Brandon Town Magazine - Issue 96

We will all have seen or heard of the closure of the Meat Market after many years trading, but our high streets are changing.

Believe it or not Brandon is, and has been, way ahead of many for some time. It might not be what we think is needed, but the face of retail areas of the 20s will look very similar to ours right now. We must thank not only our town council and

the keepers but the bloomers in brightening up the town centre for Christmas this year. Many towns close by of similar size have not bothered other than placing a tree in these austere times.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Regards

Brandon Town Magazine

of any part of this publication without

necessarily those of the publisher.

Forest Academy

At Forest Academy, all of the children (and staff!) have been enjoying the build up to Christmas. It was a privilege to see our Early Years children perform on stage for the first time, singing some beautiful traditional songs. They were so confident, it is difficult to believe that some of them are as young as 3 years old! The Year One children rehearsed enthusiastically for their ‘Very Merry Christmas Concert’ featuring lots of wonderful Christmas songs and some poems, whilst our Year 2 Children performed their Nativity play “It’s a baby!” All of the children worked so hard learning their lines and the shows were fantastic - we are very proud. Together, we also enjoyed Reverend Sharon’s visit during our assembly when she taught us all about the Christingle and its importance to Christians during the build up to Christmas.

measuring shadows from different distances, as well as observing light travelling through pin holes. At Forest Academy, we believe it is so important to make learning enjoyable and the children certainly had fun with all these experiments.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and to thank you for your continued support of our very special school. Thank you

Our Art Clubs have been busy painting stained glass windows which are displayed in the council offices and we were also invited by the Brandon in Bloom team to hang angels at the Friendship Bench. It is great to be involved in these community projects and the children thoroughly enjoy having the opportunity to showcase their fantastic learning.

With all of the bright lights going up around the town for the festive season, it seemed like the best time of year to learn all about the topic of light in Science this term. Our Year 5 and 6 children have performed lots of light experiments during this topic, learning about how light travels and how we see light. Some examples of our exciting experiments include: adding glow sticks to different water temperatures to observe the impact of heat,

On December 9th, we all celebrated an ‘Amazing Artist’ which was Paul Cezanne. The children learnt how to shade using layering for realism and created some beautiful stilllife pieces in the style which Cezanne himself used.

Christmas Tree Festival

Breckland Cats Protection

Christmas is nearly here and rescue centres are full to bursting with unwanted cats and dogs. Every day we and probably them too, are turning animals away as we have no more room. We are also very short of fosterers which makes things even worse. With the problems of the cost of living, people are having to surrender their pets, which is a great shame.

Someone asked if there was a cheaper flea and worm treatment as she could no longer afford to buy them from the vet. Sadly there isn’t. It’s only the flea and worm treatment that the vets sell that is guaranteed to work. Be very wary of buying products on line. A few years ago a lady bought what she thought was flea treatment on line, for a very small price, around £2.50 for a vial, and put one each on her two cats. One of them nearly died – he was blinded for about 3 days. They came into our care and fortunately both recovered and were homed. What she bought on line, wasn’t flea treatment for cats, it was an insecticide.

If you can afford to join your vets Healthy Pet Club, it could save you money. You pay them around £12 a month for each pet and for that you get all your flea and worm treatment free, booster vaccines free (but not the first 2 which your cat has to have initially), six monthly check ups with a vet and 10% off any treatment they may need in the future. Its a

very good way to save money.

Most rehoming centres close a week or so before Christmas and open again in the New Year. That is because we don’t want pets given as Christmas gifts, and introducing a cat or kitten to a busy, noisy household is not a good time for them. Cats and kittens can be reserved before the closing date, but cannot be collected until the New Year celebrations are over. If you have a kitten, please don’t leave it alone with the Christmas tree. We heard of a 15 week old kitten that hung itself on the tree lights while the owners were out. I know it looks very amusing to see a kitten’s head poking out from the tree, but it is a dangerous place for them.

A kind lady from Brandon has who has previously donated money to our branch has again donated money and cat food to us. She doesn’t want to be named, but we are very grateful to her and for anyone else who donates to us. It is a great help to us at this difficult time. So if you have cat food that you cat no longer wants to eat, we will happily take it off you.

For help or advice, or if you need assistance with the cost of neutering, please call us on 01842 810018.

Rita Thompson.

London Road, Brandon, Suffolk, IP27 0EW

T: 01842 810534 E: brandon@mark-skinner.org.uk

27 High Street, Lakenheath, Suffolk, IP27 9JS T: 01842 862777 E: lakenheath@mark-skinner.org.uk

30 Bury Road, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 3DE T: 01842 752197 E: thetford@mark-skinner.org.uk www.markskinnerfunerals.org.uk

Lauren, Mark & Sam Skinner

Gardening

Sobiechowski P&R Garden Supplies

www.p-rgardensupplies.co.uk

December is upon us, plants are dormant and often us gardens head for hibernation too. Yet gardening at this time of year can be a joy, not just because it gets you outside and into nature, but because it gives you a perfect excuse to retreat from the festive fuss. Digging, weeding and raking the leaves will bring exercise into your routine, so go outdoors for some fresh air and keep your garden looking glorious!

Many plants will now be dormant, meaning they won’t grow, especially deciduous trees and shrubs (those that loose their leaves). Dormancy gives you a chance to move any deciduous plants that are growing in the wrong place and it’s also a good time to plant bare roots. Bare roots are plants sold without soil which makes them cheaper to transport. It’s best to plant bare roots as soon as they arrive. However, if conditions are not favourable, such as the ground is frozen or waterlogged then keep your tree in a cold shed or garage, ensuring the roots are kept moist and frost free.

How to plant a bare rooted tree:

• Dig a hole the same depth as the roots of the tree and loose the soil in the bottom. The planting hole should be wide enough to accommodate the roots when the tree is placed inside; however, if your soil is poor it is advisable to make the hole larger.

TOP TIPS

Winter prune open grown Apple and Pear Tree (not those against walls) •Prune Japanese Maples (Acers) and grapevines if needed

•Protect outdoor taps from frost

• Knock the stake in firmly, upright and just off-centre in the planting hole. Place your tree in the hole and ensure there is enough room for the tree roots to spread and that the graft union is above ground level. Tie loosely to the stake and ensure the tree is upright. If your soil is poor it is advisable to sprinkle mycorrhizal fungi around the roots to improve establishment.

• Mix some of the soil from the planting hole 50:50 with planting compost and refill around the roots, ensuring there are no air gaps. Fill the hole, firming gently, and making sure the graft union is still above soil level. Remove excess soil.

• If you are planting during dry weather water well in the first week. A tree planted in the autumn should need little, if any, watering after it has been planted. Spring planted trees will need more water. All trees will need watering in the first summer during dry spells. However, if the ground is damp do not water excessively.

Whatever you are planning for your garden next season, Paul and I are always available to offer advice, and we look forward to meeting all of your gardening needs in 2023. Have a merry Christmas.

Rachel

Glade Academy

What a busy Autumn term we have had at Glade Academy! Here are just some of the highlights for you.

Art at Glade

Blackbirds’ Class have been reading ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ By Cressida Cowell, this half term. They have enjoyed writing poems and character descriptions using similes, personification, hyperbole and alliteration. They also made dragon eyes from clay, as inspiration for their writing.

Pantomime Trip

Year 3 recently enjoyed a trip to the pantomime in Bury St Edmunds. In their English lessons, Robins’ Class have been reading ‘Robin Hood’, so they were very lucky to go and experience the story on stage. A wonderful time was had by all and their teacher was extremely proud of how well they represented the school.

DT at Glade

Our year 4 class are taking part in ‘The Great British Bread Bake Off’. As part of their market research they taste tested a variety of breads currently on the market and then used salt dough to practise the shapes they are going to make. They will be baking their bread before the end of term and then inviting their parents/carers in to try their final products.

Art Ambassadors

Our art ambassadors (a team of children who promote and help to develop the art offering at Glade), have been working very hard this term. Their most recent project was working on the Christmas ‘stained glass windows’ for the town council building on the Market Square. Pop along and have a look; we think you’ll be impressed!

Christmas at Glade

This year, the theme for our communal tree in the hall was angels. Each class was tasked with making angels using neutral colours and materials. The children have done a fantastic job and the tree looks amazing! Some of these angels will also be appearing at St. Peter’s Church for Glade’s entry in their Christmas tree festival.

All of the children have been very busy designing Christmas cards for our annual Christmas card competition. A judging panel picked a winner for each class. These children will have their cards printed and sent out into the community. Here are some of the wonderful cards made by Skylarks’ class.

CoGS (Community of Glade Academy)

The CoGS committee have been very busy organising events and supporting the school in many ways. We recently held a family bingo with Lianne from Tesco. The children very much enjoyed spending time with their families and were especially pleased with their prizes!

We’ve also just welcomed families and the community back for our Christmas Cracker event which was a huge success. We had a large number of stalls along with Santa’s grotto and face painting. Funds raised at all our events will be spent on enhancing the curriculum for the pupils at Glade Academy.

Team Glade wishes everyone in the community a merry Christmas and happy new year!

Suffolk Devolution Deal Signed

A devolution deal, which puts money and power over building, regeneration and skills into the hands of leaders in Suffolk was signed earlier this month.

Suffolk will be devolved power over their Adult Education budget, so they can shape provision in a way that best suits the needs of the local community and will receive immediate support to build new affordable homes on brownfield sites, as well as more funding to improve energy efficiency in houses.

The deal will also see Suffolk County Council handed control over a £480 million investment fund - this will be guaranteed for the next thirty years. This will enable the county to drive growth and plan for the long-term with certainty as it looks to level up and unlock its full economic potential.

Suffolk will also get a directly elected leader of the council. This not only provides a single person who is accountable to the people of Suffolk but gives the county a local champion who can attract investment and be a stronger voice in discussions with central government.

any area that wants one by 2030.

The deal also sets out the government’s plans to devolve more power to Suffolk County Council through:

• Investment: It will bring decades of funding worth £480 million to improve the lives of Suffolk’s residents and spend on their local priorities.

• Housing: The deal will provide £5.8 million to regenerate brownfield land into beautiful, affordable homes and drive economic growth across the area; Suffolk will also receive greater compulsory purchase powers.

• Education: The agreement devolves the Adult Education Budget so they can shape provision in a way that best suits the needs of residents and the local Suffolk economy.

• Transport: An integrated transport settlement starting in 2024/25, to support the area to improve key transport infrastructure priorities.

• The Environment: The new deal will help Suffolk deliver on its ambitions to be the country’s greenest county with £3 million to improve energy efficiency in homes.

Cllr Matthew Hicks, Leader of Suffolk County Council, said:

The Levelling Up Secretary attended a ceremony in Bury St Edmunds with Cllr Matthew Hicks to officially sign the deal. Michael Gove will also visit Norfolk to sign a devolution agreement with Norfolk County Council. The deals follow Cornwall Council who signed their own devolution deal with the government, unlocking powers and longterm funding of £360 million.

With three new devolution deals signed recently, 50% of England will now be covered by a devolution deal and reaffirms the government’s commitment in the Levelling Up White Paper to offer a devolution deal to

“This devolution deal is the first of its kind between the Government and a county council, making it a truly historic moment for Suffolk. The deal recognises Suffolk’s ambitions, would put more powers in the hands of local people and bring more than half a billion pounds of investment into the county.

“On the table are greater decision-making powers around transport, infrastructure, skills and more resources to help us achieve our net zero ambitions. Ultimately, this significant additional investment will improve the lives and outcomes of Suffolk’s residents.

“Devolution is a journey, not a one-off event. This deal for Suffolk is the first step towards an exciting future for our great county.”call the directly elected person the “elected leader” of the County Council.

Useful Telephone Numbers

Councils

Brandon Town Council (Town Clerk)

01842 811844

West Suffolk Council (Customer Services) 01284 763233

Suffolk County Council (Public Enquiries) 0845 606 6067

Health Services

Doctor - Brandon Medical Practice (High Street) 01842 810388

Doctor - Forest Group Practice (Bury Road) 01842 810206

Dentist - Apex Dental Care (Bury Road) 01842 812276

Dentist - The Dental Surgery (High Street) 01842 812381

Hospital - West Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds) 01284 713000

NHS 111 - Medical Help (Less urgent than 999) 111

Help & Advice

Citizens Advice Bureau (Brandon Office) 0300 330 1151

Social Care Services (Customer First) 0808 800 4005

Suffolk Constabulary (Non Emergency) 101

Utility Companies

Electricity - UK Power Networks (Fault Line) 08007 838 838

Gas - Cadent (Emergency Number) 0800 111 999

Water - Anglian Water (24 Hour Leakline) 0800 771 881