Tasburgh Quarterly & Church News by Tasburgh Parish Council

TASBURGH

QUARTERLY & CHURCH NEWS

SPECIAL MESSAGE INSIDE ON PAGE 10 FOR ALL TASBURGH CHILDREN Photo courtesy of : Father Christmas

ISSUE NO. 65

WINTER 2021

Classifieds

Useful Names & Contact Details LOCAL COUNCIL & COUNCILLORS

Parish Council Chair Parish Council Clerk DISTRICT COUNCILLOR COUNTY COUNCILLOR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

Jill Casson 01508 470334 Tina Eagle 01508 494569 Michael Edney 07725 971282 Mrs Alison Thomas 01508 530652 Mr Richard Bacon 01379 643728 richardbaconmp@parliament.uk

URGENT NUMBERS

EMERGENCY Non Emergency Police enquiries@norfolk.pnn.police.uk Non Emergency Medical Power Cuts

GP SURGERY Long Stratton Medical Partnership

999 101 111 105

Swan Lane , Tharston

01508 530781

CHURCH Church News Rev’d Dawn Davidson Parochial Church Council/Yellow Pages Valerie Cook

01508 498924 01508 470298

VILLAGE HALL Chair Secretary Lynda Kay 07783 756258 TASBURGH SCHOOL & PRE-SCHOOL Preston CE Primary School Tas Valley Pre-school & Playroup

Dave Moore 01508 471041 admin@tasburghvillagehall.org.uk bookings @tasburghvillagehall.org.uk 01508 470454 Lucinda Terry chair.tvplaygroup@gmail.com

COMMUNITY GROUPS Community Speed Watch Jill Casson 01508 470334 The Tasburgh Society Adrienne Watts 01508 470217 Tasburgh Carers Group Rachel Mahoney 01508 471271 1st Tasburgh Scout Group Graham Pates 01508 471518 Social Club Don Proudfoot 01508 471408 Eurolink Mr Alan Jones 01508 470092 Tasburgh Allotment Society (TAS) Mr Simon Orford 01508 471539 Tasburgh United Football Club Andy Whyte 07384 231207 Coffee Pot and Crafts Julia Fowler 01508 471833 St Mary’s Guild Mrs Ann Crawshay 01508 470634 Fitness Club (Over 50's) Mrs Ann Gibbins 01508 470225 Fat Dad’s Football Mr Bill Wheeler 01508 471633 Martial Arts Mr Andrew Gillingwater 07775 890359 Tasburgh Tea Room Mrs Valerie Cook 01508 470298 Inaccuracies or omissions? Please contact tasburghpc@btinternet.com. 3

Tasburgh Parish Council, Serving the Village of Tasburgh

Meetings Parish Council meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month currently in the Main Hall of the Village Hall at 7.30pm . Planning Meetings, if required, are usually held on the first Tuesday of the month, in the Village Hall Committee Room at 7pm. Agendas are posted on the village notice boards and the website at least three days beforehand. Parish Council Meetings will continue to be held in Tasburgh Village Main Hall until further notice. Public are welcome to attend all Parish Council meetings; this is your opportunity to speak or ask questions. Meeting Dates 2021 19th January 16th February 16th March 20th April

18th May 15th June 20th July 17th August

21st September 19th October 16th November 14th December

Please note, if you would like an item to appear on the Agenda, details must be sent to the Clerk at least eight days before the meeting. The Council is unable to make a decision on anything not included on the agenda but can discuss newly raised matters and refer them to the next meeting. Minutes of meetings are posted on the website or are available from the Clerk. Parish Council Surgeries Councillors are still willing to discuss any issues you may have with you; their contact details can be found opposite on page 5.

Tasburgh Parish Council, Serving the Village of Tasburgh Contacting the Parish Council If you would like to know more, have any comments about Tasburgh Parish Council and its work, or you have any issues you wish to be raised, please contact one of the Councillors or the Parish Clerk. YOUR COUNCILLORS Jill Casson 12 Hastings Close chair.tasburghpc@gmail.com

470334

Matthew Read

1 Harvey Close vicechair.tasburghpc@gmail.com

470612

Willie Crawshay

The Grange, Low Road willie.crawshay@btconnect.com

471650

Brian Hill

8 Harvey Close brianhill.tasburghpc@gmail.com

471011

Geoff Merchant

14 Orchard Way geoffmerchant@btinternet.com

470606

Andrew Patrick

Jasmine Cottage 07775 898301 andrewpatrick.tasburghpc@gmail.com

Keith Read

Thornly Barn, Saxlingham Lane k.a.read@btinternet.com

Adrienne Watts

Grove Cottage 470217 Adriannewatts.tasburghpc@gmail.com

Preston Thomas

4 Church Road 07730 049077 prestonthomas.tasburghpc@gmail.com

Parish Clerk Tina Eagle 17 Alder Close Poringland, Norfolk, NR14 7LY Email: tasburghpc@btinternet.com Website

470229

01508 494569

https://tasburghpc.wixsite.com/tasburghpc 5

Tasburgh Parish Council News LOW ROAD VILLAGE SIGN Hopefully most of you will have seen the smart new village sign on the Low Road. The Parish Council would like to thank Councillor Andrew Patrick for designing and building the replacement. The quality is excellent and we feel that it will last for many years too come thanks to his craftsmanship especially in the art of flint knapping and making use of local flints. Andrew has also designed and built a display cabinet which will contain the pictures, and information of all of the painted stones which made up the rock snake constructed by the village children during the lockdown last year. Currently the wood is drying, but once this is complete the cabinet will be installed on the village green, and we intend to have a grand unveiling ceremony. Watch Facebook and the Parish Council website for more details.

REPAIRS TO PLAY AREA SPIDERS WEB AND BASKET SWING A contractor has been appointed to virtually rebuild these, replacing rotten timbers and worn netting, but unfortunately, in common with so many other contractors they have experienced problems obtaining the necessary timber material to complete the job. Hopefully all will be repaired by the time we next write. A big thank you to everyone who came along to the Neighbourhood Plan drop-in session in September – it was great to see so many people interested in the future of their village. More details can be found on Page 8.

COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH There will be fewer Speedwatch sessions now that the clocks have gone back – the ‘gun’ does not work in the dark, and most speeding does occur during the morning and evening rush hours. A few new volunteers have come forward, but we still need more to enable us to run regular sessions once the lighter morning and evenings return. If you are concerned about traffic in the village, have a little time to spare and would like to help your community then please get involved. Details are available from Jill Casson or the Parish Clerk. Evidence from Speedwatch and SAM2 data show that most speeding problems happen along the Low Road, where we know that people cut through from Long Stratton to Wymondham and the A11. However, there are also black spots in Church Road and Grove Lane. 6

Tasburgh Parish Council News The Parish Council have recently applied for funding under the Norfolk Parish Partnership Scheme to purchase a second SAM2 machine. If our application is successful this will enable us to locate one machine which concentrates on the Low Road, and another based in Church Road and Grove Lane. The data collected from both machines will all help us to build up credible evidence on the issue of speeding which will hopefully lead to future solutions.

EVIDENCE LOG We have also set up an incident log, to record accidents, near-misses and clear instances of speeding. – please report these to the Parish Clerk. If you can take a photograph or record the number plate, that is even better. Alternatively, details of inconsiderate driving or oversize vehicles that are clearly not delivering within the area, can be reported to our Local Beat Manager PC Sherry Locke on 07989 197766

30 MPH WHEELIE BIN STICKERS These are still available for those residents who find themselves short. Remember they can be placed on your green, black and brown bin.

NO COLD CALLER DOOR STICKERS A small number of these stickers are also currently available. For either of the above please email tasburghpc@btinternet.com Parish Council meetings have now resumed face-to-face, and are held on the third Tuesday of every month. As always, details of future meetings will be advertised on Facebook, website and noticeboards and all members of the public are very welcome to attend. You can also use the website or our Facebook page to forward comments or questions to the Parish Council. And finally.....the Parish Council continues to receive many complaints about inconsiderate parking. This is a matter where we have no powers, and can only pass complaints on to other authorities. We also recognise that parking space is at a premium on the estates. However, when parking your vehicle, PLEASE consider your neighbours. Can they easily get in and out of their drives? Are you too close to a junction and causing problems for people entering / exiting that junction? Can emergency vehicles or the dustcart get past your vehicle? The Parish Council would like to wish all our residents and their families a healthy Happy Christmas & New Year Jill Casson, Chair 7

Tasburgh Neighbourhood Plan Thank you to all of you who attended the recent Drop - In Event held on 26th September We couldn't have done it without you. This is what you have told us so far!

Q1: If new homes are built in Tasburgh, what type and style would you prefer? Top 5 Housing Considerations – 55 responses received Affordable Housing Starter Homes Homes for Older People Environmentally Friendly/Low Carbon Priority for Local People Q2: What is your vision for Tasburgh in the future? Top 5 Visions - 33 responses received Community/Friendliness/Caring Sleepy/Rural/Village Feel Sustainable/Climate Resilient Buses/Public Transport Post Office/Shop Q3: What are the values in Tasburgh you want to preserve? Top 5 Values - 30 responses received Sense of community Road safety Facilities Ruralness Fields/Green spaces Full responses are available to read https://tasburghpc.wixsite.com/tasburghpc/neighbourhood-plan We will be holding more events in 2022 so hope we can count on your continued support and involvement. Adrienne Watts, Chair 8

Tasburgh Eurolink Tasburgh Eurolink News Sadly, although our everyday lives are getting back on track to a certain extent, COVID has meant that things are still far from “normal” for Eurolink. We decided not to host a Safari Supper this summer, especially as our finances are in such good shape having had no outgoings! We did consider trying to hold a social meeting for the group on this side of the channel towards the end of the year, but just as we were discussing it the number of COVID cases started to climb again and a few of our group were affected. Luckily, all have now recovered, but we felt a large gathering indoors would not be advisable. We may still join up online, but it’s certainly not the same! There has been communication between the groups on the two sides of the channel, after all some of the families have been friends for over 30 years now. Things are still in place for the twice postponed visit of our friends from Belgium next May. Their AGM is due to take place at the end of November and we hope to have some idea of how many from the group intend to visit, all being well. Some have already expressed an interest so here’s hoping. Initial arrangements have been made for our annual wine tasting in the Village Hall on Saturday 26th February 2022. Tickets will be on sale nearer the time and are expected to be limited due to Social Distancing. To find out more about Eurolink Helen Burnett: helenmburnett@gmail.com (Chair) Alan Jones: jonesa@talk21.com (Secretary) or any other member of the group.

TASBURGH OUTREACH POST OFFICE TASBURGH VILLAGE HALL Opening Times:

Tuesday 9.30am - 12.30pm 9

Tasburgh Village Hall As we enter into winter there may be some uncertainties and further restrictions but we are currently operating at full capacity. Bookings are up for the coming year through to 2023. To assist our user groups as they recover from Covid the Trustees have agreed to freeze hire rates until June 2022 when we will then review them. The Village Hall is a registered charity but also a centre that is used for community activity so we too are recovering from Covid issues. To continue with our improvements to the Hall we have agreed a start date for 10th January 2022 when renovation of the toilets at the front of the Hall will begin. TAS Pre-School & Playgroup have been consulted as they will need to use the other toilets. The work will be carried out with direct access from the outside not via the hall so minimising disruption. This is another big step in the halls upgrade.

CARETAKER VACANCY Do you have the skills to be able to carry out varied duties such as basic carpentry and property maintenance? Are you able to look after ground maintenance duties and oversee the general upkeep of our Village Hall? The role would suit a local person who is active and adept and able to work on their own initiative If you can tick all these boxes then we would like to hear from you. In the interim period Francis has kindly agreed to do our weekly/monthly fire related safety checks. I am looking at ground maintenance for 2022 and our hedges have received their annual trim, so with Lloyds hard work through the year the field is in good shape. We will deal with problems as they arise so please if you are aware of anything affecting the hall please let Trustees know.

We would still like to welcome more TRUSTEES onto the Committee to share the load. If this is something you would be interested in or in the Caretake r role please contact me for further information. Contact details can be found on Page 3 or alternatively email dave.moore0246@gmail.com Dave Moore, Chair 11

Taburgh Sports & Social Club CHAIRMAN’S BLOG Well here we are again with a little bit of Club info and news, it’s the old short days and long chilly nights time of year which as we all know is usually followed with those really long very cold days and nights. But as I’ve said before put the big warm coat and hat on and make your way to the club, as there is always a warm welcome and plenty of warming drinks to choose from. We will soon be hearing those jingle bells and a Ho Ho Ho followed with a reply of - “I don’t care who you are get them Reindeer off my roof “ On October 31st we held the Annual Children’s Sunday afternoon Halloween Disco 60. Children had a great time in fancy dress and had party games and dances with goodie bag to take home as well. Anyway the following are some events for your diary before, during and after the festive time. Friday 26th November a return to the club of singer Bethany Jade, it’s a Club night so free entry. Saturday 11th December a very popular return from the fantastic local Rock Group Walkway tickets on sale at the club now £5 or on the night £7 we have a limit of 200 so get them now, it will be a great music night with Ross Stewart Singer songwriter playing during the interval . For Christmas Eve and Boxing Day opening times see the club Newsletter or Tasburgh Times. New Year’s Eve 31st December there will be a Children’s party from 4pm till 6pm with a Children’s entertainer and lots of games. Then from 7pm till 1am it’s The James Hanton Disco. Saturday 22nd January 2022 its Burns Night with the ever popular The Harves to entertain us we have both rooms booked so you can enjoy your Haggis and Neeps and Tatties without being overcrowded. Food tickets on sale early January Saturday March 19th St Patricks Night Ceillidh with The Bacon Butty Band and when you’re not dancing you can tuck into a plate of Irish stew Tickets on sale end of February. The last advert is one for volunteers for bar work training given and also to help run your Club as a Director I you think you can help as we are really short on staff on both, call at the Bar or ring 471408 or 471057 It just leaves me to say from the Board of Directors to all the members 238 of you who support the Club Your Club A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR Cheers “Don the Don “Chairman TSSC 12

South Norfolk District Council DOG FOULING The Broadland District and South Norfolk Councils are covered by their own Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) made under section 59 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Each PSPO makes it an offence for a person in control of a dog not to clear up the dog mess immediately, on any land that is open to the air and to which the public is entitled or permitted to have access (with or without payment). In South Norfolk, the PSPO also restricts the presence of dogs in play areas, making it an offence for you to take your dog into any enclosed play area or children's playground. Offenders in Broadland and South Norfolk can be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £100, reduced to £60 if paid within 10 days, or if taken to court, a fine up to £1,000. If you see someone allowing their dog to foul and not clear it up, please contact us with the owner’s details and where it happened so we can investigate it. We will also clean it up. www.southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk/dog-issues-1/dog-fouling

3rd -17th December Tasburgh Christmas Trail Full details on how to enter turn to Page 27 Thursday 16th Dec

Tasburgh Carers Group

10.30-12.30pm

Thursday 20th Jan

Tasburgh Carers Group

10.30-12.30pm

Saturday 26th Feb

Eurolink Wine Tasting Tasburgh Village Hall

Provisional

Norfolk County Council

If you have an ordinary watercourse or a main river running through your land or along the boundary of your property you are likely to be the riparian owner or joint riparian owner, unless the watercourse is known to be owned by someone else. Find out more about the responsibilities of being a riparian owner and more on how to protect your home from flooding here https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/.../information-for-homeowners

HIGHWAY PROBLEMS ARE EASILY REPORTED

From pot-holes to pavements and far more Anyone can do it and it really is easy! You can report anonymously, or you can register. If you register you will receive updates on the steps taken to resolve the problem www.norfolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roads/report-a-problem 14

Tas Valley Pre-School and Playgroup

NEXT EDITION The Spring edition of the Quarterly and Church News will be distributed by the end of February Contributions from local organisations are always welcomed and can be emailed to the Parish Clerk for inclusion. We would be particularly pleased to receive suggestions for regular articles. All articles to the Parish Clerk, tasburghpc@btinternet.com by 4th February 2021 17

1st Tasburgh Sea Scout Group It’s simply fantastic to report that the group has had a great time since the return in September. Beavers have been enjoying loads of activities such as making bug hotels, a sponsored walk for shelter box raising over £180 (plus gift aid), hobby and collector's badge and celebrating Diwali and Bonfire Night. Coming up will be more work on their international badge. It’s also really good to say that Paul Williams has stepped into the role of Assistant Beaver Leader. Cubs have had a great time, with a hike to Mulbarton (excellent chips), campfires, international cooking and chariot making (and racing). Looking ahead we will be doing a hike hopefully raising money for Redwings and joining the scouts at Quasar. Scouts had planned a meal and then cooked it the following week on campfires, looked at reuse and recycling, and made some seed bombs. They are planning to perform and record some sketches and as mentioned above, Quasar towards Christmas. We are not currently running Explorers but do have some Young Leaders registered with us helping in the younger sections. Our numbers are excellent and we still have a waiting list operating for cub age youngsters. By the time you read this you will have hopefully seen the group parading for Remembrance Sunday, it was sad we couldn’t do this last year but great that this tradition can be revived in 2021 even if not in quite the same way as previously. Looking ahead to 2022, we hope to get back to camping which is an important element of scouting that we have all missed. For any further information about the group, or to get involved in some way please get in touch, even if you just want to pop down to the Village Hall to see what we get up to.

Tasburgh Village Hall every Thursday Beavers 5.00 till 6.15 Cubs 6.30 till 7.45 Scouts 8.00 till 9.15 Graham Pates, Group Scout Leader 18

Friends of Preston Primary School

Preston Primary School Settling back in We are coming to the end of our first half term at Preston primary and are really pleased to welcome the new Year R’s and hope they have enjoyed their first few weeks with us. During this half term we have presented our harvest assembly, where we spoke about different things we had learnt about over the past few days some of us sang and some of us just taught others about harvest information like foodbanks and fair trade. School Council The school council is a very big part of our school. You can either be voted as a representative or an officer: chair, vice chair, secretary (me) and eco chair. Every month or so we have a meeting to talk about things we can do to improve our school community and sometimes about what we can do for our environment as well. The reps get voted from the classes and come to the meetings to discuss new ideas they have been thinking about. Our school values One of our school values is friendship and this half term we have focused on what you have to do to be a good friend. Examples are: kind words, hands and feet, respect for each other and listening to and accepting other points of view. Friendship is a really important part of everyone’s lives and we should therefore all remember these qualities to keep ourselves happy and our school a happy place to be at. George, Year 6 Student

TASBURGH PHOTOGRAPHERS Remember if you enjoy taking seasonal photographs and would like one of them to be featured on the front cover of a future Tasburgh Quarterly & Church News THEN WE WOULD STILL LIKE TO SEE THEM! All photographs will be credited and may be held for future issues Email your photographs for consideration to tasburghpc@btinternet.com 28

Healthy Planet - Healthy Communities You may have heard the term ‘climate anxiety’, this is when our wellbeing is impacted by news about the climate crisis and this feeling may be made worse when it seems others aren’t taking action. However some worry can be worthwhile and you can focus it into positive action. A good exercise is to imagine what you see for yourself, for your family and your community in 5, 10, and 50 years’ time? Perhaps you wish them to be healthy and happy, but what does the place they live in look like and how does that effect how they live. I’d love to imagine a village full of wildlife, trees and wild flowers, plenty of healthy food and a close-knit community. Sounds great, but now the tough part – how can I make it happen? Another way to think about it is thinking what would you like your legacy to be? What will you be proud to tell people that you have done to help in the climate crisis? Many people feel powerless but if you are thinking of taking small actions like saving electricity or shopping locally, others probably are too. Many people are now eating vegan foods and now shops and eateries have responded by having more vegan options. Together these actions add up to make a difference and makes a more sustainable change to our society. Amy Prendergast

Norfolk Archaeological Trust DO YOU ENJOY SPENDING TIME AT TASBURGH ENCLOSURE?

Norfolk Archaeological Trust is looking for local volunteers to help us care for the site by regularly checking for signs of damage or other issues, using a supplied checklist. Volunteers will also help us keep the site in good condition by picking up any litter they spot. Anyone over 18 years old is welcome - volunteers need good observation skills and an eye for detail, be a people person who enjoys chatting with others and likes to be outdoors. We ask that volunteers are able to commit to at least one walk a fortnight, and good mobility is required. Full training and induction is provided, plus ongoing support from the Trust. If you'd like to meet new people, share your skills and help a local heritage charity care for this special place, we would be delighted to hear from you. We would also be pleased to hear from individuals and groups who would like to get involved in potential future events and activity at the site. To find out more please contact Jules at julesarmour@norfarchtrust.org.uk or apply online at www.norfarchtrust.org.uk 29

Health & Wellbeing HEALTHY HABITS Habits, they’re everywhere and whilst they are useful (imperative actually) in enabling us to move through our days with ease (think brushing your teeth), we sometimes get stuck with some unhelpful ones. A habit is quite simply any behaviour which is repeated enough times that it becomes habit. And whilst it might take a little longer than the 21 days we are often told - anywhere between 18 and 128 days – the good news is that we can change our behaviours. If you simply want to add a new habit to your day or week, you can try something called ‘habit stacking’; adding in the new habit after an existing one. Say for example you want to go for a walk every day for fresh air and exercise and a good time to do this for you would be the middle of the day. You know you always break for lunch at 12.30pm, so your habit stacking could look like this, “after I finish my lunch and put my lunchbox in my bag, I will put my coat on and go for a walk”. The trick is to be very specific. Or if, you want to work out in the morning for 20 minutes, then laying out your workout gear by the bed and saying “after I clean my teeth, I will work out in the living room for 20 minutes before I eat breakfast”.But, supposing you want to make a change to a bothersome habit. Whilst it sounds obvious, the first thing to do is to notice what you’re doing. You would be surprised how much of the time we’re not fully conscious of what we are really doing. Even for really big things like driving a car, thinking about something or other when driving and heading for home on ‘autopilot’. Your habit could be to come into the kitchen and put the kettle on for example, but at the same time reach for the biscuits - handily in the next cupboard without really thinking about it. Once you have identified exactly what it is you’re doing, if for example it’s the biccies with a cup of tea, make it difficult - move the biscuits - this helps with bringing it to our conscious. And where the biscuits once were put some tasty and healthy snacks in their place. Or trying to avoid the wine every evening, get stocked up on some nice refreshing alternatives and make them appealing with ice and a slice! If you have a few habits to tackle, then do them one at a time. Slow and steady and start small, mastering one small habit will make you feel confident and positive towards making more changes. Remember to be kind to yourself too, changing habits can be difficult and its natural that we will fall off the wagon from time to time but also have ‘time off’ and allow ourselves the lovely treats in life whether wine, biscuits or just a loaf on the sofa.

Jackie Trenavin – Mindful Body Coach www.mindfulbodycoach.co.uk 30

Tasburgh Treats SQUASH AND FENNEL LASAGNE

As you read this, the last of my Tasburgh Treats, Fred the Cat and myself will be ‘sofa surfing’ whilst we look for a new home. Over the past few weeks we have become vegetarian, a bit of a shock to both of us, however I found this lovely comforting recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall that is a real treat. 1 kg squash 6 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil, plus extra to trickle 1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped a few sprigs of thyme, leaves only, finely chopped 750g fennel (3 large bulbs) 150g blue cheese or goat’s cheese, crumbled 125g lasagne sheets – fresh (best) or dried 20g parmesan, cheddar or other hard cheese, grated salt and ground pepper Bechamel sauce 1 litre whole milk 1 bay leaf 1 onion roughly chopped 1 celery stalk roughly chopped a few black peppercorns 50g unsalted butter 50 g plain flour 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Heat oven to 180C/Gas Mark4. For the béchamel sauce, heat the milk with the onion, bay leaf, celery and peppercorns until just below simmering. Remove from heat and set aside to infuse. Peel and deseed the squash and cut into 2 cm cubes. Toss with 4 tablespoons oil in a roasting tin, season with salt and pepper, roast for 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven, toss with garlic and thyme and set aside.Trim the fennel, remove tough outer layer, cut into roughly 5mm slices. Heat another 2 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over a low medium heat and sauté the fennel for 10-15 minutes until tender. Set aside. Gently reheat the infused milk, then strain. Heat the butter in a large sauce pan over a medium heat. Stir in the flour to form a smooth roux and cook gently for 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat. Add about a quarter of the hot milk and beat well until smooth. Repeat with the remaining milk, adding it in 2-3 lots, until you have a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and cook, stirring often and allowing it to bubble gently for a few minutes, until thickened. Stir in the mustard and season with salt and pepper. Spread a third of the sauce over the bottom of a 28 x 22cm (ish) ovenproof dish. Layer half the lasagne sheets in the dish, scatter the roasted squash evenly over it. Trickle over another third of the sauce. Add another layer of lasagne, then the fennel. Scatter the crumbled cheese over the fennel, then spoon over the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese and add a trickle of oil. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden. Serve at once with peas or green salad. Julie Lawrence 31

Tasburgh Allotment Society News from down on the Allotments This would normally be the exciting Flower and Produce Show results report. Alas, another of those all to common absent events. But the good news is the 2022 Show is already being talked about and - baring disaster -TAS will be back hosting this prestigious event next summer. Look out for a Classes List in the February Quarterly and around the village in the New Year. Whilst on events, also look out for TAS hosting an Open to All Village Quiz next February and if anyone is interested in the 2022 Open Garden event let TAS know. On to the dirty stuff. The allotment site still has its rabbit problems, but I banged on so much about them last quarter I’ll steer clear this time. Apart from, that is, to say we appreciate the attitude that our neighbours, the Village Hall, are having in helping us to get the better of them. Basically, rabbits love untidiness and so any clearing of undergrowth you’ve seen going on will be to help keep vermin under control. The site is now at its most forlorn state. Most crops are harvested, although some winter hardy produce, like leeks remain in the ground. However, there are signs of new growth already though. Garlic was planted in October and got off to a flying start, with some unseasonably warm spells, and now needs some frosts to help the bulbs develop. For now though, it’s mostly all about clearing up and getting your digging done. Turning over that top few inches to bury the trash and give a fresh start, whilst allowing the structure deeper down to remain intact. I find it a strangely satisfying job and a good work out as well. It’s also planning and seed ordering time. Last September I found a local shop selling decent quality seed packets, of all sorts, at 10p per packet (80% off). They remain in date throughout next year, so I stocked up. Would love to tell you where I got them, but I don’t want to see a rush on them next year autumn. 32

Tasburgh Allotment Society The TAS social scene has rolled into life. We have recently held a good old-fashioned face to face (but socially distanced) meeting in the Village Hall. Also our AGM was conducted on site one evening in early September. It was a good turnout for the AGM and the weather stayed kind for us. Our annual vote for PHOTY (Plot Holder Of The Year) was stormed this time by Mick Ireson who gained twice the votes of all other plot holders combined. An impressive year of rabbit defence from Mick won him a few of those votes. Feel a bit mean now withholding money saving seed buying tips. The 10p packets were found at Mulbarton Coop. Happy digging all. Simon Orford – Secretary to TAS

Tasburgh Keep Fit With “lock down” in place, we closed the Club after our session on Thursday 12 March 2020 and did not resume again until 29th July 2021. It was most encouraging that only one person was unable to come back to the class due to other commitments. In order to comply with recommendations in place at the time, we decided to run the Club on a different basis. Instead of circuit training, we provided enough individual equipment (weights, balls, mats, etc.) for each member so that there would be no sharing. The class was then lead from the front by our trainer, Michael, and everyone now works in their own space. After such a long break, you can imagine how tiring it was for the first few weeks to get back to our previous fitness levels. Some of us are still trying! Hopefully at some point in the future we shall be able to resume the circuit training sessions but at present we are enjoying what is on offer. If anyone would like to join us on a Thursday afternoon between 2 pm – 3pm, you would be most welcome but there are only a few places available. The first session is always a free session, then it is £5 per week, payable on the day. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT ANN GIBBINS ON 01508 470225 33

Tasburgh United Charities ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT PAYING YOUR FUEL BILLS THIS WINTER? Tasburgh United Charities have a certain amount of money available each year to use in assisting residents of the Parish who, regardless of age or reason, find themselves in need of financial help. These are difficult and uncertain times and you may be experiencing unforeseen financial difficulties beyond your control. We are only a small charity and have only limited funds, but we would like to stress that we are here for ALL residents of Tasburgh. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you do find yourself in need of help, as that is the reason that the Charities exist. Assistance can be given by outright grant towards general expenses, by contribution towards a particular expense, or a temporary loan. If you would like assistance, or to be considered for a distribution, please contact one of the trustees below. All applications are considered in the strictest confidence. Mrs Jill Casson 12 Hastings Close 470334

Mr Keith Read Thornly Barn, Saxlingham Lane 470229

Mr Geoff Merchant 14 Orchard Way 470606

Mr Roger Burnett 22 Orchard Way 471031

WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A TRUSTEE OF THE CHARITY? If you live in Tasburgh, have an interest in the village and would like to help the people who live here, then you could be just the person that we are looking for. There are five trustees who usually meet twice a year in May and November to consider applications for help, and who are nominated for a four-year term. We would welcome all applications, but those from younger people and those with young families would be especially welcome, as this is the section of the community which is suffering most economically but is currently under-represented among the trustees. If you would like more details about the role of the Charities, or would like to be considered as a trustee, please speak to one of the trustees named above or to the Secretary: Mr Ben Goodfellow 470668 34

Long Stratton Medical Partnership Swan Lane Surgery, Swan Lane, Tharston, NR15 2UY Where has the time flown? Every year as we approach winter and especially the Christmas period, the practice team finds it incredibly intriguing as to how the year has flown by - this year in particular with its ups and downs, the opportunities and challenges that we have faced and most importantly how patients would have viewed the experience they have had with us in this pandemic times. General Practice has faced one of its most challenging and difficult periods in recent times especially with media negativity and harsh government demands. These are opportunities that we are given to reflect and improve our practice in every way and at the same time feedback to the CCG or NHS England when the targets set are beyond our capacity. These opportunities to improve patient care arise from personal feedback, practice feedback and various patient surveys done across the year for research purposes and by the NHS GP Patient survey. The GP Patient Survey assesses patients’ experience of healthcare services provided by GP practices, including experience of access, making appointments, the quality of care received from healthcare professionals and patient health. We do encourage you to continue to give us constructive criticism to help us improve services and positive feedback which is known to improve team morale. If you would like to view the results of this year’s GP Patient Survey for Long Stratton Medical Partnership please follow this link or search GP Patient Survey for 2021.

https://gppatient.co.uk/PatientExperiences?practicecode=D82037 WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HEALTHY NEW YEAR! Mini Nelson 35

Tasburgh History Society THE ROBERT MEEK CHARITY Robert Meek was a yeoman farmer owning parcels of land in Tasburgh, Tharston and Stratton. He made his Will on 17th February 1598 when he was already “sick in body but of good and perfect remembrance” but rather than signing it with his name, he made his mark on each page, which suggests he may have come from humble circumstances. Certainly he was mindful of the needs of those less fortunate than himself, because after asking that he be buried inside Tasburgh church, he directed that any poor person who came to his funeral should receive five (pre-decimal) pence, and in the legacy to his nephew Thomas Meek he charged his lands with the annual payment of £2 of “good English money” in perpetuity to the churchwardens of Tasburgh for the use of the poor. By modern standards, such sums seem modest but at the time they were reasonably substantial; in those days for example, five pence was roughly a day’s wages for an agricultural labourer. Francis Blomfield in his History of Norfolk written at the end of the 18th century records that there was a brass plate in the chancel of Tasburgh church which read “Under this stone lieth the Body of Robert Meek, who in his Life-time and after his death for ever, gave liberally to the Poor of this Parish; he was buried the 26th of August 1598” so clearly he was well regarded because a burial within the church, and especially in the chancel, was only granted to persons of merit. An 1834 report into charities in Norfolk records that the churchwardens were then receiving 35 shillings from William Gwyn who owned Tasburgh Hall and 5 shillings from the Reverend Philip Stannard who lived at Old Hall Farm ie still the original £2 in total. Although the 1840 Tithe Apportionment Award shows the extent of the land owned by those individuals, it isn’t possible to say which parts of that were originally owned by Robert Meek, and therefore who should now be responsible for making payment to the churchwardens. Quite when payments ceased to be collected isn’t clear, but the Meek Charity wasn’t one of those specifically incorporated as part of Tasburgh United Charities in 1928, which might suggest that by then the sums due were no longer being collected. If the churchwardens or the Parish Council had forgotten, the Charity Commission certainly hadn’t, because following the Charities Act of 1960 they wrote in 1965 to enquire why the Meek Charity hadn’t been registered in accordance with the requirements of the Act. There followed prolonged correspondence between the Rector and the Commission indicating that the church records showed no involvement since at least 1879 by when responsibility was said to have passed from the churchwardens to the Parish Council and that the charity may have become part of the Poor’s or Town Land charity. This seems unlikely as the accounting records of Tasburgh United Charities, which included the Poor’s Lands Charity, show no receipts in 1928/9 other than rents for pieces of land actually owned by them. The charity has now officially lapsed as the land and payments are no longer identifiable. Ben Goodfellow 36

Burrfeld Park The Parish Council first became interested in this site in 2007, at that time it was rented out by the Charities, it also had a Nissen hut, together with a telegraph pole on the right hand side. Four years later through various grants, we had achieved the removal of the Nissen hut and telegraph pole, plus the construction of a boardwalk connected to two new entrances at either end. Since that time, with the help of volunteers we have established a Hazel copse, an Old English apple orchard, an observation box, two Bug Hotels, solitary bee homes, bird and bat boxes, Water-lily, Iris and Marigold around the dipping platform by the pond. There is a variety of trees and shrubs around the park, for two years we had an Orchid, but not recently. There is also a wild flower area on the western side. We have had extra maintenance, regarding the clearing of areas which have really grown in excess this year. The front hedge has also recently been cut. As with most groups, the numbers of volunteers who show up on the various work days has become less, so we would like to thank everyone who does attend, so if you feel that you could spare some time to help out, please look out for the information notices advertising the work days. Brian Hill

Tharston & District WI What a long time since we had had a normal meeting! We managed it in September when we welcomed Mary Newton, to talk about her work as a forensic scientist. She told us about some of the high profile cases that she had worked on and also referred to ‘Prime Suspect’. Very interesting and certainly the audience was enthralled. In October, Jackie Noy came to talk about the East Coast Truckers delivering fun to special children. The sound of the trucks horns constantly blaring out, was a bit too much for most of us but the enjoyment and excitement of the children was a joy to see. We also held our traditional evening of Quiz and Lasagne. As always, this was a most enjoyable evening. The questions were varied and although the team I was in did not win, we did not get the booby prize. During the summer we managed to meet in the garden of The Jolly Farmers or we went for walks. How great that we can again meet inside with a speaker. Our programme is usually quite varied and the speakers interesting. We have tea and cake to enjoy, and most of all – friends to chat and laugh with. Our WI year is coming to an end with our annual meeting, when we vote for a new committee, and then finishing with a Christmas party. Where has the year gone? Heather Jeary 37

Tasburgh Carers Group Our group continues to meet once a month, the last 2 meetings we have been lucky enough to sample some of our members delicious home bakes. Our members have shared news, offered each other advice and support and enjoyed having a good chat. New members are always welcome at our carers group. Please also pass our information on to any friends, neighbours or relatives from Tasburgh or surrounding villages who may be interested in connecting with us. We meet on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 10.30 – 12.00 Future dates 18th November, 16th December, 20th January 2022

For further information you can contact the secretary of the group (Rachel Mahoney) Tel 01508 471271 email rachel.mahoney71@gmail.com Do you, or someone you know, needs extra support during a power cut? @UKPowerNetworks provides FREE services to vulnerable customers. Visit https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut/priority-servicesregister for more information

Pauline & Ian Anderson would like to say a big Thank You to everybody who has purchased plants over the last 2 years. The terrific sum of £711.00 has been sent to The Big C 38

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If you are a local business who does not advertise in the Quarterly, then why not consider doing so. The Quarterly is published every quarter and is delivered free of charge to residents in Tasburgh COST OF ADVERTISING If you wish to advertise in the Quarterly please contact tasburghpc@btinternet.com. prices as follows: Greyscale: full page £34.00, half page £24.00, quarter page £12.50 Colour: full page £65.00, half page £45.00, quarter page £25.00. Discount of 10% available to those living and trading in Tasburgh, and a further 5% when four issues are booked and paid for in advance.

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A large print version of the Tasburgh Quarterly and Church News is available upon request Please contact 01508 494569 41

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