Surlingham

We are pleased to announce that The Ferry will be open from 9am for coffee and bacon butties (maybe more!!!) on Saturday.

The kitchen will open with a very limited menu from 12 o’clock.

Limited table bookings will be available for 12 – 8pm. Inside and outside.

Walk-ins are welcome but subject to table availability.


                         The small print – but please read.

Due to covid requirements and the safety of customers and staff:

• contact details will be required – bring your own pen!!
• please pay by card if at all possible
• food will be served in take-out containers and take- out cutlery but feel free to         bring your own cutlery and take it away with you afterwards.

Information received from Sonia

Dear all,
We hope your day is going well. We haven’t filmed a service for today as we were on leave last week, but have attached a service with prayers, a reading and reflection that you’re welcome to use. Click june2820rockben20.pdf

The last few days have seen a significant easing of some of the constraints of the current lockdown situation. Although the virus is still very present in our country, it is now felt to be safe and appropriate to move to a more relaxed stage of management.

Regarding the use of Church buildings, the first step has been the agreement that these can be opened for private prayer. We have begun cautiously to open for a few hours each week with careful cleaning and management. Surlingham has opened this week and we plan to open Rockland Church in the days ahead. This week we have received the welcome news that acts of public worship can begin again inside our buildings from July 5th . This is a significant and very exciting development for our community. We await guidance from the Government and the Diocese of Norwich as to how this can safely be started.

When we do move to the next step, it will be important to acknowledge not only the variety of worship we have engaged in during lockdown, but also people who have joined us for online services and will not yet feel able to present within our buildings. It is important that we continue to offer an online presence via YouTube and Zoom and remain connected in a variety of ways.

Throughout all of this, we’re mindful that we are at a very early stage of our time here, which is naturally a time of exploration and expressing ministry in new ways. There is a lot to think and pray about, and we need to remain in communication with each other about all of this as new information is shared.

Perhaps you could help us by being in touch and responding to the following questions:
What has been helpful in worship during lockdown?( perhaps consider the variety and location of worship videos, brevity of sermon!, use of different media, printed order of service..any other resources/ practices you have found helpful.)
What have you missed most?
What feels most important about the next stage of worship for you?
How do you feel about attending worship in Church buildings at this time?
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
You’re welcome to send your responses by e-mail to us here.

Later today, we warmly invite you to join us for Zoom Happy Hour at 5pm.

Today’s theme will be The call of Peter and Paul. To join the meeting; click here or join Meeting ID: 838 5558 8541
Password: 648563

Message from Gary Whitibg, Managing Partner, to the Clerk at Rockland St Mary with Hellington Parish Council

“With this weeks Government announcement on ‘shielding patients’, we have just discussed the re-opening of Rockland St Mary Surgery at our weekly Business Partners Meeting this very morning.

As I explained in my previous communication, whilst we have been closed to the general public, we have been seeing invited ‘shielding patients’ at Rockland St Mary Surgery to ensure we play our part in managing their health, protecting them and other members of the community from Covid-19. You will recall ‘shielding patients’ are the most vulnerable of our registered patients.

The new Government and NHS England advice for shielding patients this week, confirms the ‘shielding’ programme ends on 31st July with the 2.2M patients shielding nationally able to return to work (providing it is Covid secure), go outside, food shop and to places of worship, but to remain cautious at all times as they remain at high risk of severe illness if they catch the virus.

On the basis that the shielding programme ends on 31st July, we will be re-opening Rockland St Mary Surgery from Monday 3rd August.

The national instruction for GP Surgeries is to still manage patients initially by telephone triage and then offer those who need to be seen, a face to face appointment at the Practice. Our staff have been working to this protocol since early April and we are working towards a ‘new normal’, respecting the safety advice from NHSE England, the Government and Public Health England, to ensure our patients and staff remain safe.

Patients will be able to collect their medications again from Rockland St Mary Surgery from 3rd August but from a hatch rather than from entering the building and all patients that enter will be screened with the now usual four symptom questions. There will be new signage about this.

The good news then is that Rockland St Mary Surgery will be opening from Monday 3rd August but working on the same principle as patients have been used to experiencing when they have been in touch with us in Poringland over the past few weeks.

We will be promoting this change with patients over the next few weeks as they visit us in Poringland.”

Message from Mrs J Piermont, Recycling Contracts Officer Norfolk County Council

“I am writing to let you know that we are planning on reopening Bergh Apton Recycling Centre on Friday 26th June. This will be in the second wave of the part time sites to reopen along with Snetterton Recycling Centre.

Snetterton and Bergh Apton will bring the number of sites we have open to 18 out of the network of 20 and we plan to reopen the remaining two the following week. We have provided details on how the sites will operate on our website here www.norfolk.gov.uk/recyclingupdates and below are some answers to common questions about the sites. We will update the parish council and our website over the next two days.

What measures are we taking to protect the health and safety of our customers, staff and the wider community?

Social distancing of 2m and a strict cleaning regime will be in place at all sites, which will be reviewed following guidance on 1m distancing released this week. We have limited the number of vehicles allowed into each site at any one time, to give each vehicle enough space to safely empty their waste. We ask that residents only bring waste they can remove from their vehicle and deposit in the containers themselves, as staff will not be able to assist.

What type of waste and recycling are we accepting?

We are offering as full a service as is possible at this time, including all DIY Pay As You Throw and a trade waste service at our larger sites as usual. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept items for reuse.

When is the best time to visit the centre?

We expect the busiest times of day to be first thing in the morning, although we have observed that this can vary. Typical queuing times are around 20 minutes, but can be longer. We have employed traffic management teams as sites where queuing can be dangerous. If we have a significant queue then the team may ask residents to return at a later time.

Mrs J Piermont, Recycling Contracts Officer 

Communities and Environment

Tel: 0344 800 8020

Surlingham Staithe

Since lock down began, quite a few parishioners have started using Surlingham Staithe for launching canoes and it’s lovely to see so many residents enjoying this village asset.  As I’m sure most residents know, the parish council is the registered owner of the Staithe and manages it on behalf of residents.

But boat owners aren’t the only people who use the staithe; this beautiful tranquil little gem is also enjoyed by many other residents who simply walk down there to enjoy the peace and quiet and to watch the wildlife who share the spot with us, such as kingfishers, dragon flies and the occasional deer.

As pointed out above, lots of residents are now using the Staithe to launch their boats – 27 boats are currently kept at there – and the tranquillity of the area would be lost if canoeists were to park their cars there.  It is also a fragile environment being part of the flood plain.  The area can be covered by several inches of water on very high tides or after heavy rain in summer as well as in winter months and even in high summer the ground is often spongy.

For all these reasons the parish council trusts that residents will comply with the notice restricting vehicular access to the staithe except in exceptional circumstances when permission should be sought from a parish councillor on 538516.

Please see below the draft minutes of the Parish Council meeting of 16 June 2020

Draft Minutes 16 June 2020

Yep you heard, we’ve got BEEF in the fridges, just in time for all your BBQs this weekend. Plenty of steaks, mince, burgers, sausages, joints… etc. Come one, come all!!!

Along with the beef we’ve also got:

• Norfolk strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and gooseberries
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Cherry & vine tomatoes
• Courgettes
• Aubergines
• New potatoes
• Cheeeeeeeese – halloumi, mozzarella, feta, cheddar, red leicester, st. jude, baron bigod, Dapple, soft cheese… the list goes on
• Lots of icecream with the little pots being restocked on Friday!
• Fish coming today – smoked salmon, rollmops and potted shrimp
• Lots of frozen fish and meats (including game!!!) in the freezers
• All the usuals too like flour, eggs, bacon, etc!

If there’s anything you’re after that you can’t see on the list, just give us a call on 01508 538206 or email info@yarevalleyoils.co.uk – always here to help

Hope everyone is having a fab week, enjoy the sun! 🙂

Love from us all at the Farm x

⚠️ Cold Calling Alert ⚠️

In the first incident a resident in Poringland received a phone call offering servicing and cleaning of their solar panels. The caller arranged to visit the property the next day and requested access to the resident’s roof space. The resident was informed that they required a new part for £1500. The resident refused and the male left.

The second report links to the area of Diss and involves two males cold calling at residents’ homes offering roof insulation. The males’ show ID badges which do not have photo identification and state they are working in relation to a ‘Government funded scheme’. The males request access to the loft space and have been seen to take photos of properties.

🚫 NEVER deal with cold callers looking to undertake work on or around your property and NEVER allow them access to your home.
☎️ Any sightings of these cold callers should be reported to Trading Standards, Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 or Norfolk Constabulary via 101.

Coronavirus scams

There are a lot of coronavirus related scams out there, here are a few things to look out for.
Share these messages with those you care about to help them become #ScamAware