You will find many links on the left hand side. Please use them to move around and you can e-mail me with your comments by clicking on the link below. If you want to start by reading some general information about the village click here.

Peter Steward

LATEST NEWS and FEATURES

September 2010

 News Shorts

Updates on this site will now appear on Twitter. Just click here

Cricketers Double Delight - Hethersett and Tas Valley Cricket Club are celebrating major success in the Norfolk Alliance. The first team has won Division Three by a massive 30 point margin and the second team have finished runners-up and gained promotion from Division Five. For full club details visit their official web site by clicking here.

Hethersett organised more events per head of population than any other village, town or city in the country. Read about the events by clicking here. Download your Run the Square certificate by clicking here Mel Perkins MBE has also put together a fun family quiz and you can print this off by clicking here. We have also uploaded a number of photo galleries which can be accessed from the individual report pages.

First Class Send Off for Helen - Helen Lamb who has been Head teacher at Woodside school for 11 years retired in July. The Eastern Daily Press newspaper were there to see her first class send off and you can read their story by clicking here.

What Happened to the Rooks? - A mystery surrounds the disappearance of the rooks from trees at the back of St David's Road. The birds flew off in early July but by the end of the month seemed to have returned. It is a mystery where they went. Can anybody shed light on this. If so e-mail us by clicking here.

Hawks Race in European Championships - Three riders from Hethersett Hawks cycle speedway club raced in the European Championships in Poland. You can see how they did by visiting the club's official web site by clicking here.

Excellent OFSTED Report for School - Children from Hethersett Junior School have been priased for their healthy lifestyle in the school's latest report by the Office for Standards in Education. You can read about this by clicking here and you can read the Ofsted report by clicking here.

Folk Group Idea- Hethersett resident Paul Mardell is trying to get a folk music group up and running. The idea is for interested people to get together to learn a variety of pieces and Paul says you only need to be able to play three chords to join. Read more by clicking here.

Kit in Mercury Bid - A Norwich jazz pianist with close Hethersett links has been nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. Past winners of the competition have included world famous acts such as Primal Scream, Suede, M People, Portishead, Pulp, Dizzee Rascal, Franz Ferdinand and the Arctic Monkeys. This year the Kit Downes trio is one of the nominations for the award for their album Golden. Kit has in the past had a close relationship with Hethersett Junior School where a few years ago he accompanied children on a music project based on the music of the Beatles. Kit’s mother Beverley was a teacher at the Hethersett school for a number of years.

Latvia Journey - Two members of Hethersett Methodist Church have returned from working in a home for young mums and their babies in Latvia. You can read how Anne Steward and Juliet Lomas got on by clicking here.

Rosie's Charity Walk - A Hethersett High School pupil is looking to raise £10,000 for a new hospital unit. Rosie Van Raalte has made a full recovery from bone cancer and has organised a September charity walk. You can read this story from the Eastern Daily Press by clicking here. 

Development Newsletter - A new newsletter regarding the proposed 1,100 additional homes in the village is being distributed in Hethersett. It seems to add very little to the overall debate. You can read our assessment of this by going to our special development section by clicking here

Youth Club is Flourishing - Hethersett Jubilee Youth Club is flourishing with up to 30 youngsters aged between 11 and 14 attending the regular Wednesday night club sessions. The club evenings mix the traditional with the modern with the youngsters enjoying table tennis and rounders alongside electronic games. As the current group get older the club is hoping to fill in at other age groups and plans are also on the cards for an after school club – provided a leader can be found. Meanwhile the club is continuing to receive financial support from the village alongside its own fund-raising efforts. Another ladies pamper evening is being organised for the end of October as the last one was postponed due to the popularity of the World Cup. There will also be a quiz evening in September. In addition the group has received a £400 donation from proceeds from the village open gardens scheme and Hethersett in Bloom competition. “We are still on the lookout for more people who can give up a few hours to help on club evenings or serve on the club committee,” said club chair Gillian Saunders

WI Reports - The latest news from Hethersett WI is available by clicking here. 

Small Ads - You don't get anything for nothing in this world or so the saying goes. Actually that's wrong our small ads section is entirely free. If you want to advertise a service or business just send details via e-mail by clicking here. In a time of recession we are happy to support local businesses in this way. As they say every little helps. And if you use one of these services please tell them that you saw their advert on this web site. It goes without saying that whilst we run these ads we do not endorse any particular product and cannot be responsible for the service provided.

Successful Garage Sale - The sunny weather brought people out in their droves for the seventh annual garage sale organised by the Friends of Hethersett High School. You can read about how much was raised by clicking here.

Colourful Dance Show - Hethersett's Yvonne School of Dance presented West End to Broadway at Norwich Theatre Royal on June 20th. Richard Whall was at the event for this website and you can read his report of the glitz and glamour by clicking here.

National Honour for Mel - Hethersett's Mr Sport Mel Perkins has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday honours. The award marks his work in the village with Hethersett Hawks Cycle Speedway Club and Hethersett Athletic Football Club. Mel was a founder member of both clubs - Hawks in 1966 and Athletic in 1991 - and is still secretary of both. Over the past couple of years Mel has received a number of local and national awards in both sports and Hethersett on the Web send him our heartiest congratulations. To read more click here.

Entertainment at Hethersett Social Club - A number of new dates have been announced for Hethersett Social Club. View what's coming on by clicking here

Overhanging Trees Warning - Hethersett Parish Council is asking residents to trim back overhanging trees. “The growing season is upon us and the parish council is asking residents to cut back trees and shrubs that are overhanging footways and street lights. This can cause difficulties for pedestrians and affects the quality and impact of street lighting,” said parish clerk Ian Weetman. The council will be writing to those who do not comply with the request and may also enlist the help of Norfolk County Council in taking enforcement action. The council is also concerned at “inconsiderate parking” in the village: “Parking on verges, apart from the mess it causes, and on footways can be obstructive to footpath users with impaired abilities and dropped curbs are essential for users of mobility scooters,” Mr Weetman added.

Views Needed - Hethersett Parish Council is asking residents for their views on the sports and recreation area around the Village Hall. The council is considering carrying out a refurbishment programme and is asking the public whether it wishes to continue with the existing set-up of sports and tennis court area or whether they would prefer something completely different. Any views should be sent to parish clerk Ian Weetman on 01603 810915. Mr Weetman is also available at the council office upstairs in the village hall on Mondays and Thursdays between 10 a.m and noon.

Prepare for ipatter - ipatter is a new electronic business network with its headquarters in Little Melton. Read about this new venture by clicking here.

Referee Back In Action - A Hethersett man who was told he would never be able to referee again is back in charge on the soccer pitch after a life saving heart transplant. Read this incredible story from the Norwich Evening News by clicking here.

The Green Green Grass of Home - Hethersett Playing Field Bowls Club has installed a new sprinkler system thanks to a grant from the parish council. To read about this click here.

A Quality Council - Hethersett Parish Council is a quality organisation – and it’s official. For the village council has been awarded Quality Parish Council status. “Parishioners can be assured that the parish council is operating in a professional and effective manner and has now positioned itself to take advantage of any future beneficial initiatives from either the district or county council in terms of service devolution or improvement,” said Hethersett parish clerk Ian Weetman. The Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme was launched in 2003 and lays down minimum standards needed to help cement a position as community leaders. “The award follows a great deal of preparatory work and a rigorous assessment,” Mr Weetman added.

Street Lighting Improvements - Hethersett Parish Council is considering extending street lighting in one of the major areas of the village. Following the installation of improved lighting on the main route through the village in Queen’s Road and Great Melton Road, it is now hoped to extend this into Mill Road over the next few months.

Please Report Potholes -  Hethersett residents are being encouraged to report any potholes caused by the appalling winter weather. The appeal appears in the latest copy of Hethersett Parish Council’s Newsletter which is distributed to homes throughout the village. The recent spells of inclement weather have produced a noticeable increase in the number of potholes in and around the village. The parish council would encourage residents to report both existing potholes and developing potholes to the appropriate authority,” the newsletter states. On trunk roads such as the A11 and A47 the “appropriate authority” is the Highways Agency on 08457 504030. Deep potholes in the village more than three inches in depth should be reported to Norfolk County Council on 0344 800 8009. Shallower holes can be reported via the county council web site which is available by clicking here. 

Emergency Volunteers Needed -  Hethersett is still looking for volunteer emergency co-ordinators to help in a major emergency. “Whereas the effects of most emergencies can be efficiently dealt with by the professional emergency services using the resources normally available to them, there is always the possibility of a disaster of such large proportions that the resources of the emergency services would require additional assistance with local knowledge,” said Hethersett Parish Council clerk Ian Weetman. In the light of this the parish council is looking to set up a team of volunteer Community Emergency Co-ordinators who will work in partnership with the parish council and South Norfolk Council to put together an emergency plan according to the needs of the local community. Anybody interested in volunteering can contact Mr Weetman on 01603 810915.

Unhappy with the Bus Service? - Hethersett Parish Council is collating complaints about the bus service to and through the village. Writing in the latest edition of Hethersett Newsletter, a publication that is distributed throughout the village, parish clerk Ian Weetman acknowledges that there have been a number of complaints recently about the service. “The parish council has received a number of comments that the perception is that the bus service through the village has deteriorated recently, even taking into account the bad weather,” Mr Weetman said adding that residents experiencing problems with the service offered by First Bus should, in the first instance, contact the company. “If residents would also care to copy the detail of the complaint to the parish council, the council will collate the information with a view to meeting the bus company,” he said.

Turning Up the HEAT - The village continues to put the emphasis on green issues. To read about some of the Hethersett Environmental Action Team's latest initiatives click here. You can also view the group's latest newsletter in word format by clicking here or in pdf format by clicking here. 

Under-Age Drinking Targeted - Gangs of under-age drinkers in Hethersett have been the target of police raids in the past few weeks. Following complaints from residents, police officers have carried out a number of high visibility patrols and alcohol was seized from youngsters and parents have been informed about their behaviour by police who also confiscated a number of items that could have led to anti social behaviour such as eggs and fireworks. A large quantity of alcohol was seized from a group of about 30 teenagers on Hethersett Memorial Playing Field.

Rubbish Dump Concern - Hethersett residents are being urged not to dump general rubbish at the village’s two mini recycling centres. The latest Hethersett Newsletter distributed by Hethersett Parish Council points out that arranging removal of general rubbish causes unnecessary work for the Memorial Playing Field and Village Hall Management committees and also additional costs for the district council. “There are mini recycling centres at the Memorial Playing Field and Village Hall which cater for bottle and clothing disposal only. Most visitors use them appropriately but there have been an increasing number of incidents when general rubbish of all sorts has been dumped,” the newsletter states.

Job Search - Hethersett on the Web is pleased to announce a link with leading local job web site My Norwich Jobs. Visit the site to read about local career opportunities in Norwich and also our surrounding area including Attleborough and Wymondham. You can also upload your CV to the site. Visit it by clicking here.

Web Links - We have checked all our links to various other village sites and added some new ones. So if you want to go to a village web site just follow the links by clicking here. We have also updated our archive news section and this can now be accessed by clicking here.   

Genealogy 

We receive lots of requests for information on family names. There is a special genealogy section on this site where you can read some of this research and also help people to find their ancestors. To access this click here. New postings include research into the names of Reynolds and Flowerdew. We have also started a new section called Can You Help where we are looking for help with queries sent to us. The section kicks off with a gentleman wanting details of Hethersett Races and another asking for information on a song that includes the immortal line "There was an old woman from Hethersett." To read about these queries click here

Coming Events

Want to know what's going on in the village. Then go to our What's On section which you can access by clicking here. If you have an event you would like to be featured just send details of place, time and any other relevant information via e-mail by clicking here.

We are always looking for memories of the village and its people. So if you would like to be featured in a new section being built, please contact the editor by phone on 01603 811052 or by leaving an e-mail by clicking here. We are hoping to introduce a number of sections for memories and would be particularly interested in hearing from anybody with memories of the Methodist Church or its people for a project being organised by our sister site which can be viewed by clicking here. A new section of this site for reminiscences has been set-up and this can be viewed by clicking here.