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Newsletter (july 2024)
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Well, here we are again at the beginning of another year of events at Waveney Heritage. Our initial Wednesday evening talk by Robin Twigge, our chairman, went with a swing, as always, closely followed on Easter Monday by our first Open Day of the season. Both museums were open, there was a beautiful display of photographs of Billingford Mill taken by the late Barry Freeman and the Waveney River Trust and Round Tower Churches Trust were on hand to provide information about their organisations.
As always the BBQ, run by Graham and Corinne Moore was greatly appreciated, as was the cafe providing drinks and a lovely selection of cakes. Our grounds are now being looked after by Waveney Volunteers for Nature who also ensure that the two Brockdish Commons are managed with the primary interests of wildlife and nature in mind. We are very happy to be associated with these organisations, welcoming them into our home, working together to conserve what we have and aiming towards a greater understanding of the importance of looking after our environment, to say nothing of those who live and work in it!
Do please have a look at our website to see what further delights we have in store for you this year, starting with our talk by Gordon Lascelles on the evening of Wednesday 17th. He'll be speaking about Burgh Castle, the Roman fort overlooking the Waveney down on the coast. It was part of the defences protecting what was then a large estuary, now the Broads, from invasion. Did you know it existed? I didn't! Do come to hear all about it - no need to book - drinks and cakes as always!
Mary Thompson
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Newsletter (March 2024)
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Well, hallo again! I'm writing this in my office, looking out at daffodils, tree blossom and all the signs of the world awakening;- Thank goodness!
This is just a reminder that we have our first talk this coming Wednesday, 20th March at 7.30pm. Our chairman Robin Twigge will be entertaining us with the second instalment of “The life and Adventures of Robin Twigge”. Those of you who remember the first episode will remember how entertaining it was and how varied his life has been;- certainly not a stay-at-home boy!
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There will be tea, coffee and cakes on hand as always and we look forward to welcoming you all again.
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May I also remind you of our Open Day which follows swiftly on Easter Monday 1st April from 10.00am to 3.00pm. Graham will be in charge of the BBQ as always, drinks and cakes will be on hand and the museum and radio room will be open.
We have been donated a beautiful collection of photographs of Billingford Windmill which will be displayed in the downstairs museum. They were printed by the photographer himself, demonstrating his talent and, once again, the wealth of talent tucked into what some would assume was a sleepy neighbourhood!
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The census returns for Brockdish covering the last hundred plus years will be on hand so that you can see who lived in Brockdish, what they did for a living, how many children they had and whether they had servants, underlining how much our lives have changed.
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You will notice when you visit us in daylight that our grounds are now looking much more cared for. This is thanks to Waveney Volunteers for Wildlife who, in addition to looking after both commons in Brockdish, undertake much unpaid conservation work around the whole area. Not long ago both our commons were so overgrown that they were practically inaccessible to us and of no real use to wildlife such as turtle doves and nightingales which were common around here but are now either absent or rare. We are delighted to be associated with them.
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We're hoping for lots of sunshine so you can enjoy the common and our grounds as well as our exhibitions, but come what may it will be a great day!
Very best wishes
Mary Thompson and all the Trustees
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Summer Newsletter (2023)
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Here we are, with the summer moving on far too fast, children back to school and life returning to what passes for normal!
We have held several successful events during the summer and hosted various “crafty” sessions for other organisations. The Waveney Volunteers for Nature have been busy keeping the grounds under control and we are looking forward to meeting more local groups who have asked to use our premises.
In the meantime, Waveney Wireless goes from strength to strength, the Museum of Childhood Memories and the lovely 1930's sitting room are looking great with some new exhibits. Jill Edwards our secretary has been pulling the archive into order so that we can embark on the enormous task of scanning stuff so that it can be viewed online - Maybe a winter job?
As you know our building used to be the village school which sadly closed several years ago. Gordon Lascelles who many of you know from his researches in Harleston is giving us a talk on Wednesday 13th September on “Education over 600 years in Brockdish and Thorpe Abbotts”, starting at 7.30pm. You may not know there was a school at Thorpe Abbotts, but there was! It closed a long ago and it will be interesting to find out more about it. I do know that the registers and punishment books are still in existence for Brockdish, revealing the misdemeanours of some well know local residents!
Over the weekend of 23/24th September we have another of our open days, starting at 10.00am each day. The BBQ will be on hand for Saturday and a ready supply of drinks and cakes on both days as always. We are looking forward to welcoming stall holders from other local groups, including Waveney Volunteers for Nature who are working to improve our grounds for nature. We have stalls, music and much much more, so do come along. The Volunteers for Nature group have been working very hard on both Brockdish commons, including the one immediately adjacent to our building. It is coming along beautifully and you might like to have a walk there with one of the volunteers. We are also hoping that at some stage we may be able to acquire the small field at the top of the bank which the school used as a sports field. Because it is adjacent to a footpath and the Angles Way it would make a lovely further addition to the area and its wildlife.
We are looking forward to meeting you all again. As always if you have any comments on how we can improve, please talk to us and if you fancy volunteering that would be even better!
Best wishes from us all at Waveney Heritage.
Your Trustees