Brundall Parish Council

  • Volunteer’s Week Final Day (7) – A thank you to all volunteers!

    In the past 6 days we have paid a tribute and given thanks to some of the organisations and people who consistently volunteer to help make Brundall a vibrant and enjoyable place to live.

    Today, we would like to name as many of the other organisations in Brundall who also give of their time to improve the quality of life here. They are all appreciated and valued equally:

    Yare Valley Churches

    Brundall Allotment Association

    Brundall Charity Shop staff

    Acle and Brundall Lions

    Brundall Local History Group

    Brundall Memorial Hall – Committee and Clubs

    Friends of Brundall School

    Womens’ Institute – Evening and Afternoon

    Brundall Football and Sports Club

    Brundall Parkrun

    Brundall Twinning Association

    2nd Brundall Scouts – Guides, Brownies, Rainbows, Beavers, Cubs, Cadets

    Brundall Mens’s Shed

    Committee of Snowy’s Nursery

    If we have missed any other groups, please text 07809 144342 and we will gladly add them in.

    Once again thank you if you volunteer in any individual way in Brundall or as part of any group. You are indeed wonderful!!!

     

     

     

  • Volunteer’s Week Day 6 – Tree Warden Richard Farley

    Richard Farley – Brundall Tree Warden

    Today we focus on the role of Brundall’s Tree Warden Richard Farley. Brundall has had tree wardens for many years and they used to come under the Broadland District Council umbrella. However, only very recently the Broadland Tree Network (under the umbrella of the Tree Council) opted to take on the recruitment of all Broadland Tree Wardens in Broadland, following the decision by Broadland Council to end the scheme.

    Richard works with the policies and ethics of the Broadland Tree Network in mind (Chairman of the BTN is Brundall’s John Fleetwood). Between them they do a lot of physical work in our woodlands and Brundall owned areas bearing in mind they are both retired!!

    So what does a Tree Warden actually do? A Tree Warden volunteers their time to hear any  concerns residents or organisations have, should any trees become a concern. Where possible, they want to ensure that the stock of the parish is in good health and where possible to plant new trees (the right tree in the right place). They can also apply to have trees preserved under a TPO (tree preservation order).

    Brundall is fortunate to have a Tree Warden that goes above and beyond. Richard takes an avid interest in any planning application coming up for comment in Brundall and assesses  them to ensure they do not adversely affect any trees on site. He and John are always prepared to visit some more major application sites to assess them more thoroughly. Richard assessed the Berryfields Norfolk Homes planning application and gave a thorough critique of the landscape planting which resulted in a promise by them to change the type of some of the trees and hedging. He did the same for the Council’s upcoming Sports Hub 3G pitch application so this altered the plans to ensure the right trees and hedging were planted in the right places.

    Richard has had experience of caring for trees in his employment as Ranger at the Broads Authority where his job then was to inspect the BA areas. Now, as Brundall’s Tree Warden, he and John (BTN), together, have agreed to care for the trees on Church Fen and Low Farm Wood and will soon be planting more fruit trees in the orchard at the Countryside Park. He has ensured more trees and hedging were planted in the Cucumber Lane Cemetery.

    Richard is always on hand for the Parish Council to call upon to give his views and always gives his opinion with honesty and direct delivery! He is also a committee member of the Recreation and Wellbeing Committee as well as the newly formed Countryside Park Group. Although his passion is for trees, Richard runs his own allotment and is a committee member on the Brundall Allotment Association. He is also a great handyman and gave his time up to mend the WWII bench in the cemetery as we feared it had been damaged by vandalism beyond repair! He has helped build some of the structures at the Allotments. He was instrumental in installing a defibrillator for the Memorial Hall.

    Richard was voted as the 2021 John Evans Good Citizen by the Council last year, an accolade thoroughly deserved. We thank him for all he has done for Brundall over the years.

    Richard, wife Jane receiving his Good Citizen Award in 2021 presented by Chairman Kevin Wilkins
    Richard giving the car park hedge a haircut in the Countryside Park!
    Richard and John at Low Farm Wood

  • Volunteer’s Week Day 5 – Parish Councillors

    Parish Councillors

    There are around 10,000 community, parish and town councils in England and Wales, controlled by Acts of Parliament and they are responsible for the most local of matters. Importantly, they can “precept” – raising a sum collected with your council tax each year to improve facilities and services for local people.

    Parish, town and community councils in England and Wales have a number of basic responsibilities in making the lives of local communities more comfortable, many of which are often taken for granted. Essentially these powers fall within three main categories: – representing the whole electorate within the parish; delivering services to meet local needs; and striving to improve quality of life in the parish.   Individual powers to spend include traffic calming measures, local youth projects, tourism activities, leisure facilities, car parks, village greens, public toilets, litter bins, street lighting, street cleaning, burial grounds, allotments, bus shelters, commons, opens spaces, footpaths, bridleways, and crime reduction measures.  Community, parish and town councils can also comment on planning applications – they are statutory consultees and can be represented at public inquiries.

     The Role of a Councillor

    What is a councillor?

    Councillors are elected to represent an individual geographical unit on the council, known as a ward or – mainly in smaller parishes – the entire parish or town council area. They are generally elected by the public every four years. The are unpaid but a council can choose to provide an allowance. This council (Brundall) has chosen not to provide any allowances for the Chairman or any other Councillors.

    What do councillors do?

    Councillors have three main components to their work.

    Decision-making – Through meetings and attending committees with other elected members, councillors decide which activities to support, where money should be spent, what services should be delivered and what policies should be implemented.

    Monitoring – Councillors make sure that their decisions lead to efficient and effective services by keeping an eye on how well things are working.

    Getting involved locally – As local representatives, councillors have responsibilities towards their constituents and local organisations. These responsibilities and duties often depend on what the councillor wants to achieve and how much time is available,  and may include going to meetings of local organisations such as tenants’ associations, and organisations affecting the wider community; taking up issues on behalf of members of the public, running surgeries for residents to bring up issues, and meeting with individual residents in their own homes.

    Brundall Councillors

    Brundall Parish Council is made up of 12 Councillors who, over the period of the 4 year term are initially elected. During their term of office, and with resignations and co-options, there is naturally a mix of elected and co-opted Councillors. They meet at full Council monthly and are expected to be on the various council Committees and attend meeting and if necessary carry out research and work to make improvements to the parish.

    But what is life really like on this Council? And what is the perception of a councillor? If you ask residents what they perceive as being a Councillor, they may say they don’t have a clue. Some assume it just involves attending meetings. The country got a particularly bad insight into life on a council with the Jackie Weaver publicity at Handforth Parish Council. This was an example of Councillors that, shall we say, could do with a lot more training!!

    A Day in the life of a Councillor

    The truth is that there is no typical day. Every day, week and month can bring in unexpected and sometimes challenging issues. They could range from being asked to comment on nationwide, or district consultations by reading lengthy documents trying to fathom complex terminology, to going on patrol in the village to find out about traffic concerns or simply meeting residents to hear their comments and try to help them. At meetings, effective decision-making is key and Councillors must be prepared to back up their reasons as to why they vote in a particular way.

    Cllr Kevin Wilkins, Chairman has given this insight:

    “The work of a parish council is to a greater extent unsung, but is an important tier of local government representing the local interests of people within the village, namely residents, businesses and visitors.Therefore, to put yourself forward for election as a parish councillor is a privilege to represent those local interests within your own village. As parish councillors we are volunteers and give of our time freely but we are happy to do so and certainly in our council work in a non political environment simply to support the local community. Our main focus is to identify and drive improvements to village life such as the Countryside Park and allotments, Cremer’s Meadow and very soon the Sports Hub and, to follow, the Village Green.Unlike the portrayal of a parish council in the Vicar of Dibley it is not all about quirky meetings and ‘no no’ parking allowed on the field, but a far more dynamic group of twelve volunteer councillors whose key objective is simply to do their best for their village and local community”.

    Cllr Mike Savory has given this summary:

    “So for me, becoming a councillor was all about giving something back to my local community.  I have children and I wanted to try and do my bit to improve the village for them and all the residents of Brundall.  Being a member of the Parish Council is very rewarding but also very time-consuming.  All members give their time freely for the benefit of the community and spend time working on various subgroups and projects.  Two big focuses for me and the council are Road Safety and Recreation in Brundall and I sit on both the Road Safety sub group and Recreation and Wellbeing committee of the council and we are constantly working towards finding ways to improve both of these key issues in the village.  There are some very exciting projects being planned with the Sports Hub, the future Village Green in Brundall and working alongside Blofield Parish Council on the Witton Run area.  It is projects like these that can have a huge positive impact on Brundall and the future.  When those visions come to life it will be very rewarding for all those involved and thanks to the countless hours that councillors have spent on them”.

    Ultimately councillors are unpaid and therefore volunteers, but they are held to a higher standard by the Code of Conduct that they pledge to follow when elected and so they must act with the highest integrity. If you might be interested in becoming a Councillor please follow the link below:

    Becoming a Councillor – Brundall Parish Council

     

  • Volunteer’s Week Day 4 – Wynn Tutt

    Wynn Tutt

    Affectionately known in Brundall and the surrounding areas as “Wynn the Bin”, our very own village recycling champion is Mrs Wynn Tutt. Wynn is married to Bill, who has supported her throughout her decades of efforts to rid the streets of litter and at the same time to recycle the litter to raise money for good causes. Bill and Wynn met in the forces. Bill often quips “You know Wynn, but really you can only recognise her from her backside!”

    Wynn raises money for Kidney Research – Jack Prior Renal Unit plus Cancer and Leukaemia Research. She is often spotted routing around the litter bins, streets of Brundall and car boots looking for items to recycle. Bill told of how once she even brought aluminium cans on board her plane on the journey home from a foreign holiday!!

    Her accolades for her efforts include:

    • Special mention in the Queen Mothers Birthday Awards (environmental improvement – Keep Britain Tidy)
    • John Evans Good Citizen Award 2014 – Brundall Parish Council
    • 2018 Community at Heart Broadland DC Award as “Environmental Champion”

    2013 was a mixed year for Wynn. She spent 18 months in Addenbrookes but was soon back on the road. In the time she was in hospital she was honoured by a group of volunteers who filled in for her absence – they became “Wynn’s Wombles”.

    Wynn has become very passionate about the environment and has regularly engaged with Norfolk County Council regarding recycling, as they have, on occasion engaged with her about delivering the waste to the Strumpshaw Recycling Depot. They tried to stop her bringing the waste there, but they underestimated Wynn’s tenacity and she soon got them to see it her way!

    In 2019, Wynn attended the Planning Committee meeting for the Quantum Land planning application for 170 houses east of the Memorial Hall to speak against it. He words were extremely heartfelt and passionate, wanting to keep the village a village with an effective supporting infrastructure. She was also very vocal against the Mallards development.

    She also arranged a visit to one of the largest incinerators in East Anglia to see how it works and to ensure it was not being too damaging on the environment.

    Wynn has now turned 90 years old but is still doing her rounds in Brundall. She is truly an enigma and we thank her for all her efforts. We must also thank Bill for ensuring Wynn is safe and he has always been by her side patiently waiting while she does her magic.

    We think you will agree there will never be another like Wynn Tutt!

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Volunteer’s week – Day 3 – Brundall’s Station Adopters

    Brundall’s Station Adopters:

    Brundall Gardens Station

    Greg Chandler and Gillian Lincoln are the Station adopters for Brundall Gardens Station. Gillian only recently joined Greg.

    Greg has been looking after the station since 2004 and was already winning awards back in 2007.  He is also on the steering committee (Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership) representing station adopters on the Wherry line.  The displays changed once Gillian came on board some 3-4 years ago, her horticultural background has helped tremendously with the displays and a lot of the plants she grows from seed.   She has even managed to do red, white and blue wildflowers for the Jubilee!!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Brundall Gardens was the first station in East Anglia to receive the award under the new ‘Wildlife Friendly’ accreditation scheme. It was presented to station adopters, Greg Chandler and Gillian Lincoln, at the station by Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Corporate and Membership Development Officer, James Hogg, on Monday (25 April 22).

    Brundall Yare Railway Station Adopters

    Tanya Ward and Tom Adams care for the Yare Station and take an active role in looking after the station not just in its appearance but on a wider scale by overseeing the infrastructure and reporting any issues to the relevant authorities. Tanya is the co-owner of Brian Ward Marine Services and so is on site to deal promptly with any issues as they arise.

    Greater Anglia’s ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme enables individuals or groups to adopt their local railway station and contribute to its use and welfare. This voluntary scheme started in 2003 and today, station adopters play an active role in keeping stations beautiful through creative gardening projects, community art projects, taking part in station ‘health checks’, and being the eyes and ears of their station. Volunteers come from all walks of life, and the work they put into making their stations look and feel wonderful is for the benefit of everyone who uses the stations.

    Wherry Lines Stations (Greater Anglia):

    https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/about-us/station-adopter-scheme.

     

    Brundall thanks Greg, Gillian, Tanya and Tom for their sterling efforts to make our stations look fabulous!! 

  • Volunteers Week 2022 Day 2

    Day two-BBGNS article

  • Volunteers Week 1st to 7th June 2022

    From 1-7 June we are celebrating Volunteers’ Week.

    It’s an opportunity to celebrate and thank the many volunteers we have across the parish of Brundall who give up their time to help our residents and keep our environment so beautiful.

    CREMER’S MEADOW

    Cremer's meadow

  • 2022 Good Citizen Award – Terence Neve

    Terry Neve was awarded this year’s Good Citizen Award at the Annual Parish Meeting on 11th April held at the St Laurence Centre. Here pictured with Chairman of Brundall Parish Council Kevin Wilkins.

    Terry and his wife Christine have lived in Brundall since 1971 and almost straightaway began to care for the green space next to his bungalow in Page Road. If you visit that area, you will see that it is quite a sizeable area and Terry has been mowing that same grass area for over 50 years now.

    In recent years, Terry has been in regular contact with the Council to make arrangements for the future maintenance of the area and has also kept a close eye on the public footpath leading from Cucumber Lane to Page Road, ensuring that the surface has been fit to walk on and from time to time liaising with his neighbours to put down chipped bark to keep it in a good state.

    Terry has shown much tenacity and patience with the Council in making his voice heard during many phone calls in recent months with the Countryside Access Officer to ensure that the path and the grass area at Page Road will be properly maintained in future years and to enable him to take a well-deserved rest after more than 50 years toil!

    Along with the Clerks, he has also been instrumental in getting the Page Road public footpath tarmacked and has been sure to oversee the ongoing works and ensure that the Council roadmen have been doing their job properly!!

    Terry has also been an avid weight trainer since 1963 and is still a  member of the Apollon Weight Training Club, He was informed that the club must find a new location when the Duke Street centre was closed. Apollon were invited by the Rugby Club at North Walsham Road to operate there in disused squash courts. Unfortunately, the Rugby Club moved from Spixworth to the UEA in 2016 and they were given notice. However, after many unsuccessful efforts to relocate, Apollon is still operating at the old Rugby Club premises but is still looking for a new building. Terry is still part of the club and says they are always on the lookout for new members!!

    Terry has proved to be a very good citizen of Brundall, and the Chairman said he was very pleased to be able to award this plaque to him and to thank him for all his efforts to help keep Brundall a lovely village to live in.

     

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