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The Welney Websitethe "Front Page" - Welney's News Headlinespage created Apr 2006; last updated Saturday, 22 June 2019 |
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- page contents
- Introduction
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2009-15
- before 2009
- related pages on this site
- related external pages
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Introduction
I used to follow and comment on Welney matters but became dejected by the constant ineffectiveness of our Parish Council in virtually every aspect of their work and duties, also their reluctance to engage with parishioners in community matters or take note of their views.News reporting and commentary on this website was condemned by Councillors (something they later extended to our wonderful parish magazine, 'Welney News') so I've largely given up updating this site except for the Cricket Club pages and very occasional major items (new community building, possible school closure).
The situation worsened when some new Councillors joined and, with the addition of an existing member, formed a group seemingly bent on disrupting council meetings. In May 2015 following local elections the group rose to four and are pledging to save the Parish Hall, save the School and to organise various social activites and events.
Laudable aims which no doubt will please many parishioners; but at what cost? Having aspirations, to use a phrase in current vogue, is fine; having disregard of financial prudence, previous surveys and current targets is unwise. We shall have to wait and see.
Below are news headlines from 1998 to 2012, with just an occasional one since. Maybe in time I will update the years 2013-18 for the archives.
In June 2015, I experimented with Twitter. but soon gave it up. I might have a further attempt. Go to the Website's dedicated Tweets pages for the webmasters own tweets plus a selection of re-tweets of news and information from a dozen or more other twitter feeds.
LATEST HEADLINES
June 2019
June 2019
ACCOUNTING FRAUD
At the Council meeting on 3rd June 2019, Chairman Cllr. Loveday read out an email from DC Foreman of Norfolk CID
"... detectives from King's Lynn are investigating allegation of financial misconduct within Welney Parish Council. Enquiries continue, however financial irregularities with the accounts dating back several years have been discovered. One female suspect has been questioned."
It is widely known that the suspect is Mrs Copeman, the Clerk from Feb 1996 to Apr 2017 who is said to have confessed.
LATEST HEADLINES
May 2019
May 2019
2019 Council Elections
| ELECTED | votes & % |
| Loveday, J | 90, 62% |
| Giles, R | 88, 61% |
| Giles, A | 87, 60% |
| Harvey, D | 79, 54% |
| Lowry, D | 75, 52% |
| Steele, B | 73, 50% |
| Goodger, K | 69, 47% |
| Barker, M | 66, 45% |
| UNELECTED | |
| Prately, V | 64, 44% |
| Gardiner, P | 61, 42% |
| Bombarta, L | 39, 26% |
2019
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| June 3rd | WMC | At WPC mtg new Chair CClr John Loveday read out email from Norfolk CID saying detectives from Kings Lynn investigating financial misconduct in WPC have found irregularities going back several years, Female suspect interviewed. | ||
2018
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
2017
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
2016
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
2015
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| 27th March | Proposed closure of our school, William Marshall VC Primary | for&against | ||
2014
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
2013
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
2012
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 1st | St. Mary's Church | Coffee Morning 1000-1200 Bishops Land Charity annual distribution 1030-1130 |
||
| Nov 30th | Wash Road | Continuously flooded since Nov 22nd. Wash level in Delph peaked today at 3.84m AOD, a flood depth of 1.44m, 4ft 10ins. | video | |
| Nov 10th | Parish Hall | Parish Council open meeting to discuss proposed new community centre attracted less than ten parishioners. | ||
| Nov 3rd | Wash Road | Flooded after Earith Sluice opened to winter level on
Nov 1st, lowering the depth of the Bedford Ouse by over 2 feet in
just 3 hours and sending a torrent down the Old Bedford and onto the already
flooded Washes. The EA's on-line flood alert page did not forecast
the effect that would have until late pm on Nov 2nd by when Sutton
Gault was already affected. (later: officially clear Nov 19th, but flooded again acouple of days later) |
||
| Aug 19th | Playing Field | The 'Pop' Bedford Memorial Cup annual charity cricket match. Welney Croft
CC v CAMRA Peterborough. The proceeds, £600, to Kieran Markham's physiotherapy fund |
89, p5 | |
| June 3rd | Parish Hall and Lamb & Flag Inn |
Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations nice
for children and their parents, and dogs and their owners.
Unfortunately torrential rain prevented outside events. Poor
attendence probably due as much to abysmal publicity by Parish Clerk
as the awful weather. Delta Pilots and food in the pub may have appealed more to others. |
88, p4 | |
| March | Suspension Bridge | more safety barriers works necessitated closing one lane with temporary lights controlling traffic. Unfortunately the lights didn't always work because batteries had been stolen. | ||
| Feb | new hall | Cost has probably put it "out of reach" according to the Parish Council's minutes. | ||
2011
The Parish Council finally got planning consent for a new "Community Centre" at the Playing Field;
Anglian Water finally admit the sewage lagoon, opposed by Tipps Enders in 2008, didn't work well;
but the best Harvest Supper for some while, indeed the best event of any sort in Welney for a couple of years.
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Sept 24th | Parish Hall | "The Whole Hog" Harvest Supper, with Porks Hog Roast,
and the Delta Pilots, gave 99 diners (max allowed by Hall licence) a
night to remember and well worth the £6 ticket. Well planned, well organised, well attended, well liked. It put the Wel back in Welney after years of just ney. |
||
| Aug 22nd | Suspension Bridge | Work has started at to replace the crash barriers that were crushed in Oct 2010 | report | |
| Aug 17th | The Welney News Committee requested the removal of the on-line copy of issue 82 (see previous item). Peter Arnold resigned as a result of that decision and the committee are looking for yet another new editor. A committee spokesman said the decision was not a reflection on this website or the webmaster. | |||
| Aug 11th | A 'PDF' copy of the latest issue of the Welney News, no. 82, was posted on this website at the request of the recently appointed WN editor, Peter Arnold. | |||
| Aug 2nd | Welney Parish Council agreed that some form of celebration should be held in Welney to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June 2012. | |||
| July 4th/5th | Suspension Bridge | A car went over the broken crash barriers and rolled right down the bank | ||
| June | Christchurch & Welney Sewage Lagoon |
Anglian Water admit problems. Apparently the cold winter affected the process and the effluent had to be taken by tankers to a "proper" treatment works. This traffic is eroding the public by-way leading to and beyond the works. | ||
| May 19th | Playing Field (proposed new hall) |
Planning permision for a new
hall/pavilion has been
granted, subject to work starting within 3
years; sewerage & drainage plans to be submitted and approved; Hurn
Drove to be widened/resurfaced for 10m from March Rd & slope
reduced; noise reduction scheme to protect local residents to be
submitted and approved; car park to be surfaced and drained. The application did not include plans for a childrens play area. |
report full decision time left is ... |
|
| May 5th | Local Council elections. In Welney, there were only 6 candidates for the 9 vacancies, so being "uncontested" no voting was necessary and all who stood were therefore "elected": Tim Bennett, Su Dobson, Tim Eyles, Clair Freer, Ken Goodger and Vija Prately. | |||
| Mar 26th | Chestnut Avenue | An ambulance and a Magpas team attended a young boy injured in an accident at his home. | report | |
| Mar 14th | Playing Field (proposed new hall) |
Another revised plan for a Community Hall has been submitted. Compromise and common sense at last ? | report | |
| February | Christchurch & Welney Sewage Lagoon |
Residents of neighbouring Christchurch reported strong smells from the Sewage Lagoon. Reports also of road tankers going in & out of the works. | ||
| Feb 10th | Playing Field (proposed new hall) |
Welney Parish Council's revised application 10/02089/F to build a new Comunity Hall (full details can be seen on the Borough Council's website new pages was due to be determined on Feb 9th. There has been an objection by one of the statutory consultation parties, and comments by others and the architects are revising the hall and site layout. There are also factual errors in the application. | report | |
| Feb 10th | Wash Road, A1101 | Flooded. EA estimate a week to clear. Can we really
complain when we see what's happening elsewhere? To check flood status see our Flooding report |
||
| Jan 15th | Wash Road, A1101 | Flooded | ||
2010
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 17th | (proposed new hall) | Welney Parish Council's revised application to build a new Community Hall at the playing field was received by the planning authority on 10th Dec, and can now be seen on the Borough Council website | ||
| Dec 14th | Wash Road | RTA. Motorcyclist injured. Road blocked for about an hour in afternoon. | Report | |
| Dec 14th | St. Mary's Church | Peggy Smart's funeral | ||
| Dec 11th | St. Mary's Church | Bishops Land Charity payout and Christmas Fayre 10am - noon. | ||
| Nov 4th | St.Mary's Church | Funeral of Angela Kent who died Oct 25th aged 58 at Heron House Nursing Home, March. followed by cremation at Fenland Crematorium, March. | ||
| Oct 28th | Welmore Lake Sluice | Official opening of new pumping station. | Report | |
| Oct 15th | Fenland Crematorium March |
Funeral of Tom Fisher | Obituary | |
| Oct 8th | Suspension Bridge | Articulated lorry turned over at just after 2pm. No injuries. | Report | |
| Oct 3rd | Tom Fisher died at QE Hosp, KL | Obituary | ||
| Sept 17th | Wisbech Road | A car exploded in flames outside a house (Little Grove) in Wisbech Road at about 4am. A crew from Upwell attended. | ||
| Sept 28th | St. Mary's Church | Funeral of Victor (Tory) Scarff who died Sept 15th aged 93 at Orchard Hse, Wisbech | ||
| July 27th | Roy Green died. Roy was our local milkman for 20 years until his retirement in 2002. | Tribute | ||
| June 15th | Mintlyn Crematorium Kings Lynn |
Funeral of Ken Sorensen | ||
| May 30th | Ken Sorenson died in a Wisbech care home. | Obituary | ||
| May 4th | Playing Field (proposed new hall) |
Welney Parish Council's application to build a new Village Hall on the playing field was refused by the Borough Council and the decision was posted on its website early pm. However, our Parish Clerk didn't check so when the Parish Council held their monthly meeting that evening the refusal was not discussed. | Report | |
| Mar 11th | (proposed new hall) | Welney Parish Council's application to build a new Village Hallon the playing field can now be seen on the Borough Council website here. | ||
| Mar 10th | Wash Road | NOT flooded after an unprecedented rate of clearance. | ||
| Mar 5th | Wash Road | still flooded, official EA water depth at 0830 was 115 cms (3'10"). | ||
| Feb 24th | Wash Road | flooded again. Signs are up and the gates are closed. Official EA water depth is a staggering 7cm - gosh, nearly 3 inches! | ||
| Feb 5th | Wash Road | NOT flooded - thats now official, gates were opened about 11 this morning. Many users of the road will of course know it could have opened yesterday. | ||
| Feb 5th | Wash Road | floods. Cambs police now say they will no longer impose fines and award penalty points, following a protest from Welney businesman Howard Kent. Well done Howard!!! | more | |
| Feb 3rd | Wash Road | still flooded. After peaking at 30 cms (14") on Jan 21st, depth remained in the 15-18cm (6-7") range for 10 days. Official EA depth today at 0800 was 12cms (5"). | ||
| Feb 2nd | Playing Field (proposed new hall) |
During public particpation at Welney Parish Council meeting several concerns and objections were made about the proposal to build a new Community Centre on the Playing Field. | Report | |
| Was Road | Cambs Police do a U-turn on penalties | Report | ||
| Jan 29th | Wash Road | According to newspaper reports, Cambs police have threatened motorists with a £60 fine and 3 penalty points for ignoring road closure signs. | Report | |
| Jan 19th | Wash Road | flooded again. Official EA depth at 1530 was 12cms (nearly 5 ins). | ||
| Jan 12th | Upwell Health Centre announced the end of surgeries in Welney. They were suspended at the end of November 2009 and will not be re-instated. | |||
| Jan 11th | Wash Road | now clear. After 3 days of depths dropping from 10 cms/4 ins to 5cms/2 ins the official EA message at 0800 was "deep puddles". | ||
| Jan 7th | Wash Road | still flooded. Depth in a.m. down to 24cms from its peak of 50 cm on Jan 3rd. More snow, more ice. | ||
| Jan 1st | Wash Road | flooded, 9ins/23cm & rising. Snow & Ice. Sunny in pm. |
2009
Sewerage came to Welney, but available only to some, and affordable by even fewer;
a local firm found gold; several successful events raised money for the Children of Welney;
and a Parish Council fund-raising event lost money.
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| December | Heavy snowfall causes difficulties | |||
| Dec 5th | St. Mary's Church | Bishops Land Charity payout and Christmas Fayre | ||
| Sept 24th | Dawn Butcher died | |||
| Sept 12th | Playing Field | The second Children of Welney Fayre | Report & photos | |
| June 20th | Parish Hall | A "Murder Mystery" an interactive game set in WW" organised bythe Friends of Welney School raised £143 | ||
| June 14th | The annual cricket charity match for the "Pop" Bedford Cup resulted in the Cup coming home to Welney in a thrilling last-over finish. The event raised £219 for MAGPAS. Well done Welney Croft Cricket Club!! | report "View from the boundary" |
||
| May 23rd | Giles Landscapes were back at Chelsea Flower Show after two years absence and won a gold medal for their fabulous 'Fen Ben' alchemist garden.See Giles Landscapes website report | |||
| May 16th | The intended 'Sausage Supper' arranged by the parish council to raise funds was cancelled at short notice due o lak of public support. See item 4 on Parish Council's minutes | |||
| May 8th | A1101 near Claytons Corner | A small box-trailer being towed by 4x4 pick-up truck became detached but luckily came to a rest on the grass verge. Believed to have been caused by a tyre burst. While the wheel was replaced and trailer re-connected, traffic was controlled by a local resident who was following the trailer and an HGV driver travelling in the opposite direction. No one was injured. | ||
| May 8th | Vera Singleterry died aged 81 | |||
| May 7th | Tipps End | A straw fire was extinguished at about 3pm by an appliance from Outwell Fire Station | ||
| May 5th | Parish Hall | The Parish Council's AGM was attended by just 6 of
the 9 Councillors, no District or County Councillors and no public. Cllr. Goodger was appointed Chairman yet again. |
||
| May 4th | A1101 near Sandgate Corner |
Fatal accident when car carered off road into the Old Croft River | more | |
| April 25th | Parish Hall | The Parish Council's 'WASH' committee open day attracted only a dozen visitors and no new archive material was offered. | ||
| Apr 18th-19th | Parish Hall | Some good news for users of the Hall. The Council held a Painting Party to freshen-up the interior, as advertised in the Welney News. Re-painting the lower walls was undertaken by three Councillors (Sue Dobson, Vija Pratley and Steve Kerr), two parishioners (Rachel Brown and Steve's daughter, Evie) and the Parish Clerk (Mrs Pat Copeman). Congrats to all involved, nice to learn that the upkeep of the Parish Hall hasn't been entirely neglected while the Council continue their quest for a new Community Centre (a task started in late 2004 with limited success to date). | ||
| Apr 7th | Some good news for rate-payers. The Parish Clerk has declined a salary increase, to avoid income tax and national insurance liability now that she is receiving a state pension. (See Parish Council minutes, item 8). | |||
| Apr 5th | Lamb & Flag Inn | Sunday quiz raised £210 for the village school | ||
| Feb 27th | Wash Road | Flooded? The EA have apparently lost their tape measure and have stopped giving depths. Yesterday the EA Floodline information was that "some water" was on the road; today's 8am update said there were "deep puddles", and at 11.20am simply that "water levels are falling". So, it it flooded or not? Yesterday's meeting (see below) obviously didn't have much effect on the EA and their appalling disregard of the inconvenience to the general public. | ||
| Feb 26th | Wash Road | Welney Parish Council met EA & Norfolk Highways to discuss improvements to flooding information. | ||
| Feb | Newspaper delivery service ceased. | |||
| Feb 16th | New Road | Closed to through traffic for six weeks for sewerage works | ||
| Feb 11th | Wash Road | Flooded. A few inches in am, much deeper pm/evening. Could be a long closure this time. | report & photos | |
| Feb 5th | Welney | We awoke to a covering of 2 to 3 inches of snow | ||
| Feb 4th | Wash Road | Dry again. But not for long ... | ||
| Feb 2nd | The predicted "heaviest snowfall in the UK for 18 years" missed Welney. We had just a light dusting even though places 10 miles away had up to 6 inches (15cms) | |||
| Jan 29th | Wash Road | Flooded in pm, only a few inches deep but ice on approaches to flooded section caused several cars to skid off road | ||
| Jan 24th | Julie Perkins-Jones died aged 43 at Addenbrookes
Hospital after a long illness. Julie lived with her partner Mike
Jones and their children at Pisces Country Park, which she and Mike
owned and operated. Julie's voluntary work included setting up and
running the Welney Youth Club, organising the 'Children of Welney'
Fayre at the Playing Field in Sept 2007, and 'Carols Round the Tree'
at St.Mary;s. Funeral at Kings Lynn Crematorium, Sat 7th Feb. |
|||
| Jan 5th-11th | The cold snap has enabled skaters to take to the ice again in the fens for the first time for some years. See Ely Standard video. Full details of where & when are on the Giles Landscapes special skating web site |
2008
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 24th | St. Mary's Church | Holy Communio 11.30pm. | ||
| Dec 17th | Wash Road | Flooded again (5 days?) | ||
| Dec 17th | St. Mary's Church | "Carols Round the Tree". Forty or so adults & children gathered outside St. Mary's Church on Wednesday evening for Carol singing, encouraged by Holly Trundle (nee Goodwin), and led beautifully by Sally Kerr. Afterwards, mulled wine and mince pies were enjoyed inside the well heated Church. | ||
| Dec 5th | Meadow Lane | Norfolk County Council have decided to make the lane a "Restricted Byway". When the order is officially made (in early 2009) if there are no objections within 6 weeks it will be perfectly lawful to walk, cycle or ride a horse along the lane, but not to drive along it in a motor vehicle. However, any existing private rights held by individual landowners will not be affected by the order. Those rights may allow use of a motor vehicle, & may extend to deliveries and visitors. I understand that no decision has been made (yet?) about the gates. | ||
| Nov 20th | Wash Road | dry (but flooding signs still displayed 2 days later!) | ||
| Nov 13th | Wash Road | Yet again flooded, and and yet again a lack of information for motorists. Morning rush-hour travellers found depths of 8 inches and "bow-waves" from oncoming traffic covering car bonnets and windscreens, for several hundred yards but no warning signs from either Cambs or Norfolk Highways. Didn't the EA tell them, or were they slow to act? | ||
| Nov 7th | Meadow Lane | Parish Cllr. Steve Kerr cleared of all allegations that he failed to declare an interest when the rights-of-way issue was being discussed by the Parish Council, but guilty of trusting the Parish Clerk, Mrs Copeman, to do her job properly (she admits she failed to lodge Cllr. Kerr's declaration of interests in May 2007). The Weakest Link? If you have any views or comments on any aspect of this please e-mail webmaster. | ||
| Oct 4th | St. Mary's Church | Church Fete | report | |
| Oct 3rd | Lamb & Flag Inn | Welney Croft Cricket Club's annual award presentation evening attended by famous cricket celebrities Devon Malcolm And Charlotte Edwards | report | |
| Sept 27th | St. Mary's Church | Harvest Supper , 6.30pm | ||
| Sept 20th | Playing Field | The second "Children of Welney
Fayre" was cancelled due to the debilitating illness of the
main organiser, Julie Perkins-Jones. |
||
| Sept 15th | Lamb & Flag car park |
Mobile Post Office service starts. daily Mon to Fri, 1.15-2.30pm. | ||
| Sept 17th | St. Mary's Church | Funeral of Mrs Amy Hankins (nee Rudland) who died on 8th Sept aged 90 at her home in Hampstead Cottages, Wisbech Road. | ||
| Sept 1st | St. Mary's Church | Funeral of Sarah Markham | ||
| Aug 22nd | Sarah Markham died at home from cancer, aged 25. Sarah lived in Main Street with her 3-year-old son Kieran and her parents Dennis and Margaret. | |||
| July 21st | Stolen JCB found abandoned on Lanb & Flag car park near Parish Hall | report | ||
| July | Three Tuns Bedford Bank East |
Demolition has started | photos | |
| July 19th | Wash Road | Fatal accident, motorcyclist killed | report | |
| July 13th-14th | Denver Complex | EA open days | report | |
| July 1st | Parish Clerk to apologise to our MP (Christopher Fraser) for offence caused by a letter she wrote to him. See Council minutes (item 13.4) | |||
| June 29th | Playing Field | Welney Croft Cricket Club raised £288 for charity at the Peter Bedford Cup match against Brentwood & Havering. | reports | |
| June 24th | Royal Mail website gives details of the new outreach postal service : "Welney branch New Road, Welney, Wisbeach, PE14 9RA Welney Mobile Service Lamb and Flag Publich House car park Main Street Welney PE14 9RB Mon - Fri 13:15 - 14:30 " Let's hope their new service is better than their spelling/proof-reading. | |||
| June 12th | Suspension Bridge | Yet another crash | report | |
| June 1st | WWT Centre Hundred Foot Bank |
"A Fen Tiger's Tale" at the WWT , 1-4pm. Traditional crafts, music by 'Eel Pie', miniature steam roller, watch & try Molly Dancing or roller skating.report and photos | report and photos | |
| May 6th | Parish Hall | Parish Council co-opt Mrs Vija Pratley. Cllr Goodger again re-elected as Chairman. Cllr Bennett elected Vice-chairman (in place of Cllr Kerr). | ||
| May 4th | Playing Field | Another win for our Cricket team. | report | |
| May 1st | Gang charged with 30 offences including burglary at Chestnut Avenue last Aug | Story so far | ||
| Apr 26th | Playing Field | Welney Croft Cricket Club won first match of season | fixtures | |
| Mar 26th | Post Office Ltd propose a mobile post office service for Welney on one morning and 3 afternoons a week starting in Aug. | |||
| Mar 24th | The Parish Action Plan is delivered to Welney residents | report | ||
| Mar 23rd | Easter Sunday, Welney awoke to 4 inches of snow, clear by pm | |||
| Mar 14th | Caravan in ditch at Tipps End | report | ||
| Mar 4th | Susan Dobson co-opted onto Parish Council | |||
| Feb 21st | TRAGEDY STRIKES TIPPS END FAMILY . Nine-year-old Charlotte Walker, of March Road Tipps End died in Peterborough District Hospital from injuries sustained in a car accident on Wednesday 20th Feb on the B1098 Sixteen Foot Bank approx 350 yards north of Bedlam Bridge. Charlotte had been trapped in the rear of a Citroen car which plunged into the river at about 3.40pm and then sank into the near freezing water. Charlotte's mother managed to escape suffering from shock and minor injuries | Inquest report | ||
| Feb | Lady Fen Hundred foot Bank |
Work started on new 38 hectare (94 acres) wet grassland site for Wigeon east of the WWT centre. Managed by WWT, funded by EA. | ||
| Feb 14th | SEWAGE WORKS plans changed . The AWS application to discharge treated effluent into the Old Croft has been withdrawn. Anglian Water Services have chosen a new site for the Works in the region of grid ref 500954, 1¼ miles west of their original choice. Discharge will be into field drains leading to the Sixteen Foot Drain near Bedlam Bridge. | |||
| Feb 13th | Parish Hall | Public meeting regarding lack of a post office in Welney. Rev. Fitzgibbon suggested using the Church 2 mornings a week, possibly combined with a community meeting place with refreshments & local produce | ||
| Jan 28th | The Queen visited the WWT , toured the visitor centre & later watched a 'swan feed'. She was presented with a posy by 7-year old Sarah Ward and a toy swan by 3-year old Kieran Markham. | |||
| Jan 10th ? | Mark Wallington resigned from Parish Council. | |||
| January | Wash Road | Flooded again. EA refer to the road as the 'Welney Causeway' perhaps to excuse them for not keping it clear more often. |
2007
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 11th ? | Mike Jones resigned fromParish Council | |||
| Oct 15th | More than 70 people attended the Action Groups's 2nd Public Open Meeting to discuss Anglian Water's proposed Sewage Works at Tipps End. | Special Report | ||
| Oct 5th | Welney Croft Cricket Club, a club for all ages, | Presentation Evening | ||
| Sept 22nd | Harvest Supper at Parish Hall. | Photo | ||
| Sept 22nd | "Children of Welney" Fayre at the Playing Field from 11am - "a traditional village fayre with fun & events for all ages". An enjoyable and well attended event. | |||
| Sept 21st | A new post box at last, next to phone box opposite Lamb & Flag | |||
| Aug 18th | Burglary in Chestnut Avenue. Elderly widow robbed of jewellery | |||
| Aug12th | New date for the Peter Bedford Cup cricket match at the Playing Field. | |||
| Aug11th | Church Garden Fete cancelled | |||
| July 27th | Combine Harvester caught fire at Tipps End. | photos | ||
| July 25th | Radio Norfolk reported closure of Post Office and lack of replacement Post Box. Royal Mail were unable to comment | |||
| July 13th | Our MP, Christopher Fraser, visited Welney with his mobile office, 3.30-4.30pm | |||
| June 16th | presentation to Wendy & Pete and to Carole Conor from Welney villagers | Report | ||
| June 16th | Village shop closes | |||
| June 13th | Post office closes. | |||
| June 13th | Claire Freer co-opted onto Parish Council | |||
| June 10th | "Farm Sunday" open day at Pates Farm, Tipps End | |||
| June 1st | Getting to know Ken Goodger | Article | ||
| June 1st | A satirical review of life in a fenland village that the Parish Council did not manage to ban. | Private Welneye | ||
| May 30th | car in ditch off Wash Rd | |||
| May 26th | Presentation to Wendy & Pete from Tipps End residents | Report | ||
| May 26th | Church Fete, 1.30- 4pm | |||
| May 6th | Fire at stables in Tipps End | |||
| May 2nd | David Rowlett failed to lodge papers to re-stand as Parish Councillor | |||
| Mar 14th | Wash Road NOT flooded!! | |||
| Mar 12th | Theft of Nissan 4x4 & caravan in Tipps End | |||
| Mar 2nd | Wash Road still flooded and the EA flood defence budget cut by a third! Are our fens to be abandoned to nature? We have brought together press reports, letters, local comments & statements from all & sundry, and some background information in a new | special feature. | ||
| Feb 26th | Local MP Christopher Fraser raised the flooding issue in the House of C Lengthy item, but essential reading. | full transcript. | ||
| Feb 15th | Wash Road has been flooded again for a couple of days. Depth at mid-day was 50cm (20 inches) | |||
| Feb 8th | An application has been made to Norfolk County Council to make Meadow Lane a right of way. | |||
| Feb 5th | Service of licensing of our new Parish Priest , 7.30pm at Welney St. Mary's | |||
| Feb 2nd | For one day only, free entry to WWT reserve. Guided tours, swan feeds | |||
| Jan 31st | Wash Road | NOT flooded! | ||
| Jan 20th | Wash Road still flooded. Businesses continue to loose trade. Parish Council acts. EA say it's not their fault. | Report. | ||
| Jan 20th | Molly Dances visit Welney | |||
| Jan 15th | Wash Road Flooded - Helicopter rescues idiot driver. Letters to local papers | Report | ||
| Jan 7th | Walter Carter died | Obituary |
2006
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 26th | Horace Watson died | Obituary | ||
| Dec 20th | St. Mary'sChurch | Christmas Tree outside Church. Lights go on with carol service around tree | ||
| Dec 17th | Parish Hall | Christmas Fair | ||
| Dec 13th | Parish Clerk gets early Christmas present - a salary increase, backdated to April | |||
| Dec 10th | EventsRUs" informed Parish Council that "they will be folding" at the end of 2006 | |||
| Dec 10th | Reg Rowlett died. | Obituary | ||
| December | Wash Road | Fooded for most of month. Local businesses lose trade | ||
| November | Wash Road | Flooded | ||
| Nov 23rd | Tipps End | 40-ft articulated tipper lorry slides into ditch | report & photos | |
| Nov 11th | New Road | Car hit street light outside Welwyn | ||
| Oct 3rd | Tony Palmer died | |||
| Sept 23rd | Harvest Fayre/Church Fete | Photo | ||
| Sept | An old and rare "cigarette card" depicting a famous Welney skater has been donated to our local skating club | report | ||
| Sept 20th | WWT Centre, Hundred Foot Bank |
The new WWT visitor centre officially opened by a celebrity naturalist. | report | |
| Sept | Parish Council launch own site. Their sub-site on this web was then removed. | |||
| Sept | Wm Marshall School | A local business has donated a unique new piece of sports equipment to the village school | report | |
| Sept | Playing Field | Parish Council chairman to personally remove play equipment at the playing field. | report | |
| Aug 13th | Well Creek, Nordelph | Nordelph's Fun Day and raft races put back to Sunday due to wet weather the previous day and was a huge success. | ||
| Aug 12th | Playing Field | Welney' Summer Fayre & Car boot sale organised by new community group, "Events R us" had good food but bad weather. | Photo | |
| Aug | Giles Landscapes has won a prestigious award for its work at Gunpowder Park, Enfield | report | ||
| Aug | John Loveday's company ' Johnjac Cricket Supplies' has delivered a large order in the Caribbean. | report | ||
| Aug 1st | Change of booking arrangements for Parish Hall and Pavilion | |||
| July | Pavilion | Burglary - kettles, tea urns & games equip stolen | ||
| July | Parish Hall | Burglary - kettle stolen | ||
| Jun 14th | Parish Council decided not to renew agreement for this website to host their pages | |||
| Jun 11th | Pates Farm, Tipps End |
"Farm Sunday" open day. A day of sun and fun at the Goodger's family farm. | report | |
| Jun 3rd | Parish Hall | Parish Council open meeting. A well prepared and amiably presented report about the possible sale of the Parish Hall and a suggested new community centre overlooking the playing field near Sandgate Corner | Report | |
| May | Gala 2004/Play equipment funds. The Council have sat on this money for two years, and seem likely to do so for another couple of years. | report | ||
| Apr 4th | Hundred Foot Bank | 'Tall Pines', the former Mission School badly damaged by fire | report | |
| Apr | Playing Field | Childrens play equipment at playing field still dirty & derelict | report | |
| Apr 1st | New Hall | Possible site for a New Hall ? | Press release | |
| Mar 24th | WWT Centre, Hundred Foot Bank |
WWT visitor centre to close for a month prior to opening of new building on Apr 24th | report | |
| Mar | Parish Council | Huge increase in Parish Council rates | report | |
| Mar | Parish Council | WPC hide auditors report in contravention of law. | Report | |
| Feb 8th | Grant Tomkins co-opted onto Parish Council. |
2005
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 12th | Parish Hall | Welney Parish Council renewed agreement with webmaster to have their own sub-site included within this community site for further 6 months & donated £25 to webmaster's costs | ||
| Dec 8th | Parish Hall | Mark Brown co-opted onto Parish Council | ||
| Oct 22nd Oct 20th |
Parish Hall | Council launch Parish Action Plan in Parish Hall. 30 parishioners attend on Thurs 20th and 20 on Sat 22nd. | ||
| Aug 8th | St. Mary's Church | Harold Carter's funeral & burial at St. Mary's | ||
| July 27th | Harold Carter died aged 82. A kind & well-loved gentle man, and a lifelong Methodist. | |||
| July 11th | St. Mary's Church | Ernie James funeral at St. Mary's | ||
| July 5th | Ernie James, said to be the last of the 'Fen Tigers' died aged 99. Brief obituary. Feature | |||
| June 29th | Parish Hall | Welney Parish Council renewed agreement with webmaster to have their own sub-site included within this community site for a further 6 months & donated £20 to webmaster's costs. | ||
| May 27th | Local firm Giles Landscapes won Silver Medal for second year at Chelsea Flower Show. The garden was designed by Stephen Hall and featured a cedar cabin built by local carpenter Steve Kerr. For a glimpse behind the scenes see The making of a garden | |||
| May 18th | BT upgrade Welney exchange to provide broadband for 610xxx numbers | |||
| April | Parish Hall | Parish Council sack Peter Cox as Parish Hall licencee (without warning or discussion) just so that they can install the Parish Clerk in that position and have absolute control. | ||
| Mar 18th | Cambs Times report that Parish Council is trying to sell the Parish Hall to Elgoods. (One of many problems is that it's not theirs to sell!) Chairman Goodger says article not authorised. | |||
| Mar 16th | BT upgrade Christchurch exchange to provide broadband for 638xxx numbers | |||
| Mar 16th | Parish Hall | Parish Council special meeting re Elgoods & the Hall. | ||
| Feb 16th | Parish Hall | Welney Parish Council joined the Welney Website for a 3 month trial with their own sub-site designed & maintained free by the Webmaster. | ||
| Feb 1st | Initial meeting of Parish Action Plan group | |||
| Jan 25th | Parish Council met Elgoods to hear the Brewery's proposals for the Lamb & Flag, the Three Tuns site, and purchase of the Parish Hall. | |||
| Jan 20th | Parish Hall | Public Meeting attended by 20 parishioners, Guest speaker Mrs Gillian Shephard, MP | ||
| Jan 11th | Parish Hall | Eddie Allen co-opted to Parish Council |
2004
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 14th | Last meeting of Parish Hall Management Committee? | |||
| Nov 29th | St. Mary's Church | Denis Booth's funeral, attended by over 200 mourners. Followed by reception at Lamb & Flag and private cremation at Kings Lynn | Obituary | |
| Nov 17th | Denis Booth died | |||
| Nov 17th | Welney Website re-activated, financed by new Webmaster | |||
| Nov 17th | Tipps End | A Knowles Transport articulated tipper lorry overturned slid into the ditch outside Sideacre in Tipps End shedding its load of sugar beet pulp granules. | ||
| Nov 15th | Treasurer of WMAP declined to give financial
assistance to re-start this site owing to "insufficient funds".
This lead some to wonder what had happened to the money. |
|||
| Nov 14th | The Welney Website had been unavailable for a couple of weeks because (allegedly) the Treasurer of Welney MAP, Karen Flemming, would not give the Webmaster, Mark Farrow, the £15 required for the annual ISP fee. Peter Cox took over as Webmaster | |||
| Nov 9th | Parish Hall | Parish Council eventually accept Gala 2004 profit and agree, reluctantly, to use it only as intended, for new children's play equipment at the Playing Field. | ||
| Nov 3rd | Lamb & Flag Inn | WI 78th Anniversary dinner | ||
| Oct 12th | Parish Hall | Cllr Jenny Farrow & Cllr Charlotte Cox resign from Parish Council | ||
| Oct 12th | Parish Hall | During public participation at a meeting of the Welney Parish Council, Peter Cox advised Council of rumours that Elgood's wished to change their plans to develop their land on the Bedford Bank (the Three Tuns pub site) and would now like to acquire the site of the Parish Hall. Council were not aware, and agreed to contact the Brewers. | ||
| Oct 12th | Steve Kerr handed over
Hall Managemene Committee and
Gala
committee accounts and funds to Parish
Clerk. Hall Bank deposit a/c £15,234.96 Hall Bank current a/c £513.01 Gala bank current a/c £3,752.07 Hall petty cash £57.70 Grand total £19, 587.74 |
|||
| Oct 11th | Parish Hall | Peter Cox resigns as member, Secretary & Treasurer of
Parish Hall
Management Committee
in protest at lack of assistance
from Parish Clerk, but remains Licencee of the hall in order to keep
the hall open. All accounts documents, cash and statement of balances of Hall and Gala funds handed to Steve Kerr. (who passed it all to Parish Clerk next day) |
handover balances | |
| Aug 28th | Playing Field | Welney Gala 2004. Proposed by the Parish Hall Management Committee and organised with assistance from various individuals and virtually every organisation in the Parish (except the Parish Council) this was the biggest and best summer event in Welney for more than 30 years. Nearly £4,000 was raised for new play equipment for children at the playing field. | ||
| May 25th | Local firm Giles Landscapes won Silver Medal at Chelsea Flower Show. The garden was designed by Stephen Hall and featured a lych gate built by local carpenter Steve Kerr. |
2003
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Sept 9th | Parish Hall | Parish Council make presentation to Denis Booth | ||
| Apr 29th | Parish Hall | Inaugural meeting of Welney Parish Hall Management Committee | Minutes | |
| Apr 23rd | Parish Hall | Parish Hall Committee Meeting. Treasurer Peter Cox (PEC) reported his findings into accounts shortcomings, action taken since and recommendations for the future. Later, Chairman Richard Green dramatically resigned throwing papers in the air and storming out, following a question from a member of the public, Ian Warrington. Carol Green followed. | PEC report |
|
| Feb 17th | Parish Hall | Parish Hall Committee Extraordinary General Meeting Cllr Tim Bennett accused Committee of unconstitutional actions and called for them to resign. |
PEC rprt DL report |
|
| Jan 22nd | Parish Hall | Parish Council form a council sub-committee to run the Hall. | ||
| Jan 12th | Parish Hall | Ten Parishioners (the "Gang of Ten") call for the Parish Hall Committee to resign, alleging financial irregularities and attempting to build a new Hall contrary to the constitution. | ||
| Jan 1st | MK-L refunded further £530 to Parish Hall funds following demand from PEC after Hall accounts re-drafted |
2002
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 11th | Parish Hall | Special Council Meeting | ||
| Dec 2nd | Parish Hall | Bishops Land payout | ||
| Dec 2nd | Wm Marshall School | Christmas Fair | ||
| Nov and Dec | Pavilion | New roof fitted Cost approx £8,000. Funded by grant of £4,300 from KL&WN BC and donation from Marshall's Charity | ||
| Nov 14th | Parish Hall | Richard Green said the Hall could not be made compliant with the new Disability Discrimination Act and would have to be demolished. Wrote to EA to ask to buy Hall & site | ||
| Nov 5th | Richard Green, acting in the name of the Parish Hall Committee, appointed architect Jerry Harrall to draw up plans for new Hall & submit a full planning application. | |||
| Oct 30th | Parish Hall | Public Meeting to discuss
the Parish Hall Committee's plans for a new Hall. Despite much
public opposition and reservations of some members, the committee
were persuaded by new Chairman Richard Green at a hastily convened
'huddle' in the kitchen after the meeting into agreeing to go ahead.
Peter Cox not involved in huddle. The decision was later proved to be unconstitutional. |
||
| Oct 29th | The Old Post House Main Street |
Richard Green & Peter Cox co-opted to WPHC and immediately appointed Chairman & Treasurer respectively. | ||
| Oct 27th | The worst storm since 1987. Lost electricity at about 1100, not restored until pm 29th | |||
| Oct 22nd | Sandi Short resigns as Chair and member of WPHC | |||
| Oct 19th | Parish Hall | Bring & Buy sale organised by Charlotte Cox raised £185.27 in aid of Macmillan Care & Treatment Centre, QE Hosp KL | ||
| Oct 16th | Parish Hall | WPHC Treasurer MKL resigned in disgrace at a specially convened and very dramatic Committee meeting after admitting misappropriating Parish Hall funds. | ||
| Oct 16th | WPHC receive £5,727 chq paid directly into their bank | |||
| Oct 14th | WPHC receive £1,500 cash paid directly into their bank | |||
| Oct 13th | Cambridge | ultimatum given to MK-L by a WPHC member, pay up or else .. | ||
| Oct 10th | Parish Hall | WPHC emergency mtg to discuss fund shortage | ||
| Oct 7th | Barclays L'port | WPHC Chair Sandie Short & Vice-chair Marlen Moss-Eckardt visited Bank and discovered approx £8,000 less than expected. Emergency mtg called. | ||
| Oct early | Welney Parish Hall Committee (WPHC) concerned about the absence of their Treasurer Martin Kyne-Lilley. | |||
| June | Wm Marshall School grounds, and Lamb & Flag Inn & garden |
Queen's Golden Jubilee | ||
| May 19th | Playing Field | Leicestershire County Cricket Club play our local team on Playing Field | Report & Photos | |
| May | Parish Hall | Parish Council rocked by three Motions of Censure: (1) against Cllr Green proposed by Cllr Rix; (2) against Cllr Rix proposed by Cllr Green; (3) against Cllr Warrington also proposed by Cllr Green. These followed an approach by Cllr Green to some parishioners without Council Authority regarding sale of land for new village hall. Cllr Warrington became involved simply because he deputised for Cllr Rix and read her statement to Council. All motions were later withdrawn. |
||
| Apr | Lamb & Flag Inn | Roy Green, Welney's milkman for the last 20 years, retired. Presented by MK-L with a framed collage of Welney photos. | ||
| Mar 9th | A Great Storm !!! [later: but worse was to come -see 27th Oct] | |||
| Feb 20th | The Old Chapel Main Street |
A big party to mark the PALINDROME on 20-02-2002 organised & hosted by Martin Kyne-Lilley and Elizabeth Deckker |
2001
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 31st | Wm Marshall School | Head teacher Jasmin Golson's last day after 15 years. She announced her resignation earlier in the year. | ||
| Dec 8th | Parish Hall | Christmas Bazaar | ||
| Nov | Parish Hall | Parish Council considered two
planning applications from Elgoods. (1) 2 dwellings north of Three Tuns, recommended for approval. (2) 3 dwellings on car park between Lamb & Flag & Parish Hall, recommended for refusal. |
||
| Sept 13th | Parish Hall | Fifty people enjoyed Harvest
Supper Entertainment by the Acorn Singers |
||
| Sept 11th | Parish Hall | Ken Goodger co-opted onto Parish Council following the resignation of Martin Kyne-Lilley | ||
| Aug 26th | Bedford Bank East & Parish Hall | Welney Water Gala. Went ahead despite not being able to use the river for raft races, raising £807 for the Parish Hall. | ||
| Aug 25th | Suspension Bridge | Yet another accident, a 40ft artic heading towards Welney ploughed right through barriers | ||
| Aug | Pisces Bedford Bank West |
Fishing match & BBQ at Pisces organised by owners Richard & Carol Shelton raised over £1300 for MacMillan nurses | ||
| June 16th | Helen Barry died. She was editor of the Welney News, & previously lived at Welney Hotel before moving to Suspension Bridge | Obituary | ||
| Apr 6th | Frank Giles died aged 81 | Obituary | ||
| Feb 22nd | John Waring, OBE, licencee of The Three Tuns pub on Bedford Bank, died aged 86. | Obituary | ||
| Jan 2nd | Peggy Medcalf of Tipps End died |
2000
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 24th | Connie Pennick died aged 88 | |||
| Dec 16/17th | Parish Hall | The completed 'Welney Map', a 13ft x 8ft portrait of Welney in 2000 is displayed in Parish Hall | ||
| Dec 9th | Parish Hall | Christmas Bazaar | ||
| Nov 14th | David Sowell died. He lived on Bedford Bank near the Three Tuns. | |||
| Nov | Steve Kerr co-opted onto Parish Council | |||
| Oct 15th | Doris James (wife of Ernie James) died aged 91 | |||
| Aug 27th | Bedford Bank East & Parish Hall |
Welney Water Gala. Raised £1303 for Parish Hall funds. | ||
| August | Pisces Bedford Bank West |
Fishing match & BBQ at Pisces organised by owners Richard & Carol Shelton raised over £1000 for MacMillan nurses. | ||
| June 23rd | PLaying Field | Summer Fete with a display by the Downham Market Majorettes. Poorly attended due to bad weather, but still raised £300 |
||
| May 16th | Parish Hall | Parish Council AGM. Cllr Richard Green elected Chairman replacing Mrs Pat Rix who had completed the maximum term of two years. Pauline Pullum vice chair | ||
| May 6th | Chestnut Avenue | Lauren Wright died aged six. A tragic case of maltreatment & neglect. Step-mother & father later jailed for manslaughter. | Obituary & reports | |
| April 29th | The big "Village Clean-up" was not as sucessful as hoped due perhaps to awful weather. | |||
| Apr | Welmore Lake Sluice | Official opening of new sluice (actually completed Sept 1999). | ||
| Feb 4th | St. Mary's Church | Madge Singleterry's funeral attended by well over 100 people | ||
| Jan 29-30th | Parish Hall | 30 people attend the 'Felt Making Weekend' at Parish Hall preparing the background for The Welney Map under the guidance of the chief organiser Philippa Mitchell. | ||
| Jan 11th | Parish Hall | Meeting to discuss possible Wind Turbines at Darcey Lode |
Acknowledgements:
Sources as noted.
Text, design and layout: Peter Cox
© 2014 Welney Website
Text, design and layout: Peter Cox
© 2014 Welney Website
1999
| When | Where | What | WN no | Website |
| Dec 24th |
Welney Website created by the Welney Millennium Arts Project Webmaster Ian Warrington | |||
| Sept 1999 | Welmore Lake | New sluice completed | ||