Feb/Mar edition of Eleven Says, the Newspaper of the Bramerton Group of Churches covering 11 Parishes.
Author: alpington-yelverton-admin
Alpington with Yelverton Parish Council Website Administrator
Next year will be the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II ascending the throne, her Platinum Jubilee. To mark this occasion there will be an extra bank holiday on June 3rd 2022, making a four day bank holiday weekend.
Several residents have suggested that it would be lovely to hold a Community Celebration on this bank holiday weekend, both to recognise the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and to celebrate life being more fun again. Suggestions have included a village street party/picnic or a large village fete/festival where local organisations can put on activities and set up stalls.
The Parish Council may be able to apply for a small grant towards this, but this is an event that needs the participation of the community as a whole, not just on the day but in the planning and organising.
If you are interested in helping to plan and organise such an event please contact Louise Taylor or Sue Stacey.
To do so, please use the contact us form on our website. Just mention that you’re able to help in the Platinum Jubilee event and we will make sure the message reaches Louise and Sue.
Contact UsIf there’s sufficient interest then we anticipate having a meeting this summer to kick off the planning process.
Below are the details of a bonus for referring a friend to the community oil purchase scheme. This website previously carried an article about the scheme, and further details can be seen on our page here. If you’re not in the scheme, contact us and we will put you in touch with someone who is, so that you can both take advantage of the offer.
From the thinking-fuel scheme:
This February we are asking you to Share The Love by referring a friend to the Thinkingfuel syndicate, and you both receive £10 off your orders!
Simply ask your friend to sign up at http://www.thinkingfuel.org.uk then drop us an email to thinkingfuel@af-affinity.co.uk copying your email address too. Please remember to include both your names and contact details. One of the team will then be in touch. Once your friend has joined, both receive £10 off your next order.
To qualify
· Minimum order is 500 litres
· Maximum order is 2000 litres
· Your friend must place an order in February to receive £10 off
· Orders are for Kerosene (heating oil) only
· Full payment must be received and delivered before a credit is applied
· The account application process must be completed for the new account
· Those being referred must be new to the syndicate, and not existing members.
· £10 is for each qualifying customer only and not transferable
This year, I think many of us will be relieved that our bitterly cold and wet January is drawing to a close, so let’s look forward to February knowing that we are edging ever-closer to the magical Springtime.
As long as we don’t get another “Beast from the East” or a deluge of snow, a lot can be achieved in your garden during February on days when the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged.
Planting
You can now plant bare-root trees and shrubs in their final positions. Similarly, you can move or plant ‘in-the-green’ snowdrops (snowdrops with just leaves) so they will give you a beautiful show of white flowers in a week or so. This is also a good month for planting shallots, raspberries and blackberry canes, if weather and soil conditions permit.
Make sure the frosts haven’t lifted newly-planted trees and shrubs, firm the soil around them gently with your foot if required.
Pruning
If you didn’t get a chance to prune your hedges last Autumn, February is a great time to do this. Deciduous garden hedges can all be cut back fairly hard now.
You can also cut back deciduous grasses, ideally down to 15-20cm before new shoots emerge and also deadhead any winter bedding plants for bushier displays later in the year.
Feeding
If you have cleared off the old growth from your perennials and your flowerbeds are quite tidy, you can apply a top dressing of blood fish and bone or other granular fertiliser around the plants and gently fork this into the soil.
Sowing
Although it seems very early in the year, if the weather permits, you can plant your sweet pea seeds outside where you wish them to flower but they may need to be protected with cloches. Alternatively, plant some seeds in a few plant pots in the greenhouse or on the windowsill so they can be planted out later in the spring.
Seed catalogues
You can get a lot of ideas for your summer garden from gardening magazines or seed catalogues, maybe finding some new varieties of striking annuals for your pots or hanging baskets. So, on any wet and cold February days, they may be worth a browse!
These tips were kindly contributed by local resident Cara MacColl
A small bit of good news: we’ve noticed that a few of the older and damaged signs around the village have been replaced recently. If any villagers reported some of these to the council then thanks!
There were defective and worn out signs in Wheel Road, Burgate Lane and Reeders Lane. Some of them were reported late last year by the Parish Council, and we’re pleased that they’ve been selected to be fixed at this difficult time.
The author’s personal understanding is that these sorts of things are (perhaps understandably) usually low priority for the county council to fix, but they are currently only able to carry out certain works because of coronavirus restrictions, and it looks like this has allowed these items to come to the top of the list.
Please open the pdf file below for some comprehensive information from the NHS on the covid vaccination programme, dispelling some myths, and answering some common questions. Including religious beliefs, mild side effects, existing conditions, and if you’ve already had covid.
Yare Valley Farm Shop are trialling Surlingham’s first ever fish van down at the Farm Shop!
The lovely Tim from East Coast Fishmongers will be here every Thursday 12-4, from next Thursday 21st January.
This will be initially on a trial period for 4 weeks, so make sure you come and grab some wonderfully fresh fish direct from his van. The dates he’ll be here are:
- Thurs 21st Jan 12-4
- Thurs 28th Jan 12-4
- Thurs 4th Feb 12-4
- Thurs 11th Feb 12-4
Payments
Card payments accepted with minimum of £2 spend.
Directions
Just follow NR14 7GD to find us, when you’re on Mill Rd look for signs to Yare Valley Farm Shop or Teles Patisserie. Go down the drive and you won’t miss us!
Covid Measures
Please ensure to stand two metres apart if queuing for the fish van. Masks are required when purchasing your items and when queuing. If using the Farm Shop please be aware that only 2 people should be in the Shop at any one time and masks are to be worn at all times in the Farm Shop. There is a hand sanitiser dispenser located outside the Farm Shop.
Further info
A free Compassionate Art online talk by Rev Dr Nick Garrard, Bishop’s Officer for Christian Spirituality through the Creative Arts in the Diocese of Norwich, will take place next week.
read more and sign up
Happy New Year!
January may seem like deep Winter, when staying warm by the logburner or fire holds more appeal that getting out in the garden however, weather permitting, there is a lot which can be done in your garden this month.
Protecting
Plants will need protection and maintenance at this time of year. Brush any snow from evergreens and conifers to stop the branches from being weighed down and breaking.
If wet weather has made ornamental grasses fall flat, start cutting these back to give them a fresh start. Check fleece and straw is still covering tender plants such as tree ferns.
Clearing, Weeding & Mulching
Remove any remaining dead top foliage from non-shrubby plants, fork over the soil between plants, burying any weeds. If feasible, continue digging heavy soils to be broken down by frost.
After plenty of rain, start mulching beds and borders with leaf mould, manure, compost or shredded bark – a layer 5-10cm deep is ideal.
Pruning
Thin out dead and diseased branches from established trees and shrubs. Winter prune Wisteria by cutting back – to within 3inches of the old wood – all young shoots not required. This will increase the size of your plant.
Feeding
Feed new plantings in late January with slow-release fertiliser such as Blood, Fish and Bone, but leave the application of faster-acting fertilisers such as Growmore until early March.
Wildlife also will benefit from your help at the beginning of the year. Put out various foods and water in your garden for hungry and thirsty birds. Stop ponds and bird baths freezing over by leaving a tennis ball to bob on top of the water.
Tidying up
January is also an appropriate time for tidying your garden and maintaining and repairing your garden furniture and decking. Tidy up the garden shed, cleaning, sharpening and oiling your gardening tools ready for action.
Recycle cut trees by shredding them for mulch or compost. Repair and stain or paint fences, pergolas and wooden furniture if weather conditions permit. Scrub slippery garden decking and paving with hot soapy water, or apply path and patio cleaner. On dry sunny days ventilate greenhouses and conservatories and wash the greenhouse glass to let in more light.
These tips were kindly contributed by local resident Cara MacColl
A post for anyone in the village who buys home heating oil.
Many residents may not be aware, but the village is a part of a wider oil purchasing scheme, where many people ordering at the same time can receive a better price. You order individually, without needing to time your order with others. It takes the hassle out of ordering, as the scheme negotiates the price on behalf of you and the others ordering near that time.
You can read more information with the button below, and then click through to the scheme’s website if you’re still interested. But basically there are two order dates per month, on each date you can send them an email with your order, and then within a couple of weeks you receive your oil. The price advantage comes from the fact that many other people will order at the same time, and the scheme can then negotiate a better price for the very large order.
oil purchase scheme detailsOriginally the parish council paid a lifetime membership for the village, so that all residents can take advantage. Since then the scheme has evolved so that there are now no collective or individual membership fees, and no need to quote any village scheme membership.
It’s worth looking into if you don’t enjoy ringing round to get the best price at the time. We are not sure of the exact size of the discount that is achieved by the scheme, but the idea is that you’ll get a better price for less effort.
Alpington and Yelverton 