A small selection of HD video clips taken along side my photographic wildlife projects during June 2009.

For a high res image go to: www.wildaboutimages.co.uk

© Paul Bunyard

Growing Concerns

Gardening is undeniably one of the UK’s most popular passions – from happy hobbyists to eccentric horticulturalists, all rearing the weird and the wonderful. And the current enthusiasm for growing our own food in the garden, allotment or window-box hasn’t seen the like for decades.

We’re now a nation that likes getting our hands dirty. We’re also a country which is slowly realising the benefits of gardens beyond beautiful flowers and tasty veg. Gardening and allied activities have an array of social, environmental and health benefits too – which are now being promoted and encouraged nationally – and that doesn’t just include finding the sun-loungers and crashing out on the lawn.

Social and community gardening projects have received much acclaim and promotion – helping improve run down estates and contributing to urban regeneration schemes. Some initiatives have been around a while: the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (www.BTCV.org.uk) is a charity set up in 1959 and has a successful history of environmental conservation volunteering throughout the UK and around the world. One of its inspirational enterprises is 'Green Gyms' – providing body fitness and dirty hands opportunities combined and aplenty. Other new 'gardening for health' projects are spreading nationwide too.


Here in Waveney, an evolving venture is Growing Concerns - exploring horticultural heritage and environmental arts initiatives, social and health gardening projects and, most immediately appealing to anyone with the slightest gardening interest, restoring and recycling old garden tools and allied artefacts. And sales from the latter contribute to project development in these other areas, all run by this social enterprise.

Growing Concerns is coordinated by Kessingland based Andrew Kitchen – and now operates throughout the East Anglian region. Other Growing Concerns projects include art exhibitions on plants, gardening and environmental themes; celebratory arts events; “arts in the wrong places” ventures; heritage displays and initiatives; and live performance projects. Allied ideas and input are always appreciated.

Growing Concerns sells restored tools – often cheaper than quality ‘new’ - from Cornucopia Antiques, Blackmill Road, Southwold (IP18 6AQ for ‘Sat-navers’), open every day 10am-5pm. It also sells direct, runs a tool finder service and is often keen to buy implements for restoration – info@growingconcerns.co.uk

Most of the aged and restored tools are designed to be used again – others are undoubtedly collectable and indeed much sought after. Most buyers love the feel and design of the older tools – noting the balance and strength of implements are vastly superior to many of today’s garden centre, mass-produced buys. Not only are they attractive – almost sculptural works of art, enhanced by age and wear - but there are still many more years of usage to be had, instead of a tool which bends beyond use in its first season.

Many people have also forgotten that tools were once made in varying sizes to avoid strains and pains, were even often gender specific (“ladies spades” are still very popular) and special tools were produced for children (often very sharp – perhaps a reflection of changing behavioural patterns!). Quantity and range of tools always obviously varies - these goods have to be found, not re-ordered.

And many of today’s gardeners are oblivious to the diversity of tools available to their green-fingered predecessors: Victorian and Edwardian gardeners often had a unique tool for every plant type – and got into trouble if they used the wrong one!

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Rotary name in glass window on new Boathouse for Sailing Charity

Waveney Sailability, a charity founded in 2005 to mark the centenary of Rotary International has just opened its own “Rotary Boathouse”.

Based at Oulton Broad near Lowestoft in Suffolk the Charity was set up by five Rotary clubs on the Norfolk/Suffolk border to provide sailing for the disabled using specially adapted “Access” class dinghies. Starting in August 2005 with three boats, all sponsored by Rotary clubs, Waveney Sailability now has a fleet of 12 dinghies, two safety boats, and a recovery system, and a road trailer. For the first few years winter storage was provided by local Rotarians but on the 26th May 2009 a new £40,000 Rotary Boathouse was formally opened by pioneering yachtsman Geoff Holt, the first quadriplegic to sail single handed around Great Britain.

Lowestoft was one of the ports of call during his epic journey and when he sailed into the harbour in 2007 the Chairman and Secretary of Waveney Sailability, Rotarians Richard Morling and Kevin Taylor, and some of the disabled sailors from the Charity met him. The recent visit was an opportunity to meet those same people and over 130 guests and members who had gathered to celebrate the opening of the new storage and maintenance facility. Although the replacement cost would be in the region of £40,000 the charity has only spent £24,500 as various materials and some of the labour was provided free of charge by local and national companies.

The Rev Helen Jary dedicated the stained glass window of the Rotary logo to the late Don Ross, a Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Lowestoft South. Don was a keen sailor, a past President of the South club and served on the original steering committee. His widow Lorna and Elaine Holt, the wife of Geoff Holt, were presented with flower arrangements.

Various Rotarians including the District Governor, representatives of local and national firms and charities who had made contributions in cash or kind, to the building appeal, attended the event. Geoff Holt, who is also a Rotarian, unveiled a notice board showing the names of supporters and spoke about his own sailing experiences and the need for even more RYA Sailability centres in the UK. The photograph shows: Geoff Holt (foreground) and from left, Shaun Read, Rotary Club of Lowestoft South, Geoff Knights, Vice President of Yarmouth Rotary, Peter Harris District Governor, Bob Catchpole, President of Gorleston Rotary, Clive Robinson of East point Rotary and John Raven of Beccles Rotary.

David Collins - Director and treasurer
01502 564658 – 07968 745208

Harleston Information Plus hold a free Jobs Club at the information centre in Exchange Street, Harleston every Wednesday 10-12.

The club offers support to help people get back to work.

Information is available, and professionals on hand, to talk to Jobseekers about CV writing, what employers are looking for when they recruit, specialist careers advice, details of local training opportunities, free tea and coffee, a local jobs board, internet access and much more.

If you are looking for work why not drop in one Wednesday?

For more information call: Julie Helsby 01379 851917

Homersfield Mill

Homersfield Mill was quite small and was mainly constructed of weatherboard over a brick base with a pantiled roof with a lucum extending over the bridge. The mill house was under the same roof as the mill and was nearest to the road. Before the 1800s both the mill and house would have been thatched.

The machinery configuration was quite unusual in that the pitwheel had a spur gear rather than the normal bevelled gear. The spur gear then meshed with a smaller spur gear at the end of a horizontal shaft that ran the length of the mill. Four further gears on the shaft drove the three pairs of stones and the sackhoist or dressing machinery. The mill was also unusual in that it ran left handed with the stones running in reverse to a conventional system. However, during the 1870s it appears the mill was only using one pair of stones.





And the said John Aston, his Executors, Administrators or Assigns shall during the said term keep in good and tenantable repair the said Water Mill, Floats, Gates, Wheels, Coggs, running and going Gears, Dams, Banks, Flood-Gates, Sluices, Posts, Pales, Rails, Fences and Glass windows and the lead thereof being allowed rough timber for the reparation of the same And shall fetch all such Materials as shall be wanted for the repair of the said Premises during the term And shall and will Yield up at the termination of this Agreement the Said Water Mill in a going and working condition with one pair of stones at least in use he the said John Aston, his Executors, Administrators, or Assigns being allowed by the said Sir Robert Shafto Adair his Heirs or Assigns or by the incoming tenant a reasonable and fair value or recompense for whatever addition shall have been made to the running and going gears mentioned in the Schedule annexed…
Articles of Agreement set out for when John Aston rented the mill and land from Sir Robert Shafto Adair, Bart from year to year at £80 per annum commencing 11th October 1848.

Schedule of the Machinerey &c. belonging to Sir Robert Shafto Adair in Homersfield Mill
One pair of Mill Stones, Water Wheel and Shaft, Pit Wheel, Counter Wheel and Shaft, Wallower Nut, one Stone Nut, four Drums and Straps, One Jumper with all the brasses belonging to the above.

John Asten was the son of Robert Asten, miller at Harleston School Lane postmill.

When the water was low a traction engine was used for power - threshing by day and milling by night.

In July 1970 Homersfield Mill House was on the market for £7,900. The property consisted of a hall, 2/3 reception rooms, exceptional kitchen, laundry, 4 bedrooms and a bathroom. Outside was a spacious garden with over 100 yards of river frontage.


Kirby's map 1736
1320s: Bishop of Norwich let the mill for £4 6s 8d
1444-1445: Building cost for a new mill were £4 13s 9d
1467-1468: Repairs were carried out for £3 15s 5d
12th March 1776: Reg Harvey, miller, insured his household goods for £50 and mill utensils & stock for £150
February 1830: An advertisement appeared in the local press for a journeyman miller
Pigot's 1839: Robert Harvey 1844: David Green, corn miller
11th October 1848: John Aston rented the mill from Sir Robert Shafto, Bart., for £80 on an annual basis
11th October 1870: Charles Smith rented the mill for £100 per annum from Sir Robert Shafto's Flixton Estate
1892: Charles Smith provided refreshment at the mill to the Church Rogation Perambulation
1900: Charles Smith, miller, landowner and church warden. Owned several bakeries in the surrounding area
13th June 1901: Charles Smith died as a bachelor at the age of 75
1901: Miss R. Gower inherited the mill from her uncle Charles Smith
1902: H.W. Hadingham, farmer had wheat ground into wholemeal flour
1912: Miss R. Gower. Mr. Nunn (employee) delivered flour by horse and cart
1916: Messrs Woods, Sadd, Moore & Co Ltd., also at Loddon steam roller mills, Harleston steam trefoil mill, Lowestoft & Yarmouth
c.1922: Mill ceased to operate due to breach in riverbank upstream
c.1924: Ground floor of mill used for village whist drives as there was no village hall
1927: Mill and house demolished
1994: Site owned by Mr. L.P. Hammond

For more history about these mills and many others, please visit - www.norfolkmills.co.uk

We can date this footage of the Elephant and Castle in South East London precisely to 1926 from an advert for a whist drive at the Embassy Hall, Camberwell. The clip opens with a view of St. Paul's over the river and the lights of Piccadilly at night before crossing over to south London where we see the busy junction (no change there then!), near to the old Elephant Theatre. Here N. Carter Slaughter, better known later in his career as Tod Slaughter, is staging a production of 'The Flag Lieutenant', starring himself.

From the theatre we go to Newington Butts, Southwark, to see 'the Ritz of the needy', the Rowton hostel, one of a number of shelters for the poor funded by philanthropist Lord Rowton, much admired by George Orwell, who had stayed in several of these. The clip finishes abruptly with a title saying we are off to Camberwell, but sadly we arent! (Bryony Dixon)

Halesworth Festival Voices recently performed a concert of Baroque music in St. Mary’s Church on Sunday 31st May 2009. The church was packed with local people who thoroughly enjoyed the second concert given by this new choir. The first was a sell-out performance of Benjamin Britten’s cantata Saint Nicolas at Christmas, so there is already a loyal local following.


For the recent concert, conductor Ian Humphris chose to turn the clock back and introduce the singers to a much earlier repertoire. He had enjoyed many hours studying this music under Imogen Holst in Aldeburgh when a member of the Purcell Singers and his long experience of music from the baroque period transferred itself to singers and audience alike.

Accompanied by the best string players in the area, led by Jim McLeod and with organist Philip Simms, the whole programme was of the highest musical quality and repaid the hard work the singers had put in over several months. Such is the quality of the choir that it was able to produce its own soloists.

With such talent to call upon, Halesworth can look forward to imaginative programming from a choral ensemble that the town can be proud of.

The Voices’ next concert will be an all-Haydn programme at St. Mary’s Church on Saturday 17th October 2009 and is a feature of the middle weekend of the Halesworth Arts Festival.

It marks the 200th Anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn and will include two choral works and the popular Trumpet Concerto in which the soloist will be Ray Simmons, former principal of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and now living locally. Haydn’s Te Deum and Nelson Mass were written towards the end of his long life and find him still lively and optimistic.

The orchestra will include leading players from all over East Anglia and the four soloists are all outstanding students from the Royal Academy of Music, chosen and supported by the Josephine Baker Trust. The tenor Thomas Hobbs sang the part of Saint Nicolas in our Christmas concert so we are all looking forward to hearing him again.

We are always looking for new members in all voices and, if you have a true voice, a love of music and can commit to most Monday evening rehearsals, why not consider joining us for the October concert?

We meet at the United Reform Church (on the Holton Road roundabout) on most Mondays 7.15 – 9.15.

We will be there every Monday in June then, after a rest in July/August, we start again in September. You can hire music and buy a CD to help you learn your part.

For more information ring: Maggie Pepper on 01986 874900 or Dorothy Frost on 01986 873202.

www.halesworthfestivalvoices.org.uk

Scole Towermill

Scole Towermill was built of tarred red brick in 1799.

The tower had two doors on opposite sides showing that the mill was built with common sails.

Edward Woodrow, who had moved from Billingford towermill, took over the mill in 1875 before leaving to take over at Horsford towermill in 1883.

His son, Charles Edward Woodrow, became the owner and miller at Lakenham Peafield towermill.

For more history about these mills and many others, please visit - www.norfolkmills.co.uk

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see more videos via our BlogPod

www.alerter.co.uk

Heveningham Hall is an 18th century estate set in the heart of the Suffolk countryside. The Fair has been running for over 10 years, and last year over 7,000 people attended. Organised by a dedicated team of local volunteers, all proceeds go to the six village communities adjoining the estate and other worthy causes. There’s something for everyone from a jousting display to children’s entertainments. Come and join us!

Main Ring & Exhibits
The main ring offers an array of events throughout the day providing an exciting focal point. Outside the main ring there are many other attractions including the Sheep Show, a Rabbit Show, music, many children's entertainments and much more. Below are a few of the attractions we have this year:

The Knights of Nottingham Jousting Display (Main Ring)
Experience the skills of times gone by with superb jousting on fiery steeds. The notorious Black Knight challenges the honourable knights to Ring Spearing, Quintaining and Hand to Hand Combat!


Xtreme Trials Motorbike Display Team (Main Ring)
Multi-British and International Champions Martin Crosswaite and Dan Clarke motorcycle Stunt Show. Based around a large truck that transforms into a series of impossible looking obstacles for the lads to ride a motorbike over.


Ridgeside Lurcher Display with Audience Participation (Main Ring)
Lurchers racing at full speed chasing the electric lure. Fast action-packed demonstration. Public have a chance to ‘have a go’ with own dogs whatever their breed! Highlight of demonstration is race between lurchers and hawk.


Southwold & Reydon Drum Corp - marching band (Main Ring)
The Southwold and Reydon Drum Corps is a military style marching band. The group is currently enjoying a resurgence in form and popularity playing a variety of music from traditional military tunes to popular songs. The quality of the playing is a credit to them considering the average age of the youngsters is 10 years old. For enquiries please contact Lesley Dibley 01502 675697


Flower Show
A new attraction this year is a flower show, to be held in the lovely Georgian Orangery above the Hall, near the Walled Garden.

Some of the other attractions you'll find at the country fair:
- Sterling Helicopter Rides
- Slaughden Sailing Club
- High Lodge Clay Pigeon Shoot
- Falconry Display
- Suffolk School of Samba

Ticket prices:

This year for the first time we have introduced a Family ticket which is for two adults and two children between 5 -14 - £20

Adults - £8
Concessions ( Over 60’s and disabled) - £5
Child Tickets ( 5 -14) - £5
Under 5 years – Free
Parking – Free

For enquiries telephone 01986 798151

For more info on the country fair please visit www.countryfair.co.uk

Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Foundation Trust appoints new Chief Executive

The Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Foundation Trust has appointed Aidan Thomas, currently the chief executive at West Essex PCT, to succeed Pat Holman when she retires in August after 33 years with the NHS.

Mr Thomas, who has worked in the NHS for more than 20 years, said: "I am very excited to be joining such a successful and well respected organisation. The opportunity to move to Norfolk fulfils a personal ambition to move back into the provision of mental health services."

Mr Thomas was director of human resources and an executive director of Lambeth Community NHS Trust. In 1995 he joined Essex and Herts Community NHS Trust as director of operations and was appointed chief executive of Epping Forest PCT in April 2000.

Trust chair, Maggie Wheeler, stated: "Aidan was appointed from a very strong list of candidates, and we are delighted to have attracted such a high calibre experienced chief executive. Pat Holman is going to be a hard act to follow, but I am confident that Aidan will do a great job for us, bringing his experience both in mental health and as a commissioner."

Mr Thomas will join the Trust at the end of the summer.