www.shouldham.info SHOULDHAM NEWS SHOULDHAM NEWS SHOULDHAM NEWS SHOULDHAM NEWS Vol 13 No.3 Spring 2015 50th Edition Cheers Phil! “From these lowly beginnings, we hope, one day, to publish a quarterly magazine that reflects news and views of all the people and organisa- tions in our village”. Wrote editor Phil Harriss in his first ever edition of Shouldham News in the winter 2002/2003. We are including at the back of this issue, the entire first magazine and look how that news has grown now, more than 11 years on, and still with our editor Phil Harriss stalwartly encouraging, inspiring and gentlemanly cajoling us to send him items to include in the newsletter! Phil who lives in two places, but so often gives us, in Shouldham, and through many ways, 100% of his attention and enthusiasm and this current newsletter is to celebrate Phil’s 50th Edition! What a Super Hero! Thank you Phil from all of us who send you copy, deal with printers and collect from them, deliver through all those different letterboxes and read all the articles. We really appreciate your ef- forts and your huge sense of fun. This 50th Edition changes you from being our silver star to a shining gold one! Cheers! P.S. Did we ever find out who Old George was… (see our first edition item included here)? Answers please to Phil Harriss for our next edition. Celebrating our 50th Edition!
“From these lowly beginnings, we hope, one day, to publish a quarterly
magazine that reflects news and views of all the people and organisa-
tions in our village”.
Wrote editor Phil Harriss in his first ever edition of Shouldham News in the winter
2002/2003.
We are including at the back of this issue, the entire first magazine and look how
that news has grown now, more than 11 years on, and still with our editor Phil
Harriss stalwartly encouraging, inspiring and gentlemanly cajoling us to send him
items to include in the newsletter!
Phil who lives in two places, but so often gives us, in Shouldham, and through
many ways, 100% of his attention and enthusiasm and this current newsletter is to
celebrate Phil’s 50th Edition! What a Super Hero! Thank you Phil from all of us
who send you copy, deal with printers and collect from them, deliver through all
those different letterboxes and read all the articles. We really appreciate your ef-
forts and your huge sense of fun. This 50th Edition changes you from being our
silver star to a shining gold one! Cheers!
P.S. Did we ever find out who Old George was… (see our first
edition item included here)? Answers please to Phil Harriss for
our next edition.
Celebrating our 50th Edition!
Advertising in Shouldham News
Shouldham News accepts advertising. The rates are:
Classified (up to three lines): £1 Quarter page: £10 Half page: £20 Full page: £40 For further details, or to place an ad in the Summer edition (deadline Sunday 14th June), please contact John Dovey (347802/[email protected]). Shouldham News is published four times a year and distributed free of charge to all households in
Shouldham and Shouldham Thorpe.
Advertise for the whole year (4 issues) and get 25% off
‘Shouldham News’ Advertising Policy March 2015
A paid advert - A paid advert is any advert or article that advertises a business directly or indirectly with the outcome of a company or personal gain. See cur-rent pricing plan.
A free advert – A free advert is for a charity or free event in which only the char-ity or non-profit organisation receive all monies raised.
All listings in ‘Business & Organisations’ and ‘Dates for your Diary’ remain free.
Please remember that all persons involved in the newsletter are volunteers and give many hours of their own time to produce this quarterly service.
Please do not embarrass any of them by asking them to break the policy.
The Village Weekend/Newsletter Committee
Easter Messy Church!
Good Friday 3rd April
10.30am - 11.30am at Shouldham Village Hall.
£1 per child. All children must be accompanied by an adult. For
more info contact Angela Caley on 01366 348371.
www.shouldham.info
Spring’s in your saddle
Welcome to the Spring edition of Shouldham News, blossoming with a vernally fresh selection of news, views, reminiscences and forthcoming events in our fabulous village.
A major event in the offing is the annual village Bike Ride, which will take place on Sunday May 3rd (Bank Holiday weekend). As usual we’ll be setting off from the Green at 11am, taking a leisurely spin around nearby villages and their hostelries (avoiding major roads), before stopping at the Gooderstone Swan for a barbecue lunch cooked by our gallant band of volunteers. We’ll then me-ander home to Shouldham. The ride is about 25 miles and is suitable for adults and older children. Entrance fee is £2 per person, £5 per family. Details from Emma Gibson ([email protected]/348199).
Sadly, we have to report the news that the village shop, run by the Chalk & Cheese, is about to close in its current form. See the article later in the news-letter for details. ‘Use it or lose it’ is a maxim that certainly holds true through-out village life, and though Shouldham is still blessed with an enviable array of amenities for a village its size, we can’t afford to be complacent.
On a brighter note, this issue also includes provisional plans for a Shouldham first: a village pantomime. If you’re interested in taking any role in this produc-tion – in front of or behind the scenes – you should contact Nigel Walsh at [email protected]. Oh no you shouldn’t! Oh yes you should!
The King’s Arms – West Norfolk’s first community-owned pub – is proud to an-nounce the appointment of its new chef, Jo Freeman. Jo, who joined us in January, is already establishing a great reputation for good-value home-cooked pub food. See our website, www.kingsarmsshouldham.co.uk for de-tails, or phone our manager Ian Skinner on 01366 347410 to book a table. Our menus change daily, but below is a small taster of what to expect. Reduced-price children’s portions available.
The King’s Arms also has a varied pro-gramme of forthcoming events, see Dates
for your Diaries for details!
Leek and potato soup: £4.50
Antipasti (olives, cured meats, bread and dipping oil): £6.95
Sandwiches/toasties with a variety of fill-ings: £4.50 (lunch only)
Homemade faggots with onion gravy and mashed potatoes: £7.95
Homemade burger topped with bacon and Stilton, with chips and coleslaw: £9.95
Broccoli, chestnut and Binham Blue pie served with mixed vegetables: £10.25
Beer-battered cod with chips and mushy peas: £11
Slow-roasted belly pork, Stilton sauce, apple mash and vegetables: £13.25
Homemade puddings (all £4.50, served with cream, custard or ice cream)
Apple, sultana & cinnamon crumble
Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce
Ronaldo’s Norfolk ice cream
Sous chef wanted!
We’re looking for a sous chef to join our kitchen team – with likely responsibility for cook-ing school meals from September 2015. For further details, please see:
http://kingsarmsshouldham.co.uk/jobs/ or phone the pub on 01366 347410.
Carols round the tree After a very successful lovely evening with lots of people attending,
£80 was collected and divided between Riding for the Disabled and
Tapping House, and I have received a thank you letter from both com-
mittees. A big thank you to everyone who attended and to the Harriss
family for the warming mulled cider. Jennifer Malby
Lit up like a Christmas tree!
Thank you to Paul Gascoyne for donating the new lights for the Christmas tree on the Green.
www.shouldham.info
CHRIS CASELEY
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Parish Council news
The annual Shouldham Parish open meeting will be held in the Village Hall on
Monday 13th April at 7.30pm. You are welcome to come along and raise any
concerns or issues that you would like to be discussed.
The normal four-yearly round of parish council elections is being held on
Thursday 7th May combined with elections to the Borough Council of King’s
Lynn and West Norfolk; this year is also the first time they will be com-
bined with a UK Parliamentary Election. The local elections begin with the
publication of the Notice of Election on Monday 16th March.
If anyone wishes to be a candidate for nomination, further details can be
Last November, along with my husband, son-in-law and daughter, I had a very enjoyable day revisiting Shouldham, evoking lots of happy memories…
I arrived in Shouldham from London in September 1939, along with my mum Anne Belcher and sisters Anne and Edie. We went to live at the Manor House (Melrose) with Mr and Mrs Bowen and their son Michael; they also had another son in the RAF. Also with us were the two Jimmys. I remember that Jimmy Knight fell over walking backwards and broke his right arm, just under the big tree at the drive to the Manor.
It was a bit scary living there, with the servants’ quarters, bells on the winding staircases and a stone bust of the ‘old’ Squire lying in a big four-poster bed at the top of the house.
We had straw mattresses, bare floorboards and no curtains.
We were there six weeks, then mum got homesick and returned to London with my younger sister Edie. Anne, who was at a farm in Marham, came to Should-ham to stay with me.
We were then billeted in the bungalow opposite the playing fields with Old Mrs Mace, a lovely Victorian lady who nearly always wore black and a cameo on a ribbon around her neck, her white hair tied in a bun. They called her ‘old’ Mrs Mace because I believe she had a younger family in the village.
I went to the village school; Mr Woodward was the headmaster, with Mr Jones and Miss Henderson the teachers. I may recall Mr Jones marrying Audrey Hib-berson [Hipperson?].
Graham, who lived close to the headmaster’s house, I remember, had very dark curly hair. We all had nicknames, unfortunately I cannot remember them.
We would sit on the swings in the evening singing, went to church on Sunday where Miss Porter played the organ and I took my turn sitting on the floor beside the organ pumping the bellows.
We would go into the Warren and collect the walnuts that had fallen to the ground.
The school’s Christmas party was held in the Village Hall.
On my return to Shouldham, I was pleased to see the Village Green was much the same, with the water-pump and telephone box – and do I remember a teth-ered Billy goat? I see now you have a flagpole and seats around the tree.
School for me was in a shared classroom, one class facing one way and the other the opposite way with Mr Jones one side and Miss Henderson the other. I was the only girl in a room full of about 50 boys. Someone felt sorry for me and
Cont on next page
www.shouldham.info
Good Friday Prayer Space
This Good Friday Shouldham Village Hall will be open to all members of the community to take some 'time out' and reflect on the Easter story in a new way. Nine different 'spaces', each looking at a different part of the Easter story, have been designed for you to interact and engage with, in whichever way you want. You can take part in as little or as much as you want - there will be no one leading it.
This 'Prayer Space' will be used at St Martin at Shouldham School the previous week by the children there, and this will be a great chance to see how they engaged with it too. It promises to be a really special and unique experience.
The Hall will be open from 10.30am to 3pm. Entrance is of course free, and refresh-ments will be served throughout the day.
For more info, please contact Angela Caley on 01366 348371.
Cont from p6
I was moved to the locals’ classroom of mixed boys and girls, with Mr Wood-ward teaching.
Every morning one of the pupils read a section from the Bible. I can still remem-ber mine was Corinthians Chapter 13.
My sister Anne was great friends with Geraldine (née Watson) and they kept in touch for many years.
I would like to express my thanks to all in the café at the King’s Arms, especially Emma (I enjoyed looking at the old photographs), the builder in the ‘old school’ who allowed me inside for a peek into the past, the accountant who was the ninth generation of the Matthews (Coaches) family, whom we met filling in pot holes at the playing fields. Last but not least, Tosh, who was mowing the grass around the churchyard, as our chat brought long-lost memories flooding back of friends that we both remembered.
Special thanks to Geraldine for her hospitality and sharing recollections.
Thank you all for making such a happy day. I just wish I had visited you all sooner!!
Winifred (née Belcher)
Important notice regarding changes to theImportant notice regarding changes to theImportant notice regarding changes to theImportant notice regarding changes to the
Chalk and Cheese shopChalk and Cheese shopChalk and Cheese shopChalk and Cheese shop First and foremost we would like to thank all of our kind supporters and patrons of the
shop over the last four years. Your custom has been much appreciated and we enjoy
serving you. In view of market forces it is just not viable for us to continue to run the
village / farm shop in its current format, so please note that it is with regret that the shop
as it is currently configured and operated will close on Sunday 12th April.
However, a new facility will open on Friday 1st May, which we hope will continue to
enhance the overall offering we have strived to provide in the village.
The new shop will be open all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday (or by appointment on
other days). It will be called ‘Chalkie’s Gifts, Antiques and Interiors’ and will sell
Antiques, collectables, quality preloved furniture and decorative items
Costume jewellery and gifts
Second-hand books, prints, paintings and mirrors
Paintings and crafts by local West Norfolk artists and craftspeople
Quality greetings cards and wrap
Local preserves, chutneys and biscuits
Traditional Sweetshop
Local ales and ciders plus wines
We have new fresh stock coming in and hope that you will continue to support the new
facility (please spread the word!). Do think of us when you are hunting out that unusual
birthday or Christmas gift or just want to treat yourself to something useful or decorative
for your home.
We are happy to continue to supply rare breeds produce (sausages and bacon) providing
this is pre-ordered, and we can also supply olive oil and other speciality Italian ingredi-
ents and products. If you have any queries or concerns about this or alternative sources
for your grocery needs, please do not hesitate to speak to Andrew or Bridget in person
or on 01366 348039 and we will be pleased to help as much as we can.
There is no change to the operation of the bed and breakfast and we continue to offer
five quality en-suite rooms. We are also delighted to offer a warm, beautiful backdrop
for special celebrations such as birthdays, christenings and weddings. Finally, in relation
to the bar and restaurant, we are proposing that from 1st May we shall be open Friday
morning through to Sunday evening with a brand new menu to tempt you!
www.shouldham.info
Art classes and exhibition
Successful Shouldham artist Elizabeth Fitzgerald Carter is launching her 2015 teach-ing season in June with a series of ‘On location’ Painting Days out in the gentle and of-ten forgotten western part of the county. The forest and river of Santon Downham, big skies and boating at Brandon Creek, the refined beauty of the West Acre Gardens and finally the history and majesty of Oxburgh Hall.
Then the exhibition season kicks off, and as the paintings have grown too big to exhibit in the studio, they will be on display in a temporary studio at Colt’s Hall (Pearce’s) Barn, The Green, Shouldham from 23rd to 31st May as part of Norfolk Open Studios - along with a new range of FineArt cards, mugs and scarves. Preview 22nd May 7.30-9pm.
Water, Reeds, and Wild Places
an exhibition of paintings by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Carter
An optimistic March sun has been warming up the painting muscles, quite literally as a shoulder injury has kept me from sketching from my kayak throughout the winter. With sunlight glinting on the stream in the garden, the wild places of Norfolk, sometimes only to be seen from our beautiful coast and rivers, are calling to me again.
About the artist
Originally from Sussex, Elizabeth has lived in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk since 1986. Her passion for time spent kayaking and sailing with friends increasingly influences and informs her arts practice.
In journeys on waterways both in the UK and abroad she is captivated by the atmos-phere of blissful days, often under vast East Anglian skies, where the kingfisher or heron go about their business undisturbed by the whisper of paddle on water.
Elizabeth hopes that all who see her paintings also experience something of the total sense of ‘time taken out of time’ that being on the water or by the sea brings particularly in Norfolk.
Cont on p10
Shouldham Ladybirds 2015 events
31st March 7.30 for 7.45pm, Village Hall: a talk by Paul Welford on Garden Displays.
28th April 7.30 for 7.45pm, Village Hall: a talk by Nicola Lloyd, Lecturer in Forensic Science.
19th May 7.30 for 7.45, Village Hall: an evening with High Street store ‘Body Shop’.
23rd June A summer Garden Party with crafts – time and further details to be confirmed.
21st July A summer outing – further details to be confirmed.
28th August Flower-arranging session for the Church Flower Festival – details to be confirmed.
The Ladybirds welcome new members and visitors from Shouldham and further afield. Come and share a
light-hearted evening with us.
For more information on Shouldham Ladybirds’ meetings and events please contact: Lorna MacKay
Please note, for most Ladybirds meetings a charge of £3.50 per head is made to cover costs/ refresh-
ments.
Cont from p9
About participating in Open Studios
To do or not to do that is the question; in early December the decision has to be made and the application goes in, made easier these days by the technology stuff. In my case this also means finding a public space to set up a temporary studio, which is also large enough to display my bigger canvases.
Then as the days start to lengthen more decisions - which of my sketches will be worked up into pictures? Do I need to revisit and make more or take more photographs? This can also mean dusting off the kayaking kit, offering up prayers for more unseasonably fine days and persuading ‘himself’ that below 10 degrees is not too cold to be safetyman for his artist wife pursuing an artistic bent on the water.
Finally, in sheds, spare bedrooms, studio-spaces of every kind all over Norfolk there will be bruising of fingers, easing of shoulder muscles, despair as things go awry, jubilation as something finally works and sheer elation for that picture that has seemed to paint itself.
Somewhere along the way teaching commitments are kept, commissions fulfilled and home and family hopefully not made to feel like life’s outcasts.
Roll on the end of May - now where is that ‘to do’ list???
Elizabeth Fitzgerald Carter
www.shouldham.info
Ocobo boarding Kennels Est: 1986
Hill House, Lynn Rd, Shouldham Thorpe, King’s Lynn, PE33 0EB
Dec - £100 22 Rose Hipperson Jan - £25 43 Alan & Gill Geach
£50 18 Mr & Mrs Sharpe Feb - £25 91 Jan McGourty
£25 70 Mr & Mrs Lloyd Mar - £25 27 Alan Austin
News from Watlington Medical Centre – Dr Philip Koopowitz As I write this, the staff at the Medical Centre are busy collecting all the evidence required for our CQC inspec-
tion which takes place on 10th February 2015. This has given us an opportunity to reflect on how we are doing
and whether we are providing the quality of care that we aspire to for all our patients. Looking at our Patient
Surveys, we seem to be doing a reasonable job as the vast majority of patients find the service we provide to be
well above average. We do however take on board the small number of critical comments that do occur and try
to correct any deficiencies that are identified.
This is not always possible within the current cash-strapped NHS. While most A&E departments throughout
the country are seeing a steep rise in number of patients attending, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital A&E atten-
dance has remained fairly stable. We would like to feel that this is because patients in West Norfolk are aware
of which services in the NHS will provide the most appropriate care for their presenting problem.
Whilst there has been an increase in patient numbers seen during the winter, we feel we have coped and been
able to provide care for more immediate problems. Unfortunately this will have an impact on our ability to
provide routine appointments, but we are looking at all possible solutions. We have noted that 97% of all ap-
pointments booked in December were attended.
Many patients within the age range of 40 – 74 may be eligible for a NHS health check – please contact our
receptionists if you would like to take up this offer – it’s FREE!
Dr Mack will be on sabbatical until May and should come back refreshed. We are trying to get locums to assist
with our workload, but that is not always possible, so please bear with us.
We would like to wish Joan Carter, one of our Health Care Assistants, well in her retirement. She has been at
the surgery for almost 19 years and we estimate that she has taken blood samples from about 50,000 patients!
We would also like to welcome Julie Wright, who joined our Nursing Team in October.
‘I say, anyone for cricket?’ SUNDAY 14TH JUNE 2015 SHOULDHAM VILLAGE CRICKET DAY
TWENTY 20 CRICKET KING GEORGE V PLAYING FIELD
ADAPTED RULES PLAYED WITH OFFICIAL TRAINING BALLS
SHOULDHAM BOWLS CLUB SHOULDHAM FOOTBALL CLUB
KING’S ARMS CHALK AND CHEESE (Reigning Champions)
2 X SEMI-FINALS 10AM AND MIDDAY 3RD/4TH PLAY OFF 2PM
FINAL 4PM
HOT AND COLD Refreshments AND FOOD ON THE DAY
INTERESTED? PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF THE FOUR ESTABLISH-MENTS ABOVE TO REGISTER YOUR NAME
A GREAT DAY, GOOD FUN AND MANY LAUGHS
SEMI-FINAL DRAW TO TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY 3RD MAY AT THE VILLAGE BIKE RIDE LUNCH
www.shouldham.info
Notes from a King’s Arms Café Volunteer Just imagine the stuff of nightmares ….......
There’s steam coming out of the coffee machine, the tea urn has boiled over, the teacake in the toaster is in flames, the till roll won’t stop unravelling, the cake has fallen on the floor, there are 20 adults and a dozen children queuing …........... WAKE UP!
The reality is, I enjoy my volunteer shifts in the café. It’s a pleasure to talk to everyone who comes through the door. The coffee machine is very friendly and generally looks after itself: press a button and a perfect cup of coffee is pro-duced – all you have to do is place a cup under the spout! Press another cou-ple of buttons on the till and it will add up for you. And then there are the peace-ful moments between visitors, allowing time to dip into your favourite book, or just sit on the sofa and daydream.
I thoroughly recommend joining the team of volunteers. The way it works means that you don’t need to do a set shift every week: just sign in for what you can manage. You will be shown all the right buttons to push, and will discover it is far simpler than cooking a meal at home – oh, and just so rewarding.
Please come and join us. We still need more volunteers and all our clients are a delight to meet.
Alpha is coming to the King’s Arms at Shouldham!
What is Alpha? Alpha is a series of interactive sessions that freely explore
the basics of the Christian faith. No pressure. No follow-up. No charge.
It consists of ten sessions and includes a short DVD followed by a discus-
sion at the end where you can share your thoughts. Topics include ‘Is there
more to life than this?’, ‘Who is Jesus?’, ‘How can I have faith?’ and ‘Why
and how do I pray?’
Alpha will be running in the King’s Arms Oak Room starting on Tuesday
21st April at 9.30am. Each session will last about an hour. Of course, yummy refreshments will
be available to buy from our wonderful community café first!
Alpha really is for anyone who’s curious. The talks are designed to encourage debate and explore
the basics of the Christian faith in a friendly, honest and informal environment.
You don’t have to come for the whole 10 weeks – just pop along for the first session and see
what you think.
For more info visit http://www.alpha.org/try. No need to book a place – just turn up. If you have
any questions please contact Angela Caley on 01366 348371.
‘FANCY PLAYING AROUND?’
THURSDAY 28TH MAY 2015
SHOULDHAM GOLF OPEN
SWAFFHAM GOLF CLUB
IN SUPPORT OF WEST NORFOLK MIND
DINNER IN THE EVENING AT THE CHALK AND CHEESE
(GENTLEMEN COLLAR AND TIE, LADIES AS ELOQUENT AS ALWAYS)
Dates for your diariesDates for your diariesDates for your diariesDates for your diaries
Sunday 14th June, SHOULDHAM NEWS DEADLINE. The final date for copy for
the Summer edition. If you have any news, views or details of forthcoming events (up
to September 2015), please contact Phil Harriss (01366 347244 or 01844 238868/
[email protected]. Or pop a note through the door of ‘Dunromin’ on the Green.
Electronic, colour copies of the newsletter can be found at www.shouldham.info and
on the Shouldham Parish Council website: http://shouldhampc.norfolkparishes.gov.uk/
category/newsletters/
Sunday 14th June, from 10am, King George V Playing Field, Shouldham:
SHOULDHAM VILLAGE CRICKET DAY. Twenty 20 competition with teams
from the King’s Arms, Chalk & Cheese, Bowls Club and Football Club.
Tuesday 23rd June, A SUMMER GARDEN PARTY WITH CRAFTS. A Should-
ham Ladybirds event; time and further details to be confirmed.
Saturday 27th June, St Martin at Shouldham School: FAMILY FUNDAY. Stalls,
refreshments and fun for all the family.
Saturday 4th July, Shouldham Village Green: VILLAGE WEEKEND FETE &
EVENING ‘DO’. Shouldham’s big annual celebration, starting with the fete at noon,
featuring fun dog show, tractor train rides, bouncy castle, grand draw, plate smashing,
BBQ, stalls galore, and the infamous greasy pole! Then the ‘Evening Do’ at Colt’s
Hall Barn, from 7.30pm, with live music and a hog roast.
Saturday 10th October, 7.30pm, Shouldham Village Hall: HARVEST SUPPER.
Tickets will be available at a later date. Numbers are restricted, so order yours early
from Jennifer Malby (347420) or Ann Hullah (347814). Further details in the next
edition of Shouldham News.
Purple RosePurple RosePurple RosePurple Rose
PatisseriePatisseriePatisseriePatisserie
www.purplerosepatisserie.com
01366 348199 / 07507 599790
Fit together – free guided walks in West Norfolk If you find it difficult to get active, why not start walking? It’s really
easy to get started, you don’t need any special equipment – and best of
all it counts towards your recommended amount of physical activity.
Walking can improve your health, your happiness and, if you join one
of our groups, it will give you the chance to explore the outdoors, get to know your local area
and meet new people. Walking can help to keep your mind and your social life healthy too, so
why not make a start and find a walk near you today? We’re a friendly bunch and we’d love
you to join us.
Walking is a normal, everyday activity – and that’s partly why we forget it’s actually exercise at
all. It’s good for us. It can help us stay healthy and keep down our weight. And it gives us en-
ergy (which makes us feel great). There’s really no other exercise like it!
If you have a health condition, walking is a great way for you to relieve some of your symp-
toms, get back on the road to recovery and feel great again. But it isn’t just about getting better.
Walking can help prevent illnesses from developing in the first place. Walking will improve the
flexibility and strength of your joints, muscles and bones too – and it’ll reduce the risk of osteo-
porosis.
Walking at any pace will help you to manage your weight, reduce the risk of developing type
two diabetes and reduce the risk of some cancers (inactive people are more likely to develop
colon, breast and lung cancer than those who exercise).
So if you want to get started, why not
find your local health walk and join to-
day?
The Fit Together walks range from a
Grade 1 beginners’ walk through to a
Grade 3 for those looking for something
more challenging. All walks are free.
Participants are asked to complete a
short health questionnaire before the
start of the walk and should arrive 15
minutes early.
Walk programmes are available from
libraries, council offices and doctors’
surgeries. They are also available to
download at www.activenorfolk.org/
fittogether
Springtime in Shouldham It is Spring once again
Plants sprouting at last,
A time to look forward
Not back at the past!
Though the grass will need cutting
And weeds grow anew,
’Tis the time for new hopes,
Here’s thinking of you!
May the year be fulfilling
Successful and healthy,
Keep happy and busy
If not always wealthy!
Let’s enjoy what our village
Has to offer this year;
Its sport, fetes and food,
Not forgetting its beer!
Mo A
www.shouldham.info
Rules of thumb – on population
Do you remember there is a television advert that mentions moving house eight times? This
statistic accords with the rule of thumb that around ten per cent of people move every year. Ten
times eight makes 80, which is about the life expectancy of men and women.
But these figures are averages, a figure frequently used to express a range of different outcomes
somewhere between the smallest and largest figure in the range. Not everyone moves eight
times in their life, some people never move from one dwelling, whilst others never stay in one
place for very long.
People are most likely to move when the circumstances in their life change. The first move of-
ten is leaving school and going to college or to a job. Once upon a time this could have been to
become a lowly live-in servant in a household. Or it could be by enlisting as a soldier. These
days a move could also happen as part of a family before going to school, to obtain an expecta-
tion of a good education.
The loss of a job or a new job can result in relocation. Now, as a job for life for one company is
becoming rare, the opposite may well become normal – find a home as a base and commute
almost any distance, whilst working from home as much as possible.
The next regular move is breaking away from a family and setting up home independently or
with a partner. Recent changes in economic circumstances seem to have put a brake on this
trend, so much that it is widely speculated that many young people may not be able to afford to
live independently until they are over 40 years old, unless they are aided by their family.
Established families may not have the same restraints if they outgrow their accommodation, if
they can find a suitable property to move into. But this mid-working life move is the event that
has probably been most undermined by recent economic events. One event possibly undimin-
ished by economic events is the emotional event of family break-ups which will force another
move.
A popular cause for another move, though early retirement can bring forward the date it occurs,
is an official retirement. Sometimes people move in anticipation of retirement, others released
from working can realise their house has become too big for them and decide to move to where
they want to be, not to where work has taken them.
But at any time, a major accident or a disabling illness can initiate another move, when the ex-
isting house cannot meet one’s needs. It might be to step-less accommodation, a sheltered
home, a granny-annex or a care home.
One factor that biases the volume of movement is the development of estates of similar houses
that were initially filled by similar families. There is every possibility that such an estate will go
through a rapid period of change when its residents reach their next life-stage change and move
away.
These life-change events do not add up to eight moves in a lifetime, with movement occurring
at regular intervals. Multiple working life moves such as military postings will more than com-
pensate to create the notional move, once every ten years. There will be a wide variation in
population moves over small areas, but when all moves occurring in the country are added up
the population turnover figure will be around ten per cent.
Cont on p20
Cont from previous page
The Shouldham parish currently has around 750 residents, so on average around 75 people will
move every year. Perhaps there was a slowdown in movement between 2009 and 2014 so there
could be some catching-up occurring. Two local factors fuelling population movement is that
RAF Marham is going through a period of major upheaval and St Martin’s Primary School is a
draw for families with primary age children.
Unless you have moved within the parish area, welcome, if you are one of the 70 movers to the
parish. We hope you will experience at least one of the village events this year listed in the par-
ish diary. If golf is not your thing, then perhaps the bicycle tour around the nearby villages will
be. Or perhaps you have something to sell in the Yard Sale, or will open up your garden for
viewing, plant-swapping and meeting neighbours, or you are an enthusiastic cricketer. If not, is
football your sport? The village family fun day is famous for the greasy pole and dog show. If
you are a musician there are the monthly ‘open mic’ evenings, or if you like handicrafts then
there is the Monday afternoon weekly ‘knitting and nattering’ crafts group meeting in the café.
Or perhaps you would prefer to sample some real ales and live music on the village green. Do
you ‘tread the boards’ – this year there could be a panto around Christmas. There’s also the
village screen: local film showings may be coming to Shouldham soon.
There is the Bowls Club, the Chalk & Cheese venue and, owned by 190 shareholders in the
community, the King’s Arms pub and café. There are also many active groups in the village
such as the Ladybirds (an independent women’s group), and the Thursday bell ringers at the
church and more. Alan Austin
www.shouldham.info
Ali Baba and the (TBC) Pantomime comes to Shouldham (oh yes it does!)
Ali Baba and his wife are a very loving couple who adore children. Unfortunately they are very poor; they cannot afford membership at the Bowls Club, a meal in the Chalk & Cheese or a pint in the King’s Arms. What’s more they have no money to travel to watch the mighty Shouldham Youth Football Club play away-games. Despite these set-backs, they are very kind good people and are determined that the children of Shouldham will have a Christmas Party this year, with cakes, sweets and presents. However, there is one major problem.
A Very, Very Bad Evil Wicked Gang inhabits the area, con-sisting of some extremely notorious characters (watch this space), who thrive on ruining any chance of enjoyment that a child could hope for.
Unfortunately, all the goodies that are donated for the party may never arrive, as the Very, Very Bad Evil Wicked Gang might intercept them and store them in their secret hideout somewhere deep in Shouldham Warren.
What will be the outcome?
How will the story develop?
The only way to find out is to put the story on to the stage and the chil-
dren can watch the plot unfold. If Good defeats Bad, the children can fall
straight into their Christmas Party. Who knows?
Could this be a hint of a panto? Could this involve the odd song and dance routine or even encourage the odd (hilarious) dig at happenings in the village during the course of the year? The plan is to stage the show prior to the Children’s Christmas Party, date (December) to be confirmed.
Interested? Volunteers are required in all areas: acting, scenery, cos-tumes, music, etc, etc.
In my experience, there has been an initial hesitation to participate, but believe me a pantomime soon brings out the hidden talents and thespian genes. It’s great fun, so don’t be shy.
Watch this space for more information in the Summer Edition of Shouldham News – or you can in advance contact any member of the Shouldham Ent’s Committee. Nigel Walsh
Organisations, clubs and services Please contact Shouldham News if any of the details below change.
All Saints’ Church
Vicar: Revd Barbara Burton, New Rectory, High Street, Fincham, King’s Lynn PE33 9EL
