Denton a village in South Norfolk, England

Denton Village News Archive for 2017

View archives for 2018

View archives for 2016

Or select a month to view from this year.

Angel Delight

This year's Angel Festival at St Mary's proved to be a great success, attracting visitors from far and wide.

One, perhaps from furthest afield, was Andrew Hunn from Cornwall. He has kindly sent us a number of photographs of the event, some of which appear below.

view

doll scare

side bike

Thanks and congratulations to everyone involved in organising the event.

Vacancy Filled

We are pleased to report that the vacancy on Denton Parish Council, caused by Peter Hill's resignation, has now been filled.

At their November meeting the PC co-opted Christine Kerr as a member of the Council. Thanks and congratulations to Chrissie; as the proverb goes - "One volunteer is better than ten pressed men".

Towards "Boxing Day"

No not that one!
Time to report the latest news on Denton's slow progress towards super-fast broadband.

Last week the west end of Middle Road was closed for the installation of our new fibre-optic-ready Green Box. This is now in place, as pictured.

The Box

The next stage is to connect the box to the BT network. For this power is needed, so today making a connection to the nearest supply of electricity, on the pole on the other side of Trunch Hill, is under way.

The Hole

Once the box is up and running with the magic FO cable attached, BT engineers will have to connect all our copper wires to the new facility. Any chance of this being all done by the day after Christmas? Unlikely perhaps, but keep your fingers crossed.

Norfolk County Council have produced a report showing the current status of the Council's campaign to provide super-fast broadband access across Norfolk. The Report is available here.

Seasonal Entertainment

All four seasons were on display at the Village Hall on Friday and Saturday.

They provided the theme for the Rising Stars' two "performances" and what a great show it was!.
No less than 20 young people were involved ranging in age from two to nine. The seasons were covered with appropriate songs, poetry and "I say, I say" jokes.
As usual some members of the cast were perhaps less enthusiastic than others but all joined in and played their part. The audience loved it.

The show ended with the traditional rendering of "We're the Stars" with parent participation on stage for the second time through. It was all very much in the wonderful RS tradition.

Congratulations must go to Gill Hipwell and her great team, but most of all to the Stars themselves.

Dentill Certified

A "Thank-you" Certificate has been received from EACH for the funds donated to them from the proceeds of this year's Dentill.

XM

Over at Last

We are delighted to report that the long-running saga of the future use of Grove Farm in Middle Road is finally over.

Our District Councillor, Murray Gray, has been closely involved in the issue for over 20 years. Yesterday he attended the public auction of the farm buildings. This had been forced by South Norfolk Council in order to recover the substantial costs awarded to them by the courts and never paid by the site owners.

He has informed us that the sale went through and that the purchaser was a local resident.

Your Parish Needs You!

Long-serving Denton parish councillor and former Council Chairman, Peter Hill, has resigned from DPC. Tributes were paid to his much-valued contribution to the Council at the recent September meeting.

This means there is a vacancy on the Council which will be filled in due course by co-option. Anyone who is interested in volunteering for the position should contact the Chair of the PC or the Clerk as soon as possible.

Further information, including details of what the job involves, are available in the PC Pages of the Village Website.

Time Starts Again in Denton

Time has stopped standing-still, at last.

For some months time has been standing-still locally; at least down at St Mary's it has.

The major renovation project at the parish church forced the stopping of the clock on the tower. It had been showing twenty past four ever since.

Now, restoration is complete and, as shown in Johnnie Carslake's photo below, it is running, and chiming, again. Perhaps best of all; we will no longer have those panic moments - "I can't be that late for my appointment, can I!" - as we drive past the church.

Clock

A Weekend to Remember

What a great weekend - so much going on - no time to think for many Denton residents.

Saturday was the annual "Garden Club Open Show" and, as usual, the Village Hall was filled with colour, great produce of all kinds and fierce competition for the prizes on offer.

It was wonderful to see so many entries for the various classes. Over 50 people took part including some of the newest arrivals in the village and a number of children.

The winners of the trophies for the individual categories were:

  • Flowers - Peter Wiltshire
  • Vegetables - Sarah Henderson
  • Domestic - Jean Whipps
  • Decorative - Barbara Spaul
  • Men's (Cheese Straws) - Peter Wiltshire
  • Best Single Bloom (A new Trophy in memory of Sandie Jones) - Doris Lambert
  • Best in Show Under 14 - Lana Osborne.
  • Overall - Sarah Henderson

Then it was on to Sunday and "Dentill 2017". Was it really two years since the last one?

In spite of perhaps a little too much mud, the venue opposite the Village Hall worked very well; with all the agricultural activities on one side of the ditch and everything else on the playing field on the other.

The range of farming equipment on display and in action, from the oldest to the newest, the smallest to the largest, was quite fascinating. The turn-out of classic cars was also most impressive, with a WWII American gun-carrier to keep everyone in order. The crowds made very good use of the excellent food and drink on offer and were entertained by the wide repertoire of the mobile organ.

One of the organisers rated this Dentill the "best-yet" and a substantial sum (later announced as over £7,800) was raised for charity. Roll on 2019!

So it was a very busy weekend but, as one new resident observed, it provided two outstanding, most enjoyable community events - what living in Denton is really all about.

Thanks must go to the many people who worked so hard to make the events so successful.

Denton Changing Shape?

As notified earlier in the year, South Norfolk Council, as part of their on-going Governance Review, have been considering requests for changes to parish boundaries. Denton PC put in a bid for adjusting our boundary with Earsham and this, with the support of our District Councillor, Murray Gray, has now been approved by the relevant SNC committee.

The PC had suggested that five properties currently in Earsham should be moved into Denton. Further details, and a map showing the proposed new boundary, can be seen on the SNC Website
The properties involved are on Danacre, Middle and Denton Roads. The last will presumably be at least partially renamed if the boundary change goes through!

The next stage in the process will be a period of public consultation from 31/8 until 27/10. Everyone is encouraged to join in but we gather that Earsham PC are not objecting to the change. The final act will be seeking the approval of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

UPDATE

Further research has now revealed that eight properties would be involved if the proposal is approved. They are:
  • Danacre Road - Wash Cottage,
  • Middle Road - High Green Farm, Little Green Farm, Jack Ansell Cottages x 2,
  • Denton Road - Parrs Farm, Parrs Farm Annex, White House Farm.

Fun at the Bouleodrome

From our Boules correspondent.

Competition at this year's Village Boules Championships, held at Mill Farm on Thursday, was as intense as ever.

Congratulations must go, again, to Shabbyabi (Abi, Lorraine & Jon Symons) who regained the much coveted tournament winners trophy.

As luck would have it they played Dogs & Roses (Doris, Chris W & Paul) twice (in the Group and Knockout stages). Both of these matches were very competitive, physically and verbally but Shabbyabi came out on top and went on to beat The No Namers (Sharon, Toby and Malcolm (substituting for Nigel)) in a great final.

Plate winners were Hopeless (who were anything but hopeless) (Charlotte, Kate & Lubi) who triumphed over The Gibson Girls in the Plate Final. Grandma Gibson's cunning plan of buying time by having a 3 course meal before the match sadly didn't pay off but it was worth a try. Longest game of the evening was The No Namers against Earditch (or should that be Shamingham) (Denise & Peter and co).

Official attendance for the evening was 71. Great to see so many kids enjoying the evening and taking part in the tournament. Boules seems to bridge the generations!

Editor's Note: Special thanks to the Godsmarks for organising such a great event.

The Wedding of the Year?

Well, it will take some beating!

Everyone who was lucky enough to attend Saturday's wedding of Ian and Kat Cooper has made the same comment - "What a fabulous occasion."

It all went brilliantly. The beautifully decorated Chapel was packed. The sun shone. The service conducted by Chris Hutton went very smoothly. The Dentones sung delightfully.

Later, the food and drink at the Village Hall was excellent. The entertainment for 40+ kids was great. The speeches by James Hanner and Kat were also entertaining. Even later, the band played very well and the dance floor was crowded.

However, what really made the day for most people was watching two much-loved members of the Denton community coming together in marriage and celebrating the event with them.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the day, but most of all to Kat and Ian.

A Great Summer Festival

Summer was really celebrated in suitable style at the Village Hall on Saturday

The weather was lovely, after all we are enjoying a heat-wave, the music delightful, the food excellent and the beverages on offer - just amazing.

It was billed as a "Gin and Beer" event and both categories were very well represented. There were eight real ales on offer and a similar number of craft gins. Attempts to try all of them failed miserably. Two of the beers came from the new Hipwell family brewery and will shortly be available locally.

We were very well entertained by the local musicians and singers, the talent on offer seems to grow every year.

Young and old had a great time. As somebody commented - "fantastic relaxed atmosphere - a typical Denton event". Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved.

All Change at the Top

Last night's Annual Meeting of the Parish Council produced a change of officers.

Peter Hill, who has chaired the Council for the last five years stepped down and was replaced by the former Vice-Chair, Kay Wiltshire. Terry Hanner was appointed to his former role of Vice-Chair.

The Council then passed a unanimous vote of thanks to Peter for his valuable service.

Land's End to John o' Groats

A challenge worth supporting.

Simon Spaul is currently attempting to "Fastpack" from one end of the country to the other to raise funds for two very worthwhile charities.

For further details including how you can sponsor Simon just go to the Sponsorship Page.

Progress at St Mary's

Do you know what is going on down at the Parish Church?

The Parochial Church Council have issued a Press Release providing details of the current project to restore St Mary's.

Full details can be found on the Church Page.

How Well are You Governed?

South Norfolk Council are conducting a "Community Governance Review". Further details are on a Special Page.

The introduction makes some pretty ambitious claims about the Review's objectives, i.e.

  • Improve community engagement and local democracy.
  • Facilitate efficient, effective and convenient delivery of local services and ensure electors across the whole District are treated equitably and fairly.

In contrast, the 11 questions asked seem very simplistic and hardly cover the objectives. However everybody interested in this topic should be urged to express their views.

One, critical, part of the survey covers changes to Parish Boundaries. One hopes none of our current residents would propose a move way from us but perhaps some people living close to our current boundaries might wish to join us?.

The Great Exhibition

What a great Show!

Everyone who visited the Village Hall over the weekend to see the Exhibition of Photographs of Denton (Old and no so old) had a real treat.

It has been estimated that over a thousand photos were on display covering every aspect of village life. Houses, including some no longer with us, were very prominent but, of course, it was really the pictures of people that made the biggest impact.

Young and old (sometimes the same individual) were all there from babies in push chairs to senior citizens a little bit past their prime.The latter included some much-loved faces also, sadly, no longer with us. Was anyone who has lived in the village during the last 50+ years not included?

All the local organisations from the WI to the Rising Stars also featured, the pictures from DVC productions were perhaps the most difficult to identify. There were lots of fascinating documents on display as well. Did you know that in 1923 the new Village Hall had to pay Income Tax?

Excellent refreshments were of course provided by Denton's cordon bleu team and where would a Denton event be without a raffle; great prizes.

Our thanks and congratulations must go to the many people involved in putting on the event and providing the exhibits but particularly the key organisers: Kath and Terry Hanner ably assisted by Adele and David Godsmark.

Table Tennis News

Twenty players ‘ping-ponged’ their way through the evening at Denton village hall recently in the annual Table Tennis Tournament.

There was a wide range of competitive spirit on show – ranging from the passive ‘do I have to play now? ‘ to the ‘each point is crucial’ comment that is often the prelude to the ball ending up on the stage or behind a curtain.

Maureen Coe retained the Ladies shield that she won last year by overcoming the competitive force that is Doris Lambert, whilst there was a return to trophy winning for the King of Spin – David Kemp, when he defeated last year's winner Bernard Coe in the final.

In all, DeniseGrant kept score and control, 90 games were played, a playful dog munched a ball into submission and a good time was had by all.

Work Starting at the Church

Work will shortly be starting on the major restoration project at St Mary's Church.

This is due to commence on Monday March 6th. While the work is in progress there will be limited access to the building.
Further details can be found on the Church Page.

Don't Cut Off Their Heads!

The audience at the Village Hall on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights were somewhat relieved when the anticipated executions by guillotine at the end of this year's pantomime did not actually take place.

Instead the whole cast, goodies and baddies, broke into song with "United we stand, divided we fall" in the finale, which neatly served to underline the great teamwork exhibited by the members of DVC yet again. Led by the writers Denise and Peter Grant, they created a show which was much enjoyed both by those taking part and, more importantly, the audiences.

Of course the guillotine was not invented until some time after the "Three Musketeers" were walking the streets of Paris but historical accuracy should never get in the way of a good panto. Further details and a full review appear in the Club's History Section but special mention should perhaps be made here of Barbara Spaul's outstanding costumes and, of course, the "orchestra". Ken Ashton, Simon Winter and Sue Altarelli did noble service expertly playing some great, familiar, tunes to support the singing, another highlight of the show.

A New Clerk

The Parish Council have appointed a new Clerk.

Following the resignation of Zoe Whiting, DPC have appointed Jackie Ellis, who lives in Harleston, as the new Parish Clerk.

Jackie has served as Alburgh PC's clerk for a number of years so brings a wealth of experience to the position.

Another View of Brexit

Tired of the whole Brexit discussion? To see it from the French side come to the Panto on February 16th, 17th or 18th.

DVC’s take on Dumas’ Three Musketeers is a tale of intrigue, treason and espionage, with plenty of drinking, dancing and drama thrown in.

Watch out for the breath-taking swordsmanship, superbly choreographed dancing and how to rid a city of rats. Oh, and keep your money handy for a chance to buy the latest wonder gadget for the kitchen.

Will the English spies get their soft Brexit or will the evil Cardinal have his wicked way?

For further information go to the DVC Page.

Romance Not Dead

Romance in Denton is definitely still alive!

This year Valentine's Day falls on the second Tuesday of the month. It seems all the members of our Parish Council are so keen to celebrate this critical anniversary with their beloveds that they have cancelled the February meeting of the PC due on that day.

They should surely be congratulated on getting their priorities right.

It's Finished!

Last night saw the formal opening of the Village Hall's latest extension.

DVH extn

Everyone associated with its creation, the planners, the builders, the decorators and the funders plus of course the members of the Hall's Management Committee were invited along to celebrate the event with a glass of bubbly and suitable nibbles.

The Chairman of the Committee, Terry Hanner, thanked everybody who had contributed to its construction notably, on the financial side, South Norfolk Council and Adnams Brewery. As usual in Denton, a lot of voluntary labour had gone into the project which would greatly enhance facilities at the Hall.

Denton's thespians will shortly be making good use of the building with the annual DVC production due next month.

No More Blood in Harleston

Regular blood donation sessions in Harleston have ceased.

For many years blood donors from Denton have gone to sessions held at various venues in Harleston. These have included the Leisure Centre and most recently the Apollo Club. (One of the attractions of the latter was always lying on ones back and working out the details of the lighting and balloon release systems suspended above you.)

This has now ceased and from now on donors will have travel further afield to make their contributions. The nearest venues are Hempnall Village Hall and the Belsey Bridge Conference Centre in Ditchingham.

Return to Home Page