If you’re short of any groceries on Monday early evening, Jim’s mobile grocery store could be a convenient option. It makes multiple stops at various villages and locations throughout the week, but is at:
Alpington at 4.45pm Yelverton at 5pm
You can ring on 07967 108986 to request a stop at your doorstep, or ring with an order and they will bring it to you. Or just listen out for the music playing and pop out to meet the van.
For more information see the flyer below, and click through to the Facebook page
These tips were kindly contributed by local resident Cara MacColl:
Autumn is a busy time for gardeners, with all the clearing up of leaves and tidying up of flowerbeds and November will be the month where we start to feel the colder air temperatures and it is likely we will have the first Winter frosts.
Planting
Plant any bare-root trees and herbaceous shrubs throughout this month and plant your tulip bulbs in the ground or in pots. You can also create some colour throughout the Winter months by planting up tubs and baskets with evergreen perennials, ornamental grasses, winter pansies and polyanthus.
Protecting from winds and frost
Young trees over 1m high will need staking for support, especially in exposed locations.
November is a rainy and often windy month so protect larger roses from wind-rock by pruning them down by a third and protect any container plants in non frost proof pots with bubblewrap around them or moving them into a greenhouse or shed.
Garden furniture will also need protecting at this time of year, so cover any wooden tables, chairs or benches or move them undercover.
Lawns
November is the last chance to lay turf. If you are planning to lay a new lawn, try to undertake this task over a few frost-free days or when the soil isn’t waterlogged. If the weather is dry and mild you may be able to cut established lawns for the last time this month.
Digging
It’s a perfect time for digging over the vegetable patch or allotment, provided the ground isn’t waterlogged. If you leave the soil in large clumps, the Winter frosts will break the soil down into a crumbly finish for you.
Tidying up
Continue clearing fallen leaves off your lawn, paths and driveways and putting them into black bin liners to rot down into leaf mulch to use next year.
To mark Remembrance Sunday, we wanted to share a few photos from around the village, taken by parish council member and local photographer Kevin Gotts.
At the church
Mick, a local ex-serviceman who helps a lot in the churchyard
Photos by Kevin Gotts
Church meadow
Before the larger figure was put in place
Photos by Kevin Gotts
If you have any similar photos you’d like to share with us, please contact us and we’ll be very happy to add them to this post.
Remembrance Sunday and the upcoming Armistice Day will of course be a bit different this year, but however you choose to remember, you won’t be alone in doing so.
Due to the government imposing a further lock-down, the Parish Council has made the decision to re-launch the villages Community Emergency Plan, as from Thursday 5 November.
The volunteers in Alpington and Yelverton, who helped and supported local residents earlier this year, are ready to offer help and support again.
If you would like help with shopping, collecting medicines or just someone to chat to please contact your local volunteer.
If you have misplaced your introductory card which was sent out in March introducing them and giving their contact details, please ring either:
Louise 01508 492599 – Emergency Plan Coordinator
Sue 01508 491185 – Deputy Emergency Plan Coordinator
and we will forward your request to your local volunteer.
Hopefully this lock-down will not be as difficult as the first one and has the desired effect.
Thank you to our team of volunteers who work hard for our residents.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
yelverton pond empty of water
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
