Council elections are scheduled for May 2023. It is too often the case that there are insufficient numbers of applicants for the parish and town council positions. For us, this means that Wreningham Parish Council often comprises those deemed to be elected instead of having actually been elected following an election.
Having elected Councillors bring benefits. They are good for:
the local community,
local democracy,
public perception of their council, and,
the Councillors themselves as they are elected representatives.
So, we invite you to consider becoming a councillor. Do speak to any of our current Councillors (Andrea, Hughie, Jean, Keith, Michael) or the Parish Clerk (Tina) to find out more, and to express your interest.
South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Council have a new internet domain which means their website and email addresses have changed. The website is
Jubilee Trees for Norfolk was launched earlier this year to encourage people to “Plant a tree for the Jubilee” supporting the Queen’s Green Canopy. Norfolk County Council is now relaunching the scheme and hopes that tree planting across Norfolk can offer a long lasting tribute to a monarch so special to our county and create a legacy to honour her dedicated service of more than 70 years. The County Council has made half-price tree packs available at seven tree collection points including Norwich (County Hall and Broadland Country Park), Acle, Long Stratton, Watton, Fakenham and King’s Lynn).
Residents should apply online at www.norfolk.gov.uk/jubileetrees and the packs will be ready for collection in the planting season between December 2022-February 2023.
We are being encouraged to do something positive for new habitats for wildlife, help tackling the challenges of climate change and help towards the net zero carbon goals which are part of NCC’s Environmental Policy.
This is part of the 1 Million Trees for Norfolk project, an initiative to work in partnership with communities, landowners, agencies, businesses and individuals across the county to enable one million trees to be planted over five years. In the 2021/22 planting season, nearly 45,000 trees were planted. Find out more about the 1 Million Trees for Norfolk project and how to apply for the Jubilee Trees for Norfolk here www.norfolk.gov.uk/jubileetrees
The Norfolk Association of Local Councils (NALC) have written about the idea that many will struggle with their bills because of the rising cost of energy, food, commodities, services, etc. There are many places that people can turn for help and support, however, knowing exactly where to go for the right type of advice can be tricky.
To help find the best possible advice NALC has complied this document.
This and other documents are available on their website https://www.norfolkalc.gov.uk. They will maintain these and keep them up-to-date. Further information will become available on places people can go to get help in the medium and longer term.
For more information, please contact: Pete Strange, Wellbeing, Communications and Engagement Manager, Norfolk Association of Local Councils, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2UF
Nominations for the Broadland and South Norfolk Business Awards 2023, sponsored by Big Sky Living, are now open. The awards recognise and celebrate the amazing array of successful businesses in both districts.
The full list of this year’s categories are:
Business Collaboration / Business Growth / Business Innovation / Business Resilience / Business Supporting the Community / Employer of the Year / Environmental Impact / Excellence in Agriculture, Food and Drink / Excellence in Financial Services and Insurance / New Business / Visitor Experience
Pub of the Year – open for public vote only Retailer of the Year – open for public vote only
SNC ask us to encourage the local businesses in your area to nominate themselves in one or more of the business categories as well as encourage local residents to nominate their favourite Pub or Retailer of the Year to get the recognition they deserve.
There are posters available for display. If you need any printed posters, contact Sarah Cooke Economic Development Officer [01508533763; sarah.cooke@southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk ] and they will post some to you.
In this latest wellbeing newsletter, we offer a range of items: funding to help set up warm places and warm spaces in places that do not currently have them; some to help you save energy; some to persuade you to get out and enjoy the treasures that our county has to offer; and some to be prepared to counter those who would sow dissent and discord among neighbours.
Community Hot-Spots In our last newsletter we talked about funding that was available to support communities that wanted to set up places for people to go over the winter, where they could meet up, socialise, learn new skills, share experience and expertise etc.
Norfolk Community Foundation (NCF) has just launched a new source of funds to support these types of initiatives. Grants of £2,000 are available to contribute towards the cost of running or establishing a Community Hot-Spot that gives a warm welcome to the whole community, in particular reaching those who are vulnerable or have been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.
They are particularly looking to fund areas where there may not be any other warm room type activities and are willing to find projects which may be in an unexpected venue – a pub, a café, a laundrette – you name it! As usual they will look to fund VCSE groups or parish councils, so a partnership arrangement will need to be in place between an eligible group and a venue (if it is not owned by the group applying). More details are in the guidance on the website.
NCF will give support and guidance to any groups that need it, you just need to get in touch.
Energy Advice Sessions from Community Action Norfolk this Winter. As part of their Big Energy Saving Network partnership with Citizens’ Advice, Community Action Norfolk will be holding free energy advice sessions for consumers and frontline workers. Sessions will last around an hour, and Emily Robertson and Bob Dye from CAN will be on hand to offer advice or assist with referrals to Citizens’ Advice or the Ombudsman. We understand that the upcoming winter is a time of concern for many, so CAN are looking to offer support to people by hosting training sessions which include the following.
Practical energy saving advice and tips. Local and National support available. Discussions on issues around fuel poverty and poor health in cold homes. Advice and the opportunity for Q&As after the session.
National Energy Action National Energy Action (NEA) are the national fuel poverty charity, working to ensure that everyone in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is warm and safe at home. Available in England and Wales, NEA’s WASH Advice Service is a free support service providing advice to householders in England and Wales on their energy bills and keeping warm and safe in their home. We can also help with benefits advice and income maximisation. It offers advice workshops direct to householders and training to frontline staff. They can help you with Benefits advice and income maximisation Support with gas and electricity accounts including fuel debt Switching suppliers Energy efficiency Trust fund applications Water rates Warm Home Discount and Priority Services Register information More information Advice leaflets and videos with BSL interpretation can be found in our Advice Resources section. Our phonelines are currently operational Monday to Friday 10.00am to 12.00 noon. We know it is a difficult and worrying time for people at the moment, we are getting extraordinarily high volumes of calls and emails coming through which may mean we can’t answer or get back to you as quick as we would like to. We really appreciate your patience. Take a look at our Additional Help page for details of organisations who may be able to offer assistance. the above offer includes a BSL Interpreter contact option. https://www.nea.org.uk/get-help/wash-advice/?parent=get-help Kind regards,
Pathmakers – Walk Norfolk Festival The inaugural Walk Norfolk Festival launches at the end of September, proceeding a month-long programme of events, walks and talks throughout the region that showcase some of the best of Norfolk’s landscapes, characters and communities.
A celebration of Norfolk countryside, beaches and urban environments, the 27 events in October take place in locations such as Sandringham across to Great Yarmouth, with a number taking place in the region’s city hub, Norwich. The eclectic festival schedule of wildlife walks, poetry workshops, networking groups and historical discoveries have been designed to be as accessible to as many people as possible.
A first instalment of a new annual event, the Walk Norfolk Festival has been organised by Pathmakers, a charity dedicated to improving access to the Norfolk Countryside for people of all abilities and backgrounds. Pathmakers primarily works with organisations and communities to help run, facilitate and support walking projects that improve countryside access.
For the festival, Pathmakers worked in partnership with Norfolk County Council to devise a series of unique events that are suitable for all, including those often excluded from accessing the countryside; wheelchair users and those with less mobility, families with pushchairs and those in the community who rely on public transport.
Each week of the festival has a specific theme, with participants encouraged to capture images that bring the chosen topics to life.
The weekly themes are:
Theme 1 (1st-6th October) – Walking
Theme 2 (7th-13th October) – Autumn
Theme 3 (14th-20th October) – Joy
Theme 4 (21st-26th October) – Wildlife
Theme 5 (27th-31st October) – Skies
Further information about the Walk Norfolk Festival and the photography competition can be found on Pathmakers newly launched website:
Getting ready for flooding this winter The Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance working with the Norfolk Resilience Forum would like to make sure that we are all as ready and prepared as we can be for any flooding that might occur this winter. We are looking to collect as much information as possible about community assets that would be available to deal with any flooding incidents. As part of collecting this information we would like to recruit “community champions” to seek out that information in their area. If you are interested in taking part contact Pete Strange at Norfolk ALC.
Communities Prepared Online Hub launch Communities Prepared are holding a launch event for their online community resilience hub – the new learning platform on their website, www.communitiesprepared.org.uk, which will be live from the end of this month (end of Sept).
Prevent and Community Cohesion Prevent is about safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults from people who may target, groom, and radicalise them into extremist ideologies and ultimately manipulate them into committing terrorist acts.
In Norfolk, authorities and communities work together to deliver the Government’s Prevent strategy through the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk. The strategy is set up to challenge all forms of terrorism, including the influence of far-right extremists.
NCC is consulting on its proposals for the new 3.9 mile dual carriageway road to connect the A47 to Broadland Northway west of Norwich, and associated measures that would be put in as part of the project.
There have been three consultation events at Barnham Broom, Weston Longville and Felthorpe in which hundreds of people come along to view the proposals and discuss them with members of the project team.
The last event is at the Costessey Centre this Friday (30 September) between 1pm and 8pm. This was due to take place on Friday 9 September but was postponed as a mark of respect following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II the previous day.
The consultation closes at midnight on Sunday 9 October.
Before then, you can view the proposals on www.norfolk.gov.uk/nwl. You can also request to be sent a paper copy of the consultation brochure and questionnaire by either emailing nwlconsultation@norfolk.gov.uk or ringing 0344 800 8020. If you need paper copies, get in contact very soon, given the time to post to you and for you to send them back before the consultation closes.
Finally, there are several ways you can respond to the consultation:
Complete a paper copy of the consultation questionnaire and post it to: Freepost Plus RTCL-XSTTJZSK, Norfolk County Council, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2DH.
The Wreningham Heritage Group is delighted to unveil its new website at www.wreninghamheritage.uk. The site builds on material seen in the 2021 Wreningham Heritage Group exhibition and adds a lot more – over 60 pages of heritage news, pictures, audio, stories, etc.
The website tells the story of our village together with the stories of those who helped shape it. There are audio clips from present-day villagers who will tell you how the village was in their early days!
The Heritage Group has many sources of heritage information, including most importantly the villagers. Your story, backed by documents and artefacts, can add immensely to that of Wreningham and your fellow villagers.
You are invited to attend their meetings in the Village Hall, usually every two months, to see and talk about your village’s heritage and to bring anything which adds to the story of Wreningham and its people. Meeting dates will be posted on this site, the village website and in the Mardle.
The group is keen to have a site which is dynamic and grows into new areas over time. For example, they are currently experimenting with a “Look-up” service to enable villagers raise questions about their local ancestors etc. See the Contact page for more information.
