Litcham Parish Council Homepage

LITCHAM PARISH COUNCIL

The Next Meeting will be held on Monday 6th July 2009 at 7.30 P.M. in Jubilee Hall

For the Purpose of transacting the business set out on the Published Agenda.
The public and press are cordially invited to attend.
The first part of the meeting is opened to the public to bring to the attention of the council any matters not covered in the agenda and to make representations on matters on the agenda.
Signed B J Leigh Clerk to the Council : 2nd July 2009
> Click here for full Agenda <

May Meetings
The Annual Parish Meeting was held on 20 April attended by four Councillors, District Councillor Kiddle Morris and twenty-one members of the public. Reports were received from local organisations all of which will be posted on the Litcham website. At the open forum after the meeting many parishioners expressed concern about the management of the Litcham Relief in Need Charity and it was agreed to place this on the agenda for the next Parish Council meeting. A parishioner raised the matter of a village fete, as had been held in previous years, and it was again agreed to discuss this at the May Parish Council meeting.

At the May Parish Council Meeting, attended by six Councillors, District Councillor Kiddle Morris and seventeen members of the public the following was considered:
Elections. Councillor Oldfield was re-elected Chairman and Councillor Carter was elected Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council for the current year.
Highways/Traffic Matters. The sign on Dereham Road had still not been replaced and Norfolk County Council is to be pressed to replace this. Finance. Payments for the Clerk’s salary the hire of Jubilee hall and a donation to the Friends of |Litcham Church were approved.
Planning. The members raised no objection to the re-submission for the erection of a pair of semi-detached cottages on manor Drive as this was only a re-alignment caused by incorrect information being given regarding the position of the main electricity cable. The Parish Council decided not to support the application from Lexham estates for the development to the rear of Litcham hall but to confirm the previous response for a small number of dwellings along Pound Lane.
Other Matters. Churchyard Cutting: The cutting of the churchyard had been raised at the Annual parish meeting as there was concern that this had not been cut in April. The Parish Council listened to the comments of the contractor and agreed to consider further cuts during the season at its next meeting. Litcham Relief in Need Charity: A long discussion was held regarding the Charity following a meeting that the Clerk had attended called by the co-opted trustees. Attempts were made to find an amicable solution to the ongoing problems of the trustees but this was not possible despite the majority feeling of the meeting. The Clerk is now to write to the Charity Commission to attempt to resolve the problems. Village Fair: It was agreed to support a fair if an organiser could be found from within the village. Any person interested in becoming involved with the proposed fair should contact the Clerk. Registration of the Green: All the information has been passed to Norfolk County Council as the registering authority but as it is the owner of the land this may be forwarded to Suffolk County Council for a decision.
Monthly Meetings to which all parishioners are welcome, are held in the Jubilee Hall normally commencing at 7.30 p.m. and the first part of the meeting is made available for public discussion and to bring matters to the attention of councillors. Council meetings will normally take place on the first Monday of each month, except January and August, but this could be subject to change in any one month. Please consult the Notice Board for the date or contact the Clerk on 01362 861112. the next meeting of Litcham parish Council is due to be held on 1 June 2009 at the Jubilee Hall.
Full minutes are available by clicking on this link...>
Click here for Agenda for the meeting on June 1st....>

BEESTON CRICKET CLUB
Match and FUN day
presented by the Primary School & Village Hall
Saturday July 4th starting at 2.00pm
at Beeston Sports Field
Under 40's vs Over 40's CRICKET MATCH
Just turn up and play - come on kids get your dads out there!
Cream teas during the afternoon - Stalls and Games
Evening BBQ and dancing to UNION JACK DISCO

16 Willow Foundation

On behalf of Robert Jackman and Nita and Emily (the rest of the back up team) who on Sunday, 24th May cycled 115 miles from Bunkers Hills finishing at Sutton Bridge (the Norfolk Coastal Route). Our many thanks to everyone who helped to raise money for !6 Willow Foundation which supports 16 – 40 year old chronic sick people. We will let you know the total later.
Pam Jackman and Family

Own a Litcham Bell Heather and support the Bell Fund
Litcham’s church bells have stood the test of time, ringing out in celebration on numerous occasions over the past 340 odd years. (It would be interesting to know how many people now living in the village had the bells rung at their own wedding.)
Perhaps not surprisingly, the six bells and their fittings are now in need of a thorough refurbishment and retuning, and the estimated cost of this work is around £30,000. A lot of fundraising will be required, and we are fortunate that to help us get off the ground Norfolk Herbs of Dillington (near Dereham) agreed to grow some Bell Heathers for sale, using cuttings taken from Litcham Common.
Bell heather (Erica cinerea) is one of three heathers native to Britain, and is arguably the most beautiful with its lovely red-purple drooping bells. Bell heather is a lot rarer than it used to be, so we are very fortunate that it can still be found on the common, where it has probably grown since before Litcham even existed as a village. In the past the plant had a variety of uses, ranging from making thatch and rope to dyeing wool.
Many thanks must go to Rosie and Brian Clifton-Sprigg of Norfolk Herbs for propagating the cuttings. Their skill has given us the chance to own a part of Litcham’s natural history, while at the same time supporting the Bell Appeal, which will preserve an entirely different aspect of our heritage. Bell heather is a lovely garden plant that is very popular with bees; it does best in an acidic soil and can be grown in pots.
Only a limited number of plants are available so sales will be on a first come first served basis at a price of £3 each or two for £5. Please speak to me if you want to make a purchase (tel: 01328 700045).
Tim Angell

Litcham Relief in Need Charity
Don’t forget that if you live in Litcham and you’re going to College or University in 2009 you can apply to Litcham Relief in Need Charity for an educational grant towards books.
Also, during a difficult time for some, you can apply for a grant towards a school uniform for September.
Application forms can be obtained from Doug Rork, Secretary to Litcham Relief in Need Charity, telephone 01328-701594.
All applications will be dealt with in total confidence.

Each year the Trustees can contribute about £1,000 towards financial aid for individual parishioners.
The Trustees are:
Liz Christie – Chairman
Doug Rork – Secretary
Chris Chalk – Minutes Secretary
David Holland
Vince Piffero

Litcham Entertainment Group - Thanks and Congratulations!
It may seem a long time ago that some of you were joining in with the delights of LEGS pantomime but things have certainly been happening 'behind the scenes' since then.
It took some time to finalise our 'takings' for the pantomime. But following costs and a donation to Litcham Methodist Church, (for use of the church for rehearsals) we made a profit of nearly £470. So well done to all who were involved and thanks again to the people who helped in different ways to make it a success; from those helping front of house to those providing refreshments. We were particulary grateful to the people who stayed behind after the last performance and helped to take the scenery and lighting down. Following approval from the group we hope to donate some of our profit to one or two local charities.
Early this May, LEGS held its first coffee morning and raised £125. So thanks again to those who helped and those who supported us.
Congratulations to two of our group: Matt Cross who has recently achieved a BTec National Diploma in Technical Theatre, passing with three distinctions - well done!
By the time you read this, I expect it will be 'old news' to many but our congratulations and best wishes also go to Sadie & Tony Bailey and family on the birth of Noah. (I wonder if Sadie will be able to get a babysitter when we start rehearsing again?!)
And finally.... our very best wishes to Heather and Spencer Snape who will be moving to Cumbria early this August as Heather is taking a ministerial post there. They have both been a great asset to LEGS in more ways than one - you will be missed!!
We hope to produce another pantomime for 2010: rehearsals are likely to start in September but look out in 'Church and Village' for more information. Or feel free to contact me on 01362 820750.
Judith Semmons

Litcham ‘digs in’!
The historic allotments gardens, recorded as some of the oldest in Norfolk, are a familiar land-mark to Litcham’s residents and visitors but needed a bit of a face-lift!
Litcham’s allotment gardeners have been pleased to spear-head a revitalisation of some of the neglected plots so that keen gardeners can make the most of the recent national revival of the pleasure of allotmenteering.
Keen to join the nation’s race to protect the environment and reduce our carbon footprint, members of LALGA (Litcham Allotment and Leisure Gardeners’ Association) have overseen the regeneration of several gardens that had become overgrown and waterlogged and the delighted new occupiers of the revitalised plots are already making their mark with their healthy sprouting crops. Watch that space!

Litcham Youth Football Club
Congratulations to Litcham U11 football team on an outstanding season. The team have been playing in the Mid Norfolk Youth League and have finished League champions in their final year together in mini soccer. Having played 16 league fixtures winning 13 and drawing 3 they have finished this season undefeated in open play. Litcham also won through to the League Cup Final, playing Old Hunstanton where it finished 0-0 and Litcham unfortunately lost on penalties. The U11's scored 88 goals and every out field player contributed to the goal tally.
The Lads would like to thank all their friends and family for all their support to make our seaon so successful.
We would also like to thank the Village Butcher and Litcham Post Office who have supported the club this year. - Litcham U11
Litcham needs you for next season !
We are only a small village team with a great track record, with not having the resources and a large catchment area like some of our surrounding towns we are looking to take the team forward into the 11 a side game. We need players who want to come to a small club and play in friendly and successful team. If you are about to start year 7 next school year we would love you join our squad, even if you now play for another club and fancy a change. Matches will be played on a Sunday with training during the week run by FA qualified coaches that have been CRB checked.
For more information please contact Richard McCormack 07767 265567 or Ady Jarrett 07544770586

A Taste of Wine Moves the Clock Forward

Approx 40 people attended the Friends Wine tasting and Canapés afternoon at The Old Rectory.
The music performed by the Bewick String Quartet was excellent, as were the delicious Canapés hand made by my wife Helene.
6 wines, 3 red, 3 white, from various regions in France, were quaffed during the afternoon...the walk along the path leaving the Old Rectory did not appear to be as straight as on the way in, surely a sign of a great afternoon!
With thanks to everyone on the day for their generous support we have managed to raise £650 from this event. Maybe another next year?
We are now in a postion to go ahead with 1st phase of the Clock Project; subject to weather conditions, on the 2nd June.
the clock mechanism will be removed, taken to Norwich where it will be cleaned and repaired, then reinstalled in the clock tower.
Everything going to plan we should have a chiming clock again by the end of June beginning of July.
Thanks for your continued support. Thanks for your continued support.
Kind regards, Kerry Walpole, 01328 700161 - friendsofallsaints@hotmail.co.uk

Friends of All Saints Church, Litcham is a recognised charity no: XT10870
Click here to learn more about the 'Friends ' and download an application form...
Friends in the press - click here to see an article that has recently appeared in the Dereham Times

Litcham Common Conservation Group

Volunteer needed!
After many years’ valued service, Joyce Green has decided that the time is right for her to step down from her position as a member of Litcham Common Management Committee. The other committee members are very grateful to Joyce for all she has contributed over the years.
The common is a designated Local Nature Reserve and the Committee’s primary responsibility is to manage it as such, particularly taking account of the site’s importance as an area of lowland heathland. At the same time, consideration needs to be given to maintaining a diversity of wildlife habitats, as well as taking account of the common’s importance to the people of Litcham and surrounding villages for recreational purposes.
The current members of the committee are Sarah Cureton (representing Norfolk County Council), Neil Foster (Lexham Hall Estate), Mike Oldfield (Litcham Parish Council) Tim Angell (Litcham Common Conservation Group), John Jones (volunteer warden) and John Mitchell (Litcham resident).
The Committee would like to hear from anyone who is interested in taking Joyce’s place. Ideally the person should be a resident of Litcham who regularly uses the common and is able to attend a minimum of two weekday meetings a year, in March and September. In the first instance anyone interested is asked to speak to one of the current committee members.

The Ponies
At the end of April someone deliberately wedged open two of the gates which open from the common directly onto the Dunham road, allowing the ponies to escape. Given the potential consequences which could have resulted from a collision between the animals and a vehicle, we are grateful that in the event no harm was done. Thanks go to all those who helped round up the ponies, and especially David Lucas, Mark Tasker and the Uttings at Punch Farm.
In view of the seriousness of the incident the matter has been reported to the police and, in addition, the layout of the gates has been changed.

Next Task
The next conservation task will take place on Saturday 13th June, starting at 10 am and meeting in the common car park. We will probably be picking up litter and rubbish. New volunteers are always welcome; for further information please telephone Tim Angell on 01328 700045.
Tim Angell
Read about the ponies on Litcham Common....

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