Reflections of Thetford Issue 01

Issue 1

Featured Inside

Clippers Terry Lamb Magic Floor Productions Drenchfoot Brewery Thetford Conservation Group The Friendly Café The Black Horse Thetford Market Place Billy Brown Guildhall Writers Group Published by

Welcome Welcome to Thetford’s newest magazine, Reflections of Thetford.

by Martin Angus (Editor)

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Issue one of ‘Reflections of Thetford’, has been supported by over 100 businesses and organisations, all working together as one voice to bring this exciting project to life, it can certainly be considered a Thetford community magazine… exciting stuff indeed!

s I write this introduction, the bubbly hub is about to celebrate its 7 month anniversary, yes, only seven months since I began working with all event organisers in Thetford, and helping them promote their events. To some, including myself, it feels more like a lifetime already.

I would particularly like to thank the Guildhall Writing Group, who have been busily employed over the last two months to produce the majority of the editorials, poems, and creative writing found in this issue. Some of whom are publishing their work for the very first time, and some who are more experienced having worked in media or publishing previously.

So why a magazine? The Bubbly Hub was set up to be the ‘what’ and the ‘when’, helping to alleviate that all too common frustration, “I wish I had known about that event”. The Bubbly Hub’s events and what’s on listing has gone a long way to help alleviate this in Thetford, but within the what’s on and events listings I am unable to tell you much about the people, organisations and businesses working tirelessly behind the scenes. Now with the Bubbly Hub magazine ‘Reflections of Thetford’, we are able to promote the ‘who’ and the ‘why’, effectively reflecting who is doing what in Thetford and why they are doing it, be it volunteering, running an organisation or business, being an enthusiast or hobbyist, or participating in sport at a personal level or a professional level, to name but a few.

I hope you enjoy the ‘jolly good read’ that this magazine was set up to offer, we are aiming to be a magazine that truly reflects our community and the energy that is making Thetford a great place to live and be part of.

If you should see or speak to any of the contributors, or advertisers you have seen in this magazine, please let them know you saw them in ‘Reflections of Thetford’.

©Reflections of Thetford is published by The Bubbly Hub. All rights reserved.

Whilst every care is taken, the publisher accepts no responsibility for loss or damage resulting from the contents of this publication, as well as being unable to guarantee the accuracy of contributions supplied as editorial, images or advertisements. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in any information storage or retrieval system without the publishers written permission.

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Contents 08

Clippers - A Contemplation

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Terry Lamb - A Reflection of Thetford

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Magic Floor Productions - Performance with Purpose

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Drenchfoot - Brewing Returns to Thetford

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Conservation Group - Volunteers for our environment

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The Friendly Café -A Warm Greeting Awaits, ‘Joy’

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Photographers Lens - Krystian and Stephanie

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The Black Horse - There’s room for everyone

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Thetford Market - A Poem, Through the Ages

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Business Focus - Billy

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The Guildhall Writers 7

Photography by Martin Angus

Clippers A Contemplation

Written by Joanne Whalley

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and the realness of the people I was with brought into focus what is important - respect, kindness and community.

he writer in me looked forward to losing myself in the style, history and traditions of barbering and the creation of an imaginative piece of fiction to be set in Thetford and written in elegant words. As I headed to Clippers on the dull Tuesday afternoon after Christmas, I thought about the 80’s barbershop sitcom - Desmond’s and wondered what stories I would hear about the people of Thetford.

While she swept up hair clippings at her teenage Saturday job in a local barber’s shop in Thetford, Lydia Smythe watched the barber work with fascination and found her vocation and a lifelong love for what she does, in her own words ‘it’s my life’.

Instead I discovered that what was said between stylist and customer in the chair, stays in the chair and rightly so. The colleagues at Clippers are as serious about this as doctors are about their oath.

The circles of trust, friendship and support have ensured that Clippers have been a constant for both the people of Thetford and the community for 38 years in spite of the UK financial crisis of 2008, the current cost of living crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspired by her Saturdays spent working with the barber in his shop, Lydia went to Kings Lynn College and trained as a barber and opened the doors to her own shop Clippers in 1986, right in the heart of Thetford town centre looking out over the bustling market square. Initially set up as a barber before branching out into hair styling for all.

Girl’s World was a favourite toy of Sally’s and she has always been fascinated by how someone’s look can be changed through hairstyling. As a child Sally would sit on the windowsill in Clippers and watch Lydia cut

In the absence of stories and faced with humility, honesty and simplicity my writerly ego fell away 9

Photography by Martin Angus

her dads hair. Sally started having her hair cut by Lydia when she was 10 years old and told her mum that one day she would work in the shop.

trolleys to move the team to their new home around the corner. Just as Clippers have been a constant presence in the lives of the community even though the shop was out of sight, they remained in the minds of their loyal customers.

Remaining true to her word, Sally started out by doing her work experience at Clippers, then college.

She finished training and completed the circle by returning to Clippers where she has worked for 26 years in March.

During the COVID-19 pandemic Clippers closed for 18 months and the mutual support between community and business made it possible for them to survive.

The Clippers team lived up to the community’s expectation that they will always be here by staying in contact through online messaging, diverting the phone to mobile so customers could still chat with the team who were also on hand to provide FaceTime advice to customers for any DIY hairstyling issues.

Customers would always ask if the team were ok if they bumped into each other in supermarkets and some customers even offered a hand to source PPE when the time arrived to reopen.

Michelle grew up in rural Riddlesworth and her need for a Saturday job brought her to Clippers, where she completed her training through a combination of an apprenticeship at Clippers and going to college.

Michelle has worked at Clippers for 19 years.

When Clippers opened, with a little bit of advertising and place on the Market Square it became a place people gravitated to and in Thetford’s strong community where people know each other word of mouth grew the community at Clippers.

Although online contact was important during the pandemic, Clippers has grown organically over the years and unusually hasn’t needed to become dependent on maintaining a huge social media presence. If they do choose to broaden their social media presence, like everything they do, much thought will be given to being authentic with the story they tell. Refreshingly Clippers remain focussed on in person contact.

As generations within families grew so did Clippers, parents who were customers brought their children and the team are starting to welcome the children’s children and in 2017 they outgrew the much loved shop on Market Place.

In 2017 it was Lydia’s turn to have a full circle moment when the team moved to the Old Coach House in Tanner Street which is situated across from Well Street, where the cottage her mum was born in once stood and where the Carnegie now stands.

The Old Coach House was bigger and they were able to make it a nicer place for the customers to be with sofas and a coffee machine.

Over the years the team have been part of key life events for many people, whether it be styling customers hair for proms or weddings to being invited to engagement parties, weddings and baby showers which the team feel both humble and honoured to attend and to be included on these special days.

The day of the move was an emotional time and in true Clippers style, after winning the hearts of the market stall holders they helped out with their

Lydia, Sally and Michelle are proud advocates for Thetford and instantly list its qualities as nice people, characterful buildings, history and the riverside. Their

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Photography by Martin Angus

occasionally they would look out the window and wave at someone passing by and who they knew by name. This is a place where people don’t just pop in for a haircut, customers come in just to say hello, proud new dads visit to introduce their babies to the team and others have come in when they have needed help or advice.

appreciation for Thetford’s history and character is clear from the effort they have made to restore, work with and respect the character of the Old Coach House. Making the most of the wooden beams and brick inglenook fireplace, complementing these features with two Chesterfield sofas, shipping trunks for tables and preloved finds like the vintage Singer sewing machine table reception desk.

In an ever changing world with fashions that come and go, although some do come back around apparently the mullet has recently made a return.

The team at Clippers are a beacon shining a light on the important things in life to hold onto. From a hairstylists perspective these include education and training, as good training and knowledge helps to underpin everything you do and comfortable shoes!

Generally in life to always stay humble, not to take anyone or anything for granted, kindness and respect is all.

It’s a welcoming and functional space for all, where you are encouraged to feel part of one big family, a place to relax, feel comfortable and one where all ages can chat together. Some customers feel so at home here, they have helped to sweep up or made themselves and others a brew.

As I sat on one of the Chesterfields by the inglenook on cushions that have that lovely soft feeling from all the comings and goings of the community over the years, chatting to Lydia and her colleagues

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Photography by Martin Angus

Terry Lamb A Reflection of Thetford

Written by Liam Chatton

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lot of servicemen from bases like Honington and Mildenhall using the town. Every Saturday evening there’d be dancing in what is now the Guildhall.

At this time Thetford was a municipal borough, a town whose town council were free to enact whatever policies they saw fit so long as they were pursuant with the laws of the land, and subject to the monarch’s prerogative. Anyone granted Freedom of the Borough would be permitted to parade carrying a sword during ceremonial processions.

During World War II, Terry recalls, the Charles Burrell works were taken over by the Royal Army Ordinance Corps. Where Iceland and the British Heart Foundation now stand were offices. The works later became a canning factory.

On VE Day there was an enormous bonfire on Castle Park amidst a massive celebration. There were people walking about carrying jerry cans and pouring beer from them. It was a time of great joy for the whole town and the military personnel from the surrounding facilities. “There was another big celebration for VJ Day” Terry said, “but it was nowhere near the size of the VE Day one.”

t’s hard to imagine Thetford in the past without looking at old photographs of the town, and even then, trying to place the buildings when so much has changed over the past decades is difficult. For Terry Lamb, the memories of the town as it was then, compared to how it is now, paint a picture of a period of regeneration, rebuilding and remodelling of the town.

Born in September 1935 in a house opposite the Palace cinema (like many such local theatres and cinemas, now a bingo hall) on Guildhall Street. His early memories are of a bustling, busy town with an abundance of shops.

“I remember it vividly. I can remember getting thirteen aniseed balls, a baker’s dozen, for a farthing from one of the many sweet shops.” Terry tells me. “We had four cobblers and five bespoke tailors’ shops. Now you can’t even buy a shirt unless you go to Tesco or somewhere like that. All of that in a town of just four to five thousand population.”

Terry informs me that the town’s population has roughly been the same since the early medieval period. During the second world war there were a 17

The time between the end of the war and leaving school Terry would spend most of his free-time time playing football with his friends in Castle Park. “I had a couple of paper rounds. I went to the grammar school, and we played football and cricket there too.”

He also spent a lot of time digging on his father’s allotment. “There were over 50 acres of allotments in the town. Virtually everyone had one, a lot of selfsufficiency back then.”

“The rivers flooded every year. There were flood plains but they’ve since been filled in and houses built.

Barges used to come up, but I’m not old enough to remember them.” The barges were probably related to the maltings.

After leaving school at 19 Terry joined the army in the artillery and did two years of national service. He spent most of that time in Germany. Afterwards he went to Durham University to study economics. He spent some time teaching. He also spent some time working for the Atomic Energy Authority at Risley near Warrington in Cheshire.

On returning to Thetford, it didn’t take long for Terry to first dip his toes into local politics, in the early 1960s. He saw that the local people needed someone to stand up for them. The town was in decline with people leaving. At the same time the post war years saw somewhat of a population boom in major cities.

The cities looked to offset their overpopulation problems by exploring ways to move their residents to other places. Thetford Borough Council sought to alleviate the declining town by offering housing to families from London. Terry feels that growing the population of the town so quickly was a mistake.

“A large influx from London caused a lot of local tensions. The population increased but the facilities did not.”

Increased traffic necessitated new roads and new buildings were to replace the old. What followed was a period of demolition. “The days of the bulldozer” Terry calls this period. For Terry the new buildings severely eroded the town’s charm and beauty.

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Photograph courtesy of HES Archives - National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP). Reproduced under license.

Before the ‘days of the bulldozer’, Thetford from above, 1928.

Now St Giles Lane Car Park Now Tanner Street Car Park The Post Office now stands here Now The Carnegie The Library now stands here Now Roy’s

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“They [the Borough Council] became obsessed with building. New houses, new buildings, replacing the beautiful cottages. There was a medieval manor house where the library now stands you know.”

This story isn’t restricted to Thetford. During the 1960s and 1970s many places throughout the country underwent major redevelopment and modernisation programmes. “In Newcastle [-upon-Tyne] they destroyed quite a lot of heritage to make way for a highway straight through the city.” He’s talking about the A167M, the Central Motorway as it’s known in Newcastle. “Someone must have seen sense because they stopped. In Thetford they kept on.”

Using his position in local government as an independent councillor Terry pushed back. In 1970 he served as the town mayor, the first of three terms throughout his more than fifty years of service on the Municipal Borough, the Town Council, the District Council and the County Council. It was during his first year as mayor that Terry played a major role in preserving a historic building. What is now the Thomas Paine Hotel on White Hart Street, the building was formerly known as Grey Gables. In 1940 it was purchased by a Mr Arthur Bagshaw for use as a residence and dental surgery and was used as such until Mr Bagshaw wanted to retire, and the building was put up for sale.

A developer wanted to purchase the property and demolish it to build on the site. The Borough Council were happy for this to go ahead but Terry intervened.

In his capacity as town mayor he wrote to the then Minister of Housing and Local Government to appeal the destruction. His appeal was successful and the minister stepped in to prevent the demolition work.

The building was saved.

The passing of The Local Government Act of 1972 brought about major changes in local governance. In 1973 Terry was elected to Breckland District Council which was formally formed on April 1st 1974. The new district council effectively ended the “Days of the bulldozer”.

Photography by Martin Angus

The Borough Council had designated Painter Street as slum housing. Rather than modernise the existing buildings the Borough decided to demolish and start again. Terry says “The residents and owners of the buildings were offered paltry sums as part of a compulsory purchase order. What’s worse was they were told that should they refuse the demolition would go ahead anyway and not only would they receive nothing, they’d be liable for the demolition fees.”

One side of Painter Street did get demolished.

Intervention by Breckland Council saved the other side of the street and what now stands today is a row of delightful flint fronted cottages.

He does lament the loss of the Anchor Hotel, though.

Something he feels a personal failure to preserve.

“Take a look at the car parks.” Terry says, “Wherever there’s a car park it was probably a maltings.” He laughs, “Not all of them but down by the river there were some. If you stood on the Town Bridge and looked towards the Coffee Mill most of the buildings would be maltings, right the way down to the river.”

The car park between the Bell Hotel and the river, and that between what is now the Light Cinema were maltings. The one behind what was recently Argos is where a tannery stood. The one at School Lane was storage sheds.

“Thetford has historically been a very important town.

A working town. An industrial town in a very rural region. We should never forget that.”

Thetford has indeed been a very important town for at least three thousand years, with local flint mining possibly going even further back than that.

Despite his tenacious passion for conservation and heritage Terry is not averse to progress. During his third term as mayor in 2012 he said “The watchword will be quantity only if it is quality.”

It’s safe to say that Terry is no fan of party politics, especially in local government. “When we formed Breckland Council in 1974 it was entirely independents [it was about 33%] but in the end it was

mainly party affiliated.” In 2011 only three councillors were independent. In Terry’s opinion independent councillors are better for local politics than party councillors. “Party councillors must hold the party line regardless of local issues. Independent councillors are free to truly represent the interests of the local community.”

Terry goes on to say that more independent candidates should stand as councillors to represent the growing and diverse community we are a part of.

Terry remains a popular figure within the town. During my meeting with him there were no shortage of people bringing him a glass of Lamb’s rum. I told him my preference is for Captain Morgan. He said “then you’re an outsider” with a smile and a wink.

I am an outsider. I moved to Thetford in 2013. I love the vibrancy of the town, the diversity of its people and the heritage. Like Terry I spent time in Durham and Cheshire, albeit a couple of decades later. I was born in County Durham, attended university in Liverpool, then worked in Cheshire and Manchester.

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Photography by Martin Angus

Magic Floor Productions Performance with Purpose

Written by Dave Griffiths

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agic Floor Productions, a name that hints at the wonder performing arts can bring. But it says little about what the company is really about. If you scratch the surface of what they do, you soon discover the breadth of their activities. I have certainly been left with a feeling that the name has much more literal meaning than at first you might assumed. Read on and see if you agree.

The company was formed in 2019 by joint directors Kate Bird and Craig Plumley. Kate had worked in performing arts for over a decade at the Theatre Royal Bury, at Stagecoach as a drama teacher and in a range of outreach activities with youngsters.

She had dreamed for many years of having her own theatre company. Craig loved performing in his youth but had drifted away from the stage with work commitments and raising a family. Around 8 years ago he rediscovered that love of the stage when he appeared in shows with the local theatre company, Thetford Players. He also discovered a real flare for visualising what would work on stage and so wanted to extend into directing and producing. The two of

them teamed up for Thetford Player’s 2019 musical, ‘South Pacific’ with huge success.

The Early Days Before the company really got going, COVID struck and we were all locked down. Many amateur and professional groups folded during this time, but Magic Floor just took to the conferencing platform Zoom, showing an adaptability that has become one of its hallmarks. The floor changed but the show went on. Monday night script read throughs, radio plays (still available on the website, take a look https:// magicfloorproductions.co.uk/audio-clips quizzes and much else became the highlight of the week for all those involved. A priceless lifeline during all that isolation; a bit of magic in difficult times.

Coming out of the first lockdown and not being sure when the next would fall, Kate and Craig were determined to put a show on. They had previously directed ‘Oliver Twist’ with much of the company and so were able to prepare a performance quickly.

Indoor performances were not allowed so it was staged ‘in the round’, in the tennis courts in King’s 27

Photography by Martin Angus

House Gardens. Interest was high as events at the time were so rare and the socially distanced seating capacity was easily filled. Show day came and it rained…and it rained. Umbrellas went up but no-one left, and the performers soldiered on for the whole of the first act. But conditions at the break were awful, so the audience given a choice. Abandon the show, battle on in the rain or move everyone (the set/stage/ props etc.) to the Carnegie for the second act. The latter choice was picked and there was the priceless sight of cast in costume and audience walking down the main street in Thetford carrying raised staging, set, props, everything needed for the show. They settled in the Carnegie and finished the show. Only 2 of the audience were lost in the move! This time the floor moved halfway through the show and magic appeared in unexpected places. The magic of seeing live theatre after such along time, of being around other people, in the community spirit that physically lifted the show and moved it elsewhere. A memorable day. “Magic Floor!”, yep a great name.

In the years since 2020 the company has put on several shows, all well received by it’s loyal and growing audience base. There was ‘Hi De Hi’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘Oliver Twist’ (a brand-new musical) and John Godber’s fabulous play ‘Bouncers’ to name but a few. A full and varied schedule of shows is planned for 2024, headlined by Disney’s ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ next autumn. However, it is outside these set piece shows that Magic Floor is really making its mark in the community.

History In the early days of Magic Floor, Kate and Craig became slightly obsessed with the amazingly rich history of Thetford. But it was also clear how little known that history was locally; they felt compelled to tell its stories. The first and perhaps most compelling of these stories was that of ‘Holmes and Kable’. A couple of petty criminals who were tried in Thetford Assizes, sentenced to death, had sentences commuted to transportation, met in prison, fell in

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love, had a child, were on First Fleet to Australia and became rich and famous Australians still celebrated today. The story had to be told so they wrote a play which was performed several times on the Market Square. The company were also commissioned to research and write a play about the ‘Vikings of East Anglia’ by the Breckland Fen Edge and River Landscape Partnership (BFER), with the aim of promoting the areas rich history and river landscape over which the first Vikings entered England. The play was performed on both the market square and at West Stow’s Dragonfest in summer 2023.

In Thetford we are so lucky to have the Guildhall and within it the old Norfolk Assizes court. Magic Floor have used this as a backdrop for several 18th century Trial Reenactments from original case transcripts.

The audience form the jury and experience the old court process play out in front of them. The paucity of evidence and the verdicts never fail to surprise!

Other historical activities include creating characters for the steam engines at the Charles Burrell with audio recordings (the youngsters love these!) and audio recording to help the Thomas Paine Museum tell its story. So, history and particularly local history has taken Magic Floor in a different direction creating magic of a different type, right at the heart of the community.

Education and Outreach The historical plays discussed above are accessible for adult audiences but the subjects they cover should really be part of local history taught in schools.

To that end, and alongside the staging of the plays, both ‘Holmes and Kable’ and ‘The Vikings of East Anglia’ had an education pack written for key stage 2, primary school pupils. For ‘Holmes and Kable’, the students travel to the Guildhall and watch a live performance of the play in the large court. For ‘The Vikings of East Anglia’, the pupils get a surprise visit from Vikings Odger and Ulf to the classroom halfway through the pack. The pupil’s attention, their retention of facts from the pack and endless questions are

Photography by Martin Angus

remarkable. For the actors it is a real buzz to be bombarded with question from excited, engaged youngsters. The magic of performing arts to bring history to life!

Kate and Craig are also particularly passionate about how performing arts can help youngsters, who for various reasons, live in challenging circumstances.

They work closely with both The Meet Up Café and Keystone, doing workshops and small performances with them or inviting them to Magic Floor shows.

For some youngsters it has been the first time they have seen live theatre, and the impact can be quite profound.

Inspiring The Young Kate and Craig’s work with youngsters meant that it was only a matter of time before they set up their own school. In 2022 Magic Floor Academy opened its doors to 14 eager youngsters. Through boundless enthusiasm, support and skill, the cohort are taught acting, singing and dancing and work towards end of term shows. The proof of their progress was demonstrated earlier this year when they formed over half the cast of a brand-new musical ‘Oliver Twist’, alongside adult Magic Floor actors. It was remarkable to see how they had developed from a varied group of enthusiastic, slightly chaotic youngsters into a group of confident, word-perfect actors that kept the adults on their toes. More magic.

The school doubled in size in September 2023, and they are now working towards a performance of ‘Matilda Junior’ in spring 2024.

Where Next?

Magic Floor have a packed programme for 2024 but there will also be more schools performances, more court reenactments, more community outreach.

And of course, more stuff that no one’s thought of yet. Spotting opportunities to use performing arts for good. New opportunities on different floors. The company will adapt, grow and magic will doubtless follow. For more information go to www.magicfloorproductions.co.uk

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Photography by Martin Angus

Drenchfoot Brewery Brewing Returns to Thetford

Written by Liz Gibbons

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mosaic hops, Paul felt that the beer needed a Roman themed name. His son happened to be watching ‘The Life of Brian’ and said there was only one name that could be used, ‘Biggus Dickus’ and so it stuck!

The Microbrewery itself, is situated in one room in a rental unit. Paul greets me warmly, ready for all my questions. The air hums around us with the noise of machinery. The space is a cool 14 degrees and smells clean. Not like bleach or sterile scented but neutral, with a light aroma of warmed hops and grain.

I point out the glasses on the side. One is filled with hops and the other grain which Paul invites me to inhale. The sample of dry grain in a logoed glass smells sunshine rich and reminds me of the dust of sunbeams in a field in summertime. The light green hops in the glass next to the grain holds an even richer smell. Their aroma is multilayered, bitter with citrusy and lemony notes of flavour.

In the beer flavouring, Paul tells me that the hops contain essential oils. The first hops have a bitter taste and the later hops release the lemony aromas making the taste of the beer much more palatable.

A new canning machine stands by the door,

he market town of Thetford has a brewing history spanning back over 300 years. In 1710, a family run business Bidwell’s Brewery, was established. It thrived and expanded over the coming years but was finally sold to Bullard’s in 1924, brewing ceased in the same year. The Old Market Street flint brewery building still stands today, just on the outskirts of the main town centre.

Today, bringing beer brewing back to Thetford, the Drenchfoot Microbrewery was established in 2019.

Housed on one of the industrial estates, Drenchfoot started out in life in a shed at the bottom of a garden.

Paul Foot made small batches of beer and would present his efforts to friends and family. With positive feedback from all those that sampled his beverages, he was soon approached by the landlord of a local drinking establishment, ‘The Black Horse’ in Thetford, who wished to have barrels of Paul’s ale on tap.

Paul was also encouraged to attend the St George’s Beer Festival. Feeling that he needed an aptly named ale, ‘Dragon Slayer’ was born. The dragon dubbed ale did well, but there is a beer that remains even more popular from its very inception. Inspired by the 35

something new offered by the brewery, a welcome addition to the barrels and bottles. A small white fridge (the original one from the shed) covered in a plethora of magnets with all the different beer names offered. Some, Paul informs me, were from tester batches that are no longer around but it is always good to try out new things.

On the other side, a giant freezer for keeping the dry hops preserved and tall metal shelves with big sacks of grain. At the far end of the room, great stainlesssteel vessels stand proudly against the whitewashed wall, below thick dark letters baring the name of the Drenchfoot Brewery. When coming up with the name, Paul wanted to have his surname as part of it. The word ‘drench’ was added because when Paul was brewing in his shed, he would always get wet feet.

To the left of these silver giants, an unassuming computer monitor, that happens to be an integral cog of the brewing process. The computer has a bespoke program allowing for timings of the

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processes and to gauge the essential temperatures.

It also allows the liquid to be transferred to the next vessel when the time comes for the next stage.

The first vessel heats the water to 78 degrees centigrade. Once it reaches this temperature, a valve is opened and the heated water is transferred to the next stainless-steel container. The grain, Maris Otter - crisp malting, is added to the Mash Tun. The mix then sits for an hour. As the wooden lid is removed, I can smell the wet grainy cereal smell, earthy and wholesome. It is already starting to have notes of a familiar beery smell to it.

A stainless steel arm rotates at the top inside the vessel releasing water that seeps through the grains.

This is called the Sparge process and it rinses the sugars out of the grain.

At the bottom of the Mash Tun a little pipe and tap sticks out and the liquid is sieved and fills the smaller open container. Constant steam ripples upward and you can feel the heat as you watch from above. Once

it fills to a certain level, Paul touches options on the touchscreen monitor and the liquid travels into the Boil Kettle (traditionally know as the Copper).

The liquid is brought to the boil in the Kettle where different hops can be added. It is left in this state for 1 hour before the final process takes place. When the tap is opened, the mixture travels along pipes parallel to the wall and goes into the Fermenter. The cool down begins using the heat exchanger. The stainless-steel fermenting vessel has a double lining or cooling jacket, where cool water can be circulated.

The Fermenters sit at 21 degrees Celsius as the yeast generates its own heat. The yeast is added to extract the sugars from the grain. This sugary water is called Wort. The yeast then eats the sugars and produces both CO2 and alcohol as by-products. The temperature is read using a small temperature gauge on a wire that feeds in near the bottom of the vessel.

The readings are then fed into the computer that shows the temperature on screen.

The liquid sits in the Fermenter for a week before it is put into barrels, bottles or cans. One Fermenter vessel can contain 7 or 8 barrels worth of beer.

One barrel is equivalent to 40 litres or 67 pints.

The amount of sugars / grain, controls the alcohol percentage. Drenchfoot Brewery beers can range from 3.7% up to 6%.

Once barrelled, the yeast continues to eat the sugars which creates a pressure inside the metal barrel.

Temperature is once more essential, as it needs to be kept at 21 degrees for one week and then 12 degrees Celsius for another week before being transported to its new home.

As my tour comes to an end, I thank Paul and look at my little notebook filled with my scribbles. My mind whirls with numbers and processes and I feel inspired.

After this article I feel that I need to write a fictional story about beer, inspiration and maybe a secret, but that will be for another day.

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Photography by Martin Angus

Thetford Conservation Group Volunteers Taking Care of our Local Environment

Written by Jude Clay

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forks another brown-green clump of gorse onto it, feeding the greedy flames. Despite the cold, coats hang on the corners of the truck: the physical work and the fire has warmed them. David, who runs the group, calls for a coffee break and everyone gathers.

Robins and wrens sing from the trees around us and the conservationists chat and munch biscuits. Gorse clearing is tough work and conversation strays to the activities they enjoy more. The group take care of the London Road Cemetery and they talk about the birds that nested in their nestboxes there last year, about the hedgehogs hibernating currently in the houses they built. Conversation naturally spills towards the warmer months. The yellow flowers of the gorse transform into the sunny faces of daffodils, as Val tells me about her favourite project of 2023. Today the group are busy cutting and burning but, last spring, they planted bulbs that grew into new life as a bank of nodding daffodils.

moke rises above Barnham Cross Common; blue-grey against the tree-line then fading against the winter white sky. It’s cold: the first really cold day of the year. The groundwater has frozen and cracks beneath me as I walk, brittle shards of ice rise through, pointing up amongst the blades of grass all across the common. What a day to be out working.

Between this land of ice and the smoke rising, is the gorse. It wasn’t long ago the heath was covered in vivid yellow, the air hanging with sweet coconutty fragrance, but the blooms of the gorse are stuttering now, pinpricks of sunshine amongst blue-green spikes.

The group have already cleared swathes of it when I arrive, great bundles of spiny branches heaped, ungainly together, the dry, brown undersides exposed to the sky. Good for kindling though; the dead bits.

The fire crackles through branches and a volunteer 43

Photography courtesy of Thetford Town Council

Val and her husband John joined the group when they moved here four and a half years ago. It gave them a network and a way of connecting with the town.

The group know this is an important part of their work. They talk about how easy it is for people, even living in the centre of town, to become cut-off, to go weeks without seeing someone else, or having a conversation. They each have stories of people who struggled after the enforced isolation of lockdown or of loneliness created by grief.

That’s why David, who runs the group, is so passionate about there being no pressure to do all the tasks the group does. He is clear, “the group is for everyone.” He doesn’t want anyone to think they can’t come along if they’re not willing or able to do it all. He tells me how everything the group does is of equal value. He always brings litter picking tools because, if someone comes along who can’t lift big branches, or get down to prune bushes, he knows they can still do something equally as valuable. In fact, this is the second time I have arrived at coffee time and left shortly after and, aside from joking that it’s becoming a habit, there’s no judgement at all, they still make me a coffee and offer me a biscuit. I feel welcome and valuable.

The group naturally takes in new members, however briefly or accidentally! They tell me the story of a time they were clearing gorse, when somebody called the fire brigade. When the fire brigade arrived, they were happy to see the group were responsibly burning gorse and left them to it but, on a later clearance effort, this time pulling ragwort, the fire service sent out a team to lend a hand.

This inclusivity underpins everything the group do.

They are passionate about the environment and want their community to see how beautiful and precious it is too.

Peter tells me his favourite project of 2023 was the Wild About Thetford festival the group ran with Thetford Town Council and the Brecks, Fen Edge and River Partnership. A self-proclaimed, “hammer

“We just wanted to meet people and give something back to the town”.

John and Val (Volunteers)

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Photography courtesy of Thetford Town Council

and nails man,” Peter and the group created 45 bird box building kits, so that, during the Easter holidays, they could help local children put the boxes together. I can see how much Peter loved passing on his practical skills as he tells me about helping the children use hammers and electric screwdrivers. But he was mostly delighted by piquing their curiosity in nature. He was pleased to answer their hundreds of questions about where to place the boxes, which birds might nest in them and what kinds of food those birds liked to eat. The children painted their birdboxes then took them home to place in their own gardens or local greenspace.

After Easter, the group spent the summer learning to identify local plants and wildflowers and surveying butterflies. Again, this is the balance David tries to maintain throughout the structure of the group. He protects the variety of the tasks they do so there is something that suits everyone.

It’s not just the group David is conscious of balancing either, he talked about balancing the habitats they work with too. The gorse clearance in winter isn’t just a stamina test for the volunteers, it’s about ensuring no one plant dominates the habitat. They don’t want to get rid of the gorse, just keep things in balance.

This is the same with all the clearance activities they do for the area: mahonia and ragwort as well as just a general cutting back of certain edges and riverbanks.

They also time the clearance right to avoid interfering with nesting birds at a crucial time.

It can be hard work. There is a time, talking by the fire, when the group seems a little down. They look across the expanse of Barnham Cross Common and wonder aloud how much impact they alone can make. They talk about the sheep that used to help them keep the gorse under control, the water buffalo that grazed the Port Meadow and how the owners no longer feel safe letting them graze because of dog attacks. Barnham Cross Common is a special place because it is free for anyone to use but that poses its own problems too. The group feel the burden of

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“Volunteering has given me purpose since retiring, and it has also enabled me to cope with my mental health”.

Peter (Volunteer)

If you are interested in joining the Thetford Conservation Group, or would just like to find out more information, please contact David Pentin DavidPentin@thetfordtowncouncil.gov.uk

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Photography by Martin Angus

responsibility for the habitats of the community.

But it’s also clear they do not feel alone. There is a thriving network of community groups just like this in Thetford. There is an appetite for working the land with your hands, learning about the creatures that live here, and celebrating and understanding our history. The group talk of other individuals monitoring bats, creating new pools to reduce flooding and encourage wading birds, and walking up and down the rivers litter-picking.

As the coffee cups are drained and the fire dies down to a pool of white ash, the group show me the area they cleared a year ago. We look across a stretch of tufted grass and bright green moss on one side of the path and, here and there, a few tender shoots of gorse poking through. Regrowth. Give it a year and you will never know the group had been there.

And that’s the double-edged sword of conservation work. Underpinning it all is the principle to leave no trace, even the gorse fire had been set on a sheet of metal so, afterwards, the earth would remain unscorched. But working by this principle means so much of the work the group does is invisible to the rest of the community.

As I walk away across the common, fading smoketrails at my back, I had the sense that we, and our environment, are being looked after by so many.

So, this is my chance to raise their work into the light.

Next time you stop by a bank of flowers, think of who planted them. Think of who litter-picks the parks and riversides, who keeps the walking trails clear and who builds the nestboxes. We don’t know it, we don’t always see it but, if they stopped, we would realise how much they do to make our lives better and more beautiful.

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Photography by Martin Angus

Janet, Vivien, Sarah, Joy, Sarah, Eileen and Janet

The Friendly Café A Warm Greeting Awaits - ‘Joy’

Written by Xanthe Cross

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I ran through a slow, conscious inventory moving my toes first, working my way up to my head. The lower ribs on my left side were sore to touch beneath my free hand, or when I took deeper breaths. I began to sob but checked myself as the pain seared through my chest.

This time would be the last I promised myself there and then. This time I would find the strength to walk away. The fear of what I might lose paralysed me momentarily. Self-doubt sneered; you’re worthless, incapable, nothing.

I might not have much time. I wasn’t sure how long I had been lying there, it might have been seconds, more likely longer. I had no plan, simply the need to escape. Shaking, I stood, holding on to the bath with my right hand, my left still clamping the flannel to my scalp. It wasn’t far to the door. I grabbed my coat and bag from the gold hook on the scuffed grey wall and stepped onto the shadowed communal landing. I

think they all assume that I’m a widow, like so many of the other ladies here at The Friendy Cafe.

I suppose I might be by now but I haven’t seen him since the day I left. Sometimes the memories come back to me and especially of the last time, so long ago now that it seems like a dream, or a film clip from someone else’s life...

I took an agonising breath, slowly, in three tentative stages, testing the pain in my side. The light was off but the street lamp shone on the smooth white pedestal of the sink. Instinctively I knew that he had gone but I listened carefully all the same. Gingerly I bent my arm, bringing my palm beside my chin. The tiles were warm just there from the hot water pipes. I pushed down, head pounding, to sit propped against the bath. As I did so my finger-tips slid through a warm sticky liquid. I grabbed the coarse grey flannel draped to dry on the side of the bath and held it to the gash on my left temple.

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would get away, escape from this life, forever.

The time after this is a fog. My last shred of self esteem had somehow given me strength to protect myself, yet it remained a shred for many years and I was lonely, unable to trust anyone, let alone another man. A blur of bedsits, poorly paid jobs, and depression followed. Eventually I was able to talk with my work colleagues, and sometimes even laugh, but I was always the quiet one, and never shared my story. Hopes and dreams were buried so deeply that I barely knew who I was.

Then, one day, I found Joy. A few years after I retired, I had moved to Thetford to be near my mum who had developed dementia. It had taken us many years to rebuild our relationship, as any contact I had had with family and friends had been eroded by his demands and cruel lies. Mum never said ‘I told you so’ but she may as well have done for the looks she gave me.

She can’t remember anything much now, not even those long-ago memories. I had taken her for an eye test in town and we were both gasping for a cup of tea. Across the road was a sign for ‘The Friendly Cafe’ so, with mum pushing her trolley, we trundled slowly to the door.

When I pushed it open I heard laughter and chatting and the chink of tea spoons on mugs. We followed the small sign down a brick-lined corridor. The morning sun was shining into the kitchen at the end of the passage. We turned into the spacious hall as a lady in flat shoes and a comfy pink top put a piece of toast and a cup of tea on the table for an elderly gentleman. She smiled as she turned to greet us, her face open, warm and generous. As we got closer her brown eyes searched my face and immediately I knew that she understood more than I could ever explain. She talked to us and found us a quiet table, instinctively realising that I might find it hard to chat to others this first time, and introduced herself as Joy. Conversing with her was easy as, with an extrovert nature that matched her snazzy glasses, she took the lead. I found out that the cafe was held in the hall

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of the Methodist Church every Tuesday morning, and Saturdays too. If I’d stopped to think before we’d entered I might not have been brave enough to walk in, assuming that I might be bombarded with religion, and entreaties to come to church. It’s nothing like that though. Some of the helpers belong to the church, but not all of them and it’s not about religion, it’s just about friendship. Friendship and tea, and cakes - all baked by the volunteers. I had the best ‘coffee and walnut’ I think I’ve ever tasted; before or since. Gradually I began to relax and the atmosphere was as cheerful as the flowery blinds at the windows.

“Will we see you next week?” Joy asked as we left. I wasn’t sure.

“I’ll think about it.” I replied.

I did think about it, in fact it was all I thought about for the next few days, and I found myself smiling, which was so rare it felt strange. I did go back, by myself the next time. Being a carer is lonely too and mum wasn’t so far gone that I couldn’t leave her for a bit and have a break. I wasn’t worried about spending some money on myself as everything was £1. Coffee, cake, toast, whatever you wanted, each item for £1. That certainly doesn’t break the bank.

Joy was there again and gradually, over the weeks she introduced me to others. I remember when I met Archie. He was the elderly gentleman we’d seen on our first visit. It turned out he came every week without fail. His striking blue eyes matched his jumper and were full of kindness and, when he talked of living alone now, of missing his wife and how important this cafe was in punctuating his week, they moistened. I understood then how Joy’s vision had enhanced the lives of so many people in the town.

Before mum died I would occasionally take her to the cafe and leave her with my new friends while I went off to do my errands in town. I knew she was safe and that they would call me if anything was amiss. The morning that I went to the cafe after mum passed, Joy was there. She sat with me and I cried. I knew by then that Joy had experienced loss in her life too, and

that helped me to feel understood. She gave me a hug full of heartfelt warmth and compassion.

As my confidence grew I felt I wanted to help too and one day I stayed and cleared the tables, wiping the crumbs from the foldaway tables. That was the beginning of my time on the team. Everyone is important and the kitchen is always overflowing with fun and friendly banter. We work well together and nowadays I feel useful, and I’ve even become quite good at baking. That shred of self esteem, being nurtured with purpose, is blossoming.

All those years ago I never dreamt that I would find friendship and hope again. I’m even beginning to like myself, and on good days I experience joy.

With thanks to Joy Osborne and the team at The Friendly Cafe. Other names have been changed.

To contact the Friendly Café, please call Janet on 01842 752778.

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Photography by Krystian Niebudek

Photographer’s lens A selection of photographs from local enthusiasts

T

he ‘Reflections of Thetford’ has received an

amazing selection of photographs from two Photography enthusiasts, we felt the images of Thetford were so good we would like to share them with you.

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Photography by Krystian Niebudek

Photography by Krystian Niebudek

All of the photographs have been taken in and around Thetford. The first collection of four images are by Krystian Niebudek who is originally from Poland, but has settled in Thetford with his wife and children. Krystian uses his mobile phone to take the photographs.

63 Photography by Krystian Niebudek

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Photography by Stephanie Downes

This next collection of five photographs have been submitted by Stephanie Downes, Stephanie regards herself as a bit of an opportunist photographer, always having her camera with her, but never really having a plan until she sees something that catches her eye. Instagram @STEPH.NINE

Photography by Stephanie Downes

67 Photography by Stephanie Downes

Photography by Stephanie Downes

69 Photography by Stephanie Downes

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Photography by Martin Angus - Pam and Terry Gillman

The Black Horse There’s Room for Everyone

Written by Jude Clay

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electric bulbs, the temperance hall across the road that tried to see me off and failed, the official who inspected my wells and deemed their waters unsafe and the mass of pipeworks that replaced them. I have seen births and deaths: a man killed in my own yard in 1856, the landlord who died the same day as his nephew in 1863 and coroner’s inquests held within my own walls – tragedies unpicked by men of law.

The caverns left by old Newell were re-found in 1870 – a jolly party formed to have a feast in one – and again 109 years later when a poor donkey fell through the earth and had to be rescued by the town’s people.

I have outlived two long-reigning Queens (goodbye Victoria and Elizabeth) and survived two world wars.

I loved the arrival of the Americans in 1943, such a change from talk of rationing and air raids and so very different from the first war when my landlord

t all started with a man named Johnathan Newell, Master Lime Burner then, pub landlord. He opened my doors in 1769 and from that day on I have been a part of the town. In those days the air was sick with smoke from the kilns, the ground beneath us honeycombed with chalk mines to feed their burning mouths. From where I sat, I could see it all, workers toing and froing, stray animals taken to the pound, even convicted criminals on their last journey up to gallows hill and the baying crowds that went with them. Old Newell was clever, he knew I could provide shelter for them all.

He left me after a while of course, human’s lives are not as long as mine, but each landlord passed me on to the next and so my path through time was set, I am a public house for Thetford.

And I have seen so much, the streets from dark to the hazy pools of gaslight that slowly turned to beaming 73

Pam and the team discuss menu options, working as a team is an important part of running a successful business. went away and came back so changed, he had to be sent away again.

I have seen the town change too. The lime kilns were abandoned and in came an age of steam. Charles Burrell and his sons and an army of workers creating dragons for the road. The railway arrived and, with it, more goods and people coming in and out. There were flour mills and breweries and a stinking tannery too. And then, of course, I outlived them. No more steam engines on the roads, no more milling or reeking tanned skins. The factories closed and the workers left.

But then, new estates were built for settlers with London accents, and new sister pubs too, springing up around the town, cars on the roads and television screens bringing faces from around the world within my very walls.

Norman and Sally Brown change the business, so

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now I not only quench the town’s thirst but feed them too. Families could gather at my tables for lunch and children buy sweets at a hatch. Then Peter and Val Goodwin arrived, and I was adopted by the football team. They saw me into the new millennium then passed the baton on. It was an unsettled time, many landlords came and went, until I was found by Pam and Terry Gillman.

Their first night within my walls, I could feel their fear.

Only five people at my bar on a Saturday night: there was work to do.

It hasn’t been easy; they have had struggles to face.

Pam’s cancer diagnosis, cancelled events and long hours in hospital and then, a worldwide pandemic.

I am forced to close – a rare occurrence in my long history – and there is an anxious time of uncertainty about my future. But we saw it through, I am a part of the community and Pam and Terry have made sure of that.

A local artist sprayed huge murals on my gable wall, the town historian wrote a book about me, and the launch was, of course, held here. The food I serve is from local butchers and farmers, cooked in my own kitchen by my own chefs. Pam and Terry had to extend, buy a new oven, just to meet demand. It was my saving grace in lockdown, delivering takeaways to locals kept the business going.

Two new pergolas were created in my garden, something exotic, a holiday from home. And an annual beer festival, celebrating St George’s weekend (though, rumour has it, he rode a white horse which is altogether wrong). People come from miles around to celebrate with me, and a local is challenged by Terry to brew a firkin of beer for the festival. He does, and so the local Drenchfoot brewery is born, nurtured by Pam and Terry and me: one pump permanently Drenchfoot.

I have even been celebrated with awards: a runnerup Pub of the Year and a hospitality winner. I am truly part of the town though it is so different to when I started out: workers still come here but they’re no

Photography by Martin Angus

longer at the kilns, they come from building sites and offices, to have a laugh and relax. There are darts teams and social meet-ups and the football team coming for lunch after a game. I’ve seen the staff who work here grow and have families of their own. I’ve seen mayors and scientists and people gathering to remember absent friends. The cabins in my garden are named to remember my fallen sisters: The Norfolk Plover, The Anchor, The Trowel and Hammer and, of course, the man who wrote my book: David Osborne. I remember it all.

There are ghosts in my cellar, the kitchen, and at my bar, but I’m a public house and there’s room for everyone.

With thanks to Pam and Terry Gillman for their stories and David Osborne for his brilliant book “The Black Horse, Thetford: A History” (2016)

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The Market Place A Poem - The Hustle and Bustle of Thetford Market through the Ages

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Written by Amanda Kingsnorth

am on a winters morning The suns not up, the day not dawning But in the square, in the street lamp glare A hustle and bustle, a promise of what’s there The market is in and it starts with a swing as the gates open wide and the traders pile in A stray dog barks, alarmed by the sound of stalls going up and vans backing round It’s Saturday again at Thetford market stall Tuesdays and Saturdays they answer the call The need for freshness, variety and charm A new toy for Timothy? Some make up for mum?

Carmichael’s is here – ‘Fresh fish for all!’

Meadow’s fruit and veg join up with their stall Simon’s flowers to make your house bloom Or the Norfolk herbalist to banish the gloom Tanith Avon for your make up and smells Or perhaps Mandy’s Deals for teaspoons and towels?

If you’re after a loaf, back to Meadows you go Or sneak off to Puddin’ – (if you know, you know!)

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Photography by Martin Angus - ‘Stacey, Thetford Market’s Manager

Simon’s plants and Ali’s clothes joined on a Saturday by make-up and hose As candles and lingerie banish the blues With flowers and veg, there is plenty to choose If you need a new lock for your old back door Or you dropped that little safe key right through the floor Come down to Lock East who will put you right and advise on security to lock you up tight Carmichael’s come back on a Tuesday for you Joined by Ali’s clothes, and Tanith, too Our market may be small but its mighty at heart So call on Stacey if you want to take part Stacey’s the manager, she checks pitches and wires.

A necessary job preventing tripping or fires The rents are paid up and banter ensues Anything to banish those cold winter blues But turn back the clock on this ancient square just 300 years, and hear in the air voices of traders plying their wares Voices carried down over the years For then, as now, the market is alive The products are different but that’s not much divide Warm deer skins and wool from sheep replace the jumpers Ali would like you to keep A fish stall, perhaps, or incense to burn Sounds and smells wherever you turn Food to eat as you wander about drinking some mead or a jar of stout The market back then was more than good fayre: Assizes days were dark in the air Courtroom sittings for murderous events while the fayre outside had dancing and tents 83

People might hang or sit in the stocks chained by the ankles contemplating their lot Trinkets were sold to commemorate the dead as brothers and children pulled down on their legs Everyone came to the assizes fayre, to eat and drink, or stand and stare As the day closed up and the fayre closed down People, now poorer, left the town The dust settled back on 1724 but the market persisted, ready for more Now, down we come through centuries gone by Hanging is outlawed and the stocks might have died But the market still thrives in Thetford town Where once our little place held the crown Come down to the market and see what’s there Come down and sample some Thetford fayre

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Photography by Isabela Brown

Business focus Billy Brown - In his own words

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began kickboxing at aged 13, where I fell in love with the martial art and realised I wanted a future in the sport. I gained my 1st degree black belt at 16yrs old, and by the time I was 21, I had plenty of combat sports experience behind me, such as boxing and Judo. As well as winning a couple of championships in kickboxing. For 5 years, I volunteered my time at the Attleborough amateur boxing club and began to learn the trade as a coach, where I picked up numerous coaching qualifications and bags of experience.

I am very proud of how far we have come. The club’s reputation across not only Norfolk and Suffolk but also the UK as one of the best up and coming martial arts academies, boasting multiple champions at area, British and European level both amateur and professional pays tribute to the hard work and consistency my team has put in over the years.

At 31 years of age, my passion for progression within the sport is still as strong as it always has been, with 2024 shaping up to be our biggest year to date. The East Anglian Kickboxing Academy has a unique and inclusive balance that encourages our members to set targets and long-term goals. For some, it is a case of competing and becoming a champion, whereas for others, it could be to lose weight, build confidence, or gain a black belt in kickboxing.

In 2014, I began teaching kickboxing under my own brand “Billy Brown’s school of Kickboxing,” The school slowly picked up in numbers, and eventually, we were able to run classes in community halls across three locations in Norfolk. Five years on, we had a big enough clientele base to support the decision to find a permanent home, which is where we still reside today under what we are now known as the “East Anglian Kickboxing Academy”

Our classes at EAKA are structured to include people from all walks of life and we encourage anybody interested in taking part to take the time to look at our timetable to see which class would best suit you or your child’s needs.

2024 marks our 10th year anniversary as a club, and 91

Photography by Isabela Brown

93 Photography by Isabela Brown

95 Photography by Isabela Brown

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Guildhall Writers Group We would love to hear from you

Written by Andy Eden

K

felt in the present. History reflecting our present day lives. Slowly the ethereal figures recced back into the shadows. Their stories told, they drift into the misty pages of history leaving those present touched by their lives.

The room appears to lighten, both in mood and colour. Katie releases the breath that, until now, she had been unconsciously holding. Birds sing and trees are in full leaf as the sun bathes everything in its warming caress. Animals go about their lives making the most of the abundant season. Kestrels and Kites circle lazily overhead looking for the small rodents that busy themselves in the long grass and under bushes. Hares spar in the meadow as cattle graze, uncaring of their frenetic activity. All wildlife is displayed in its glorious diversity. Even the humble mole is centre stage for a time, exposed above ground.

The River Thet rushes past, its waters dark and powerful as they surge out of the mill. Calming now to glide through the fields as dog walkers make their way along the banks. The town’s lifeblood in times

atie felt a tingle of excitement as she entered the room, not knowing quite what to expect.

The lights did not seem to be illuminating the room as they should. Dark shadows gathered in the corners and added to the feeling of melancholy that clung to the very fabric of the building. There were others in the room with her but their features were vague, as though seen through smoke or mist.

Silence filled the room like a physical presence, as the tension built to breaking point. Then slowly, from one side of the room, visions of the past began to materialise. Monks with celestial intent but earthly desires, the unfortunates who had transgressed in some way and found themselves in the clutches of the brutal justice system, foreign invaders intent on making this place home and everyday folk living out their lives as best they can. The room filled with their emotions, raw and intense, hopes and desires, worries and fears.

The stories unfold in the room, heroic, tragic and personal. Almost near enough to touch yet distant and unreachable. The past coming forward to be 99

gone by, now a watery playground for young and old The history of Thetford has provided a rich source alike and home for nature. Swan and goose, duck of inspiration as well as the natural world and pretty and tern at home because of the river. Its water and much anything that catches a writers attention. banks, foliage and wildlife described in poetic phrase.

The group has presented its work at two open In rhyme and prose it comes to life. evenings with pieces read by local actors as well as As the silver babbling of the river fades away, the the writers themselves. They have also displayed room fills instead, with the sound of voices. Serious work at other events in Thetford including the discussions moving to argument, one point of view Steampunk weekend and the World War weekend. against another. Someone is provoking, spurred The idea of the group is to support and encourage on by yet more while another person tries to calm each other in whatever writing we undertake by the situation. “Do I know these people?” thinks providing a sounding board. Constructive criticism Katie. “They sound familiar yet not quite the same. is always welcome, helping each of us to grow and Someone else’s family or friends, so similar to mine.” improve our writing in a friendly atmosphere. We Laughing now as the insults fly. Funny because we are meet once a month, keeping in touch via WhatsApp looking in from the outside, yet we understand and in between meetings and have an online portal where recognise the situation. Been there before, it had no members can upload their work for others to read. humour then, now smiling freely, its someone else’s Whether you see yourselves as a budding James pain.

Herbert, Dan Brown or J K Rowling, write sci fi, fantasy Stories pass by, images on the ether. Words spoken or thrillers, poetry or prose, we would love to hear then gone, but leaving their mark. They fill the room from you and listen to your work. and the evening, some linger on, some inspire, some educate but all entertain. One by one the voices fade until the room is quiet again. Quiet but not empty.

Thoughts and ideas fill the spaces between people, a fertile ground for the future. Then conversation and the sound of chairs being pulled back as the meeting breaks up. “Yes,” thought Katie, “you never knew what to expect at the writing group.”

It had all started some years ago as a result of a scrip writing workshop. Following the event several of those who had attended had asked if a writing group could be formed and the rest, as they say, was history. No one knew how many people would show up for the first meeting and several people were press-ganged in by Katie, the group organiser, to make sure she wasn’t left with an empty room. She need not have worried.

Since then new members have joined the groups ranks, bringing with them their own ideas and writing styles. Short stories, poetry, scripts and longer pieces of work are all presented covering most subjects.

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