PEOPLE

 

Ploughing Success Continues

Steve Framingham continued his trophy winning when he ploughed at High Kelling in the Holt Farmers’ Club Ploughing Match.  He won his class and brought home a trophy to hold for one year.  On Sunday 1^st October, he ploughed at Swanton Morley in the Dereham Farm Machinery Club Match and won his class, and also won Champion of the Field.  On Sunday 22^nd October, he ploughed at Drayton in the Norfolk Ploughing Society Match and won his class which means he has qualified to plough at the National Ploughing Contest next October – an excellent achievement as he was ploughing against a ploughman who had travelled from Leeds in Yorkshire hoping to win the class to be able to compete in the British Nationals.  Steve beat him by one point.  Steve collected a trophy for the Best Ploughing by a Member of the Norfolk Ploughing Society plus a trophy as Class winner.

Steve, along with his father, David, judged at a Ploughing Match in Yorkshire on 4^th November, and they are now due to plough at the Kirton and District Ploughing Match in Suffolk on 12^th November.

Invitations are now being sent out to ploughmen and plough ladies for the Bawdeswell Ploughing Society’s Annual Ploughing Match to be held on Sunday, 14^th January 2007 off the Billingford to Foxley road by kind permission of Bawdeswell Farms Limited.  Ploughing commences at 10am and finishes at 3pm .

Details from Dena and Steve Framingham on 01362-688063. 

 

BBC Songs of Praise Experience

When I was asked at one of my choir rehearsals if I would like to sing with members of choirs from local schools and churches across Norfolk at a Songs of Praise recording, I was absolutely delighted.   What is more, it was to be held at Thursford on 8 November, with the Christmas decorations already on display.    The conductor, Paul Leddington Wright, a born comedian as well as a vibrant conductor, put us through our paces for 3 hours, very skillfully guiding us through the rehearsals and recordings of five carols and keeping us calm and relaxed at the same time.  We were accompanied by the Matthews Norfolk Brass and Thursford’s Wurlitzer Organist, Phil Kelsall.

Seven BBC cameramen were on the move throughout.  One camera was attached to a crane, which continually ‘panned’ across all the choirs and the congretation (over 1,000).  Paul encouraged us to smile at all times and to look at him, not at a camera as it would ‘blow up’!!  However, the cameras were distracting and I had the feeling that my smile was more ‘fixed’ at times than it would be when singing under normal circumstances.   The experience of contributing my part in producing that wonderful sound of four part harmony in such an arena is something I will treasure.  It was so much fun and a real insight into how a musical programme is pulled together.  If you see a woman with a red top, red face and Santa hat earrings singing her heart out it will be your truly – Janet Cockburn.  BBC Songs of Praise from Thursford Norfolk will be broadcast on Christmas Eve, sometime around 5 p.m.