Do you have ambition to tread the boards?
~~~~~
Is DIY your thing or do you enjoy working with wood?
~~~~~
Fancy being a stage hand or assisting the Stage Manager?
~~~~~
If so, then talk to Methwold Theatre Club on 01366 727526.
Author: webmaster
Reflections from Mundford Rectory Apr’18
Dear Friends,
Well it has been a bit of a chilly wee time hasn’t it…. What with the visit and major disruption from the Beast from the East where for some of our young people, they had never seen snow quite like it…and I think the last time I saw icicle’s quite so large was indeed when I myself was a child!
When the Beast from the East struck I was staying in Harrogate North Yorkshire for the week on a Leadership Conference. It was all terribly exciting when we got stuck due to the A17 being closed and had to stay another night before travelling home. Although for some, there were scenes of tragedy and destruction as we were gripped by freezing temperatures, and as I sit and write today there is more snow forecast over the weekend….
This weekend too also sees us rapidly going through the season of Lent where we will soon be reflecting on Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt at the beginning of Holy week, journeying through the incredible journey and sadness of Good Friday into Easter Day itself, where we will rejoice in the hope and salvation of the Risen Jesus, lived afresh in our lives through His Resurrection.
When this reflection reaches you, you may well be delving into an Easter egg, and so I wanted to leave these words with you from the great Easter hymn for you to ponder in your heart as you enjoy the gift of chocolate remembering the truth, gift and power of Easter ”Thine be the Glory” written by Edmond Louis Budry….
May the Risen Jesus be with you all this Easter-tide and all those whom you love, and may the soon to be warmth of the sun be your blessing.
Every love & blessing,
Your parish priest,
Zoe
Rev. Zoe Ferguson (Priest in Charge of the Mundford, Hilborough & Oxborough groups) Day off Monday.
(For Wedding, Baptism & Church enquires 01842 879375 or email)
Police Notice – Be Vigilant to Cold Callers
Police are urging residents to be vigilant to cold callers claiming to be police officers following a further incident in the Horsham St. Faith area.
It comes after previous incidents in recent months where elderly residents have been targeted in Wymondham, Norwich, Gorleston, Winterton, Great Yarmouth and Potter Heigham.
On each occasion the victims received a call on from someone claiming to be a ‘Detective Sergeant John Carod’ or a ‘Detective Sergeant John Witmore’ either stating he needed help with an investigation or officers had intercepted some males who had her credit card details.
The suspect then asks for victims to withdraw a large sum of money from their local bank or to put together gold and jewellery items and they would arrange for them to be collected, mainly by taxi.
Investigating officer, Detective Inspector Chris Burgess of Norwich CID, urged for residents to be vigilant to this scam.
He said: “We’re urging members of the public, particularly the elderly who are primarily being targeted, to be vigilant to cold calls made on the telephone.
“Genuine police officers or staff would never approach residents and ask for cash withdrawals to be made or for people to purchase items on their behalf.
“I would ask people with vulnerable relatives, friends or neighbours to make sure they are aware of this type of scam.”
Officers have this advice:
- Never give out personal information about your bank account to anybody over the phone.
- If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their identification number and police force. Hang up and call 101 using a different phone. If you can’t use a different phone, wait at least five minutes before calling back. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check.
- Police and banks will never ask you to give out personal details such as account numbers or PIN numbers.
- If you have given out information which could compromise your bank account security in any way, call your bank to cancel your cards as soon as possible.
- Never hand over money to someone at the door to be sent off elsewhere.
Anyone with concerns about such calls should contact Norfolk Police on the non-emergency number 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress. Alternatively, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
Reflections from Mundford Rectory Mar’18
Dear Friends,
A very cold but sunny day today as I sit and write, all wrapped up with about 20 layers….but there are signs of warmer weather to come, with a few crocuses in the Rectory garden beginning to appear, and when the wind is not ‘quite’ so cold…. You can just feel the warmth of the sun – just!
In the world around us the busyness of younger children at primary school will soon be preparing for their SATS and currently our local teens sitting GCSE Mock exams, with the real ones to come oh too soon, Christmas it seems long forgotten, summer holidays booked for some, and plans for the future being made. For me, I have had the pleasure of meeting with many wedding couples who are preparing for their weddings in the coming year, what a wonderful reminder of the power of God’s love in the lives of His people.
Another powerful reminder is that we are currently in the season of Lent, starting on Shrove Tuesday, a night with my teens where I actually managed to ‘flip’ a pancake without it ending up on the floor or ceiling, into the following day of Ash Wednesday, officially the start of Lent.
Sometimes it can feel very frustrating that Easter eggs are already filling the shelves of the supermarkets, perhaps forgetting that there is a Holy season preceding this time, however, it is also a constant reminder that we are sharing in a time together of working towards a time of renewal and new hope, a time of remembering how great God is, seen in the life of His Son Jesus.
The season of Lent itself can often be seen as ‘giving something up’, a more penitential time of being, but I rather like the thought of taking on something new, so for me this year, it’s Pilates and Prayer. Praying through exercise, and it is very grounding and rejuvenating, for the body mind and soul.
Jesus himself was a great example of prayer in action, not only do we have the gift of being able to pray The Lord’s Prayer that He gave to His disciples, but prayer itself is a wonderful opportunity of sharing the concerns we have, but also in listening to the voice of God within ourselves. I think it is truly wonderful that Jesus continues to listen and intercede in our prayers, it brings a deep sense of comfort when times are really tough, along with those times when we want to give great thanks.
In this time of Lent, I am trying to pray more and give thanks to God for the many daily blessings He gives…. Today I would like to share the privilege of prayer with you “Lord, it fills me with wonder that you have given me the privilege of drawing alongside you in the awesome work of prayer. Forgive me that I take so little advantage of this privilege. May I drink in the truth for myself that day by day I come to you to intercede for the needs of the world, needs of my friends, and neighbours. Continue to teach me to pray until I have mastered the art of effective prayer, until I have learned to pray as you pray. Amen”.
With every love and blessing,
Your parish priest, Zoe
Revd. Zoe Ferguson (Priest in Charge Mundford Group Benefice & Assistant Priest to Hilborough & Oxborough groups) Day off Monday.
(For Wedding, Baptism & Church enquires 01842 879375 or email)
Reflections from Mundford Rectory Jan’18
Dear Friends,
A very Happy New Year to you all! Any New Year’s resolutions made??
As I sit and write to you we are very much in the heart of winter. It certainly feels like January out there, and we are very much huddled up in multiple layers as we wait in the coming months for the first signs of spring to appear, and an enormous thank you goes to those who donated to our parish gift day in Mundford, we have raised in excess of £1,000, thank you so much to your gift to your parish church!
In the church calendar we have celebrated the Christmas Season, receiving afresh the Good News of Jesus coming among us and had the joy of many people celebrating His birth in many of our church communities, with record breaking numbers of people of all ages at our Christingle service in Mundford on Christmas Eve. It was such a joy to share in this special service, along with some wonderful Nativity plays performed by the children of Gooderstone and Mundford schools.
Following on from the Christmas season comes the season of Epiphany, which literally means ‘enlightenment’.
During the season of Epiphany we explore God revealing Himself to us in new ways, what was once hidden is now revealed, and many of the readings we hear in this season reflect this, as we lead on into a new season of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday and eventually leading to Easter.
When we are very busy in our lives it is very easy to blot out a lot of what surrounds us, because we are immersed in so many of the demands of what life has to hold, and perhaps miss the signs and changes that are happening all around us in our villages and the wider world.
On New Year’s Day this year I decided to take a walk in the heart of the forest. It never fails to amaze me how beautiful the area in which we live truly is, or the diversity of the countryside surrounding us, and I made a decision that as part of my new year’s resolution was to take more time out to just be immersed in the gift that God has given around us.
However, I am also aware that there are areas of the world that are not so beautiful due to the greed and destruction of humanity, or natural disasters that occur across the world and sometimes we question how God speaks into this, along with the things that happen where we are left utterly speechless with endless questions that appear to have no logical answer.
It is these times when perhaps the ‘big’ questions of life are asked, and where God’s revealing to us is at its most powerful.
The gift of God Himself, who came as a vulnerable babe into the world, who experienced what it was to be truly human. God who in Jesus was nailed to the cross to take on all of the hurt, rejection, and pain of the world, and in love would reveal the most powerful emotion of all – forgiveness.
As we discover God’s revealing to us this year, in new ways, the greatest Epiphany of all is that the promise of Christmas and indeed Easter is that we are never truly alone, and that forgiveness is the route to all freedom. Even in the most desperate times there is an opportunity of hope, because the One who was born at Christmas-time, is the same One who leads us into a new way of living, a new way of looking at the world around us, and a new way of hearing the needs of the world, and a new way of learning how to forgive.
With every love and blessing,
Your parish priest, Zoe
Revd. Zoe Ferguson (Priest in Charge Mundford Group Benefice & Assistant Priest to Hilborough & Oxborough groups) Day off Monday.
(For Wedding, Baptism & Church enquires 01842 879375 or email)
Parking on Grass Verges and Pavements
COMPLAINTS RECEIVED REGARDING PARKING ON GRASS VERGES AND PAVEMENTS IN MUNDFORD
The Parish Council receives a number of complaints on this issue every year. Unfortunately it has no power to stop residents and their visitors parking on the verges and pavements in and around Mundford. Complaints are duly referred to the Norfolk County Council Highways Department for attention but in these times of austerity there is little or no money available to reinstate grass verges damaged by vehicle traffic. In addition to that, the parked vehicles are often left in positions that impede pedestrian traffic forcing people to walk through mud or worse still in the road.
The Parish Council would therefore like to encourage residents and visitors alike to refrain from parking on the verges and pavements around the village and help make the village a more attractive and safer place to live and work.
Litter Pick Volunteer Thanks
The Parish Council and residents of Mundford would like to say THANK YOU to our volunteers who joined our litter pick on the 13th December, it was another cold wet day but our team still showed up for duty and around 12 bags of rubbish along with the usual bits of cars that fall off by the road side were collected.
We are always looking for more volunteers and we meet around every 6 weeks, so if you have 1 – 2 hours to spare and would like to join us please contact the parish clerk, all equipment is supplied.
New Letterbox
I am pleased to announce that the Post Office have confirmed that our Post Box will be returned to Mundford. The location will be on the corner junction of St Leonard’s Street and Church Lane, by the bench.
Update 12th February 2018
It was intended to install the new post box by 6th February 2018. We are sorry to announce that there has been a delay regarding the installation of the new Post Box. We will keep you informed as and when we have received any further news regarding the new installation date.
Letterbox
The letterbox outside the old post office opposite the playground in St Leonard’s Street has been removed. The Parish Clerk has put in an application to the Royal Mail for a new one to be installed and are currently awaiting their response.
Fish Bar Planning Permission
Mundford Fish Bar recently put in two planning applications for: external lights; and extended opening hours. Both have been granted permission.
The planning decision report for the later includes the following comments:
“Objections raised mainly referred to smell, noise, traffic congestion and the granting of the original permission in the first place.
“We can’t re-visit the scheme as part of a variation condition and Environmental Health will be taking the smell and noise issues up separately with the applicant, via their legislation.”
“Environmental Health have picked up on the various complaints and concerns raised by the local residents in respect of noise and odour and these will be dealt outside of the application process. It should be noted that the Environmental Health Legislation covers these issues and should further noise and smell issues arise, complaint should be made to the Environmental Protection Team who will investigate.”
“It is noted that the noise attenuation scheme condition has not been complied with and our enforcement team will be notified as a result.”
Click to read the full report.