‘It's goodbye from him and it's goodbye from her’ this month. Forncett is the poorer for losing Drs Willis and Kestin, and I make no apology for the rather orange front page – again! I did however tone it down a bit, so I hope the pink version pleases all.

I have introduced the concept of a photo gallery on the back page as that is where I tend to put all the colour pix relating to articles on b/w pages, keep a close eye on the little tiny faces at the top as they will change occasionally and you may find yourself featured. Only one person has lamented the lack of the diary dates column, so I sent her a list of her own. If you want it back email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the words ‘bring it back’ and I will.

The Parish Council want your views on paying extra for gritting the roads; read it on page 6 and comment at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Bonfires are given the once over on page 9, and there’s logs for sale too. Two new approved ticks this month, one for Mike and Jan Smail (p 10) for excellent catering, and the other for Reeder Timber (p 7) for chopping my tree down efficiently.

Well we have a big issue again; 16 pages all bursting with news, views and photographs. That's the problem with having a month off; there's too much stuff!!

There's a late look at a fete; a ceilidh; the date of the next harvest supper; photos of the charity bike ride; some road closures because gas is passing through the village – but it's not stopping so don't get excited. Then there is the allotment report; the doctor's report; quite a bit about footpaths; coffee morning photos; the garden club's Gardeners Query Team event with Bob Flowerdew; and more on the Great War, and a photo of Mrs. Doris Posnett who would have been 3 years old when it started.

But I did have a nice long rest, and my allotment is looking all the better for it.

Su

Forncett Flyer August 2014

Well, it’s been a bit of a struggle to be honest – getting this month’s edition ready for public consumption. I have a new laptop (which is fine) and Windows 8 which is far from it. I have had a little rant on page 11, so I won't go into it all again here.

For anyone who doesn’t know yet, the front cover tells it all; the Forncett Flyers sports team have won gold at the Village Sport Event. If you don’t like the front cover, start from the back page; you’ll see what I mean.

All the usual reports are in, together with some new ones, and Lady Hetty Leavesley has got her picture in twice; ‘vain, moi?’

I shall be spending the next few weeks at the allotment, but keep sending me stuff, the Flyer will be back in early October.

Su Leavesley

This month we have an extra large edition for you; sixteen pages of news, views, and photos of the fete. The four extra inside pages are in glorious colour, and if you were at the fete, you might just find yourself pictured there. So that’s one fete down, two more to go.

Austhorpe house have their fete on Saturday 5th August, and lastly Forncett St Edmund’s church have theirs on 9th August, so you need never be short of home made cake!!

Forncett School gets congratulations for their recent Outstanding Ofsted Report, and there should be more on that in the next issue. Forncett St Peter church will be launching the WW1 project timeline on 2nd August, and there will be a Vigil Church Service on Monday 4th August.

There is a whole page of photos of the Village Games (again) and as they came in as runners up, they will be off to the finals. Even more photos of Diggers & Dibblers out and about, and the W.I. ladies working their fingers to the bone.

There are several ways you can give:

• By BACS to the Friends of Chapel Road School Account – Lloyds Bank, Sort Code 30 98 58 Account No. 00683908
• By cheque payable to Friends of Chapel Road School and sent to Chapel Road School, Chapel Road, Attleborough Norfolk NR17 2DS
• By cheque made out to the Rotary Club of Wymondham and sent to me at Chestnut Cottage, Long Stratton Road, Forncett St Peter, Norfolk NR16 1HT

In each case if you are willing and would like us to claim Gift Aid on your donation please return this downloadable form, either by post or email, noting your name, address and post code and with a tick in the Gift Aid box. This will add up to 25% to your donation.

Terry Hickman Smith
Forncett End

There are several ways you can give:

• By BACS to the Friends of Chapel Road School Account – Lloyds Bank, Sort Code 30 98 58 Account No. 00683908
• By cheque payable to Friends of Chapel Road School and sent to Chapel Road School, Chapel Road, Attleborough Norfolk NR17 2DS
• By cheque made out to the Rotary Club of Wymondham and sent to me at Chestnut Cottage, Long Stratton Road, Forncett St Peter, Norfolk NR16 1HT

In each case if you are willing and would like us to claim Gift Aid on your donation please return this downloadable form, either by post or email, noting your name, address and post code and with a tick in the Gift Aid box. This will add up to 25% to your donation.

Terry Hickman Smith
Forncett End

Spring has definitely sprung; Julie has planted all sorts of seeds and plants in her allotment, I do hope she doesn’t live to regret it! Superfast broadband has come to some parts of the village, and there is a report on page 9 about that. I don't understand it, but we have had it ‘fitted’ and it’s working fine.

John Webster has taken a stunning photo of Dragon Hall in Norwich, makes me sorry I didn’t go on the trip!

For those of you who are keen on sport, the orange Forncett Flyer team have emerged from hibernation and their new correspondent Andrew Coleman has written a piece to start the season off:

FLOSSY is back for another round, so get your money to Brian Frith ASAP to be in with a chance of winning big-time.

This month’s Flyer Letters to the editor don't come very often, but emails do: just recently we have been asked about how to gain access to, and use the defibrillator that is housed at Tacolneston Village Hall. Our investigative team wasted no time in finding out, (see page 4.)

Advertisers - always important to us - come and go; this month we welcome Abie Raynsford, who sounds as if she will be an asset for home maintenance (p. 10); also Sharna at ’Fresh Hair’ in Tacolneston on (p. 8), there’s 10% off there if you hurry. And finally, Stu Hawes gets an approved tick (p. 12 and 9).

Happy new year to you all (a bit late, I know) At this time of year it is difficult to think that spring will ever be here, and the February edition of the Forncett Flyer never helps: Christmas has been and gone, but because there is no January edition, all the lovely reports and photos have to appear in this one. You will find these on page 2, 11 and 12 together with some cold, wintry-looking photos by Izabela Wojcik, a new resident of Forncett.

Now, does anyone mind if I blow my own trumpet? Well, I am going to anyway. I have never been much of a success in life, so when Brian Frith suggested submitting the Forncett Flyer to the 2013 National Parish Magazine Awards I didn't expect too much. So when the results came through, and I saw that there were 710 entries from around the country with the standard this year being the highest ever, I was astonished to find that the Forncett Flyer was in the top 5%; it came 34th! (Here’s where I thank everyone and burst into tears).

Su Leavesley

Oh what a busy year it’s been! I just looked back over the last ten issues of the Forncett Flyer and I feel exhausted, but proud. Not for myself, but for the dozens of people who have contributed in many ways - large and small - to the village.

Thank you all! Best wishes for a happy Christmas and a busy year in 2014.

From the Editorial team.

I promised you, “no more orange Flyers”, and yet here we are again, ORANGE on the front page and a certain amount on the back page! All in a good cause though, and nothing to do with sport.

Su Leavesley

Back from the summer activities to a bumper 16 page issue. With 36 excellent photos to fit in we have upgraded to 8 colour pages. On the cover is the presentation of £900 to the Village Hall committee by the Diggers & Dibblers Garden Club committee: this money was raised at the open gardens day in June, to the delight of the Garden Club committee who were expecting a considerably smaller figure. Margaret Webster takes her bow and a lovely bouquet as prime mover (with John Webster) of the St Edmund's fete (more photos inside), and Harry gets busy with a paint brush. Inside are more photos of tireless workers running up and down ladders with paint tins, again at the Village Hall. Thanks to them and the recent Big Lottery award of £6,711 the Village Hall will soon be looking splendid.

There is a picture of a woolly hedgehog; a rabbit quilt, and some spectacular flowers and veg at the Diggers & Dibblers annual show.

Grace Reid celebrates her 100th birthday with a telegram from the Queen.

FLOSSY is back for those of you who like a flutter, and Forncett Tank Museum open day is deftly described by our new correspondent Phil Whiscombe.

Has anyone got a shoe-horn? I have had trouble getting everything in this month’s edition; what with the sports finals where Forncett came second by only a few points. Forncett St Mary church had a valuation day, and Austhorpe House had a very enjoyable fete. Forncett St Edmunds church also had a fete, and Graham Prior had a little lie-down on page 6, and there are monster strawberries in the allotment report.

The Village Hall committee have been working very hard to find sources of funding for work on the Village Hall, and are ecstatic to announce that the Big Lottery have granted £6,700 for windows etc., so read all about it, and the £900 donated by Diggers & Dibblers from their summer activities.

There will not be a September issue, but if enough bits and pieces come in (events notifications etc – including the full details of the harvest supper) I will do an online page in about a month’s time. Have a lovely summer and write and tell me about anything interesting.

So many different events have happened in Forncett over the last month I hardly knew where to begin! Naturally I forgot something, but with 16 pages to fill and 66 photographs to place crop and enhance, I had my work cut out. And of all people it was John Webster that I let down. He wrote a lovely piece about Forncett St Edmunds church roof, and I forgot it.It can, however, be found on the web site: St Edmund’s acquires a new hat

Apart from that, we finally get to meet the Revd Suzanne Cooke, the new vicar for the group of parishes. Those energetic orange-clad sports people get a whole page to themselves as they have done remarkably well getting through to the finals again.

The fete on Saturday was one of the best I have ever been to: the weather was kind to us and once the barbecue had got going properly and we could all breathe, there followed a timeless example of village life; beer, burgers, raffle and cakes. The Tank Museum promised us a vehicle, and in the end they brought at least four, and the smartly dressed chaps who came with the vehicles stayed all day. There is a feature about their forthcoming Military Weekend on page 11.

All Diggers & Dibblers summer antics are on the back page together with a picture of a lovely young couple – just wed, 50 years ago. Congratulations to Shirley and Peter King.

For the twitchers amongst you, there is a photograph of a Ring Ouzel taken in Forncett recently, and on page two there is a pic of 18 bags of refuse collected from around the village by some welcome volunteers in the Big Litter Pick, organised by Brian Frith. John Webster has so much to say that he has been awarded a full half-page: and he still managed to get the date of Margaret’s next coffee morning wrong! It should be Thursday 20th June at the old Trowel and Hammer at the top of Tabernacle Lane. There is a tractor run organised by the Little Tractors playgroup that has a new space in the Forncett Flyer to let us all know what they get up to in the Village Hall each day. (p.3). Quinton Spratt’s history of farming– which has been very much appreciated - draws to a close this month.  Sandy Barnes’s Macmillan evening that raised over £500 for the charity is pictured on the back page.  And we say a final farewell to Neville Chapman who died recently.

The previously postponed pudding night went ahead at last, and how well it went too! More puddings than you could point a spoon at, and each one found its devotees. This event will be repeated later this year, so get your granny’s cookbook out and start practicing. The grant applications for the Village Hall repairs are ongoing, and £2,000 has been granted by South Norfolk Council to be spent on fascias and guttering. There are more photographs of food on page 11, where the members of Tharston W.I. sat down to pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. The school children are pictured reading during an event of “Extreme Reading”, and winning prizes for it. There is finally a shot of Richard Bower installing a recreation of a “Chester” organ in Forncett St Mary church.

Let's get the mistakes over and done with first, shall we? On the front cover the caption for the photograph should have read 'see full story on page 12' but it fell off the side of the page.

The new regular At the Village Hall page 2 is entirely done by Terry Henderson apart from the pudding Night piece which is by Jackie Bowers. This is a new venture and you can come as a pudding chef with a bowl full of your Granny's favourite pud to share out, or you can just come with an oversized spoon to help us sample them all and vote for a winner, it's up to you, but please contact Jackie soon if you want to bring a pudding (01508 530729) so we can get organised.

There are two maps this month; one showing the proposed route of the new A11 bypass at Elveden, and the other showing how to get to Wymondham now that Silfield Road is blocked at Silfield for roadworks lasting 8 weeks. (they must be dualling it and building a Little Chef!!)

Sadness and shock at the closure of Hoddy's Farm Shop is expressed by several people on page 3, alongside news of a swishing party at Wacton.

Quinton Spratt's short farming series takes over Railway Ron's page, and if anyone has any old photos of local farming activities, give me a ring as it would be nice to use them.

Su 01953 789752,

All the photos of Forncett's Christmas activities that are fit to print – and one or two that are not – are assembled here for those of you who can bear the festive season for a little longer. Doc Willis is back, cynical but philosophical as usual: school dinners Roman style are pictured on the back page (you can keep the olives, thanks) and Michael Marlow takes us on a nostalgic look at a 1940's childhood. All the local W.I. dates and talks schedules are on page 5, and some local walks on page 6.

If you are wondering where the Parish Council report is, I can tell you that Sarah Berwick and husband were so busy with the 4x4 rescue work that I gave her slot to John Webster, but fear not, the report can be found here on the website. Railway Ron gets a final send-off in readiness for our new series on Farming – more details later.

And finally a goodbye party for Greg Spencer on page 11. The Forncett Flyer will be the poorer without his input, as will many of our village activities, but Greg has a life to live and I wish him all the best – whatever he opts to do. Terry Henderson has stepped into Greg's place on the flyer team, and is already contributing wonderfully. Here's to the next 5 years! (Oh heck, did I really say that?)

Here’s the Christmas edition of the Forncett Flyer; not very Christmassy I am afraid; I simply didn’t have time to go looking for clip-art of Santa and puddings etc. But if there are any children out there wanting to see Santa before Christmas, he is coming to Forncett Village Hall on Sunday 16th December at lunchtime – so have a look at page 2 for details.

My fingers got in a muddle over one of the dates, so here is the correct information: Methodist Carol Concert is on December 16th, not the 11th. (See page 6).

There are a couple of recipes for Christmas cake, for those of you who like to leave things till the last minute; I know which one I will be making! There is a phone number on page 5 if you want to dispose of your Christmas tree after the celebrations; and information about what to do with your turkey fat (or goose grease) that comes out during the cooking process (page 6).

So you see, I have been thinking about Christmas for you after all. I will be back in early February, but without Railway Ron. This is his last month, and there is a photo of him on Page 9.

The editorial team at the Forncett Flyer wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

There are photos galore this month, of people doing all sorts of things around the village: the one on the front cover is of a beautiful ash tree. The fate of trees like this has been a major concern in the news of recent weeks; Ashwellthorpe wood was even featured by George Aligiah (go on then, you spell it!) on the News at Ten. All we can do is watch and wait.

Railway Ron is almost at the end of the line; Forncett station has now closed, and a brave attempt to reopen it is described this month. What next for page 9? I have no idea; what would you like to see there? Would you like to take over Ron’s spot?

There is a man carrying a bicycle, on page 2, and also a woman with a spider on her head. On page 3 we are asking for spectacles for lions, and there is an invitation to join in a game of Ultimate Frisbee on page 4.

Who says village newsletters are boring??

Welcome back after the summer!

We have a lovely wedding on the front page to make up for the lamentable lack of wedding detail in the BBC's Downton Abbey; all that build up about Lady Mary's wedding then practically nothing of the day itself. Well Elizabeth and Nick Champion had a wonderful wedding, and St Mary's church probably enjoyed its first wedding in 42 years too!

Once again we have an insert to look at – this time Spratts Coaches revealing details of their trips from now until Christmas: things like Thursford Christmas Spectacular, and Panto, Christmas Fayres and Shows. Yoga comes to Forncett Village Hall – see details on the back of the insert, together with lots of people jumping and running about at the Olympic Barbecue event at the Village Hall in September.

We have received two letters – one from a cat! The school report is in, and doc Willis is having a good long moan about the state of things again! He's off duty till the end of October having an operation on his shoulder, so from the Flyer team 'GET WELL SOON!'

The dates of Flu jabs for Wymondham and Long Stratton are included.

Diggers & Dibblers are pictured planting bulbs for the village, round the two War Memorials, and having fun at the Annual Village Produce and Craft Show.

More next month.

‘Bronze’ for the Forncett Flyers Sports Team! At their first attempt the newly established Flyers team managed to trounce the opposition and fight their way through to third place. Considering how short a time they had to put together the team - and for practice and preparations - this is a remarkable achievement, and Glen and his team are to be congratulated.

Also in this issue; the floods of 1912. Both Railway Ron and John Webster (Historian) make this their topic this month – exactly 100 years ago Norfolk was under inches of water: history repeats itself this year, only the water is measured in centimetres. Also we have news of a new Optometrist in Long Stratton.

A new Village Hall team is raring to go with six-weekly quizzes with food, and the next four dates are listed here.

We say a sad farewell to Ben Puttock, a lovely local character who will be much missed.

I am having a month off now, so you won’t be hearing from me until October (first week). Have a great summer, and don't forget your brolly!

More details here about Shepherds Optometrist in Long Stratton, the first there for ten years.

Also you will find the Village Hall dates repeated here so you can pin them up on your notice board. Paul Ludkin gets his approved star, and there are photos of the recent mini-fete at Forncett St Edmunds church.

Things have come back down to earth now after the Jubilee celebrations and I thought if there were only a few things to report on I could get away with an eight page issue – mainly because I have come down with a rotten cold and chest infection.

HA! Forncett isn't like that: once you have got a village like ours going, it's hard to stop it. The newly formed Forncett Flyer sports team take up the whole back page with news and photos of their tremendous achievements at The Village Games Day at Framlingham Earl coming second only to a practiced and seasoned team that had done all this before.

Diggers & Dibblers have been out in force with their evening trip with Spratt's Coaches, and the feast in a member's garden. The new village hall committee is poised ready for action of all sorts.

Pauline Barnes is remembered with affection by her family.

Next issue will be published around the middle of August and then there is a gap until early October; so perhaps I will get my allotment up to date!

This Jubilee special is split into two parts; those of you who want nothing to do with the Jubilee celebrations can be spared the many dozens of photographs of people enjoying themselves at parties, dances, event of all kinds where we celebrated the Queen's 60 year reign. You will of course miss the photo of Bev Spratt in a silly hat, and six armed guards watching the Queen's back. You will also avoid seeing Pam Thurtle as never before, and the monster cake made by Antony Land. Fans of the Spratts will miss both Quinton and Bev - the latter cutting the ribbon on the new Jubilee Green: Quinton on the other hand is trying his hardest to get a bottle of wine for 50p. Then there is the lady who pulled out her own raffle ticket number from the hat, and yours truly offering children sweeties from her car. For those who can't stand the sight of fairy cakes, you will fail to be tempted by a picture of 12 of the best I have ever seen.

Those of you who came and enjoyed the celebrations, at one event or another, had better look and see if they are pictured in glorious colour doing something regrettable. You know who you are!

The usual 12 page flyer contains the usual things, fetes, allotments, and good old Ron with his railway reminiscences.

Let me know what you think.

Su Leavesley This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This Jubilee special is split into two parts; those of you who want nothing to do with the Jubilee celebrations can be spared the many dozens of photographs of people enjoying themselves at parties, dances, event of all kinds where we celebrated the Queen's 60 year reign. You will of course miss the photo of Bev Spratt in a silly hat, and six armed guards watching the Queen's back. You will also avoid seeing Pam Thurtle as never before, and the monster cake made by Antony Land. Fans of the Spratts will miss both Quinton and Bev - the latter cutting the ribbon on the new Jubilee Green: Quinton on the other hand is trying his hardest to get a bottle of wine for 50p. Then there is the lady who pulled out her own raffle ticket number from the hat, and yours truly offering children sweeties from her car. For those who can't stand the sight of fairy cakes, you will fail to be tempted by a picture of 12 of the best I have ever seen.

Those of you who came and enjoyed the celebrations, at one event or another, had better look and see if they are pictured in glorious colour doing something regrettable. You know who you are!

The usual 12 page flyer contains the usual things, fetes, allotments, and good old Ron with his railway reminiscences.

Let me know what you think.

Su Leavesley This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

What a palaver! I took my laptop on holiday with me so that I could work on this month’s edition while ‘Barry and his banjo’ entertained the others in the lounge downstairs, and the diddly thing packed up on me! So a very helpful man in Wymondham (name and address supplied) ordered me a new hard drive to be waiting for my return. Then he stayed at work all day Saturday getting it fixed – thank you Nik.  

We have a packed edition again with photos of the Norfolk Village games, sport taster day; a report about healthy eating from Harry and Edward at the school; some Cheese and Wine evening photos by my new staff photographers who stepped in while I was away to delight you. Also there is a whole page of tributes to Sally Rhodes who died recently: a very much loved lady, involved in all aspects of village life, she will be sorely missed.  

‘What about the Jubilee!!!’ I hear you cry.  

A committee has been formed; funds applied for, and entertainers booked. In a couple of weeks’ time you (residents of Forncett) will be receiving a Jubilee special programme of events to guide you through the four days of events. I hope it will be on the website too, and I will send you a link when it is. Anyone with anything to broadcast about jubilee events in and around Forncett is urged to get in touch with me VERY SOON if you would like a mention in the programme.

Fourteen pages this month!

The insert is the show schedule for Diggers & Dibblers Produce and Craft show, and most of it is the right way up, so have a look and see which categories you might have a go at. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A GARDEN CLUB MEMBER to enter! Nor do you have to be up to RHS standard. At 25p per entry what’s stopping you?

There has been a high level of interest in the future of the old newsagent’s shop at the Jolly Farmers crossroads. There is a report on page 6 of the discussions at the recent Parish Council meeting, but other than that, there is no information. The list of new planning applications is published by South Norfolk Council every Monday, and up to the 26th March nothing was listed. For the illustration referred to on page 6 see Millbank, oppsite Austhorpe House.

I am not quite sure when the next issue will be coming out as I am going away (leaving cat and husband guarding my garden) so if you have any contributions, get them to me early please.

Spring is afoot and the crocuses are on the back page of this month’s edition – if not quite yet in the garden. We have two famous people inside; Bob Flowerdew on page 11 and H.M. the Queen on the back page, but only one of them actually posed for a photograph to be taken by yours truly.

There is yet another insert this month, this time concerning our lousy slow Broadband speed. 

We have gone to great lengths to provide those of you who get a paper copy, a form to fill in which relates to this insert. It is freepost and you just have to moisten it round the edge to stick it up. How hard can that be? Anyone who really can't be bothered can phone me, and I will come round and lick it for you. (Er… maybe not) By registering you don't actually commit yourself to anything. Please read and consider.    Thanks very much

There is a campaign to badger the internet providers to do something about our download and upload speeds. As a Low Road reader put it ‘Forncett has some of the lowest speeds in Norfolk’ so those of you who care about these things should (please) click, phone or write-in to register. Those who don't care very much might like to consider that (a) you might care in the future and (b) it could affect the value of your house if you can t offer buyers a fast internet service.

The Merrie Robertson Memorial Cottage: a little known fact of Forncett's past

One last look at the Christmas capers then on to the start of a new year. Santa and his team of helpers are on page 2: the New Year’s Day walk is on the back page. Diggers & Dibblers Quiz and Chips night (with photos) is on page 11, with a report about the Tas Well party.

Forncett School sent us such a nice lot of pictures that they are shown with the school report on page 2 - in glowing colour. The girls in bottle green berets brought back memories for me, I had to wear one for SIX years when I was at school, and I burnt it the day I left – horrid thing! John Webster has gone to town (literally) with his history reports (while you are on the website you could look at more of them, listed under ‘The Forncett Archive notes’.)

Tacolneston is to have its own newsletter soon, - The Tacolneston Times - and all the team at the Forncett Flyer wish them well with it. I believe it will be on the Tacolneston website, tacolnestonmatters.co.uk

Anyone of a delicate constitution should avoid Railway Ron’s piece this month; grim tidings are reported. Other than that….enjoy!