Saints Alive: Stanhoe and Barwick Newsletter
April 2009
Dates for your diary or calendar
2nd April:
W.I. Meeting 7 pm in the Village Hall. Yvonne Autie – Rag Rug Making. Please note this is the first of our evening meetings.
4th April:
Bingo in the Village Hall. Eyes down 7.30 pm.
1st May:
May Ball – further information below.
Stanhoe Flower Show 2009
The flower show will take place from 2–4.30pm on Saturday 1st August in the Reading Room, Cross Lane. A band of volunteers has delivered the new schedule to every home in the village, so we are hoping for lots of entries. If you should mislay your schedule, or have any queries, please contact the show secretary, Rosemary Brown.
John Wright’s Charity
A gift of book tokens is offered to every young person of primary school age who has lived in Stanhoe for the past year. The Trustees of Wright’s Charity are once again asking parents to help them complete a list of eligible children. All that is necessary is to give the name and age of the children to Elspeth Adams 01485 518 327 now, and to bring them to the presentation in July to receive their gift.
May Ball
Brancaster Primary School are organising a May Ball to be held at Briarfields. For further information call Penny on 01485 210 246.
Cross Lane
A big –thank you’ is due to Mr Shackcloth for bringing his digger to rectify the flooding in Cross Lane.
Parish Council News
Village Waste Bins
As reported last month, waste bin casings have now been procured and installed in the positions adjacent to the main pond where bins were previously located; in addition, a dog waste bin has been installed. Unfortunately, the suppliers sent the wrong casings, so these have now been replaced, because the doors would not enable a wheely bin to be inserted! The Parish Council has been obliged to purchase these, as directed by the waste services department of the Borough Council, as they have to be standardised, and in addition we now have to pay for one of them to be emptied.
Wind Farm Proposal
It has been brought to the notice of the Parish Council that proposals are in existence for a large wind farm of 30 turbines, situated between North Creake, South Creake, and Shammer. An anemometer mast was erected there 2 or 3 years ago, obviously as a precursor (as with the recent application for Chiplow). No planning application has yet been lodged for the wind farm. We will keep residents updated on any developments.
Parish Annual Meeting
Please don’t forget that the Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday 23rd April. This is your meeting, and we want to hear your views! The village website will be demonstrated, local information will be available, and some proposals for new initiatives to benefit the village community will be announced.
Footpath for Bircham Road
Parish councillors had a meeting with a representative of Planning & Transportation department (“Highways”) of Norfolk County Council recently, to walk along Bircham Road from the pond to Church Lane. This was in order to discuss our enquiries to see whether a footpath would be feasible. Once the stringent criteria under which the department works were explained to us, we were able to see that a path on the grass verge (known as a ‘trod’) would not be feasible, and although we were obviously disappointed, we realise that there is no point in pursuing this. We are still working to try to establish a partial alternative.
An assessment is still going to be carried out in the first week of May, by a different division within the County Council, to establish whether or not a path of the type in Docking Road would be justified.
More information will be available at the Parish Annual Meeting on 23rd April.
O Lord Open Thou Our Lips
These ancient words are familiar, and yet it seems to me that we often fail to speak joyfully or praisingly, when our inner voices urge it. I went to Bagthorpe a month ago to see the snowdrops, and as I entered the wood I heard a clear baritone voice singing The Lord’s My Shepherd. The singer was an elderly man sauntering along the path, pausing every so often between lines, then resuming the melody. He was totally unaware of any listeners; he thought he had the wood to himself. To me listening unseen it was a moment of transforming beauty, and one I’ll not forget: a human being in harmony with himself and his surroundings, responding to it spontaneously.
W. H. Davies wrote: “A rainbow and a cuckoo’s song! Lord, how rich and great the times are now–; and I think it’s hugely important that we should cherish our capacity to seize the passing moment and praise and celebrate it.
Years ago, people sang much more, and whistled too, but in these unresponsive, passive days such sounds are rarely heard. Smiling and laughing release positive chemicals in our bodies; if we open our lips to do this, and to rejoice about being alive amid beauty, it is actually good for us and for the world around us. Heaven knows we have plenty here in Stanhoe to rejoice about.
Dogs
A very thoughtful dog owner cleared up after his dog recently and then promptly left the bag on the forecourt of the village hall. Please remember to dispose of these bags with care!
And Finally
Middle age is when, wherever you go on holiday, you pack a sweater – Dennis Norden