Bob Tipling welcomes everyone whilst Dick Melton looks on
Photos by Stella Gooch
Councillor Gill Sergeant (Vice-Chairman of Dersingham Parish Council) and Councillor Bob Tipling (Co-ordinator of the Dersingham Community Lunches) welcomed everyone to the May Dersingham Community Lunch and set the warm and relaxed tone for proceedings. Dersingham Village Social Club provided the venue and lovely buffet lunch for the event. The Dersingham Evening Women’s Institute complemented the buffet lunch with a selection of fabulous desserts. The proceedings were decorated with floral displays courtesy of members of Dersingham Flower Club.
As this was the first time I had attended this now regular event I did not really know what to expect. What I found was a coming together of all quarters of the local community in a relaxed and social setting and it works! Everyone had a great opportunity to meet members of the community they may otherwise not get to meet and networking round the room was actively encouraged..
On my table was a local historian, Elizabeth Fiddick, Councillor Jonathan James (also of Budgens), Hugh Mullarkey (local poet and author), Joy Savill (Hawes Solicitors) and Ruth Mountain (Dersingham United Charities) none of whom I had had the pleasure of meeting before. Having had a nice chat with a number of people over an enjoyable lunch, we were addressed by Gayle Platt (Headteacher of Dersingham Infants and Nursery School). Gayle proposed that Dersingham work together as a community to create a key event to mark the Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and invited everyone to attend a meeting at the Infants School at 6 pm on 27th May 2010 to move this idea forward.
Dick Melton remembers Dersingham
Gayle Platt talks about the Jubilee
We were also treated to a talk by the renowned local sage and writer, Dick Melton, who waxed lyrical about his time in Dersingham and how the local area has changed since his childhood. Mr Melton’s relaxed speaking style (and wonderful Norfolk burr) was just the right thing to make us focus on how things have changed in Dersingham and no doubt will continue to do so – especially as with a new government we hope that positive change will be the order of the day.
Guests at the lunch had the opportunity to view the poster entries submitted by children at the local Dersingham Schools and boy what a lot we had to choose from! It was exceedingly hard for me to cast my votes and I am sure that everyone else felt the same. However, Eleanor Howson(age 7) from Dersingham Infants and Nursery School, was decreed the overall winner and the overall winner from St George’s School was Kelsey Buttery (age 10). The other high scoring entries were from Perry (aged 5) and Milly Butler (aged 7) from Dersingham Infants and Nursery School.
As ever at events like this there was the requisite fundraising raffle with prizes donated by numerous local businesses and organisations. Amazingly my number picked out first much to my surprise. Councillor Tipling happily reported at the close of the lunch that funds raised were £117.00 of which 50% goes to the Dersingham Village Social Club and 50% to Dersingham Entertainments Committee.
The next Community Lunch is scheduled for Thursday, 22 July 2010 and will be hosted and sponsored by Sheila Roythorne at at the Coach & Horses Public House.
Dersingham Schools Poster Competition - Winning Poster Entries as shown by Anita Moore (Asst Clerk), Cllr Gill Sergeant, Cllr Keith Manship and Anne Rose (Flower Club)