Author Malcolm Hilson
In the 1980s’s Southrepps was fortunate to have numerous talented volunteers, willing to offer support for those in the village with perceived needs. Much of this help was provided on an individual basis, although an emergency car service offering free transport to hospitals, doctor’s appointments etc had been operating since the 70’s. Various other ad hoc goodwill activities were in operation.
To put some organised structure to this commendable community related activity, and with the backing of the Parochial Church Council of St James’ Church (the PCC), a small group of villagers put together a proposal to form a Southrepps Support Society in December 1991.
To this end a committee of volunteers was formed at an inaugural meeting on the 22nd January 1992in the Village Hall.
A Thanksgiving service was held in the Church the following week. The members of the first committee were Mrs Sue Arnold, Rev Ronald Stevens, Mrs Elizabeth Bailey, Mr Colin Thornhill, Mrs Gloria Davison. Mrs Rita Potter and Hazel Glaister were listed as the contact points for help.
The Chairman’s statement to the 1993 AGM indicates that in addition to the emergency car service, a village news-sheet Southrepps News, known affectionately as the ‘Yellow Peril'(It being printed on yellow paper), had already started.
In 1996 it became the Southrepps Mardler and in May 2016 became a colour magazine changing to its smaller format in 2022.
A feasibility study into starting a Church Luncheon Club was planned (Those of us who knew her could imagine this being driven by the formidable Mrs Glaister who generously provided a £5000 back up fund to the scheme).
Fund raising activities included craft fairs, bingo coffee mornings, quiz, film and horse racing nights, plant sales and a senior citizens Harvest Lunch. A real money spinner for some years was an annual Open Gardens Event when up to fifteen local gardens welcomed visitors.
The village was an early pioneer on this which generated some £800 at its best. Income and interest dropped off when other villages in the area cashed in. A series of annual tea parties were held at Chestnuts, Long Lane to replace the open gardens. With a seemingly never ending supply of raffle prizes provided by Millie Thornhill, and some excellent catering by willing volunteers, these proved very popular and raised significant funds.
The Luncheon Club got off to a very good start in November 1993 with over 30 attending. A grant of £750 from the Norfolk Rural Community Council helped towards buying necessary kitchen equipment, but also to acquiring medical aids for loan to those in need(wheelchairs, walking frames, crutches and walking sticks). A new cooker , hot cupboard and a commercial dishwasher were purchased for the village hall which were of course beneficial to the popular Lunch Club. There were for example, 60 people for the 1995 Christmas Lunch.
The medical equipment saw a steady use over the years. The updated two lightweight wheelchairs were in frequent use and often attracted a donation after loan. With the NHS not taking back the equipment they handed out, a range of products were offered by villagers, but lack of storage space meant large items like bath lifts had to be declined. At close serviceable items were donated to the Red Cross at Norwich.
The Lunch Club was a successful social occasion, much appreciated by the elderly, and it was economically viable. Attendance by the over 50’s was regularly between 30 and 40 each month, for a full roast dinner and a dessert followed by tea or coffee. A local butcher gave commercial prices for joints of either beef topside, shoulder of pork or gammon. Volunteers like the Sparrows provided free potatoes for many years. Others prepared desserts, which meant that at £4 ahead latterly, there was a small surplus to be added to funds. This together with income from an annual St George’s Day lunch, made it even possible to offer a free Christmas dinner to regulars. A small coterie of ladies pulled strings, these included over the years Sue Arnold, Heather Green, Barbara Spencer, Carol Needham, Marion Hilson, Carol Shaw and Louise Marriner. They were helped by some 20 ladies and a couple of Chaps(Des Chappel, Colin Needham and Malcolm Hilson), on a monthly roster. The kitchen, and the household cooking the meat, were inspected and cleared by the NNDC food safety team.
The Covid outbreak in 2019 closed the lunches for 2 years. It proved impossible to get anyone to restart them. The previous regime had put in 15 years and did not wish to continue.
Since the Lunch Club had become the main source of income for the Support Scheme, funds idled although at a healthy level. Over the next two years support funds were provided to the Village Fayre, the village celebration of HM The Queens Golden Jubilee and the purchase of a new mobile generator for Santa’s sleigh! In 2025 Trustees decided that as the Support Scheme had run its course it was time to close the charity. They donated £7000 to help replace the decking at the Village Hall and the balance of £800 to the Parish Council to meet the cost of three years issues of The Mardler which will continue under the PC umbrella. The Charity Commission concurred, confirmed the closure and deleted the SSS from their system in November 2025.