Boughton Parish Council

NAS Poster updated

Active Norfolk and the Norfolk Assistance Scheme (NAS) have partnered up to run a short pilot scheme in West Norfolk. Through this scheme, we’ll be offering three months gym membership at any Alive West Norfolk gym. Eligible participants will also be able to apply for £50 to spend on gym clothing.

This scheme is aimed at those on low income, and who are experiencing feelings of loneliness or social isolation, or struggling with their mental health. It’s currently only available in West Norfolk, but we hope to be able to review this after the initial pilot scheme to determine whether it’s possible to roll it out across the rest of the county.

Through this scheme, we hope to make physical activity more accessible to those on lower incomes who might not otherwise benefit from it. In turn, being more physically active can make vital contributions towards improving mental health and wellbeing.

If found eligible after applying through the Norfolk Assistance Scheme, the free membership will cover gym, swimming and classes, and it can be used at Alive Lynnsport, Alive St James, Alive Downham or Alive Oasis (Hunstanton). For more information on Alive West Norfolk facilities and memberships, please visit www.alivewestnorfolk.co.uk or contact them directly on 01553 818001.

If you are an organisation working with the public, we would be grateful for your support in distributing this information amongst any individuals or groups in West Norfolk you think might benefit from the scheme. Please share this on any socials or via newsletters, so that we can spread the word, and be sure to tag us so we might engage with this.

If you’re a member of the public who wants to know more, either for yourself or for someone else who you think might benefit, contact the Norfolk Assistance Scheme directly.

For more information, or to apply today, simply visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/nas or call 0344 800 8020 if you’re unable to complete this online and a member of the Norfolk Assistance Scheme will call you back.

Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Giles Orpen-Smellie has today launched a public consultation into the proposed budget for policing in the county for the coming year. The PCC is required by law to set the budget for Norfolk Constabulary and as part of this, determine how much the people of Norfolk contribute to the policing element of the Council Tax they pay. To inform this decision, Giles is consulting with people across the county. The consultation will run until 5pm Friday, 14 January and asks residents across Norfolk whether they will support Giles’ proposal for funding. In the consultation information published today, Giles outlines some of the key challenges facing Norfolk Constabulary in the changing face and complexity of crime. Being able to respond to the growth in domestic abuse incidents and the need to ensure Norfolk is a safe place for women and girls are amongst the items at the top of the agenda for the PCC, as he also prepares to launch his new Police, Crime and Community Safety Plan in the  spring. The plan will outline the priorities that Giles will hold Norfolk Constabulary to account for and where investment will be made. In the consultation document, Giles says: “My Police, Crime and Community Safety Plan will set a specific expectation for the police, in partnership with other agencies, to promote a co-ordinated county-wide response to violence against women and girls and to tackle high harm behaviours and criminality such as domestic abuse, rape and serious sexual offences. “It is incumbent on me to ensure the police have the necessary funding and resources to do so.” Following consultation with Norfolk’s Chief Constable Paul Sanford, Giles is seeking the community’s understanding for a precept rise of 3.59% – equivalent to £9.99 per year or 19p per week for a Band D property or £7.77 per year or 15p per week for a Band B property. The majority of properties in Norfolk are bands A to D. In the Chancellor’s October spending review, the rise was capped at £10 per year. “I understand that the last question many people will want to be asked is whether they support additional demands on their household budgets,” said Giles. “The reality we are faced with is that without an increase to police budgets the constabulary will not be able to maintain either the current level of service or be able to respond to these growths in demand.” As well as enhancing capacity with a number of officer and staff roles to respond to crimes of violence against women and girls, the PCC outlines the need to enhance drone capacity, which further enables the constabulary to respond to crimes particularly impacting rural communities, a growth in digital investigation resources and the need to ensure the force is able to meet the government’s carbon neutrality targets in its buildings across the county. “It is imperative that the plans we are making for the constabulary are ones that will support keeping our communities safe and responding to the changing face of crime,” said Giles. “Norfolk is a safe county to live and work in and I want it to stay that way – we must not lose through not sufficiently funding our police force.” Paul Sanford, Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary said: “The cost of providing effective policing has risen and so have the number of calls for our service. “Whilst we have seen significant decreases in neighbourhood crimes such as burglary, theft and robbery, crimes committed behind closed doors and particularly domestic and sexual abuse continues to rise. “I have reviewed every part of our budget to identify savings to meet our financial pressures and allow further investment in the frontline to address growing demands. “However, the savings that we have found are not enough and I have asked the PCC to consider an increase in precept.  The increase that I have requested is below inflation, but will enable me to make the improvements that are needed in areas such as our response to domestic abuse and serious sexual offences. Without an increase in precept, I will not be able to make the improvements that recent events have shown are critically needed.”

 

Have your say now

 

 

The consultation closes at 5pm on Friday, 14 January 2022. Printed copies of the survey and consultation documents are also available and can be requested by contacting the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk (OPCCN) in the following ways: Post: OPCCN, Jubilee House, Building 1, Falconers Chase, Wymondham, NR18 0WW Telephone: 01953 425657 Email: opccn@norfolk.police.uk

Public consultation launched We are delighted to have launched a public consultation on our draft regional Transport Strategy for the East. Covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock, the strategy sets a series of priorities for better transport for everybody living, working, and learning in the region up to 2050. The draft strategy, which will guide future transport investment, has been developed through technical evidence analysis and talking with the public and our partners to make sure it aligns with local ambitions and needs. The public consultation is your opportunity to help us refine the Transport Strategy and shape the future of transport in the region, and we are encouraging everyone to take part by completing our online survey. The online consultation will close on Sunday, 30 January 2022. It also includes questions about our Investment and Delivery Programme – an evolving programme of schemes which will set out our investment priorities to Government. A virtual exhibition and other consultation materials summarising our Transport Strategy and Investment and Delivery Programme are available on our website. Have your say on our draft Transport Strategy

Explore Transport Strategy through our virtual exhibition

The best way to find out more about our Transport Strategy is by visiting out virtual exhibition.

The exhibition contains all the information and materials you would expect to find at a traditional consultation event. It is accessible at any time of the day, so you can visit at a time to best suit you.

Clear instructions are available to help you navigate your way around the virtual room and view the information.

If you would prefer to read a document setting out the proposed strategy, we have also created a consultation brochure and easy read brochure.

Visit our virtual exhibition

Now’s the time to start planning your Christmas shopping, so make sure to order the Magpie Centre Calendar, 2022, to keep your friends and family well-organized, plus let them know lots of ways to help this very worthy cause.

The Magpie Centre, home of West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled Association, based at Wallington Hall, near Downham Market, provides around 100 riding and carriage driving lessons a week, to people of all ages, living with a wide range of physical and learning disabilities.

The calendars, which feature our lovely horses, ponies, staff and riders, and our Christmas cards, will be available from Chalk and Cheese at Shouldham, and West Winch Post Office, so pop in when you’re passing and pick some up.

Or they can be obtained via our new website www.rda-westnorfolk.org.uk from November 9.

Despite some hiccups caused by Covid restrictions, our Tea With a Pony sessions have become increasingly popular, and at the time of writing, nine participants had booked to attend the last one of the season, scheduled for Wednesday October 13.

Looking towards next year, the first of these events will take place on April 20 and continue until the autumn. Although initially aimed at people living with dementia and their carers, the events have opened up to welcome all participants who have age-related reduced mobility.

Tea With a Pony sessions, every Wednesday, 2 pm – 3 pm, enable visitors to meet and socialize over a cup of tea/coffee and cakes, and get up close and personal with a couple of our gentle ponies, if they so wish.

The newly constructed Sensory Garden, opened by HRH the Princess Royal in July, is wheelchair-friendly and offers a range of features to delight and entertain. Cost is £10 per participant, including carer, and £5 for other family members or friends.

To book, or for more information about riding/driving lessons, call 01553 810202, email magpiecentrewnrda@hotmail.co.uk or visit our website: www.rda-westnorfolk.org.uk

ENDS

For more info, please call me on 01553 828935 or email c.dudley@success-in-english.co.uk.

We are writing to invite you and the residents of Boughton Parish to take part in a survey on how you feel about tourism in your area.

The survey is part of the Norfolk County Council EXPERIENCE project and is about summer  tourism. It will be carried out every six months over the next 2-3 years, focussing on winter and summer tourism alternately, you may have seen the previous one issued in April about winter tourism.

To take part please click on this link:

https://surreyfbel.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0GvxicG7WnmWsB0

More information:

• The results will be used to tailor the activities of the project and to better understand the benefits and disadvantages of tourism for local people.
• Anyone who is over 18 and a resident in Norfolk can take part.
• There’s a prize draw for £40 of Jarrold vouchers for participants (excluding employees of Norfolk County Council and their families, and anyone involved in the prize draw).
• The survey closes at midnight on 15^th October 2021.

We would be very grateful if you could redistribute this to your residents and networks, as it’s important that we get views from residents across Norfolk. If you are Parish Clerk to another parish, please do forward onto them.

We also have social media posts which can be shared:

And our NCC social media posts are here:

https://twitter.com/NorfolkCC/status/1443184271179587585

https://www.facebook.com/Norfolkcc (posted 29^th Sept)

Thank you in advance!

Best Wishes,

The EXPERIENCE Team.

 

Official opening of the Sensory Garden at the Magpie Centre, home of West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled Association, is drawing closer, and the garden will be of particular benefit to Tea With a Pony participants, many of whom are living with dementia or sensory impairment.

Tea With a Pony mornings, which will re-commence in September, enable people, many of whom live in care homes, and their carers, to enjoy a social get-together, with tea and cakes, and meet some of our lovely ponies.

Thanks to the work of loyal volunteers, the planting is almost complete, and the flowers and shrubs have taken well, helped greatly by the recent unsettled weather.

However, to complete the Sensory Garden project, we need two hardwood tables, around which wheelchair users and their carers can be accommodated.  These cost £600 each, so donations with these in mind would be much appreciated.

Also, Magpie Centre Yard Manager, Natalie Dade said: ‘Some of our yard equipment is coming to the end of its useful life, so we need to replace it.’  Items needed are: grooming kits, manure scoops, brooms, shavings forks and clipper blades.

‘Many of our ponies are cobs, with heavy coats,’ she explained, ‘so they need clipping regularly to keep them cool and comfortable in work. At up to £45 a pair for clipper blades, their maintenance does not come cheap,’ she added.

Donations, however large or small, will be gratefully received.  For those who still have cheque books, cheques payable to WNRDA and sent to Magpie Centre, Wallington Hall, South Runcton, PE 33 0EP are welcome. Or, please call the Centre on 01553 810202 for (bank transfer) BACS details. Donations can also be made via our website: www.rda-westnorfolk.org.uk

And, finally, thank you so much to all those who have offered their services as volunteers.  The response has been amazing.  Magpie Centre phone has been ringing off the hook, and our office manager is responding to calls as fast as she can.  If you do not receive a response in the next few days, please bear with us and you will receive a response shortly. We really do appreciate your interest.

Our Rabbit “Fluffy” escaped in the afternoon of 1st Jun while being walked by our son, she still had a leash on but we have searched everywhere for the last couple hours without any luck..

She is a giant french lop so easy to spot.

If she is found we are at Park House, Mill Hill Road, 07375415764

Paul Ashby

Residents, as the warm weather entices us out please don’t invite the burglars in!

remember to secure windows and door if you go out and turn the key in the front door if you are in the garden, it takes just a few moments for an opportunist.

If you see something suspicious report it to the police https://www.police.uk/pu/contact-the-police/report-a-crime-incident/