcome back Rev Tim 

Fawcett to conduct Holy Communion services in May. Tim 

has been a great friend to us over the years and was sorely 

missed while he was shielding. Our thanks go to Roger 

Bland, who led services of Morning Prayer in the interim. 

We are now, hopefully, back on track with Communion 

services on at least the first and third Sundays of each 

month; a message is sent out on the Bale WhatsApp Group 

every week to confirm. There is a full schedule both in this 

magazine and in the church porch for those who would like 

to attend. 

We are most grateful to all those who responded to our 

appeal for church cleaners and flower arrangers. Rotas are 

now organised which should not be too arduous for anyone 

involved and should keep All Saints looking cared-for and 

welcoming. Even if you would not consider yourself a 

church-goer, please feel free to go in at any time: after the 

last year or so, many of us feel the need to reflect in a quiet 

space and the church is open every day. 

PM 

HUNDRED CLUB DRAW RESULTS 

We are continuing to hold the draw despite fish and 

chips not being possible just yet. If you would like to 

join, please see Bale Village Hall article. 

March 2021: Jane Wheeler £25, Sally Day £10, Ruth 

Hulton £5, Maggie Thomas £5. April 2021: Margaret Dent 

£25, Eva Postan £10, Richard Scott £5, Will Powney £5. 

BALE BOOK GROUP 

‘Such a Fun Age’ by Kiley Reid 

Another Zoom meeting but we are much more used 

to it now. I chose this book as it had many great reviews 

and I needed to submit my choice in a hurry! I had not 

read it before. It is the debut novel of the up-andcoming 

American author Kiley Reid. One of the 

runaway literary successes of last year, the book tells 

the story of a young black babysitter and the white 

woman who pays her to care for her toddler. It has 

become a book club favourite (although not ours), 

longlisted for the Booker prize, and is now being 

adapted for the screen. 

‘Such a Fun Age’ tells the story of Emira, a young black 

woman who works as a nanny for a white family. It opens 

with a set piece when Emira, who is partying with a group 

of girlfriends, is summoned by her employers late one night 

to take their small daughter, Briar, off their hands while they 

sort out a domestic incident. Still in her party clothes, Emira 

is instructed to take little Briar to the local supermarket. 

There, in a racially-charged showdown, she is confronted by 

a security guard who suggests that she has kidnapped the 

child. The episode is filmed by an indignant white male 

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shopper. The matter is quite quickly resolved and Emira 

does not wish to take it any further. However, she has not 

reckoned with the contortions of white conscience who, 

with various reasons of their own, will not let it rest. 

The plot drives on with inexorable momentum which 

keeps it light and multifaceted and made me want to 

keep on reading it. There were very mixed views in the 

group which began with some members feeling that the 

basis for the story was unbelievable or unlikely. The 

majority didn’t enjoy it and were not convinced by the 

characters. The story leans on a difficult history of black 

service and holds up a mirror to society even when the 

reflection isn’t the one you want to see. Many of the 

book’s themes around racial tension and healthcare in 

particular are grounded in America but liberal guilt is a 

global phenomenon. There are also themes around 

friendship and privilege. 

The novel is shrewd yet funny, making you wonder how 

rampant casual racism actually is, but it doesn’t become 

preachy. The exuberant narration and astute commentary 

around timely topics make it a highly readable book. 

Sandy Chapman 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT #4 

We were a group of four friends with birthdays within 

six weeks of each other, bookended by my partner on 

Bonfire Night and me on Christmas Day. Back in the early 

1990s, eating out wasn’t as commonplace as it is now – or 

at least as it was before lockdown. And, frankly, it could be 

pretty ropey, even in London where we were then living. 

Rather than settle for four so-so meals, we decided to push 

the boat out and combine them into a single evening that we 

hoped would live long in the memory. And here we are, 

almost thirty years later, and I can still remember it vividly. 

The restaurant was one of those special places where 

they went out of their way to make us feel at home, even 

though it had a stellar reputation. It was used to catering for 

the well-heeled and famous: we were seated next to Anita 

Dobson and Brian May, with their matching hair, for 

anyone that remembers them! The staff were unfailingly 

friendly, fantastically attentive but not overbearing, and 

delicious things would appear, as if by magic, just when 

required. The air hummed with excitement and everything 

was just that bit shinier and more beautiful somehow. I had 

my first taste of a champagne cocktail and we drank wine 

from Francis Ford Coppola’s private vineyard in California, 

recommended to us as a more affordable choice, I kid you 

not. We did also eat food: some of the best food I’ve ever 

eaten in my life. 

The restaurant was called Bibendum, the chef/proprietor

was one Simon Hopkinson and the book I want to draw 

from this month is his Roast Chicken and Other Stories, 

which I bought in 1994 shortly after it was published. It’s a 

wonderful book, arranged in short chapters, alphabetically 

according to ingredients. I’ve cooked most of the recipes in 

it over the years and, as we’re allegedly moving towards 

summer, despite the temperatures, I’d like to share a crab 

recipe with you. This one doesn’t appear in the book’s 

‘crab’ chapter. Rather, it’s in the ‘coriander’ chapter and is 

an adaptation of a Vietnamese dipping sauce. 

You will need: a small bunch of coriander, leaves only, 

finely chopped; 6 mint sprigs, leaves only, finely chopped; 4 

small garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped, 4 small 

green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped; 1 heaped tbsp 

sugar; juice of 5 limes; 8 tbsp fish sauce, such as nam pla; 8 

tbsp cold water. 

All you do is mix all the ingredients together in a small 

bowl. Mr Hopkinson recommends it as a dressing for many 

things, particularly for crab meat, for which he says it has no 

rival. I’m not going to argue with that. 

AM 

BALE VILLAGE HALL 

It is such a relief to be able to announce that the Hall is 

now back in action and will be hosting its first village 

gathering, on 17 th July, with a Pizza & Prosecco evening. 

This has already proved very popular and has ‘sold out’ via 

the Bale Village WhatsApp Group and word-of-mouth. 

However, if you would like to put your name on the reserve 

list, please text Paul on 07811 339177 as there may be 

cancellations nearer the time. If you have already booked 

for the festivities and find that your plans change, we would 

ask you to let Paul know as supply is exceeding demand on 

this one. The event is open to all Bale residents and there is 

no charge. 

Incidentally, joining the WhatsApp group is proving a 

very good way of keeping track of what is going on in the 

village and has been a godsend during the interminable 

lockdown. To get involved, contact Alastair on 07791 

456819 and he will add you to the group. 

July is the annual renewal date for the 100 Club. Could 

members please pay their subs either by BACS (details 

below) or cash to Paul or Alastair. For those who are new to 

this, the 100 Club is run by Bale Village Hall, with a draw 

the second week of the month and cash prizes of £25, £10 

and two of £5: all for the bargain subscription of £12 per 

year! A note to anyone who joined during lockdown: if you 

paid £12, please reduce your renewal payment as 

appropriate if we were a little over-enthusiastic and asked 

for the full amount for only part of the year. 

Payment details are: Sort: 20-30-81, A/C: 10142182, 

Bale Village Hall. Use 100 and your surname as the 

reference. 

Paula Moore 

BALE PAINTING GROUP 

We expect the Government to relax restrictions from 21 st 

June. Exactly what will remain in place is uncertain. In the 

meantime we are looking to restart the weekly painting 

sessions at Bale Village Hall as soon as is practicable. 

If you are interested in joining the group, you are most 

welcome. The sessions are usually every Monday from 

10am to 1pm and/or 2pm to 5pm. Please contact us at 

TheBalePaintingGroup@outlook.com. Peter Jones 

BINHAM 

Contact: Liz Brady 01328 830830 

lizsdavenport@gmail.com 

BINHAM PARISH COUNCIL 

I am glad to report the aliens in the fields have left us. 

After a long spell of dry but cold weather much needed rain 

has fallen. As if by magic the fields and gardens are coming 

to life, the cattle are grazing in the meadows, lambs 

frolicking not forgetting the piglets enjoying the mud and 

dust in the surrounding fields. The countryside looks and 

feels magical, full of promise for the rest of the year. 

The COVID pandemic has been tamed in the United 

Kingdom, not least because of the amazing vaccination 

programme and due diligence of the population. In some 

areas surge testing is employed, fortunately for North 

Norfolk this has not been an issue. However, the infection 

rate (R=0.8-1.1) hints that we still need to remain cautious 

and pay attention to the guidance especially as we approach 

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the government’s roadmap Step 3 on May 17th. At this 

point hospitality, accommodation and entertainment venues 

will open with some social distancing restrictions still in 

place. The good news is that it enables families and friends 

to come together again in the guise of overnight domestic 

stays. But the Rule of 6 and two households indoors only 

will continue to apply as we travel to and from different 

parts of the county and wider country where the COVID 

levels have been consistently higher than here in North 

Norfolk. There are hints of some changes to social contact 

guidelines, so keeping up to date with official websites will 

offer additional support if one is unsure https://www.gov.uk/ 

guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-youcan-and-cannot-do#april-whats-changed. 

The most recent data (March/April) extracted from SAM 

demonstrates variation in traffic volume passing through the 

village depends on farming activity, weather and this last 

year COVID restrictions. SAM has been repositioned eight 

times this past 12 months and positioned twice at each 

location except Cockthorpe. 120,000 and 32,000 Vehicles 

have passed through Binham between May to November 

2020 and January to April 2021 respectively, 10,836 

through Cockthorpe in September 2020. Basically, there is a 

fair volume of traffic passing through the villages on a daily 

basis. 

The data collected does not demonstrate the perception 

that the majority of vehicles are speeding. The average 

speed is below the limit of 30mph in all locations. If 

speeding is occurring, it is generally in the evening and early 

morning. The most recent notable records of excessive 

speed of two vehicles (69 and 93 mph) along Front street 

despite more residents or work vehicles being parked. Until 

we settle back into ‘normal’ daily routines, it is difficult to 

say if the pattern or volume of traffic we currently 

experience will continue. SAM is deployed to a different 

spot on a monthly basis, equivalent data collected and 

reported to the bimonthly PC meetings for action where 

necessary. 

The Parish Council has a full agenda for its meeting on 

May 7th as posted on the village notice boards and on line 

https://binhampc.norfolkparishes.gov.uk. There are one 

or two things that the PC wish to consider in the future and 

I would welcome any comments as to how we might 

proceed. These being: 

Adopting the Red Telephone Kiosk situated on Front 

Street for £1 from BT. It is a historical feature and to that 

end we think that it should be preserved and restored. The 

question to the parish would be – what do you think we 

might use it for? Many villages already have restored their 

phone boxes to good use not least to house a defibrillator, 

8 

recycling books and toys, plants and art displays. If you 

have any other ideas then please let us have them to 

consider and develop further. 

Litter collecting on the roadsides, hedges, paths and 

play areas in and around the villages’ countryside is 

perceived to be an ongoing problem. A number of 

individuals in the area always take a bin bag out on their 

walks to pick up such rubbish. Some even undertake pulling 

a vehicle front end out of a hedgerow with the hope that it 

would be removed which eventually it was. All such litter, 

household rubbish, discarded paint tins, drinks cans and 

food packaging, are hazardous to man and beast alike. As 

we are asked to become more ecologically aware the PC 

will give consideration as to the best way forward. If anyone 

wishes to contribute to this debate then please be in contact 

with any suggestions you may have to enable a more ecofriendly 

and rubbish free environment. 

A recent Community update received from the Wells 

Safe Neighbourhood team sntwells@norfolk.pnn.police.uk 

has alerted the PC to rethink about the best way forward to 

reduce Cold Calling in the Parish, especially as the country 

emerges for the Pandemic. This scheme will enable Binham 

and Cockthorpe to be designated as a No Cold Calling 

Zone. Norfolk County Council Trading will support the 

collective wishes of the residents, so the majority of the 

people living in the area must want the zone to be created. 

As we develop our approach to this the PC will be in touch 

and hope that creating such a zone is designed to act as a 

deterrent to unscrupulous traders and bogus callers. 

Your comments to the PC chair at lizsdavenport 

@gmail.com about the above, or any other projects in the 

Parish, are most welcome. 

We will be saying cheerio and thank you so much to 

Marie Strong, who for the past twelve years has been the 

Norfolk County Councillor for the Wells division. Marie 

has been a stalwart in this post and Binham and Cockthorpe 

PC council has benefited hugely from her enormous 

knowledge of the vagaries of NCC and her wise counsel. 

Nothing has ever been too much trouble either to assist and 

or support Binham and Cockthorpe PC in their decision 

making or tackling tricky ongoing challenges on the PC’s 

behalf at County level. We do hope and wish Marie and her 

husband Mike will enjoy a long well-earned rest from the 

many and often back to back meetings in the area and at 

County. No doubt as we can get out and about we will 

bump into her and look forward to those encounters. 

By the middle of June, not long now, we should be free 

of the stringent COVID restrictions and begin to return to 

normal life, whatever that will be. In the meantime the PC 

would urge everyone to please continue to be vigilant and 

mindful of Hands, Face, Space, and Fresh Air and to 

practice all the basic precautionary methods which have so 

far kept us safe and free of COVID. 

Elizabeth S Brady, Chair Binham PC 

BINHAM PRIORY CHURCH 

As we hopefully come gently out of Covid precautions it 

is difficult to set out, with any certainty, the opening times in 

June and July for visiting the Church for individual prayer, 

corporate worship or events. As most will know we’ve 

managed to keep the church open daily from 11am to 

3.30pm. This has been due to the army of volunteer 

cleaners, arranged by Liz Brady, wiping down and 

sanitising the surfaces that might have been touched. A big 

“thank you” to all who have been involved and we hope you 

can keep it up until these precautions no longer need to be

taken. 

With regard to services, it is aimed to have a formal 

service on each Sunday, the first three Sundays in each 

month it will be 11am and on the fourth 9.30am. The form 

will either be Holy Communion or Morning Prayer, each 

with music. The services will be advertised in posters and 

on the Parish website. 

We have two concerts planned for July and August. 

Geoff Scott, our Director of Music, has explained the 

tentative arrangements elsewhere. 

The work of fitting the door in the Pulpitum Wall at the 

east end of the Church should be completed before the 

middle of May. This will replicate the historic link between 

the “Monks Church”, dedicated to St Mary, and now 

ruinous after the Dissolution in 1539, and our “Parish 

Church” dedicated to The Holy Cross, allowed to stand at 

the Dissolution. On a practical level it will be useful as a 

safety exit when the Church is full, allow flexibility of entry/ 

exit for performers enhancing the staging of concerts and 

drama, as well as demonstrating the functioning relationship 

between the monks and the villagers in the two churches 

making up the complete Priory. 

Also, on this theme of giving visitors to the Binham 

Priory a feeling of being there before the Dissolution, we are 

trialling playing Gregorian Chant and other appropriate 

choral music softly as a background as would have been 

heard performed by the monks daily at their seven 

devotional services in the Monks Church and wafting over 

the Pulpitum Wall. It would have been open above the base 

of the window, as the blocking up to the roof was only 

added after the Dissolution. We are very grateful to Geoff 

Scott for providing and setting up the recording equipment. 

Maureen and David Frost 

BINHAM VILLAGE HALL NEEDS YOU 

The 2021 AGM for Binham Village Hall will be held on 

Monday June 21st at 7pm in the hall. After over a year of 

inactivity it will be great to welcome people back to our 

wonderful hall. 

We have two vacancies on the committee to fill this 

year, one for the position of Treasurer, the other for a 

committee member. We are a friendly group of people who 

oversee the running and upkeep of the hall, and normally 

meet once a month and hold various other events 

throughout the year. 

If you are interested, whether you are new to the village 

or been here a while and would like to be involved either 

contact me on 01328 830178 or come along to the meeting. 

Looking forward to seeing you there. 

Andrew Marsh (Chairman) 

BRIGHTEN UP BINHAM 

A massive Thank You to everyone who has so far 

contributed to Brighten up Binham. 

Thanks to Jeremy Taylor for donating the wood for the 

planters, Stanley for making the planters and also to Alex 

and William for sponsoring the planters on school corner. 

We have put 22 planters around the village and hope that 

by the time you read this they will all be planted up. 

If you would like to help in any way please contact 

either Liz 07435 788221 or Janet 01328 830652. We would 

love the children to make small scarecrows to put in the 

planters. For more information ring Liz (07435 788221). 

Thanks. 

BINHAM VILLAGE HALL 

The village hall AGM is to be held on Monday June 21st 

at 7pm, followed by the parish meeting. Please come along 

and hear from all the different village clubs, groups etc. 

from our village with their plans for 2021/22. You may like 

to join in with some of them in the future. Refreshments will 

be provided. 

Any ideas for how to dress our large village hall window 

in the future, then please give Liz a ring (07435 788221). 

PRIORY CONCERTS, JULY/AUGUST 

Plans are being made to hold two concerts in the Priory 

this summer. We may still have to follow certain Covid 

restrictions, so in order to keep social distancing, we are 

thinking of having a matinée and an evening performance 

for each concert. Precise details, including how to purchase 

tickets, will be available on the web site in June, but please 

make a note of the dates now in your diaries. 

Saturday, 24 July Norwich Baroque 

Saturday, 7 August Brook Street Band 

Both Norwich Baroque and The Brook Street Band have 

delighted audiences at previous Binham Priory concerts. 

THE FRIENDS OF BINHAM PRIORY 

Who would have thought just over a year ago, at our gin 

tasting and AGM in the village hall, that our next annual 

meeting would be conducted via Zoom? At that stage, had 

many of us even used Zoom? 

Moving with the times - and the support of our 

membership – a very small 2021 AGM was held by the 

committee over the internet in March. Our chairman’s 

report recalled a year of no events but a major expense of 

nearly £2,000 for emergency electrical work, some of which 

has kept the outdoor floodlights shining on magnificent 

Binham Priory Church. 

9

We were sad to note that some of our members had not 

renewed this year. We would love to have you back! Please 

consider continuing your membership. 

We also throw out an invitation for new members to join 

us, including newcomers to Binham who wish to support 

our endeavours to help keep the Priory Church building 

alive for generations to come. It is just £10 for an individual 

for a year. There are no obligations, but we love to see you 

at events that appeal to you. 

The country has made good progress fighting Covid-19 

and the FoBP committee is still working behind the scenes 

to get back on track with fund raising. We are very hopeful 

of announcing a November date for our postponed talk by 

Peter Brookes, political cartoonist for The Times. We are 

also focussed on a fun, social event for our membership. 

Updates will be posted on our website 

www.friendsofbinhamporiory.weebly.com and members 

will receive personal emails with advance notice of ticket 

availability. The website offers full details on how to join 

FoBP. Contact can also be made by emailing 

friendsofbinhampriory@gmail.com. 

At the AGM, the committee was re-elected as follows: 

Chairman Dr Clive Brady, Membership Secretary Lotte 

Wynder, Treasurer John Surrey and Co-secretaries Carolyn 

Raymond and Clare Winkley. 

On behalf of the committee, I would like to say that we 

look forward to seeing members again. Hopefully we will 

do that soon. 

Carolyn Raymond 

SPRING HAS SPRUNG 

I'm sitting writing this on a very wet and cold May Day 

weekend. After one of the driest April's on record it seems 

that those showers have arrived a bit late. But come what 

may Spring has arrived and with it nature begins its cycle of 

rebirth . 

In fields nearby young lambs have been born in April 

and are so sweetly prancing in the meadow. The blackbirds 

and robins have successfully raised their first early brood 

who having fledged are being taught how to brave the new 

world and where to feed. Our swallows returned on 13th 

April, repaired their nests and are getting down to laying 

eggs. The swifts should be due within the coming 2/3 days. 

This spring I invested in wildflower seeds and have 

devoted a small flower bed to planting them out, I'm hoping 

for success in a colourful display to attract the bees and 

butterflies. 

There is a very favourite song of mine that when I hear it 

played in Spring always makes me feel uplifted and that is 

"Here Comes the Sun" written by George Harrison and 

released on The Beatles Abbey Road album back in 1969. 

It's lyrics are simple, a metaphor for leaving the past 

behind ...." the ice is slowly melting " and looking forward 

to better times ahead "Here comes the sun". Apparently I'm 

not alone as it's the most downloaded Beatles single track on 

iTunes and played on Spotify. 

So hopefully this rain will stop soon, the icy northerly 

winds depart and the business of new life and growth forge 

ahead with warm sunny days. By the time you read this, the 

summer sun will have arrived. 

Pennie Alford 

NAMING THE PURPLE SEA SPONGE 

FOUND OFF NN COAST 

A purple sea sponge found off the North Norfolk coast 

ten years ago by divers exploring the chalk reefs, is believed 

to be a new species to science. The Agents of Change, a 

Marine Conservation society project, launched a 

competition to name the sponge with an aim to increase 

awareness and support for the marine conservation zones 

and the sea. 

The winning entry by Sylvie Owen was chosen 

unanimously by the judges who liked the name's Norfolk 

connection. Sylvie, 9 years old from Binham and a pupil at 

Langham Village School, came up with the name of 'Parpal 

Dumplin' The competition asked for a Norfolk feel to the 

name. Sylvie said she looked in her Norfolk books for 

inspiration but after looking at photos of the sponge a lot, 

she thought well it's purple and looks like a dumpling and to 

give it a Norfolk spin and 

connection, called it the Parpal 

Dumplin. Parpal being a 

Norfolk accent purple. Parpal 

Dumplin will be the common 

name used until it is given a 

scientific one. 

Hilary Cox, the Agents of Change Coordinator for 

Norfolk said “Parpal Dumplin’ 

is a great choice by the decision 

panel of specialists. A local 

Norfolk name for this newly 

found species in North 

Norfolk’s Marine Conservation 

Zone.” 

Sylvie was over the moon to have her suggestion chosen 

and said "It's really amazing to have something that you've 

named in the sea and that the name will be used forever." 

She enjoyed a day of television and radio interviews when 

the name was released www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/ 

56746357! Helen Owen 

10

BINHAM MEMORIAL HALL 

100+ Club winners 

March winners: £25 Neil McArthur, £10 Alex Wales, 

Mrs V R Lane, £5 Lucy Walduck, Mr G Griffiths, Mrs L 

Wynder April winners: £25 George Bond, £10 Vanessa 

Buxton, Rory Bartram, £5 Alex Howell, Mrs V R Lane, 

Neil McArthur May winners: £25 Stanley Hewitt, £10 

Pennie Alford, Clare Winkley, £5 Alex Wales, Mrs Small, 

Mrs Sheilin Cuthbert 

If anyone would like to join the 100+ club, please call at 

8 Priory Crescent or ring June Read on 01328 830106 

COCKTHORPE 

Contact: Maurice Matthews 01328 830350 

maurice.matthews@peppard.net 

MY MOTHER EVA TOMBLIN 

Eva Louisa Jarvis was born in Stiffkey on 

3rd July 1929, the second child of Clarence 

and Maria Jarvis. But soon after her birth 

they moved to Langham where she went to 

school and then went on to Wells 

Secondary Modern. 

Eva had an older brother, Earnest, who 

unfortunately was killed towards the end of 

the Second World War. His plane was shot down over 

Germany. Mum talked of him fondly and kept all his letters 

that he had written during his time in the RAF. 

When Mum left school she went into service at Abbey 

House, Binham for the Case family. She said the work was 

hard but they were fed well but she couldn’t believe when 

one of the daughters, Vickey, was ill in bed her pony had to 

be brought in and taken upstairs to visit her. 

It was during this time at the age of 14 she met my dad 

Philip and also started smoking, which she carried on doing 

until the week before she passed away. She was very lucky 

to have lived a long, healthy, happy life being married to 

Philip over 65 years. 

Luckily they only had one child that being me, and 

thought one like this was enough. Then came her 

grandchildren Michael and Tracey followed by four great 

grandchildren, Jack, Eleanor, Chloe and Georgina of whom 

she was proud and loved them very much. 

She lived in Langham all her working life; Dad worked 

for the Crafters on the farm, Mum was a 

cleaner for the Allen family and then the 

Ryders who lived at Orchard House. When 

Dad retired they moved to Cockthorpe, this 

being where Dad was born. She died at 

home peacefully on 8 th March. She is now 

reunited with him after just five years. 

Rest in peace Mum. Ann Massingham 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 

Easy to get depressed these days, 

easy to feel afraid, 

easy to think the world's gone mad, 

easy for dreams to fade. 

But the news we hear of things we fear 

should never blind us to 

the many kind and splendid things, 

so many people do. 

11

FIELD DALLING 

Contact: Julie Wiltshire 

julie_wilson75@hotmail.com 

ST ANDREW’S CHURCH 

We are delighted to be back in church for our regular 

services. These are the church family service at 11am on the 

second Sunday of each month, and morning prayer on the 

fourth. Do join us; you will be more than welcome. It has 

been a real joy to see new faces as folk move into the 

village. 

Our weekly Zoom services have had regular attendances 

of 40 to 50, with folk from here and much further afield – 

including a group of relatives and friends from North 

Carolina and Florida! With churches reopening in most 

places, it now seems right to revert to the pattern we had in 

the autumn with online services once a month, usually on 

the first Sunday. These will be at 5pm and will normally be 

Evensong. Do contact iannewton46@gmail.com if you 

would like to know how to join us. 

Finally, a huge thank you to Amanda Maundrell who 

has done sterling work looking after the church building. 

She saw through a most demanding roof project as well as 

more routine work. Amanda has now moved away to 

Cumbria, where we hope she will find much happiness. 

We are always keen to hear from folk who would like to 

help with services, with any aspect of looking after the 

building or with the churchyard. Many hands. Ian Newton 

ANIMAL BLESSING SERVICE 

A date for your Diary: Brush up your guinea pigs 

and polish your dog for the Animal Blessing Service at 

Field Dalling church, Sunday 8 th August. 

BEREAVEMENT GROUP 

Who is the Bereavement Group for? 

During the pandemic, so many have not said farewell to 

their loved ones in the way that they would have wished. 

So many funerals have been limited by numbers. Indeed 

there is so much regret, or loss around. 

The monthly Bereavement Group is exactly for those 

people. We share our stories in an atmosphere of 

uninterrupted time, and, during the ninety minutes, find 

comfort and understanding. 

The Group is of course, free - and is led by two people 

who have great experience. 

More details: Fiona Newton 01328 830947 or 

fionanewton46@gmail.com. 

200 CLUB 

February winners: 1 st prize £50: Amanda Maundrell, 2 nd 

prize £25: Roy Nicholson, 3 rd prize £15: Glyn Thomas. 

March winners: 1 st prize £50: Melanie Goodale, 2 nd prize 

£25: Tim James, 3 rd prize £15: John Hulley. April winners: 

1 st prize £50: Colin Humphreys, 2 nd prize £25: Mrs A 

Bennett, 3 rd prize £15: John Kirby. 

A reminder that volunteers are required to take over the 

running of the 200 club from October! 

PHONE BOX 

The phone box in the middle of the village is owned by 

our parish council. It needs some love and attention. Would 

anyone like to form a working party to take it on as a 

restoration project? It could then be put to good use. 

Many thanks. 

Susie Collins 

GUNTHORPE 

Contact: John Blakeley 01263 861008 

jbconsult@btinternet.com 

www.gunthorpefriends.co.uk 

FOGPC 

50/50 Club Draw Results 

March 

April 

Theo Dryden £20 Nigel Worthington £20 

Valerie King £15 Vivienne Wilson £15 

John Blakeley £10 C White £10 

Ellen Hill £ 5 Simon Long £ 5 

Louisa Clark £ 5 Andy Ainsworth £ 5 

Ali Lomax £ 5 Lynn Marr £ 5 

Nigel Worthington £ 5 Jenny Kelly £ 5 

The May 2021 draw was the last for the current year’s 

subscriptions, with another “mega” draw with enhanced and 

additional cash prizes to “balance the books”. Full details of 

the winners will be in Lynx 139. We are now collecting 

subscriptions (£12 per member) for the full year from June 

2021 to May 2022, and at the time of going to press more 

than 53% of members had renewed their subscriptions - so 

if you would like to get ahead of the game please subscribe 

as soon as possible – to “borrow” from another place “you 

have to be in it to win it”! If you would like more 

information on the 50:50 Club please contact either Myfi 

Everett on 01263 860035 or John Blakeley on 01263 

861008. 

As announced in Lynx issue 137 and subject to the 

current plans to get out of the COVID restrictions coming to 

12

pass we still hope to re-start the monthly coffee mornings in 

September 2021, but this will be confirmed in the August/ 

September issue of the Local Lynx. John Blakeley 

ST MARY’S CHURCH NEWS 

The new routine of a church service at 11am on the 

second Sunday of each month is now established. It will 

usually be Morning Prayer/Matins with the Rector and our 

fine organist Martin Jacklin. We are delighted that some of 

the newcomers to the village have come to the church 

services, and regularly walk round the churchyard and look 

in the church and use the porch ‘book exchange’ (not an 

accurate name – books to be taken or left whether or not 

exchanged). 

Our Easter Service this year was led by Professor Roger 

Bland, who again benevolently took the place of the Rector 

who has so many demands on him, nine parishes in all. We 

were fortunate beyond measure to have the quite beautiful 

solo violin playing of our village’s own immensely 

distinguished professional violinist Jane Carwardine. Every 

candle in the church was lit - no mean feat - and the flowers 

on each window ledge were magnificent. 

And on Monday 19 th April, a beautiful sunny morning, 

we said go forth on thy journey to the Christian soul of John 

Arthurson at his funeral service – with the ever cheerful and 

brave Diana (she insisted that the Rector’s dogs Cicero and 

Oban come into the church too, though the number of 

people wanting to pay their tribute exceeded the permitted 

thirty so that there was overflow outside). As one percipient 

commentator wrote for the funeral of Prince Philip, with the 

passing now of virtually all the last of the World War 

heroes, passing also are ’post war’ era and attitudes - so that 

in many ways we now enter a ‘post post-war’ period. John’s 

funeral service and the resumé of his life by John Blakeley 

served as a salutary reminder of the risks and sacrifices 

taken for us all, and our children, by the heroes of the World 

Wars. (See article on page 14.) 

FRIENDS OF GUNTHORPE PC 

It is the time of year for the announcement of the Friends 

AGM. Given current government Covid guidelines, we 

should be able to meet in larger groups come 21st June. Of 

course this is subject to how the opening up process goes, 

and also how individual personal comfort levels direct us to 

behave and gather. But we have decided to suggest a date of 

Thursday the 15th of July 2021, at 6:30pm, and hope we 

may be able to have an AGM in or outside the Village 

Institute. We may even be able to enjoy our usual fish & 

chip supper after the meeting, but this is all subject to 

continued review, and I will email the Friends Members 

about any progressively changing plans. We will also post a 

notice on the Friends Board at the Village Institute. It feels 

nice to have a date looking forward and IF we can meet we 

will take appropriate care, and it will be so, so nice to see 

you all again in person! 

John Blakeley is dutifully collecting subs for Friends 

membership and the 50/50 Club. Please do re-join, or if you 

are new to the village join, and help us support the fabric 

maintenance of our wonderful Village Church! 

Stay safe and well and many thanks for your support. 

With very best wishes, Marie Denholm 

WELCOME 

Steve and Christine Starkings 

We are delighted to offer a warm village welcome to 

Steve and Christine Starkings who have moved from 

Lowestoft into Laurel Cottage at Gunthorpe Hall, together 

with their Black Labrador Dexter. Steve was born in 

Norwich and Christine in Plymouth, and they met when 

they were both serving in the Metropolitan Police. Steve 

had joined at 17 as a cadet and served for 30 years and 

Christine served for 15 years. They have two children living 

away from home, Lewis 20 studying psychology at the 

UEA and Olivia 18 about to start at the University of 

Lincoln. 

Now retired from the police they are both putting their 

former skills and experience to good use working as nonclinical 

ambulance drivers for the East of England 

Ambulance Service – a role which allows the paramedics to 

be more widely deployed. 

We hope that they will be very happy in their new home 

in our friendly and eclectic village community. 

BULLFER GROVE 

Readers will find a further article on Bullfer Grove in 

the Sharrington section of this issue on p.20 as the village 

residents there are frequent visitors to the Grove. This 

article by Jenny Kelly sums up the views of many Gunthorpe 

residents – noting that Bullfer Grove is part of our village 

parish. 

The National Trust launched their ‘Blossom Watch’ 

campaign this week (20 th April) urging us to plant more 

trees. Normally I would be pleased that they were 

encouraging us to look up and remind ourselves of the 

natural beauty of the world especially during these strange 

Covid times. A little ray of hope to reassure us that nature 

carries on regardless. 

However, that message has been totally at odds with the 

deeds of The National Trust in recent weeks at Bullfer 

Grove, the treasured public space that we in Gunthorpe and 

13

surrounding villages have enjoyed 

over the generations. An annual 

pilgrimage to the bluebell woods is 

a must for friends and family. A 

place to seek solace, listen to the 

birds, scatter ashes of loved ones 

under the green canopy of fresh beech leaves and marvel at 

the carpet of English bluebells and pink campion as the 

photo above, taken in May 2018, shows. 

A note is attached to the entrance of Bullfer Grove to 

reassure us that as well as felling ash trees suffering from 

disease they would be chopping down healthy beech trees 

because they ‘intercept light so that very little of it reaches 

the plants beneath. 

Well, the deed is done and hundreds of trees have been 

felled. The bluebells are struggling through the debris and 

devastation left in the wake of heavy machinery. All this 

without consultation with us, the people who value the 

wood, many of us National Trust 

Members. So sad that no-one 

bothered to ask us what we thought. 

We might have said that, yes, we 

understand about the ash trees, but 

please don’t destroy beech trees in 

their prime, doing their work of 

absorbing CO2 in the atmosphere, 

sheltering birds and wildlife. Or, by 

all means, take a share of the wood 

to test your theories, but we would 

not have given our support to the 

devastation which will take 

generations to recover. The photos 

the right were taken in April 2021. 

GUNTHORPE FETE CANCELLED 

It is with regret that we confirm (as reported by Friends 

of Gunthorpe PC in Issue 137 of the Lynx) that Gunthorpe 

Fete will not take place in July 2021. The decision had to be 

made back in March when we would normally be at the 

planning stage and because of the uncertainty of Covid 

regulations at that time. This is the second year running that 

we have had to cancel which represents a significant loss in 

fund-raising for the church and village institute. 

With luck we will be ready to dust down the coconut 

shy, the bottle fishing stall and the rest of the stalls and 

welcome visitors back to all the fun of the fete in 2022 

when, hopefully, life will have returned to normal. 

Jenny Kelly & Val King 

14 

JOHN WILLIAM ARTHURSON 

We were very saddened to hear that one of the village’s 

long term residents John Arthurson had died in the 

Woodspring House Home in Fakenham on Easter Sunday. 

Following a \service in tribute to his life at St Mary’s, John 

was cremated at Cromer Crematorium on 19 th April. John 

was one of the last remaining veterans of RAF service in 

WW2 and as well as sending our deepest condolences to his 

wife Diana and his son Clive and their families and friends 

we believe that his story in a very abridged form should be 

told. 

John Arthurson was born in 

Lancashire on 2nd October 1922 and 

started his schooling in Widnes, but 

moved into Cheshire at the age of five 

when his father was appointed 

Headmaster of Halton Grammar School 

– an all-age school founded by the 

monks from nearby Norton Priory. 

Aged 11, John moved to Runcorn 

County Secondary School and at 17 entered Chester 

College to train as a teacher. This was now 1940 and he 

joined the Liverpool University Air Squadron, volunteered 

for Aircrew and was called into the Royal Air Force in June 

1942 to be trained as a navigator. 

In the final stages of their flying training his crew was 

chosen from three to join a Pathfinder Squadron, No 97 

(Straits Settlement) Sqn, by then operating with Lancaster 

aircraft. On his very first operational flight, on the night of 

16/17th December 1943, returning from Berlin, all the crew 

had to bail out of a Lancaster over Bourn in Lincolnshire 

when the fog blacked out the 

airfield and a shortage of fuel 

left them unable to divert. All of 

John’s crew survived, 

becoming members of the 

Caterpillar Club open to all who 

save their lives by using a 

parachute. 

However, that night is known as “Black Thursday” in 

the 97 Sqn history with no less than five Lancasters being 

lost whilst trying to land back at their base with 28 of 35 

aircrew killed, and two more (including John’s) where the 

crews successfully baled out. Many more operational flights 

over Germany followed and John returned to Berlin on four 

more occasions. 

John’s next posting was to Transport Command. With a 

new crew he ferried a Wellington bomber to North Africa 

for use in the Italian Campaign and another from Cairo to 

India with a special downward pointing Leigh Light in the 

nose to help in spotting shipping, and particularly 

submarines, at night. The crew trained in the Punjab for 

close support work with the 14 th Army, and from November 

1944 until the end of July 1945, now with 62 Sqn equipped 

with Dakotas, completed over 200 operational flights. These 

were often in appalling weather, 

dropping supplies and ammunition and 

later ferrying in troops and evacuating 

casualties from forward strips bulldozed 

out of the Burmese jungle to the coastal 

airfields of India and Burma. John’s 

crew was the first of their squadron to 

drop supplies on the lawn of 

Government House in Rangoon (now 

Yangon) on 5 th May 1945. (right: on leave 

in Calcutta 1945)

On completing this tour of operations John went on 

leave to Kashmir, and on his return flew with another crew 

now doing “proper” transport duties. Many flights involved 

helping to fly our POWs out of Thailand and taking 

occupation troops to Bangkok and Saigon. One interesting 

trip in November 1945 was to take a Japanese Army major 

to an airstrip from where he was going to be taken by light 

aircraft to be parachuted to troops still fighting to tell them 

the war was over. John never found out what happened to 

him. In December 1945 John’s crew was chosen to fly an 

Air Command South East Asia mission of high- ranking 

officers to Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. On this trip 

they were the first plane to land at Makassar in what is now 

known as Sulawesi or Celebes Island, and governed by 

Indonesia, after Mountbatten. 

John left the Far East by troop ship in July 1946 having 

amassed some one thousand six hundred and forty-two 

hours flight time – the majority on operational flying. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly his final proficiency rating was 

“Above average – completely satisfactory”. He had been 

offered a commission if he was willing to serve longer, but 

he wanted to resume his chosen career in teaching, and so 

he declined this. On his return to “civvy street” John 

completed his training at Chester College and started 

teaching in Frodsham Cheshire. From there he moved to 

Winchester and then to a National Children’s Home school 

in Lancashire as deputy headmaster. After a year’s 

sabbatical, during which he gained his Diploma in 

Education, he moved to Germany to the Headquarters of the 

British Army of the Rhine at Rheindahlen. Here he spent 

four years as Head of the Remedial Department and was 

then appointed as Head of Queen’s Lower School, a 

comprehensive middle school. Four years later he came to 

Norfolk to open the Ethel Tipple school at Kings Lynn – a 

new school for children with learning difficulties. 

He married his first wife, Doreen, with whom he had a 

son Clive, shortly after the war, but she very sadly died in 

1980. In 1983 he married Diana Morris, then the 

Headmistress of Holt Special School, whose family lived in 

Gunthorpe. John had retired in the summer of that year. 

They moved to the family home in Gunthorpe in 1984 from 

where they were often seen riding their horses around the 

area. They were keen badminton players and golfers and 

John played the former at Fakenham and the latter at 

Cromer. 

CHILDREN OF THE FOREST 

I was driving through Gunthorpe when I saw a delightful 

group of young children gathered round the village sign. 

Sadly, I couldn’t stop, but intrepid Lynx rep John Blakeley 

managed to find out more. 

Here is a photograph contributed by coordinator 

Sara O’Brien of the annual 'Children 

Of The Forest' (a Gunthorpe-based 

community group for families) Beltane 

celebration held this May on the green. Many 

thanks to Sara for sharing this event. RH(ed.) 

LANGHAM 

Contact: Christina Cooper 01328 830207 

christinacooper27@googlemail.com 

FRIENDS OF LANGHAM 

We are currently seeking one or two more people to join 

the Committee for FOL. This would normally mean 

attending meetings once a month, and helping out with any 

functions, outings, bbq’s, street fayre stall, etc that may be 

organised from time to time. 

So if there’s anyone in the village who feels they could 

become a valued member of our Committee please contact 

either Peter Barlow on 01328 830606, Edwina Allen on 

01328 830348 or John Hazlehurst on 01328 831937 leaving 

a name and phone number to keep you informed. 

FOL Committee 

NEWTS IN THE GARDEN 

With temperatures rising and gardens coming to life, 

those of us with ponds will be noticing animals making the 

most of the available water. Birds bathing, frog spawn 

hatching, plants beginning to flower and newts utilising the 

pond for spawning and feeding. 

We have three species of newt in the UK. The 

impressive Great Crested Newt which grows up to 17cm in 

length, which gets its name from the crest which develops 

on the male in spring. The underside is orange with black 

blotches and is believed to have a lifespan ranging between 

6-15 years. 

The second is the Palmate Newt which is the smallest 

species of the three. It is often found in its preferred habitat 

of shallow pools on acidic ground with areas of heathland 

one of the best places to find them. They are hard to tell 

apart from a Common newt but a Palmate female has a 

plain throat and a Common newt a spotted throat. A male 

Palmate newt has a filament at the tip of its tail and a 

Common newt doesn’t. 

Last but not least, the Common or Smooth Newt. These 

guys will be resident in numbers in our back gardens in 

15

Norfolk. They grow up to 10cm in length and use our ponds 

to spawn and feed. A single adult will lay up to 300 

individual eggs and will utilise our broader leaved pond 

plants to protect them. It takes approximately 10 weeks for 

an egg to become a juvenile newt and are different from 

frogs in that newts develop front legs first. 

All newt species feed on insects, slugs, worms, 

crustaceans and tadpoles. They are predated upon when they 

are young by dragonfly larvae, water beetles and herons. 

Older newts are less vulnerable as their skin is toxic, 

however they will still provide a meal to a grass snake. 

Newts spend the majority of the year out of water and can 

be found in old walls, under tree stumps, in log piles, 

compost heaps and generally anywhere that offers cover. 

They don’t completely hibernate and will take advantage of 

mild spells in winter to forage for food. 

Great ways to support newts are to incorporate water 

into a garden, however little, with some broadleaf aquatic 

plants. Leave the odd log here and there in the borders and 

leave a bit of long grass with some insect attracting flowers. 

Although the Great Crested Newt is renowned for its 

protected status, all newts are protected to some degree and 

are great for the garden. Peter Simmons, Aquatics Specialist 

DR REX M.C. DAWSON FRS. 

After a short illness, Rex died at home 

on 29th March 2021 aged 96. Husband of 

June and the late Elizabeth. Much loved 

father, stepfather, grandfather and great 

grandfather. 

Rex was a biochemist who contributed 

to science through the research he 

undertook with a molecule called 

diphosphoinosetide – important for 

regulating and safeguarding the nervous system and he also 

produced a book together with three colleagues called “Data 

for Biochemical Research”. At the end of his career he 

became a Fellow of the Royal Society, the highest award 

attainable by UK scientists. 

He retired to Langham 36 years ago and became a 

respected active participant in the local community and 

especially the church, St Andrew and St Mary’s of 

Langham. 

He loved sailing and gardening, He particularly enjoyed 

creating a garden with many trees and flowers, in the hope 

that many generations to come get to enjoy his legacy. 

The funeral took place on 14th April 2021 at St Andrew 

and St Mary’s church of Langham, officiated by Rector Ian 

Whittle. 

Donations were made to the Langham Church Building 

Trust and EACH (East Anglian Children’s Hospital) c/o 

Lloyd Durham Funeral Directors of Holt. 

June Dawson would like to thank everyone who filled 

the church with a display of many daffodils which the 

family greatly admired. She would also like to thank 

everyone for their kind gestures and condolences. 

BLOOD CANCER CHARITY SALE 

Langham Village Hall 

July 17 th – 10am to 12noon 

We are keeping our fingers crossed that all will be well 

for our sale. Some of our helpers have got the date in their 

diaries and all the goods are ready so all we need is a couple 

more helpers, some good weather and lots of people who 

are looking for a bargain! 

We have lots of different items for sale and of course 

there will be tea and coffee available. Please come along 

and bring family and friends. We are looking forward to 

seeing you all. 

Maureen & Peter Dennis 

THE BLUE BELL 

Writing this in late April for the June/July issue it is hard 

to anticipate where we will be as Boris is yet to confirm 

very much. 

Hopefully we will be open Wednesday - Saturday from 

5pm - late, and Sundays from 12-9pm. But do check our 

website or social media for up to date information. We are 

very much looking forward to some normality, and as ever 

want to express our gratitude to all those who have 

supported us over the last year and beyond! Thank you! 

Abby and the Blue Bell team 

FROM THE REGISTERS 

Funeral 

Dr Rex Malcolm Chaplin Dawson 

Wednesday 14th April 

WELCOME 

John and Judy; Gail Hull; Clare and Matthew, have all 

recently moved to Langham and we hope they will be very 

happy living in our village. 

WITH THANKS 

I would like to say a very special thank you for the very 

warm, friendly welcome that I have had since moving into 

the village in March and a special thank you to Ann for 

making sure I have settled in. 

I very much look forward to being part of village life and 

getting to know you all a lot better very soon. 

16

Thank you all so very much, Gail 

Clare and Matthew are very much looking forward to 

getting to know the village too and have already sampled 

the great takeaway food from the Blue Bell. With many 

thanks also to Ann for the warm welcome. 

FUNDRAISING FOR LANGHAM CHURCH 

An article for this task was accidentally missed out for 

the last issue but all it said was that we were unsure of what 

we could do for our usual Bank Holiday Monday event at 

the end of May because of government restrictions and the 

uncertainty of safety rules after 17 th May. We will all miss 

the social aspect that this event provided but the P.C.C. 

hopes to discuss a way forward and decide on a fundraising 

event in the summer. 

Like so many other causes we are in great need of funds 

due to our dwindling income over more than a year. Please 

watch out for posters as we await government 

announcements. 

Langham P.C.C. 

MORSTON 

Contact: Jock Wingfield 01263 740431 

jocelynwingfield@gmail.com 

DIARY DATES 

Saturday 19 th June 6.30pm Friends of Morston 

Church AGM in the village hall 

Saturday 28 th August to Monday 30 th August 10am to 

4pm Morston PCC stalls in the village hall - books, crafts, 

bric-a-brac and refreshments 

Saturday 16 th October Friends of Morston Church 

Shovell Dinner in the Anchor. Talk by Charlie Ward on 

'East Coast Sailing Barges and the Building of Juno'. 

JAMES BATTEN 1929 – 2021 

Funeral Service at All Saints, Morston 

Saturday 27 th March 2021 

James had East Anglian roots. He was born in 

Peterborough into a family of lawyers 

and was called James as was expected of 

the eldest son, who was in line to inherit 

the family legal practice. His mother 

came from Inverness and had all the 

Highlander’s flair, imagination and 

generosity, as well as a tendency towards 

impetuousness and financial 

recklessness. Prudence lost out in his 

parents’ marriage and so by the time 

James was at Cambridge University his parents were 

bankrupt and James, newly engaged to a Blakeney girl, was 

faced with the need to make a living from scratch. 

He decided to teach, starting at Radley in 1954. Once 

there he threw himself into everything going. He taught 

English, history, economics, Latin and French. He ran the 

1st XV, the drama club, producing an epic six-hour long 

school production of ‘Hamlet’, the highland reel club, the 

CCF. The long school holidays, with two small children, 

were spent in Blakeney staying with his mother in law, Iris 

Portal, who lived at what was then called Halfway and is 

now Blakeney House. Iris had a very wonderful 

housekeeper, Malvina Brown, who kept house for everyone 

and left James with the free time to catch up on his aborted 

law plans. He managed to study for the Bar and qualified in 

17 

1961. That led to him running another club at Radley, the 

law club, and had he not become a housemaster in 1964, 

would have led to a change of career. 

The house, C Social, was a great success but after only 

five years James moved to be Headmaster of Kings College 

Taunton. His mother in law had by then moved to a smaller 

house on the Blakeney coast road, beginning to comment 

that her grandchildren had ‘an awful lot of limbs’ which 

seemed to occupy most of her sitting room and so she lent 

James and Sue the money to buy Church Cottage in 

Gresham. School holidays continued in Norfolk. 

James and Sue found their vocation at Kings Taunton, 

where he was to remain as Headmaster for nineteen years, 

until 1988. He was also able to buy a newly restored pair of 

old cottages near Aldborough, originally known as 

Dartmoor since the cottages sat alone and windswept in the 

middle of a field. The name had changed to the more 

genteel Hall Farmhouse and what began as a holiday home 

became a major project for James and Sue when they retired 

there. They became very skilled gardeners and gradually the 

house came to live up to its new name. 

James’s retirement was not entirely straightforward 

because he had initially found the transition from running a 

school to constant domesticity very hard. He would sit at his 

desk and call, ‘Sue, coffee,’ and get no answer because she 

was busy in the garden. It was a blessing when, in 1991, he 

was given the chance to return to schoolmastering and 

offered the job of Headmaster of a struggling prep school, St 

Michael’s Tawstock, on the edge of Exmoor, which he was 

delighted to accept. That proved a tonic, and very hard 

work, on which he thrived, and he had the great satisfaction 

of retiring properly after spending three years there, during 

which he turned the school round so that he left with it on a 

sound financial footing and a thriving future ahead. 

The second time round, James was much more ready for

etirement and to throw himself into social life in Norfolk, 

fishing on the Bure, shooting with a syndicate at 

Barningham, the church in Aldborough, making new 

friends and having family, now including grandchildren, to 

stay. He adored Hall Farmhouse and it was a great sadness 

to have to leave in 2010 because the garden was becoming 

too much to manage and it could still revert to ‘Dartmoor’ in 

winter since the only approach was along a very rutted loke 

which was shared with the local farmer. 

James and Sue had married in 1954 at Blakeney church, 

insisting on leaving the service by the North door so that 

they could see the tide coming into Blakeney Harbour as 

they emerged, and so they had no second thoughts about 

moving back there for what they were determined would be 

their final home. It was a little house in Whitefriars, an Arts 

and Crafts style house in Back Lane that had been divided 

into a number of smaller houses and formed a happy mini 

community. 

They had dear friends at Morston church and so James 

and Sue became staunch members of that congregation. In 

the end, to their huge sorrow, ill health caught up with them 

and they had to move, in 2019, to a nursing home in Surrey, 

very close to their daughter and her family. It turned out to 

be a wonderful home and they were able to enjoy being 

beautifully cared for. Sue died very suddenly in the autumn 

of that year, having managed to remain in her beloved 

Blakeney until her final six months. James was to outlive 

her by eighteen months and to become very popular in the 

home, which, remarkably, enabled Amanda and Charles, his 

children, to keep on visiting throughout all the Covid trials. 

Sue would have laughed. ‘He always liked having things 

done for him!’ 

Amanda Batten Elsdon-Dew 

SUPERFAST BROADBAND 

Morston Parish Council has taken the first step towards a 

potential Superfast Fibre to the Premises scheme for 

households in Morston. 

A survey is underway to measure interest among 

householders. The Council hopes to secure government 

funding to cover installation costs. JB, MPC Chair 

CHURCH TYMPANUM APPEAL UPDATE 

In the last edition of Local Lynx the PCC launched its 

Tympanum Appeal in a bid to raise the remaining funds 

required to restore and conserve the tympanum which is 

situated in the chancel arch of All Saints. This shows a 

Hanoverian Royal Arms and decalogue set - very likely 

painted over a medieval doom dated 1480. However old, it 

is one of the last surviving such sets in this country installed 

in its proper place and, consequently, of exceptional 

historical importance. 

The support for the Appeal has been incredible. There 

has been a huge amount of interest in the project itself and 

the history which may be uncovered during the conservation 

work. There has also been a fantastic response in donations 

so far for which the PCC is hugely grateful. A real sense and 

hope now prevails that the work may be able to commence 

this autumn. If you would like further details or are able to 

contribute to the appeal please contact Anne Rolfe at 

annerolfe45@gmail.com or 01263 741125. 

MORSTON LIBRARY BUS 

If you are interested in checking it out, it is Route 

number EDE405 and calls once a month outside the Anchor 

at 10.50am for 10 minutes. 

2021 dates: 24th June, 22nd July, 19th August, 16th 

September, 14th October, 11th November & 9th 

December. 

For more details go to www.norfolk.gov.uk/librarieslocal-history-and-archives/libraries/your-local-library/ 

mobile-libraries. 

RH(ed.) 

WELCOME 

Welcome to Hall Farm House, Jax & Bruce Johnston. 

We all hope they and their horses, will be very happy here 

in Morston. 

SAXLINGHAM 

Contact: John Pridham 01328 831851 

jcwpridham@gmail.com 

PETER HARRIS 

We were very sad to learn of Peter 

Harris’ death in early March. Peter 

lived in Saxlingham for many years 

until he and his wife Sheila moved to 

Holt.. He was a valued member of the 

PCC and a great supporter of the 

village. His funeral took place at St 

Margaret’s on Monday March 22nd 

and he will be interred later this year in 

the churchyard with Sheila, who died in October. We shall 

miss him, particularly at our Remembrance Services when 

he would lay the wreath and read the names of those 

villagers who lost their lives in both World Wars. 

Peter was born in Ealing on the 12th June 1928, the first 

of five children. 

18

His family life started life in Isleworth, later moving to a 

three bedroomed house in Carshalton Beeches where the 

four brothers, Peter, John, Alan and Richard, had to share 

the same bedroom whilst Ann, as the only daughter, had her 

own room. All four brothers attended Wallington County 

Grammar School for Boys and were given the same 

nickname by their sports teacher, Jock. Peter being Pongo 1, 

John Pongo 2, Alan Pongo 3 and Richard Pongo 4. Pongo 

being a troop of apes…we can only assume their behaviour 

was likened to a group of cheeky monkeys. 

During the war, Peter and John would cycle to Croydon 

airfield and collect bits of old bombs and take them home. 

The police were informed and the boys were severely 

reprimanded by the Headmaster. In 1942, the family was 

evacuated to Chesterfield, Derbyshire where they ended up 

going home with the bus driver as no one else would take a 

group of six. 

In 1944, Peter joined the 350th Squadron of the Air 

Training Corps in Wallington. He volunteered as aircrew 

and was very pleased with his service number, as it began 

with the number three which designated you as aircrew. 

However, upon arrival at the Recruitment Centre in 1945 in 

Halifax there was no further requirement for aircrew and he 

was assigned to the No.1 School of Photography in 

Farnborough, where he completed a nine month 

photography course. So began his utter love and devotion to 

flying, all things aeronautical and his passion for 

photography. He also started his collection of jazz records 

and played them so often that the thorn needles would only 

last for one playing. His love of jazz continued throughout 

his life. 

In 1946 he was posted to the Air/Sea Development Unit 

at Thorney Island where he flew a Mosquito and worked on 

the Lancaster High Altitude Research. However, in true 

Peter tradition of ignoring the rules, he was apparently court 

martialled for misuse of government property – having 

borrowed a camera for a friend’s wedding and getting 

caught returning it. 

In 1949 he was demobbed and went to work at Bart’s 

Hospital in the Medical Photography department where he 

would later meet his future wife, Sheila. At the same time 

his brother, John, was taken ill and spent 18 months in 

hospital in Gosport. His mother would visit John every 

Sunday and so Peter took on the role of family cook, 

cooking his signature dish of the Sunday roast with 

Yorkshire pudding and gravy – still his favourite to the very 

end. 

Shortly after, Peter and Sheila married in 1954 and 

moved with Chris to Cranfield to the College of 

Aeronautics. Peter, ever the trailblazer, formed the College 

Photography department and was the only member for a 

while. 

In 1961 the whole family, now including Mandy and 

Lizzie, moved to Leverstock Green, outside Hemel 

Hempstead. Becky (Sheila’s mother) was horrified that 

their new house cost the princely sum of £4,000 – she 

thought it outrageously expensive and that it would 

bankrupt them. 

Eventually life outside of the forces beckoned and he 

was poached by Sir Harry Gordon to start a business, 

Gordon Cameras, on Kensington High Street. The firm 

expanded and eventually Peter became the Managing 

Director of Gordon Audio Visual. He became a world 

authority on high-speed photography, travelling the world to 

Europe, Japan, New Zealand and the States. He was one of 

the very first Europeans to deal with Nikon and Hitachi in 

19 

Japan, forming a strong friendship with Mr Hashimoto, the 

then CEO. 

Throughout his life, outside of the world of photography, 

Peter focused on the only things that mattered to him, his 

family and all things aeronautical. His passion for flying 

and the history of the world war, was never more so 

apparent than when he, along with Stuart McKay and Mike 

Stapp, travelled to France to attempt to recover several Tiger 

Moth aircraft. However, the planes were seized by French 

customs on the grounds that they had war potential. Never 

one to give up, the planes eventually made it back to the 

UK, where Peter restored one of the planes at Booker. He 

also began the restoration of a Tipsy Trainer in the garage at 

Leverstock Green. In the late seventies, the Moth Club was 

born and Peter, being a founding member, was granted the 

membership number of three. In 1979, he and Chris flew the 

restored Tiger Moth, PG651, from Hatfield to Strathallan in 

Scotland as part of the Famous Grouse Moth Rally – even 

being featured on the BBC filming of the event. 

The restoration of the planes seems rather incredulous as 

Chris recounts Peter attempting to put up shelves in the hallway 

only to drill right through the wall to Chris’s bedroom. 

But he did have a very functional way of doing things; like 

when the windscreen shattered on his car, he simply 

smashed a viewing portal in the glass, donned his flying 

helmet and goggles (naturally in the boot of the car, in case 

he ever needed to fly somewhere) and simply drove home. 

In 1978, to accommodate Sheila’s new Headship, they 

moved to Beaconsfield and later to West Drayton for ease 

of access to Sheila’s school and to Heathrow for Peter’s 

international travel. 

During a holiday in Norfolk, Peter and Sheila stayed in a 

pair of cottages in Saxlingham – which happened to be for 

sale – and the rest, as they say, is history. They restored the 

two cottages, moving Becky and Bella – Sheila’s mother 

and Aunt - into the second cottage, looking after them both 

into old age. And so became the start of their lives in 

Norfolk. 

Eventually, after being on the local PCC at St Margaret’s 

in Saxlingham for many years, they moved to Holt to be 

closer to Lizzie and Mandy moving into Moth Haven 

directly opposite Lizzie and next door to Mandy and James, 

surrounded by family and living independent lives to the 

end. 

ST MARGARET’S BATS PROJECT 

The first phase of the Bats in Churches scheme to 

manage the bats here has been completed. Now visitors can 

see the ceiling that has been erected to the vestry in the north 

transept which it is hoped will contain the bats. The opening

above this space will be closed with a wood screen to blend 

in with the woodwork below surrounding the entrance to the 

vestry. It is interesting to note that Saxlingham has an 

important colony of Pipistrelle bats both nationally and 

regionally with the second largest number in a Norfolk 

church. 

SHARRINGTON 

Contact: Claire Dubbins 01263 862261 

cdubbins@btinternet.com 

www.sharrington.org.uk 

SHARRINGTON FOODBANK LATEST 

The Mid Norfolk Foodbank has let us know that our 

donation of 295.7kg helped provide 443 meals for people in 

crisis. And that was just to the end of 2020 before our 

collection of 100 tins of soup given in January and February 

were weighed up, not to mention the generous gifts of 

Easter eggs and other chocolate treats we delivered in 

March. 

All donations are very welcome and the foodbank has 

told us how much they appreciate those in this village who 

have not just been generous but also very thoughtful about 

what they have given. During the summer we are going to 

focus on items for children. Boxes of cereal and nappies 

won’t weigh as much as the tins of soup so our overall total 

may seem less impressive but we are very aware that the 

economic hardship brought on by the pandemic may well 

get worse as redundancies kick in and families across 

Norfolk will be suffering. 

The church is open every day. We will be delivering to 

the Fakenham distribution centre every other Monday. We 

have put two sturdy clip down plastic boxes for any items 

you think the mice might get to before the children. AS 

future. 

The tree work included felling about 50 ash trees for 

safety reasons, due to ash dieback. The trees, which were 

approximately 100 years old, had sustained damage in last 

autumn’s storm. Over 30 more ash trees, which are away 

from paths will be left to decay and decompose to act as 

natural homes for wildlife. 

Although the central and northern areas of the wood 

look quite different at the moment, we have plans to replant 

250-300 trees here later this year, which will be a mixture of 

oak and chestnut to name just a few. We also intend to plant 

up the bottom of the pit in the middle of Bullfer with native 

trees that produce a lot of blossom. This will form part of 

the National Trust’s Blossom project where we plant trees 

to mark what for many people has been a very difficult year. 

This seemed particularly appropriate thing to do at Bullfer 

Grove because it was originally donated as a peace garden 

after the First World War. 

The team has also been thinning a number of beech trees 

to allow light into the understory, promoting the floral 

diversity that already exists there, such as bluebells. The 

bluebells and other ground flora are recovering and in the 

long term be much more vigorous leading to a more diverse 

and beautiful wood. 

Ash dieback is caused by a fungus called 

Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. It originated in Asia and spread 

due to the movement of plants as part of the global trade. 

The fungus spreads quickly as its spores are windborne. The 

National Trust faces a significant bill to fell trees that pose a 

risk to the public due to ash dieback. Between 75-95% of all 

ash trees will be lost in the next 20-30 years, around 2.5 

million trees on National Trust land alone. We welcome 

Defra’s commitment to ongoing research into finding a 

suitable alternative and attempts at producing ash trees that 

are resistant to the disease. (See p.13 for Gunthorpe article 

and photos.) 

COFFEE MORNING 

Sharrington PCC is going to celebrate the end of 

lockdown by giving our much postponed coffee morning at 

10am on the first Saturday after the lifting of restrictions, 

Saturday 26 th June. It will be held as usual in the garden of 

All Saints Cottage next to the church. Two seasons of spring 

flowers will have come and gone since we first planned it 

but the roses should be in full bloom and in June we stand a 

fighting chance of a lovely summer day. There will be plant 

and book stalls, a raffle of course and our legendary cake 

stall. The exciting Auction of Promises will be held at 11am 

sharp. 

AS 

BULLFER GROVE 

Many of us in Sharrington enjoy the walk to and around 

the National Trust property, Bullfer Grove in the 

neighbouring parish of Gunthorpe, particularly during the 

bluebell season when the wood is full of the lovely blue 

flowers. There have been many comments about the tree 

work that has been undertaken there and Richard Daplyn 

the area National Trust Countryside Manager, based at 

Felbrigg has given permission for the following to be 

included in the Lynx so that readers can understand why 

and how the work has been done. 

‘We know that many people in the local area enjoy 

walking through Bullfer Grove so we thought we would 

share a little more information about the tree work that we 

carried out there earlier this year and our hopes for the 

20

CHURCH NEWS 

The good news is that we have now resumed our regular 

pattern of weekly services at All Saints, and everyone is 

assured of a warm welcome. We operate a monthly mix of 

Holy Communion and Morning Prayer from both the 

traditional Book of Common Prayer and the Common 

Worship version and we keep this going thanks to our 

indefatigable rector, our retired clergy and our 

churchwardens. 

At our recent annual parochial church meeting, Mrs. 

Teresa Parfitt was elected as a new churchwarden alongside 

Pippa Long and we presented Mrs. Ann Garwood with a 

plant and a book token in thanks and recognition of the nine 

years she has served in this ancient role. 

The summer months promise village gardens full of 

flowers, which so often find their way into the church. We 

are so grateful to the faithful team of volunteers who clean 

and decorate, But we would love a few more willing helpers 

to spread the load. We work in teams of two, and if you 

think you could spare an hour on a Friday or Saturday 

morning, then either Teresa or I would be delighted to 

explain more. The churchyard has been looking lovely 

during the spring months with glorious daffodils, and 

alongside our paid help we do notice the efforts made by 

those who care for the graves, most particularly Derek 

Wright and George Moore, whose family areas always look 

so well tended. We do hope all those who take comfort from 

visiting the churchyard can rest for a moment on the bench 

and benefit from the peace and tranquillity of this special 

place. 

As restrictions are fully lifted in June, we will be holding 

a special service on June 27 th at our usual time of 9.30am to 

mark this momentous occasion. 

PEL 

SHARRINGTON AND DISTRICT 

GARDENING GROUP 

The 2021 programme opened on Wednesday 14 th April 

with our first SDGG zoom talk by Darren Lerigo on the 

subject of ‘A very British garden’, which proved interesting 

and perhaps surprising. Having ascertained that our image 

of such a garden was one of roses and herbaceous borders, 

he put before us photos of bare cuprinol treated two metre 

high timber fences or leylandii surrounding a rectangular 

lawn accessed via an equally bare rectangular patio, albeit 

sporting stylish patio furniture, explaining this was in fact 

more typical of the British garden he is often called upon to 

help with these days. 

From that empty canvas he led us through some creative 

planting ideas, DIY compost creation and potting mixes, 

plus tips for weed-reduced vegetable growing. I am sure we 

all learnt something useful and came away feeling at least 

reasonably positive about our own gardens in contrast to the 

horrors he had shown us a starting point, and also about our 

first zoom experience as a group. 

Zoom has indeed been a life-saving communication tool 

for many clubs and societies over the past year and will 

continue to grow in importance as more of us learn to 

exploit its potential. For example, the committee has been 

able to operate in this way during the many weeks of 

lockdown, arranging and rearranging events and dates in an 

attempt to put together a programme for 2021 which can 

respond to the continually shifting sands of the Covid 

regulations. A glance at the websites of several well 

established gardening groups showed they had taken the 

decision to suspend all activity until more favourable times 

21 

but chairman Robin Burkitt is not easily defeated. Thanks to 

her dedication we have a varied 2021 programme taking us 

right through the year well into December. As summer 

approaches we look forward to June’s more ‘hands on’ and 

colourful events which will enable us to begin meeting each 

other again at the Forever Green flower workshops and the 

visit to Thorpland Hall. 

Enquiries and membership details are available from 

Robin Burkitt at robin@daubeneyhallfarm.com 01263 

861939. Barbara Wiles 

ONE SWALLOW DOES NOT 

MAKE A SUMMER 

It is with great joy that we discover the first Sharrington 

swallow of the year. They are harbingers of spring, a sign 

hopefully of warmer and longer days to come. Their 

mastery of the skies defies belief and, yes, it is true, they 

have flown across the Sahara desert this spring to return to 

our village. Due to climate change the Sahara is ever 

expanding, making it a bigger problem for migratory birds 

to cross each year, and the bird singing on your television 

aerial makes this journey twice a year. Where have they all 

gone this year? Writing this at the end of April, in days gone 

by, the skies would now be full of them and their cheerful 

chittering would be brightening our lives. 

Unfortunately, just as they are about to cross the 

Mediterranean, huge nets have been erected to greet them 

and pluck migratory birds out of the sky in their millions to 

be sold in markets for morsels of food. These nets can 

extend for miles and the effect they have on numbers of 

birds completing their journey is nothing short of 

devastating. 

This details a truly dire situation but what can we do 

about it? Education is the answer as it so often is. Both 

David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg have raised 

people’s awareness of the perils the world faces and asked 

us to listen to scientific research and act upon it before it is 

too late. 

One of the ways we can best help is by adding the 

weight of our voices to the numbers of organisations 

directly addressing such conservation issues. The largest of 

these is the RSPB www.rspb.org.uk which is the biggest 

voice for conservation within this country and indeed the 

world. Joining it means that in some small way you would 

be standing up, adding your voice and truly helping to make 

a difference. 

Of course there are many hard working wildlife 

trusts and clubs around the country and locally one club 

I am involved in is Cley Bird Club. It has just launched 

a new website at www.cleybirdclub.org.uk to help

people learn about the wildlife in and around Cley. 

Although you can and would be welcome to join the 

club, information on the website is free to view. 

Cley Bird Club supports Norfolk Wildlife Trust in the 

vital work it is involved with across the county and 

itswebsite is www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk. There are of 

course many other excellent wildlife clubs and organisations 

throughout Norfolk, all of which can be discovered online. 

If you want to learn further facts about the songbird 

slaughter Google ‘stop the songbird slaughter national 

geographic’ to locate a pertinent article which will also 

provide links to organisations trying to address the issue. 

There are frequently local causes to fight for to help 

protect the Norfolk we know and love. By doing so, we help 

to preserve the character of the areas which so many 

cherish. 

Chris Abrams 

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY 

Sharrington Little Free Library is open for business! 

Come and find it at 3 Bale Road NR24 2PF. Look out for 

the quirky miniature bookshop in the driveway. 

Sharrington Little Free Library (LFL) offers a way to 

share good things to read, favourite books from your past or 

books you would recommend to friends; books that teach, 

intrigue and engage you. There are books for all ages. All of 

us can help by keeping this 

collection stocked with inspirational 

reading material. 

Anyone from Sharrington and the 

neighbouring villages featured in this 

publication can use it. The library is 

available to access on Fridays 10am– 

6pm, Saturdays 10am–8pm, Sundays 

and Bank Holiday Mondays. 10am– 

5pm. 

Take as long as you need to browse the books. If you see 

something you would like to read, take it! You don’t have to 

give a book at the same time as you take one. 

After you have read it, you can bring the book back here, 

or pass it on to a friend. Book donations are always 

welcome and you can leave them in the library or leave 

them on the doorstep. 

‘Little Free Libraries’ are a global phenomenon. The 

small, front garden book exchanges number more than 

100,000 around the world in over 100 countries, from Italy 

to Brazil to Japan. Now the Sharrington LFL, the first 

registered Little Free Library in North Norfolk, will join the 

movement to share books, bring people together and create 

communities of readers. 

Please follow the dedicated Facebook page: 

@SharringtonLFL to keep up to date with all the latest 

news and recommendations. 

Sarah Bell 

exercise to de-clutter. 

A new kitchen has now been fitted together with a new 

water heater and complete re-decoration. Similarly the 

ladies loos have benefited from a new water heater and a 

new vibrant colour on the walls. The gents has received a 

similar facelift. 

Additional storage space has been created in some areas 

and better insulation where necessary, and in the main hall 

new curtains have been fitted. 

If all goes well we plan to re-open the hall at the end of 

June – fingers crossed. 

As mentioned in the last issue we are planning a village 

get together in August, date to be confirmed. For more 

information go to our village website at 

www.sharrington.org.uk David Webb Chairman 

SHARRINGTON MUSIC NIGHTS 

The popular music nights in the village hall have 

been on hold during the pandemic. At the time of 

writing it is not known when they can be resumed but 

details will be posted on the village website 

www.sharrington.org.uk. 

Looking ahead to the autumn the rescheduled Strawbs 

concert is planned for Sat 18 th September and Terence 

Blacker is making a return visit on Sat 27 th November. All 

events are subject to government guidelines at the time. 

STIFFKEY 

Contact: Dr.Sally Vanson 01328 830560 

dr.sallyvanson@gmail.com 

GENERAL NEWS 

How lovely to see the spring sunshine and enjoy warmer 

weather. At last, we are moving out of our confinement and 

enjoying some semblance of our old lives. Our village store 

is back to full opening hours and the Red Lion reopened on 

17 th May. 

It’s good to hear that so many have received their 

vaccines although I had strong side effects from the second 

after no problems with the first. Happily, I was told that the 

side effects are the immune system kicking in, and they did 

not last very long. 

If you have any news or exciting reflections to share, I 

need your offerings by 5th of the month on alternate months 

(from July) although I am happy to receive them whenever 

it’s easier for you. I have been taking news from the 

Facebook pages for the village and for local societies. If you 

CRAFT CLUB 

Sarah Bell will be resuming the craft club in Sharrington 

village hall on Thursday 1 st July at 2pm. 

All those on her email list will be contacted nearer the 

time with details of the project or alternatively please look at 

the village website at www.sharrington.org.uk. 

VILLAGE HALL NEWS 

Since my last time of writing there has been continued 

activity at the village hall. The old kitchen was dispatched to 

the skip along with other relics discovered during an 

22

do not want your news shared in The Local Lynx, please let 

me know. Contact me at dr.sallyvanson@gmail.com. In the 

meantime stay safe and healthy. 

NORTH NORFOLK BOOK WORMS 

We have recently read ‘Klara and the sun,’ by Kazuo 

Ishiguru which has received some rave reviews, and also 

featured as a reading on Radio 4. Plotwise, the narrator is 

Klara, an AF (Artificial Friend) to the teenage Josie, who 

lives an isolated life, aside from neighbour and potential 

boyfriend Rick, out in the country. She's suffering from an 

illness whose cause is not really made specific. In fact, in 

this dystopian future quite a number of things are not quite 

clear for much of the book. Josie is schooled at home by online 

professors, the first of many co-incidences with Covid 

life. Anyway, Klara's job is to observe and learn about Josie, 

and this she does, though her observations do become rather 

tiresome after a while. AFs see things differently to humans, 

perceiving the world as a series of squares or boxes, 

occasionally glitching out so that perspectives are skewed, 

everything given a migraine-like slant. It’s just one of a 

series of ways in which Ishiguro takes us into the existence 

of the sentient non-human, one of the subtle touches that 

hint towards the deeper themes that are being explored. 

We were waiting for something to happen. Maybe, 

nowadays we expect too much? We had very mixed views 

about this book with some finding the writing laborious and 

pedantic, which is fine when the robot is speaking. 

However, the writer has the humans speaking in the same 

way!! The theme is a well-trodden one. A robot with strong 

artificial intelligence faces up to emotions and is used to 

explore the human condition. Here called 'artificial friends' 

we can see a progression to such companion robots from the 

current wave of cuddly robot pets, producing a device that 

has general artificial intelligence giving it the abilities and 

emotions of a human being. Ishiguro had apparently almost 

finished the novel when the pandemic hit, yet on almost 

every page there’s a passage that feels eerily prescient of our 

locked-down, stressed-out, times. Indeed, the narrative 

of Klara and the Sun is energised by the friction between 

two different types of love: one that is selfish, overprotective 

and anxious, and one that is generous, open and benevolent. 

It feels like a message for all of us as we go about our 

drearily circumscribed days. 

There's a meme doing the rounds of social media headed 

'Book Blurbs - glossary of terms' which defines 'Epic' as 

'cowed by the author's reputation'. For some of us, that has 

clearly happened here in a book that could do with a 

sweeping edit to clear out the deadwood. Even though it 

sounded repetitive the story was well done because of how 

23 

beautiful Ishiguro's writing is. We kept going with this 

because it was Kazuo Ishiguru, and it does contain some 

fine passages. What’s beyond doubt is that Ishiguro makes 

us feel the fragility of our humanity. 

We are still meeting on Zoom. Normally, the book club 

meets one evening a month in a member’s home and thanks 

to one of our members we try to borrow our books from 

Wells Library to reduce costs. We welcome members from 

nearby villages to enjoy our fortnightly Zoom meetings and 

later on, face to face evenings with wine and soft drinks and 

great conversations which lead to new topics and learning. 

We have been delighted to gain two new members and if 

you are interested, please contact me. 

dr.sallyvanson@gmail.com 

STIFFKEY VILLAGE FACEBOOK 

Our ‘virtual village green’ now has 331 members, a 

real surge in the last month. It is followed daily, 

hopefully with not to many adverts, and can be found at 

www.facebook.com/groups/790563987749800/ 

It’s great to see it being used for community debates and 

for items for sale and wanted. We’ve covered football fun 

camps, where to buy Christmas trees, photos of the village, 

updates from the Rivers Trust and on Covid-19, Library 

opening times and more. 

The page was particularly useful when we had a lost cat 

and a lost puppy just before Christmas. Villagers were able 

to join in the hunt for both (albeit at separate times) and 

luckily both were found and are recovering at home. 

We now have an increasing mine of useful information 

and of course the latest copy of The Local Lynx can be 

found there as well. 

We have also an account at Next Door – a 

neighbourhood app that also covers surrounding villages. 

It’s great to have so much coverage so ensure you look at 

both to keep up with all the news. 

S.V. 

CHURCH NEWS 

There is very little to report for these months. The first 

and third Sunday services were held in April and May and 

hopefully these will continue. Returning to some welcome 

normality Warborough House Gardens have opened for the 

two last Sundays in May with the church again serving the 

teas during the afternoon. It has been good to see the names 

of visitors returning to our church in the guest book. This 

has had empty pages for over a year. One bright light on the 

horizon is a baptism, this is something to look forward to in 

the next few months. 

However, a little history to share. The church (St John 

the Baptist and St Mary’s) is an ancient medieval 

foundation. Originally there used to be two churches in the 

same churchyard, one dedicated to St Mary which was 

abandoned in the C16 and deconsecrated by the Bishop of 

Norwich in 1563. The Bacon family, (and more recently the 

Townsends of Raynham), were influential landowners in 

the parish. Sir Nicholas Bacon (Keeper of the Great Seal to 

Elizabeth I) and his son Sir Nathaniel, whose tomb is in the 

church, built the adjacent Old Hall. An excellent guidebook 

is available in the church together with information 

displays including a sensitive account of the sad tenure of 

the Revd Harold Davidson, famously "defrocked" for 

supposed indiscretions in London. His grave is in the 

churchyard, which also contains a conservation area. The 

position of the church in the Stiffkey river valley is peaceful 

and attractive. The church contains a remarkable engraved

wall memorial to the dead of WWI. Our church is open 

daily and visitors are most welcome. There is also a book 

swap at the back of the church. Please make a small 

donation for any books taken. 

Stiffkey PCC. 

STIFFKEY VILLAGE HALL 

Due to Covid and the rules about people meeting and 

socially distancing the village hall has seen no usage during 

this period. The 100 club has been suspended as well. It is 

hoped we may be able to resume this shortly. These monies 

are used for the running of the village hall to pay bills and 

expenses. The ‘buy a brick’ monies are held in the 

fundraising account at present and the committee will meet 

in the near future, when restrictions allow, to decide the way 

forward for this. Please get in touch with me if you have any 

questions or if you wish to volunteer to help with the village 

hall. 

Ian Curtis, chairman SVH 

RURAL RUTH 

I have been so pleased to be able to resume my early 

morning dog walks after such a long absence. Enjoying the 

crisp mornings and watching the golden sunrises is full of 

joy for the future. Most welcome is the dawn chorus, often 

starting at first light which heralds the day. Blackbirds find a 

pole and they are joined here and there by the subtle song of 

the thrush. Robins, house sparrows, hedge Bettys and tits 

are now in full throat. Also worth stopping to hear are the 

collared doves and wood pigeons; beloved of chimneys; 

who ply their individual versions of the coo cooing ballad. 

Today 28th April, finally, three swallows are chattering with 

the joy of reunion in the barn. It is pleasing to know, despite 

the current 'flat earth' garden vogue there is still a little room 

in our village for our avian friends. 

Rural Ruth 

STIFFKEY CRICKET CLUB 

Stiffkey Cricket Club is all set for the new season, 

assuming that we continue to progress with Covid. We are a 

super friendly club of cricketers ranging from 15-65, 

playing relaxed and enjoyable friendlies with local and 

touring teams. We are always looking for new members and 

players; please contact either Chris (club captain) on 

07825251844 or Siemon on 07411706202 if you’d be 

interested in joining in. Here is our fixture list: 

JUNE: Sun 06.06 Rudham cc. Home. Sun 13.06 Oundle 

Ramblers cc. Home. Sun 20.06 Marlingford cc. Home. 

*Thursday 24 .06 T20 v Holkham. Away. Sun 27.06 

Bircham cc. Away. JULY: Sun 04.07 Rudham cc. Away. 

Sun 11.07 Thornham cc. Away. Sun 18.07 Bircham cc. 

Home. Sun 25.07 Marlingford cc. Away. AUGUST: Sun 

08.08 Norwich hockey/cc. Home. Sun 15.08 Saxlingham 

Wombats. Home. Sun 22.08. Hardingham cc. Away. 

SEPTEMBER: Sun 05.09 Hardingham cc. Home. Sun 

12.09 Thornham cc. Home. 

STIFFKEY PLAYING FIELD 

Firstly the playing field committee, on behalf of the 

village, would like to thank David Gibson for looking after 

the playing field for many years. He has finally decided to 

retire and we would all like to express our thanks for the 

contribution that he has made both to maintaining the 

playing fields and the village. 

Secondly we continue to seek donations to support the 

building of a tennis court for the use of village and visitors. 

We’ve raised over £3,000 already on our way to our target 

of £25,000. Please visit our justgiving.com page - search 

Stiffkey Playing Field and add your donation! 

24 

RESCUE WOODEN BOATS 

Lucy Lavers, the veteran Dunkirk little ship, normally 

lives in the working fishing port of Wells-next-the-sea and 

gives trips afloat. This summer however, you can find her at 

the Stiffkey boatyard, next to the Maritime Heritage Centre 

where she is having some essential maintenance before 

going to sea again. 

Bessie is another Dunkirk Little Ship, and our next 

project. We are very pleased to have acquired the fine 

whelker Bessie from Trevor Farman in Yarmouth, from 

where she was delivered to Morston Quay by Abbey 

Transport Ltd on 

December 7th 2011. 

Bessie is one of the last 

remaining Johnson-built 

whelkers. She was built in 

1935 for the Cox family 

(G.H.Cox and Sons) who whelked with her out of Wellsnext-the-Sea 

for 30 years, license number LN 16. She is 26 

ft long and 10 ft broad, built to the traditional double-ended 

design that was prevalent along the North Norfolk coast, 

and made of larch and oak with an inboard engine and an 

auxiliary dipping lugsail. She was named after George 

Henry Cox’s wife, Bessie. Later, when the Cox family 

acquired three Liverpool-type ex-lifeboats she was retained 

as a reserve vessel. Squeakie Bishop then bought her and 

used her for angling parties, first from Blakeney and then 

Gorleston, where she was used as a pleasure and fishing 

boat until acquired by Rescue Wooden Boats. 

In 1940, Bessie was taken from Wells-next-the-Sea to 

Ramsgate as part of Operation Dynamo to help evacuate the 

British Expeditionary Forces from Dunkirk. She was chosen 

for a special sub-mission to collect a party of men. She 

crossed the English Channel and had to lie off the French 

coast in a vulnerable position. There is a detailed and 

exciting account of this mission in the 1946 book Charles 

Vince in which it quotes: 

“It was rumoured that he (a VIP within the party to pick 

up) was Sir Launcelot Oliphant, British Ambassador to 

Belgium, who was made prisoner by the Germans when 

trying to get from Bruges to le Havre.” (p. 42) But the time 

after the signal passed and there was no sign of the party, so 

Bessie returned home. 

There is also an account of the expedition in local paper 

The Journal, dated Friday 9th July 1954, an account based 

on a report written by Dr. E. W. Hicks, dating from 18th 

April 1944, and we have copies of three dated postcards 

(plus transcripts) from Billy Cox to his wife, posted from 

Ramsgate, Dover and Harwich - click on the text in bold to 

read. Bessie is also listed in alphabetic list of The Little

Ships in Christian Brann's book The Little Ships of Dunkirk 

(p.229; Collectors' Books, 1989). 

Many thanks to Billy Cox's granddaughters, Geraldine 

Green and Caroline Gittens, for helping us with the research 

into Bessie's history. 

During the winter of 2013 and 2014 essential work was 

carried out on Bessie to repair damage and keep her stable 

until she has her major refit. At the same time the added 

wheelhouse was removed, and her decks strengthened, so 

she looks much more like her original 1935 self. David 

Hewitt and Tom Gathercole carried out the work, with 

plenty of help from volunteers. 

We regard Bessie as an especially important boat. She 

needs major restoration, a new engine and a new dipping 

lugsail to return her to her original state. We estimate at least 

£50,000 is needed for this work, which would need to be 

done in stages over a number of years, as she needs to be 

kept damp. Once restored she will be used afloat. 

There are many great films on the website including one 

about life with the Cox family and our own Geraldine 

Green, daughter of Jack Cox. www.rescuewoodenboats. 

com. We are re-opening the Maritime Heritage Centre 

Covid from 23 rd May on Sundays and bank holidays 

(regulations allowing) and so we will be looking for 

volunteers to help us man the place throughout next season. 

If you feel able to help, we would love to hear from you 

telephone 07500 616217. 

We are grateful to all our Friends for their support which 

is helping to keep our heads above water financially, as the 

usual fixed costs still must be met. 

KEEP SEALS SAFE 

The Seal Alliance has launched a campaign to protect 

seals from disturbance as more people walk out along the 

coast. They suggest that getting too close to seals can lead to 

the injury and death of mothers and pups, even up to several 

months later. 

It is therefore urging people to keep dogs on leads when 

seals might be present, never to feed the marine mammals 

and to take all litter home. Also to take simple steps to 

protect seals, including staying well away so they cannot 

smell, hear or see human observers and using a camera 

zoom or binoculars to watch them instead. 

The Alliance asks people not to take selfies and to keep 

at least ten metres from the wild animals, as well as ensuring 

you never come between a pup and their mother. 

Approaching a seal pup could result in the mother 

abandoning it. 

Our grey seal population face threats including climate 

change, toxic pollution, entanglement in fishing gear, 

collisions with vessels, plastics and other marine debris and 

increasing human disturbance. 

A.P. 

STIFFKEY PARISH COUNCIL 

Parish Clerk 

We are pleased to announce that Catherine Moore has 

agreed to become the permanent clerk for Stiffkey Parish. 

Catherine had already been acting as our clerk and we are 

delighted she has agreed to join us on a permanent basis. 

Catherine can be contacted via our website 

www.stiffkeyvillage.org or directly via email 

clerk@stiffkeyvillage.org or telephone 01493 253041. 

Garden Plots 

The waiting list for garden plots has now been 

relaunched. The plots are behind Camping Hill and those 

interested can register for either a full size or half size plot. 

The full size plot is 6.8 x 15m. If you would like to register 

your interest (or may have done in the past but were not 

successful), please contact the parish clerk for more 

information. 

Thank You 

At the time of reading this, many Covid-19 restrictions 

will have been lifted and life will slowly be returning to our 

new normal. With this in mind, the Parish Council would 

like to take this opportunity to thank all the Parishioners of 

Stiffkey for their patience, understanding and resilience over 

the past 12 months. We would also like to thank all of those 

who have given up their time and energy to volunteer 

during these difficult times. 

SPC 

WARBOROUGH HOUSE OPEN GARDEN 

This year the garden of Warborough House, Stiffkey, 

will be open on two dates for the National Garden Scheme 

(NGS): Sunday May 23rd and Sunday May 30th, 11am- 

25

4pm. Timed tickets can be booked in advance via the NGS 

website https://ngs.org.uk/ Adults £6. Children free. Dogs 

welcome but must be kept on lead. The village church will 

be serving teas. 

The NGS is the largest donor to nursing charities in the 

UK and regularly donates over £2million annually to its 

chosen charities. Macmillan and Marie Curie are among 

those they support. These charities have been at the 

forefront of supporting patients during the Covid 19 

pandemic. Monies from ticket and plant sales are donated to 

the charity. 

Please follow the signs at the garden gate on the main 

road to the parking area. Please do not park on the main 

road as this causes congestion. The Coasthopper bus service 

stops outside the garden: ask for the Stiffkey Stores/Post 

Office stop. If Government advice affects the planned 

opening, you will be able to check on the NGS website. AM 

VILLAGE LIFE 

We are delighted to welcome Sophia and Martin 

Williams who have moved to Gray’s Cottage on Riverbank 

as permanent village residents. Along with their cream 

labrador, Saffron, they have moved down from the Ribble 

Valley in Lancashire, following Martin’s retirement, mainly 

for a change of scene to an area they have fallen in love with 

over many years as visitors. 

They feel very lucky to be able to move to North 

Norfolk, but in particular Stiffkey, and especially to enjoy 

the views of the large valleys from their new home. The 

house has been a holiday let for many years, so they are 

planning improvements to ‘make it their own’ while 

retaining the lovely character. 

Sophia, who has already joined the book group, is an 

impressionist style oil painter and is looking forward to 

painting local subjects, especially landscapes. Indeed, she 

has already started work. Martin has plans to reinvigorate a 

childhood love of sailing, and if anyone is looking for a 

trainee crew member, he is willing to help. Both hope to 

contribute to village life and are looking forward to getting 

to know as many locals as possible, preferably over a glass 

of wine, when allowed. 

We also wish a belated welcome to Ethan Sutaria at 

Riverside House, who says that when restrictions are lifted, 

he will be delighted to welcome villagers for a coffee and a 

chat. I am aware that others have moved into the village 

during lockdown and we have missed you. Please feel free 

to send me a few lines to introduce yourself for the next 

edition. It is fantastic to see second and holiday homes 

becoming permanent residences.dr.sallyvanson@gmail.com 

TRAFFIC – A PLEA 

Summer is often the time of regeneration and rebuilding 

in Stiffkey. This year we are expecting a huge influx of 

visitors (maybe the largest ever) due to ‘staycations in the 

UK’ and the coastal road will be manic. We know, from 

past experience, that in order to cope we need to manage 

this ourselves in a neighbourly fashion. 

In order to help traffic flow through the village please 

can everyone try and get builders’ and visitors’ vehicles off 

the roads and ensure there are as few other obstructions as 

possible, especially in the narrower parts such as the by the 

shop. We need to be able to get the Coasthopper through, 

otherwise the bus company may redirect the service. The 

virtual pavement must be left free at all times. We do not 

want the noxious fumes of traffic jams invading our gardens 

26 

and blackening our properties, or tempers exploding out of 

sheer frustration. 

Maybe those who do not have space for their builders 

can ask on the Facebook page and other villagers can help 

out with parking. To avoid visitors parking in our drives and 

on our verges, now is the time to ensure our gates are well 

oiled and close properly, and to put up chains etc to protect 

our property. If we all work together on this, rather than 

complaining, everyone can enjoy the summer and 

businesses can enjoy their much-needed trade. 

MEDITATIVE MEANDERINGS 

Every evening I have the opportunity to walk under the 

night sky as I take the dog out for his last ‘constitutional’. 

The air seems softer and fresher at this time and the sounds 

of nature become magnified. If there is a full moon, there’s 

no need even for the torch and the subtle ground shadows 

can enthral you or trip you up if not careful. The dog is on 

high alert as well - mainly for roosting pigeons, playing a 

game of ‘who blinks first’ as they listen intently for one 

another. If the pigeon breaks free first, a commotion ensues, 

if the pigeon ‘plays it cool’, it means we have to move on to 

the next ‘listening post’. All the while this stalking game 

carries on, he is not concentrating on the job in hand and our 

walk can extend for quite some time. If the stars are out it 

provides a precious time to gaze up and marvel at the 

wonder of it all. (Does the dog even see or sense the stars I 

wonder?) At the end of April I was just in the right place at 

the right time to see the unique phenomenon of the 

International Space Station glide steadily across the sky. It 

does this on a regular basis and if you consult the frequently 

updated page https:// 

spotthestation.nasa.gov/ you 

too can plan to be in the right 

place at the right time. I looked 

up and imagined the weightless 

astronauts looking down on us. 

The space station been in orbit 

now for over 20 years (beating 

the Mir station’s record of 9). It 

is flying over 400 km above the earth at a speed of 17,500 

km per hour. The Norfolk sky never fails to fascinate, and it 

is still a marvel even to see a passenger plane fly over and 

realise several hundred people sit up there tucking into 

dinner and probably a glass or two of wine. 

Mundanity pulls me back to my walk, the dog has 

completed his mission and is dragging me back to whence 

we came from. “There’s been a dog in space before, you 

know”, I tell him but don’t go any further with it because I 

think it had rather a sad ending… 

I.T.

LANGHAM VILLAGE SCHOOL NEWS 

Children are now thankfully all back in school. Through 

the most recent lockdown we had about 45 children in 

school and the remainder were learning from home. 

Teachers did an amazing job at setting work online using 

Google Classrooms and the support staff delivered teaching 

in school to the children of critical workers. Everyone in the 

team pulled together and we got through this difficult time. 

Parents worked so hard with their children at home sending 

in photos of some inspirational work. This term we are 

concentrating on getting back to as near to a normal summer 

term as we can manage. The children have returned with a 

thirst for learning and are enjoying being with their friends 

again. 

We have a new teacher in Amber Class, Mrs Watchorn, 

who has moved with her family from Hertfordshire. We are 

thrilled to welcome her to Langham. We have had a number 

of special events this term; making the most of being able to 

do more together, especially outside. We had a really 

exciting day when a climbing wall 

was set up on the field. The children 

were able to ascend a 7.5 metre wall 

and abseil down. We enjoyed 

encouraging each other and everyone 

challenged themselves to climb as 

high as they could. Those that 

reached the top pressed a button 

which made everyone cheer. I think 

we have some future climbers 

amongst us! Thank you to The 

Outdoor Education Company who provided us with such an 

exhilarating day. 

We have also had a day of playing quidditch. Jet and 

Quartz Class love Harry Potter and enjoyed dressing up as 

their favourite Hogwarts students. A talking sorting hat was 

used to sort the children into their Houses: Griffindor, 

Slytherin, Ravenclaw and 

Hufflepuff. The teams then 

competed to win the quidditch 

house cup. The game is a 

clever combination of rugby, 

basketball and dodge ball. 

The children had an amazing 

time and 

we 

intend to continue playing quidditch at 

Langham, having purchased hoops, 

quaffles and bludgers! In case you are 

wondering there were no broomsticks 

involved - much too difficult to risk 

assess! This was the muggle version of 

the game. 

This week we have had a skipping 

workshop, the children have learnt lots 

of new skills and skipping techniques including double 

dutch which is incredible to watch. The expert teaching 

enabled every child to learn to skip to the best of their 

ability. They are all now very keen to show off their new 

found skills at play times. Next week we have a skate 

27 

boarding day, we can’t wait! 

We are very pleased to now be able to 

plan a few trips out. We haven't been 

able to take the children out of school 

for over a year and are looking 

forward to trips to Holkham, 

Watatunga Safari Park, The 

Sainsbury Centre and the beach. We 

even have a residential trip planned 

for Year 6 to Bawdsey Manor in 

Suffolk. 

All these events are very exciting but most importantly 

the children have returned to school keen to learn and as 

teachers we are working hard to ensure that the children 

make progress in all areas of the curriculum. We have 16 

new reception children coming in September and they will 

benefit from a brand new building which has just been 

completed in the Coral Class area. This will give these 

children a little more space to learn and play in their 

Reception year. 

Lastly, you may have seen in the news that one of our 

pupils won a competition to name a new sea sponge which 

has been discovered on the Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds. The 

Marine Conservation Society asked local school children to 

suggest ideas and Sylvie suggested 'Parpal Dumplin' 

because she thought that the sponge looked like a dumpling 

and is purple. The spelling gives the sponge a connection to 

Norfolk through the accent. We are very proud of Sylvie 

who was interviewed on the radio, appeared on Anglia TV 

news and BBC Newsround. Well done Sylvie! (See p.10.) 

Langham Village School: ‘A place for fun, creativity, 

friendship, ambition and discovery.’ 

Polly Kossowicz - Head teacher 

For further information please visit our website 

www.langham.norfolk.co.uk or follow us on twitter 

@langhamvill. 

DUNCAN BAKER M.P. 

N. Norfolk Conservative Assoc: 01692 558458 

www.duncanbaker.org.uk 

JEROME MAYHEW M.P. 

Broadland Conservative Assoc: 01603 865763 

www.broadlandconservatives.org.uk

LYNX 138 ADS DIRECTORY 

SEE FURTHER SERVICES LISTED BELOW DIRECTORY 

Antiques/ Furniture/ Textiles 

page 

Nick Hamond Furniture: cabinet-maker 26 

Phillippa Kirby Soft Furnishings 25 

Sandra’s Soft Furnishings 16 

Shirehall Antiques, Holt 20 

Care Services 

Community Heartbeat advice leaflet back cover 

Hindringham Toddler Group 13 

Gardening 

DB Garden Services 2 

Finlay Newton Garden Services 9 

Glaven Gardens 18 

J.P.S. Gardening 14 

Hair/ Health 

Alison Courtney Acupuncture 15 

Claire Dye: Physiotherapist 9 

Foot Perfect 12 

Gunthorpe Osteopaths 25 

Marianne Atherton Homeopathy 8 

Philippa Stancomb Reflexology 10 

Pilates at Binham Memorial Hall 16 

Tudor Barber Shop, Walsingham 12 

Hall Rentals 

Binham Memorial Hall 17 

Warham Reading Room 22 

Leisure 

Blakeney Hotel 

front cover 

Sharrington Gardeners 6 

Services and Suppliers 

Allied Glass: Trade and Domestic Glazing 15 

APW Plumbing & Heating 23 

Boon-bespoke décor 11 

Burnham Motors 21 

Butcher Andrews Solicitors 4 

Chris Wells Construction Ltd. NEW front cover 

Daren Betts Building and Maintenance 2 

David Thompson Chimney Sweep front cover 

Elv’s Woodburner Services 7 

Gresham Gravel 7 

Keeble Roofing Contractor 13 

Norfolk Woodburners Stoves 18 

P J Electrics 24 

Paul Hennessey decorator 19 

Peter Simmons Aquatic Specialist 3 

Samphire Vintage Props NEW 

front cover 

Taxis 

Strong Cars 27 

Stuart’s Taxi 10 

Advertising space in this publication is sold in good faith and the editor/publication team can take no 

responsibility for the quality of goods or services offered. 

GARRY WALLER 

Painter, Decorator & Carpet Cleaner 

20 Years Experience No job too small 

01263 860705 Mob: 07990 993406 

CHIMNEY SWEEP 

David Thompson 

01328 851081 

SEPTIC TANKS EMPTIED & HEDGE CUTTING 

Contact Alison Lee 

07749951898 

PETER SIMMONS AQUATIC SPECIALIST 

Pond cleaning and maintenance work 

Tel 01328 830689 

Mob 07393 560373 

HAMLYN PEST CONTROL 

County Council Accredited - NPTA Member 

Control of Rats Mice Wasps etc 

01263 860112 

DOMESTIC CLEANER 

Experienced, Reliable, Mature & Practical 

Contact Alison 

0779 026 4515 

FINCH GARDEN DESIGN 

Design - Build - Planting 

www.finchgardendesign.co.uk 

Jackie Finch 07776 292 211 

Local Lynx is printed by Century Printing, 132 28 High Street, Stalham, Norwich NR12 9AZ 

Tel: 01692 582958

Local Lynx No.138 - June/July 2021

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