This is the latest “Operation Randall” newsletter from the police, from the team specialising in rural crime around Norfolk.
Author: alpington-yelverton-admin
Alpington with Yelverton Parish Council Website Administrator
Four games on Garrick Field this month, all at 2.30pm.
9 Apr – Reserves Vs Bungay Town Res – 2.30pm
16 Apr – Reserves Vs Tacolneston – 2.30pm
23 Apr – Yelverton Vs Long Stratton – 2.30pm
30 Apr – Yelverton Vs Blofield – 2.30pm
Come along and support, or if you’re out for a walk in Alpington or Yelverton take a detour onto Garrick Field for a bit and check out how our local team are doing.
Plans for the Alpington and Yelverton Village Festival in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from 2nd to 5th June are well underway. Events will kick off on the Thursday evening with a Jubilee themed Quiz at the Wheel Fortune pub in Alpington.
On Friday evening, 3rd June, there will be a Wine tasting with cheese and nibbles at the Village Hall where a variety of wines will be available for tasting. Tickets at £10 a head will be on sale from the beginning of May.
On the afternoon of Saturday 4th June we will be holding a 1950s style Village Fete on the Village Hall recreation field/green. There will be a refreshments tent, ice cream and fish and chips vans, a Victoria Sponge baking competition, traditional games and craft stalls and a Punch and Judy show.
On the morning of the final day of our celebrations, Sunday 5th June, there will be activities for children on the Garrick Field, including tug of war, traditional races such as the three-legged race, with other activities being planned. This will be followed by a “Bring your own “ Big Picnic Lunch at the Village Hall and green. There will be a performance by local ukulele group Jelly and the Biscuits and a large celebration cake will be cut and shared.
Why not join family, friends and neighbours at the Picnic and dress up 1950s style to make it a special occasion to celebrate the Jubilee?
It would be great if villagers deck out their homes in bunting for the Jubilee.
Other activities to complement the celebrations are being planned and a full program of events will be delivered to every household in Alpington and Yelverton in May.
Further information will also be posted on the website over the coming weeks.
The forecasters are predicting that the start of April will be a much cooler than the warmer days we have enjoyed in mid to end of March. However, Spring is still on the way and we have lots to do in our gardens preparing for the warmer months ahead. The weather may be unsettled but we can still get outside and work in our gardens whenever the weather allows.
Tidying up
There may still be some leaves lurking under shrubs and other corners in your garden so these can be raked out and flowerbeds tidied up, cutting back any perennials which may still have the old growth from last summer.
Mowing and edging
We can mow our lawns on a high cut if the grass is dry and frost-free and can tidy up the edges by re-cutting them with a half-moon or spade to give a neat edge to the flowerbeds or patio areas. Lawns will also benefit from a dose of lawn feed now.
Sowing Vegetable seeds
If you are planning to grow some vegetables, now is the time to sow tomatoes, runner beans, green peppers and courgettes which can then be planted on in due course.
Planting up pots and baskets
Spring is the best time for creating new container displays. If you have the space, pot up your plug plants into larger pots as this will be cheaper than buying bigger pot plants later in the season. Plant up summer baskets and store undercover for putting out in the garden in late May. We can also sow half-hardy bedding plants in seed trays in the greenhouse or indoors on a sunny window cill.
Maintaining water butts and water features
If you have a pond or water feature, consider giving it a little post-winter maintenance. Clear out ponds: lift put any planting baskets and fish (keeping these in buckets of old pond water), bail out the water, remove sludge and refill with collected rainwater if possible (if you use tap water, let it stand for a week before putting any fish back in).
Check that your water butts are collecting water effectively, that the downpipes are clear and that the taps are working, these can sometimes become blocked with sludge or old leaves.
Protect from frost and wind
April can still bring frosty nights, so be ready to protect tender flowers and vegetables from frosts. Young, upright-growing plants may need some form of support, so stake tall plants to prevent them being damaged in any strong winds.
Weeding
As the weather warms up, the weeds also start to make an appearance. Keep on top of them by hoeing between plants and treating any paths or driveways with your preferred weedkiller.
As the middle month of Spring, April is such a positive time, full of gardening promises. It is so uplifting to see the trees and shrubs awaken from their winter dormancy and burst into life, ready for the growing season ahead.
Apr/May 2022 edition of Eleven Says, the Newspaper of the Bramerton Group of Churches covering 11 Parishes.
Nexus Fostering, based in Norwich, would like to find potential new carers who can provide a child a nurturing and loving home and help give them new life experiences.
Could you foster?
Would you like to find out how you can provide a family home to children in your area?
Nexus Fostering is a well-established and highly regarded fostering agency, based in Norwich, who are urgently seeking full-time foster carers willing to foster older children and siblings.
The agency is rated Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ in all areas and place a high premium on the quality of support and care that they provide to every one of the foster carers and, in turn, the children and young people placed with them.
To find out more about becoming a foster carer in Norfolk and surrounding areas please call 01603 951405 or email foster@nexusfostering.co.uk.
Nexus Fostering has been making a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in care since 2002. There are more than 4000 children in East Anglia who are unable to live at home with their family and require foster care each year.
We’d like to say a big thank you to the kind and thoughtful Alpington Guides and Rangers, who yesterday evening delivered some lovely flowers in pots and hand-written poems as “random acts of kindness” to some residents around Yelverton and Alpington.
The residents have asked us to express their thanks for their lovely new flowers and poems… and others may find some on their doorstep this morning.
So much effort must have gone into each one of those.
Aren’t we lucky to have a group of thoughtful young women like this representing our two villages?
Many thanks to Alpington Guiding and Highways Garden Centre for donating the flowers.
Nominations are now open for South Norfolk Council’s Community Awards, celebrating the fantastic work and achievements of volunteers, community groups and businesses across the district.
The categories for this year are:
- Inspiration of the Year
- Young Hero of the Year (aged 18 or under)
- The Helping Hand Award
- Business in the Community Award
- Green at Heart Award
- Community Group of the Year
- Volunteer of the Year
- Community Hero
The winners in each category will receive £250 to put towards their chosen community group.
If you know of someone who is doing a great job, then please nominate them and help us spread the word about our awards. For more information and to nominate someone please visit https://www.southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk/communities/community-awards-2022
If you need any further assistance or have any queries please contact the Communities Team on 01508 533914 or email communities@southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk
Lets all hope the storms we had last month won’t be repeated and we can look forward to a more settled start to Spring. As the temperature starts to rise and the days continue to lengthen there seems to be more time available to get out in our gardens.
Deadhead and prune
Deadhead any early spring bulbs but try not to chop back the leaves for at least six weeks after flowering, this will enable the bulbs to give a good display next year.
If you haven’t had a chance to do so yet, hard-prune bush roses back to about 30cm, removing any dead or diseased wood, cutting back to an outward-facing bud.
Weed and mulch
Remove weeds, then mulch beds and borders with shredded bark or compost to help prevent the weeds returning and mulch around newly planted trees or shrubs.
Lawns
You should be able to start mowing your lawn regularly this month too. Try not to cut the grass too tight this month, it is best to leave the grass a little longer than normal for the first few cuts of the year.
Re-seed any worn patches of grass and repair any edges which may have crumbled over the Winter months.
Sowing & Planting
March is generally the last recommended time to plant bare-root trees, shrubs and roses until November.
Sow hardy annuals to fill gaps in flowerbeds and borders. Also sow celery, courgettes, tomatoes and cucumbers on the windowsill or greenhouse for planting out once the danger of frost has passed.
You can also plant out the Autumn-sown Sweet Peas and sow more seed to provide a fragrant display later in the year.
Plant herbs in windowsill trays and plant any early potatoes, onion sets and asparagus. When the weather is a little warmer at the end of the month, sow onions, parsnips and the first carrots, turnips, beetroots in the open soil under cloches and salad leaves in the greenhouse.
Dividing
Dig up and divide larger clumps of snowdrops and any other perennials you didn’t have time to divide in the Autumn.
Ponds and water plant
On a mild day, drain two thirds of the water from your pond and replace with fresh water. Remove any Algae which may have formed and clear off any old foliage from marginal plants.
Pots
Replace the top half of compost in planters and containers and top-dress with slow-release fertiliser, ready for planting .
General tasks
Weedkill those paths and driveways while the weeds are small and finish digging vegetable plots or flowerbeds.
Houseplants
Increase watering for your houseplants as the days lengthen feed with a liquid fertiliser to encourage the new growth.
Supporting your garden birds
While you are working in the garden you will hear the wonderful sound of the Spring birdsong and see lots of activity as the birds search for partners and suitable nesting sites.
We can all give them the best start to the nesting season by keeping feeders topped up and if you have a spare fat ball feeder, put some dog fur in this and watch the Great Tits tease out the fur to line their nests!
Here are some children’s activities that are being organised over the Easter school holidays.
The link below shows what is available including football and dance, where they are taking place and the cost. Some, if not all, are free to those children who receive free school meals during term time.
https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/what-we-do-and-how-we-work/campaigns/big-norfolk-holiday-fun
Alpington and Yelverton 