Denton a village in South Norfolk, England

Denton Village News Archive for 2024

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Advent is Here

It's that time of year again, and across Denton Advent Window Displays are being produced for the seasonal celebrations.

Caroline Guthrie has organised a suitable display to circulate via DentonTalk and appear here.

Day 24, and Final, - 24th December
A5 Day 23 - 23rd December
A5 Day 22 - 22nd December

A5 Day 21 - 21st December

A5 Day 20 - 20th December
A5 Day 19 - 19th December
A5 Day 18 - 18th December
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Day 17 - 17th December
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Day 16 - 16th December
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Day 15 - 15th December
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Day 14 - 14th December
A5 Day 13 - 13th December
A5 Day 12 - 12th December
A5 Day 11 - 11th December
A5 Day 10 - 10th December
A5 Day 9 - 9th December
A5 Day 8 - 8th December
A5 Day 7 - 7th December
A5 Day 6 - 6th December
A5 Day 5 - 5th December
A5 Day 4 - 4th December
A4 Day 3 - 3rd December
A3 Day 2 - 2nd December
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Day 1 - 1st December
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In the News Again

The recent publication of the Denton Dream Boys Calendar has attracted a lot of media interest with coverage on TV and Radio.

Denton was in the news again this morning but, this time, it was all about one of the "other" Dentons.

As recorded elsewhere on the Website, Denton in Greater Manchester has a special claim to fame. It boasts the railway station with the lowest passenger numbers in the country.

It thus featured on this morning's "Today" programme on BBC Radio 4, with a live report from the station on the arrival of the 8.42 service. Needless to say nobody got off and nobody got on.

Promotion for the Rector

As keen readers of the November Parish News may have noticed, our Rector, Chris Hutton, has recently taken on another role.

During a special service at Earsham Church on November 6th he was Licenced by the Bishop of Thetford as the Rural Dean of the Redenhall Deanery.

He stays as our Rector, and still covers the rest of the Earsham Benefice, but now takes on a supervisory role for the Redenhall area. This comprises: six Benefices, 30 Parishes and 36 Churches.

Good for Chris, but we hope it will leave him enough time for other important matters, like the DVC's Panto.

Advanced Notice

The Village Hall Management Committee have announced dates for two important events in the New Year.

Courtesy of the Grants, the Annual Village Quiz is to be held on Saturday, January 25th, and
Courtesy of the Whitemans, the Annual Village Table Tennis Tournament will take place on Friday, March 7th.

Another Great Exhibition

Members of the Denton Art Group staged their Annual Exhibition at the Village Hall yesterday.

The Show was very well attended and the works on view were highly praised by visitors who came from far and wide. Several of the paintings were sold at bargain prices. The refreshments were also much enjoyed.

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Group members preparing to open the doors.

Pond News

Recent activity at the old Village Pond has attracted a lot of interest. The pond, on the East side of Norwich Road near to the Village Hall, used to be the village well pond, with a pump installed for communal use.

Situated on land controlled by the Winter family, the parish council agreed that it would be a good idea to rejuvenate it, as over the past few decades it had become silted up and overgrown. Norfolk Wildlife Trust agreed this was a good idea (especially for great crested newts) and offered the funding to do it. A handy man with a digger was available.

Pond restorations always look stark at first. Even so, the pond was found to be much deeper than expected. Digging had to keep going until the clay lining, was revealed. This meant pulling out all the decomposing silt and smelly organic matter that had built up over the years. If it had been left in there, it would have been very dangerous for anyone/thing venturing in, as they could have sunk and disappeared in the mud. Furthermore, it would not have been great for wildlife as the water would have soon become smelly and stagnant again.

Nature has an incredible way of restoring itself and it is expected that, by next summer, the pond will have greened up, with clear, clean water and be humming with insect and bird life. The coppiced/cut hedge will soon bounce back too. A “Deep Water” warning notice is planned.

A few people suggested stocking the pond with fish but the advice from Norfolk Wildlife Trust was not to do so as fish will eat the eggs of newts, frogs, toads etc. and they can also stir up the sediment and make the water murky.

We will all enjoy watching this pond come back to life.
Many thanks to Emily and Martin.

Denton Dream Boys

Saturday night at the Village Hall saw the "unveiling" of a very ambitious project to raise funds for Addenbrooke's and Papworth Hospitals.

The idea of Paul and Karen Wilby, it involved the creation of a Calendar for 2025 carrying, each month, a very discreet picture of one, or sometimes more, of Denton's most desirable Gentlemen.
Needless to say, Mark Richards did a great job taking the pictures.

Part of the Front Page, the less revealing part, appears below. Of course, if you want to see rather more of these very special men, copies of the complete Calendar can be obtained from Paul Wilby on 07775 865738, olddairydenton@btinternet.com.

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Hall Annual Meeting

This year's Village Hall Annual General Meeting will be held, in the Hall, on Monday 4th November, starting at 7.30 pm.

All Denton residents are welcome to attend.

Talk Returns

We are pleased to report that, following recent problems with our long-standing local communication system, DentonTalk, it has been decided to replace it with a replacement - DentonTalk24.

All members of the old system should have either been transferred to the new list or invited to request to join it.
It seems some of the invitation messages have been treated as Spam. If necessary please check.

Two Invitations

Denton Residents have been invited to two local events. They are -

Alburgh with Denton Primary Academy - Friday 4th October.

Tour of the School from 9.30 to 11.30 for prospective parents and their children.
Further details can be seen HERE.

Norfolk Police - Street Surgery - Saturday 12th October

Harleston Market Place, 11 am to 12.30, Your chance to have your say.
Further details can be seen HERE.

Problems with Talk

We are very sorry to report that DentonTalk is not currently operating normally.

It seems that issues with messages on the system, involving scam or other dubious material, have led to the Group being shut down by Google.

Needless to say, we are taking action to get this sorted out ASAP.

UPDATE 30/09 Problems still unresolved.
We may have to set up a new Group, in which case all current members will be transferred and then notified..

Meanwhile - apologies to all our members.

It's Norwich Road Again

Yesterday saw Denton's second Walking-Football tournament on the Playing Field. The first was held two years ago, as part of the Queen's Jubilee Celebrations, but last year's event had to be cancelled.

As previously the teams were mainly area-based, though the Hanner family produced their own team. Matches were closely contested on a knock-out basis. Just like 2022, the winners were the Norwich Road team with Darrow Green Road in second place, but nearly everybody who took part was awarded a medal to recognise their contribution.

Cinders Returns

Cinderella returns to Denton.

Denton Variety Club have announced that next year's production, to be staged on the 20th, 21st and 22nd February, will be the traditional pantomime Cinderella.

The Club have used the theme twice before, in 1991 and 2009. Details of these productions can be seen on the Club's History Pages.

Ploughing On

The second Denton Plough Day, held on Sunday at Vale Farm, proved to be even more successful than the first held last year. It could easily develop into an annual event.

More than 40 tractors, of various shapes and sizes turned up, and their drivers, of all ages, showed their skills. As a result a substantial acreage was ploughed.

The many spectators enjoyed the scene and took advantage of the tractor-pulled rides and the refreshment facilities. The weather was great.

The event raised over £500 for the Addenbrookes and Papworth Hospital Trusts. Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved.

Cyder Time Again

Yes, it is nearly time for cyder production to commence.

The Black Hand Cyder Society have announced the vital dates for this year's activities.

The first stage, Foraging, when apples are collected in, will take place on Saturday 12th October. Two tons will be required to produce a suitable quantity of apple juice.

Then, two weeks later, on Saturday October 26th, it will be Pressing Day. As usual, the Society welcomes new members, particularly if they are able to help with the production process.

Finally, another date for your diary. The day for another vital part of the Cyder Year, Wassailing, has been set for Saturday January 18th.

Full details of all these activities can be found on the Society's Page.

Show Time No. 25

This year's Open Show held at the Village Hall on Saturday was as successful as its 24 predecessors. It is 27 years since the first Show in 1997 but, of course, two had to be cancelled due to Covid.

The number of entrants and entries was slightly down on last year but the quality of those entries was as high as ever with close competition for most of the prizes. Full details of all the winners can be found on the Show History Page.. Suffice to record here that the overall Championship Trophy winner was Sally Barber and the winner of the Gentlemen's Cookery competition was Malcolm Bardsley.

However, congratulations must go to everyone who took part and many thanks to the organisers.

A Close Run Contest X 2

There was a great turn-out for this year's Boulles Championships at the Darrow Green Road Bouledrome last night. More than 70 members of the Cyder Club and guests enjoyed a very sociable evening with a bit of healthy competition thrown in as 16 teams of three battled it out for the coveted trophies.

The Winners of the main competition were “Sticky One Styll” (Ben, Lewis and Charlie) who narrowly beat “Middle of the Road” (Caroline, Andrew and Phil).

The winners of the Plate competition, for first round losers, were ”The Doggis” (Gill, Doris and Gareth) with a narrow victory over “The Dream Team” (Alan ,Jan and Linda).

However, both finals went to the wire with the score standing at 6 each before the victors reached the crucial winning seventh point in both games.

Perhaps more important, cyder and other beverages flowed, the barbecues were kept busy, and a wonderful evening in the great Denton tradition, was enjoyed by all.

New Councillor and a New Name

It's been all change in the Stopper/Edwards household recently.

First, on July 9th Meghan S was formally co-opted and became a member of Denton Parish Council to replace Matthew Jones who had stepped down. Well done Meghan for taking this on.

Then, just a month later, on 10th August, she married Ricky E and became Mrs Edwards. Our congratulations to both of them.

Championship Time Again

It's that time of year again. Members of the Black Hand Cyder Society, and their guests, are limbering up for this year's Boules Championships to be held at Mill Farm in Darrow Green Road on Sunday 25th August.

Teams of three, starting promptly at 6pm - all welcome. Further details on the Boules Page or from Adele Godsmark..

A Wonderful Weekend

The recent weekend proved yet again that we are all so lucky to live in such a wonderful community.

As previously reported, the Village Fete on Saturday provided a great opportunity for people of all ages to relax and enjoy themselves while raising funds for the Church in Denton.

This was followed on Sunday by a superb celebration of the Centenary of the building that plays such an important part of our lives, the Village Hall. The lunch provided was excellent and, of course, supplies from the bar went down very well (even if beer is now £2.50 a pint and a bottle of wine £7.50!).

One highlight, after lunch, was the cutting of a Celebration Cake by Hilda Thomas. This was followed by a Speech covering the Hall’s development over the 100 years, by the Chairman of the Hall Management Committee, Terry Hanner. For longer-term residents the mention of important events, like the first Village Supper, brought back so many happy memories. It was great to see several former Dentonians return and join in the fun.

Finally, later in the day there was a good turn-out at the Hall to watch the final of the Euro football competition. OK, England lost to Spain, but it was yet another opportunity for residents to come together.

As several people have commented, a wonderful Denton weekend with wonderful people. Many thanks to the long list of residents who contributed so much and made it all possible.

Games Galore

It was Games, Games and more Games at this year's Village Fete, held at the Village Hall on Saturday July 13th.

All the usual stalls were there of course: Raffle, Tombola, Bric-a-Brac, etc, but visitors had the chance to show their skills at a vast range of Games including: Putting, Bowling and just "Throwing Things".

Most were staged inside the twin marquees erected in preparation for the Village Lunch event. Perhaps as a result, there was no rain, which cheered everybody.

It is hoped that the winners of each Game, and the proceeds of the event, in aid of the Church in Denton, will appear here in due course.

New Marquees - New Challenge

The first Marquee erection of the year last night presented a real challenge for those involved. There was a good turnout of helpers but - how to put the new marquees together?

The basic structure of interlinked metal poles was similar to the old marquees but there were several critical differences and the printed instructions which were provided by the manufacturers were very unhelpful in several important areas.

As a result it took much longer to put together the first marquee at the Village Hall and some "fudging" was needed to avoid taking it down and starting again. Eventually the team could move on to erect the second one at Pear Tree Farm. This went much more smoothly and suitable steps are being taken to make future constructions much simpler.

Thankfully, the weather was excellent and the liquid refreshment provided helped to reduce any frustrations caused along the way..

Great Weather - Great Gardens

This year’s Open Gardens event, held in aid of the Church in Denton on Sunday 23rd June, was heralded as a great success by everybody who attended, The excellent weather helped, but it was the 14 gardens on display and their owners that were the real stars. And a wonderful set of Scarecrows was also on view.

A very nice guide to the gardens with a useful map showing their locations was available from the Village Hall where refreshments were served.

As several owners commented, the event provided them with a useful excuse to tidy up their properties but the results made it all worthwhile. A number of very productive vegetable plots were on view but it was the gorgeous flower displays that really caught the eye. The prize for the best Scarecrow, representing “Miss Havisham” it seems, went to Sally Barber.

Over £1,300 was raised fot the Church. Well done everybody involved.

APM 2024

Details have been announced of this year's Annual Parish Meeting to be held on Tuesday 14th May starting at 7 pm.

The Guest Speaker is Matt Newton-Jones who will be speaking about the work of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Another topic will be a report on Biodiversity from Cllr Matt Jones.
There will also be reports from village organisations.

Everyone welcome. Your chance to have your say.
The APM will be followed by the PC's Annual Meeting .

Ping Pong Success

As in previous years, it was a most enjoyable evening at the Village Hall on Friday. The availability of Bella Ciao Pizza and the Bar obviously played their part but it was the hotly-contested Annual Table-tennis Championships that captured everyone's attention.

Ably organised as usual by Annie and Steve Whiteman, there were some very close matches in both the Ladies' and Gentlemen's competitions.
As they commented, "Table tennis has proved to be a game for all ages as players from six years old to the mid-eighties recently took to the tables. During the first hour of the evening up to ten juniors bounced, bumped and bobbled the ball from one end of the table to the other in all manners of ways. Hopefully, the outside table – which has bats and balls stored within it – will provide a place throughout the year for their enthusiasm to flourish; who knows, stars of the future?"

When the adults played there was the usual mixture of missed hits and masterly crafted points, alongside looks of despair and frustration as another point was gifted to a grateful opponent.

The eventual winners were Maureen Coe, regaining the trophy she last won in 2017, by beating runner-up Andrea Fitzgerald, and Gary McDonald, beating Bernard Coe in the final match and repeating his win of last year.
It was thus honours even as neighbouring villagers shared the spoils of the tournament.

A great night was had by all the players and by all the watchers. Thanks are due to all who played their part.

A Pilgrimage To Denton – Well, Past It

Did you know that Denton was on a Pilgrimage Route? It is now.

A new long-distance pilgrimage route has been created, running right across the country from St David’s Head in Pembrokeshire all the way to Ness Point in Lowestoft. Called the Via Beata, it uses footpaths and bridleways as much as possible. Further details can be seen Here.

One stretch of the route runs along the by-way on the South side of Websdill Wood. Technically the by-way is designated Bedingham-RB7. This is because the path is on the boundary between Bedingham and Denton but, assuming the boundary runs down the middle of the path, surely we can claim to be on the Route.

Another location on the Route is the Norfolk & Waveney Emmaus Base at Ditchingham. Later in the year they are organising a fund-raising “Walk of Kindness” along the Route. We gather two local people, both called Chris, Messrs Brown and Hutton, have already signed-up to take part.
Further details can be seen Here.

Birthdays Galore

One of the many fun-moments enjoyed at the regular Thursday morning coffee gatherings at the Chapel Vestry is the celebration of attendees' birthdays. This week was really special with no less than three such milestones to be recorded.

Suitable cards were signed and presented and, as usual, a mini-birthday cake was provided for each celebrant as well. The fact that two of them bore the same name caused a bit of confusion. No problem with the third.

Two Kaths,

The Snapper snapped,

Happy Birthday to all concerned!.

Oh Yes It Was

Another February Half-Term gone, another DVC production delivered.

Last week in Denton saw three performances of this year's Panto - "Space Wars", a loose, sometimes very loose, combination of several well-known themes from Star Wars, Star Trek etc.

A sell-out every night, it was much enjoyed by the audience and, possibly more important, the cast and crew had a whale of a time.

Everybody involved including: the orchestra, the set painters, the costume creators, the sound and lights operators, the Box Office Dolly, etc. should be congratulated on a great team effort. A special vote of thanks must go to the Director, Steve Barrett, for pulling it all together so well.

A Synopsis, full details of the Cast etc. and a Review, by Old Stager, together with some Photos, are available in the DVC History Section.

Another Great Quiz Night

The Village Hall was packed last night for the Annual Village Quiz.

It followed in the great tradition of these events, with a hotly contested Quiz, contested in the most civilised fashion of course, but in the normal Denton way, ensuring that everyone had a good time.

The winners, and now holders of the "Brain of Denton" trophy, were - "Tom's Team" with "Bobby's Dazzlers" in second place and "The Great 8" third. Last place went to "Arty Facts", who therefore won the Wooden Spoon trophy.

Rather surprisingly, this year very few people argued with the Question-mistress over her answers to her questions. Most unusual. The "Bone of Contention" trophy was awarded to Rosemary Gibson but nobody on her team could work out why?

We all had a great time and thanks must be recorded to everyone involved in the event, obviously to Denise Grant and to her excellent assistant Peter, but also to the cooking team - who produced a great meal at half-time, the bar staff, and the organisers of the raffle.

Well done Everyone!

Events Galore

The recent meeting of the Village Hall Management Committee agreed a long list of forthcoming events extending to the Village Supper in November.
Some of them are subject to later confirmation but they are all now included on the Coming Events Page.

Census Details - At Last

We are pleased to report that, after a long delay, details of the results of the 2021 Census, have been added to the website. These show that the population of the parish, 358, had risen by 32 since the previous 2011 census.
Further details can be found Here.

Biodiversity in Denton

An unusual item appears on the agenda of the next meeting of Denton Parish Council.

The council will be holding its normal regular bi-monthly meeting next week, Tuesday, January 9th, but under Item No.10 they will discuss "Biodiversity Policy".
It could be an interesting discussion. As usual, all local residents are welcome to attend.

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