| December |
John Otway to play Norfolk
Photo Supplied by Tim Flaxman |
East
Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) have
benefited from nearly £1000 thanks to a concert in
Wymondham last Saturday. The night featured John Otway and
his big band as well as support from Norfolk’s very
own Badly Worn Boys.
The eccentric star, best known for his
1977 top ten hit ‘Really
Free’ reeled off his back catalogue in his usual bizarre
way; accompanying songs with forward rolls, handstands and
even a jump from his famous concert prop of a stepladder.
During his hit ‘Beware of the Flowers’ the audience
also became involved in the night’s activites, throwing
flowers at the stage for Otway to dodge whilst singing.
East
Anglia’s Children’s Hospices offer a range
of services to support children and young people with life-threatening
and life-limiting conditions and their families. Care and
support is provided in the family home or in one of the three
hospices in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
A bucket
collection and raffle on the night also helped boost the
total. To help raise more money for the charity an ebay auction
will be taking place in the near future, with a signed Otway
CD and the toy doll he used on stage at Wymondham.
If you
would be interested in holding an event in aid of EACH, please
call the fundraising office on 01953 715559
or e-mail funding@each.org.uk
|
| November |
Wymondham
Town Ladies football team
 Runaway leaders
of the Women and Girls' Football League after their 11th
straight win.
An away kit sponsorship deal with Wymondham Ex-Services
Club coincided with Remembrance Sunday.
Wymondham Town Ladies kept up their 100 per cent record
with their 11th straight league win - 5-0 at home to
Hainford.
Pictured outside Wymondham Ex-Services Club
(Left to Right) Back Row
Jenna Wales, Emily Gannaway, Katie Swann, Sarah Sturdy,
Natalie Wood, Helen Crisp, Vicky Swann.
Front Row. Louise Rout, Lois Tierney, Lisa Larke (captain),
Katie Rumble, Rachael Carpenter; Polly Tarrant.
|
|
| November |
Family's support for local charity
A Wymondham family’s commitment to a local charity
has resulted in the organisation receiving a major donation.
Mrs
Betty Baldwin was a regular supporter of the Wymondham & Attleborough
Talking Newspaper and when she died recently, aged 85, her
family asked for donations to be made to the Talking Newspaper,
in lieu of flowers.
As a result, £1090 has now been
presented to the group, which produces a weekly audio news
and information service for almost 70 visually impaired people.
Mrs
Baldwin’s daughters, Jennifer Cawte and Linda
Sager, were delighted with the response. Mrs Cawte said:
“Mum
would have been thrilled to know that the Talking Newspaper
has been helped in this way.”
Mrs Baldwin’s son-in-law,
Jim Cawte, was a founder member of the Talking Newspaper,
in his capacity as president of Wymondham Lions Club, which
helped to establish the audio news service in 1997. Mr Cawte
subsequently served as chairman of the group and is still
one of the volunteer sound technicians.
W A T N chairman,
Pat Crawford said: “We are very grateful for this generous
donation, which comes at a time when we are incurring expenditure
to move premises and to purchase equipment for a switch from
analogue to digital recording.”
For more information
about the Wymondham & Attleborough
Talking Newspaper, contact the secretary on 01953 605434.
|
|
| October |
Wymondham’s bronze model unveiled
On Saturday 6 October the wraps at last came off Wymondham Community Partnership’s imaginative scheme to celebrate the Abbey’s 900th birthday with a bronze model in the market place
 The solid bronze model shows the abbey and priory buildings in relation to the town as it was when the abbey and other monastic buildings were dissolved by Henry VIII in the sixteenth century. It is sited next to the town’s Market Cross, which houses the Tourist Information Centre, on a solid plinth of Caen stone, the material used in the original Norman abbey constructed in 1207. Because Wymondham’s street plan and some of its major buildings have changed little in the last 450 years, the model will also help visitors find their way round 21st century Wymondham.
The model will be of particular value to visually impaired people, small children and people with learning difficulties. Street names and other information are duplicated in Braille text.
Matthew Wood, chairman of the Partnership’s Vision Group and Wymondham resident, thought up the idea and has been working on it for over a year. He said: “This is great news for Wymondham and the Abbey church. Few people fully appreciate the importance of the
Abbey in Wymondham’s early history, or how extensive its buildings and lands were alongside the small Mediaeval town. The model will help to bring this to life.”
Matthew acknowledged the help he had received from local historians from Wymondham Heritage Society and the Abbey, and advice from the Dog Rose Trust charitable foundation and local visually impaired people who helped with the Braille inscriptions. “We have also had help and support from the Town Council who have agreed to have to model on the Market Place and to take responsibility for it after the unveiling,” he said.
Partnership chair Ann Roberts said: “The Partnership is delighted to be able to give this 900th anniversary present to the Abbey and town. With so many people and organisations involved it is a tribute to the effectiveness of partnership working in Wymondham”
The fundraising campaign to raise nearly £30,000 for the project was led by the Community Partnership’s vice-chairman John Wood, who is delighted with the support received. He said: “The project could never have gone ahead without a major grant of nearly £20,000 from EEDA’s Quality of Place scheme, and with generous help from South Norfolk Council and Wymondham Town Council, the Community Partnership and the Abbey 900 fund we have been able to cover all the costs. And of course, several hundred hours of volunteer time from within our community were needed to put it all together.”
An illustrated colour leaflet has been prepared with information about the abbey and town in the 1530s, and this is available from the Tourist Office, Abbey, Library and Town Council offices. The leaflet was funded by local businesses May Gurney Ltd, Toilets+ Ltd and Wymondham Medical Practice who responded to an appeal at a Wymondham Business Forum meeting.
See later news articles regarding the Bronze Modeling |
|
| August |
An Invitation to sing alone
If you have ever wondered about what it's like to sing in a choir, indeed whether you yourself would be a good enough singer to be able to join in, then an ideal opportunity will come your way on Thursday 13th September, when the Wymondham Choral Society will be hosting an Open Rehearsal. Come along to the Fairland Hall in Wymondham at about 7.30pm, and you will be made very welcome, supplied with music for the evening, and invited to sit in and sing along with the appropriate section of the choir. Normally, rehearsals start at 7.45pm, and finish at 10.00.
The Wymondham Choral Society is a large choir of up to 80 members, performing three major concerts a year in local churches, although other activities might be included, such as the recent BBC Songs of Praise recording in Wymondham Abbey (to be broadcast on the 30th September). Rehearsals are friendly occasions, often quite hilarious, and time is given for getting to know other members and general socialising. The repertoire is drawn from the choral masterpieces of a millenium of church music, oratorio, operatic choruses, anthems, madrigals and part-songs. The last concert, to raise funds for Wymondham Abbey's 900th Anniversary Appeal, presented music ranging from Gregorian Chant to an anthem composed in 2007!
Musical Director Claire Dixon conducts rehearsals with boundless skill, energy and good humour, and accompanist Ben Giddens is currently Organ Scholar at Norwich Cathedral, and a recitalist in his own right. Further information can be obtained from Chairman Val Price, on 01953 604589. |
|
| August |
Dispatch Magazine is coming to Wymondham in October
Dispatch has been the leading local community magazine in Attleborough and Diss for more than five years, and now it’s about to come to Wymondham.
Spider Solutions, the company behind the massively successful Wymondham community website, wymondhamonline.co.uk and publishers of the Wymondham Town Guide, are bringing the Dispatch Magazine to Wymondham, Hethersett and Spooner Row.
With a print run of 8,000, Dispatch will be distributed to all homes and businesses throughout Wymondham and the surrounding area.
We also offer a complete design service for customers that includes: Web Design, Print Design and Copy Writing
• Dispatch is the ONLY local Community based A4 full colour monthly magazine.
• Dispatch promotes “Keeping Business in the Community.”
• Dispatch works closely with local Town Councils.
• Dispatch is owned and published by Spider Solutions who already produces the Attleborough, Diss and Wymondham Town Guides.
• Dispatch compliments the Attleborough, Diss and Wymondham community websites, which receive over 200,000 visitors per month.
• All advertisers in Dispatch receive a FREE listing on their local website.
• Dispatch offers flexible advertising from 1/16 of a page up to a full page of advertising in a full colour A4 publication.
|
|
| August |
New home for Wymondham Learning Centre
Caption: Duty Manager Karen Crook
(left) and Kate Wood, chair of trustees,
packing up for the forthcoming move. |
Wymondham Learning Centre is enjoying its last few weeks in the building it has occupied since 2002, and its staff are already starting to pack for a move across town to new, purpose-built accommodation at Wymondham High School. The move will take place on Thursday 30 August, and the centre will open again on Monday 10 September.
Kate Wood, chair of Wymondham Learning Initiative, the registered charity which runs the
Learning Centre, said: “We are sad to leave our offices in Middleton Street,
so conveniently located in the heart of town, but it makes good sense to team up with the High School as it develops its policy of
reaching out to the wider community. Our move will concentrate on one site a wide range of learning opportunities which will include adult learners as well as young people. After five years on our own it will be good to work in a new partnership with the school.”
The new purpose-built centre is closely modelled on the present accommodation, but will have several advantages. Kate Wood said: “We shall keep the same friendly and welcoming environment for adult learners, but will be able to offer convenient parking space and our own entrance, quite separate from the main school entrance. Access will be from Norwich Road, from the same entrance as for the Leisure Centre, with parking space immediately on the right in front of the school buildings “
To help existing and new learners find their way around, open days are to be held on Monday 10 September from 2 pm to 4 pm, Wednesday 12 September from 6 pm to 8 pm, and Friday 14 September from 10 am to midday. “We hope lots of people will drop in to see where we are and wish us well in our new accommodation – and if they wish, find out about signing up for courses. There will be refreshments and a warm welcome for everyone” said Kate.
Although the accommodation is changing, the centre’s contact details remain the same: telephone 01953 600737, and email info@wymondhamlearning.org.uk
As well as providing a new home for the Learning Centre the building, designed by architect Paul Lucas of Wymondham firm Lucas Hickman Smith, will give the High School excellent purpose built facilities for the 6th form and improved library facilities. |
|
| August |
Tiffey Trails exhibition reviews ambitious arts and heritage project
An exhibition in Wymondham Abbey is giving local people and visitors a comprehensive view of Wymondham Arts Forum’s ambitious and successful Tiffey Trails project. The exhibition is on display during the Abbey’s normal opening hours, between 10 am and 5 pm on weekdays and on Sunday afternoons, and will run until Bank Holiday Monday, 27 August. It is one of a series of exhibitions helping to celebrate the Abbey’s 900th anniversary
The exhibition explains how the idea was devised by the Arts Forum in autumn 2004 as a means of encouraging local arts and crafts people to use the valley as a source of inspiration for their work. However, it soon developed into a much larger and more comprehensive project. Arts Forum chairman John Wood explained: “The valley provides an attractive green corridor through the Wymondham parish, and it contains a wealth of wildlife and many historic buildings. The heritage aspects of the project have attracted generous funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, local councils and many charitable organisations, and their support is enabling us to carry out almost all our plans.”
He added: “Wymondham is under pressure from developers to provide thousands of new homes, and many of the sites they have in mind are in or near the valley. An important aim of the project is to make local people more aware of their precious local environment, and alert them to the threat of encroaching development.”
The exhibition offers examples of the paintings, photos, artwork, creative writing and music inspired by the Tiffey Valley during the last 18 months. It explains how grants have been used to improve access with new boardwalks, more accessible stiles and gates, benches, waymarkers to guide visitors along the valley trails and a new valley guide and map, copies of which are available at the exhibition. It gives details of the many events and activities which have been published in widely circulated events programmes in 2006 and 2007.
An original feature of the project is the creation of viewing towers in the valley to add to the interest and enjoyment of a family outing. The first, on the Lizard open space to the east of the town, was produced as an artistic commission and opened in May, and a second tower will be shortly assembled at the Toll’s Meadow nature reserve near the town centre. Local woodcarver Andy Hibberd, who has produced designs and carving for benches and the Toll’s Meadow tower, will be demonstrating his woodworking skills in the abbey on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 1 pm and 4 pm.
Rosie Evans designed and assembled the exhibition. She said: “It’s amazing to see how much the project has achieved in eighteen months, and the variety of artistic output it has inspired. We hope the exhibition will encourage people to spend an hour or two in the valley, enjoying its gentle landscapes and its rich and varied environment.”
The exhibition opened on Saturday 11 August and may be seen every day during abbey opening hours until Monday 27 August. |
|
| July |
School’s ‘Green Team’ quiz architects on new building’s green credentials
 A community environment project run jointly by Wymondham Learning Initiative and Wymondham High School took a step forward recently when High School pupils took a tour of building work at the school. The new building will provide the 6th Form with excellent purpose built facilities, update the school library, and provide a new home for Wymondham Learning Centre when it moves from its current premises in Middleton Street in September.
Proving how much they care about the environment, the members of the school’s Green Team came with a prepared list of questions and quizzed Site Manager Shaun Green about the new building’s environment-friendly credentials. The building, designed by architect Paul Lucas of Wymondham firm Lucas Hickman Smith, will open for the new term in September Among the many questions for Shaun were enquiries into whether the building was made from a sustainable source such as wood (it’s timber-framed), whether organic, chemical-free, paints were used on the walls (they were), if building materials were sourced locally to reduce travel miles (they were wherever possible) and if low energy lighting will be used (it will).
The students were disappointed when it was explained that for various reasons other environment-friendly ideas such as solar panels, wind turbines, and re-use of waste water would not be incorporated. However, they learned about other examples of environmental good practice which would be found in the building.
The Green Team has around 15 enthusiastic members who meet once a week during term to work actively on projects to help their environment, such as encouraging teachers to save energy by switching off lights and equipment and the creation of an international peace garden that pupils and teachers can use as a ‘quiet’ space.
Photo caption: Green Team inspection at High School: Pictured from left to right in the front row are Green Team members Evie Calaby, Jess Read and Mat Hatch.
At the back are Project Worker Annette James, teacher Lisa Freaney and Site Manager Shaun Green. |
|
| July |
Fictions turns into FACT as new Brew is sampled in the Abbey
A fictional conversation between employees of the brewery operating in Wymondham in the early nineteenth century has turned into modern day fact.
The exchange is one of the themes in Abbey Days, a series of short plays being performed by members of Wymondham Players at the Abbey on July 24, 26 and 28, as part of its 900th anniversary celebrations. An enthusiastic (fictional) brewery worker offers some ideas to the then (real life) brewery manager, Arthur Bailey, on how the firm can sell more of its beer.
Coincidentally, Attleborough-based Wolf Brewery is supporting the Abbey’s 900th anniversary celebrations by launching a specially brewed beer called Abbey 900 and the audience for the Abbey Days production will have the opportunity to sample the new beer on each of the three nights the plays are performed. Brewery spokesman, Wolfe Witham said: “We are delighted to support the Abbeys Days production in this unique way”.
The Abbey 900 beer is available at the Cross Keys freehouse and restaurant in Wymondham. For every pint of the commemorative beer sold, 10p will be donated to the Abbey restoration fund by the Cross Keys.
Tickets for the Abbey Days production are available from Geo R Reeve in Wymondham or on 01953 605523. Tickets cost £3.00, with no concessions and the performances start at 7.30pm.
For more details, please contact Alan Carpenter, Publicity Officer for Wymondham Players. Tel: 01953 601198 |
|
| July |
Wymondham Abbey focus for archaeology talk and exhibition.
Wymondham’s Tiffey Trails group will be contributing to National Archaeology Week again this year with a free lecture and exhibition in Wymondham Abbey. The lecture will offer information about Christian worship in the East Anglian region several centuries before the Normans came and established their great monasteries. The exhibition will bring the story up to date, describing more recent archaeological discoveries relating to Wymondham Abbey.
The illustrated talk on ‘The Early Christian Archaeology of East Anglia’ will be given in the abbey at 8 pm on Monday 16 July (coffee available from 7.30 ) by Dr Rik Hoggett, an archaeologist who recently finished his PhD on the Christianisation of East Anglia, and now works for Cambridgeshire County Council. His talk will include seventh-century conversions in the East Anglian Kingdom, the establishment of the Anglo-Saxon church before the coming of the Vikings and the first wave of monastic foundations which provided the context for the foundation of Wymondham Abbey.
‘Exploring the Archaeology of Wymondham Abbey’ is the title of the exhibition which runs from 16 July for two weeks in the abbey. The history of the abbey from pre-Norman times is revealed through archaeological investigations and discoveries over the past 170 years. Arranged by Adrian and Anne Hoare on behalf of Wymondham Heritage Museum, the exhibition includes maps, photographs, diagrams, plans and explanatory text. Evidence for some of the traditions and folklore about the abbey's story is also revealed.
Tiffey Trails group chairman John Wood said: “Last year’s archaeology day and lecture attracted enthusiastic audiences and showed how much interest there is in the early history and archaeology of the Wymondham area. Dr Hoggett’s lecture and the accompanying exhibition are another contribution by our group to meet the demand for information about our local heritage.”
|
|
| May |
Community Partnership to host Wymondham’s first Environment Fair.
Wymondham Community Partnership is hosting an Environment Fair on Friday 25th May from 10.00am to 3.00pm in Wymondham’s Central Hall. This free event will be the first of its kind to be held in the town, and will cater for a wide range of environmental interests.
The Environment Fair is a great opportunity to find out more about protecting the environment, about energy saving, solar power, local and organic food, waste disposal and composting, investing ethically and a host of other environmental concerns.
The Oscar winning film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ by Al Gore will also be shown continuously during the day.
Chair of Wymondham Community Partnership Ann Roberts said “This is the first Environment Fair to be held in Wymondham and there’s already been a lot of interest. Organisations of all kinds will be there – from big public sector bodies to small private companies – so there should something to interest everyone, and lots of opportunities to pick up information and advice”
Organisations attending include the conservation and waste disposal teams from South Norfolk Council and Norfolk County Council, Anglian Water, nature conservation bodies from Natural England to Wymondham Nature Group, CRed (the carbon reduction team from UEA), the Energy Saving Trust, Norfolk Organics and Eostre Organics, Waitrose, Advice Centre Anglia, The Real Nappy Network, Solely Solar, Investing Ethically and many more. The Energy Bus will also be there with advice on energy saving. Entry is free, and there’s a free low energy light bulb for everyone attending!
Wymondham Environment Fair will take place in the Central Hall, Wymondham on Friday 25th May from 10.00am to 3.00pm.
For more information please contact Ann Roberts on 01953 604311. |
|
| April |
Talking Newspaper Seeks New Home
Wymondham & Attleborough Talking Newspaper is looking for a new home.
The premises from which the voluntary group records, copies and distributes its weekly audio news service for almost 70 visually impaired people, is in the process of being sold.
The organisation is now looking for a ground level room in either of the two towns, which it can rent, as a base for their important service.
W A T N Chairman, Pat Crawford said: "It would be helpful if we could find a small room where we can set up the recording and copying equipment permanently and have access to it, particularly on Friday evenings."
The group would be happy to share space in an office or community building and anyone who has any suggestions can contact Tony Vale on 01953 605434. |
|
| March |
Wildlife conservation at Wayland Prison
Pedigree Highland cattle and rare ‘Norfolk Horn’ sheep are being used at Wayland Prison to graze the grassland outside the perimeter fence for the benefit of wildlife and the countryside.
The animals also form an integral part of the education and training programme for prisoners and are good publicity for the prison when they compete at local shows. This very interesting scheme was described by Tom Thurston, Conservation and Sustainable Development
 Manager at Wayland Prison, in his recent talk on ‘Biodiversity in the Prison Service’ to over 70 members and friends of Wymondham Nature Group.
The Pedigree herd of Highland Cattle was established at the prison in 2003. The breed is both hardy and docile and from time to time cattle are lent to bodies such as Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, and Natural England to graze their nature reserves. The ‘Norfolk Horn’ is one of the oldest native breeds of sheep in Britain. They thrive on wild grassland which means the land can be managed without fertilisers and pesticides. This encourages the regeneration of indigenous wild flower and grass species, which in turn benefits insects, birds and mammals.
A growing number of prisons are being required to draw up Biodiversity Action Plans or BAPs - plans to conserve and, where possible, to enhance species and habitats. With this in mind, Wayland Prison organised surveys which identified 42 species of birds, including woodpecker and sparrowhawk. Among other wildlife there are great crested newts, and endangered invertebrates classified as ‘Red Data Book Species’. As well as grassland, the site has two ponds and an ancient hedgerow. Bee orchids and cowslips grow in a newly seeded wild flower meadow and an orchard has been planted with old Norfolk varieties of apple and pear trees.
HMP Wayland is a category C training prison, opened in 1984. It currently holds just over 700 male prisoners and is due to grow to 1000 by the end of 2007. It is a highly- rated prison nationally for its education and training programmes. Prisoners have to undergo some form of vocational training, with the aim of gaining qualifications which will lead to employment on release. Many prisoners start by knowing next to nothing about rural matters, but at Wayland they have a real chance to gain life-changing insights and hands-on experience, including growing vegetables for the kitchens and, for a selected few, practical work with the livestock.
A lengthy question and answer session at the end of the talk indicated just how interested the audience was in a subject very few of us knew anything about.
For more information on the use of grazing animals for nature conservation, consult Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s website www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk. |
|
| March |
New-look town newsletter brings it all together
Wymondham Town Council’s new look newsletter ‘About Wymondham’ brought a team of a dozen volunteers together last week to assemble 25,000 leaflets for circulation to homes in Wymondham. It took them four hours of hard work in the council offices, working in relays, to complete the task.
The spring edition of the eight-page newsletter is being used to help circulate publicity leaflets produced by Wymondham Music Festival, the Arts Forum’s Tiffey Trails group and Wymondham Abbey, celebrating its 900th anniversary this year. But circulating this information to 6,000 homes in Wymondham involved inserting the three leaflets into the newsletter, and boxing them up for distribution. The newsletter and its attractive contents are now on their way to Wymondham homes.
‘About Wymondham’ has been produced by the Town Council and edited by John Wood since the first edition in 1992. The new look was devised by a small group including Town Mayor Joe Mooney, Town Clerk Trevor Gurney and John Wood, with design advice from Liz French from Wymondham Community Partnership and Tim Smith from printers Geo. R. Reeve Ltd. The newsletter is circulated quarterly to homes in Wymondham.
Town Mayor Joe Mooney said: “The Town Council is delighted with the new-look ‘About Wymondham’. We have made only minor changes to the design over 15 years, and with the use of colour on the outer pages and a clearer typeface and layout it should now be easier to read. It contains both Town Council and community news, and complements the good work done by the ‘Wymondham and Attleborough Mercury’ in getting news and information out to our community.”
Town Clerk Trevor Gurney said: “We are very glad to be able to help local organisations publicise their activities in this way. Their 2007 leaflets reflect great credit on them and the town, and they have proved once again that they can turn out a hard-working volunteer team when needed.”
Trevor added: “The spring edition of ‘About Wymondham’, and copies of earlier editions, can be seen on the Town Council website wymondhamtc.norfolkparishes.gov.uk, along with lots of other information about Town Council activities”
Assembly line: Members of the volunteer team busy assembling community leaflets for circulation with the town newsletter, with editor John Wood displaying the new design. |
|
| March |
Community grants scheme helps young model fliers
Wymondham Community Partnership has announced the first awards made under its relaunched community small grants scheme. Local clubs and organisations may apply for grants of up to £200 to help with community projects which fall within the scope of the current Wymondham Action Plan.
A grant of £140 has just been made to the South Norfolk Model Flying Club to help introduce local young people to indoor and outdoor model aeroplane flying. During the winter, monthly meetings in the sports hall are attended by up to 50 club members who fly small, lightweight models in the calm indoor atmosphere.
 Ready for launch Young model fliers at Wymondham Leisure Centre with Wymondham Community Partnership Vice Chairman John Wood (left) and South Norfolk Model Flying Club Treasurer Nick Brooks During the summer months the main activity moves to the club’s flying fields at Suton and Tacolneston, where larger and more powerful models may safely be flown.
Model flying club treasurer Nick Brooks welcomed the grant. “It’s expensive to hire the hall and the grant will contribute to our costs and encourage members to spend time helping the young fliers to get their models airborne. We are grateful to the Community Partnership for running this valuable scheme for local organisations.”
Nick added: “Many of our older members started flying model aeroplanes when they were at school, and it’s good to see them introducing a new generation of young fliers to our sport.”
Other grants have been made this year to the Livewire Opera Company to help purchase a trailer for lighting units, local nature group WyNG for owl nesting boxes, Wymondham Heritage Society for leaflets for the abbey’s 900 year celebrations and Wymondham Music Festival for an arts noticeboard at Wymondham station.
Community Partnership chair Ann Roberts said: “We have run small grants schemes for several years now. Clubs and societies often have good small projects which they can’t afford to fund entirely from their members’ subscriptions. We aim to keep the paperwork as simple as possible and take decisions within just a few weeks.”
More information: WCP small grants scheme – Granville Smith on 019535 600606
South Norfolk Model Flying Club – Nick Brooks on 01508 570016 |
|
| February |
Doing our best for community volunteers
Wymondham like other small towns relies heavily upon the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, and they must be recruited and looked after with care and their efforts recognised. That was the message from an event on volunteer management for rural voluntary groups across Southern Norfolk held last week (Wednesday 22nd February) in Wymondham.
Nearly 40 people attended, from volunteer organisations across the district. Their wide variety of interests illustrated the diversity of community volunteer activity, in areas such as health care, support for those suffering with serious illness or disability, looking after elderly people and children, adult learning, residents groups, nature conservation and the arts and music.
Two afternoon workshops gave voluntary groups the opportunity to learn how better to recruit, induct and support volunteers, and there was some intensive networking over a buffet lunch.
The event was organised by the professional staff of Norwich and Norfolk Voluntary Services, in partnership with Wymondham Community Partnership, which has organised several local events to recognise the work of volunteers. Partnership Chair Ann Roberts said:
“It is good to work with a professional organisation like NNVS, who have huge resources of knowledge and skill to pass on to local workers and volunteer managers .They can also help match potential volunteers with volunteering opportunities which suit their interests and skills, and the time they are able to commit to volunteering work.
“Volunteers are often not fully recognised or appreciated, and we shall do all we can to support their efforts in the community. Working with NNVS is a good was to achieve this.”
For more information about local volunteering contact Richard Patey, NVS Rural Volunteering Development Worker, on 01508 533175.
For information about Wymondham Community Partnership contact Ann Roberts on 01953 604311 |
|
| February |
Wymondham’s bronze model project gets major grant offer
Wymondham Community Partnership’s imaginative project to celebrate the abbey’s 900th birthday with a bronze model in the market place has received a major grant which will enable it to go ahead.
Action for Market Towns, supported by the East of England Development Agency, has awarded the project £19,622 under its Quality of Place capital grants scheme, aimed at encouraging communities in the region to develop ideas which will foster a sense of local pride and distinctiveness. Another £6,000 must still be found to realise the £26,000 project, but the project team are confident that this sum can be raised with other grants for which they have applied.
The solid bronze model will show the abbey and priory buildings in relation to the town as it was in the sixteenth century. It will be sited on a solid plinth of Caen stone, the material used in the original Norman abbey constructed in 1207. Because Wymondham’s street plan and some of its major buildings have changed little in the last 450 years, the model will also help visitors find their way round 21st century Wymondham.
The model will be of particular value to visually impaired people, small children and people with learning difficulties. Street names and other information will be duplicated in Braille text.
Partnership member and Wymondham resident Matthew Wood, who thought up the idea and has been working on it since last summer, said: “This is great news for Wymondham and the abbey church. Action for Market Towns require the project to be completed by the end of May, so we shall have to work hard to complete the historical research, make the master model, get it cast in bronze and install it on its plinth next to the Market Cross, but it will be a fascinating project to work on.”
The fundraising campaign for the model has been led by the Community Partnership’s vice-chairman John Wood, who is delighted with the EEDA award. He said: “Without this generous grant there would have no chance of getting the project moving. We have other grant applications under consideration by our local councils and the Lottery Awards for All scheme, and I’m confident we shall raise the funds we need.”
For more information about the project contact Matthew Wood on 07919 183413
or John Wood on 01953 602051. |
|
| January |
Wymondham’s Carbon Future
Wymondham Community Partnership has teamed up with the UEA based Community Carbon Reduction Programme (CRed) to show its commitment to reducing carbon emissions in the town.
Each year Wymondham town is responsible for producing approximately 108,000 tonnes of the green house gas carbon dioxide through emissions from domestic usage, transport, work and leisure. That’s equivalent to the weight of one aircraft carrier!
In order to make a start on tackling this problem, Wymondham Community Partnership has agreed to make the Community Carbon Reduction Programme a formal partner and to support its ambition to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the region by 60% by 2025. In order to make a start on tackling this problem, Wymondham Community Partnership has agreed to make the Community Carbon Reduction Programme a formal partner and to support its ambition to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the region by 60% by 2025.
The Community Partnership was established in 1999 and is committed to 'putting Wymondham first'. Through the development of partnerships like the one with CRed it aims to get everyone working together to improve the historic market town. The Partnership is currently undertaking a town consultation and with over 200 CRed members already pledged to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions in Wymondham, CRed will be well placed to advise both the Partnership’s Environment and Town Vision groups, which study and produce ideas for the preserving and improving the local green and built environment.
CRed events manager Matthew Taylor said “I am truly pleased that Wymondham Community partnership has agreed to make CRed a partner. As a Wymondham resident I have been present at both the Environmental and Town Vision group meetings, and I am very impressed with their aspirations for the town.”
Wymondham Community Partnership Chair Ann Roberts said “I am looking forward to finding out how CRed will be able to feed in to our future projects to help realise Wymondham’s low carbon ambition and continue to improve this wonderful town”
For information about CRed and to make a carbon saving pledge visit the website www.cred-uk.org.
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| January |
‘WYMONDHAM Gains Fairtrade Status’
Wymondham is celebrating on becoming a Fairtrade town – the first Norfolk market town to achieve this internationally recognised status.
In April 2006 Wymondham Community Partnership and Wymondham Town Council came together to set up a steering group to achieve Fairtrade status for the town. Fairtrade is a worldwide scheme ensuring that producers receive a fair price for their products, which can be identified by the distinctive logo on their packaging.
 Wymondham can proudly promote itself as the first Fairtrade market town in the County. Nine months of hard work on the project have included persuading several local shops to stock Fairtrade products, and getting public bodies to use Fairtrade products wherever possible.
Steering group Chair Doug Underwood commented ‘This is brilliant news for Wymondham - but it is only the first step. We now have to increase the number of businesses in the Town that stock Fairtrade products. In order to encourage this we intend to publish a directory of all local stockists and will continue to promote items produced all over the world, including our own local producers such as farmers. We have a very successful Farmers Market and it is equally important that we promote fair prices for their products’.
Mayor Cllr. Joe Mooney was delighted that Wymondham is the first Norfolk market town to be awarded this prestigious status and would encourage all other towns to follow Wymondham’s example. His sentiments were endorsed by Ann Roberts, Chair of Wymondham Community Partnership. Ann said: ‘We should all look out for the Fairtrade label on products when we go shopping. And if you have a cup of coffee at a Community Partnership or Town Council event, you can now expect it to be a Fairtrade product!’
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News
for 2007