Every month there’s a chance to win a Village Centre Lottery prize. Despite the current difficulties our lottery draws continue and we are very appreciative of our supporters. Congratulations to the lucky prize winners and if you Subscribe to our Lottery you could join them, plus you’ll be giving us a big helping hand. Thank you!

This month’s draw was made on Monday 10th August 2020. The draw was supervised by an independent witness to ensure fair play.

The results are: First prize, number 1 winning £24.00. Second prize number 42 winning £16.00 and third prize number 72 winning £8.00.

Stay safe, stay alert and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

Just a timely reminder to everyone that unfortunately “in times of crisis, crime increases”. There are numerous scams doing the rounds at the moment, with criminals trying to prey on vulnerability and fear of the virus.

With the launch of the Government’s Track and Trace scheme recently, it seems that the crooks have gone into overdrive, with numerous reports of bogus phone calls purporting to be from the NHS Track and Trace Service. However, all those calls have one thing in common – they ask you for a payment for a Covid-19 test.  An NHS test is free, so if you’re asked for a payment, typically £50 for a testing kit, then it’s a scam and you should hang up.

There are plenty of other scams too, so before you give anyone your payment details ask yourself one simple question “is this really genuine?” If you have the slightest doubt, ask the caller to ring back later, after you’ve had a chance to check them out. If you’re pressured to make a decision there and then, it’s a scam.

You can find lots of information about  current scams on the Norfolk Trading Standards website. It’s well worth a look.

Be on your guard. Stay safe, protect yourself and protect others and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

As we said a couple of weeks ago, slowly the lock-down is being eased and the Village Centre Trustees are planning for the day when we can start to reopen the Centre.

We are hopeful that in due course, as part of the Government’s planned Stage 3 release of the lock-down, we may be able to open at least part of the Centre for exercise and dance classes. The current guidance from the Government is that the Stage 3 release will not be until the beginning of July, at the earliest. Accordingly, we are making plans for limited opening from Monday 6th July.

The Trustees have also decided that the 6th of July will be the earliest date that the Centre will reopen, even if government guidance changes to allow legal opening before then. We need the coming weeks to prepare the Centre for safe reopening. It is important to realise that at the time of writing, in late May, the date of the 6th July cannot be regarded as a certainty. It will depend on how things progress over the next few weeks.

What we hope will be possible . . .

The resumption of small groups of exercise and dance classes that use the main hall. Groups that normally use the smaller rooms in the Centre will have to  move temporarily into the main hall in order to maintain the correct social distancing.

The only rooms in the Centre that will be open initially will be: the main St Nicholas Hall, the entrance lobby and the toilet off the main hall. All other rooms, the Garden Room, the Loft, the Hub, the kitchen, the main toilets etc. will remain closed for the time being.

What we will NOT be able to do straight away . . .

In a normal week the Centre is used for many different types of event, including parties, weddings, community lunches, Village Voice talks, the Village Cinema and others. None of these will be able to take place yet. Once we have had some experience of running the Centre in the limited manner outlined above, we will start to plan for the opening up of the venue for these larger functions. It is not currently possible to say when this will be. We will post more information here as soon as the situation becomes clearer. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

There is much more about the Coronavirus situation on the Dersingham Parish Council website, Dersingham.org.uk which has a dedicated page of information and loads of links to useful websites.

Meanwhile, stay safe, protect yourself and protect others and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

In tiny steps the lock-down is being eased and the Village Centre Trustees are planning for the day when we can start to reopen the Centre. For the moment, all we can do is make plans and it is certain that there will be no return to business as usual for some time. The Centre will definitely not be opening during either the remainder of May or in June.

But, we are hopeful that in due course, as part of the Government’s planned Stage 3 release of the lock-down, we may be able to open at least part of the Centre for exercise and dance classes. When that will be depends entirely on how things go over the next few weeks, we will keep you posted as the situation develops.

To all those who enjoy coming to the classes, talks, film shows and other events that take place in the Village Centre we can only say sorry. We will be back as soon as we can!

There is much more about the Coronavirus situation on the Dersingham Parish Council website, Dersingham.org.uk which has a dedicated page of information and loads of links to useful websites.

Meanwhile, stay safe, stay at home and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

Another update for Dersingham residents. As  we expected, the Government has announced another three week period of lock-down, taking us into early May. The likelihood is that even when this new period ends, any release from lock-down will probably be quite gradual. Consequently we have had to take the decision to cancel all Centre bookings until at least the end of May.

To all those who enjoy coming to the classes, talks, film shows and other events that take place in the Village Centre we can only say sorry. We will be back as soon as we can!

There is much more about the Coronavirus situation on the Dersingham Parish Council website, Dersingham.org.uk which has a dedicated page of information and loads of links to useful websites.

Meanwhile, stay safe, stay at home and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

Another update for Dersingham residents. As we move into April the Village Centre remains closed and will be so until at least the end of this month. There may not be exercise classes running, but you get get some fresh air and exercise just by walking round the village. However, do remember to keep your distance from other walkers, of which there seem to be plenty. It is very important to follow the government guidelines on social distancing. If in doubt – don’t go out!

There is more about the Coronavirus situation on the Dersingham Parish Council website, Dersingham.org.uk which has a dedicated page of information and loads of links to useful websites. Everything is there from help for businesses, to new bus timetables, to revised bin collections and much more.

The Village magazine, Village Voice, was not able to be delivered from door-to-door due to the possible infection risks involved, but it is available to read online NOW, from this link:  The April issue of Village Voice. There’s lots to read in the magazine, including some entertaining articles to while away time in isolation.

We’ve mentioned this before, but we keep hearing reports of scams that are trading on the  Coronavirus health situation. Be on your guard for phone calls, emails, texts, or even personal callers purporting to be from the Government, the Police or the NHS. Popular scams are bogus tests for the virus, or false offers of government money if you either pay some money yourself or give your personal details. Before you do anything ask yourself the question “is this really genuine”? Police advice about Coronavirus frauds and scams.

Stay safe, stay at home and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

Another update for Dersingham residents. The regular village magazine Village Voice is due for publication on Monday 6th April. However, due to concerns about the safety of the delivery team, the printed copy will not now be delivered door to door until at least the middle of April. Don’t worry though, the magazine is available to read online NOW, from this link:  The April issue of Village Voice.

On a different note, we’ve had some disturbing information from the police about the boom in criminal activity as a result of the Covid-19 health situation. Be on your guard for phone calls, emails, texts, or even personal callers purporting to be from the Government, the Police or the NHS. Popular scams are bogus tests for the virus, or false offers of government money if you either pay some money yourself or give your personal details. The link below will give you more information. Stay safe!

Police advice about Coronavirus frauds and scams.

There will be more, no doubt, We shall try and keep you updated on this Blog, so be sure to sign up for email alerts if you haven’t already done so. You will find the sign-up box either in your sidebar, or at the foot of the page. There is also information on the new Coronavirus Information page of the Parish Council website, at dersingham.org.uk

Stay safe, stay at home and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

Due to the most recent increase in government restrictions on the movement of people, there are a few updates that we can tell you about. We had hoped to be able to run our Easter Trail with just a postponement to the party. However, the whole event has now had to be cancelled, because people should not be visiting shops other than food or pharmacy outlets.

Likewise, the Dersingham Walking Group had hoped to able able to continue to offer guided walks, with appropriate social distancing. However, the new regulations do not permit this. You can still walk, either on your own or with one other person, who must be a member of the same household, but walking with friends or with anyone from other households has effectively been banned.

There will be more, no doubt, We shall try and keep you updated on this Blog, so be sure to sign up for email alerts if you haven’t already done so. You will find the sign-up box either in your sidebar, or at the foot of the page. There is also information on the new Coronavirus Information page of the Parish Council website, at dersingham.org.uk

Stay safe, keep washing those hands and observe sensible hygiene precautions. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

Just to remind everybody that the Village Centre is currently closed due to the Coronavirus situation and all classes and events have been cancelled. We will review the situation regularly, but we expect the Centre to be closed until at least the end of April.

Meanwhile, we have today heard that all Norfolk Libraries have now been closed.

Stay safe, keep washing those hands and observe sensible hygiene precautions wherever possible. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

Every month there’s a chance to win a Village Centre Lottery prize and also the chance to know that you’re helping raise funds for the Village Centre. Why raise funds? Because we are constantly trying to improve the level of equipment at the Centre, so that it becomes an even better resource for the community.  The current project is increased storage space in the kitchen, which we need because our community lunches are ever more popular.

The most recent draw of Lottery prizewinners was made on Tuesday 17th March 2020 at our regular community lunch. Winners are as follows:

First prize, number 44 winning £26.25. Second prize number 28 winning £17.50 and third prize number 17 winning £8.75. Congratulations to the lucky prize winners. Subscribe to our Lottery and you could join those winners, plus you’ll be giving us a big helping hand. Thank you!