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Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse, part of Museums Service. Update for Gressenhall Parish Council May 2019

1. EvEnts & Activities This past year we have been busy delivering our broad programme of events, ranging from Days with a Difference - small scale themed events where additional activities are on offer alongside our permanent offer, to Special Event days - major events which attract a wider audience and significant additional activities on offer. We have also opened for specially programmed, pre-bookable & ticketed events outside our normal opening season - speciflcally Victorian Famity Christmason 20'n & 21't December 2018 and opening between 18'n & 22d February 2019 to coincide with the schools half term.

The events programme, as always, has proven very popular attracting large audiences with our Vitlage at War 2018 event attracting circa 3000 visitors across the two-days.

Special Event days for 2019 include: ' Retro Revivalon Monday 27'n May ' Viltage at Waron Sunday 25" & Monday 26th August t Appte Day on Sunday 13tn October

Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse will also be participating in national programmes offering free admission in 2019: Open Farm Sunday in June, working with the County Farms team, and Heritage Open Day in September.

Our 2019 event programme is already undenuay, with full details available on the museum website www. m u seu ms. norfolk. gov. u k/G resse n ha I I

2. Projects & Developments Following the successful grant award af f.1.47m (79o/o') from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Voices from the Workhouse project, the redeveloped workhouse spaces were formally launched in July 2016 with the new final displays within the first floor Collections Gallery being formally launched on 10 March 2A18. This marked the end of the main activity plan relating to the Voices from the Workhouse project although, a number of discrete projects have continued over the summer following conversations with the Heritage Lottery Fund. These include: ' a digital marketing camPaign ' additional interactives for the Collections Gallery . some minor display improvements to the Transport Gallery in the Back Hall These display improvements included new panels, barriers and a refreshed layout of the large wheeled vehicles.

As part of the new Collections Gallery, a dedicated temporary exhibition space has been created to house an annual show. Last year's exhibition Beer and Brewing - Narfolk's Rurat Pubswas very popular, including a real bar and objects relating to beer and brewing in Norfolk, alongside contemporary thoughts about the future of rural pubs. The 2019 exhibition, Once lJpon a Time, opened on 10th March 2019. This co-curated exhibition has been created by volunteers, staff, visitors and local library users. lt asks the same question of visitors across all age ranges - what's your favourite children's book? Filled with nostalgic favourites, modern classics and strange new worlds, Once Upon a Iime celebrates Norfolk authors past and present, has a Reading Forest and a Story Den fllled with interactives, stories and multi-sensory toys to engage with. A realfamily friendly experience. The theme for next years' exhibition is Full Steam Ahead and will have a steam punk style - exhibits and content are currently in development.

A firm favourite with families, our play area continues to be a very popular destination for children of all ages. Originally installed in 2000, we are currently in the planning stages of a major redevelopment of the children's play area which will be launched at the start of the new season in 2020.

3. Learning & Outreaeh The museum's formal learning programme continues to attract over 10,000 schoolchildren per yeaf and feedback from our events continues to be excellent, with particular praise going to our literacy focused events for primary schoolchildren.

Plans are currently being developed for our 13th annual Family Fun event in partnership with NCC Family Placement and Adoption Services to be held in June 2019. This event is incredibly important as a means to allow foster families to meet family placement staff and each other in a safe environment. We have also been working with NCC Early Help, CAMHS and members of the Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) community to offer a wellbeing day for GRT families on the 15'h May. The day will offer free entry to GRT families to the museum to engage in a series of family-friendly activities delivered by museum and local service providers. These activities will be accompanied by information detailing the services which members of the GRT community are able to access

This year we will be repeating our events for children in receipt of support from NCC Virtual School Sensory Support in September 2019, again offering engaging activities to allow families and children to have a safe space in which they can meet each other and their support staff. We are also running an event day for KS2 children from mainstream schools who are hearing impaired in April. The aim would to be allow these children, who are frequently the only children in their class wearing hearing technology, the chance to meet and work alongside other children with similar technology.

4. Friends & Volunteers Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse continues to benefit from the support of around 120 volunteers. The votunteers are organised into specialist teams acrose several areas, providing the expertise and resources required for many of our ongoing projects. ln 2017, the Friends of Gressenhall generously agreed to support a project to restore the Farmers' Foundry engine boiler (formerly part of the Bygones Collection at Holkham) back to working use, ihis was in addition to a grant of t19,788 from the Arts Council Preservation of lndustrialand Scientific Material (PRISM) fund- lnitial conservation work identified that additional resources were required to make the engine fully operational and an application submitted to the Arts Council England lnvestment Fund has been successful. This will enable additional conservation work to be carried out and the volunteer team to be supported to create a portfolio of volunteering opportunities which in turn delivers more diversity within the teams working with the engine during 2019. The engine should be hack in steam at Gressenhall in 2CI20.

Annette Lightford Operations $upport Officer - Norfolk Museums Service Email : Annette. lightford@norfolk. gov. uk h

Following the past two/three years when there were some significant Committee member turnarounds, we are pleased that during ZAl'8lD there have been no changes to the Committee membership.

Listed below is more detailed information on the various functions undertaken by the Committee:

1. Advertising . The amount of space allocated to the adverts is fixed in order to keep an even balance between information and the adverts. However, if content of articles supplied is limited then the balance can be biased in favour of advertising space. . We have a steady flow of adverts coming in and going out and we operate a waiting list from time to time. For the moment we have two prospective advertisers waiting for space.

2, Sub*."iptions and distrihution . 580 magazines are printed each month, which includes 70+ copies delivered each month to both and wendling villages. . The Gressenhall shop continues to be an important source for readers wishing to buy a copy and who are not on a distribution lis! including residents in . r We are very grateful to our nefwork of 15 distributors who deliver them to various households every month. . Thanks to Molly Crisp for delivering to the distributors and to Pam Chatley for managing subscriptions.

3. r.ayout ' We regularly produce the front and back pages in colour' . From time to time the cenffe pages are in colour in order to give emphasis to main village events, such aS the summer fete and Chrisfinas celebrations on the Green' o Thanks to Pamela Neile for her creative work in laying out the magazine.

4. Production . 12 issues have been produced in the last fwelve months, ranging in size from 44 to 64 pages. . Many people and clubs contribute regularly every month but particular thanks go to Barbara Sanderson for Gressenhall news, Malcom Wood and Sue Douglas for Longham news and Molly Gooch for Wendling news. ' Thanks must also go to Harlequin Print for producing the magazine in time each month.

5. Firuo"* ' We maintained a constant healthy bank balance during 2018 and to date. t Revenue is split approximately 60140 advertising to subscription. t The income from the adverts enables us to produce the magazine and improve it &om time to time with coloured pages. ' The purpose of the magazine is to help improve the community spirit and not to solely make a profit. Therefore, when requested we aim to donate to specific projects and can report that in 2018 we made a donation of S250 to the WWl 'Tommy'Memorial.

6. Committee Members Simon & Jane Cooper Advertising Molly Crisp Distibution

Barbara Sanderson Gressenhall Village People News PamelaNeile Layout & Production Pam Chatley Subscriptions BEPORT rOR THE ANNUAL GENERAL-MEETING Or GRESSpIIIIALL PARISH COUNCIL MAY 2OI9

GRESSENHALL TETE COMMITTEE

The Gressenhall Fete Committee have, once again, had a busy year. This kicked off with a fabulous Grand Fete in June 2018. Although the weather was not as good as in previous years, the village and local people supported the event well both in the afternoon and evening. The Grand Switch On of Christmas Lights took place in early December on The Green, again a well attended and eqioyable event. The Christmas Tree was lit up on the Green throughout the month of December which provided a wonderful sight.

The Committee have made donations during the year to local #oups including Gressenhall Church, Gressenhall Chapel, the Playgroup and most recently the Save The Swan carnpaign. The Committee also pays for entertainment every month at Woodstock Residential Home, this has included the Miniature Donkeys for Wellbeing, Fakenham lIkes, the Shanty Men, Pot of Gold, The Gressenhall Singers and Wild Encountsrs who brought birds of prey for the residents to $ee.

A oontribution was also made towards our Tommy and a donation of f 1500 has been made so far towards tho seat on The Green for the World War I Memorial.

A successful Barn Dance was held on The Green in April and plans are well underway for this year's Grand Fete on 1" Juneo when the theme is Emergency Services.

Molly Crisp J

St Mary's Church, Gressenhall Review of 2018 for Gressenhall Parish Councit AGM 13* May 2019 2018 was another busy year for the church. My aim on arriving in November 2016 was twofold: firstly, to enable the church congregation to grow and secondly, to see the church become a more integral part of the village. Although there are encouraging signs on both fronts progress is inevitably slower than desired. The congregation has grown signif,cantly with a steady core of regular worshippers who are joined by those from other parishes and those who attend on a more sporadic basis. Attendance at major festivals such as Easter, Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas has increased and we have also seen growth in those coming to new services such as the Pet Service and All Souls. In 2018 there were several weddings, as well as baptisms, funerals and interment of ashes. Maintaining such an ancient building is a huge drain on resources, both of time and money and the congregation is still relatively small to be shouldering such a huge financial burden. The running costs per annum are around ,24,000 which requires a weekly collection of around f500! We were relieved that The Old School and House were sold at Auction in April. These had fallen into disrepair and the repair costs were such that the PCC couldn't raise enough funds for this work as well as the work needed on the church. 3lI4 of the proceeds of sale will be available to the PCC ring-fenced for religious education. We were disheartened in November to discover the lead on the nave roof has come to the end of its life and needs replacing. We hope to be able to replace the lead with a stainless steel alternative but either way this will be enormously expensive and has set back the plans to provide new facilities at the church to make it a more useful building for the community. However I am a firm believer that fundraising is a good thing. Its primary focus should be to draw people together with the income generated being a welcome spin off. We had three major events in the church in 2018. In March Bridget Yates gave an interesting lecture entitled 'For a tyme lost'; in July we held our annual summer concert and in November the last performance of 'Momentous Times'took place in church. The Gressenhall Singers were involved in all three performances and the church was packed on each occasion. In addition we enjoyed a bluebell walk at Dentford Heights; Simon and Joan Smith opened therir magniflcent garden for us and we enjoyed a lovely harvest supper in October and a coffee morning in November. The church also had a strong presence at the summer fete and Christmas lights switch on with the launch of the Racing Pigs. I have sought to bring the church and village closer together through attending meetings of the Fete Commiffee and Parish Council; attending as many village events as possible; visiting residents of Woodstock, as well as individuals in the parish and developing a good relationship with St Mary's Community School in Beetley. We were delighted that the school chose to have their carol concert in church for the first time in 2018. On behalf of the church I would like to express grateful thanks to the Parish Council for its financial support of the parish church and also to the Councillors themselves who ofler their personal support and encouragement. Reverend Julia Hemp May 2A$ @r" Breckland gounci!- Pafish Council A[nual Parish Meetirls Reoo4 - 201P

INVESTMENT STRATEGY . A new lnvestment Strategy has been drafted and investment prospectus created to focus activity on opportunities to achieve growth, i.e. NNDR, jobs, innovation, etc. The 'lnvest in Breckland' prospecus will be officially launched during the summer with an initial emphasis of targeting businesses to relocate to Heath and other major employment areas. . Total portfolio value is f45.2 million. This includes allthe commercial properties (including Riverside, Warburtons & Barnham Broom) and the & Business Centres. lncome included in the budget for 19-20 is f3.53 million

tOCAt PI.AN The Local Plan is out for consultation on main modifications... a major step on the journey towards to adoption of a local plan for Breckland

TRIPSTART Tripstart, a new project to help people overcome barriers to get back into employment launched on January 25th. The scheme is being funded by Breckland Council, the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Department for Work & Pensions {DWP}. lt is being delivered across the district by Dereham-based Kickstart and is expected to support and engage with 138 individuals.

COMMUNITY RESERVE f1.4 million committed to trelp support our residents, via: . Development of Breckland lnnovation Den to support entrepreneurs , Leigure feasibility studies for and . Developing support services for young people struggling in employment and housing . Supporting a start-up scheme for businesses and entrepreneurs on the high street businesses Enable councillors to invest f1.4m in 2019/20 into projects which directly support communities across the district. This follows f1.7m in 2018/19 for similar initiatives.

BRECKLAND LOTTERY Breckland Lottery continues to grow and provide a way for communities to support important local good causes. We now have over 60 good causes signed up, selling over L,200 tickets per week and are projected to raise f40,000 for good causes in the first year'

NATIONAL AWARDS SHORTLIST . Best Local Authority Arts lnitiative in the Heart for The Arts 2019 awards - Silver Social project. An arts programme to engage rural, socially isolated people to engage in the arts and make new friends . Innovation Award at the Local Government Chronicle Award 2019 - finalist for commercialisation of Breckland Training Services and unique service offer across the country bb

Norfolk County Council agreed a net revenue budget of f409.293m on the 116 February. lt was agreed that Council tax would rise by 2.99% adding f39.51 per year to a band D property and that an adult social care charge of a further 3% rise was not to be made. The financial climate in which local government operates continues to be challenging with significant and ongoing reductions in core funding at the same time as substantial service cost pressures. The agreed council tax inrease of 2.99% will enable the Council to protect vital services and will help to ensure a robust and sustainable financial position in future years. This years budget is balanced, robust and allocates our resources across Norfolk's people and communities in the best way we can.

The Council has absorbed significant and ongoing cuts in government funding, a total of f204m between 2010-11 and 2018-19. There are significant cost pressures such as inflation, demographic changes, unfunded burdens such as the National Living Wage and the need of vulnerable social care users becoming increasingly complex. Despite those pressures the Council is continuing to deliver savings and has plans in place to deliver f79m of savings by 2AZ1-22. This includes f32m of saving in this financial year-

The Council has also agreed a f549m, 3 year, capital programme which will pay for investment in infrastructure, property and equipment. fL20m will be spent on new special schools and resource bases for children with special educational needs, f 120m on the third river crossing at Yarmouth, f9m for extra care housing to help older people live independently as part of a total investment of f29m. Most of the expenditure for capital projects is borrowed from the Public Works Loan Board, a department of HM Treasury, and repaid from revenue over a long period.

Adult social care costs continue to escalate, and the Council has made provision in the budget to invest f6m to address growing demand. Although the 3% adult social care precept was not raised this year all council tax rises from 2OL6-t7 to 20L8-19 are expected, by government, to be spent on adult social care. Thus, this year's council tax bill shows an adult social care precept of f96.05 for a band D property with no increase for this year. Additionally, government has awarded the Council a grant of f.4.2m to help alleviate winter pressure on the Counties health and social care services. The money will go towards measures to avoid unnecessary delays in hospitals for people with mental health difficulties; bolster the short term capacity in the care market and to provide reablement support to enable people to regain their ability to live independently.

There are also substantial financial pressures on Children's Services. The Council has around 200 statutory responsibilities for children and the government has inueased the top of the age range from 18 to 25. There are L200 children in the care of the Council (the numbers have stabilised),3000 children in specialand complex needs schools, 2,900 children in need (590 with CP plans) and 20,000 children with special educational needs. The under 25 population of Norfolk is 243,00. As an example, home to schooltransport costs f27Jm pa, placements and support for looked after children costs f57m pa and education and care for children with SEN f56.4m pa out of a total budget of f 186m.

The government awarded the Councit €L2.7m to fund pot hole repairs and highway improvement schemes. The highway team have been doing a good job over the summer and have largely caught up with the backlog of work. The extra cash must all be spent by the end of the financiat year so some improvement schemes which have been shelved though lack of funding have been resurrected. ln my area much needed resurfacingof 2 miles the 81145 was completed in February. Resurfacing work at 3 busy junctions will be carried out before the end of March. Norfolk has been ranked 4*t'out of 28 similar councils in a national highways and transport survey. The highest scores for the county were for traffic levels and congestion and the condition of roads and footpaths.

The Council continues to lobby government and the Highways Agency, through the A47 Alliance, to fund the dualling of the A47 from Peterborough to Yarmouth. The stretch of road between Tuddenham and Easton has been approved and work will start in 2A21/22, this will provide a continuous dual carriageway link between Dereham and Norwich. Other schemes in Norfolk to 2O2O include junction improvements at Thickthorn and at Yarmouth and dualling between Biofield and North Burlingham. Another top priority for the Council is the so called western link, the construction of a road between the 41057 and the A47. This would link the newly completed Northway (the NDR)with the A47. The final account for the construction of the Broadland Northway has been settled in the sum of f205m.

Last May the Council took the decision to revert to the Cabinet system of governance from May 2019 {an earlier transition was not possible legally}. The recent departure of the Managing Director has given rise to an opportunity to move to an Executive Leader model. This would mean that the Council would be run on a day to day basis through weekly meetings between Cabinet members and the Senior Management Team (the paid Directors) with the Leader as Chair with all decisions being put through Cabinet or promulgated for consideratisn by Members. A Scrutiny Committee chaired by a member of the opposition will monitor outcomes and will run a call-in system where decisions taken by the Executive Members and Cabinet can be called in by Members for discussion. 3 Select Committees will develop policies and make recommendations to Cabinet.

An additional f 11m contract has been let to increase the superfast (>1Ombps) broadband coverage from 92Yolo 95% in Norfolk. This will typically give coverage to properties and businesses that cannot be connected by Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) solutions and will use other technologies including Fibre to the Premises (FTTP). The small improvement in coverage for a sizeable investment reflects the difficulty in reaching premises remote from the FTTC solution. NCC have secured a government grant of f8m to allow a full fibre broadband connection to 208 of Norfolk's schools, 108 of NCCs corporate buildings and 34 fire stations. This will allow broadband speeds of lGigabit (about 20 times faster than the average speed currently). Additionally, nearby businesses will be allowed to piggyback on to these connections and government grants will be available to cover part of the cost of the connection.

NCC has won praise for its approach to improving mobile phone coverage' A survey was carried out on mobile phone signals across the county and the results were used to create an interactive map and more than 200 council owned sites have been identified in areas of poor mobile phone reception. These sites are being offered to mobile operators as potential sites for new masts.

Mark Kiddle-Morris.

April 2019