Whitwell Common Trust will welcome visitors to its annual open day on Saturday 4 July, running from 10 am to 4 pm. The event is free to attend and suitable for both adults and children.

Whitwell Common, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, lies one mile south of Whitwell Station on Nowhere Lane (what3words: documents.estimates.cleans).

Early arrivals can join members of Norfolk Butterfly Conservation’s Moth Group, who will be opening the moth traps set the previous evening and identifying the species found on the common. Previous open days have recorded more than 100 different – and often spectacular – moths.

Guided tours led by Lin Garland, chair of trustees, will take place throughout the day, offering visitors the chance to explore the common’s orchids, wildflowers and wider ecology.

A new addition for 2026 is a honey‑bee display from Phil and Rosie Cane, giving an insight into the lives of these vital pollinators.

Food from the fire pit (including vegetarian options) and refreshments will be available. Entry is free, with donations welcomed. Sturdy boots are recommended.

Photos: Whitwell Common

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It also includes 21 other parishes, from Heydon in the north to Honingham in the south, Foulsham in the west to Stratton Strawless in the east − just over 4,000 houses and around 8,200 residents, so it’s pretty big.

I was elected on 7 May and the work started almost straight away. However, we didn’t get our IT until 12 May – and you’ll be surprised how many emails are waiting when you first log you into your account.

The first week was literally packed with back-to-back presentations and briefings, covering finance (a £2 billion local authority with £900 million of debt), adult social care, children’s services, code of conduct, communities and the environment, corporate parenting, fire and rescue, governance, local government reorganisation update, social media and communications.

It was a lot.

The Reepham Division includes the Wensum Valley and therefore the A47, where the Easton to East Tuddenham dualling is occurring and where Norfolk County Council is looking at alternative routes to connect with the A1067.

As part of this I have had two extensive briefings with Highways to see where things are. The A47 dualling is ahead of schedule so some traffic mitigations for the surrounding parishes are being implemented sooner rather than later.

For Reepham, I have a long list of items, plus other bits of casework that will require resident engagement.

On 28 May it was the county council annual general meeting where a new leader and chair were elected, as well as the heads of the committees and cabinet members.

I am already a district councillor (for Cawston, Foulsham and the five parishes in between) and I run councillor surgeries for residents to see me. I have two booked for Reepham at the Bircham Centre: Saturday 15 August and Saturday 31 October, anyone is welcome. I am there from 10 am to 12 noon and if I can help with anything or you wish to just bend my ear, then please come along.

Cllr Dave Thomas
Tel: 07903 820140
Email: dave.broadlandlibdems@gmail.com

Photo: submitted

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Traffic restrictions and roadworks starting within the next week for the Reepham district have been issued by one.network.

Dereham Road, Reepham
01 June – 03 June
Roadworks, Delays likely
Traffic management: Traffic control (two-way signals)
Responsibility for works: Cityfibre
Works reference: KG077D1-NOW-22-PN1-104

Footpath Fronting 1 to 14 Clifford Pye Close, Cawston
01 June – 03 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: No carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Openreach
Works reference: BC004WH1W0G1P

Kerdiston Road, Kerdiston
01 June – 10 June
Roadworks, Delays likely
Traffic management: Road closure
Responsibility for works: Cityfibre
Works reference: KG077D1-NOW-22-PN1-103

Wensum Road, Lyng
02 June – 04 June
Roadworks, Delays possible
Traffic management: Traffic control (give & take)
Responsibility for works: Norfolk County Council
Works reference: HU8020206KISS4

Whitwell Street, Reepham
02 June – 06 June
Roadworks, Delays likely
Traffic management: Road closure
Responsibility for works: Cityfibre
Works reference: KG077D1-NOW-22-PN1-106

Reepham Footpath 23, Reepham
02 June – 06 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: No carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Cityfibre
Works reference: KG077D1-NOW-22-PN1-107

Bartle Court, Reepham
03 June – 05 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: Some carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Openreach
Works reference: BC337-WH2PC79M-HDL

Wood Dalling Road, Reepham
04 June – 05 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: Some carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Norfolk County Council
Works reference: HU10300051331

Howard Way to Jubilee Close, Cawston
04 June – 05 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: Some carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Norfolk County Council
Works reference: HU10300051332

Jubilee Close, Cawston
04 June – 05 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: Some carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Norfolk County Council
Works reference: HU10300051328

New Street, Cawston
04 June – 05 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: Some carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Norfolk County Council
Works reference: HU10300051329

Kerdiston Road, Reepham
04 June – 08 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: Some carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Norfolk County Council
Works reference: HU10300051330

Fakenham Road, Lenwade
09 June – 12 June
Roadworks, Delays likely
Traffic management: Traffic control (multi-way signals)
Responsibility for works: Openreach
Works reference: BC337-WH2FJ82D-01HDL

Saint Faiths Close, Great Witchingham
09 June – 12 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: Some carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Openreach
Works reference: BC337-WH2FJ82D-02HDL

Norwich Road, Weston Longville
09 June – 12 June
Roadworks, Delays likely
Traffic management: Traffic control (two-way signals)
Responsibility for works: Openreach
Works reference: BC337-WH2FJ82D-HDL

Bartle Court, Reepham
10 June – 16 June
Roadworks, Delays unlikely
Traffic management: Some carriageway incursion
Responsibility for works: Openreach
Works reference: BC411NL001WH2G347X

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The Reepham and Wensum Valley Benefice will welcome its new priest in charge, Revd Nigel Kinsella (pictured), on Tuesday 2 July. He will be licensed by the Bishop of Lynn, Rt Revd Dr Jane Steen, during an evening service at 7.30 pm in St Mary’s, Reepham, followed by refreshments in St Michael’s.

Revd Nigel will serve the newly revised benefice, which now brings together the parishes of Alderford and Attlebridge, Great Witchingham, Reepham, Salle, Swannington, Thurning, Weston Longville and Wood Dalling. He and his wife Sharon will be moving into The Rectory on Station Road, Reepham.

Before returning to Norfolk, Revd Nigel served as academy chaplain at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the final post in his 16 years of army service, which took him to many parts of the world, including Kenya and Afghanistan.

He is also no stranger to rural ministry in this region. After beginning his working life as a police officer in Birmingham and later Dereham, he trained for ordination and went on to serve in Attleborough, Quidenham and East Harling, leading a seven‑parish benefice and acting as chaplain to a children’s hospice.

“I am excited by the prospect of serving in a benefice that values tradition while embracing innovation,” he said. “I hope to bring a steady, prayerful and imaginative approach to this next chapter of ministry.”

Photo: submitted

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St Michael’s Reepham will host an uplifting community evening on Saturday 13 June at 7 pm, combining a talk by well‑known Norfolk figure Eddie Anderson with an Auction of Promises in aid of Hospice Ethiopia.

Eddie will open the event with “Lucky Us – Life in North Norfolk”, reflecting on a lifetime spent in this part of the world, from his early days as a gamekeeper for Lord Leicester, to his years as an Anglia TV presenter, to life at the distinctive Templewood house near Cromer. His stories promise warmth, humour and a deep affection for the county.

Following the talk, the Auction of Promises will offer a wide range of donated experiences, skills and treats. Among the highlights are:

• a week’s stay in a holiday cottage near Tintagel
• meals at the Gunton Arms and the Saracen’s Head
• tickets to Sea Life Hunstanton, Sheringham Little Theatre and Pensthorpe
• original artwork and jewellery.

All proceeds will go to Hospice Ethiopia, the country’s only hospice, serving a population of more than 135 million. The charity relies entirely on donations from abroad and is currently facing severe pressures, with rising food prices, fuel shortages and the renewed threat of famine affecting the communities it supports. Funds raised in Reepham will directly help its nurses continue their vital care and training.

Tickets: £12, available via Eventbrite or by emailing info@hospiceethiopia.org.uk

For more information about Hospice Ethiopia UK’s work, click HERE.

This event has been postponed. It will now be held on Saturday 21 November at Templewood, near Northrepps, where Norman Lamb will give a talk in aid of the charity.

Image: submitted

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Two local initiatives have benefitted from power generator RWE’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Farms Community Fund.

The latest round of funding has supported 18 projects across the county, including therapeutic outdoor experiences for bereaved children, music sessions for young people with additional needs, biodiversity improvements and community transport initiatives, demonstrating the breadth of local priorities being addressed.

In Elsing, funding has enabled the Woodlanders Nature Club to create a dedicated outdoor learning space for young people to learn practical woodland and conservation skills, including through woodland management, planting trees and creating items with natural materials.

The project has delivered a new workshop shed with a solid concrete base, alongside a covered outdoor working area and workbench, and new tools for woodwork and tree planting, allowing young people to take part in a wider range of hands-on activities throughout the year.

The new facility will mean that the club can expand its reach, support more young people and continue delivering benefits for years to come. View a film of the Elsing Woodlanders Nature Club HERE.

Field of Joy, based in Reepham, is a social smallholding that specialises in working with vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including young people who are outside of mainstream education.

Set within a three-acre meadow, the project provides opportunities for people to connect with nature through activities such as growing food, caring for animals and environmental conservation.

The funding has enabled the organisation to continue its popular Teen Rangers and Sanctuary Garden groups for young people, while also launching a new intergenerational programme, bringing together different age groups to work on shared projects, including organic growing, tree planting, and wetland and waterway conservation.

So far, the funding has helped volunteers deliver over 64 sessions, working with more than 230 local people. View a film of the Field of Joy HERE.

“These projects are a great examples of how community-driven, locally managed support unlocks real and lasting change in the places that matter most,” said RWE.

In 2025, the company’s renewable energy projects invested £5.7 million into community funds across the UK, including nearly £1.5 million in England. In Norfolk, RWE’s offshore wind projects are expected to deliver approximately £15 million in community funding over their lifetime, supporting rural communities across the county.

The Norfolk Offshore Wind Farms Community Fund, delivered in partnership with Norfolk Community Foundation, provides long-term investment to communities connected to Vanguard West, East and Boreas offshore wind projects.

A key feature of the fund is its independent community panel, made up of local residents, who play a central role in shaping priorities and deciding how funding is allocated. A new short film exploring the role of the community panel and the importance of local decision-making is available HERE.

With onshore construction of the wind farms progressing, the fund is already supporting projects through its early Discovery Phase, designed to ensure funding responds directly to local needs and priorities while shaping how the programme develops in the years ahead.

See our earlier story:
Local projects receive grants from offshore wind zone community fund

Above: Elsing Woodlanders Nature Club. Photo: RWE

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By Victoria Plum

Nature abhors a vacuum. Left to its own devices, ground soon fills with growing things. Just look around – every plant has a strategy to somehow ensure its survival.

Some gardens, such as formal rose gardens, have each plant surrounded by bare soil, which makes it easy to keep weed-free. There is the expression that if you hoe where there are no weeds then there will never be any weeds, but it does seem a dreadful waste of time.

In any case, if you hoe so assiduously you deny yourself all those lucky little bonus and surprise seedlings that are keen to grow given half a chance.

Caper spurge, an effortless and elegant plant I really like, is always in the garden. I never planted it but I leave it to grow if there is room; pull it up if it’s in the way.

I’ve been practicing “chop and drop”. When tidying the garden, you chop, trim and snip but instead of carrying the bits to the compost heap and then back to your soil when rotted down some time next year (lots of work), you just leave the bits on the ground to rot in situ, giving homes and cover to all the tiny creatures we need to foster.

This year I’m extending this principle to weeds. I pull up the bindweed, goosegrass, etc., and just leave to desiccate on the grass or tops of plants. I know it looks unsightly for a day of so, but I’ve been watching and it soon disappears.

Everyone likes a recipe and the speaker at the Reepham & District Gardening Club in May, Annette Hurt, a keen advocate of no digging and natural gardening, suggested the following.

Fill a jar with a variety of, or only, comfrey, nettles and dandelion leaves, 200 grams in total. Layer in 85 grams of brown sugar, weigh down with a stone, cover with gauze and leave for five days to will ferment, then dilute 1:500, (yes, really) to fertilise your plot. Mine is already fermenting in the kitchen.

Annette mentioned The Garden Folk Mag, a free online monthly magazine about gardening; it looks interesting.

Annette lives in the Broadland village of Filby, which is famed for its fabulous, award-winning floral displays. Open gardens there on 18–19 July, so I intend to go and study her garden. She keeps bees, too.

Next month, on Tuesday 16 June at 7.30 pm in the Town Hall, Church Street, Reepham, we meet to hear Andrew Sankey talk about developing a cottage garden in Bracondale, Norwich. All welcome, bring your friends.

There is always something of interest to discover at the gardening club, and at each meeting this year we are encouraged to bring plants to swap, so see what you have spare. Someone else is bound to want it.

Above: Bird’s eye view of caper spurge. Below: Black Solomon’s seal flowering among ferns, roses, honeysuckle and clematis. Photos: Tina Sutton

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Police are appealing for information after an attempted break‑in at Reepham Fire Station late on Tuesday 19 May.

The incident happened at around 11.40 pm, when suspects tried to gain entry to the School Road building by removing a window pane. They fled the scene after the alarm was activated.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police quoting incident 585 via the Norfolk Police website or by calling 101.

Information can also be passed on anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555111 or via the Crimestoppers website.

Photo: Reepham Community Press

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Reepham & District Photographic Club held a well‑attended exhibition at the Bircham Centre on 15–16 May, raising funds towards a new projector and screen for use in competitions, guest talks and club activities.

Visitors turned out in large numbers across the weekend, leaving enthusiastic comments and taking part in voting for their favourite image – Chilly Morning by Sheila Forster-Hancock.

The raffle proved a highlight. First prize – Hare in Clover, a canvas donated by Reepham’s Alan Dixon, Norfolk Wildlife Trust Photographer of the Year 2025 – was won by a local resident. The second prize, Waxwing by Richard Banester, last year’s public‑voted best image, also went to a local winner.

The club expressed its thanks to everyone who visited and supported the event, as well as to the Bircham Centre for the room hire, Ben Pitcher at Norfolk Print & Design, and the organisations providing community grants, including Reepham Lions, Reepham Life/Reepham Community Press and Reepham & District Rotary Club.

Above: Chilly Morning by Sheila Forster-Hancock.

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