Community Grants 2010
At its meeting on 14 June, the
Town Council made six awards totalling £3,000 to local
organistaions. The successful applications are listed
below: -
Holt Community Centre
- £500 towards improving the emergency lighting
Holt
& District Day Centre
- £500 towards room hire and transport costs.
Holt
CAB
- £1,400 towards running costs.
Holt
Playing Field Association
- £100 towards junior football goal nets
Holt
Christmas Lights
- £200 towards entertainment for children.
Holt
Festival
- £400 towards Festival costs.
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Applications for grant aid 2010
Each year Holt Town Council sets aside a small amount of
money to support local projects and organisations. The
money, paid out as a donation, can be applied for by any
organisation in Holt which will benefit the community of
Holt.
Applications for 2010 are now closed.
To find out more about how to
apply, in future, for funding please click onto the Finance and Funding Green button
and follow the link.
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BIKE RIDE TRIUMPHS AGAINST THE ELEMENTS
Councillor Andy Turner and riding companions
Bryan "Ozzie" Owen and Micky Smith left the Holt War Memorial on 3
May, when most of us were still to have our breakfasts!
They were determined to get to both Cromer and Sheringham
War memorials despite the strong wind. In fact such was their
determination they were back in Holt by midday and with
£1,000, raised in sponsorship monies for the Holt War
Memorial Fund.
Jan, Andy’s wife and Bob drove ahead of the
wind battling team, as outriders. After the ride Andy paid
tribute to his friends for their support and warmly thanked
all the generous people who had sponsored him for the event.
Thanks to the efforts of the cyclists the
Fund total, with pledges, has now reached nearly £3,000.
Efforts are still being made for the Fund, as
the possibility of a grant from the War Memorials Trust
remains unsure. A total of £5,000 is needed for the
refurbishment to the memorial without the costs needed
for improvements to the surrounds.
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THE HOLT HONOURS – THE SECOND YEAR!
On Monday 29 March, Chairman Bryan Payne
presented three awards at the Annual Towns meeting.
As
Chairperson of the Holt Christmas Lights for the past
three years Esme Bagnall-Oakeley has delivered a first rate
community event by taking the lead and by encouraging
community participation. Under her leadership the Holt
Christmas Lights Switch-On has become a major event in
the Holt calendar and one which thousands of people turn
out to see.
To organise this event involves much work
and efforts through out the year and Esme has raised the
bar. This is her final and fourth year as Chairman.
Esme has devoted an enormous amount of her time to this
most successful event.

The second Award went to Freda Davey, who
is the Administrator for Holt Community Centre.
Freda is happy to turn her hand to anything and can
often be found behind the bar. Her nomination was
captured in the poem below:
"Freda is a
Treasure -
She gives a lot to Holt Holt -
Her time and skills and friendliness friendliness -
Makes coming here a pleasure.
She is the one to call and see -
Just knock on her door and enter -
She’ll work with you to plan your “do” - At Holt
Community Centre.
Come sun or shower she’ll be right there
-To make your day feel special -As you come to Holt to sell your wares
-
At the market, sales and Antique Fairs.
Where would we be without her -
To help each plan succeed -
To honour her this way this year -
Is an easy choice for you indeed".
Val
Moss was the third recipient of the Holt Honours scheme 2009
that evening. She has worked incredibly hard to build the 1st
Holt Scout Group, and they are all proud of her.
Not only has
she been responsible for securing funds for their new
Headquarters, but has also been on the front line during all
fund raising events, including their latest, which was outside Budgens with the young people “Pedalling for Pounds”. Last
year a group of parents and Leaders and Val laid turf over a
number of days, so that the children could enjoy a safe place to
play. Val gets considerable pleasure from seeing
the children take part in activities that perhaps they would
not otherwise do.
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SUMMER OPENING HOURS
The
Cley Road Cemetery
The main cemetery gate
is now opened on Sundays. Those
requiring vehicular access at other times should contact the Council
office. Pedestrian
access is available at all times through the side gate on Cley Road.
Memorial
Garden
Please note that the
garden is now opened on a daily basis.
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HOLT WAR MEMORIAL
Holt Town Council and the Holt Branch of The Royal British
Legion have joined forces to raise funds for the restoration
of the Holt War Memorial. The Royal British Legion,
national custodians of Remembrance, has set up a fund for
the Holt War Memorial Appeal.
The Town Council is the custodian of the Holt
War Memorial and under the War Memorials (Local Authorities)
Act of 1923 the Council may incur reasonable expenditure in
the maintenance, repair and protection of a war memorial.
This Act was later extended with the Local Authorities Act
1948. The Royal British Legion, while not custodians of the
memorial, can help with this task although their funds
cannot be used in such projects, as this would contravene
Charity Law. Legion funds are primarily for the aid of
former services personnel.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO OUR WAR MEMORIAL
The majority of war memorials in our country
were created by public subscription through committees
formed for their commissioning, and usually dissolved after
their completion.
The Holt War Memorial was erected in 1920 in Holt Market
Place. We have a photograph of the Holt peace celebration
service held on July 19th 1919 in the Market
Place around the Jubilee column. The Queen Victoria 1887
Jubilee Column - the lantern referred to as “Blind Sam” (so
often it did not work) - was moved to Obelisk Plain to make
room for the memorial. Such was the importance of the War
Memorial. The War Memorial was designed by the Architect Mr
J Page from Langham near Blakeney in 1919 and erected in
1920. It is a magnificent 20 foot high spire erected on a
square plinth. The spire is engraved with four crests. On
its west face at the base of the spire is the inscription
“THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVER MORE”. On its east face are the
dates of the wars 1914 - 18, and 1939 – 45. It is made of
Clipsham Stone. Names of the 63 men who died in the Great
War are inscribed on the upper course of each face of the
plinth. On the middle course are engraved the names of the
32 men who died in World War II. Later additions, on the
west side, are those who fell in Korea in 1952 and Northern
Ireland 1991. The carved lettering on the War Memorial is a
raised pattern. The War Memorial was re-dedicated in January
1995.
THE
NEED TO REFURBISH OUR WAR MEMORIAL
Our War Memorial has developed a build up of dirt and
algae. There is also significant weathering over two of the
carved letter panels, and further areas showing signs of
distress. Some of this can be attributed to natural
weathering and erosion, possibly also some inappropriate
intervention in the past. We are pleased to say that there
are no structural issues from weak foundations or fixings.
We now need to plan a project to:
Repair with traditional materials, using the same type of
stone to undertake the indent repairs
Cleaning
of the memorial with unabrasive methods.
FUNDRAISING
While we would like to have this project
completed by October 2010 we are equally keen to ensure that
the work is done to the required standard. We hope to apply
to the War Memorials Trust for a small grant. Further
monies will come from the Town Council Reserve Fund for the
War Memorial and local fundraising.
It is a massive challenge for everyone.
There are many local people who have family members and
friends who joined our armed services to serve their
country. This is an opportunity for us all to be involved
in showing the support the people of Holt have for our Armed
Forces - past, present and future.
Individuals can support the campaign in a
variety of ways. Some may wish to organise or participate in
a fund raising event, whilst others may choose to simply
donate towards the fund.
Please click HERE to download a donation form
Cheques should be made payable to “The Royal
British Legion Holt Branch (War Memorial Fund)” and send
them to the Town Council.
A fundraising fun cycle ride or relay between
war memorials around Holt and the surrounding villages will
take place in May, with participants selecting whether to
complete the whole course or part of the course. At each
location information on the local memorial will be available
to participants as proof of their visit to a particular
memorial.
Please click HERE to download a sponsored cycle/walk trail
form
For those who want to organize a fundraising
event, the local branch of The Royal British Legion has
sponsorship forms for your event. Please contact Colin
Kemp, the Royal British Legion Holt Branch Chairman on 01263
715818 during the day, by email
candjk.kelling@virgin.net
or c/o High Kelling Post office, Old Cromer Road, High
Kelling NR25 6AJ for further information.
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SPRING LITTER PICK
Thank you for all those who
helped with the Litter Pick around Holt
on Monday 22 March 2010. Various areas were spruced up
for the summer and hopefully, this will encourage the public
to use the litter bins in future. Your time and help is much appreciated by the community.

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EDP PRIDE IN NORFOLK Community Awards
The town has won this year's EDP
Pride in Norfolk under 5000 population Community Award.
The presentation for the awards took place at
County Hall on Thursday evening. A welcome was given by
Cllr Gurney, the Chairman of Norfolk County Council. The
Community Awards aim to recognize and highlight the hard
work and achievements of so many people in the County.
Sponsored by the EDP and organized by Norfolk County Council
the event was compered by Anna Hill BBC Radio 4 Presenter.
Bryan Payne, the Chairman of the Council was presented with
a brass plaque and a cheque. The picture below shows
members of the Holt Youth Project with their leader Julie
Alford, Cllr Bryan Payne and Town Clerk Di Dann at County
Hall for the presentation. The nomination which came from
the Town Council described the vibrant business centre of
the Town and a very active and dedicated community in Holt.
Special mention was made by the judges of the Primary School
and the Holt Youth Project.

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Community Project for Church
Street Toilet Site Press Release : Issued 1 April 2009
Agreement reached
over Church Street toilets, Holt
After a series of
discussions Holt Town Council is pleased to announce that it
has been able to reach an agreement with North Norfolk
District Council to purchase the site and therefore bring an
end to the long-running saga of Church Street toilets. The
District Council, which owned the site, closed the toilets
in September 2005 owing to lack of use and evidence of
anti-social behaviour.

More recently Holt
Town Council and Chamber of Trade, with the strong support
of local residents, asked the District Council to reverse
its decision, which it was unwilling to do. Subsequently the
Town Council asked to be given the opportunity to purchase
the site under a private treaty arrangement.

Following the
production of a feasibility study and creation of a business
plan the Town Council has been able to reach an agreement
with the District Council to purchase the site and secure
its future for the benefit of the local community and
visitors. The Town Council intends to re-open the toilet
block.
“We
are doing what the people of Holt asked us to do in July
2008 when we conducted the feasibility study. We will
re-open the toilets and see how things go” said Council
Chairman Bryan Payne.
Virginia Gay, Leader
of North Norfolk District Council, said, “We are very
pleased that we have been able to reach an agreement with
Holt Town Council. This has been a long and difficult issue
at times, but it has now been concluded to everyone’s
satisfaction.”
The Town Council
sees the site as being a significant asset for the people of
Holt. Any proposals to extend the community use of the site,
which is in the historic heart of the small Georgian town,
will be a matter for further community consultation.

For further
information please contact
Di Dann, Clerk to
Holt Town Council
Tel. 01263 712149 e mail
holttown@tiscali.co.uk
www.holttowncouncil.org
Peter Battrick, NNDC
Communications Manager
Tel. 01263 516344
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HOLT HONOURS - THE FIRST YEAR
AWARDS
On Monday 30
March 2009, the Chairman of Holt Town Council presented two
awards to the first recipients of the Holt Honours scheme.
Ernest
Lawrence is well known around the town as he is our local
street
cleaner! He works
whatever the weather and as a result Holt is probably the
cleanest and tidiest town in North Norfolk. "A most
dedicated person who works with pride, is always cheerful
and our town is always spotless" was just one of the
submitted comments.
The second award went to
the Holt Area Caring Society. Formed in 1980 the
Society promotes the welfare of the elderly, handicapped and
other persons who live within the area covered by the Holt
Group Surgery. A team of volunteers (70) give up
their time to transport those with transport difficulties to
medical appointments. Over 2,000 journeys are
undertaken each year.

Norman Cooker receiving the
Award on behalf on the Holt Area Caring Society