Author Archive

This summer, one of Europes largest festivals, Festival Too, will be celebrating its 28th year of bringing free entertainment to King’s Lynn.

Regular crowds of over 10,000 have seen acts such as Lemar, Atomic Kitten, Toyah Willcox, Deacon Blue, The Stranglers, Bad Manners, The Human League, 10cc, Heather Small of M People thrill the audience.

Who will be playing Festival Too this year?

The Programme is set to be announced on Friday. There will be FREE Music, Fireworks and Street Entertainment.

Full details will appear here soon … so watch this space!

The next exhibition at Greyfriars Art Space, ‘Fifty Shades of Greyfriars’ by Victoria Hussain, opens on Tuesday 28 May.

The exhibition shows mainly bronze figurative sculpture, together with drawings and other interesting objects, which reflect the artist’s life – her children, her home, teaching jobs and housework etc.

Visitors will be able to chat to Vicky and view her work, whilst enjoying a glass of wine or two, on Saturday 25 May from 6-8pm

The exhibition continues from Tuesday 28 May until Saturday 8 June at Greyfriars Art Space, 43 St James Street, King’s Lynn.

Opening times: 10am – 4pm (closed Sundays)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vicky The Volunteering Bear will be in The Town Centre on Wednesday 5th June, talking to local volunteers and thanking them for the wonderful contribution they make to the local community.

West Norfolk Voluntary & Community Action in partnership with the Time Credits Programme, will be giving away vouchers to volunteers that will enable them to get a free hot drink and piece of cake as well as a ‘Thank You’ certificate from The Community Coffee Bar at the Borough Council on Wednesday 5th June 10am – 2pm.

It’s all part of this year’s Volunteers’ Week an annual campaign which takes place on 1-7 June focusing on saying ‘Thank You’ to the millions of volunteers who regularly contribute to society.

Every year, over 20 million people across England and the UK volunteer, donating more than 100 million hours to their communities every week. It has been estimated that the economic value of this activity is worth in excess of £40 billion to our economy. Services and initiatives that are vital to the running of our country simply wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for volunteers.

For further information please contact marie@westnorfolkvca.org or telephone Marie on 01553 760568

It’s a day of animal treats and country crafts at Bircham Windmill this Bank Holiday Monday, May 27th. A day The sheep at Bircham Windmill are looking forward to getting their winter coats off and getting to be centre of attention for the great annual sheep race.

There is much excitement in the paddock this year as two of the fences are being sponsored. One is a proper horse hurdle lent by Fakenham Racecourse who need it back in one piece ready for their Lady’s Day on June 2nd, the other is a straw bale fence from GJL animal feeds which the sheep love as they can jump on and off.

Elly Chalmers who runs the windmill with her husband Stevie particularly loves the sheep events ‘I used to be a full time shepherdess before we took over the mill from my parents’ said Elly ‘It takes a couple of weeks to train the sheep to jump, but they absolutely love it’ Elly’s favourite sheep ‘Squiffy’ is one of the runners that visitors to the Country Day can bet on. ‘We’ve got some super badges and ginger bread sheep for anyone who backs the winner’ said Elly.

There will be children’s show jumping (no ponies – just children!), horse dressage and meet the horse, a dog show starting at 1pm, a wild flower competition and lots of country crafts including pole lathe woodturning, bee keeping, pottery, lace making and more as well as plant and jam stalls. There will be pony rides, a tractor for the children to climb on and landrovers and trailers. The sheep milking will be on at 2pm.

The windmill museum, cycle hire, bakery and tearooms will be open as usual, with extra refreshments served in the marquee.

Entrance to the Country Day is £3.50 for Adults, £2 for season ticket holders and free for children, there are small fees to enter the dog show, bet on the sheep racing and pony rides.

A brand new, self-guided walking tour focusing on King’s Lynn’s maritime heritage will be launched on International Hanse Day, Saturday 25 May.

The Maritime Trail guides people through King’s Lynn’s exceptional historic built environment. By incorporating the stories of the merchants, shipbuilders, sailors, fishermen, press gangs, porters and pubs, which have played key roles in the town’s history, the trail helps to bring the past to life.

The way-marked trail, which starts at True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum and ends at Marriott’s Warehouse, features 27 bronze pavement plaques. There are four different designs to look out for, representing the four wards through which the trail passes.

The tour in brief:

North End Ward - portrayed by a ship’s anchor – tours the historic home of King’s Lynn’s fishing community at True’s Yard, as well as taking in St Nicholas’ Chapel, Common Staithe Quay, and the impressive Tuesday Market Place.

Trinity Ward – represented by a Kogge or merchant’s ship – covers King’s Staithe Square, the Bank House and the impressive merchant’s mansion and tower – Clifton House. The area was a key place for merchants to conduct their business in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Chequer Ward – depicted by a compass – takes in the iconic Custom House and the magnificent buildings on King Street, behind which was a world of warehouses, breweries and merchants’ yards.

Stonegate Ward – signified by the image of a whale – takes in locations such as Nelson Street, Greenland Fishery, Hanse House and Marriott’s Warehouse, and reflects the oldest part of the town, from which King’s Lynn developed to become one of England’s major ports .

To celebrate the opening of the trail a procession led by Cllr Nick Daubney, Leader of the Borough Council, Deputy Borough Mayor, Cllr Barry Ayres and Dr Paul Richards, will follow much of the trail on Saturday 25 May at 11 am.

Cllr Nick Daubney, one of the driving forces behind the development of this trail, said: “We are proud of Lynn’s maritime heritage and this new trail will help visitors to, and residents of, the town to find out more about the way the town grew from its position as a premier sea port. They will be able to see some of the town’s magnificent buildings and understand where they fit in Lynn’s fascinating history. We are extremely grateful to Dr Paul Richards for his invaluable assistance in helping to create this trail.”

It is hoped that the trail will encourage even more visitors to explore the town, as well as being enjoyed by local people, and will help raise awareness of King’s Lynn’s historic role as an important port and centre for trade.

Maritime Trail guide booklets will be available from King’s Lynn Tourist Information Centre, True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum and Marriott’s Warehouse at a cost of just 50 pence. The trail takes a minimum of around 1 ½ hours to complete, but can be considerably longer depending on the amount of time taken to explore the various locations along the trail.

King’s Lynn will be celebrating International Hanse Day on Saturday 25 May with a packed programme of events and activities to showcase the Hanseatic links.

Events will include:

• Maritime Trail Procession
• A Guided Walk
• Specialised Food Market
• Free Hanseatic Nibbles
• Beer Festival
• A Medieval Banquet
• A Concert for String Orchestras
• Music by the King’s Lynn Waites

There are 182 cities in 16 countries which make up the modern Hanse. Each year, all member cities are encouraged to celebrate their Hhanseatic heritage and their involvement in the modern Hanse network.

By the 13th century King’s Lynn was one of England’s foremost ports. The commercial opportunities and rewards offered by the town attracted merchants from the Baltic, Hamburg and Lubeck. Trading privileges with the Hanse were confirmed by 1310. Hanseatic ships travelled together in convoys across The Wash for safety, especially against pirates.

This year’s Hanse Day celebration centres on Hanseatic food and culture. The day will begin with a Hanseatic Guided Walk which starts from the Custom House at 11am.

To celebrate the opening of the new Maritime Trail a procession led by Cllr Nick Daubney, Leader of the Borough Council, will follow much of the trail around the town.

At Marriott’s Warehouse and Hanse House, food and East European treats will be available between 12.00 noon and 4pm. This will be accompanied by performances of Medieval, Tudor and Renaissance music by the King’s Lynn Waites.

The Bank House will be running a beer festival from 12 noon until 4.00pm, serving bottled beers from Hanse Countries, including beers from the Netherlands, Germany, Latvia and Russia as well as Russian vodka and German Schnapps, all accompanied by free Hanseatic nibbles.

The Market Bistro is organising a small market with their suppliers and will be providing samples of the restaurant’s in-house cured and smoked produce, which will take place on Saturday Market Place between 12 noon and 4pm.

A concert with music for string orchestras and solos by J.S. Bach, Greig, Telemann, Holst and Vaughan Williams will take place at All Saints Church, starting at 5pm.

Denver Mills, based within the Hanse House, is organising a medieval banquet in the Merchant’s Bar at 7pm. The event is ticket only. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

The Hanse flag will be flown from King’s Court, the Custom House, Clifton House and King’s Lynn Town Hall. Sail flags, bearing the Hanse logo will also be displayed at key event locations including the Bank House, Marriott’s Warehouse and the Saturday Market Place.

Borough Council Leader Cllr Nick Daubney, who is the English Commissioner for the League, said: “It is important that we celebrate our Hanseatic links and recognise the important role the former league played within the town. International Hanse Day is a real opportunity to draw attention to King’s Lynn’s rich history and heritage.”

To find out more about International Hanse Day in King’s Lynn, visit the King’s Lynn Tourist Information Centre in the Custom House or call 01553 763044.

The team at KL.FM were in jubilant mood this week, after winning the Sony Award for best small radio station for the second year running.

Managing Director Darren Taylor told us “We were absolutely thrilled to win the Sony Radio Station of the Year Award for our category. We’ve really changed the way we engage with our listeners over the last two years, and clearly the Sony judges realised that we are doing something a bit special here.

“This award is not just for everyone that works here but is genuinely for the whole of King’s Lynn and I’d like to think the whole of King’s Lynn would share that success with us.”

The full interview with Darren Taylor was broadcast on the 1800Online show.

To listen to the Interview CLICK HERE

1800Online is presented twice weekly by Alan T Shearer and is sponsored by King’s Lynn Online. You can listen to previous shows at PodcastMachine

A local alternative rock band from King’s Lynn has been featured on BBC Radio 1.

Deaf Havana’s 1st single Boston Square was released this week and featured on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show as the ‘hottest new track’.

The band was formed in 2005 at the King’s Lynn campus of The College of West Anglia. Since then they have written 3 albums, the 3rd of which will be released later this year. The band also announced a nationwide tour and that they have also been signed in America.

deafhavanaofficial.com

A special series of Shwopping events has been planned for 20 -23 May. During the events people will be able to donate old clothing and textiles for recycling by M&S and Oxfam.

People who donate will be rewarded with a special M&S voucher (which gives a £5 discount when the bearer spends £35 or more on clothes, home or beauty products at M&S), along with a choice of either a 7-day free pass for Bodyworks to be used at any centre between 1 and 30 June, a free junior swim voucher to be used between 1 and 30 June or a voucher which can be redeemed against a roll of caddy liners at council reception points between 1 and 31 July.

On 26 April 2012 Joanna Lumley launched the M&S and Oxfam Shwopping project, which aimed to create a ‘buy one, give one’ culture on the high street, encouraging people to donate any old clothing or textiles to Oxfam by dropping them in the Shwop box when they purchased an item of clothing in M&S.

Oxfam would then either sell the items in their shops, send them overseas to be reused as clothing in places like Africa and Eastern Europe, or they would be recycled and money received would be used to fund further Oxfam projects. The quality of the items donated doesn’t matter, as even worn out clothes can be recycled and their fibres used.

According to M&S research, nationally 1 billion items of clothing are being sent to landfill every year, wasting a valuable resource and doing nothing to help the environment – a situation that is clearly not sustainable.

The Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, which has recently introduced a food waste collection service, is actively working to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Teaming up with M&S and Oxfam on this initiative was a perfect fit.

Hayley Kurt, Marketing and Development Manager, said: “Many people already donate their old clothes to charity or recycle them using textile banks. This initiative is to raise awareness amongst others about the benefits of digging out those unloved items from the back of the wardrobe and donating them to charities such as Oxfam. The old clothes have a value – either in being re-used by other people as clothing or by being recycled. By diverting old clothes and textiles from landfill, we are also helping to keep council tax down and helping to protect the environment.”

Paul Rich, Marks and Spencer Store Manager said: “M & S is delighted to be working with the council and the local community on this initiative. We introduced ‘shwopping’ in all our stores a year ago and it has gone from strength to strength. This is a chance for more people to become involved in the shwopping revolution. It’s exciting to see both M & S and the council leading the way on recycling to achieve our environment goals.”

The borough council Shwopping events take place as follows:

Simply bring along any old items of clothing to the drop off point in the reception areas at the venues to receive the vouchers. Only one set of vouchers per person (not per item of clothing). Leisure vouchers must be redeemed between 1 and 30 June.

Cllr Brian Long, Borough Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Diverting waste from landfill is one of our key priorities. The food waste service we introduced in April of this year has already seen several hundred tonnes of food being turned into compost rather than being sent to landfill. If we can encourage people to also donate their old clothes so that they can be reused or recycled, then together we are going to really make a difference. We hope the incentives that we are providing with M&S, will prompt people to participate and to start thinking in a different way about their unwanted outfits.”

For further information about recycling initiatives at the borough council contact Hayley Kurt on 616200.

For more information about Shwopping, visit http://www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/donate-goods/mands-and-oxfam-shwopping

*The free junior swim voucher for Oasis, St James and Downham Market Leisure Centre will entitle the holder to a free junior swim. Juniors under the age of eight must be accompanied by a paying adult. Free Junior swim is valid for children aged 5-15.

*The 7-day free pass for Bodyworks can be used at Lynnsport, Downham Market Leisure Centre, St James Swimming and Fitness Centre and the Oasis.

Looking to try sailing or windsurfing? Want to get back out on the water? Fancy trying something new with the family?

The Royal Yachting Association Push the Boat Out on the 18-19 May 2013 is a fantastic opportunity to experience sailing and windsurfing.

RYA clubs and centres across the country are offering a range of ‘have a go’ and taster sessions on Push the Boat Out Weekend so getting involved could not be easier!

Clubs participating in Norfolk are:

Brancaster Staithe Sailing Club bssc.net
Hickling Broad Sailing Club hicklingbroad.com
Norfolk Broads Yacht Club nbyc.co.uk
Snettisham Beach Sailing Club snetbeach.co.uk

Blood donors will be recognised all over the world this month as internationally acknowledged World Blood Donor Day is set to take place on Friday 14th June.

Falling during National Blood Week (10th to 16th June 2013), World Blood Donor Day recognises the birthday of Dr Karl Landsteiner who discovered the ABO blood group in 1901.

Blood donation and blood grouping are as important as ever. Hospitals across England and North Wales need around 7,000 units of blood every day, and it is vital that NHS Blood and Transplant collects the right amount of the different blood groups to provide the blood patients rely on to survive.

Individuals across this region have the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and donate at a number of donor sessions in June.

List of local sessions:

Tuesday 4 June
Gaywood Church Rooms, Gayton Road PE30 4DZ
1.00pm – 3.30pm and 5.00pm – 7.00pm

Tuesday 11 June
Downham Market Town Hall, Bridge Street, PE38 9DE
1.00pm – 3.15pm and 4.30pm – 7.00pm

Tuesday 25 June
Gaywood Church Rooms, Gayton Road PE30 4DZ
1.00pm – 3.30pm and 5.00pm – 7.00pm

Wednesday 26 June
Heacham Social Club, 13 Station Road, PE31 7HG
1.00pm – 3.30pm and 5.00pm – 7.00pm

Derek Carr, Lead Donor Relations Manager for NHS Blood and Transplant for the Anglia area, said:

“During this year’s National Blood Week, we are hoping to encourage people in the local area who have never given blood before to commit to give blood for the first-time and to remind those who have not given for some time, to come back and donate.

“Please come and help us to provide the blood that hospitals and their patients need. A donor saves and improves lives every time they donate – and you could too!”

Anyone aged between 17-65, weighing more than 50 kg (7st 12lbs) and in general good health could potentially start saving lives by becoming a blood donor. There is no upper age limit for donors who have donated in the last two years.

For more information or to book an appointment visit www.blood.co.uk or contact 0300 123 23 23.

Local radio station KL.FM has won the Sony Station of the Year Award (under 300,000 category) for the second year running.

Presenter Adam Newstead proudly announced on Twitter:

‏KLFM won AGAIN!!!! Sony Award Radio Station Of The Year 2013. So proud

Host Chris Evans welcomed hundreds of hopefuls from radio stations around the country to the event at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

The ceremony featured performances from Robbie Williams, The Saturdays and Jamie Cullum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An exciting and unique mobile cinema will be coming to Lynn to offer free screenings of local archive films from the last century aboard the 22 seater digital cinema.

The ‘Archive Alive’ mobile cinema tour will be visiting the Vancouver Quarter shopping area on Monday 10 June from 10.30am – 1pm. It will then visit the Green at Hunstanton from 3.30pm – 6.30pm.

Norwich’s Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART) will be taking archive film on the road courtesy of a 1960s vintage mobile cinema to bring the archive alive to people throughout Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.

The Archive Alive tour will kick off on Sunday 2 June in Clacton-on-sea, Essex and will complete its journey in Hunstanton, Norfolk on Monday 10 June. The complete itinerary is as follows:

Sunday 2 June – CLACTON (9.30am – 12.30pm Town Square), COLCHESTER (3pm – 6pm Castle Park)
Monday 3 – HARLOW (10am – midday Market Place), HAVERHILL (3.30pm – 6.30pm Market Square)
Tuesday 4 – ELY (10am – 1pm The Maltings), CAMBRIDGE (3.30pm – 7pm Parker’s Piece)
Wednesday 5 – RAF LAKENHEATH (for airbase personnel only)
Thursday 6 – DISS (10am – 12.30pm Mere’s Mouth), BURY ST EDMUNDS (3pm – 6pm Cornhill)
Friday 7 – IPSWICH (10am – 12.30pm Lloyds Avenue), ALDEBURGH (3.30pm – 6.30pm Moot Hall)
Saturday 8 – LOWESTOFT (10am – 12.30 Royal Green), NORWICH (3.30pm – 7.30pm The Forum)
Sunday 9 – GRESSENHALL (10am – 1pm Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse), CROMER (4pm – 7pm The Pier)
Monday 10 – KING’S LYNN (10.30am – 1pm Vancouver Quarter shopping area), HUNSTANTON (3.30pm – 6.30pm The Green)

The archive film footage has been researched and selected for digitisation by HEART working closely with the UEA’s East Anglian Film Archive.

One of the aims of the Archive Alive tour is to promote the website www.archivealive.org which showcases hundreds of digitised archive films from across East Anglia. It also features a selection of archive films from Upper Normandy with the opportunity to compare and contrast our social history on both sides of the channel.

Jane Jarvis, Digital Heritage’s Project Manager said: “The ‘Archive Alive’ tour is a great way to help spread the word about what a fantastic resource archive film is. With more of these unique images now available online they can be viewed to enhance our learning and understanding of our region and the way we used to live.

“We are very much looking forward to setting off on the vintage mobile cinema to promote these great films and our new website archivealive.org via such a unique and authentic platform. We hope lots of people, of all ages, will come aboard and enjoy bringing the archive alive.”

For further information on the tour itinerary, locations and timings you can visit www.archivealive.org

Digital Heritage Project
The Digital Heritage Project is currently working with EAFA to digitise hundreds of archive films from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire from as far back as 1896. With an aim of bringing the archive alive, the Digital Heritage Project is working with two major film archives from both sides of the channel, EAFA and Rouen based, Pôle Image Haute-Normandie.

In October 2012, the Digital Heritage Project launched its new website which showcases a vast and impressive collection of East Anglian and French films which are an important part of our social history and heritage. This project is made possible via EU funding from the Interreg IVA Channel Programme within the scope of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
www.archivealive.org

Hi, Frodo Cavalier here and I am a dog! To be precise I am a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and I am in charge of organising the Hunstanton Fun Dog Show, the only dog show that’s organised by a dog, and I would like to invite all the doggies out there to come along.

It’s going to be a great day out for us dogs and the good news is we have lots of attractions for your human, so why not bring them along with you!

For us doggies there is have-a-go-fly-ball, a pet behaviourist who will answer questions on why our humans don’t always understand what we are trying to say, there will be trade stands selling all our creature comforts including treats, a doggy masseur to give advice on our aches and pains, a mobile dog wash for the dreaded bath, also a doggy dancing display, heel work to music display, and one or two surprises to watch out for.

For the human family there is a bouncy castle, games, stalls, human food and treats, a fab water attraction, plus they can park their cars on site.

It’s going to be great fun; there are 12 classes to enter with loads and loads of rosettes up for grabs to a massive 10th place, plus a great big, enormous cup for the best in show. The press will be there taking photos.…..so come along and enjoy yourself and give your human a nice day out.

Oh, and Chris and Clair from Coastal Vets are very nice to me when I am poorly. They even do home visits. They are our sponsors so thanks guys, you`re great!
Any enquiries give me a ring on: 01485 534481 …I can woof in English.

Check out all the latest news on:- www.facebook.com/TheHunstantonFunDogShow or twitter.com/Hunnydogshow

Please support me…it takes a lot of effort to type with paws! Don’t forget this is the only dog show organised by a dog!!!!!

THE HUNSTANTON FUN DOG SHOW, GLEBE HOUSE SCHOOL, HUNSTANTON, SUNDAY 12TH MAY, ENTRIES FROM 11.30AM

A Community Coffee Bar based on the ground floor of the Borough Council Offices is celebrating it’s Ist Birthday.

Anyone buying a hot drink on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (14th, 15th and 16th May) will get free homemade cakes to help celebrate the milestone, as a small thank you to loyal customers.

The Coffee Bar has sold over 4,000 hot drinks and trained over 30 volunteers during its first year.

The Community Coffee Bar concept came about 18 months ago, when West Norfolk Voluntary & Community Action came up with the idea of opening a coffee bar and staffing it with volunteers from some of the more vulnerable groups in the community, who would not usually be approached and offered volunteering opportunities.

WNVCA worked closely with CSV, Forward Day Centre and The Purfleet Trust. These groups work with clients who have physical and learning difficulties and also with people who have experienced difficulties with housing and homelessness.

The project was not designed with profit in mind – the Coffee Bar simply had to make enough money to cover its running costs. It’s primary aim was to bring back a service that staff and visitors missed, getting local people more involved in their local community and giving vulnerable people an opportunity to volunteer. Through the project volunteers learn new skills such as cash handling and customer service, whilst improving their confidence to do something that could in the future help them to get employment or move onto other volunteering opportunities.

Quotes from volunteers:
“I look forward so much to my shift at the coffee bar”
“It really makes me happy to come to the coffee bar”
“It’s the best day of my week when I work in the coffee bar”

Quotes from our Customers:
“Its really great to see the service back again the Borough Council and the volunteers do a wonderful job”.
“The coffee is delicious and I am very impressed with how quickly your volunteers have taken to the Project”

WNVCA is a support and development organisation that supports community groups, charities and voluntary organisations in West Norfolk.

westnorfolkvca.org