Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Praise party in Ely enjoyed by Dersingham Kidz Club

Friday, May 11th, 2012

Posted by Stella Gooch

Arriving at Ely Cathedral

Arriving at Ely Cathedral

“Champion of Champions” – games, drama, music and lots of fun – it was all on the advert for Praise Party in Ely.  When I signed up for it at Dersingham Kidz Club I had no idea what to expect and my son and I found ourselves having an unusual but fun day out.

We all met up in the carpark at Budgens at a respectable 10.45am ish.  Regrettably the coach had to make a stop in Heacham so we were waiting a little while on an unseasonally cold and blustery day.  No matter – our coach driver did arrive in due course and off we went.  It was a jolly journey with everyone – especially the children – being rather chatty and lively.  Steve Lofts “tour guide” attempt was a hoot and caused a smile or too.

We arrived in Ely to find the weather was not ideal for our planned picnic in the grounds of Ely Cathedral which was a shame.  However, instead we all trooped off to the riverside and found sufficient bench seating for us to enjoy a riverside lunch instead.  After a leisurely lunch observing the river traffic, we headed for the Cathedral once again.

Once we had passed through the entry gate of Ely Cathedral we were treated to a welcome from “Sparta”, “Athens” and “Corinth” who were to feature in the programme for the afternoon.  Adorning the interior of the Cathedral were a great many flags from far flung places around the globe.  Having noted the “Greek-style” welcome and the flags I was not unduly surprised to realise that the subject of the programme had its roots in the Olympics.

There was a fun and interactive quiz session about everyone’s general knowledge concerning the forthcoming London Olympics.  Surprisingly, not many of us really knew the answers (adults and children).  The children were divided up into three groups – Sparta, Athens and Corinth strangely enough!  Within their groups they took part in an art and craft session where they created an Olympic Torch of their own to take home.  They also got to take part in an indoor Olympic Games.  The best part to observe in the Olympic Games had to the the caterpillar wheels – smaller groups of children got inside a wide plastic strip and created the effect of being wheels of a tank.  In all there were three of these and they had to work together as a team to cover the “track” and basically raced to the finish line.  It was great fun.  The groups rotated round so they had an opportunity to enjoy refreshments where the toddlers and pre-schoolers could also play in a safe area.

The compere/host who was from GENR8 (a voluntary organisation who produce several presentations each year about the Christian faith) was absolutely fantastic.  He totally engaged young and old amongst the audience and got a strong Christian message across whilst also letting everyone have fun.  I don’t know if he was a Vicar or a professional entertainer – he could have been both!  He obviously loved what he was doing and showed no sign of being tired after a frenetic several hours.

The trip was very enjoyable and everyone returned to Dersingham in high spirits having learnt the positive importance of determination and dedication and not allowing ourselves to be distracted from our goals both in the every day context and the relgious context.

Children agog at the Praise Party presentation

Children agog at the Praise Party presentation

Sparta, Athens & Corinth

Sparta, Athens & Corinth

Lunch by the river in Ely

Lunch by the river in Ely

Lunch by the river in Ely

Steve chats to us during lunch by the river in Ely

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GENR8 aims to present Christian values and themes in a fun, lively, relevant and educational way to primary school aged children.The organisation is concerned that many children do not attend churches, or church clubs and groups. GenR8 recognises that,  through schools, there is an opportunity to share Christian values, and themes in a fun, lively, relevant and educational way.

GenR8 presentations are prepared in line with primary learning objectives, and accompanied by a worksheet of ideas giving schools the opportunity to follow up ideas & themes in further assemblies or lessons.

“GenR8 has delivered assemblies to 350 children in our school with ages between 5 and 11. They have a variety of approaches to their theme thus ensuring the message is fully received by all. Their assemblies are well paced and use a variety of styles ensuring 100% attendance by all – including adults!! … Highly recommended”


Diamond Jubilee Events

Friday, May 11th, 2012

Posted by Stella Gooch

To get an overview of what is happening in this area click here.  If you have information about other local events relevant to the Jubilee that should be included please email: stella@hunstanton-on-line.co.uk.

Dersingham Kidz Club & Summer Club dates

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Posted by Stella Gooch

Fun and games is the order of the day with Dersingham’s two childrens clubs which are held at St Nicholas’ Church Hall in Dersingham and it costs just £1 per person to cover expenses.  Local youngsters, along with their friends, are welcome to attend either of the clubs and any enquiries should be made to Steve Lofts tel: 07425 145887 or Alan Crawshaw tel: 01485 543836.

Kidz Club members enjoy a parachute game

Kidz Club members enjoy a parachute game

“Identity”, our newest club for local youngsters  aged 10 – 14 years is now firmly established.  We do an amazing variety of games, discussions, and time to be yourself – and learn about God too ! The forthcoming dates for your diary are:

Saturday, 16 June (10 am till 12 noon)
Saturday, 21 July (10 am till 12 noon)

In addition, dates for the regular Kidz Klub (aimed at  5 – 11 year olds) are fixed for:

Saturday, 9 June (10 am till 12 noon)
Saturday, 14 July (10 am till 12 noon)

The annual Summer Holiday Club (9.30am to 12.30pm) dates are also now confirmed for Tuesday, 28th, Wednesday, 29th and Thursday, 30th August.  This is for 5 – 11 year olds – older children (11 years and upwards) are very welcome to come as Young Helpers – please contact us and we would love to have you with us.  This year’s programme promises to be as exciting as last summer’s   “Mission Rescue” which kept the children on the go over several days and taught them about God through the story of Moses.

This year our theme is “On Your Marks”, and we will be building up a team with the children for our very own Global Games … there will be all sorts of activities, and things to make and take home.  We’ll find out too about how Jesus built up his team, and challenged them, and how we can stick with him as they did.  Come and join the fun !   Ask for a booking form from Steve Lofts tel: 07425 145887 or Alan Crawshaw tel: 01485 543836.

We love making a mess

We love making a mess

This is how its done kids

This is how its done kids

Easter Hot Cross Buns taking shape

Easter Hot Cross Buns taking shape

My boys get in on the act

My boys get in on the act

Shrove Tuesday and Easter fun for Dersingham kids

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Posted by Stella Gooch

Shrove Tuesday is going to be a blast at Dersingham Village Church Hall.  The annual Pancake Day Party for the local families is being hosted once again by Kidz Club organisers.

There will be pancake related games for the younger ones and more. Come along and join in the fun and enjoy a great opportunity to get acquainted with members of our local community.

Pancake Party 6pm – 7pm Tuesday 21 February in Dersingham Church Hall:  £1 per person – variety of toppings available – for
young and old.  Tel. Alan on 01485 543836 to book your place.

Also on the calendar is the Easter Tea 3pm – 4.30pm Sunday 8th April in St Nicholas Church, Dersingham.

Easter Tea is a fun, informal time with tea and cakes and a quiz for the older ones.  There will also be an egg & spoon race and egg hunting games and more for younger ones.  There is also an opportunity for songs, prayer and worship.

All are welcome! Come and join the fun …

More information from Alan Tel. Alan on 01485 543836

Dersingham Community Xmas Dinner 2011

Friday, December 16th, 2011

Posted by Stella Gooch
Photos by Rob Coomber

A lovely Dersingham Christmas party

A lovely Dersingham Christmas party

Of all the Community initiatives I have known, the  Dersingham Community Lunch is undoubtedly one of the most successful in bringing together all areas of the local community in a very enjoyable manner.  Attendance numbers at the lunches were often 80 or 90 and people even had to be turned away on some events due to over-subscription.  Sadly the highly enjoyable July 2011 lunch at Dersingham Social Club turned out to be the final Community Lunch due to the illness of its creator, Bob Tipling, and difficulties with booking venues.

Gentle Jazz entertain through dinner

Gentle Jazz entertain through dinner

However, the year rounded off with the Dersingham Community Lunch Christmas Dinner on Thursday, 8 December.  The Le Strange Hotel was the venue for an elegant and entertaining evening and the dinner guests were  turned out in all their glamorous glory – especially Acting Parish Clerk Rosie Kitchen who sported a stunning new hairstyle just for the occasion.  I wonder how many didn’t recognise her!

The evening opened with a reception in the hotel lounge with a choice of sparkling wine, lager or orange juice and guests relaxed and mingled whilst their numbers grew to their full complement.  The assembled guests were then escorted to the beautifully festive dining room and found their places.

Following grace led by Bob Tipling we were on to starters orders listening to the relaxing sounds of “Gentle Jazz” – courtesy of Rounce & Evans Estate Agents, Rounce & Evans Property Management and Dersingham Sub-Post Office.   It was the ideal dining music and added to the ambience of the evening.  I personally had the Chicken Liver Parfait starter and it was fantastic – a posh paté like I had never enjoyed before.  The leisurely main course followed – mine was a tender Sirloin of Beef with lots of trimmings and the divine homemade Chocolate & Pecan Brownie was the crowning glory.

Richard and Edna Thaxter and Clifford Prior

Richard and Edna Thaxter and Clifford Prior

Bob then led us for a loyal toast and Santa Claus aka Fraser from the Post Office distributed wrapped gifts – courtesy of Thaxter’s Garden Centre & Coffee Shop, Prior’s Butchers and Hayes & Storr Solicitors – to the ladies amongst the gathering.  In a surprising twist the gentlemen were given a sealed envelope and during Bob’s address were invited to open them simultaneously.  Inside each of these envelopes were a lottery ticket and a card depicting a recognisable symbol from a standard deck of cards.  Bob randomly asked two of our number to draw from a selection of cards and prizes of a bottle of gin and a mature Glenfiddich were awarded to the gentlemen who were holding the matching cards.

After the fun and games, Reggie Gray entertained us to his rather clever monologues thanks to the generosity of Wigram & Ware the opticians.  The one I enjoyed the most was his trilogy about young Albert and his bizarre relationship with a lion.  You have to hear it – I couldn’t possibly do it justice here!  Bob thanked Reggie for his time and told us that Reggie performed his party piece to raise funds for the Polio Fellowship in Kings Lynn.  So if you are looking for a different kind of entertainer just ask for Reggie at the Polio Fellowship.  He won’t disappoint.

Fraser, Maria and Bob enjoy the party

Fraser, Maria and Bob enjoy the party

With a final push the raffle – made up of donations from the assembled group – broke the £100 mark and these funds were donated to “The Dersingham Day Centre for the Elderly”.  Bob concluded the raffle draw by explaining that the Parish Council were hoping, although the Community Lunches were ended, that the spirit of the Community Lunches would continue in a different form by way of Dersingham groups and organisations regularly meeting up to continue sharing information, community spirit and general goodwill.

Once again, “Gentle Jazz” took up their instruments and entertained us with more festive tunes and encouraged us to sing with them.

"Cheers" says Bob

"Cheers" says Bob

Having organised such events in the past myself, I marvelled at how much Bob and his committee had achieved with nothing more than community spirit in putting together the evening.  The organisation behind it was seamless and the catering staff at Le Strange were on the ball and attentive.  All in all it was fantastic value for the £20 ticket us guests contributed.  What a pity these lunches are no more but we can always hope that there might be an annual repeat of this evening starting next Christmas …. over to you Bob!

Dersingham Library on a mission

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Posted by Alison Thorne, Dersingham Community Librarian Tel:(01485) 540181/01553 761393

Dersingham Library is on a mission to see how many members of the local community they can encourage to read and share the same book at the same
time.

The book they have chosen is ‘Water for elephants’, by Sara Gruen. It’s a life affirming tale of a 90 year old man looking back over his life.
It has something for everyone – with adventure, thrills, romance and a very large elephant.

How can you take part?

Come along to the launch of the Dersingham Village Read at Dersingham Library on Saturday 7th of January at 10am.

“We will also be starting a weekly Read and Rabbit group on Thursdays from 2-3pm so that you can share your views on this book and any others that you are reading with other people. Refreshments will be provided. ”

The read will run from January 7th until the end of our Big Read month in March.

You can share your views on the Village read via our website at:
http://norfolklibrarybookreviewblog.wordpress.com/ or on the Village Read noticeboard at the library.

Contacting your local police

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

Posted by Stella Gooch

Norfolk Constabulary have announced a new way to contact your local police and other local police forces wherever you are in the country.  The new approach to communicating with local police forces has been simplified to two numbers: 999 for emergencies and 101 for anything else.

Click here more more information

Dersingham Cubs enjoy World Faith Day

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Posted by Stella Gooch

Dersingham Cubs took part in a well attended World Faith Day in order to achieve their activity badge.  Young Sophie was Dersingham Cub’s newest recruit and was delighted to be the only female member of our pack.  However, Sophie hopes that other girls will join Dersingham Cubs in the near future to even things up a bit.

Cub groups who participated in the day included the 5th, 7th, 12th, 13th, 21st, Docking, Hunstanton, Terrington and Dersingham groups.
 
We all assembled at glamorous (yes I was most impressed with their accommodation) the Kings Lynn Scout Hut on Saturday, 15 October and following our welcome by District Commissioner, Laura Fox, the Cubs were separated into their working groups for the day. 

A representative from the Quakers and the Chaplin from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Rev Alison Davies conducted informal and educational sessions with the children about how they embraced their religion and also discussed the differences between a variety of other faiths.  The Quakers were very interesting and I learned a thing or two – eg Quakers celebrate their faith by having quiet times of reflection about God and religion and do not practice any religion rites as is the norm. 

It is worth mentioning that Rev Alison Davies was asked only the day prior to the World Faith Day to attend as the original planned speaker had to cancel at very short notice.  Fortunately, Rev Davies was able to help and she did a great job in getting the children’s attention.

Other activities the children enjoyed throughout the day included:
- visiting the Church of the Holy Name in Kings Lynn and taking part in a treasure hunt type quiz throughout the church building
- making Chanukah coins using chocolate and coloured sprinkles.
- learning to Tie a Turban & the 5
 - creating Diwali lights using paper to make origami boats and placing a tea light in the centre
- creating Mendi patterns using brown eye liner pencils to draw designs on themselves
- a Mix and Match game
- Diwali wordsearches and a Rangoli pattern activity

There were many adult volunteers taking part in this all day event, some of whom walked different groups of children to and from the nearby Church of the Holy Name whilst others supervised the various activities.

At the end of a lively day, the children were awarded their activity badges.  Laura Fox then thanked all us parent volunteers and Scouting helpers and sadly announced that she was standing down from her role as District Commissioner after many years of dedicated service and she was thanked for all her hard work in the Scouting Movement.  The children were then allowed to go home with the things that they had made during the day.

Sandringham walk for Guide Dogs for the Blind

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Posted by Stella Gooch
Photo courtesy of Suzanne Durston

Sandringham walkers from local Guides, Rainbows & Brownies

Sandringham walkers from local Guides, Rainbows & Brownies

Sandringham is an ever popular location for walking at the best of times and is often the location for many a fundraiser.

This was certainly true of Rainbows, Brownies and Guides from Hunstanton and Heacham who, along with  leaders and families, took their four-legged friends on a Sponsored Walk in Sandringham in support of Guide Dogs for the Blind on Sunday 16th October.

Following their walk, the weary bunch enjoyed a hot dog and a mug of soup, prepared bytheir Trefoil Guild – with treats for dogs too! They were blessed with a lovely sunny afternoon and an amazing 75 people who came to support them helped the groups to raise around £400 and there is more to come I hear.

The Kings Lynn fund-raising Branch also had a successful stall.  In addition, Cynthia Easeman brought along her Guide dog, Olivia to meet everyone. The Group are always happy to come along to group meetings etc with their dogs and to show some of the useful aids available to make life easier for partially sighted people.

After the walk we were treated to a hot dog and a mug of soup, prepared by our Trefoil Guild – with treats for dogs too! It was a lovely sunny afternoon and the good turnout (around 75 people) helped us to raise in the region of £400 with more sponsor money still to come.

The Kings Lynn fund-raising Branch also had a stall which was very successful and Cynthia Easeman brought along her Guide dog, Olivia to meet everyone as well. The Guide Dog Group are always happy to attend group meetings etc with their dogs and to show some of the useful aids available to make life easier for partially sighted people.

Well done to you girls.

Christmas Market for Park House, Sandringham

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Posted by Stella Gooch

Companions of Park House, Sandringham, are starting the festive season early on Wednesday, 26 October!  All are very welcome to support them between 10.30am and 3.30pm at Park House in the beautiful grounds of Sandringham where they are holding a Christmas Market.  There will be refreshments and loads of ideas for Christmas gifts to tempt you.