This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website Footballers in Thetford will soon be able to enjoy a brand-new 3G pitch at the town's leisure centre after Breckland Council secured grant funding of more than half-a-million pounds.  The district council was successful in bidding for around £525k in funding from the Football Foundation and Government's charity that supports improvements to local grassroots sports facilities through grants.  Parkwood Project Management and Lex Leisure - the operators of the leisure centre - will also contribute to the project's total cost of around £740k.  The project will see a new high-spec 3G pitch installed The pitch will meet FIFA standards and the improved lighting will be more energy efficient than the existing lights on the field.  The new pitch will include provision for 11-a-side It is hoped that this will help to meet the rising need for quality football facilities in the area while encouraging people to participate in men's The pitch will replace an existing sand-dressed astroturf pitch which is nearing the end of its usable life Having already secured planning permission and now obtained all the necessary funding work is expected to start on site in March 2025 and be complete in the summer Breckland Council's Executive Member for Health and Communities commented: "I'm delighted that we have been able to bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of investment to enhance the sports facilities in Thetford This will be a major boost for local players and I look forward to seeing the new pitch take shape."  Chief Executive of the Football Foundation said: "The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners - the Premier League The FA and Government - to transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England by delivering projects like this across the country "Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities This grant award to Breckland Council towards developing the new 3G pitch in Thetford is fantastic news for the local community and will help give more people access to a great place to play."  Breckland Members for Thetford Priory Ward commented: "This is fantastic news for Thetford that will significantly improve the facilities available for local football in the town We appreciate this will have implications for other sports and we will continue to work with Breckland Council and other partners to support hockey provision in the local area." As the new pitch is not compatible with hockey Breckland's officers have been engaging with the hockey club for some time and facilitated conversations with local sites which may be interested in hosting them in the future Breckland Council continues to provide support and has recently agreed to join a working group which will meet regularly to discuss options in the hope of a future facility being delivered within the town which will be accessible for community use the Council has also committed to support the hockey club with costs for pitch hire elsewhere and travel for any remaining games this season which may be displaced as a result of the works commencing in March Breckland Council has welcomed the announcement of the Government's new regeneration programme which is set to invest up to £20m in Thetford over the next decade The money had been announced in March 2024 under the previous Government's "Long Term Plan for Towns programme" but following the subsequent General Election last year there had been fears the funding may not be released as planned.  The new Plan for Neighbourhoods policy (click here to view (opens new window)) aims to create thriving places a 'Neighbourhood Board' will be established and grassroots campaigners to draw up and implement a vision for their neighbourhood.  The Government's announcement has committed the funding with more details pending on requirements for the new "Neighbourhood Board".  Breckland Council's Leader, welcomed the announcement that Central Government will honour the commitments to provide £20m funding for Thetford.  and I am very pleased that the Government has listened to the groundswell of local opinion and maintained their commitment to Thetford.   "The new Neighbourhood Board has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make sure the money brings the biggest benefits to local residents and businesses We have previously consulted with local people on what they see as the priorities for Thetford and the surrounding areas so I hope the Board will have a clear vision to draw from in prioritising how this money could be used." Breckland Council has welcomed the news that previously secured funding through the last Government's Long Term Plan for Towns Programme has been secured in the Chancellor's budget announced on Wednesday Speaking on the news, Breckland Leader commented: "This is fantastic news for Thetford and the Breckland district as a whole.  we have been making the case to Government and calling for major investment for some time Thetford is guaranteed to see the investment promised by the previous government.  "While there are still some key details pending the commitment remains for up to £20m to support Thetford's local priorities over a ten-year period This approach allows for careful planning and the development of a sustainable "I'm confident that this commitment will help us deliver on the needs and aspirations of our community ultimately creating lasting benefits for residents and businesses in and around Thetford."  Welcoming the news, Thetford Town Board Chairman "This is great news and will no doubt come with a sigh of relief to many in Thetford that were concerned that this funding was at risk we can now move forward with developing our board our plans and engaging with local leaders and the Thetford community as we build upon the Future Breckland programme to establish a shared vision and priorities for Thetford.  Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk commented: "This is fantastic for Thetford and will see a whole range of improvements over the coming years I'm so pleased the new Government recognises the need locally and can see the strong partnership approach that we have built for this project I've been lobbying hard for this money since I was elected as the Member of Parliament in July so I am delighted to get confirmation as part of the budget announcements."  Powered by Bury Free Press, Suffolk Free Press, Newmarket Journal & Haverhill Echo Powered by Bury Free Press, Suffolk Free Press, Newmarket Journal and Haverhill Echo Home   Thetford   Article A man in his 60s has died following a single-vehicle crash involving a lorry on a major route A lorry travelling northbound on the A11, near Thetford, veered off the road at 5.09pm on Friday, April 25 and came to a stop at the roundabout with the A1075 who was found unresponsive in the cab following a suspected medical episode The route was closed while emergency services were on scene and reopened at 8.22pm The driver was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by land ambulance and died in hospital today Officers would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who has any relevant dashcam footage Anyone with any information is asked to get in touch via the following channels quoting reference incident 352 of April 25 via the website email: David.Nickerson@norfolk.police.uk or call 101 About  .  Contact  .  Donation A new study of a Roman treasure unearthed in Thetford challenges centuries of hypotheses about the decline of paganism in Britain In research published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology Professor Ellen Swift of the University of Kent argues that the Thetford hoard was buried in the early to mid-5th century CE—several decades later than experts had previously supposed which was discovered in 1979 by a metal detectorist who was trespassing on a building site at Fison’s Way on Gallows Hill The treasure is now housed in the British Museum The hoard is compared to other artifacts found across the Western Roman Empire including artifacts from the Hoxne treasure—another 5th-century treasure also housed in the British Museum At least 17 items in the Thetford hoard can be matched with 5th-century styles and production techniques evident in continental European finds Multi-gem jewelry from Ephesus https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en) right (© The Trustees of the British Museum [used online under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license]).The jewelry derives from various sources The finger rings most likely came from northern Italy A cone necklace with cone-shaped beads points to the Lower Danube most of the jewelry shows a shared style of the Roman elite pointing to the fact that some areas in Britain still adhered to a shared Mediterranean culture despite the fall of the Roman state Swift says that the economic importance of the hoard increased during its final phase The shift came after the fall of Roman rule in Britain when local centers of power would have stepped in to fill the gap indicated by the value and variety of the hoard also show that it may have wielded significant power and authority locally,” Swift said The hoard burial near post-Roman timber structures and other discoveries nearby support the hypothesis that Thetford might have been a pagan religious center in times of political and social turmoil and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative Jewelry in a treasure hoard found in Thetford Forest indicates that Thetford was pagan until the 5th century CE — significantly later than the previously established date of the 380-90s CE Rings from the Thetford hoard on display at the British Museum The Thetford treasure was found by a metal detectorist trespassing on a construction site at Fison’s Way on Gallows Hill No coins were present among the recovered objects presenting a dating problem for its researchers The hoard is now in the collections of the British Museum and can be seen on display there “There is compelling evidence that the treasure was buried in the 5th century CE rather than the late 4th CE,” said Professor Ellen Swift an archaeologist at the University of Kent “Since wider evidence found at the site confirms the religious context previously established by inscriptions on the spoons within the hoard that the re-dating of the Thetford hoard suggests a pagan cult center survived there into the 5th century CE.” also show that it may have wielded significant power and authority locally.” This new chronology is supported by detailed comparisons of multiple objects (both spoons and jewelry) with context-dated finds from continental Europe and with objects from the 5th century Hoxne hoard in the British Museum which was found more recently than the Thetford hoard and contains many similar items Professor Swift also found that Britain was less isolated than previously believed with the items in the treasure originating from across the Roman Empire “The Thetford jewelry especially is highly varied in style suggesting the different pieces originated in different places,” Professor Swift said “Some of the latest-dating finger-rings in the hoard likely originated in northern Italy or adjacent regions and the necklace with conical beads from the Balkans area of Europe.” “Most of the jewelry is generically ‘Mediterranean Roman’ in style illustrating a geographically widespread shared culture among elites.” The paper was published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology. Ellen Swift. 2024. Rethinking the date and interpretation of the Thetford treasure: a 5th-c. hoard of gold jewelry and silver spoons. Journal of Roman Archaeology 37 (2): 409-448; doi: 10.1017/S1047759424000278 I was ordained Bishop in Westminster Abbey on 29th September 2023 and welcomed as Bishop of Thetford the following day. Inevitably the year has flown by as I’ve busied myself around the patch and tried to bring the message of hope in Christ that sustains us as a Church. Before I started, I said I wanted to listen and I wanted to be missional and I hope in all that has happened people can see that I’ve tried! I look back on a number of highlights. Blessing lifeboats at Gorleston (though I wish the boat was operational – maybe I didn’t pray hard enough?), baptising in the sea, an amazing angel festival at Yarmouth Minster, Rogation at Ashby, blessing the new roof at Kessingland, the Norfolk Show, the food banks and food pantries and poverty cafes I’ve attended. I could go on and on. The best thing has been brilliant co-workers who have been endlessly patient with me. Bishops Graham and Jane are fabulous colleagues, Graham my PA is a rock, the team at Diocesan House are enormously helpful. I’ve missed Archdeacon Steven’s wisdom and knowledge as he recovered from Leukaemia – he’s a wonderful resource for the Archdeaconry of Norfolk and I’m so pleased to have him back. We have a heroic group of clergy and laity who love their Churches and congregations, who are missional and loving to their communities who perform daily miracles to maintain and grow the Church of God. I’m humbled and thankful almost every day as I hear another story of God at work. I’ve been surprised and delighted by the life I find in Churches. There’s a real hunger to go deeper into God. To be able to talk to confirmation candidates and those seeking to offer themselves to the Church to be ordained or licensed or commissioned has been such a joy. We need so many more if we are going to have that big impact and make a difference but I love those who come forward – they have been an inspiration to me. It hasn’t all been plain sailing. I find the fact that the Church is having difficult conversations about human sexuality draining. The national conversation is depressingly partisan and I don’t mind admitting wishing that we could live more easily with different opinions but continue to love and respect each other. On a personal level we’ve had highs and lows. Joy at my grandson’s arrival and my son’s priesting in Nottingham and challenge over Sue’s hip replacement and my Mum’s stroke. All families go through such things – we’re no different. But there is a deep sense that we have come home. Indeed, Sue and I were having a moment of reflection as we drove back into the county after a holiday in Scotland and agreed, we love this place and we don’t want to be anywhere else. Thank you to everyone who has made my transition to the Diocese of Norwich so easy. As I look ahead to the year to come and what I hope will be many more years ahead, the Prayerful, Pastoral, Prophetic vision of the Diocese grows in me. Transformation is happening and I have the privilege of seeing it with my own eyes – we’re working with God in amazing ways, so take the promise of 2 Thessalonians 5:24 and trust in Him, ‘The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.’ To see more photos of Bishop Ian’s year in the Diocese of Norwich, follow him on Instagram. ian.bishop.1232 or on Facebook, Ian Bishop. Last week’s General Synod meeting reflected on what might be the best way forward for safeguarding in the Church of England.  The debate revealed that there is a common commitment across Clergy and Laity to get safeguarding practice and culture to be the best we can and to put victims and survivors at the heart of our shared ministry There was significant pressure on General Synod to adopt a model of full independence that would have seen both the management and scrutiny of safeguarding in the Church of England outsourced to separate companies There was considerable support for this approach from Professor Alexis Jay who conducted the national review into safeguarding The Archbishop of York and Rt Rev Joanne Grenfell A series of recent media reports around serious harm caused within the Church has left some people believing this can only be addressed by devolving responsibility to deal with safeguarding and becoming subject to direction and guidance from beyond Church structures.  Ultimately the Synod drew back from committing to an entirely independent model and decided to take two very significant steps towards an independent model.  Further work will be done to see whether there is merit in making Diocesan and Cathedral safeguarding teams fully independent.  Many people made the point that the Church of England has made massive progress on safeguarding in the last ten years and that whilst there is a distance to travel still the advances should not be underestimated and should not be undermined.  The significant structural and procedural changes that this decision will create has rather been lost in a media headline that suggests there has been no change.  This is not true.  We are unaware of any other institution that will have as much independent scrutiny and management of safeguarding as the Church of England.  It is also important to note that whilst there have been some victims’ groups that have condemned the decision many victims and survivors were concerned at the possible changes model 4 would have brought especially where it impacted local provision You should be aware that the decision taken at General Synod was not taken lightly and is in line with advice from many professionals working with the Church not least many DSO’s from around the country and the INEQE Safeguarding Group who conduct safeguarding audits for all Dioceses.  INEQE’s lead auditor Jim Gamble wrote that his organization has seen ‘compelling evidence’ of improvements and that the ‘systems in place are demonstrably better’ than they were in the past.  He added ‘The Church of yesterday is not the Church of today.’ it means that safeguarding provision will be unaffected by the changes in the short term at least.  In the Diocese of Norwich our professional team of Sue Brice Helen Norris and Brenna Wells will continue to support the parishes.  The Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel remains independently chaired and contains representatives from partner organisations  We are committed to transparency in process and to excellence in delivery.  At a parish level we are of course indebted to the dedicated group of Parish Safeguarding Officers supported by clergy and laity who voluntarily give of themselves to make Church life as safe as it can possibly be.  Because ultimately safeguarding is all our responsibility and if we are to regain credibility it will not in the end be delivered by changes in structure but transformation in our culture.  Church needs to be safe for all and it is to that goal we strive Thank you for all you do in making Church safe (Bishop with responsibility for safeguarding in the Diocese of Norwich) If you have safeguarding concerns contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team here: Safeguarding – Diocese of Norwich The full General Synod Debate can be viewed on You Tube: General Synod February 2025 | Tuesday 11 Morning – YouTube Synod approves safeguarding codes of practice | The Church of England You are using an outdated browser. 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