Author: alpington-yelverton-admin

Jun/Jul 2022 edition of Eleven Says, the Newspaper of the Bramerton Group of Churches covering 11 Parishes.

As part of the Village Festival over the Platinum Jubilee weekend there’s a Village Trail where you can look out for interesting and quirky things in our Village.

Village Trail maps will be available at the Village Hall, the Wheel of Fortune pub and the Church over the weekend. 

Please take care when walking parts of the Trail where there aren’t any footpaths.

Answers to the questions on the map will be posted on the Community website after the Jubilee weekend!

To complete our Village celebrations of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee we will be holding a Bring-Your-Own Big Picnic on the Village Hall Field between 12 and 2pm on Sunday 5th June. 

You will also need to bring your own folding tables and chairs or picnic blanket as well as your picnic.

You can drop off your picnic things at the Village Hall but if you are coming by car parking is at the School.

To entertain us local Ukulele Group, Jelly and the Biscuits, will play a set.  They are performing for free but would appreciate any donations to the Hallswood Animal Sanctuary.

A giant celebration cake baked by Leo Smith will be cut by our local Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk, Bryony Falkus, and shared out amongst attendees.  If you fancy an ice cream for dessert there will be an ice cream van there.

To make it a special occasion why not dress up 50s style, the decade the Queen ascended to the throne, or patriotically in red, white and blue?  It would also be fun to dress up your table for the occasion and maybe bring a flag to wave!

So come and join together to celebrate the Jubilee

see our other jubilee events

As part of our Village celebrations of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee we are holding a traditional Fete at the Village Hall Field between 12 and 4pm on Saturday 4th June.

As well as traditional games, craft and Tombola stalls there will be performances from our Village Primary School choir and local Guides Group choir, a Punch and Judy Show, Victoria Sponge Baking Competition and display of crafts by Cottontails Playgroup in the Hall.

If you are hungry or thirsty you can visit the TWIG Refreshments Tent for tea/coffee and cake, get a drink from the bar in the Hall or visit the Hippy Chippy Fish ‘n Chips van and the ice cream van outside the Hall.

Don’t forget to bring some cash as there’s unlikely to be card payment available!

There will not be any car parking at the Village Hall for visitors to the Fete but parking is available at the School and the Pub

As part of our Village celebrations we are holding a special Jubilee Quiz at the Wheel of Fortune pub, Alpington at 7.30pm on Thursday 2nd June.

Entry is free and there’s also a raffle.  Why not join us for a light hearted quiz that will also exercise your little grey cells a bit.

Do you love baking?  If so why not enter our Victoria Sponge baking competition that will be judged at the Village Fete on Saturday 4th June at Alpington Village Hall.

This isn’t the Great British Bake Off but a fun competition as part of our celebrations of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.  

It should be a traditional 8”/20cm Victoria Sponge with raspberry or strawberry jam and buttercream filling.  The judge will be looking for an overall golden colour, well risen, even level shape and a light, even and fine crumbed texture.  The buttercream should be light and creamy.

Entries should be brought to the Village Hall between 12 and 12.30pm on Saturday 4th June so that judging can take place by around 1pm.

April this year was another very dry month. Experts say that rainfall in 7 out of the last 10 Aprils has been significantly lower than in previous years. Although our gardens are a lot drier due to the lack of April showers, the beautiful display of Primroses, Cowslips and Bluebells show us that Spring is well advanced and our gardens are gearing up for the Summer months.

Lawns and Mowing

This is the time for active lawn maintenance and really the last chance to sow or lay new lawns until Autumns.  There has been a lot of publicity recently about “no mow May” to benefit pollinators, insects, other smaller birds and animals. If you can leave some part of your lawn – maybe a corner or strip under some trees – to grow longer and slightly wild for a while, then you may see a lot more wildlife activity in your garden. 

Planting

Plant out any strawberries and sow runner beans outside, constructing your wigwams or cane supports for them. The latter part of this month is the best time to plant out tender courgettes, aubergines and the colourful summer bedding plants.

Now is also a good time repot pot-bound container plants in pots about 10cm bigger than the current ones. Give them a good feed and tie-in any long climber shoots to their supports with soft twine or string.

Protecting from pests

The insects are  now becoming much more active as temperatures rise, so be especially vigilant about pests. Pick off scarlet lily beetle from your lilies (their larvae rapidly defoliate plants). Watch for vine weevil in container plantings – irregular-shaped notches to leaf edges are tell-tale signs (the young grubs in the soil eat the roots really quickly!) If possible, use natural nematodes to control them at the end of the month. 

Check your roses for black spot, remove and discard all infected leaves on the plant to prevent it spreading. They may need spraying with a fungicide throughout the growing season to keep it under control.

You can now cover soft fruit bushes with netting to prevent birds eating the fruit. If you are growing strawberries, put straw around or under them. 

Pruning Spring-flowing shrubs 

Your Spring-flowering shrubs will soon be finishing their flowering display so now is the time to prune these  – eg:- Ribes, Weigela and Forsythia, these all flower on this year’s growth, so prune them back into shape just after they have finished flowering to give a beautiful display next year.

“The Chelsea Chop”

To check the growth of perennial plants which can grow very tall, you can make the plants branch out by cutting or pinching off the growing tips. Plants which respond well to this treatment are Rudbeckias, Solidago, Heleniums, Phlox and Michaelmas Daisies. This should reduce their overall height by about 25% and although they may flower a week or two later, they won’t be so prone to collapsing or being blown over at flowering time.   

Feeding

Feed your spring bulbs with a granular fertiliser, blood, fish and bone, or liquid seaweed to give them an energy boost and help them flower next Spring.

 Time in your garden

May is the best month to heard the incredible dawn chorus so if you can get up around 5am for just one morning and venture out into your garden with a tea or coffee, you will be rewarded with the most amazing sound of Spring birdsong. Also take some time to sit in your garden to relax and enjoy the sights, sounds and atmosphere of your beautiful surroundings.

This is the latest “Operation Randall” newsletter from the police, from the team specialising in rural crime around Norfolk.

Sunday 5th June 10-12 noon.

Part of the jubilee celebrations in the Parish! Including tug of war, rounders, football, welly wanging, 3 legged and sack races.

Followed at 12 by the bring your own picnic lunch at the village hall field.

Here’s the overview of all the activities organised in Alpington and Yelverton for the Platinum Jubilee Festival, 2nd to 5th June 2022.