Wortwell Parish Council

Woof! Woof! Everyone!

Well, the weather has not improved, and we really don’t want to go out and get soaked again. We like the rubdown, but until we really dry, we do not want to make our beds damp, so we have to sleep on the floor. But there is underfloor heating, so we steam gently dry.

We did well last year and raised £13,000 in cash, so Guide Dogs gave us a badge each, a certificate, and a photo of Miles; I have no idea who he is, but he is a handsome Lab in his working harness.  But when Uncle Mike did his sums, we had collected over £25,000, including the sale of calendars and cards, talks, ‘Name A Puppy’ collections like Sam and Chris and me and card payments.  Thank you everyone for being so generous.

My Dad had a big shock; he found himself on the top of the Diss Messenger because the Fundraising Group raised £13,000, and then there were more words and a picture inside.

We’ve met a pup called Burton, who lives locally; he’s very cute and good.  They have set up puppy classes in Lodden for all the new puppies.  I’m going to help out, especially if they don’t understand the hooman trainers.  The pups have to learn to ignore the commands, so they get more treats.

Ronda: On 20^th March, I’m going to Big School in Leamington Spa, that’s where Vinny was born. I’m really keen and can’t wait to get there and learn new things. Vinny: I don’t think she realises how much hard work it is! But the house will be quiet without her.

Ronda: We’ve been to visit the lovely people at Royal Mail parcels in Norwich to say goodbye, as they sponsored me.  I recently went to the Big School in town and saw play with singing.  I saw an animal that looked like a dog but didn’t smell or bark like one of us.  So, I gave up wagging my tail at it and went to sleep on my rug in the dark after the hoomans had their ice creams.

As I write this, Dad tells me the brown water house is opening soon; that’s good. I hope they have yummy treats like saussages or steak! Dad says I must stick to my diet, but I can dream.

We are sad that this will be our last scribblings in the Mardler.

Woofs and licks to all!

See you around the village.

Vinny

& Ronda

P. S. If you remember, I raised money for a puppy; well, Wortwell has been born and is with his puppy raiser, but we have no idea where he is in the country.

 

A flood warning means flooding to some property is expected. A severe flood warning means there’s a danger to life.
Check for flooding

Call Floodline for advice
Telephone: 0345 988 1188
Textphone: 0345 602 6340
Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

In which format would you prefer to receive/access the Wortwell Mardler in the future?

Wortwell Parish Council would like to hear from you

The longstanding Wortwell Mardler is our printed village newsletter, published once every two months, and is currently delivered free of charge to Wortwell residents. After the paper copy is distributed, the Mardler is published on our village website, so it can be read by a wider audience.

Which of the following would be your preference in the future:
a) printed newsletter delivered to your door
b) access via village website
c) subscribe to receive e-newsletter

Submit your choice in one of the following ways by 25 January:

1) https://forms.office.com/r/iu9N2cR4Rd

2) QR code

3) Contact Lua, Parish Clerk, email [email protected], 01986 788789

The results will be shared in the March/April issue of the Mardler, which will be printed and delivered in the usual way. Thank You

 

Flood-hit communities impacted by Storm Henk (2 to 8 January) can now apply for thousands of pounds from the government to help them recover.

The financial support announced today (6 January 2024) will be available to eligible areas in England that have experienced exceptional localised flooding.

Help will be available for:

1. Flooded households in eligible affected areas, who can apply for up to £500 cash to help with immediate costs.
2. Households and businesses significantly affected, who will be eligible for 100% council tax and business rates relief for at least 3 months.
3. Small-to-medium sized businesses in eligible affected areas, who can apply for up to £2,500 from the Business Recovery Grant to help them return quickly to business as usual.
4. Eligible flood-hit property owners, who can apply for up to £5,000 to help make their homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding via the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme.
5. Farmers who have suffered uninsurable damage to their land will be able to apply for grants of up to £25,000 through the Farming Recovery Fund towards repair and reinstatement costs for farmers adversely affected by exceptional flooding.

This support will be made available through a scheme called the Flood Recovery Framework, which is used in exceptional circumstances to support councils and communities following severe flooding. The measures were announced by the Communities Secretary Michael Gove and Environment Secretary Steve Barclay.

Community based nature recovery is an important element of overall nature recovery for the region and country.  It is a way that everyone can get involved.  The voice and actions of ordinary people do count and can make a difference. Remember, the size of the gardens in England is larger than that of the national nature reserves.  If people who have previously not thought about nature recovery now do something, and those who are already taking action do a little bit more, the collective impact may be bigger than we think.

South Norfolk Council reinforced their support for nature recovery in December by passing a motion which I proposed.  It was agreed to endorse the community nature recovery model pioneered by Harleston and to encourage Parish councils across the district to implement a similar approach across their own communities.  Wortwell Parish Council have already endorsed the community model and are ahead of the game on this one.

The Parish Council are now looking to set up a community group to formulate and deliver local initiatives. Parish Councillor, Robert Hadingham, has kindly agreed to be the contact point. We will be giving a brief presentation before the Quiz Night at the Wortwell CORE on Friday 9 February. 

If you would like to know more, or get involved then please look at: www.ournaturerecovery.org.uk/community/wortwell or email [email protected]

Trevor Graham, District Councillor for the Harleston Ward

 

Parents/Carers of Wortwell children/young people in receipt of state education are invited to apply for assistance with residential educational trips and for transfer to sixth form or university that have taken place in the past 12 months.

Residents should apply to our Secretary, Mrs. P. Swinden, Four Winds, Tunbeck Road, IP20 0HP, telephone 01986 788977.

 

The annual Remembrance Day Service was held at The Knoll at 3pm on Sunday 12 November.

Canon Nigel Tuffnell delivered the service to a congregation of 40, including members of the Royal British Legion.

Wortwell Parish Council would like to express their grateful thanks to Amanda and Kevin for volunteering their time to refurbish the War Memorial, and Marion for donating the rose plants.

Wortwell Parish Council are delighted to announce that outdoor gym equipment has been installed on the ‘old’ field adjacent to Tunbeck Close.

The Parish Council made an application to the National Lottery Community Fund earlier this year and was successfully awarded funds to purchase five pieces of gym equipment and a bench.    The five pieces of equipment, supplied by Fresh Air Fitness, are Arm & Pedal Bike, Elliptical X Trainer, Seated Leg Press, Self Weighted Rower and Air Walker, each having instructions on their use, and a separate sign with Health & Safety advice has been erected close by.