The Reepham Classic Car Festival will return to the Market Place on 27 September, running from 11 am to 4 pm.

This year’s event will raise funds for Reepham Primary School and is expected to attract a large attendance; entry is free for visitors. The festival will feature a wide range of classic vehicles alongside food, drink and live music.

Owners of classic cars interested in taking part can request an application form by email. Exhibitors are invited to make an optional £5 donation in support of the primary school.

Photos: rubythehealey

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Your correspondent’s objections to the new Station Road electric vehicle chargers (Empty EV bays, full car park – a net zero own goal, 26 March 2026) would be more persuasive if they weren’t contradicted by the evidence published on the Reepham Life website.

The photograph accompanying the original news item (Green travel boosted with new EV charging points, 20 March 2026) shows an EV actively charging. So much for the claim that no one uses them.

The complaint about “losing” six parking spaces (looks more like five) also misses the mark. Those bays haven’t disappeared; they’ve been allocated to a growing category of vehicle.

Car parks have always evolved – for disabled access, parent‑and‑child bays, recycling points, safety upgrades – and EV charging is simply the next logical step. Modern infrastructure adapts to changing needs rather than freezing itself in a bygone era.

Public charging costs more than home charging, just as motorway fuel costs more than supermarket petrol. That’s not a flaw; it’s the nature of convenience‑based infrastructure.

And the idea that taxpayer‑funded transport improvements are some new imposition ignores the obvious: every road, bridge, streetlight and drainage system we rely on was paid for in exactly the same way.

What your correspondent also overlooks is the long‑term benefit of supporting EVs, which reduce local air pollution, cut noise, lower maintenance costs for drivers and help shield households from the volatility of global oil markets.

As the grid decarbonises, their environmental advantage only grows. Installing chargers now is how communities ensure they are ready for the next decade rather than scrambling to catch up with it.

Finally, the suggestion that councils should seek a referendum before installing a handful of charging points is unrealistic. Representative democracy entrusts elected bodies to plan for the future, not to poll the public on every lamp post and litter bin.

In short, the new chargers are a modest, sensible investment – and the published photo proves they are already doing precisely what they were installed to do.

G. Gerrard, Bawdeswell

Image: Reepham Community Press

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Reepham Tennis Club is opening its courts to the community on Saturday 18 April, offering a free tennis taster afternoon from 2–5 pm.

The Barclays Big Tennis Weekend Open Day welcomes complete beginners through to seasoned players, with a chance to meet the club’s coaching team, chat with members and enjoy high‑energy, on‑court sessions throughout the afternoon.

What’s on offer:

• Free taster sessions for all ages and abilities
• All equipment provided – simply turn up and play
• Exclusive Open Day discounts on coaching and membership

Families, friends and anyone curious about trying tennis are encouraged to come along and discover why it’s such a great sport for fitness, fun and social connection. Places are limited, so early booking is recommended. Book your place HERE.

The event is supported by the National Tennis Association, one of the region’s leading coaching providers. The NTA has delivered the junior coaching programme at Reepham Tennis Club for more than a decade and introduced adult coaching last year, helping the club grow participation and develop players of all ages.

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The managing director of Reepham-based garden metalwork specialist L V Bespoke has been appointed to the council of the Garden Industry Manufacturers Association (GIMA), which represents around 170 suppliers to the UK garden retail sector.

Victoria Osborne (pictured), who co‑founded L V Bespoke, has been central to the company’s growth, establishing it as a trusted supplier to major organisations including the National Trust, Hillier, Blue Diamond, the Royal Horticultural Society and British Garden Centres.

The business, which produces handcrafted metalwork and point‑of‑sale solutions for horticultural and lifestyle brands, has seen steady expansion and has earned recognition in several industry and business awards. Earlier this year, it was named Small Business of the Year at the 2026 Broadland and South Norfolk Business Awards.

L V Bespoke also impressed at the GIMA Awards 2025, where its Glass & Steel Garden Feature Stakes Collection was named Sustainability Champion in the Garden Lighting, Water Features & Ornamentation category in which it was also shortlisted as a finalist.

GIMA’s council comprises volunteer representatives from member businesses who work to shape the direction of the association and ensure it continues to deliver value for members across the sector.

Having engaged with the association through events, meetings and networking, Ms Osborne brings an energetic and commercially grounded perspective to the council, rooted in the realities of running a growing manufacturing business.

She has expressed a particular commitment to supporting initiatives around British manufacturing, innovation and the development of emerging brands, as well as advocating for stronger representation of smaller and independent suppliers within the sector.

As a female in manufacturing and horticulture, Ms Osborne is also a champion for diversity within the industry, actively encouraging more women to consider manufacturing, horticulture and engineering-led businesses as rewarding career paths.

See our earlier stories:
L V Bespoke named Broadland Small Business of the Year
Metalwork business celebrates awards triumph

Photo: L V Bespoke

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A Norfolk vocal group will fill St Michael’s, Reepham, with love‑themed songs later this spring. The Leap Day Singers are set to perform their concert, All You Need is Love, at 7.30 pm on Saturday 25 April.

This ensemble meets once a year for a full day of rehearsals before presenting the pieces they have learned to a local audience. After covering costs, the group donates the proceeds to a chosen charity – and this year’s beneficiary is Reepham Lions Club.

Admission is free, although donations to the Lions will be welcomed on the night.

Reepham Lions member Brenda Gostling said: “We are so grateful to Carol and the rest of the Leap Day Singers for choosing us as their charity this year. The money raised will be used to support good causes in Reepham and beyond.”

Photo: Leap Day Singers

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Singing for All, the community choir based in Weston Longville, made its first-ever appearance at the Norfolk County Festival, Choirs East Section on Saturday 21 March, performing at the Octagon Chapel in Norwich.

Understandably, there were some nerves as the group followed two larger and more seasoned choirs. But any apprehension quickly melted away thanks to the warm welcome from fellow performers.

With this year’s festival celebrating inclusiveness, Singing for All embraced the theme wholeheartedly. Their set featured Lean on Me, Let There Be Peace and Deep Down in My Soul, delivered with enthusiasm and heart.

Although the event was non‑competitive, the choir received detailed, encouraging feedback from the adjudicator, who summed up their performance by saying: “There is so much to like here. Keep up the great work!” Members say they have been “walking on air” ever since.

Anyone interested in joining the choir is invited to come along to Hall for All, Church Street, Weston Longville at 7 pm on Wednesday 15 April. The group will also host a Friends and Family Spring Celebration at the same venue on Sunday 10 May from 2–4 pm.

Singing for All is open to everyone – no auditions, no need to read music, just a shared enjoyment of singing together. For further information, send an email.

Ruth Goodall

Photo: Michael Rayner

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Forgive me for a lack of enthusiasm for the new electric vehicle charging points in the Station Road car park.

For one thing, these are the most expensive means of charging EVs, which may explain why I have yet to see any EVs using them.

For another, this car park is invariably full, and taking out six car park spaces (not five, as reported: Green travel boosted with new EV charging points, 20 March 2026) will make it even harder for all vehicles, including EVs charged elsewhere, to find a space.

And don’t forget that the funds provided by Norfolk County Council and the Norfolk Investment Framework come from you and me, the taxpayer, and are part of the net zero levies, which have resulted in the UK having the most expensive electricity in Europe.

Not that any governing party asked us if we thought this was a good idea.

Michael Pender-Cudlip, Mill Road, Reepham

Image: Reepham Community Press

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Reepham & District Rotary Club is organising a sale of pictures and other art on Saturday 18 April in the Bircham Centre, Market Place Reepham, from 10 am to 2 pm. Proceeds will go towards supporting the town’s community centre.

Visitors can enjoy refreshments throughout the event, and there will also be a raffle with a picture as the prize.

Many of the artworks have been donated by Rotary members who, after years of helping to run the art exhibition at the Aylsham Show, built up sizeable collections. As some members are now moving to smaller homes, a number of pieces are looking for new owners. Several are original works by local artists, many with strong local interest.

Richard Cooke

Photo: “Country Church” by Mike Knight

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