On This Week: Snettisham footpath inquiry, saving a Gayton pub and world cup excitement in 2014 as well as a picture of Downham Market’s best-dressed window in 1994
In our weekly Memory Lane feature, we take a look back at what was hitting the headlines this time 10 years ago as well as a picture of a shop’s best dressed window from 1994…
Pubs and bars across West Norfolk are gearing up for a World Cup bonanza as England kick off their campaign in Brazil. Venues are pulling out all the stops to cheer on Roy Hodgson’s team when they take on Italy in the opening group match. Many venues have installed huge TV screens to help customers watch the game in all its glory and roped in extra bar staff to cope with the number of people expected to go out for the night. The Government has agreed a licensing hours extension until 1am specially for the tournament. [ Sadly, England crashed out after losing 2-1 to Italy, 2-1 to Uruguay and drawing 0-0 with Costa Rica].
A new partnership has been launched which aims to help patients in West Norfolk if they are unhappy with the health services they receive. The NHS Complaints Advocacy Service is being funded by Norfolk County Council and overseen by a partnership of bodies including Equal Lives, Age UK Norfolk and Norfolk Rural Community Council. The initiative is designed to make it easier for patients to complain if they are unhappy with the treatment they receive from any sector of the NHS.
The work of Hain Daniels dessert factory in Fakenham is an example of what needs to be done to help the dairy industry grow, said environment secretary Owen Paterson during a visit to the Holt Road site. The £20 million plant was opened last year in a joint development with Sainsbury’s and employs around 350 people to produce chilled desserts for the supermarket chain. Mr Paterson believes such initiatives are vital to help close a huge trade gap between what is made in Britain and what is imported from abroad.
A one-stop shop advice centre, which brings housing, law and general support to vulnerable people in West Norfolk is being launched this week in Lynn. The Citizens’ Advice Bureau will be under one roof with King’s Lynn Asylum and Refugee Support (KLARS) which works with immigrants. The new hub is currently a two-year project funded through the Big Lottery Advice Service. A spokesperson for KLARS said: “Our vision is a hate-free country where newcomers are welcomed and their contribution is valued.”
Villagers in Gayton are petitioning to save their community pub after plans were submitted by Freebridge Community Housing to turn the Rampant Horse into four new homes. The residents have started a petition to show the support for their campaign when the plans go before the borough council planning committee and in just a week it has more than 120 signatures. Freebridge purchased the pub when it closed down in 2013, but the village hope to save it and reopen it as a community hub.
A planning inquiry has opened at Snettisham, with residents and caravan owners joining together to retain the right to walk along a coastal footpath. The inspector, Peter Millman, was told how the path at Snettisham beach had been walked for years by the public – and even royalty. Snettisham Parish Council is applying to have the route placed on the definitive footpath map, but Snettisham Beach Property Owners Association say it is private land and walkers have been challenged. Eric Linge, an 84-year-old resident, said he and his friends had walked the path for many years and recalled the excitement when Princess Margaret was seen walking in the area.
Children at Ingoldisthorpe Primary School have taken a trip into space without even leaving their classrooms. That’s because the pupils have been given the chance to look at samples of Moon rocks and meteorites, some of which are thought to be more than four billion years old. The samples were loaned to the school by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council, which runs a school science outreach programme. This was one of the many events arranged at Ingoldisthorpe during a busy week of activities.
Travelling from across the UK and further afield, more than 200 former students from Lynn’s King Edward VII School and the West Norfolk and King’s Lynn High School for Girls enjoyed a reunion at KES. The event was organised by the Old Lennensians’ Association and among those enjoying herself was Caroline Sherrard, from Perth in West Australia.
