1st Tasburgh Sea Scout Group

Tasburgh Scout Group have continued to be active in the village throughout the winter months.

The Remembrance Day Parade was held in the village in November, all three sections took part and it was one of the best turned out parades for a number of years. The children and volunteers walked from the village sign to the war memorial at the church and joined with the community for the Act of Remembrance.

In the run up to Christmas, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts had their annual Quasar evening in Norwich and the term ended with Christmas Parties. This term, the Beavers have celebrated Chinese New Year with a variety of activities, Cubs have been busy making their own bird boxes and Scouts held a cake sale to raise funds for the Food Bank.

Our fundraising quiz took place at the Village Hall on Saturday 25 February at 7pm. The proceeds from this will be split between the Scout Group and the Village Hall, the plan is to put the Scout’s share of the money raised towards the planned Group camp at Eaton Vale near in April.

All three sections are currently oversubscribed, with a small waiting list for each. We are happy to add more young people to our waiting lists and in most cases are able to offer a place within 6-12 months.

We are also hoping to restart our Explorers section for young people aged from 14-18, this is likely to run on a Tuesday evening every other week. If your child is interested in joining, please get in touch.

The Group can usually be found at the Village Hall on a Thursday evening, so please call in and see us if you would like to get involved in any way or drop Trudy an e-mail at trudymus@gmail.com

Trudy Musgrove

TREE FELLING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH AN EXPLANATION AND AN APOLOGY

Readers will not have needed to be too observant to notice that some substantial trees were felled in the churchyard at the end of last year. The reasons why this became necessary are worthy of some explanation.

About ten years ago the Parochial Church Council (PCC) became aware that five large trees that were planted on the south west side of the churchyard (i.e. nearest the Old Rectory) had become a problem. These trees were Ailanthus altissima (more commonly known as “Tree of Heaven” or, in some circles “Tree of Hell”). They were planted some thirty years ago at which time it was not known that they are considered a noxious weed and a vigorously invasive species. The trees push out suckers over considerable distances which grow to become new trees. At first, we were able to control this by clearing or poisoning new growth but this became too great an undertaking more recently.

In 2021 The PCC requested professional advice on what to do about the trees. A full survey of all trees in the churchyard was provided which identified that the Ailanthus altissima must be felled not only to curb their spread but also because of their short life span and brittle nature which would soon create a risk to the church building itself and to users of the churchyard. At the same time it was identified that several beech trees in the churchyard had grown to become quite large with further considerable growth to come. Comparison with photographs taken by John Merrills at the time of restoration of the bell tower in 2007 demonstrated the astonishing rate of growth of these trees; the nature of the churchyard had changed in the space of only fifteen years from an open and airy aspect to something approaching woodland.

As a result of the evidence provided, the PCC decided that the Ailanthus altissima must be felled for safety reasons and that some of the beech trees should be felled in order to return the churchyard to its open aspect. The yew trees, which have a long tradition of being planted in English churchyards for the provision of bows for archers, will continue to be managed to ensure their good health.

However, in the process of completing the tree surgery work a mistake was made and it is important that I take this opportunity to apologise for this. As a result of miscommunication with the tree surgeon, a tree that had been planted 25 years ago in memory of Gareth and Terry Llewelyn was felled. It had not been the intention of the PCC to fell this tree without due consideration to the Llewelyn family and both I personally and the PCC more widely wish to express our most sincere apologies to all those involved in the planting of the tree.

The PCC is considering a number of options that might be undertaken to help preserve and cherish the memory of Gareth and Terry. These include the construction of a bench using the timber from the memorial tree and the planting of a replacement tree. Later in the year a service of rededication and blessing may be planned. Both Chris Austin and Steve Beckett are very kindly assisting the PCC in these plans and are also liaising with Gareth and Terry’s family.

William Crawshay – Fabric Officer, St Mary’s Church, Tasburgh