Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Two structures, which have lain hidden beneath the Tuesday Market Place in King’s Lynn, would have provided protection to people during the Second World War.

Whilst they have been undisturbed for years, recent survey work in preparation for the refurbishment of the town’s historic square, has drawn attention once again to the oft-forgotten air raid shelters, which are just feet below the surface of the Tuesday Market Place.

Believed to have been there since 1940-41, the two shelters are constructed from steel reinforced concrete. Each shelter is around 8′ to 10′ deep and together would have accommodated around 350 to 400 people.

Cllr Elizabeth Nockolds, Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing, said: “We knew the shelters were under the Tuesday Market Place, but they haven’t been accessible for years. When we carried out the core sampling in readiness for the refurbishment work we are doing to the Tuesday Market Place, we took the opportunity to put a camera down the holes to take a couple of snap shots.

“The real surprise was how close the shelters were to the surface of the market place and the fact that they appear to be in such good condition.”

At present there is no money in the council’s budget and no plans to do any further work on the shelters. The priority is to complete the work on the Tuesday Market Place.

Once that has been finished, the shelters may be explored further to see whether they could be made accessible or brought back into some sort of use.

Cllr Elizabeth Nockolds added: “It’s always interesting when you uncover something like this. If anyone has any photos or stories about time they may have spent in the shelters during the war, or any information they may have about the shelters since then, it would really help bring this piece of Lynn’s history to life.”

Comments

We’ve had a lot of comments about this article on Twitter. Here’s a selection:

HANSE HOUSE @HanseHousekl
I’ve lived here a while now but never knew about those, great story!

PETINA BLANDFORD @tonypetina7haj
they should be turned into a living museum

Karen Goult @karengoult
Maybe they could eventually make them open to the public on Heritage Days?

Katie Sutton @katiesutton56
wow great pictures!

You can follow us on Twitter: @Kings_Lynn

Former Archant staff are behind a new free weekly launched next week in competition with the Eastern Daily Press and the Lynn News.

Your Local Paper has a full-time staff of five and is funded by private investment. It will have a circulation of 20,000 in King’s Lynn, Downham Market and Hunstanton.

Managing director Alan Taylor has previously worked for existing Norfolk paid-for titles the Archant-owned Eastern Daily Press and the Johnston Press-owned Lynn News.

He said: “We have had fantastic support for the paper from advertisers. Readers are keen to have an alternative to paying for their local news and free papers have changed, they are no longer the poor relation to their paid-for counterparts.

“We are very much a part of the local community where we all live and the emphasis is very much on the word local – hence the name.

“There is definitely room in the market for us – advertisers are telling us they want an alternative and the readers don’t always want to be paying around £1 for their local newspapers.”

Editor Donna Semmens has worked as a journalist for 25 years – most recently with the Eastern Daily Press. She is a former news editor of the Lynn News and deputy editor of the Diss Express.

She said: “This is a great project to be a part of – we are completely independent so don’t have to dance to anyone else’s tune. We will produce a local paper serving our community and creating a viable platform for our advertisers. West Norfolk is a great place to live and we want to reflect the good things going on as well as reporting the traditional, harder news stories.

“We know there will be people out there who maintain that printed papers have had their day – well we know that’s not the case here and we know our community wants to pick-up a local paper for a good read.”

The news editor for the new title is Daisy Wallage.

The title will launch on Friday 15 March, and be distributed at supermarkets across the area.

The website for the new publication has not yet gone live, but will be at www.yourlocalpaper.co.uk

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh attended the morning service at St Peter and Paul Church, West Newton on Sunday. They then visited the Sunday school class, in the nearby Village Hall.

Memorial services are being held to mark the anniversary of the 1953 floods.

60 years ago on 31 January a combination of forceful winds, atmospheric pressure and high tides created a storm surge that was to devastate local communities. Flooding along the east coast claimed lives and destroyed property.

On Thursday at 11 am the flood memorial at North Beach, Heacham was re-dedicated and children from Heacham Junior School layed a special tribute. (story and pictures to follow)

A special service incorporating representatives from the emergency services and voluntary organisations, led by Reverend Canon Chris Ivory, will also be held at King’s Lynn Minster on Thursday at 7 pm. Borough Mayor, Cllr Geoffrey Wareham, and mayoress, Mary Wareham will both attend. The public is welcome to attend.

Borough Mayor, Cllr Geoffrey Wareham, said, “The flood had an enormous impact on our communities and tragically claimed the lives of over 80 people locally. It is both fitting and important that we remember people who lost their lives during that terrible night and celebrate the bravery of those who fought to save the lives of others and the resourcefulness of people in coping with the aftermath.”

Robert Flute, Chairman of the Norfolk Resilience Forum, said: “The floods of 1953 and the aftermath are etched into the minds of people living in the east of England. For those who remember and those who have heard and learned about the tragic events, they serve as a reminder of the power of the elements, the bravery of individuals and the need to be prepared. It is important that anniversaries such as this are marked and communities remember.”

Nigel Dixon, Cabinet Member for Community Protection at Norfolk County Council, said: “What happened in 1953 is something Norfolk people will never forget. It may be 60 years ago but for the communities hit by those devastating floods that January and especially in those where lives were lost, the memories are all too fresh. It is right that we remember and it is right that we do our best to make sure such events cannot be repeated.”

For more information about areas at risk of flooding and to sign up to receive flood warnings, please call Floodline on 0845 988 1188 or visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood.

For more information about preparing for an emergency please visit: www.norfolkprepared.gov.uk.

Our friends from Netweather.tv have sent us this cloudcover image, taken today.

Netweather.tv

Local travel agent Emily Fitch is hoping to become the ‘face’ of a new online boutique selling celebrity inspired fashion.

She has already made it into the final six of a competition being held on the Singderella website, and now it’s all down to the public vote.

Emily, 24, who works for High Street travel agent Thomsons, said

“I decided to enter the competition because you get stuck in a rut being a working mum, and I thought this was my chance for a change and possibly bring a bit of excitement into my life.

“I think its an amazing opportunity. It’s a fantastic website and I would love to be part of it. Having a chance to wear what some of the top trending celebrities are wearing is fantastic.”

If Emily wins she will have the honour of becoming the new ‘face’ Of online boutique “Dress Me A List”, which means being showcased on the website and appearing in their Ad campaigns.

The prize includes a full professional photoshoot modelling a new fashion collection, £200 worth of “Dress Me A List” products, A 50% Discount Code for 6 Months as well as advice and mentoring from the judges.

You can vote for emily at www.singderella.com/entrant/view/emily

The Fairstead One bus service is being extended on Saturdays thanks to an innovative agreement between the West Norfolk Partnership and local bus operator Norfolk Green.

The bus, which currently runs between the town centre and Fairstead until 11.15pm on a Saturday night, will continue with half-hourly departures from the bus station until 3.15am on a Sunday morning with effect from 6 October 2012.

Heather Farley, Chair of the West Norfolk Partnership, said: “Lots of late night revellers walk home along the Gaywood Road and up to the housing areas near the hospital. This can cause a considerable amount of low level noise nuisance to people living along the route. Some instances of minor anti-social behaviour have also been reported in the area.”

“We are trialling a scheme with Norfolk Green to see if there is demand for such a bus service and to see if this improves things for people living along that route. If the trial is a success, it could see further routes being added in the future.”

The idea for a night bus originally came from the police, who wanted to look at different ways of reducing disruption for residents when people are heading home from their night out. Norfolk Green were keen to help and have agreed to provide the bus service for a six-month period. Initially the project will be underwritten by the West Norfolk Partnership, but it is hoped that it may become self-financing. The project will be reviewed regularly to see whether it is achieving its wider aims.

Chief Inspector Ady Porter said: “This extended service will remove the opportunity for offenders to commit crimes along a very popular route home.

“It will provide a safe journey home and minimise the potential disruption to local residents from criminal damage, noise disturbances and anti-social behaviour, all of which can have a big impact on people living in the area.”

Ben Colson, Managing Director of Norfolk Green, said: “We are very keen to be involved in this initiative. King’s Lynn will be the smallest town, without a university, in the country to have a night bus. It is a unique opportunity to see whether this is a market that can be developed further. In most places, night bus fares are higher than during the daytime, but we’ll be charging the same low fares that we do by day. The main thing for us, is that it is about encouraging people who would normally walk home after their night out, to opt to jump on board the bus instead”.

Bus timetables will be available on the Norfolk Green website www.norfolkgreen.co.uk and service updates can be received by following www.twitter.com/norfolkgreen.

An innovative new campaign, unveiled by Norfolk County Council, aims to get Norfolk residents to keep their mind on the road.

The new press and radio campaign, ‘Keep your mind on the road’ starts on Wednesday 26 September with billboard, buses and petrol forecourt advertising beginning shortly afterwards.

The new campaign uses localised advertising to target drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and joggers and features everyday scenarios that have the potential to be dangerous.

The County Council has used visuals of roads near to where the advert has been placed, with localised messaging, in order for the advert to have maximum impact on the local area.

The council has also taken the decision whether to respectively target motorists, cyclists, joggers or pedestrians at that site.

With Department for Transport statistics showing that 95% of accidents on roads are caused by human error the campaign has been devised to encourage road users to avoid distractions and adopt a positive behavioural change to keep focussed when using Norfolk’s roads.

Alec Byrne, Chairman of Norfolk Casualty Reduction Partnership, said:
“Whether becoming distracted by back seat passengers in your car, or concentrating too much on music rather than the road whilst out jogging, cycling or walking – there are a multiple of situations that can cause a momentary loss in concentration, but which can have a lasting negative impact on the lives of yourself or others.

“95% of incidents that occur on our roads are caused by human error.
This campaign offers simple guidance to different road users in order to try and get them to focus their minds solely on the road.

“An initial locally targeted advertising campaign will be followed by a recruitment drive in November, where we will look to sign up as many road safety volunteer trainers as possible who are willing to deliver road safety messages to others in their community.

“Whilst the County Council continues its respected road safety work across the county, the more people that we can get to educate others in our communities the more chance we have of lowering the number of people being injured on our roads.”

Later in the year the council will launch a campaign to recruit volunteers to deliver road safety training and seminars in their communities. Volunteers will receive training from the Norfolk County Council Road Safety Team and material to deliver their training. Potential volunteers can find out more and pre-register their interest at www.norfolk.gov.uk/mindroad.

They say things come in threes, and this week was no exception. Here are three remarkable images of things seen in the wide skies above Norfolk this week:

Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet has approved a deal which will see BT become the council’s partner in a project to make broadband available to every Norfolk property by June 2015.

The landmark deal means that 83 per cent of Norfolk’s homes and businesses will be able to access superfast broadband services (24 Megabits per second and above) in less than three years’ time, and every single property in Norfolk will be able to receive a minimum broadband speed of 2Mbps. Without the County Council’s intervention there would be no timetable for these improvements to be made and it estimated that only 43 per cent of the county’s premises would be able to access superfast broadband in three years’ time.

The multimillion pound deal was approved at a special Cabinet meeting at County Hall in Norwich this morning and makes Norfolk County Council the first local authority to announce their intended partner in providing better broadband through the national Broadband Delivery UK contract framework. Subject to clearing further Norfolk County Council and Department for Culture, Media and Sport processes and gaining state aid approval, the contract will be signed later this autumn.

Ann Steward, Cabinet Member for Economic Development at Norfolk County Council, said: “This is a fantastic day for Norfolk. This groundbreaking deal will unlock so much of our county’s potential. It will give all our businesses, residents and visitors access to the advantages that good, reliable broadband services provide, improve quality of life and open up so many opportunities.

“This has been a huge priority for the council and I am so proud that we, with the excellent support of others, have been able to achieve this for the people of Norfolk. A lot of work has been done to get us here, and there is a lot more work to be done now with BT to ensure the first better broadband services will become available on schedule next year. The next few months are set to be very exciting and we and BT will keep people informed of news as soon as we can share it.”

Ian Mackie attended the meeting of Cabinet on his last day as Deputy Leader at Norfolk County Council and Vice Chairman of the Better Broadband for Norfolk Steering Group, having announced at the weekend that he was standing down as a cabinet member. He said: “This deal will benefit Norfolk and its people for decades to come and help to create a legacy of opportunity and competitiveness in a way that no other investment could. BT has risen to the challenge and met the requirements we set out, particularly that no one should miss out on being able to receive a broadband service in our county.

“The importance of broadband to almost every area of modern life cannot be underestimated and this day will I am sure come as a welcome relief for the hundreds of thousands of people living and working in the county who are hamstrung by no or severely limited access to broadband in Norfolk. It simply is not acceptable to have this kind of inequality in this day and age and the County Council has been absolutely committed to bring about what will be a massive acceleration in the provision of superfast broadband in Norfolk.”

As the council’s partner, BT will install an ‘open’ broadband infrastructure necessary to deliver improved broadband speeds and services to properties across the county, with the majority of those properties connected by ‘Next Generation Access’ technology, either wholly or partially made up of fibre optic cabling. Internet service providers, including any of the 50-plus providers currently using BT’s infrastructure, would then be able to offer a broadband service in a competitive market.

The Better Broadband for Norfolk project was launched by Norfolk County Council in order to bring better broadband provision to the large swathes of Norfolk that currently suffer from poor or no broadband access. Last year the council pledged £15 million to help bring this about, and this was matched by central Government as it became one of the first local authorities in the UK to be successful in bidding for Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) funding.

As part of the contract agreement, BT will make a £9.3 million ‘capital’ contribution towards the cost of installing the broadband infrastructure, and in addition will cover the ongoing costs of supporting and maintaining the networks.

While the minimum broadband speed available to properties in Norfolk by June 2015 under the deal would be 2Mbps, the majority of those properties not in the ‘superfast’ (24Mbps+) bracket would be able to access speeds significantly higher than this minimum standard. Twenty per cent of benefitting properties will be able to receive services with speeds ranging from five and 23Mbps. At the other end of the scale, 49 per cent of properties are expected to be able to access speeds of between 50 and 100Mbps, with a further six per cent able to receive speeds in excess of 100Mbps.

Once the contract is formally awarded later this autumn, detailed planning of the installation schedule will begin and information on this will be shared with Norfolk residents and businesspeople at the earliest opportunity.

Local charity worker Abbie Panks, features in a new publication celebrating the 100 most inspirational women in this region.

The book 100 women in 100 words celebrates the endeavour, achievement and inspiration of 100 women from the East Anglian region and was created by Suffolk PR agency Lexia Media.

The company was flooded with nominations from proud colleagues, family members and friends of inspirational women.

Coinciding with the Centenary of International Women’s Day, the book will help raise money for The East Anglian Eve Appeal, a charity working to support more survivors of gynaecological cancer.

 

 

 

 

Abbie works as Marketing and Events Manager for the Vancouver Quarter in King’s Lynn, but she is also passionately involved in the management of renowned Norfolk based children’s conservation charity The Fairyland Trust.

Abbie said, “I’m really excited and proud. It’s really lovely to be thought worthy enough to be included in the book, alongside such brilliant people in there, and it’s great that it’s raising money for charity.”

 

 

 

Each featured female is now celebrated within the book in a summary of 100 words, and with a photograph. Thanks to the support of Adnams, every one of the 100 selected women also receives a bottle of Adnams Fizz.

Deborah Watson, managing director of Lexia Media, said: “The project started as a low-key discussion about how we could celebrate women from this region in a way which would mark the centenary of International Women’s Day.

“It evolved into an idea which takes the modern communication approach of us all writing in shortened form in texts and tweets, and putting that into a book which would capture great businesswomen, carers, educators and creative minds.

“We really are thrilled with the level of nominations we received and are looking forward to the project helping us to raise a significant amount of money for a female-specific cancer charity.”

The book is now available to buy by contacting Lexia Media.

Spotlight on Abbie Panks
lexiamedia.co.uk
eveappeal.org.uk
fairylandtrust.org
mazemedia.co.uk

A new initiative inviting people with a passion for business to take a market stall free of charge will be launched on 23 June to mark National Markets Fortnight (23 June – 8 July).

The initiative, Test the Market, which will see up to 12 new traders join existing stallholders on Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn and South End Car Park Hunstanton from 6 -12 August, is designed to encourage entrepreneurialism and to help to bring diversity to the market.

Test the Market is aimed both at would-be traders and shoppers – it is an invitation both to see if a business idea works and an invitation to shoppers to come along and rediscover what the market has to offer.

Cllr Alistair Beales, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “In recent years with the rise of internet shopping and low cost large retailers the nature of markets has changed. We already have some fantastic regular stalls but we would like to attract a greater variety of traders to the market to strengthen what’s on offer for shoppers. We are particularly interested in people who have antiques, collectables, paintings or hand-crafted goods as well as those people who have a brand new idea that they want to test out.”

As they are free of charge the 25-ft stalls provide an ideal low risk, opportunity for people with a business idea to test the market without making a long term or financial commitment.

To find out more about the initiative or to apply for one of the free pitches please contact the markets department on 01553 616222.

During the Test the Market period (6- 12 August) charges for existing stallholders will also be waived.

Pitches will be awarded at the council’s discretion on a first-come, first-served basis. Some restrictions apply. No takeaway food stalls will be permitted to occupy one of the free pitches.

Partridges on a West Norfolk estate were the ‘models’ for a perennial silver trophy made by King’s Lynn silversmith, Tim Clayton, which will be presented at the Royal Norfolk Show.

Made annually, the Mills and Reeve Grey Partridge Norfolk Award rewards a Norfolk estate or farm for conservation work to boost numbers of the bird. The life-sized silver trophy of the partridge was commissioned by Mills & Reeve LLP and is presented each year.

Tim, who had not crafted such a large item in silver before – it weighs 82ozs – had a formidable task. First he had to observe the birds in their habitat on the Gayton Estate near King’s Lynn and then to fashion the model that had to be entirely accurate to meet the exacting standards of the head gamekeepers of Norfolk estates.

“I knew it had to be a perfect depiction,” he explains, “because it would be examined by a host of very knowledgeable people who would know instantly if any part was incorrect. In particular, as an English partridge, it could not on any account be confused with the red-legged – French – partridge.

“I spent several early mornings making dawn raids, observing the birds and taking pictures from every angle. Then I made a wax model which was scrutinised for accuracy. Once that passed the test I made a rubber mould just in case anything went wrong in the casting.”

The method Tim employed is known as ‘lost wax’, because in the process the wax melts, and literally is ‘lost’.

He made the wax model, which was then cut into six portions to simplify the eventual casting of the silver. The resulting units of the bird were soldered together before he embarked on engraving and hand-chasing to produce the fine detail – in the case of a bird hundreds of feathers, all delicately delineated.

“Yes pretty laborious”, agrees Tim, “and nerve-wracking too. You can never be quite sure how successful the casting will be, and then when the model emerges it has to be completed by hand.”

Tim Clayton has been working from his King’s Lynn base in Chapel Street since 1975, making a wide variety of jewellery to his own design and also takes commissions.

His latest project is more modestly sized, although still involving game and wildlife and his trademark intricate jewellery skills. He has designed a range of silver cufflinks for sporting gentlemen in the form of a variety of birds, animals and fish including pheasant, hare, fox, chub, eagle, owl and gundogs.

Henry Bellingham, MP for North West Norfolk, was in town on Saturday, and we took the oppportunity of asking him where he stands on the proposed new incinerator, to be located on the outskirts of King’s Lynn

Henry spoke to Alan T Shearer at the KLWIN stand in Broad Street, and confirmed he was very firmly against the proposal.

A meeting to determine whether the Lynn incinerator project should be given planning permission will take place on Friday June 29th at County Hall in Norwich.

More information on the King’s Lynn Without INcineration campaign can be found at www.klwin.com

More detailed article coming next week.

All photos by Alan T Shearer.

To listen to our fascinating interview in full CLICK HERE.

A King’s Lynn burger bar is now offering healthy alternative lunches, thanks to the introduction of Jacket Potatos.

The MunchBox has been providing the people of King’s Lynn with breakfasts and lunches for the past seven years, and now they are expanding with the addition of a second bar The SpudBox just outside of Wickes.

Jamie Richardson said “It’s important to keep up with trends, and with increasing numbers of people dieting and cutting back on costs. We feel we have provided the ideal solution. A healthy and filling product at a very good cost. We would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your support and hope you enjoy what SpudBox has to offer.”

The Spudbox will be offering a wide variety of freshly baked jacket potatoes cooked in a traditional Pickwick oven. Fillings will range from the traditional cheese and beans, to homemade chilli con carne and even Peri Peri chicken & peppers.

The news of the expansion comes soon after the release of figures of a 20% increase for January 2012. The staff were surprised by how quickly they were able to launch the new jacket potato bar.

“We knew we were looking to expand soon, but didn’t expect it to happen this quickly. We are pleased with the decision and confident that our customers will enjoy the variety of fillings we have to offer.”

For more information take a look at The MunchBox website www.the-munchbox.co.uk.

You can also follow them on Facebook. Search for “MunchBox Kings Lynn”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Norfolk County Council is imposing a five-year roadworks moratorium on London Road and St James Road, King’s Lynn, to come into effect after major resurfacing work that starts on Easter Sunday and will last for up to 18 days.

Work on this key route into King’s Lynn is bound to be disruptive, and the county council consulted local businesses and other stakeholders before finalising the work programme and traffic management arrangements.

Graham Plant, Cabinet member for Planning and Transportation, said: “Once complete, King’s Lynn will have a high quality surface on a key route into the town. The old surface is wearing out, and if it is not replaced there will be an increasing risk of potholes and other problems. We can avoid that happening – and all the disruption of urgent roadworks – by this major resurfacing scheme, which represents an investment of £625,000 in King’s Lynn’s roads.

“Unfortunately, on a route of this importance serious disruption is inevitable. The good news is that the County Council is using its legal powers to prevent any further planned roadworks on the newly surfaced road for the next five years. Barring emergencies, this will protect the new surface and ensure that motorists are not faced with such disruption for at least five years.”

Resurfacing programme and traffic management:

From Sunday 8 April (Easter Sunday)

On Easter Sunday, 8 April, surfacing work will begin from Millfleet junction to Southgates roundabout. From 8 April to 14 April traffic from Millfleet junction to Southgates roundabout will be one way only, southbound (out of the town).

Between Millfleet and Blackfriars Street traffic will remain two way, allowing traffic to turn left out of Millfleet towards Blackfriars Street.

Inbound traffic will use Vancouver Avenue, Tennyson Road/Avenue, Gaywood Road, Blackfriars Road.

Sunday 15 April

On Sunday 15 April work will move to the junction of Blackfriars Road and St James Road, with the Millfleet to Southgates stretch reverting to two way traffic. Traffic will only be able to turn right from Blackfriars Road towards the bus station between 10am and 5pm. Outside these hours traffic will have to follow the diversion around Southgates roundabout.

The slip road turning left on to St James Road will be closed for up to three hours at some stage during the day. Appropriate traffic management will be in place to assist motorists.

From Monday 16 April

From Monday 16 April until Friday 20 April a one way night time restriction will be in place from Blackfriars Road junction to Millfleet junction, allowing outbound traffic only. This will be in force between 7pm and 7am. During this night time period the St James Street junction will also be closed.

Inbound traffic will use Vancouver Avenue, Tennyson Road/Avenue, Gaywood Road, Blackfriars Road. Traffic flow will return to normal during the day.

Saturday 21 April

No works are currently planned for Saturday 21 April but it may be necessary to use this day if there are any delays in the programme. If no work is necessary there will be no traffic management on site.

Sunday 22 April

On Sunday 22 April the junction at Blackfriars Street will be closed. Traffic will be able to turn right from Blackfriars Road towards the bus station between 10am and 5pm. Outside these hours traffic will have to follow the diversion.