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RECREATION GROUND The Recreation Ground at Haspalls Road
is maintained by the Town Council and provides play equipment for
children of all ages including a skateboard park.
There is also an enclosed toddler play area. The Town Council is
working on a number of projects in improve the play facilities,
toilets, garden area etc. For more information contact the Town
Hall on 01760 722922
There is also a play area at Orford Road on the other side of the
town. This includes an enclosed play area and a large grassed area
to the rear.
SPORT Bowls and cricket are played on Myers’
Playing field and the town’s football club, the “Pedlars”,
has its pitch next to this. Rugby Union is played on two pitches
at North Pickenham Road and the local club has a clubhouse and several
teams of players of all ages. There is an 18-hole golf course at
Cley Road and a large angling club with waters at nearby Pentney.
Close to Hamond’s school is the Leisure Centre, which offers
a wide variety of activities (tel. 01760 723974). There is also
an active Swimming Pool Association, which is raising funds for
the building of a new pool for the town.
A list of sports clubs and other organisations in the town is available
free of charge from the Town Hall.
SOCIAL LIFE There is a wide variety of clubs, societies
and organisations in Swaffham, which cater for all ages. A full
list can be obtained from the Town Hall (tel. 01760 722922) or on
the town’s website (www.swaffhamtowncouncil.co.uk)
The town’s historic Assembly Rooms provide a venue for many
activities open to the general public throughout the year.
In the centre of Swaffham Market Place are the historic Assembly
Rooms. It was erected in the late 18th century and carefully restored
in the 21st. The Swaffham Assembly Rooms are the perfect location
for your social functions, conferences and exhibitions. As you would
expect in the 21st century, Swaffham Assembly Rooms is fully DDA
compliant and welcoming to all people, regardless of physical ability
Facilities include a modern catering kitchen, bar area, wireless
internet throughout the building plus the latest in audio visual
equipment. For information on how to book this facility contact:
- Swaffham Community Centre - 01760 722800 or Fax: 01760 336539
There is also the Community Centre on the Campinglands which was
built in 2005 as part of the Iceni Partnership's Regeneration Project,
Swaffham Community Centre stands on the site of the old centre which
was erected in the 1960's. A strikingly modern building which was
given an award by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England
(CPRE) the centre was sympathetically designed to fit in with the
surrounding open spaces of the Campingland and Antinghams. The new
centre is much larger than the previous building and offers modern,
comfortable facilities to the groups who use it. It continues to
provide a base to a number of community organisations, including
Homestart, Swaffham and District Transport Project, West Norfolk
Mind, Adult Education and the Iceni Partnership. Other services
are provided on a part time basis such as a Volunteer Bureau service
and Disability Rights advice. Childcare facilities and a Community
Café are other amenities available at the Community Centre
A wide range of activities take place in the large Hall and the
smaller Seminar/Training Room - from lectures to leisure activities,
healthcare to handicrafts. Many of these activities are provided
by local clubs and societies. Both of these rooms are available
to hire at a very reasonable cost. For information on how to book
this facility contact: - Swaffham Community Centre - 01760 722800
or Fax: 01760 336539
 TWINNING
Swaffham has been twinned with Couhé since August
1967 and, after Couhé and Hemmoor twinned in October 1967,
a three way partnership was formed when Swaffham twinned with Hemmoor
in 1968. Couhé is situated ~30km south of Poitiers in the
Poitou Charentes region of France (website address: http://www.couhe-verac.cg86.fr/).
Hemmoor is situated ~60km north west of Hamburg in the Niedersachsen
region of Germany (website address: http://www.hemmoor.de/).
Since 1968 civic ceremonies have been held every two years in one
of the three towns. The mayors and town clerks of each of the towns
attend these biennial civic visits. Representatives of town organisations,
including the Twinning Associations, are also able to attend and
if numbers allow (there is usually a maximum party size of 30) citizens
from each town and its surrounding villages are also welcome. In
the years between the civic visits many groups and organisations
from all three towns have visited their twinning partners. Normally
visitors stay with host families in their homes. Such hospitality
and generosity has often led to lasting friendships, holidays together
and involvement in family celebrations.
Civic celebrations take place over a weekend and are marked by a
formal ceremony on the Saturday afternoon. In the evening there
is a dinner hosted by the town, followed by dancing and socialising,
often continuing into the early hours. Trips to local places of
interest are arranged and the host families also take their guests
out and about during spare time over that weekend. When the civic
exchange is in Swaffham, as well as the events hosted by the Town
Council, the Twinning Association usually organises trips for visitors
and hosts as well as a dinner and entertainment on the Sunday evening;
visitors and hosts are invited free of charge.
In order to help with the cost of entertaining visitors when they
come to Swaffham, whether it be on a civic visit or an in-between
informal visit, Swaffham Twinning Association runs several fund
raising social events during the year.
If you would like to join Swaffham Twinning Association, attend
any of the events or want to find out more about it then please
contact Stan Sole, Chairman, on 01760 724413, Barbara Clarke, Secretary,
on 01760 720140 or Membership Secretary Nigel Rieger-Ridd via e-mail
at nigelriegerridd@aol.com
Swaffham Museum
Swaffham Museum is situated in the centre of the town in a Grade
II listed building that is owned by Swaffham Town Council. This
glorious building was built around 1775/1790 on the site of the
Great Fire of Swaffham which took place in 1775. The Museum focuses
on the social history of the town and surrounding villages. The
collections cover the many aspects of life including trade, industries,
domestic life, from prehistoric times to the present.
The museum boasts its own education service, to help teachers and
students make the very best use of the museum. Through the use of
experienced teaching staff, it is hoped to deliver a varied and
exciting teaching programme which will assist teachers by meeting
the requirements of the National Curriculum. At present the education
department are developing various museum based teaching sessions
aimed at pupils aged between 4-18.
There is a large collection of photographs, negatives, transparencies
and documents relating to the town & surrounding area. These
are available for viewing via appointment. All photographs can be
reproduced (within the boundaries of copyright) at a reasonable
cost.
Opening times of the museum are: -
Tuesday – Saturday, 10am-4pm, April – October.
The museum office is open for enquiries Monday – Thursday,
9am-4pm.
The museum is also open for schools and other groups on Mondays
by appointment only.
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Introduction to Swaffham
