LITCHAM ANNUAL
PARISH MEETING
Held in Jubilee Hall on the 16th April 2007 at 7.30pm
click on name of organisation to go to report
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Organisation |
Submitted By |
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ALL SAINTS CHURCH
(Parochial Church Council) |
Richard VOGT - Churchwarden |
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Henry DENNETt |
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Tim ANGELL |
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John JONES |
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Tim ANGELL |
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Tim ANGELL |
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Jeremy Nicolls |
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Ron SHAW, presented by
Joyce GREEN |
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Mark Kiddle-Morris |
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Joyce GREEN |
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Judith BENTLEY |
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Hermionie BIRKBECK |
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Judith Bentley |
SummaryThe Church has
had a steady year, both financially and in it's activities. The Parochial
Church Council met every two months. The most significant
issue at present is the Interregnum and Amalgamation of the Benefices, more details are given below.
Financial
Income for the
year, including that from voluntary giving and the recovery of tax from Gift
Aid has remained consistent with the previous year. The
modest reserves within the general fund also remian
similar. In Common with other Charitable organisation, tax changes in the recent Budget will
potentially reduce income from 2008.
Activities
Sunday and
mid-week services have been maintained during the year and major and minor
festivals have all been marked. A number of fund raising events have been held,
including the annual provision of refreshments at one of the Lexham Garden open
days, which makes a very worthwhile contribution to our funds. The boy's choir remians buoyant and provides a useful introduction to
music, teamwork, discipline and spiritual devotion to boys of a range of ages
and backgrounds. Membership of the choir also qualifies them for the further
lively expierence of Junior Leaders Camps.
The Church Building
Several Thousand
pounds have been spent on the routine maintenance during the year, although no s[pecific major restoration
project is in hand at the present. Maintenance work has consisted of roofing,
drainage and over £1000 on glazing repairs as a result of a combination of
natural decay and sporadic vandalism. The Building remains in a reasonable
condition, although the Quinquennial Architects
report list numerous necessary repairs of varying degrees of urgency.
Insurance
A change in
Insurers this year resulted in improved cover in the event of major loss. The
premium remians the biggest single outgoing after the
Parish Share towards diocesan and clergy costs. Risk Assessment conditions now
imposed by insurers add to the financial pressures.
Improved fire fighting appliances have been installed,
an electrical condition survey has been carried out as well as a tree condtion survey. Both the latter have resulkted
in essential and expensive work being required.
Benefice Measures and Vacancy
The Benefice of
Litcham was suspended by the Bishop of Norwich several
years ago. This technical measure allows the Bishop to appoint a Priest in
Charge rather than an incumbent with a freehold of the incumbency. The Revd. Boston's appointment was a Priest in Charge.
This permitted the
Bishop to take the opportunity of the simultaneous vacancy of he Upper Nar
Group of Parishes and that of the Dunhams and Franshams to amalgamate the two groups. This resulted in a
new grouping of eleven Parishes and Churches. This has subsequently bee reduced
to ten as the Churchwardens of Miles have opted to loin the North Elmham Benefice.
The Churchwardens of the new group of ten parishes have worked
harmoniously together to produce a Parish Profile which
is the basis of the advertisment for a new Parish
Priest. This profile is flexible as to the selection of a priest of either
gender and also to a variety of forms of worship.
Nonetheless, the challenge of ten rural
parishes is a substantial one and it may be some time before an incumbent can
be found. Meanwhile, thanks lay worship leaders and the continuing assistance
of the Revd, Boston, service patterns at Litcham
remain unaltered.
One positive benefit from the enlarged group is that the Church and
Village magazine is already eveloping a wider content
and circulation, building on its success over the years.
LALGA was formed in November 2007, our aim is to preserve the heritage
and promote the future of Litcham Garden Allotments for the benefit of the
whole community.
Formed as an association of gardeners who either do or do not have an
allotment in Litcham but have a common interest in gardening and the village.
Members donıt have to have an allotment to join and membership is now in excess
of 70
The benefits are talks on gardening, outings such as Kew Gardens,
discounts at local garden centres, social events,
etc.
We can help each other improve the allotments and have access to
grants through the ARI to improve the allotments
We can help our Landlords – The Litcham Relief In Need Charity
(LRINC) to increase their income by tenants taking on more of the allotment
maintenance and also assisting with items such as insurance costs and other
issues.
We want to make the allotments a vibrant success
In doing this we can help LRINC generate more income. We are not
in competition with or against LRINC but there to help and assist the Charity
meet its aims and objectives
Henry Dennett – LALGA Chairman 16th April 2007
The past year has seen Litchamıs
bells rung only infrequently, due to their generally poor condition –
During ringing for a wedding in October one of the bell ropes started fraying
badly and since then no ringing has taken place, although the rope has now been
repaired.
Two surveys of the bells have been carried
out with a view to comprehensive repairs and tuning work being undertaken. The
total cost will probably be in excess of £30,000, so there is a lot of
fundraising to be done, but the end result should be a properly tuned set of
bells that will not need any further major work for perhaps a hundred years.
One positive outcome of the surveys is
that they report the bells are at present safe to ring, which means they will
still be available for weddings and major services such as Christmas. For this
to happen, Litcham is reliant on ringers from other villages coming to help
out, so it would be nice if more people from the village decided to learn. At
the moment there are a number of beginners learning at Raynham church on a
Monday night, and anyone interested in having a go at bellringing
would be welcome there.
Litchamıs bells and tower are of historical interest and Tim
Angell would be happy to show anyone interested round. Tim can be contacted on
01328 700045. All you need is a head for heights, depending on how far up the
tower you want to go. A small donation to the bell fund would be appreciated.
Tim Angell
During 2006 the
Litcham & District branch and the Tittleshall & District branch of the
Royal British Legion, merged, to form a single branch under the banner of
Litcham, Tittleshall & District Branch. The reason being
loss of members and the increasing age of our membership. We continue to
look for new members to join the branch and any one interested please contact
the secretary or any member of the branch. Our current membership stands at 28.
The first Annual
General Meeting of the merged branch was held on 26th October 2006, at the
Tittleshall village hall. Dr. David Baldwin was confirmed as president, Mr.
Dennis Wick as chairman, Mr. Robin Roberson as treasurer and John Jones as
secretary & membership. Prior to the merger we held several joint meetings,
alternating between the Litcham Bull & Tittleshall village hall, which we
intend to continue along these lines in the future. In August we held a joint
Bar-B-Que. but owing to incessant rain, it was
transferred at the eleventh hour from Fourways to
Tittleshall Village Hall, our thanks must still go to Ron & Brenda Shaw for
the use of their garden facilities prior to the last minute move. The event was
very successful, with the proceeds going to the 2006 poppy appeal. The poppy
appeal for 2006 was again very successful and thanks must go to Arthur Clarke
acting as the Poppy Appeal Organiser, and the numerous collectors in the
surrounding villages and of course the generosity of the local populous. The
final total for the poppy appeal, along with Tittleshallıs
contribution amounted to £1844 approximately.
We attended the
Armistice Services in Litcham, Tittleshall & Mileham also the memorial
service held at the American War Memorial in Beeston followed by a buffet lunch
in Beeston village hall.
We would like to
record our thanks to former officers and members of the branch for past
support.
Litcham Common Conservation Group was set
up in January 2004 to assist with conservation work on the common. The group is
relatively informal, with no written constitution or formal membership list,
and uses the Litcham Common Management Committee bank account to hold funds.
However, the group is a member of, and insured through, the British Trust for
Conservation Volunteers (BTCV). The groupıs only income this year was a grant
of £250 from Litcham Parish Council, for which it is very grateful. Expenses
amounted to £221, the bulk of which was the cost of insurance.
Volunteers meet on the second Saturday of
each month and carry out tasks agreed with Norfolk County Councilıs Countryside
Department. Over the past year the work done has included cutting and burning
scrub, digging out a pond, clearing trees to let light into a (different) pond,
clearing rubbish and litter, and burning gorse cut by contractors. This year
the group also carried out an extra task away from the common. This involved
raking up vegetation that had been cut on a village road verge where flowers
such as cowslips and early purple orchids grow.
The number of people attending tasks has
varied, tending to be lower over the summer months, but from then on being in
the region of nine to thirteen people each month. Volunteers come from other
villages as well as Litcham, and range in age from eleven upwards. Those that
come enjoy the physical exercise, company, pleasant surroundings and sense of
achievement.
Tim Angell
Report
for Litcham Parish Annual Meeting held on 16th April 2007
Litcham
Common is a Local Nature Reserve and the Committeeıs primary responsibility is
to manage it as such, particularly taking account of the siteıs 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 commonıs importance to the people of Litcham
and surrounding villages for recreational purposes.
The members of the committee include
representatives of Norfolk County Council (Sarah Cureton),
Lexham Hall Estate (Neil Foster), Litcham Parish Council (Mike Oldfield),
Litcham Common Conservation Group (Tim Angell), and also three residents of
Litcham (John Jones, John Mitchell and Joyce Green).
Work carried
out over the past year includes:
Selective scrub and tree clearance
to stop heathland plants (particularly heather) from
being shaded out, and to provide sheltered but sunny wildlife habitats amongst
the gorse.
Digging out two ponds which
were becoming clogged up with vegetation, and removing some nearby trees in
order to provide dappled shade.
Mowing areas of
bracken, and also the main paths.
Funding for the work is provided by
Norfolk County Council; grants are also received under
the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Some of the work is carried
out by volunteers.
A number of conservation bodies have recommended
appropriate grazing as the best way to manage the common, and over the past
year the Management Committee has been pursuing proposals to reintroduce
grazing. The plans have been widely publicised, and
feedback sought from both the general public and bodies such as Litcham Parish
Council. The Management Committee has been at pains to point out that there is
absolutely no intention to restrict public access to the common, despite the need
to erect stock proof fencing. Feedback received has been largely positive,
although a number of people expressed the view that, while being in favour of grazing, they would if possible rather not see
fencing erected alongside the road. (On the other hand, a few people have said
they would actually prefer the road to be fenced.)
Following a formal application made to the
Secretary of State in December 2006, permission has been granted to erect
fencing around the perimeter of the common, and either side of the Dunham Road.
This permission is time limited for a period of ten years, after which a fresh
application will need to be made. However, in the meantime the Highway
Authority has agreed to reconsider the possibility of installing cattle grids
on the Dunham road, in conjunction with speed restrictions and other safety
measures. This would retain the open look of the common and allow livestock to
roam freely over the entire site.
The Management Committee is keen to press ahead
with the grazing proposals, but in the circumstances has decided not to erect
any fencing alongside the Dunham road until the Highway Authority gives its
decision on the cattle grids – if the cattle grids are allowed then there
will be no need for the fencing. Frustratingly, little further progress can be
made until the Highway Authority makes up its mind.
Finally, the Management Committee is keen to
include the local community in the grazing project and, for example, would be
delighted if the two village schools could somehow become involved. In
addition, any further feedback from the public, for example on the type of
gates to be installed to provide access, will be welcomed.
Tim Angell
Report for Litcham Parish Annual
Meeting held
on 16 April 2007
1. Site The new block,
incorporating a low-energy heating and air-conditioning system, is now fully in
use and is a vast improvement on the mobile classrooms it replaced. External
lighting has been rationalised to reduce the total
number of lights and consumption of energy, whilst maintaining security and
health and safety requirements. External decorating continues. Building work
during the summer break will include a new floor to the gym, a new layout at
the front of the school, to improve the bus picking up arrangements and parking
and a toilet replacement project. Air-conditioning is needed in School House
(computer block), but its listed status precludes the use of conventional, externally-mounted equipment.
2. School Roll The current roll
stands at 575. The standard admission number is 112 per annum, and as such the
school remains over-subscribed. Fortunately, all children in the catchment area
still get a place.
3. Specialist Status Phase 1 (2002
– 2006) of the science specialism finishes in August. We are looking
forward to redesignation for a further 4 years. An
invitation event will be held on 7 July to mark the first phase. As a
high-performing secondary school, we have been invited to bid for a second
specialism. Details to follow.
4. Exam Results
GCSE and key stage 3 SAT results continue to place the school
in the highest category of secondary performance.
Jeremy Nicholls, HEADTEACHER 24th April 2007
Report
for Litcham Parish Annual Meeting held on 16th April 2007
The Society had a reasonable year, with the Museum having a steady
flow of visitors, mainly from outside the Village, it is a pity more local
people don't show an interest. We are pleased to welcome members of the HOWARD
family (Basket makers of Litcham).
We called a
public meeting regarding the upset over the Allotments as it seemed to get out
of hand, and we are now concerned over the more controversy regarding the the Trustees, this must be sorted out amicably by the
Parish Council in conjunction with the Allotment holders and Parish Council and
Trustees.
We are concerned regarding the old Central Cafe on TWO counts.
1) Was there planning permission granted to demolish
the Cottage?
2). The name White House could cuase
a problem as there is a Listed Building which is
called the White Hose in Licham already.
The Society is pleased to see the Coffee Morning in the Chapel is
going very well thanks to the Ladies who run it.
As this Society is affiliated to the C.P.R.E.
it could be to the advantage of the Parish if the new Parish Council and this
Society worked closer together.
Ron Shaw, Chairman 14 April 2007
Presented to
the meeting by Joyce Green
The Trusteeship of the Jubilee Hall was finalised and a charitable trust has been set up. There are six trustees, two appointed by the Parochial Church Council, two appointed by the Parish Council and two by the Diocese of Norwich. The Management Committee are actively progressing a plan to convert the existing male toilet into a combined disables/male toilet incorporating baby changing facilities.We are currently seeking quotations for the work and investigating the availability of grants to fund the project. Income from the hire of the Hall has been steady over the last twelve months. Out main customer, the Playgroup will move to the Primary School site by September 2008 with the consequent loss of th major portion of out income. We are urgently considering way of replacing at least some of the income to the Hall that will be lost. Recent increases in electricity and insurance costs will also have an impact on our balance of payments. Diana Collen, who has worked tirelessly as Chair of the Management Committee for many years, has resigned from that post. However, she retains responsibility for the day to day running of the Hall as bookings manager.
Mark Kiddle Morris
Report for
Litcham Parish Meeting
The group continues to meet in one another's home, even going as far
as Beeston Regis and though people move they continue to be members, they
obviously want to keep in touch and hear each other news.
Last year we had no outings but members
supported village activities either by helping or attending. We had the, by now
traditional barbecue in the summer. Once again the weather was fine.
In December we
hears a very interesting lecture, with video, about the work of the R.N.L.I.
Members brought Christmas cards from the Lifeboat Institute which raised £116.
This, together with the £110 from subscriptions meant we were able to donate
£225 to the R.N.L.I. as our nominated Charity for 2007.After the lecture we had
wine and supper provided by the ladies, a very pleasant pre-Christmas get together.
The annual group
lunch at the Crown at Colkirk started the new year
well for us and we are now planning a visit to Sandringham
House and gardens in the summer.
Our group
of friends, though scattered continues to meet with enthusiasm.The Ladies
Group
Chairman's
Report for Litcham Annual Parish Meeting held on 16th April 2007
This has been a very quiet year for Litcham Play 2000, although
fundraising is still continuing. We would welcome new members to the committee which meets approximately once every 4-5
weeks.
At present we are organising a
village fete to be held on Archerıs Meadow on Saturday 7th July.
Again we would welcome any help or suggestions from any organisations in the village. All will be invited to
have some kind of stall. Our next meeting will be at Di Collenıs on Wednesday evening at 7:00pm. Please come
along if you would like to contribute.
Things
are moving very slowly with Breckland Council and as yet we are no further
along with finding a suitable piece of land on which to put the recreation
area. This, unfortunately, limits us with the funding we are allowed to
apply for.
We will
also be holding a Quiz Night in the Jubilee Hall in the not too distant
future. The money raised from this will be split between Play 2000 and
Litcham Youth Project.
Thank
you to everyone who has supported us in the last year.
Report for
Litcham Annual Parish Meeting held on 16th April 2007
I have nothing new
to report this year about the Red Cross Medical Loan unit.
We continue to lend out items of medical
equipment during the year which provide invaluable
emergency help foe people in the short term, either recovering from an
operation or accident, allowing them to be cared for at home.
As you know this is a charitable organisation funded entirley by
donation. We are very grateful for people's generous support.
Hermione Birkbeck,
23.3.07
Despite losing the support of the Youth Workers from
Breckland Council(who went off to open up new
projects, we are apparently too good and donıt need their help!) the Youth
Project has kept going. The only problem we had was
to find the funding for the rental of the Jubilee Hall. Many thanks to
the Parish Council for providing a cheque that will
keep us going for a few months. We have also managed to obtain more
funding from another source that will provide us with the rent for the rest of
the year!
We have bought lots of new equipment including a new
table tennis table, karaoke machine, Play Station Games, CDs basketball hoop
and rounders set. We were also able to buy some
new table top games to keep the youngsters
amused. Funding has also just been obtained to buy a bigger and better
pool table.
The youngster have also been involved in raising
funds, at Christmas we had a table at a Christmas Fair at Swaffham and a few of
the youngsters manned the stall. They had a team at our Quiz Night! They
are also helping with the arrangements for the Litcham Village Fete.
There have still been
a few problems with the youngsters hanging around in the bus shelter and
upsetting the neighbours, but hopefully these
instances are becoming less frequent. We had a visit from the Community
Police Officer who chatted with the Project and has offered to come along again.
Again we would
welcome extra volunteers to help run the Project, at present there are two
volunteers on every Thursday evening running the club, extra help means we
wonıt have to be there so often! We would also welcome any people with
specific skills who could come along and perhaps give a little talk or a
demonstration, I feel sure that the youngsters are fed up with what four female
volunteers have to offer!
Judith Bently.
Volunteer Litcham Youth Project.
END OF REPORTS