There are Adult Learning Courses available in Breckland covering November, December 2025 and January 2026 – to see the list click HERE
For any questions or support, here are some helpful contacts:
Adult Learning Admissions Team: 0344 800 8020 (option 5)
Business Development & Marketing Team: al.businessdevelopment@norfolk.gov.uk
Our courses help learners build confidence, improve their well-being, and increase their chances of finding meaningful employment. These positive changes ripple outward—benefiting families, strengthening communities, and contributing to a thriving local economy.
Click HERE for the latest course listing for your selected district, covering October, November, and December. Please share this with your colleagues and ensure it’s accessible to all service users.
Referring someone to Adult Learning is quick and easy—just click the link below, complete a short form, and we’ll take it from there:
👉 Partner referral to Adult Learning
For any questions or support, here are some helpful contacts:
Adult Learning Admissions Team: 0344 800 8020 (option 5)
Business Development & Marketing Team: al.businessdevelopment@norfolk.gov.uk
Flexibus Swaffham Information Leaflet
As you may recall, in 2022 Norfolk County Council introduced a new local bus service, The Swaffham Flexibus, after we were successful with a 4-year funding bid to Central Government’s Rural Mobility Fund.
The service has been operating for 3 years and will be entering the last year of its initial funding in 25-26. To recap, the service was designed to provide better rural links between villages around Swaffham, allowing residents better access to Swaffham and other onward services to Norwich and King’s Lynn. It operates as a demand responsive service from Barton Bendish, Beachamwell, Bodney, Brockville, Cockley Cley, Cranwich, Didlington, Drymere, Eastmoor, Foulden, Gooderstone, The Cressinghams, Hilborough, Ickburgh, Methwold, Mundford, The Pickenhams, Northwold and Oxborough. (Please see attached leaflet for a fuller explanation of the service).
A key part of the bid was the introduction of a booking app (provided by Via Technologies) allowing passengers to book and pay for their journey in advance on smart phones and other relevant platforms. Though we have learned much about the new technology, this app has not created the efficiencies and passenger numbers on a level we would have liked. We have also seen only about 25% of ticket payments made on this app, with the majority choosing to use pay-on-bus, even though they have booked on the app. There have also been some issues with older residents understanding and trusting the app and its payment functions.
Passenger numbers using it for purely local bus journeys (outside of school times) are about 7000 per annum, which is good for such a rural area and certain villages now have regular users where once there was no service and we are happy with how this is progressing. However, this service is very expensive to deliver in the current way and so we have been looking for ways to make some efficiencies in its delivery so that the service can continue, whilst also looking to see how the customer experience can be improved.
Having the separate app was a good trial and we have learned much about booking app technology and its limitations and advantages to the service. However, it is expensive to have especially considering that only a quarter of users use it to pre-pay for their travel. Therefore, from April 2025 the current booking app will be replaced with an alternative booking system provided by the contractor which also provide the service, Vectare. This app allows booking in advance on mobile phones and means that as the booking is going direct to the service provider, they will be able to route vehicles better to meet passenger requests rather than relying on automated journey planning which can sometimes miss opportunities for people. The app will not allow payments to be made and all payments will be required on bus, although the bus will continue to take both card and cash payments.
In the next week or so we will be putting out further information to users confirming the new system and advising what they need to do and asking whether they wish to transfer their details to the new booking system, and so I am letting you know in advance of this.
There should be no effect on what the service provides – passengers will still be able to make the same journeys and hopefully the availability to residents will increase as a result of this change.
Should you have any queries, please feel free to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Sean Asplin, Passenger Transport Manager
Travel & Transport Services, Highways, Transport and Waste
Tel: 01603 224361
County Hall
Gooderstone Parish Council is looking to improve its play equipment by installing a 2 in 1 Monkey Challenge Climbing Wall / Target Trainer in the play area. See www.finding-fitness.co.uk for information. If you think these will benefit you, your friends or your family, please like the Facebook post this has been shared to, or email gooderstonepc@gmail.com with your support. We need to show demand in order to gain funding for it, so please share with friends too and get in touch!
