Author: alpington-yelverton-admin

We would like to publicise the help available from South Norfolk Council and Norfolk County Council regarding the ongoing Free School Meals situation, and details of how families in South Norfolk can seek support during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Please share this post if you can, in case others in your network might need to access the support.

The South Norfolk Help Hub

Cabinet at South Norfolk Council has put together the following statement regarding the ongoing Free School Meals situation, and details of how families in South Norfolk can seek support from the Early Help Hub:

We recognise that sometimes people needed a little extra assistance and we have worked hard over many years to set up community projects such as Community Fridges and our Connectors service. Through this service, ‘Community Connectors’ from South Norfolk Council’s early Help Hub are posted to GP surgeries across the district to offer support to people before they are in crisis.

But we don’t just restrict ourselves to helping those with children. Your local council has a well-established support network in place and during this pandemic, we have distributed thousands of food parcels and hardship payments to families in all situations.

We are already working to provide additional help to residents who receive council tax support and housing benefit, but our job is to be there for all families, regardless of circumstances,

remembering especially that it is often those with the quietest voices that may need the most help.

Some only need us to solve a small temporary problem, some need longer term assistance. If you need help or know someone who does, it’s easy to get in touch.

Here’s how:

• visit our website for information about our Help Hub and Community Connectors
• use the online request form
• phone us on 01508 533933
• text ADVICE to 07860 017323
• visit your GP who will put you in contact
• ask your District Councillor who can signpost you to someone
• who can help.

https://www.south-norfolk.gov.uk/residents/south-norfolk-help-hub

The Norfolk Assistance Scheme

Norfolk County Council have been provided substantial funds which they have placed within the Norfolk Assistance Scheme, information for which can be found on the following website – https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/care-support-and-health/support-for-living-independently/money-and-benefits/norfolk-assistance-scheme

There are various ways to access the fund on that website, but residents can also access this fund is either by simply calling the Help Hub on 01508 533933 or by contacting the community connector. My understanding is that these are found here for South Norfolk: https://www.south-norfolk.gov.uk/residents/communities/community-connectors

Dear Parishioners,

We are pleased to announce that we have another round of funding available for distribution, received from the CBF (annual monies received from the Solar Farm) and CIL (contributions from new housing).

As in previous years, we would like to invite applications from groups or individuals who seek funding to make a positive impact within our community.

Please download the file below for details of the exact criteria.

If you have an idea, project or need for funding that meets the criteria then please contact the Clerk for an application form at clerk.alpington@gmail.com

Please have your completed applications returned to the Clerk by 13th November 2020.

The results will be announced on 30th November.

Please help us make the best use of these funds and together we’ll make a difference to our community. Thank you.

Alpington with Yelverton Parish Council

October brings cooler weather conditions, welcome rainfall to replenish our water butts and those lovely misty mornings, all signalling that it is now the time to start tidying up and preparing for winter, whilst still enjoying the harvest and the golden Autumn sunshine.

Harvesting

If you have apple or pear trees, now is the time to pick the fruit.

Protecting from early frosts

Move any tender plants, including houseplants, into a conservatory or greenhouse and check to see if your greenhouse heater is working properly.

Outdoor pots and containers

Remove any drip trays from under planted up containers and raise terracotta patio pots with bricks or special pot feet so they don’t sit in water over winter and crack when it freezes.

This is also the time to stop all feeding, as your container plants are slowing down for the winter.

Lawns

Mow when you can, but is you wish to remove any moss in your lawn, treat with a  combination moss killer and fertiliser then scarify to remove the dead moss. If your lawn is in good condition it will still benefit from a granular or liquid Autumn feed which will “green it up” and sustain the grass through the winter months.

Perennials – splitting and moving

While you can still identify the various clumps of perennials in your flowerbeds, dig up and divide any which may be getting too big and transplant any which you think are in the wrong place. Transplanting at this time of year gives them a chance to settle in over the Winter and gives them a strong start for next year.

Planting bulbs, trees and shrubs

Continue planting your spring bulbs, but delay planting your tulip bulbs until November. This is a good time to plant shrubs and trees but avoid very wet or frosty days.

Tidying up

Continue collecting leaves as they fall, putting them in a separate compost bin or in black bin liners to rot down into leaf mulch to be used nest Autumn to condition your soil.

Enjoy it!

If you can, take time out to enjoy the lovely peaceful misty mornings and Autumnal views of your garden in the low October sunlight.

The Yelverton village sign has been returned, completely rebuilt by the gentlemen at the Poringland Men’s Shed.

Though initially it was planned to have the original sign refurbished when taken down but on closer inspection, it was found to have too much rotten wood for this to be feasible.

Special thanks

A team at the Men’s Shed agreed to undertake the project and we, the Parish Council would like to pay special thanks to the following members for all their hard work.  

Tim Mayhew for the wood carving and John Mallot who completed most of the painting with the help of Henry Gowman. 

Jeff Hall assisted with the heavy work of collecting, returning and erecting the sign and David Aldis (of Aldis Farm) used his fork lift tractor to take the sign down and put it up again.

The wedges currently in place are temporary and will be replaced by smaller ones, painted black which will be scarcely noticeable.

The plaque giving the history of the sign is now ready and will be fixed to the stone base shortly.

The sign will be reviewed annually and maintained as needed, it has been built to withstand the elements!! 

From the positive feedback received from local residents all are glad to have it back and looking so good as it is an important part of Yelverton village

Many thanks again to Henry Gowman and the Poringland Men’s Shed team

If you’re curious how quickly cars drive through the village, we have a report for August generated from the speed camera which was on Framingham Earl Road near the pond.

As a summary, the majority of vehicles were under the limit, but over 10% of vehicles were going over 30mph, and there were a couple over 55mph.

For more detail see the pdf report below.

This and future reports will be added to our parish council’s page.

Are you interested in improving your local environment?

We are looking to put together a group of volunteers to tackle various environmental projects in Alpington and Yelverton over the coming months.

The first project is tidying up the margins of Yelverton Pond now that the digging out of the mud and reeds and rushes that were choking the Pond has been completed and the Pond is dry. 

We would like to complete this work over the next few weeks before the weather becomes wet, so if you could spare a few hours to help please contact us.  It would also be useful if you could bring your own equipment such as gardening gloves, loppers, pruning saws, hedge trimmers or strimmers.

We would aim to work in small groups to ensure an adequate distance is kept.

We also have a project to undertake at the “Millennium Wood” in the Garrick Field in November, coppicing some hazel trees and cutting down dead trees.  Again we would like to bring together a group of volunteers to tackle this project.

If you would like to get involved please contact Sue on 491185 or Louise on 492599.

On behalf of Alpington with Yelverton Parish Council

As Autumn approaches, September can be a time of relative peace for gardeners. The pace slows slightly from the sense of urgency which dominated the Spring and Summer months. There is actually a little bit less to do this month as we enjoy the last of the Summer days in the garden.

Seed collecting

If you wish to, collect seeds from summer-flowering plants, storing them in labelled paper envelopes or small paper bags. 

Water features

If you have a water feature or pond, cover it with netting to prevent leaves collecting and clogging the water in Autumn. 

Lawns

Mow when the grass is dry enough and apply a general lawn feed which will green up your grass if needed. If you have dead patches or thatch in your lawn this can be scarified or raked out and you can spike the lawn with a garden fork to let more air to the roots of the grass. Regular mowing will also help collect the early Autumnal leaf fall.

Harvesting

Continue to enjoy the rewards of your hard work, pick your vegetables and late-fruiting raspberries and blackberries. Dig up any remaining potatoes, otherwise they will be destroyed by slugs. 

Bulb Planting

While the soil is damp and warm, now is the time to plant up your spring bulbs (except tulips, which should be planted in November). 

Roses

Continue to dead-head as flowers fade and tie in new shoots on climbers.

Tidying up

Fallen leaves are an important organic resource, so try not to put them all in your brown bin. You can put them in black bin bags or create a separate pile next to the compost heap to make leaf mould ready which is perfect for soil conditioning next October. 

The Village Pond Restoration Project was kicked off in October 2017 when long-standing resident of Yelverton, the late Ted Cullum, applied for a grant from the Community Benefit Fund.

Ted was concerned that within a few years, if no action was taken, the Village Pond would become nothing more than “a soggy depression, devoid of water and covered in reeds, rushes, saplings and scrub”. Ted illustrated his application with watercolour sketches he had made of the Pond showing how it used to appear.

The Parish Council agreed that the Pond was an important amenity for the Villages, and took on the restoration project.

The intent is to restore the Pond to health and beauty by cutting back trees and scrub that have become overgrown, thus increasing light to the pond surface and cutting down on leaf litter accumulating below the surface.

In addition the bulk of the reeds and rushes will be removed, and the sludgy mud that has built up dug out to the original Pond bottom.

Following advice from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the Project was broken down into stages, dealing with the two halves of the pond in consecutive years during Autumn and Winter to reduce the impact on wildlife.

• Stage 1 October 2018 – the trees forming the field hedge line on the half of the Pond bordering Slade Lane were cut back to hedge height, saplings and reeds encroaching the banks were cleared, the willow tree pollarded and the ash tree removed as it was diseased. In addition, volunteers repainted the bollards and rails on the road edge.
• Stage 2 October 2019 – the trees bordering the other half of the Pond were cut back to just below hedge height. Dead and diseased trees were also removed. Some of the cut wood was placed on the banks to provide refuges for bugs.
• Stage 3 – the digging out of the sludge from the Pond is scheduled for September 2020. In addition the overgrown bull rushes will be removed. The Parish Council have a contractor appointed to carry out this work and the owners of Hill House have kindly agreed to allow this mud to be spread on the neighbouring field.
• Stage 4 – tidying up and stabilising the banks. Options to improve accessibility for visitors and sanctuary areas for the wildfowl are being considered.

Going forward we will regularly review the condition of the pond so that it does not get too overgrown with bull rushes and other vegetation in the future.

Would you like to help?

We’d like a team to plan, develop and look after the planting biodiversity around the pond, as we would like it to become a natural and attractive asset for the community to enjoy. If you are interested in volunteering please let a member of the Parish Council know. Contact us through the website, or email clerk.alpington@gmail.com

Aug/Sep edition of Eleven Says, the Newspaper of the Bramerton Group of Churches covering 11 Parishes.