Wissett Pond
Day
On
the 13th of September a gazebo appeared on the grass by
Wissett Way Pond. The surrounding area had previously been
leafleted, so residents would not be surprised. Over the three
hours quite a few people stopped and chatted with John Ellerby
about the pond, what it had been like, and what could be done. Then
they chatted with each other. Many of them signed up as being very
interested in doing something.
There was a ceremonial unveiling
of the notice board, which was almost captured on camera.
There were residents, a councillor, a local historian, and local
Police Community Support 
Officers (CPSOs). The
photograph doesn’t show everyone who took an interest that day
– they were there when the unveiling took place. Or the
unveiling took place because they were there. Like the source
of the water for the pond, it’s a bit of a mystery.
Dredging
There was much discussion about when the actual dredging would take
place. That depends, but SCC are waiting for quotes. What is
intended to happen is this: some of the scrub and saplings will be
cleared, to make access easier. Then the water is sucked out and
pumped into the foul water system. Anglian Water have put a limit
on the number of litres per
second that can be
removed, so this will determine the speed of emptying.
Gradually, the awesome evidence of some years of fly-tipping
will be revealed, and maybe some more illuminating material as
well – there are rumours of a lamppost once being removed from
the depths. Ian Robb (Lowestoft Together Board member
and local historian) is pretty sure the pond is an old
claypit, originally dug out for a nearby brick kiln or even
Lowestoft Porcelain Company. I imagine there’s the possibility
of old artefacts being in the silt. Maybe a metal detector
could be used? Is this the sort of place an archaeology group
would investigate?
Spring
Once the water is removed, we’ll be able to see where the spring –
if that is the source – is located. A sump will be placed there to
extract incoming water. Then what is now a hole in the ground will
be left to dry out as much as possible. This makes removal much
easier and manageable. At the moment, no-one knows how deep the
pond is, or how much silt there is. If it’s a clay pit, as is
thought, the clay will be acting as a lining, which may be a few
inches or a few feet below the top of the mud. How much is removed
will have to be decided at the time.
Fishy
Terrapin
What about the fish? Some small fry (as in small or young fish –
not small children) have been spotted, and of course there’s
probably a terrapin. However, the water quality is low, as is the
amount of plant life. If fish are to be in the pond, it
would be better to let the pond rejuvenate so there’s healthy
growth, and then add some suitable small and moderate feeding fish.
Should the terrapin be found (it’s probably a ‘red eared terrapin’
though there are other types that seem to survive) we will have to
find him or her another home. They are reputed to be voracious
eaters. There is at least one ‘terrapin rescue’
organisation.
Once the pond bed has dried out
and the treasure trove counted, the actual dredging will take
place. It’s hoped the silt will be immediately carted away. During
the drying and dredging process there’s likely to be a bit of a
pong, but it shouldn’t last long. Suffolk Wildlife Trust have also
suggested that a shallow part be created from one of the more
inaccessible banks. This will help eventually produce a wider range
of plant life.
Sweet
flowers
Then, over the next months, some other shrubs and plants can be put
in round the edges, wild flower seeds scattered about, perhaps in
particular areas. Perhaps an area could be set aside for growing
meadow flowers and plants. The pond will gradually fill up, and
stuff will grow. Of course, mallards like young succulent plants,
so it may be hard to nurture the plants’ growth.
That’s the plan...If you have any
comments email
me
JE September 2008
Gunton Community Hall
Plaque! Reg Brine (far left), Anne Hubbard and Ian
Robb (on the right) 
receive a unique plaque
from Margaret Oldham and Sue Henderson (2nd
and 3rd from left) to mark Lowestoft Together's
award of more than 33 thousand pounds to Gunton Estate
Community Hall. The award helped re-furbish the kitchen,
toilets, office space, and built a new storage area.
The plaque is unique, because of the design and process with which
is made - using a kiln to melt re-cycled glass. Jon Andersson,
internationally known artist and local resident, was the creator.
Jon is second row on the
right.
Lowestoft Together has presented Jon's plaques to several
local organisations. The plaques echo the uniqueness of
Lowestoft Together's way of working within and for the community.
Fen Park Friends will be receiving a different version of the
commemorative sign on Sunday 24th August at their Family Fun
Day.
The Hall has an interesting history, which Ian Robb, well known
local historian, has summarised.
More
For a full list of events please go to the
C
alendar
page, which includes community
events, open meetings, and some national events. Many contact
details are included. For links to other useful websites please go
to our
Links page!
The Normanston Park Give
or Take day
report
click here
.
Love Your
Neighbourhood week in
Normanston
(On the corner of Hollingsworth Road & Montgomery
Avenue, Lowestoft)
The
Gunton Estate Residents Meeting Hall – known today as the Gunton
Estate Community Hall and still called by many as the Tenants Hall
– was built by Lowestoft Borough Corporation and opened in the
early months of 1956. It remains the estate’s only secular
community facility.
The
Gunton Estate itself was originally laid out in 1945, in the months
immediately following the Second World War. It was constructed as
part of Lowestoft’s rebuilding programme after extensive enemy
attacks on the town from 1940 to 1944. Like other council built
estates of the time, it was never built as a “working class” estate
but seen as the start of a new era. Its houses were built to a high
standard, and although the prefabs and “Orlit” houses have now long
gone, the brick houses themselves remain as a now-lost beacon to
the idea of a brand new, healthier world.
The
Gunton Estate Residents Meeting Hall was part of that ideal. The
first of its type in East Anglia, the years following the Hall’s
opening saw beetle-drives, dances, a “Darby and Joan” club
(equivalent to today’s Autumn Leisure Club), and before the era of
television, Tuesday and Wednesday Gunton Estate Cinema Clubs for
the community’s children. Teenage dances took place at weekends,
which in the days of the Corporation buses, even attracted
youngsters from across the bridge.
New houses replaced the prefabs in the 1960’s and
the Hall also expanded to meet the growing population.
However, communities were changing; the motor car and
television changed people’s habits so much so that many tended
to stay at home. Although some clubs survived, others became
defunct through falling numbers. By 1999 only the short-mat
bowls club, the Old-Age Pensioners’ club and the twice-weekly
Bingo and Social Club survived.
The
dramatic decline of the town’s major employers between 1987 and
1995 affected every family on the estate. The Hall continued in
use, but there was little community involvement compared
with its earlier days. The building
also began to have a neglected feel about it.
Improvements began following the involvement of Gunton
Estate Tenant & Residents Association members, Ann Hubbard and
Ian Robb, on the Hall’s management committee. Not only did they
push to repair the building but vowed to return it to the wider
community of the estate.
It
has taken nearly ten years to reach this objective. Spearheaded by
Ann Hubbard, who is now the Hall’s caretaker and voluntary
coordinator, she remains committed to the continuation of the Hall
as a community asset. Today, as the Gunton Estate Community Hall,
it is a well used and vital part of the locality for which is was
originally built.
It has also benefited from ‘Lowestoft Together’ funding. Now much
improved, the Hall has gas central heating; a new ‘Lowestoft
Together’ funded kitchen and storage cupboards, and is in constant
use six days of the week. In keeping with the community camaraderie
created by the ‘Lowestoft Together’ project the Yard was also
involved in the building of the Hall’s new
shed.
Ian Robb
2008