Fenland Oddfellows

01/11/2026

1st November 2026 - Sheringham's new lifeboat is pictured outside Oddfellows Hall on this its official naming day as 'Oddfellows - Making Friends, Helping People'.

The £300,000 vessel has been sponsored by the entire Independent Order of the Oddfellows - after a massive, years-long fundraising campaign led by David Randall, secretary of The Oddfellows East Anglian Group Conference and a Past Grand Master of the Order.

It's the fourth lifeboat in a row bought for Sheringham Lifeboat Station by The Oddfellows, in a tradition going back to 1961. In fact, the lives of the crewmen and local Oddfellows have been intertwined for much longer.

The honours of the afternoon went to Debbie Jex, our present Grand Master, who spoke about the big day and our long connections to Sheringham Lifeboat Station, and to East Anglian Group Conference president Jackie Nunn, who christened the boat by splashing a bottle of bubbly over its bow.

And ITV local news got in early with some lovely coverage of the event here (item starts at 1:56):
https://www.itv.com/watch/news/catch-up-on-itv-news-anglia-east-from-sunday-1st-november/jydxlwm

The new lifeboat will take up its permanent station in Sheringham as soon as the the boathouse there is reopened following a major refurbishment. This is expected to take place early next year.

In the meantime, the vessel will move across to Mablethorpe lifeboat station in Lincolnshire, while their lifeboat undergoes a refit.

01/11/2026

Three Fenland branch members - Neil, Irene and Tony - were delighted today to join Capital of the Fens Oddfellows, at their annual chairman's lunch.
A total of 32 people enjoyed the meal at the Crown Lodge Hotel in Outwell, not far from Wisbech, which celebrates Stanley Spinks' year as Provincial Grand Master ( = branch chairman).
Special guest was Toni Bird, community partnerships officer at the Alan Hudson Centre which is Stanley's charity of the year. So far his charity appeal has topped £1,500.
The centre - which delivers services and end-of-life care to many hundreds of people with life-limiting conditions in North Cambridgeshire - works out of the North Cambs Hospital in Wisbech.
Gemma, the branch's social organiser, will be back at the Crown Lodge on Wednesday (4th) for one of their regular coffee mornings. So will we!
Click on the images to see more of the photos.

31/10/2026

SOME MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE LIFEBOAT NAMING AT SHERINGHAM TOMORROW (1st November):

The crew of a Norfolk lifeboat station will be celebrating the naming of their new vessel this weekend.
On Sunday (1st November), Sheringham's latest lifeboat will be named through a ceremony at Lifeboat Plain from 1.30pm.
It will be named 'B-953 Oddfellows – Making Friends, Helping People'.
Sheringham RNLI has a long connection with The Oddfellows friendly society, which has funded four lifeboats for the town.
The society has also paid for equipment, supported refits and helped protect the area's lifeboat heritage.
The latest lifeboat has already been used for lifesaving work. During the summer, it served at Burnham-on-Crouch RNLI as a relief boat while that station's lifeboat was being refitted.
Sheringham's RNLI station was closed last year after a survey found damage and erosion risks affecting the cliffs behind it.
A planned reopening by the end of summer was delayed when further structural issues were discovered.
The station is being repaired and refurbished in preparation for the boat's arrival, which is expected to return when work on the boathouse is completed in 2027.
In the meantime, the new lifeboat will work as a relief at Mablethorpe RNLI, further up the coast, while their lifeboat undergoes a refit.
David Randall, a Past Grand Master of The Oddfellows, secretary of
The Oddfellows East Anglian Group Conference, who's masterminded all our fundraising for the lifeboat, said: “We are pleased to have been associated with Sheringham RNLI, having built valued connections for more than 140 years."
Peter Sampson, chair of Sheringham Lifeboat Management Group, said: “We are really looking forward to Sunday and hope that people will come along to watch the ceremony.”

28/10/2026

Thursday sees our weekly coffee morning at Fork n Knife, Station Road. March
We look forward to seeing you from 10am for some chat and coffees (or tea) 😃

27/10/2026

A WINNING COMBINATION: THE ODDFELLOWS AND THE RNLI
Here's a four-minute film about how our lives at Sheringham became intertwined.

26/10/2026

Plans for the new Fenland Reservoir close to Wimblington, Doddington and Chatteris have taken another step forward as proposals are progressed for large-scale earthworks trials on farmland near Chatteris | Cambs Times | 26 October 2026:

https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/26670238.fens-reservoir-takes-next-step-earthworks-trial-plans/

Plans for a new reservoir in the Fens have taken another step forward as proposals are progressed for large-scale earthworks trials on farmland near Chatteris.

22/10/2026

We are here! Let the coffee and chat begin 😃
Fork n Knife Station Road, March

22/10/2026

Off to March in Cambridgeshire soon to co-host the Fenland Oddfellows weekly coffee morning at the Fork n Knife café on Station Road.
Pop in to see us any time between 10 and 11.30am today (22nd). First drink's always on us! We're always smiley! (but I can't find the emoji button right now)

20/10/2026

Our next social get together is in Spalding at the Baytree Garden Centre on Wednesday 11th November at 1230. Join us for a light lunch, tea and cake or just a chat.
Contact Karen on 07871 567076 or [email protected]
We look forward to seeing you 😃

12/10/2026

Latest news from Cambridgeshire County Council about the Wimblington Road closure (main route in and out of Manea) - starting 9th November | Cambs Times | 12 October 2026:

Residents concerned about the condition of local roads earmarked for diversion routes during a major road closure in Manea have been given fresh details from Cambridgeshire County Council about planned repairs and the timetable for the works.