KL Magazine February 2020

ISSN 2044–7965

ISSUE 113 FEBRUARY 2020 PRICELESS

magazine

WEST NORFOLK | NORTH NORFOLK | COASTAL

welcome

A

lthough they sound like characters from a novel by Charles Dickens, men such as Larman Register, Turkey Smart and Gutta Percha See were local sporting heroes in the second half of the 19th century, when thousands of spectators made their way to the Fens to enjoy the winter spectacle of competitive fen skating.

It was a hugely popular sport, with people travelling from London to place bets on the races, and it even made international news in 1879, when James “Young Turkey” Smart from Welney became Britain’s first (and last) world champion speed skater.

Over winter, skating was a way of life in the Fens - women would often strap sheep bones to their boots and skate up to 30 miles to market - and conditions

were perfect, the country ‘enjoying’ its three coldest ever winters towards the end of the 1880s.

Fen skating required an absolute minimum of 40mm-thick ice and at least four consecutive nights of -4° or below and you don’t need to be a Swedish teenager to know that we’re now living in a very different climate.

It may have disappeared from our landscape, but you can read more about the golden age of Fenland skating on page 102 of this month’s magazine.

We’re also taking to the skies in this issue, revealing the abstract art created the salt marshes along the north Norfolk coast (above) - and trying to shed some light on the many depressions dotted across the countryside. You can read about the various theories concerning their origins on page 14.

In addition to looking at the history some of the area’s loveliest buildings - such as Clifton House in King’s Lynn and the church of St Peter and St Paul at West Newton - we’re also looking to the future and preparing to celebrate the thriving local business community.

The borough council’s Mayor’s Business Awards take place in a few weeks’ time, and you can discover all the finalists on page 106. We’ll see you again next month, but don’t forget that if you can’t wait for our March issue you can always follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @klmagazine. Enjoy the magazine!

Eric Secker EDITOR KL magazine

meet the team KL magazine is published monthly by KL Publications Ltd. The magazine cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and KL magazine takes no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

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KLmagazine February 2020

contents

7 8 14 20 26 30 34

DIARY DATES This month’s forthcoming events

40 44 46 52

UNCOVERING THE PAST With metal detectorist Steve Clarkson

JOURNEYS AT LYNN MUSEUM Making a literal trip through time A TRUE NATURAL WONDER The local coastline from the sky LYNN’S ‘OTHER’ MARKET Looking at the Saturday Market Place A TOWERING ACHIEVEMENT The many wonders of Clifton House THE HAND OF FRIENDSHIP There’s nothing odd about Oddfellows IS IT A PIT? OR IS IT A PINGO? Solving a mystery on the landscape

THEN AND NOW The changing face of west Norfolk FEBRUARY IN THE GARDEN Expert advice with Wendy Warner NICOLE FABRE The re-creation of fabulous fabrics

FEBRUARY 2020

56 68 72 77 80 86 96 101 102 110 114

WEDDING FASHIONS Walking up the aisle in style NATURALLY DELICIOUS Enjoying a taste of Fen Farm Dairy FOOD AND DRINK Recipes and recommendations FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH Bank House in King’s Lynn IT’S THE CAT’S WHISKERS Raising a glass to Panther Brewery EGGSHELLS AND SPELLS Fascinating local folklore VITAL HELP AND SUPPORT...

The West Norfolk Deaf Association YOU AND YOUR PETS With London Road Veterinary Center REMEMBERING A LOST SPORT The golden age of Fen skating TERRI BROUGHTON A look at the work of the local artist MICHAEL MIDDLETON It’s time to celebrate - something!

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ARTS & EVENTS in February Enjoy the best theatre productions from all over the world from the best seat in the house.

From ballet and opera to world-class theatre, there is something for everyone. Excellent value and top-notch quality from your local cinema.

NT LIVE: SMALL ISLAND (ENCORE) Based on Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel Monday 3rd February 7:30pm KINKY BOOTS THE MUSICAL Cyndi Lauper’s award-winning and joyful musical Tuesday 4th February 7:30pm and Sunday 9th February 5pm NT LIVE: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY (ENCORE) Starring Adam Godley, Ben Milnes, Simon Russell Beale Monday 10th February 7:30pm NT LIVE: CYRANO DE BERGERAC James McAvoy returns to the stage in an inventive new adaptation of this classic Thursday 20 February 7:00pm ROH LIVE: THE CELLIST / DANCES AT A GATHERING Cathy Marston and Jerome Robbins ballet pieces Tuesday 25 February 7:15pm

The Peckover’s Grand Tour 1872 Using archive material and original travel journals, we tell the story of the Victorian Grand Tour and how the Peckover’s faith shaped their travels.

22 February – 15 November during house opening times.

BOX OFFICE: 01945 640000

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/peckover © National Trust 2020. Registered Charity no. 205846.

Photography © National Trust Images.

Social icon

Circle Only use blue and/or white.

For more details check out our Brand Guidelines.

Light Cinema, Cromwell Road, Wisbech PE14 0RG www.wisbech.lightcinemas.co.uk

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KLmagazine February 2020

Diarydates

LOCAL EVENTS IN FEBRUARY & MARCH

FEBRUARY AT STRATTONS During the whole of February Strattons is offering a Jane Austen-themed traditional afternoon tea at £18.50pp including finger sandwiches, mini sausage rolls, scones and a selection of mini cakes by chef Jules. Or indulge in a special three-day Valentine’s Jane Austen-themed afternoon tea from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th at £22.50pp with extra sweet and savoury treats. You can also treat your favourite person to a special Valentine’s dinner on Friday 14th at Afterfive, £45pp.

Booking is essential on 01760 723845 or enquiries@strattonshotel.com WHEN: Friday 14th February WHERE: Strattons Hotel, Restaurant & CoCoes Cafe Deli, 4 Ash Close, Swaffham, PE37 7NH

KING’S LYNN GIN FESTIVAL Come to the King’s Lynn Gin Festival where on arrival you will be handed your very own Gin Festival Glass and a brochure that tells you all about the gins at the festival along with the sponsors.

Bars operate on a token system and do not take cash. Tokens are £5 each with one token paying for a double measure of gin, garnish and a mixer. The gin-inspired cocktail bar will be returning with new tastes to try, and Dough Dealers will provide a whole new experience of pizza with the amazing gins.

Throughout the event there will be live music and entertainment, opportunity to meet artisan gin distillers and lots of chit chat with other gin lovers!

All profits raised on the night will be directly donated to local charities and good causes. Visit https://www.facebook.com/KLGinFestival/ for details on tickets and any further information.

WHEN: Friday 6th March and Saturday 7th March, 7:30pm WHERE: St Nicholas Chapel, St Ann’s Street, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1NH

DERSINGHAM TENNIS CLUB – DRESSED TO THRILL AT THE CASINO! VINTAGE HORTICULTURAL & GARDEN MACHINERY WORKING DAY This will be the event’s 11th year and the organisers hope to make it bigger and better than ever – last year saw over 70 engines on show. This year the event has a new venue and layout, and will feature everything from push hoes, rotavators to match ploughing with classes for small walk behind, large walk behind and ride-ons.

There will also be working stationary engines, working horse and static displays, and smaller tillage machines in a working play pen.

All proceeds to the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Contact Adrian Hall 01328 851571 or email stevenhall272@aol.com for more details.

WHEN: Sunday 1st March, 10am to 3pm WHERE: Field off the B1145, Stanfield, Fakenham, NR21 8BA

After the success of last year, Dersingham Tennis Club are hosting another Casino Night. Arrive dressed to thrill 007 style and you will be given your casino currency to play the tables as the mood takes you. This is a terrific evening for those who want a different night out when you can imagine you are in the fast-moving gambling halls of Monte Carlo where Bond is playing for the highest stakes.

Well, we won’t quite be doing that but enter into the spirit of the evening and you can imagine anything is possible! Tickets are £20 from Dersingham Post Office or call 01485 540271 (or £25 on the door) and cover a welcome drink, supper and your casino currency.

WHEN: Saturday 14th March, 7pm WHERE: Dersingham Village Centre, Manor Road, Dersingham, PE31 6LN

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ABOVE: Journeys at King’s Lynn Museum traces the history of the area through the trips people have made - for business and for pleasure 8

KLmagazine February 2020

A history of journeys one step at a time...

People have been travelling in and out (or to and from) Norfolk for almost a million years. A fascinating exhibition at Lynn Museum is exploring the local history of journeys and why they were made

A

n engrossing new exhibition at Lynn Museum is taking visitors on many types of journeys through time, whether they’re journeys of faith, trade and exploration, migration and settlement or simply for fun, the aptly-named Journeys takes a look at them all.

As part of the wider Green Pilgrimage and Coastal Treasures project, local councils have been working together to boost ‘green’ tourism and encourage walking and cycling in west and north

Norfolk, and the exhibition offers visitors and locals an insight into the wealth of history available in the area.

Dayna Woolbright is Assistant Curator at Lynn Museum, and has been fully involved in bringing local history alive at the museum.

“We were looking through our collections and thinking about the stories the objects could tell us,” she says. “We soon became hooked on the theme of making journeys, and the many varied reasons people take them.”

The exhibition is arranged with

different themes in different areas, beginning with some of the very earliest journeys. Norfolk has evidence of some of the first human arrivals in Europe, thanks to the discovery of some remarkably well-preserved footprints dating back 850,000 years at Happisburgh alongside ancient flint tools.

And of course, the discovery of what became known as the ‘Snettisham Treasure’ shows the existence of human activity in the area at least as far back as the Iron Age. The hoard,

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It’s also known that whaling ships sailed from Lynn to the fertile waters off Iceland and Greenland.

As well as these rather sobering journeys associated with the area, there are also many that were taken for fun, and these are also being celebrated at Lynn Museum. These include the trips taken by train from King’s Lynn to Hunstanton for summer holidays, and many (older!) visitors will be delighted to be able to watch the film made by John Betjeman in 1962 aboard the branch line between the two towns.

His dry and engaging commentary shows the enjoyment he felt at journeying through the “wide, flat fields of Norfolk.”

Keeping in line (literally), museum

staff have taken the opportunity to turn the corner shop display into a railway ticket office from the 1950s, and a knitted bathing costume dating from the 1930s, postcards and souvenirs of the period are also on display.

Coming right up to date, the exhibition features some more contemporary journeys, including a recent pilgrimage to Mecca, a 1,300 mile walk from Walsingham to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, the experience of a wartime evacuee, and the travels of a showman touring Britain.

Comedian and writer Tim Fitzhigham, who was born in King’s Lynn, has undertaken many unusual journeys, including crossing the channel in a bathtub. He’s also shown re-enacting the famous morris dance by Will Kempe (best known for having been one of the original players in early dramas

by Shakespeare) from London to Norwich Visitors to the museum can even see the costume he wore on this epic journey.

including many coins and gold torcs (with one, known as the Great Torc, weighing in at over one kilogram) was discovered in 1948 when a field was being deep-ploughed for the first time, and is now on permanent display at the British Museum in London.

The treasure was in amazingly good condition when it was found.

“Gold is good,” says Dayna. “It comes out of the ground exactly the same as it went in!”

Journeys of pilgrimage have also been associated with King’s Lynn since medieval times, when thousands of pilgrims passed through the town on their way to the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham.

“We have a very fine collection of medieval pilgrim badges from the Journeys can be Walsingham Shrine,” says Dayna, “which enjoyed until 6th June, and until 31st were worn by pilgrims as keepsakes or March admission to the museum is good luck symbols. free. For more information, please see King’s Lynn’s most famous the website at www.museums.norfolk. medieval pilgrim, Margery Kempe, is gov.uk/lynn-museum also celebrated as part of a satellite exhibition being shown at the Stories of Lynn museum in the town hall.

Other travels in the exhibition include those made by the merchants of King’s Lynn, and visitors to the museum can handle examples of traded commodities which came in and out of the port of Lynn.

As a member of the Hanseatic League of North Sea trading towns and cities around the coasts of northern Europe, King’s Lynn was heavily involved in international trade, with journeys being taken back and forth across the North Sea. Other marine journeys associated with King’s Lynn point to evidence that ships left the town as part of the ‘triangular’ slave trade - with routes connecting Europe, West Africa and the colonies in ABOVE: A whaling ship on the return journey to the port of King’s Lynn from Iceland or Greenland the Caribbean.

“The exhibition offers visitors and locals an insight into a wealth of history...”

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KLmagazine February 2020

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KLmagazine February 2020

Diarydates

EVENTS IN FEBRUARY & MARCH

KING’S LYNN FICTION FESTIVAL Nine of the best contemporary novelists will be appearing at the 32nd King’s Lynn Fiction Festival. Highlights include: author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and the wonderful Birds without Wings, Louis de Bernières in conversation with writer and poet Lachlan Mackinnon; the wonderful Jill Dawson presenting her latest book, The Language of Birds, based on the story of Lord Lucan and the murdered nanny; psychological thriller writer, Sophie Hannah with her new chiller Haven’t They Grown, and Apple Tree Yard author, Louise Doughty, with her new thriller, Platform Seven. Admission to each of the six events is £10, or a season ticket for all of them is £40. Visit www.lynnlitfests.com for tickets and the full events programme.

NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME – NORFOLK The start of a new year brings an exciting new programme of open gardens across Norfolk. The year begins with the beauty and grace of the snowdrop, and a great place to see them is Bagthorpe Hall. This delightful circular walk meanders through a stunning display of snowdrops that naturally cover the woodland floor and returns through a walled garden. Adults £5. All open gardens will be serving home-made cake, tea and coffee.

Entry for children is free, but please check www.ngs.org.uk for wheelchair access and whether the garden is dog-friendly.

WHEN: Friday 13th March, 7:30pm to Sunday 15th March, 3pm WHERE: Assembly Room, King’s Lynn Town Hall, Saturday Market

WHEN: Sunday 23rd February, 11am to 4pm WHERE: Bagthorpe Hall, Bagthorpe, Bircham, King’s Lynn,

Place, King’s Lynn, PE30 5DQ

PE31 6QY

MINI MUSEUM CLUB Lynn Museum’s popular Mini Museum Club for under 5s is returning for another series of brand-new monthly sessions for 2020!

With a different topic each month, the group sessions are specially designed for pre-school age children, with an hour of exploring, stories, singing, crafts and play. February’s event will be themed around Lynn’s famous and historic Mart. The cost for a session is 50p per child with accompanying adults free.

Older and younger siblings are also welcome.

Mini Museum sessions are drop-in events, so booking is not required. Returning and new members are all welcome.

WHEN: Tuesday 11th February, 10:3011:30am

WHERE: Lynn Museum, Market Street, King’s Lynn, PE30 1NL

A FASHION SHOW FOR KEEPING ABREAST The Style Show brings you a fashion show with a difference! This fashion show features models of all ages, sizes and shapes and is packed with style advice and great clothing. Enjoy dinner first and a sale of all the clothes shown after the fashion show.

Funds raised will go to the Keeping Abreast Charity. Tickets are £22 and are available online here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-fashion-show-forkeeping-abreast-kings-head-hotel-bircham-norfolk-tickets-90466709363 WHEN: Thursday 19th March, dinner 7-7:30pm, show at 8:30pm WHERE: King’s Head Hotel, Lynn Road, Great Bircham, PE31 6RJ

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When local nature paints its own landscapes The north Norfolk coast contains a breathtaking range of inter-tidal sand and mudflats, salt marshes, shingle banks, sand dunes, brackish lagoons and reed beds - and they’re even more impressive from the air

S

een from above as in the photographs here, the salt marshes along the north Norfolk coast are an amazing, other-worldly landscape. The ceaseless tides of the North Sea have carved paths through the marshes creating patterns of tributaries which echo other natural forms like heavilybranched trees, or blood vessels under a microscope.

Although they may look like a

deserted and somewhat desolate landscape from this distance, viewed up close they’re packed with plant life, and are a haven for a wide range of bird life.

Salt marshes are coastal wetlands flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides. They’re marshy because the soil may be composed of deep mud and peat. Salt marshes are formed by a combination of high tides and sheltered areas like bays or the top of long, flat beaches, or

behind spits of land. These sheltered areas minimise wave action and allow seawater to deposit the tiniest, lightest, clay particles. These particles cling to one another in a process known as flocculation and settle to form a mud. The mud is stabilised and then colonised first by algae, and then by samphires (glassworts) and sea aster.

The flow of water is interrupted, making further deposition of mud more likely, and a marsh forms and develops.

PICTURES: The almost abstract art on the landscape where Brancaster beach meets the saltmarsh (left) and Blakeney Point (right)

Once the marsh is well established numerous other species of plants move in and form the area known as the middle marsh. You might find marsh mallow, shrubby sea-blite, salt meadow sedge, or sharp sea rush as well as four species of sea-lavender - including matted sea-lavender, a species now confined to Norfolk within the British Isles.

On areas of raised ground, where inundation by tides is less frequent, sea beet, pungent sea wormwood and the nationally-scarce shrubby seablite grow. And along the edges of creeks where more sediment is deposited by each tide and the ground is slightly higher, characteristic strips of silverleaved sea purslane can be seen.

Salt marshes aren’t just home to plant life either: they’re also thronged with fish and fowl. They’re rich in mud-dwelling invertebrates, and many marine fish use salt marshes as nursery grounds for their young before they move to open waters. These in turn are eaten by huge numbers of migrant wading birds, some of which raise their young among the high grasses, taking advantage of the sanctuary from predators and plentiful food.

Our coastline is of global importance as a migratory staging ground and wintering ground for northern breeding species such as knot, dunlin, bar-tailed godwit, oystercatcher, grey plover and

shelduck. Our salt marshes are visited in winter by brent geese and curlew, and in summer by redshank and skylarks.

Once perceived as coastal ‘wastelands’, our appreciation of salt marshes has changed, and they are now nationally and globally acknowledged as one of the most biologically productive habitats on earth, rivalling tropical rainforests.

In fact, salt marshes are now legally protected in many countries.

The salt marshes along the North Norfolk coast are under a number of legal protections, to maintain them as such a special habitat, and to keep them as such a beautiful, peaceful place to visit. 7,700 hectares (19,027 acres) of the coast from just west of Holme-next-the-Sea to Kelling has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). SSSI status means that Natural England support landowners to manage these sites in a way that conserves their special features. The marshes are additionally protected through Natura 2000, Special Protection Area (SPA) listings, and part of the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The North Norfolk Coast is also designated as a wetland of international importance on the Ramsar list and most of it is a Biosphere Reserve.

The preservation of the salt marshes has been largely thanks to

the organisations that have bought and cared for different parts of them over the past 90 years: the Norfolk Ornithologists’ Association (Redwell Marsh), Norfolk Wildlife Trust (Cley Marshes and Holme) and RSPB (Titchwell Marsh), but especially the National Trust. It holds the lion’s share including the more famous portions – Scolt Head and Blakeney Point – but also the Brancaster, Stiffkey and Morston salt marshes.

So take in these beautiful photographs, and reflect that behind their peaceful, even desolate appearance, there’s a whole world of wildlife bustling behind it, and an even busier world of human endeavour preserving and protecting it.

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KLmagazine February 2020

Veronique Smith ACA

Why receipts will never look the same again...

As we end the first year of Making Tax Digital, Manager Veronique Smith ACA of Stephenson Smart explains how the latest technology is transforming business accounts for everyone

A

s accountants with over 100 years’ experience, we’re no strangers to receiving shoe boxes and plastic bags rammed full of receipts from clients when it comes to preparing their end of year accounts and tax returns.

But it’s official – these bags and boxes could soon become a thing of the past, as everyone is going digital.

Until recently the only alternative solutions involved hiring a bookkeeper or accountant with the technical and accounting expertise required to convert your receipts into information suitable to be submitted to HMRC. But now that’s all changing with the arrival of easy-to-use smartphone and app-based technology. Snapping

a photo of a receipt in real time can actually provide benefits for your cashflow, and the quality of information you provide to your accountant allowing them to spend more time advising you rather than dealing with data entry. Now is the perfect time to explore and embrace the new technology on offer.

Following HMRC’s push towards Making Tax Digital (MTD) for businesses, further digitalisation is inevitable and it can bring huge benefits to your business, alleviating your day-to-day admin burden if used correctly.

At Stephenson Smart we’ve teamed up with one of the market-leading providers of receipt management technology, enabling us to easily and

simply automate your bookkeeping.

The technology allows you to photograph receipts using an app on your smartphone, forward invoices and receipts using email, or upload them via the internet. You’re then able to review the data and publish it directly through to your accounting software package (such as Xero or Sage), export the data as a CSV file or share it with your accountant.

We can guide you through the process, offering step-by-step advice as required, with a view to reducing your admin burden and freeing up your time, allowing you to concentrate on doing what you do best - running your business.

In this new world of digitalisation, receipt scanning apps will become commonplace. They aim to automate previously onerous tasks, freeing up admin time and complying fully with HMRC’s MTD project.

Get in touch with one of our experts today to arrange a demonstration of the new software and let us show you how easy it is to get started.

Once your business has become accustomed to using a receipt management tool, we’re sure it will transform your working life - and ours too!

For further details and information about Making Tax Digital or any other aspect of your finances and tax liabilities, please contact Stephenson Smart and our team of advisors will be more than willing to help – today, tomorrow, and well into the future.

Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors

KING’S LYNN 01553 774104 FAKENHAM 01328 863318 WISBECH 01945 463383 MARCH 01354 653026 DOWNHAM MARKET 01366 384121 GREAT YARMOUTH 01493 382500 www.stephenson-smart.com

KLmagazine February 2020

D E: CH 17

OPEN MORNING

SATURDAY 21 MARCH 1000 - 1230 From Kindergarten to 6th Form (Ages 3-18)

Discover who we are...

Whether you are looking for a Kindergarten, Prep, Senior or 6th Form place, WGS offers pupils an all-round education that inspires them to discover their passion and achieve academic success.

Contact our Admissions Team to find out more about our Open Morning or enquire for more information about what our School can offer your child on 01945 586 750 or email admissions@wisbechgrammar.com

Headmaster Chris Staley

A world-class education in Wisbech 16 international pupils have come all the way from China to benefit from the prestigious education that Wisbech Grammar School provides

T

he education provided by Wisbech Grammar School is rightly renowned in this area and beyond. As one of the oldest schools in the country it is very proud of its history, but also knows that adapting and planning for the future is the best way to prepare young people for the challenges and opportunities of the world of work.

After joining the school in 2014, headmaster Chris Staley identified quickly that the school had two obvious areas for development: establishing a kindergarten and attracting international pupils. The kindergarten opened in 2018 and has had great success, and follows the Early Years Foundation stage (EYFS) curriculum.

Next, the school embarked on a programme of significant change and improvement to its facilities.

“Our previous sixth form centre was repurposed to create accommodation for our boarding pupils, with ensuite bathrooms, a communal area, and space for a house parent, the house has a real ‘home from home’ feel. ” says Chris. “This gave us the opportunity to

develop a brand new 6th Form centre, which enables A Level subjects to be taught in Harkness rooms, it also features a state-of-the-art café, a wellequipped careers room and purpose designed study areas.”

After Chris visited China to create links with schools there, the project progressed rapidly.

“We had a fantastic response from schools and individual pupils alike.

Today we have eleven pupils boarding with us, plus another five ‘homestaying’ where they live with families from within the School community, all aged from 15 to 18,” says Chris. “I focused on Chinese pupils as I firmly believe that in the future a knowledge of Asian culture, customs and business practices will be invaluable to our pupils. China is a global economic superpower and will certainly influence the careers of our pupils in the future.”

The school promotes what is very much a cultural exchange between the domestic and international pupils.

“Our boarders integrate fully into school life,” explains Chris. “We support them with specialised English courses

and enrichment activities such as visits to Cambridge and London. They’ve settled in marvellously and taught our day pupils a great deal about Chinese culture. The programme has been such a success we plan to expand it and open another boarding house in the near future.”

With excellent facilities, small class sizes, committed staff and exceptional standards of care for pupils, those places will be in great demand.

If you’d like to find out more about Wisbech Grammar School and the inspiring education it offers, call 01945 586 750 and book your place now for its Open Morning on 21st March.

KLmagazine February 2020

New 6th Form centre 19

PICTURES: The Saturday Market Place has changed over the centuries with shoppers’ tastes: the Shambles (an open-air slaughterhouse and meat market) pictured was taken down in 1914

The tasty renaissance of Lynn’s ‘other’ market The oldest-recorded instance of a market on the Saturday Market Place in King’s Lynn dates back to 1104, and the tradition has recently been successfully revived thanks to Discover King’s Lynn...

M

arkets have been at the heart of many town centres in England for hundreds of years and King’s Lynn town centre is no different. It’s most likely to be Tuesday Market Place that comes to mind as the principal market of this town, which was certainly the case in recent decades. However, it’s the smaller Saturday Market Place where a regular town market began back in the early 12th century, linked to the building of St Margaret’s Church (now the Minster) under the authority of Bishop Herbert Losinga. The Tuesday Market Place followed several years later, along with the development

of a second settlement at the more northern end of the town.

In medieval Lynn, there was a daily market on Saturday Market Place, with the exception (obviously enough) of Tuesdays. It was where local farmers sold their goods to the growing urban population, while on Saturdays the market was opened up to “strangers” and merchants from further afield. The market would’ve been full to bursting with traders selling wine, cloths, corn, livestock and other household items. In the absence of refrigeration, supermarkets and online shopping, markets were at the heart of daily life selling the essentials and items people were unable to grow or produce

themselves.

The town and its markets evolved with population growth and the development of transport and infrastructure. King’s Lynn was a booming port and at one point, one

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ABOVE: The traders at today’s monthly markets all make, prepare or grow their wares within a 50-mile radius of King’s Lynn

of the most important towns in England. In the late 18th century the markets of King’s Lynn were thriving, and according to some were amongst the largest in East Anglia. However, the development of road infrastructure, out-oftown shopping and online technology all contributed to the decline of markets in towns such as King’s Lynn.

Two years ago, Discover King’s Lynn, the King’s Lynn BID, along with the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk decided to revive the tradition of a market at Saturday Market Place.

The decision was influenced by a number of factors including the

regeneration of properties around Saturday Market Place and St James’ Street (thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund) as well as a resurgence in weekend craft and farmers markets around the country.

These markets play a different role to those of medieval times, tapping into consumer demands to shop local, to reduce food miles, to know more about the provenance of goods and to support local entrepreneurs.

Farmers’ Markets like the one in King’s Lynn now tap into the higher expectations of the shopper, providing a memorable experience with the opportunity to connect with traders about their story and sample their produce - and all in an attractive setting.

All that said, in many ways the produce available at the monthly King’s Lynn Farmers’ Market isn’t a far cry from that on offer hundreds of years ago; regular traders include artisan gin, locally-produced wines and spirits, fruit, vegetables, jams and chutneys, honey, wax products and plastic-free household items.

All traders come from within a 50-mile radius of King’s Lynn (it was probably closer to five miles in the 12th century) and all make, prepare and/ or grow the produce they sell. One marked difference is the absence of livestock, but most monthly markets do involve a couple of local butchers, including one who’s also a farmer.

The Farmers’ Market is an important initiative for the BID and the town as a whole. It has the ability to boost footfall, in particular bringing in people who might not otherwise come to town, and it provides an opportunity for new businesses to test the market.

The majority of traders are microbusinesses, involving one or two family members and/or employing one or two others - and often this is their “sidehustle” using their day job to fund a passion until it’s at a point where it can support them.

So a visit to King’s Lynn’s monthly Farmers’ Market on the beautiful and historic Saturday Market Place will reward you at least threefold - it’s a great day out, it’s a chance to soak up the surroundings, and it offers you the opportunity to meet some interesting folk, taste and procure some delicious produce and support the local economy.

The Farmers’ Market starts again on Saturday 14th March from 9am-2pm and then takes place monthly up until (and including) December. The Farmers’ Market is held on Saturday Market Place, and in cases of bad weather takes place inside the Minster.

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KLmagazine February 2020

Y c w o

Enjoy your conservatory all year round

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Contact DAVID MAYNARD to find out more - the only registered installer in the area!

01553 602088 | sales@lynnframe.co.uk | www.lynnframe.co.uk KLmagazine February 2020

23

FINANCIAL ADVICE OF REAL FAM ILY VALU E Our intergenerational wealth management advice is designed to protect the wealth and financial future of your family. We provide a range of family-oriented financial products and services, enabling you to work together to support each other across the generations.

Whether you would like to help younger family members onto the housing ladder, contribute to a grandchild’s education or wedding, or help an older relative with later-life planning, careful consideration can ensure your wealth works harder for all your family without compromising your own retirement needs.

Contact us for further information.

PLUMMER AND ASSOCIATES Associate Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management

Tel: 01485 500025 Email: jeremy.plummer@sjpp.co.uk Web: www.plummerandassociates.co.uk

The Partner Practice is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products.

The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

H2SJP33398 10/19

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KLmagazine February 2020

Easy fixes for the hardest electrical problems...

Darren Goldsby, General Manager of Bircham Electrical runs down the top five electrical faults reported to his team and offers some quick, safe and simple solutions for you to try...

T

he following faults are reported to us on a daily basis,” says Darren Goldsby of Bircham Electrical, “and we can often help over the phone without charge. When there’s no ‘quick fix’ and expert help is required, we will investigate further and solve the issue on site.”

1. MY ELECTRICITY KEEPS TRIPPING OUT This is probably our most common call and the quick solution is to unplug all devices; turning off is not enough.

Make sure isolators for cookers, water heaters, dishwashers and washing machines are switched off or unplugged if possible. Reset the trip switch. If it still trips, ensure outside

lights or garden/shed supplies are turned off. And if it still trips, call us!

2. MY SMOKE ALARM IS MAKING A RANDOM ‘PIPPING’ NOISE OR GOING INTO ALARM This can be caused by low batteries or dust. Try fitting a new battery and changing it annually – older models usually require a PP9 rectangular battery. It’s a good idea to run a vacuum cleaner over the chamber to make sure it’s clear of dust or debris and check the alarm is less than 10 years old. If it still doesn’t work or it’s out of date, it’s time to call us.

3. MY LIGHT FITTING IS BLOWING LAMPS/BULBS This is a common fault, usually caused by the quality of the lamps rather than the light fitting. We can investigate whether the fitting has faulty pins or we can supply you with high-quality lamps.

4 Wymans Way Industrial Estate Fakenham NR21 8NT

4. AFTER A POWER CUT OR POWER SURGE MY FLOODLIGHTS ARE STAYING ON Sometimes the sensors can go into ‘walk test’ for a short time or they can lock on when the power is reintroduced. If the lights stay on permanently, turn off the circuit for five seconds and try again. If they still remain on after the usual timed period, it’s time to call us.

5. MY LIGHT/LAMP IS FLICKERING ON MY DIMMER. This can be caused by many factors and LED lighting is particularly prone to dimming issues. You have to make sure the LED or lamp is dimmable and that you‘re using the correct dimmer.

Incorrect lamps and loads will damage dimmers and cause flickering or failure. If in doubt call us and we’ll help.

Tel: 01328 851824 Web: www.bircham-electrical.co.uk E-mail: admin@birchamelectrical.com

KLmagazine February 2020

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Celebrating over 700 years of Clifton House...

It’s one of the most important buildings in King’s Lynn, and one of the most remarkable in the whole country. KL magazine takes a look at the history of the local wonder and national treasure that is Clifton House

I

n the discussion of listed and important buildings, Nikolaus Pevsner is often cited to give an authoritative view of the structure in question. The German-born historian of art and architecture is best known for the monumental book series The Buildings of England (195174), which has been hailed as one of the greatest cultural projects ever undertaken in Britain – Pevsner actually wrote 32 volumes himself and went on to co-author a further 10.

It’s fair to say that no one has done more to make us better understand and appreciate our built environment, so when Pevsner describes something as providing “the most remarkable catalogue of building periods from the middle ages onwards,” you can rest assured that he’s talking about something rather special.

And few things are quite as special as the Grade I listed Clifton House in King’s Lynn.

As well as boasting important Tudor, Stuart and Georgian interiors and a magnificent staircase by Henry Bell, it has the earliest brick structure in Norfolk (the huge wine cellar), the largest domestic medieval tiled pavement in England (in the kitchen), and a unique five-storey Elizabethan tower with superb Jacobean murals and equally spectacular views.

It’s been known as Clifton House for almost two centuries now, but its history actually stretches back a further 300 years to the 13th century – and some features are even older than that.

Indeed, the house has existed in some form or another as long at King’s Lynn itself – within decades of the town’s foundation, the buildings that would eventually evolve into Clifton House already stood on the edge of the river, and remains of the earliest stone house on the site can still be seen in the wine cellar.

Actually, the sheer size of that cellar (or undercroft) speaks volumes for the status of King’s Lynn at the time (it was one of the four wealthiest ports in the country) and by 1400 most of what is now Clifton House had been built.

The house underwent significant changes during the reign of Elizabeth I, the Tudor owners rearranging the internal layout (the parlour became the new kitchen for example), adding two warehouses that reached down to the river, and starting work on the five-storey watchtower. The tower was probably the idea of wine merchant George Walden, although his sudden death in 1577 meant it wasn’t fully completed and decorated for several decades.

PICTURES: The interior of Clifton House (top, with owner Dr Simon Thurley and middle © Chris Riley) is even more impressive than its towering exterior (opposite) and includes an incredible undercroft (bottom)

KLmagazine February 2020

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“It’s an honour to be able to live in such a wonderful building, and it’s a joy to be able to share it...”

The final re-modelling of Clifton House took place around 1700 under the powerful Taylor family. The famous architect Henry Bell (best known for his perfectly-proportioned Custom House in King’s Lynn) modernised the house, treating the town to an early use of sash windows, installing a grand doorcase with Solomonic (or ‘barley-sugar’) columns, and creating a stunning new staircase.

With the 1830s came the man to whom the house owes its name.

William Clifton was a merchant dealing in corn and coal in addition to wine and spirits, but by the time he died the house was described as being “large and old and in frequent need of repairs” and it was sold in 1888.

Virtually immediately, the house lost two of its most important interiors – the carved panelling of the tower’s first floor and the library’s Elizabethan fireplace, which was stripped out and exported to the USA. Thankfully, the 20th century was somewhat kinder to Clifton House. Cared for by local artist and museum curator Christopher Page – who stuffed the tiger in Lynn Museum – in the 1920s, it was then bought by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, who undertook repairs and used it for the offices of (appropriately enough) the borough architect, surveyor and engineer until the 1980s.

It was during that repair work that an extraordinary discovery was made in 1960 – a whole floor of medieval tiles in the kitchen and morning room that had been hidden under layers

ABOVE: King’s Lynn Minster seen from the top of Clifton Tower

and centuries of later flooring. Usually only found in monasteries and palaces, the tiles would have been extremely expensive and are now known as ‘Westminster Tiles’ after their use at Westminster Abbey in the 13th century.

After a short spell under private ownership, Clifton House was acquired by the King’s Lynn Preservation Trust in 1984, who began a programme of renovation that was continued by the home’s current owners, the writers and historians Dr Simon Thurley and Dr Anna Keay, who purchased the property in 2005.

No one is better placed than the former Chief Executive of English Heritage and author of The Building of England (2013) to talk about his family home.

“Although Anna and I consider Clifton House to be our home, we don’t see it as a personal possession,” says Simon.

“We prefer to think of ourselves as the current custodians of this incredible structure, which is central to the heritage of King’s Lynn and has a huge amount of national significance as well.

It’s an honour to be able to live in such a wonderful building, and it’s a joy to be able to share it whenever we have the opportunity.”

Although Clifton House remains the private home of Simon and Anna, the couple do open their doors to visitors during events such as the Hanse Festival and Heritage Open Day. They also offer regular guided tours of the house, and further details can be found at www.cliftonhouse.org.uk. Simon Thurley will be presenting a talk on Drama and Shakespeare at the Stuart Court at St George’s Guildhall in King’s Lynn on 24th April.

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KLmagazine February 2020

Insuranceinsights Our monthly look at insurance issues for you and your family with the experts at Adrian Flux...

Flood damage insurance: everything you need to know As climate change starts to affect more and more of us, Lewis Wills, household team supervisor at Adrian Flux, talks about Flood Re and the ever-growing importance of flood insurance...

T

here was a time when flood insurance and flood excesses were astronomically overpriced, but when the Flood Re scheme was introduced in 2016 it was developed to bring flood insurance back within the financial grasp of homeowners. It’s something that’s affecting more and more people, and it’s currently estimated by the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy that 370,000 homes are eligible for Flood Re insurance cover.

It’s available to all homeowners living in properties built before 2009, but is doesn’t cover commercial buildings or the buy-to-let market, although tenants can get contents insurance with flood cover through Flood Re. If your home was built after 2009 and is in a high-risk flood area, specialist insurance intermediaries such as Adrian

Flux can help.

The most important thing to note is that insurance companies only decline claims for ‘valid’ reasons, and it’s often the case that they’ve been given (unwittingly or not) incorrect information.

At Adrian Flux we always advise you provide as much detailed and correct information as possible so we can provide a quote that perfectly matches your circumstances and needs.

If you’re unsure whether you’re covered for flood or not, check your policy with a fine-tooth comb and if there’s something you’re unsure about raise it with your provider at the earliest opportunity so your policy can be amended accordingly.

If you do live in a medium- or highrisk flood area you should be prepared for the worst. I live in a seaside town

and know many people who have evacuation plans in place. They know the evacuation centres and have all the essentials in place if they ever have to make a hasty retreat. Flood waters can rise very quickly (they’re not called flash floods for nothing!) so it’s essential to be prepared.

You can sign up for free flood warnings on the Environmental Agency‘s website at www.floodwarning-information.service.gov.uk by entering your postcode to discover if there are any flood risks in your location - and you can register to be kept up to date with any future alerts.

You can also contact us at Adrian Flux. We look at all home insurance needs on a case-by-case basis, so if you do want your property covered for flood damage, please visit our website or call us on 01553 400399.

TEL: 01553 400399 | EMAIL: contact-us@adrianflux.co.uk WEB: www.adrianflux.co.uk

EDQ

KLmagazine February 2020

29

- Ann, member of Oddfellows in King’s Lynn

“

“

It’s given me a new meaning to my life and I’ve met a lot of different people.

ABOVE: Alison Schultz (foreground) is Provincial Corresponding Secretary for the King’s Lynn branch of Oddfellows, which has seen membership increase dramatically over the last year as people discover its special blend of friendship, care and charitable support

Extending the hand of friendship for 180 years In King’s Lynn, the Oddfellows have been improving the quality of people’s lives through friendship, care and charitable support and as KL magazine discovers, there’s nothing odd about that...

L

oneliness can be tough.

Whether through bereavement, a breakdown in a relationship or the inability to find employment, facing the prospect of going through every day with no one to talk to or share a coffee or joke with can be one of the hardest things to bear.

However, many organisations are committed to extending the hand of friendship to those in need of support, and one of the oldest in the country is the Oddfellows.

Established in 1810, Oddfellows is one of the largest friendly societies in the UK, with over 309,000 members

across 121 branches nationwide. It’s non-political, non-religious and notfor-profit, and is run by members for members, aiming to improve the quality of people’s lives, through friendship, care and charitable support.

The busy and thriving branch of Oddfellows in King’s Lynn will be celebrating 180 years this year, and is run by Alison Schultz, Provincial Corresponding Secretary, who’s been a member since birth, having been joined by her grandparents.

“Our motto is friendship, love and truth,” says Alison. “I began working here in 2015 and things have changed very much since then. For example,

we were originally having only one event per month, and due to the huge increase in popularity we now have two events per week - whether a coffee morning, luncheon, quiz day or another activity.”

Alison is ably supported by several volunteers, two of whom, Pat and Delna (who’s been a member since the Second World War) are part of Alison’s welfare team. When Delna’s husband needed care as he became older, she was supported financially and legally

by Oddfellows, and she has nothing but praise for the support she received from the local team and from the head office, which is based in Manchester.

KLmagazine February 2020

31

Pat joined the Oddfellows following her retirement and now runs the seated exercise group. She’s also responsible for recruitment into the organisation and was recognised for her hard work and success in this area at the branch’s Sunday lunch in October 2019, having recruited 23 members over the previous 12 months, making the King’s Lynn branch eighth in the national recruitment league.

When Pat started the exercise group she only had six people attend, but they’ve now had to move into a bigger room to accommodate all those who want to come along.

Another member, Ann, is a recent joiner, having only joined in July last year.

“I lost my husband 18 months ago, and then I happened to meet Delna who suggested I went along to a meeting,” she says. “I was feeling very lonely at the time and couldn’t face going on my own, but she came and took me, and I’ve never looked back.

It’s given me a new meaning to my life and I’ve met a lot of different people.”

The King’s Lynn branch is very successful and vibrant, and Alison is particularly proud that, as well as having 386 adult members, there are also 39 junior members. They’re supported in many ways - if something happens to their parents, for example, they’re able to access the Oddfellows Orphan Gift Fund, which supports their needs.

All the children receive a gift voucher at Christmas and they can also apply for the Oddfellows Educational or Apprenticeship Awards as they get older.

As well as all the social activities, the Oddfellows has a dedicated Citizens’ Advice line, which is run by national advice specialists Citizens’ Advice Manchester, giving members access to two experienced, full-time advisors when they call.

The King’s Lynn branch covers a wide area, from Hunstanton in the north to Long Sutton in the west and as far out as Methwold Hythe. Social events are at the core of most of the activities, and in addition to coffee mornings and lunches, there are shopping trips, quizzes, and two coach trips per year.

One particularly popular activity locally is a walking group, which sets out from the office in Gaywood.

“We have two dogs who go out with the walking group and it’s surprising how much that means to people,” says Alison. “When you’ve had a dog and lost it or can no longer care for it, it’s amazing how much difference these dogs can make, including my dog Frank - who loves all the attention!”

To be a member of the Oddfellows costs as little as £25 a year, which gives members various benefits, ranging from social support, care and welfare and the opportunity to join in a variety of social activities. For an extra £10 per year, optical and dental benefits are also included.

There’s certainly plenty going on in the branch, and Alison is justifiably pleased with how the local membership has increased.

“I’m very proud of us all,” she says.

“Friendship doesn’t start in an empty room – the more people there are, the more magic happens.”

If you’d like to know more about the Oddfellows, please visit the website at www.oddfellows.co.uk or call Alison on 01553 776030 to receive a free local events diary and information pack.

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KLmagazine February 2020

“On my first visit my back was really bad, but I walked out with no pain at all. It really does work as well as everyone is saying...”

- Tim Browne, Terrington St Clement

“I walked out of my first visit with no pain at all...”

Discover how Terry Connolly and a revolutionary new form of therapy can help free you from a life of chronic aches and pains

A

t Free Your Body Therapy in the centre of King’s Lynn, Terry Connolly continues to use amazing new treatment techniques to free people from a life of aches and pains; people like Tim Browne of Terrington St Clement, for example.

“I suffer from severe arthritis in my knees, wrists and hands,” he says, “and more recently my arms started going numb while I was in bed. When I developed lower back pain as well, I thought it was time to do something.”

Tim was already well aware of Free Your Body Therapy, having heard glowing reports of how Terry Connolly had helped his wife, his son, his daughter, his grandchild and several of his friends.

“I kept thinking it couldn’t possibly work as well as everyone kept saying,” he says, “and I didn’t really think Terry would be able to help me.”

Terry Connolly is one of the very few people in the entire world currently

offering P-DTR (Proprioceptive Deep Tendon Reflex) as a form of treatment.

Moreover, he combines that with Anatomy in Motion gait therapy – a cutting-edge method of correcting postural problems that helps with the repair and rehabilitation of past injuries and the relief of pain. Unexpectedly for Tim, the effects were every bit as good (and as rapid) as he’d been told.

“On my first visit my back was really bad,” he says, “but I walked out with no pain at all. I thought it was far too quick and easy for the results to last for long but they did!”

There’s no great secret and no hidden magic to Terry’s treatment – he simply looks at the body and the causes of chronic pain in a completely different way.

“Tim had a cocktail of aches and pains, most of which were the result of spending over 25 years in the plumbing and building trades,” he says.

“Although he’d been advised to reduce any physical activity to a minumum,

Tim is a very active man and a keen cyclist - so for me it was a case of reducing his symptoms, making him as comfortable as possible, and enabling him to do the things he enjoys.”

If you’re interested in freeing yourself from a life of chronic aches and pain, contact Terry today and book an appointment with Free Your Body Therapy. Like Tim (and the rest of his family), you’ll find the results hard to believe.

“I’m still seeing Terry now and again, and I’m following the exercises he’s recommended,” he says, “and best of all I’m still getting on my bike and cycling about six miles a day!”

Old Dairy Units, Austin Fields, King’s Lynn | Tel: 01553 277520 www.freeyourbodytherapy.co.uk

KLmagazine February 2020

Terry Connolly 33

Are these bomb craters, shrieking pits or pingos?

Spotting several mysterious depressions in a number of local fields, Russell Lyon set out on a journey to discover their origins - which took him from the Ice Age to local legends to the Second World War...

- Russell Lyon

“

“

They’re mostly shallow pits in the fields, virtually all round, filled with water and surrounded by trees.

I

f you travel around the Norfolk countryside you may notice some odd pits or circular hollows appearing on otherwise completely flat fields. Most of them are big enough to easily hide a horse and cart or two, and they seem to be especially numerous on the road from Snettisham to Great Bircham.

With a great abundance of trees and bushes appearing out of them like uncontrollable nasal hairs, they tend to jump out of the landscape.

When I first became interested in these intriguing contours in the terrain I asked an archaeologist friend what they might be, and he said he’d originally

believed them to date from the Second World War, the result of German bombers unloading their cargo before or after their intended target.

Initially, I thought they might have been the result of Neolithic miners digging seams of flint - much like they did at Grimes Graves near Thetford.

After some research, I discovered that ‘Shrieking Pits’ can be found all around Aylmerton, Runton and Weybourne. They’re mostly shallow pits in the fields, virtually all round, filled with water and surrounded by trees.

They got their name from local legends of a tall female ghost wandering around weeping while looking into

the depressions for a dead infant.

According to the stories, this was a baby murdered by a jealous Neolithic husband who buried the dead child and then killed his wife.

As is often the case, the truth seemed to be much more mundane. In almost all cases, the pits have been dated from the 9th-11th centuries and were caused by villagers digging for iron ore and smelting it on site.

However, this explanation didn’t seem to work for the deep hollows between Snettisham and Great Bircham, so I looked a bit further could they be caused by a natural phenomenon? Were they former

PICTURES: The local landscape is dotted with mysterious depressions in the ground, and they’ve been the subject of various theories over the years

pingos?

A pingo is a mound of ice-covered earth, and they’re still found in the Arctic and subarctic. Since Norfolk in the Ice Age was covered in glaciers, could these holes have been formed when the permafrost melted and the pingos (no longer supported by ice) collapsed inwards. Old pingos are difficult to prove, but they have been recorded in the Breckland area although they’re not universally round.

Some are oval in shape, and some are even oblong.

The Ice Age explanation didn’t quite seem to fit the rural picture either, so I decided on some more research. Could they be marl pits?

Marl is calcium carbonate or limerich mud that was left behind by retreating glaciers and is now found running like seams along contour

lines. Up to 11 types of marl have been described worldwide, but technically they can all be described as calcareous clay.

During the 17th-19th centuries, local farmers discovered that marl could be dug out of the ground to improve thin and poor topsoil - and when spread on the ground (like fertiliser) it actually improved crop yields. This practice may have been known even before Roman times, long before artificial fertilisers were developed and slaked lime was produced in lime kilns.

For generations, farmers would employ local gangs of men (usually around six) to dig out the marl. It was hard work to excavate, haul and spread the marl, but it was often made easier by digging the pits in the middle of fields - which is clearly the case seen from the Snettisham to Great Bircham road. In many cases you can see that one side of the pit is lower at the sloping end - which made it easier for the carts to be loaded.

Many disused marl pits have filled with water since they were abandoned, but this isn’t the case in those I’ve looked at locally, which are universally dry - due to good drainage I imagine.

It means they now serve

as an oasis for many animals. For most of the year, greenery and vegetation provides cover for many small animals and makes them less vulnerable to attack by predators. With the fields bare and flat and open over the winter months, these pits are like motorway service stations for wildlife as they’re full of food and shelter. An animal can be out of the wind and away from prying eyes. If you creep up on a pit and peer over the edge (especially in the winter) when it’s cold and windy you may very well disturb resting deer.

However, please be responsible and follow The Countryside Code at all times.

Disused marl pits seem to be the best explanation for these strange holes in the ground, and it’s nice to think that long after their industrial use they’ve now returned to the land and are an unexpected bonus for local wildlife and nature lovers.

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KLmagazine February 2020

At Rudd Joinery, the difference is always clear With more choice, better performance and strong green credentials, it’s no wonder people are turning to timber for their home improvements

T

his year an estimated three million households in the UK will be investing in ‘green’ home improvements, and the majority of those will involve new or replacement windows, doors and conservatories.

The good news is that just outside Fakenham, Jamie Rudd and the team at Rudd Joinery are producing a superior range of high quality handcrafted timber products - expertly designed and produced at the company’s very own manufacturing facility.

Even better, whereas uPVC products are generally mass-produced, Rudd Joinery’s performance windows, doors and conservatories are all completely bespoke - which means they can be custom-designed to suit your particular property, with a wide range of styles, colours, and ironmongery to make your home truly individual.

“Timber frames are stronger and acoustically better

than plastic as well, so they’re ideal for larger projects,” says Jamie, “and they can even be dual-coloured, so you can have one colour facing outwards and another more suited to your home’s interior.”

A perfectly natural and highlyefficient insulator, together with modern paint systems and innovative design elements timber will outperform uPVC and isn’t as cold to the touch as aluminium frames, and it’s even good for the planet as well.

“Responsibly-farmed timber is endorsed by Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund as the greenest choice for windows, doors and conservatories,” says Jamie. “It’s a fully recyclable material and it’s better for the atmosphere too - because uPVC creates around 200,000 tonnes of waste a year and contains almost 50% of the 15 most hazardous chemicals listed by European standards.”

As part of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), Rudd Joinery

works to the very highest standards - combining the beauty of the past with technology of the present and exceptional craftsmanship skills to create outstanding high-performance products that are individually tailored to suit your home.

For a totally new view of windows, doors and conservatories, please visit Rudd Joinery’s dedicated showroom near Fakenham today and chat to a member of the team over a coffee about your next project.

The difference is clear!

KLmagazine February 2020

37

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KLmagazine February 2020

Lettingbetter Our monthly round up of the latest news and legislation concerning landlords and tenants in the private rented sector with Edmonton Estates Director

Damien Simone

Quickfact Annual gas safety inspections for rental properties were part of legislation introduced in 1998.

Sparking conversation

W

elcome to February’s Letting Better. Several items of interest in the lettings world have crossed my desk during the past month but this month we are going to focus on the one which is going to affect every landlord and tenant. This is the new electrical safety regulations which are expected to come into force now from July this year.

Landlords and agents will need to ensure electrical installation inspections and testing are carried out for all new tenancies in England from 1 July 2020 or from 1 April 2021 for existing tenancies.

The regulations require landlords to ensure that every fixed electrical installation is inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person. The main parameters of how the reports should be handled are as follows: • The landlord is required to obtain a report which gives the results of the inspection and test, supply that report

to each tenant within 28 days and retain a copy until the next inspection is due.

• Upon request the report must be provided to the local housing authority within 7 days.

• The private landlord must supply a copy of the last report to any new tenant before occupation, or any prospective tenant within 28 days of a request from the prospective tenant.

• The regulations require local housing authorities to enforce the rules and have the power to arrange remedial action.

• Proven breaches of the regulations can result in the local housing authority imposing a financial penalty of up to £30,000.

The crucial wording here is that an electrical installation inspection must be carried out before “all new tenancies” which means that if you have a property which is prone to a high level of tenant turn-over you will be having to pay for another inspection test before a new tenancy

Edmonton Estates Ltd, Nelson House, Bergen Way, King’s Lynn PE30 2DE 01553 660615 • www.edmontonestates.co.uk • info@edmontonestates.co.uk

can commence. Feasibly this could then occur every 6 months which will be a notable additional cost if occurring at that rate of regularity.

At Edmonton Estates we are already in talks with a local electrical firm regarding a competitive rate for the initial inspection as well as a discounted charge should it need to be retested within 12 months to try and ease some of the expense to our landlords.

I am very much of the opinion that electrical safety within the private rented sector has long been neglected in favour of legislation aimed at undermining Section 21 Notices and increasing tax revenue from landlords.

To finally solidify a periodic testing process in law rather than simply as guidelines is, I believe a positive advance.

Independent Lettings & Property Management Specialists

KLmagazine February 2020

39

ABOVE: Just one of the many finds unearthed by Steve Clarkson, this rare silver penny features a portrait of Alexander III of Scotland

Uncovering the past and rewriting history...

Norfolk is the national capital of metal detecting, with thousands of finds reported every year shedding more light on our fascinating past and few people have uncovered more than Steve Clarkson

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orfolk has always been one of the major centres in the UK for Roman and Medieval history and more items of treasure are reported in Norfolk every year than the whole of the rest of the UK put together. There are therefore a lot of metal detectorists in East Anglia and because of this, the area has also become a bit of a mecca for American and Australian detectorists to come and join organised holidays led by specialist guides.

One of these guides, Steve Clarkson, has been metal detecting for over 25 years, having initially been introduced to beach combing, field walking and Archaeology as a child by his best friend. Although by his own admission he hated history at school, as it was, from his recollection, mostly about the

recent 20th century.

His interest became sparked by Roman, Saxon and medieval history during a summer spent at the age of 16 on an archaeological dig near Norwich; he became intrigued by the whole business of recovering and recording history and so 25 years ago he took up metal detecting as a hobby.

Since then, Steve has become a very successful detectorist, recording thousands of finds with the museum services and has possibly found more hoards than anyone else in Norfolk.

These hoards, as Steve explains, fall under the Treasure Act and have strict criteria.

“The definition of a hoard is two or more coins over 300 years old which have been found in close proximity and are of roughly the same age,” he says.

“The 1996 Treasure Act changed this to include base metal hoards, as in Bronze Age axes and spearheads.”

One particularly significant hoard

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that Steve found is known as the Kett’s Rebellion Hoard, a stash of Henry Vlll silver groats and half groats, dating from 1549.

“They were found outside a hall used as a siege base in Norfolk, which was associated with Kett’s Rebellion,” he says. “Robert Kett was the leader of a group who rebelled against the enclosure of common land by landowners for their own use.

Unfortunately, he was found guilty of treason and hanged at Norwich Castle.”

As well as coins, there are many different types of treasure: objects which are at least 10% silver or gold can potentially be classed as treasure.

“When they’re found, they should be handed into the Finds Liaison Officer, but in my view, I think everything should be recorded,” says Steve.

“There’s something called the Portable Antiquities Scheme and everything should go through this to be recorded via the museum service. It’s our history and we should make sure we know where things come from.”

Steve set up his metal detecting holidays to provide enthusiastic detectorists with the opportunity of searching for their own treasure. Mostly coming from the USA, Canada or Australia, Steve’s clients are often seasoned detectorists who are looking for something a little different, and who are not likely to find anything of such historical interest in their own countries.

“With my background in working with the museum service and with my archaeological experience, I make sure it’s all done properly,” says Steve. “All the items found are photographed, identified and recorded, and landowners and farmers can have

a record of what’s found on their land.”

The holidays Steve provides (which can involve 12 full days of detecting) are fully planned to include arable farmland which has the potential to yield things of interest.

He provides high-end accommodation, personal attention (he always goes out every day with the group) and a good experience overall. Even in wet or cold weather, they still go out looking for treasure.

With so many detectorists in Norfolk, the hardest thing is getting new search permissions, and Steve is constantly looking for farmland which hasn’t been detected before and getting landowners onboard.

He spends many hours researching and negotiating before landowners allow their land to be used. Most of Steve’s holidays are held during September and October, after the harvest and before the fields need to be drilled and sown for the next crop.

Another hat Steve wears is that of a professional metal detectorist.

“As far as I’m aware I’m the only specialist metal detectorist in the whole of the UK who has CIFA (Chartered Institute of Archaeologists) accreditation as a detectorist,” he says.

“That means I can be called in to new build sites by archaeological companies to professionally detect, record and identify any finds before any

Our group

construction begins.”

Steve has obvious enthusiasm for his craft and is particularly proud of some of his finds over the years. The best he ever found was a Saxon silver penny, with the inscription of Ethelred of East Anglia on it - it was only the fifth example ever found and the earliest one, dating from approximately 869AD. The coin is now on display in Norwich Castle Museum as part of their Viking exhibition.

And only as recently as last October, while out with his clients, Steve and his group found two hoards, including four Roman silver denarii, and a hoard of Bronze Age axeheads. A rare find of note was a William I silver penny, minted by Godric of Norwich, which can be dated to 1080-83AD. If you would like to know more about Steve’s tours, please contact him at steve@icenimdt.com or on 07564 543954

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KLmagazine February 2020

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West Norfolk: Then & Now

LOOKING BACK IN TIME AT ST JAMES STREET St James Street in King’s Lynn is one of the town’s most historic shopping streets, sitting within the St Margaret’s Conservation Area and also forms part

of the borough council’s Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) scheme.

Although it’s tempting to think the man in the centre of the image is about to take a driving lesson for (or with) the Auto School of Motoring, he could well have been crossing the road to visit the RAC Restaurant, which was located directly opposite. The RAC still

operates a number of restaurants for its members today. Cars and men’s fashions may have changed since then, but the recently-restored building in the background remains one of the town’s few surviving examples of Art Deco architecture. If anyone can tell us more about this end of St James Street, we’d love to hear your stories.

You can share your old photos of the area with us on social media @klmagazine 44

KLmagazine February 2020

A courier service with a personal touch...

Griff Transport Solutions and their exciting new courier service are ready to get your business moving

W

hether you need a crucial item transported urgently, or the peace of mind from knowing a document has been handed straight to the person who needs it, using a courier can be exactly the solution to your business needs.

And Griff Transport Solutions have recently expanded their services to offer a courier service that truly exemplifies their locally-based, customer-focused approach to transport.

“The way I put it is that we move products like we move people,” says Simon Griffiths, the founder of the company. “I set up my business ten years ago and we’ve always focused on patient transport - when you’re taking clients to hospital or medical

appointments it can be a stressful time, so exceptional customer care is crucial.

And this personal touch is exactly what we’re bringing to our courier service.”

All of Griff Transport Solutions’ drivers have passed enhanced checks to become licensed taxi drivers, as well as meeting the firm’s own rigorous internal requirements.

“You can be sure that when you hand anything to one of our drivers you’re handing it to an exceptionally trustworthy person who’ll look after it like they would a customer,” says Simon. “Whether it’s a valuable item or a document containing sensitive information, you can place your trust in us.”

Griff Transport Solutions also offer the assurance that the courier you hand your package to will look after it during its entire journey – door-to-door service with no stops once it has been picked up from you.

Griff Transport Solutions are based

in King’s Lynn so they know the area extremely well, can get to you (and your customers) quickly, and they understand the particular needs of Norfolk businesses.

Their reputation for reliability will give you peace of mind about your regular deliveries, and they’re flexible enough to respond to the most urgent requests.

The fleet includes a specially-adapted vehicle that can transport up to 250kg - so whether you need a single piece of paper delivered or a load of engineering parts sent across the country, Griff Transport Solutions can handle it.

“We’ve got a new financial year around the corner and a new clarity about what the future holds for the business world,” says Simon. “And we’re ready to help get your business up to speed.”

Contact Griff Transport Solutions today to discuss how their courier service can help you using the details below.

01553 970 004

info@griffnorfolkltd.co.uk www.griffnorfolk.co.uk

KLmagazine February 2020

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The plants that don’t shy away from the shade It’s tempting to ignore the darker areas of our gardens, but as Wendy Warner explains, there are plenty of beautiful plants and flowers that actually enjoy - and can even thrive - in the shade

W

hat can I plant in a shady spot in my garden?” is one of the most common questions asked by customers at the garden centre.

Everyone thinks of shade as being an awkward condition to grow in, and many gardens have a shady corner that’s simply been left bare for that reason. But there’s no need for this – by choosing the right plants you can bring texture and colour to brighten up these dark spaces throughout the year.

Firstly, it’s important to establish the degree and type of shade you have, which is based on the time an area is without sun coupled with the density of cover.

But there are many different types of shade.

Deep shade can be found under dense tree cover where very little or no sunlight gets through (although this may be lessened in the winter if the trees are deciduous and have lost their leaves) or where walls or building overhangs completely block the sun.

Partial shade is a position where there are a few hours of direct sun - but there is shade for at least half the day.

Light shade is an area open to the sky but not getting direct sunlight, and dappled shade is diffused light such as that coming through between a row of trees.

In addition to this, some areas of shade will be dry whilst others are damp. Dry shade can be found at the base of walls away from the direction of the wind where it’s sheltered from any rain and also beneath large, shallowrooted trees - and even more so where these situations are combined with light sandy or chalky soil.

Damp shade is more likely to appear on heavier soils and this can become very wet as there’s no sun to dry the ground out after heavy rain.

All plants require some degree of light, but many actually benefit from being in a shady position. Some perennials will grow in full sun but will look healthier in a shaded position.

Astilbes with their plumes of pink or white flowers will give an amazing show in light to moderate shade as their leaves won’t burn and shrivel as they would do in full sun - and their flowers won’t fade as quickly.

By growing members of the primula family and pulmonarias (lungwort) in shade you’ll find they don’t have that appearance of wilting on hot days and hostas, heucheras and dicentra (bleeding heart) won’t get nasty

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“It’s often thought that all summer bedding plants need full sun, but even some of these will tolerate and even perform better in the shade....” scorched, brown patches on their leaves.

Although hostas and heucheras are grown more for their attractive leaf colour and texture, they both have delicate bell-shaped flowers which can be appreciated more when they aren’t lost against more spectacular colours in border. Hydrangeas too will be less prone to wilting, flower longer and keep their rich colour if positioned in shade.

Probably the best lovers of natural shade are ferns, with everything from amazing tree ferns to tiny leaved varieties that will grow in crevices in walls - and you’ll find varieties suitable for every shady spot, be it dry or damp.

For winter and early spring, many of our garden bulbs would naturally grow in a woodland position - so shade is ideal as long as it’s not too damp, which could cause the bulbs to rot.

Snowdrops, aconites, bluebells, wood anemones and many of the dwarf narcissi grow particularly well amongst trees and shrubs. Lily of the valley and cyclamen coum will perform well in dry shade.

At this time of the year, Sarcococca (Christmas box) with its highly-scented white flowers and skimmias with their red buds opening into small white flowers will all give interest in the shade.

My personal favourite for shade is hellebores (lenten rose) which seem to be flowering earlier every year and I’ve just removed all the old leaves from mine to show off the beautiful pink, white, purple or nearly black flowers to their best.

I grow some in shady spots in the garden and others in pots and move them to a prime position on the patio when they’re coming into bloom, and demote them to a tucked-away corner in the

shade throughout the summer when they’re just leaf.

If you have a shaded wall there are a few climbing plants that will thrive well. Evergreen clematis armandii and climbing hydrangea petiolaris will give flowers, and Virginia creeper and climbing variegated-leafed ivies will give great foliage colour.

It’s often thought that all summer bedding plants need full sun, but even some of these will tolerate and even perform better in the shade. Many fuchsias, both hardy and the tender types, begonias and impatiens (busy lizzies) will give brighten up a shady spot.

Why not plant up a hanging basket or wall trough with trailing fuchsias or cascading begonias to give a pop of colour in a shady corner this summer?

YOU AND YOUR GARDEN Wendy Warner is the Manager of Thaxters Garden Centre in Dersingham.

You can visit the website at www. thaxters.co.uk or telephone 01485 541514. If you’d like some inspiration for your garden or have a particular issue or variety of plant you’d like Wendy to look at, please contact us at info@klmagazine.co.uk.

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KLmagazine February 2020

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KLmagazine February 2020

Neil John

PARTNER Civil Litigation

A helping hand through workplace injury claims Last year, almost 581,000 people sustained a non-fatal injury while at work. Neil John of Fraser Dawbarns LLP has some practical advice on what to do if you are injured in your workplace...

I

f you’re injured at work, the injury may be only one of the things you have to worry about. You may be concerned about being disloyal to your employer, and you may even be anxious about speaking to a solicitor - because you’re worried that once you do you’ll be pressured into making a claim.

Even if you’re unsure whether or not to pursue a claim there are things you can do following an injury which can make your life easier in the event you decide to make a claim later.

Immediately after your injury you should contact the first aider at your workplace for immediate treatment - and you should visit a doctor or hospital if necessary. Getting treatment for your injury should always be your primary concern.

Report the injury to your colleagues and manager so potential hazards can be made safe - but also to ensure a

record is in place. Ensure the incident is recorded in your workplace’s accident book.

If your employer won’t record your injury, make a written request for one.

Having a copy of this in your personal e-mail account will be evidence that you’ve tried to report the accident.

At Fraser Dawbarns we recommend you keep detailed records of how the injury has affected you - include photographs and a diary of any pain and symptoms resulting from the injury.

Keeping track of expenses and losses caused by your injury will be invaluable if you decide to pursue a claim.

Be aware that you’re only able to make a claim within three years of the accident - or within three years of your realisation that your injury is associated with your workplace. The latter is useful in the case of exposure to toxic substances which may not have immediately apparent effects.

If you do decide to make a claim, it‘s reassuring to know someone with experience is on your side.

As the personal injury specialist at

Fraser Dawbarns, I have over 20 years experience handling claims - ranging from an abattoir worker who was injured when half a pig carcass fell on them to injuries resulting from workplace assaults.

In fact, I’m proud to say that last year’s edition of The Legal 500 kindly described me as follows: “He responded quickly and was comprehensive in explanations when outlining his suggested course of action. He listened!”

At Fraser Dawbarns, our first appointment for personal injury claims is free and we also offer a genuine ‘no win, no fee’ agreement if we believe your claim has a reasonable chance of success - but we’ll never pressure you to proceed.

Whether your injury at work is due to faulty machinery, unsafe practices or other people’s actions, please call us on 01945 461456 today and ask for details of how to proceed with your workplace injury claim.

21 Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1JW Tel: 01553 666600 Fax: 01553 767221 DX: 57800 KINGS LYNN Web: www.fraserdawbarns.com E-mail: info@fraserdawbarns.com

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ABOVE: John Laflin and Nicole Fabre are recognised around the world both for their striking original designs and for their expert skills in the accurate reproduction of historic fabrics

Stunning new designs with a focus on tradition You may have thought the golden age of textile design died with William Morris in 1896, but from their base in west Norfolk, Nicole Fabre Designs is giving antique patterns a modern makeover

S

oon after she first arrived in England over 50 years ago with a plan to learn the language, Nicole Fabre was offered a place at the University of Medicine in Houston, Texas to train as a plastic surgeon. But, as can happen with the best laid plans, Nicole soon started following another path entirely and is now one of the best known designers and producers of woven and exquisitely-printed fabrics based on antique French textiles.

She began her working life in Romsey, Hampshire, where she worked as an antique dealer - but soon discovered that many of her clients were coming to her to buy fabrics.

“My passion is antique textiles and I was always attracted by them,” she says. “Lots of people were coming to

me with samples of materials asking if I could reproduce them.”

Nicole moved to London in 1993 and opened a shop in the King’s Road, dealing with antique textiles and costumes from all over the world.

When a friend suggested she could reproduce her own fabrics, she realised she had no idea how to do it, and began looking for someone with experience in the business. After a long search she met John Laflin, who’d

been Design Director of Textiles at Liberty of London for 24 years and by

chance had left and was now working as a freelance designer.

They started working together and within a year had become business partners. Nicole Fabre Designs was born. John had both the knowledge and the connections, and was also particularly skilled in knowing about repeat patterns on textiles.

“A lot of fabrics produced in the 18th century were block, or flatbed, prints,” says Nicole. “To reproduce this, after choosing which fabrics we want to work with, John works on the repeat and the colours, whereas I deal with the stock. My knowledge about antique

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textiles is intense as I’ve collected and dealt in fabrics over many years and I’ve also taken classes at Christies and Sothebys.”

To produce their fabrics, Nicole and John develop the designs from their 18th-century textile archive. Having worked on the repeats, the designs are then printed or woven to reproduce the originals as closely as possible.

“Sometimes we have to adapt them as the designs aren’t complete and we have to make up the missing parts,” says John. “Also, with printing one can be pretty accurate - but with weaving it’s often an interpretation because the techniques have changed so much over the centuries.”

The majority of the woven fabrics are produced in Suffolk. Incredibly, with two samples produced 300 years apart, it’s almost impossible to tell them apart, such is John’s expertise in designing the repeat pattern and the weaver’s skill at reproducing the fabric. The material is still made using cotton, linen, flax, wool and silk, but the addition of modern

polyester gives it the strength to be used for upholstery.

As well as woven fabrics, Nicole and John also produce printed fabrics, again using skilled printers in the UK at locations in Kent and London. And recently Nicole has formed an alliance with Pukka Prints, a company producing handblocked prints on linen, which are all printed in Jaipur in India, long regarded as the place for block printing.

The designs are printed on hardwood with no grain, so the results are flawless.

“I went off to India and we had by then decided to open another company with Pukka Prints and call it Pukka Fabre, using the highly-skilled print workers in Jaipur,” says Nicole. “We’ve just launched our new block print designs, and instead of retiring, I’m just getting busier and busier!”

Nicole Fabre Designs has become a truly international company - from their base in west Norfolk, Nicole and John are in charge of distribution all over the world. Their fabrics, however, are stored in Dorset and distributed in the UK by Tissus d’Helene of London.

The majority of the fabric is made into curtains and upholstery, although

“Lots of people were coming to me with samples of materials and asking if I could reproduce them...”

Nicole is often approached for guidance from clients to help with decorating.

“Customers see how I’ve put materials together and I’m always happy to help,” says Nicole.

As well as supplying retailers and individuals worldwide, Nicole and John work with leading international decorators and organisations such as the National Trust, and have been involved in a variety of private projects.

They were invited to supply an 18th-century design printed on glazed cotton to complement the wallpaper in the East Wing Chinese Bedroom at Harewood House in Yorkshire, and their fabrics have also been used for costumes in a number of period films, including Beauty and the Beast and Pirates of the Caribbean.

For Nicole and John, life is busy.

As well as the launch of Pukka Fabre, they’re working on new designs for their original company, Nicole Fabre Designs. There will always be a demand for high quality bespoke fabric, and with their background, expertise and passion, retirement is surely a long way off!

For more information on Nicole Fabre Designs, please visit the website at www.nicolefabredesigns.com

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KLmagazine February 2020

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Flowers and frills, leaves and lace: a spring wedding is the perfect chance to make your special day a romantic, pastoral dream! Charming and understated touches are ideal for couples who want to put their quirky and individualistic side on show – love won’t be the only thing blossoming!

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Veni Infantino dress by Ronald Joyce

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KLmagazine February 2020

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This elegant shoe comes in a range of classic colours that will complement any outfit – all with a subtle shimmer to get you in the party mood from head to toe!

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KLmagazine February 2020

Free Suit Hire for the Groom when four or more suits are hired

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Styletip Play with textures!

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KLmagazine February 2020

3D IM D AG EN IN TAL G

An exciting new view on the future of dentistry...

Using the latest developments in dental technology, The Priestgate Clinic offers some of the most advanced treatments in the UK

W

e’ve been looking after our oral health for thousands of years (the earliest known filling was carried out 6,500 years ago) but recent advances in technology means that we’ll never look at dentistry in quite the same way again.

Recognised as one of the UK’s leading authorities and innovators in the field of orthodontics, Richard Cousley had been consultant orthodontist at Peterborough City Hospital for 16 years when he left in 2017 to set up a friendly local practice offering the highest clinical standards and the latest diagnostic tools.

In fact The Priestgate Clinic - located in a beautiful Grade II listed building in the centre of Peterborough - is one of the very few centres in the whole of the UK to offer such specialised treatments.

“I wanted to build a people-friendly and state-of-the-art clinic which would make the most of modern technology for the benefit of patients,” says Richard. “Using 3D imaging in the diagnosis and planning of treatment

has huge advantages both for me as a consultant and for the patient in terms of treatment options and successful outcomes.”

Whereas traditional x-rays have only ever offered a two-dimensional picture (leaving dentists and orthodontists to ‘fill in’ the missing information with educated guesswork and assumptions), The Priestgate Clinic uses dental cone beam tomography and intraoral scanning to create incredibly detailed 3D views of the teeth, gums, jaws and facial structure that can be examined from every angle, digitally sectioned, and rotated through 360o.

“Because it reveals a level of detail we simply couldn’t see otherwise, this technology allows us to be significantly more accurate - and makes the results of the chosen treatment much more predictable,” says Richard.

It also eliminates the need for the familiar plaster impressions, offering Richard and his team the ability to move individual teeth with unprecedented precision in the creation of dental appliances.

With two experienced general

dentists, a consultant in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, a hygienist, three comfortable treatment rooms and a support team of nursing and reception staff, The Priestgate Clinic also takes a truly 21st-century approach to general dentistry.

“Our clinic focuses on minimallyinvasive treatments, disease prevention and the preservation of healthy dental tissues,” says Richard, “and we’re even using revolutionary ideas such as biometric ‘healing’ materials for reconstructive and repair work.”

From minor improvements and aligners to jaw surgery and complex clinical conditions, The Priestgate Clinic brings the future of dentistry closer to home in a friendly and relaxing environment.

THE PRIESTGATE CLINIC

26 Priestgate, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE1 1WG Tel: 01733 865000 • Web: www.priestgateclinic.co.uk • Email: reception@priestgateclinic.co.uk KLmagazine February 2020

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“

“

I really believe that coming to a salon for any treatment, big or small, should be a relaxing experience that increases your wellbeing.

- Lilian L’Amour, salon manager

ABOVE: The pedicure stations are equipped with massage chairs for a totally relaxing experience

Salon@ - your local destination for beauty It’s an exciting new era for Salon@ in Downham Market after it opens two luxurious state-of-the-art beauty treatment rooms...

A

fter opening two years ago in premises shared with Charmed Interiors, Salon@ has quickly made a name for itself as one of the best hair and beauty salons in the area. In fact, its reputation has grown so quickly that when changes to the Charmed Interiors business were planned, the team at Salon@ felt the time was right to expand.

“We decided that our premises in Downham Market were no longer the best fit for Charmed Interiors,” says general manager Darren Sutton, “and it seemed obvious that expanding the salon would make the best use of them.

We’ve been fully booked since virtually the day we opened, so we knew the demand was there.”

You can still visit Charmed Interiors

in their Spalding showroom to see an amazing range of bedding, home furnishings, gifts and more, including top brands like Ted Baker, Orla Kiely and Cath Kidston. Or you can order online from the website, which offers free delivery for orders over £20.

“Like lots of people in retail, we’re adapting our business to suit our customers’ needs better,” explains Darren. “Our Spalding shop has been going from strength to strength since we moved into bigger premises eighteen months ago – pop in and explore what we have to offer; we’d love to see you there.”

And while Charmed Interiors has moved on, the Downham Market location is proving ideal for the newly expanded Salon@.

Salon manager Lilian L’Amour

founded Salon@ with the philosophy of ‘a luxurious experience at an affordable price’ and looking around the salon it’s clear to see this vision has been embodied.

Upstairs in this charming barn conversion Salon@ has increased its hair salon to eight chairs and offers every kind of cut, colour, styling or

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PICTURES: The sumptuously-decorated new upstairs reception area (above). The newly created treatment rooms with massage table and Luxura X7 tanning bed (right)

treatment you could want. There are two manicure stations and a makeup station, and the newly-redecorated waiting area provides a charming welcome and the chance to enjoy a tea or coffee before your treatment.

But it’s downstairs where the real changes are to be seen, with the creation of two large purpose-built beauty treatment rooms, a state-ofthe-art Luxura X7 tanning bed room, two massage pedicure stations, a shower room and more.

“The treatment rooms aren’t just standard: they have electric blankets, they can raise you electronically if you need it, and you can listen to your own music soundtrack – they’re amazing,” says Lilian. “It’s all part of our approach of personalising every treatment to you.

I really believe that coming to a salon for any treatment, big or small, should be a relaxing experience that increases your wellbeing – a chance for you to be looked after.”

Under Lilian’s leadership the salon has grown quickly to become an outstanding team of twelve talented hairstylists and beauticians.

“In 2019 we were finalists in the Muddy Stilettoes Norfolk awards in the Best Hair Salon category,” says Lilian.

“This was a fantastic achievement after being open a relatively short time, and it’s thanks to my amazing team - I’m so proud of them. We’re looking forward to competing in the Best Beauty Salon

category this year now we have our new treatment rooms!”

This new space allows an exciting development for Salon@ - they can offer the services of a fully-qualified aesthetic nurse. Based at the salon one day a week initially, she’ll be able to provide a range of rejuvenating skin treatments including dermal fillers, dermaplaning, microneedling, NeoStrata glycolic acid facial peels.

It couldn’t be more convenient to visit Salon@, with ample parking and extended opening hours. The salon is open six days a week now - Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm. They’re also open on Sunday and late weekday evenings, by prior appointment, just contact the salon to arrange one.

“The parking is free – whether you’re popping in for a three-minute tanning session or you’re a large group staying hours for a pamper party,” says Lilian.

“And our location is discreet; there’s no need to walk across the town centre to your car when you’ve just had a facial!”

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for a special someone, why not treat them to some of the luxurious beauty products Salon@ offer, or encourage them to pamper themselves with a gift voucher for a treatment? You could even treat yourself too – Salon@ specialise in pamper parties.

Whether it’s a princess party for youngsters, a prom party for school leavers, or a pin-up party before a big night out, your whole group will leave Salon@ feeling fabulous.

Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers available in store.

Mention KL magazine and you’ll receive

10% OFF the price of all products (excluding Dermalogica)

The Hythe, Bridge Road, Downham Market PE38 0AE 01366 321417 | www.salonatcharmedinteriors.co.uk 66

KLmagazine February 2020

Visit our 35,000ft2 showroom Full of top quality furnishings from the store that puts customer care and service above all else!

Showroom open 7 days a week: Mon to Fri: 8.30-5 Sat: 9-5 Sun: 10-4

BEDROOM | LIVING ROOM | DINING ROOM | CARPETS | ACCESSORIES Tel: 01945 410226

www.elses.co.uk

Leverington Common, Wisbech PE13 5JN

KLmagazine February 2020

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The local cheese with the national reputation It’s the only traditional raw milk Brie-de-Meaux style cheese produced in the UK, and it’s one of the country’s most delicious cheeseboard essentials. KL magazine enjoys a taste of Fen Farm Dairy...

S

urrounded by the beautiful marshland of the Waveney Valley on the Suffolk/Norfolk border, Fen Farm stands in the shadow of Bungay Castle, on land once owned by the 11th/12thcentury Earls of Norfolk - who belonged to the influential Bigod family.

More recently, the Crickmore family had been dairy farming at Fen Farm for more than 70 years, producing raw unpasteurised milk from their herd of Holstein Friesian cows - at least until the late 1990s, when the pressures of fluctuating milkprices led the family to copnsider diversification as their only option.

At the time, Jonny Crickmore and his wife Dulcie, together with Jonny’s parents Frances and Graham were selling their raw cows’ milk from the farm gate and making it into a delicious

raw cultured butter.

“We believe that we rediscovered something that many have forgotten - that the very best food in the world is the simplest, straight from nature to your plate,” says Jonny.

“I felt it was sad that no one was making it locally and wanted to bring it back, to have cattle grazing on the marshes and to create what was once a valued British commodity.”

However, that is history, and Fen Farm is now the home of the soft

ABOVE: Jonny Crickmore and his wife Dulcie with their children on the family farm which is home to one of the area’s most delicious and best-loved cheeses

unpasteurised Baron Bigod Brie cheese - which is widely regarded as one of the very best cheeses in the whole country. It won the Gold Medal at the British Cheese Awards in 2017, the James Aldridge Memorial Award for Best British Raw Milk Cheese in 2018, and followed that by picking up a Food Hero Award for Outstanding Achievement at the East Suffolk Food & Drinks Awards.

Last year, Fen Farm were judged Best Manufacturer at the National Rural Business Awards, and also added the Food and Farming Excellence Award from the Suffolk Business Awards to the trophy cabinet.

It’s just over ten years since Jonny Crickmore started researching the cheese-making market and discovered a niche in the UK that warranted further investigation.

“There’d been a real increase in farmhouse cheese-making using new unpasteurised milk, sheep and goat milk,” he says, “but there was no fine farmhouse Brie to rival the French Brie de Meaux.”

KLmagazine February 2020

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“Many have forgotten the very best food in the world is the simplest, straight from nature to your plate...”

Cheese making was obviously the next challenge for Fen Farm, Jonny hadn’t chosen the easiest route to take.

“We deliberately chose a cheese that no one else was making and quickly realised why,” he says, “because it’s really difficult to do!”

Advice from a French dairy consultant suggested replacing the Holstein Friesian herd with Montbéliarde cows, which produce a rich milk that’s perfect for making cheese. This sent Jonny and Dulcie on a week-long tour of the Jura region in France to check out the Montbéliardes, returning to continue their research, attending cheese-making courses and conducting their own experiments.

The final ‘go ahead’ decision required huge investment. Jonny and Dulcie built a new custom-designed dairy providing specialised areas for each stage of the cheese-making process with temperature and humidity controls maintaining the perfect conditions at all time.

Jonny has produced a video that explains what now goes into his day from bringing the herd in for milking at 5am to the finished process in the cheese-making room, showing various

ABOVE: Jonny Crickmore and his multiaward-winning Baron Bigod cheese are changing people’s attitudes towards fresh unpasteurised milk

aspects of his work.

“The cheese is created from milk which is still warm from the cow’s body and is untouched by human hand,” he says. “It’s gravity-fed from the milking parlour into the cheese building, and production starts there and then. We use the traditional way of making cheese and we’re really passionate about our process - it really is unique.”

The new building is capable of producing up to around 100 tonnes a year, but it’s not quantity that counts at Fen Farm.

“We don’t want to grow so much that we become just another factory product,” says Jonny. “By 2012, our cheese production had increased to about 60 tonnes per year and we’re continuing to market farm shops, delis, restaurants and online customers.”

The subject of using raw unpasteurised milk has always been controversial and has raised questions over safety, but support is rapidly growing for its use.

Jonny and his fellow producers are seeking the collaboration of other cheese-makers in setting up a cooperative to provide advice and information on producing (and consuming) raw milk safely. The Raw Milk Producers’ Association works with industry regulators such as the Food Standards Agency.

“It’s a new approach,” he says, “and we’d like

to see it build into a constructive and understanding relationship.”

In the meantime, Jonny is more than happy to explain his ambitions for the farm.

“We want to see the sales of Baron Bigod grow but possibly with a second cheese alongside it,” he says, “However, it’s always been our aim to produce quality cheese that’s not massproduced for the supermarkets.”

And there may be a further treat in store this year following Jonny’s recent visit to Iceland - where he learned how to make skyr, which has the consistency of Greek yogurt but with a milder flavour.

It sounds as though Jonny and his family will soon be looking for another trophy cabinet.

For more details and information - and details of where you can enjoy a taste of Fen Farm’s delicious cheese, please see the website at www.fenfarmdairy. co.uk

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KLmagazine February 2020

Arrival 7:30pm for a pre-dinner drink

b

the berney

gourmet wine dinner

MENU

Heritage Beetroot Salad Pomegranate and Orange Molasses, Feta Cheese, Herb & Pinenut Salad Pan Roasted Scallops, Curried Cauliflower Wild mushrooms, Crispy Pancetta Daube of Beef Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks, Celeriac & Apple Puree, Green Beans, Truffle Sauce, Crispy Parsnips

12th march 2020 £59.95 per head

Join us in our beautiful Grey Partridge restaurant for 5 courses, each presented by our head chef Rob Stayte with his interpretation of the food and flavours.

Together with wine development specialist Katie Gardner’s expertise as she picks wines to perfectly complement our delicious dishes.

The Berney, Church Road, Barton Bendish PE33 9GF f l

Sit down for dinner at 8pm

Call no to boo w k 01366 : 347995

Tonka Bean Crème Brulee With a Pistachio Ice-cream, Almond Shortbread Mrs Temple’s Gurneys Gold Norfolk Cheese Crackers, Grape Jelly, Celery, Apple Chutney

Book now for our

Valentine’s menu Available Friday 14th & Saturday 15th

Visit our website for full menu

The Style Show

The fashion show with a difference!

Thursday 19th March, 7pm Tickets £22pp - Includes a

two-course supper, fashion show, and clothing sale. Funds raised will go to the Keeping Abreast Charity

Impress your Valentine with delicious local fish Local oysters for Valentines Lobsters & shellfish Fresh Brancaster mussels Wide range of fresh & smoked fish Jumbo raw prawns Free range eggs & local honey

Plus!

Deli counter with quality local cheeses

D NALDS NS A fresh taste of the sea

Great Bircham, King’s Lynn PE31 6RJ | Tel: 01485 578 265

www.thekingsheadcountryhotel.co.uk

Austin Fields, King’s Lynn | Tel: 01553 772241 OPEN: Tues/Wed/Thurs 7am-4pm, Fri 7am-5pm, Sat 7am-3pm

KLmagazine February 2020

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our e on l b a u l Avai ne’s men i nt h Vale & 15t 14th uary Febr

Prosecco & raspberry posset with ginger tuile 1

Serves: 2

Blend raspberries and prosecco, push through a fine sieve to remove seeds (discard the seeds).

INGREDIENTS 200g frozen raspberries, defrosted 5tbsp of prosecco 250ml double cream 6tbsp caster sugar For the ginger tuile 120g butter 100g syrup 200g caster sugar 100g plain flour Ginger (a good pinch depending on your taste buds)

2

Bring sugar and cream to the boil, (careful not to boil over, use a larger pan than you think to help).

3

Boil rapidly for approx 2 to 3 minutes, you will see a slight yellowing of the cream.

5

For the ginger tuile, beat all ingredients together. Spread approx 1mm thick on a slipmat or greaseproof paper. Then bake 170 °C for approx 8 minutes. Cool before snapping, or shape them while warm.

6

Serve with handmade chocolates, optional.

4

Take off the heat add raspberry and prosecco mix well. Allow to cool slightly, then add to serving glasses.

Set overnight in fridge.

Recipe by David Plumb, Head Chef at The Heron The Causeway, Stowbridge PE34 3PP 01366 384040 www.theheronstowbridge.com 72

KLmagazine February 2020

The Heron goes from strength to strength

J

ust eighteen months into their new lives as owners of The Heron in Stowbridge, Tracey and Stuart Elflett have been enjoying an extraordinary success! But the improvements don’t stop coming: after completely refurbishing the pub, adding two boutique bed-and-breakfast rooms and a decked outdoor seating area, they have recently extended the pub and added an entire new function room (pictured above).

The Heron is located between two rivers, the River Great Ouse and the New Cut, and it really makes the most of its picturesque rural location. After entering the pub through its cosy and beautifully-decorated bar, you pass through the spacious and welcoming Boat House restaurant, and reach the light-filled and charming new function room.

“We’ve been so busy ever since we opened, and our party nights have all been so successful, that we felt this new extended function room is something we really need,” says Tracey. “It really came in handy over the festive season – this was

our second year of Christmas parties and we’ve been delighted by how well they’ve gone. In fact New Year’s Eve was the first chance Stuart and I, and our daughter Erin, have had the chance to take time off, visit our own pub, and enjoy a dinner as guests. Although to be honest, I was still checking on everyone else – I’m obsessed with customer service!”

The Heron’s next big event is their Valentine’s Day evenings. On Friday 14th and Saturday 15th February their restaurant will offer a delicious set menu for two. “Booking a table is essential, but you don’t need to choose your meal in advance,” says Tracey, “so you can still surprise that special someone!”

But there’s no need to wait until Valentine’s Day to check out The Heron’s new function room! It’s a great expansion of the restaurant’s welcoming atmosphere, but secluded enough to make any party special, whether that is a wedding reception, a birthday party, or just afternoon tea. And

whatever the occasion, you’re sure to be delighted by The Heron’s highquality catering. “I make all the cakes for our afternoon teas myself, so they are completely fresh,” says Tracey.

“Our talented head chef David has just revamped our menu too, to give our classics a little twist – there’s always something new to come back and try.”

Valentine’s Menu Starter

Pan fried Scallops on a pea puree, black pudding, crispy smoked bacon crumb, peashoots.

Main

Beef wellington cooked medium, creamy mash potato, pan fried tender stem broccoli, red wine and shallot sauce

Dessert

Raspberry and prosecco posset with ginger tuile. (v)

£35 per person Contact us or visit our website for the full menu Special deal on house wines £10 bottle red/white/rosé Only available Friday and Saturday 14th & 15th, booking is essential

The Heron Stowbridge, The Causeway, Stowbridge PE34 3PP 01366 384040 | www.theheronstowbridge.com The Heron Stowbridge LTD KLmagazine February 2020

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Pan fried smoked haddock with wilted spinach, horseradish mashed potato, poached egg & hollandaise sauce

Serves: 2 Time: 25 minutes INGREDIENTS 2 140-160g fillets of smoked haddock 4 medium potatoes 1 tsp of horseradish sauce 1 bag of fresh spinach 2 tbsp of double cream Hollandaise sauce (A recipe can be found on BBC Good Food but store bought will work just as well) 2 eggs 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 tbsp olive oil 2 knobs of butter Chives

1

5

2

6 7

Peel potatoes and cut into quarters and boil until very soft. Then drain and break apart with a fork. Put them into food processor with 1 knob of butter, double cream and horseradish sauce. Blend until light and fluffy.

Simmer 1 litre of water with the white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt for the eggs later.

3 4

Warm the hollandaise sauce over a low heat in a small saucepan.

Heat a frying pan on a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once oil is hot lay the haddock fillets skin down for 3 minutes before flipping to the other side for a further 2 minutes. Take haddock out of the pan and place on a tray in a 160°C oven for five minutes.

Using the haddock pan, add the other knob of butter and the spinach, allow to wilt down until soft and dark.

Poach the eggs for 2½-3 minutes.

To plate up use a rosti ring or cookie cutter. Place a ring of the mashed potato in the centre of the plate then place the spinach on top, followed by the haddock. Place the poached egg on top before pouring the hollandaise sauce around the plate. Garnish with chives.

Recipe by The Wellington High Street, Feltwell IP26 4AF 01842 828224 www.thewellington.pub 74

KLmagazine February 2020

AFTER

“Wow! OvenGleamers did an amazing clean on my double oven! It looks like a new oven, and I honestly didn’t think it was possible to make it look so fabulous!

Peter was very polite and friendly with a great sense of humour. I’ll be adding this to our budget for a yearly clean. Thank you so much!”

- JB

BEFORE

Show your cooker some love on Valentine’s Day...

Discover how Peter Edge-Partington of OvenGleamers is bringing the area’s ovens and cookers back to their gleaming best...

W

ith over 2,000 5-star reviews for their unique eco-friendly oven cleaning service, OvenGleamers is one of the most respected (and safest) names in the industry.

Now, ex-West End actor and PR guru Peter Edge-Partington is bringing those ‘good-as-new’ looks to King’s Lynn and west Norfolk, professionally cleaning any make or model of cooker - from the simplest single ovens to double oven ranges and Aga cookers.

If you’ve tried to clean your oven with shop-bought kits, you’ve probably been disappointed with the results and the use of harmful chemicals. At OvenGleamers, Peter follows a strict eco-friendly cleaning process that’s good for the environment and great for your cooker.

Following an initial assessment of your oven, Peter will carefully

protect your floor surfaces before removing the oven doors (splitting them where necessary to clean between glass panels) together with the racks and grill pan.

He’ll then unscrew any internal wall panels and place them in an electrically-heated degreasing tank.

He’ll then revitalise the exposed areas, using a vegetable-based paste to remove all traces of burned-on food and grease. After a final post-clean check, Peter will reassemble your cooker and ensure you’re completely satisfied with the results - and it’s all done in as little as two hours!

For owners of Aga cookers, you’ll be pleased to learn that they’re Peter’s favourites to clean (he’s owned three in the past), and he’ll completely degrease the lids, the top cooking enamel surface and the enamel front - before starting work on the oven compartments.

“If I could clean two Agas per day for

the rest of my life, I’d be in heaven!” he says, although he admits to enjoying giving the OvenGleamers’ treatment to any cooker of any size, make or age.

OvenGleamers’ operate a one-calldoes-all system, which means you only need one telephone call for an accurate quotation for the appliances you need cleaning - and before you know it Peter will be bringing your cooker back to its very best.

01553 750455 | www.ovengleamers.com peter.edge-partington@ovengleamers.com KLmagazine February 2020

75

Monkfish curry

with coconut, lime & roasted tomatoes Serves: 4 INGREDIENTS 1 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee 1 red onions, peeled and finely sliced 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp fennel seeds ½ tsp coriander seeds ½ bunch coriander, roots and stems finely chopped, leaves reserved 1 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1 red chillies, chopped 1 kaffir lime leaves 1 lime, juiced 1 tbs fish sauce ½ tbs palm or caster sugar 1 x 340g tin peeled plum tomatoes 400g monkfish, cut into 3 cm medallions 400 ml coconut milk Lime wedges to serve

1

4

2

5

Place a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the butter and, once it begins to melt, add the sliced onions. Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Meanwhile, toast the mustard, fennel and coriander seeds in a dry non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until the spices begin to pop and release their aroma. Be careful not to burn them or they will make the curry taste bitter. Remove from the heat and, while still warm, pound to a rough powder using a pestle and mortar.

Add the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar, stir once or twice and turn up the heat slightly. Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Now taste for seasoning. Pour in the coconut milk, stir and warm through. Cook the medallions for 4-5 minutes in the sauce until just cooked through. Remove the fish from the tomato sauce. Add the coriander leaves and stir well. Serve with long grain rice, roasted tomatoes, flatbreads and a generous portion of the sauce.

3

Add the ground spices to the cooked, sweet onions along with the chopped coriander root and stems, garlic and chillies. Crush the kaffir lime leaves between your fingers to help release their flavour and add to the pan.

Cook for a further 5–6 minutes.

Recipe by Vanessa Scott, owner at Afterfive 4 Ash Close, Swaffham PE37 7NH 01760 723845 www.strattonshotel.com 76

KLmagazine February 2020

Flavour of the month

The food at Bank House dazzles under the aegis of a new chef

O

f course, it helps when you’re in one of the most historic and architecturally-important buildings in the town - and enjoy spectacular views of another.

Opposite the Custom House, Bank House has played an important part in the commercial past of the town and it remains a hub of activity to this day.

With its lively bar, highly-acclaimed restaurant and 12 stunning bedrooms, Bank House has firmly established itself

as one of the area’s most enjoyable destinations - the Good Pub Guide has listed it as one of the UK’s best for the last four years - but thanks to owner Michael Baldwin and new chef Iestyn Thomas it’s now raising standards across the board.

The menu retains a wide selection of Bank House Classics (including the incredible Hanseatic Seafood sharing platter, which everyone should try at least once) but it’s been given an international makeover with Iestyn’s subtle introduction of flavours from Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

That was more than evident with our starters; a decidedly Mediterranean combination of whipped goat’s cheese with pickled walnuts and fresh heritage tomatoes, and a clam and king prawn stew. Based on a classic Spanish dish it was good enough for a main course, the delicate seafood given a flavoursome depth with spicy chorizo and powerfully fragrant coriander.

Deciding on main courses took some time, largely because all the choices sounded so tempting - but we eventually chose the pan-fried sea bass and the risotto.

The former couldn’t be faulted - the deliciously soft fish having perfectly

crisp skin, and being served on a generous bed of egg noodles, spring onions and peanut sauce. The risotto was another triumph, containing a wonderful combination of butternut squash, chilli and gorgonzola accompanied by a fabulous rocket, pine nut and sun-dried tomato salad.

Iestyn has his food perfectly balanced. It’s pretty without being overly fussy, and it contains contrasting tastes and influences (often surprising ones) that work brilliantly.

To finish, we both ordered the baked cheesecake, which used juicy Cointreau oranges and a subtle vanilla ice cream to deliver the perfect end to a meal although it’s worth noting that Bank House offers a range of mini puddings for people wondering whether to skip dessert.

Dining at Bank House is a genuine treat, but it shouldn’t be reserved for special occasions and celebrations.

You’re always guaranteed a warm and friendly welcome, and Iestyn’s new menu (due out this month) is certain to be exceptional.

BANK HOUSE King’s Staithe Square, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1RD Tel: 01553 660492 Web: www.thebankhouse.co.uk E-mail: info@thebankhouse.co.uk

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Inspired Food Relaxed Atmosphere

b

the berney

Sunday Roast

Enjoy a delicious Sunday roast with us, the perfect excuse for a well-deserved treat.

2 courses for £11.95

Come and join us for a delicious lunch in our beautiful Grey Partridge Restaurant or cosy snug.

2 courses for just £11.95!

(Mon - Fri only)

The Berney, Church Road, Barton Bendish, King’s Lynn PE33 9GF 01366 347995 f l

A TRADITIONAL COUNTRY PUB SERVING FRESH, LOCALLY SOURCED FOOD

CHEF’s TABLE

ITALIAN NIGHT

Saturday 29th February • 4 course dinner with live music JUST £28 Chef Adam’s career started in a beautiful little Italian restaurant in Spalding.

It was the passion, creativity and natural hospitality of the Fratelli family that inspired Adam to become a chef, and his February Chef’s Table event is dedicated to the cuisine and to the Fratelli family.

Call us now to book your table and visit our website to see the full menu 01366 348134 | hello@jollybrewerspub.co.uk | www.jollybrewerspub.co.uk 78

KLmagazine February 2020

Restaurant Review

Opening a delicious new chapter in the story of the Jolly Brewers...

T

he first mention of the Jolly Brewers dates back exactly 200 years ago, and in its time this much-loved pub in Shouldham Thorpe has been known variously as the Brewers Arms, the Two Brewers, the Jolly Farmers and the Chequers & Brewers - but it’s probably never seen as many changes as it has done over the last year.

Business partners Adam Noble and Aaron Dobson arrived in November 2018, and it’s fair to say they’ve made an instant and significant impact on the local dining out scene.

They’ve redecorated and modernised the restaurant, they’ve replaced every drink in the bar with a fabulous selection of beers and ales, they’ve hosted their first wedding and held a hugely successful Christmas dinner -

and they’re currently one of the finalists for a local community pub award.

While Aaron looks after front-ofhouse duties (make sure you ask for his recommendations because he knows the menu inside out), you’ll find Adam in the kitchen, where the Head Chef has made a fine art of elevating ‘pub food’ to a new and tasty level.

He’s also refreshingly up to date on the latest food trends - vegetarians and vegans are particularly well catered for.

But maybe that’s to be expected. This is, after all, a chef whose considerable experience extends to cooking for (very) senior members of the royal family.

The menu changes about once a month, and it’s dictated to by the seasons - so don’t expect to be seeing any peas until April. The Jolly Brewers is justifiably proud of the fact that none of the food is frozen and all of it is sourced locally, and (to coin a phrase) you really can taste the difference.

When we visited for a mid-week dinner to see why so many local people are talking about the pub, we opened with a rich and warming French onion soup served with a parmesan crouton and Norfolk crunch bread, together with garlic wild mushrooms on toast.

The mushrooms arrive at the pub fresh every day, and the delicate cream sauce complemented the flavours and textures perfectly.

On Aaron’s recommendation, we chose the roast stuffed belly pork, which was accompanied by a cheddar mash and fresh broccoli - but don’t overlook the Beef Wellington, which you’ll find on the menu about once a month and is so popular it regularly sells out. Vegetarians should certainly order the delicious broccoli and stilton gnocchi if they’re lucky enough to visit while it’s on the menu.

The light and fluffy citrus polenta cake (with a stem ginger ice cream by the way) was the most refreshing way to end our meal, and we immediately made a booking for a return visit to enjoy the pub’s famous Steak Night, which is held every Thursday.

The Jolly Brewers is everything you could want (and a lot more) from a country pub - a great choice of drinks, a wonderful selection of food, a warm and friendly atmosphere, and a couple of owners determined to put their pub on the map.

THE JOLLY BREWERS Lynn Road, Shouldham Thorpe Norfolk PE33 0EB Tel: 01366 348134 Web: www.jollybrewerspub.co.uk E-mail: hello@jollybrewerspub.co.uk

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The local beer that really is the cat’s whiskers...

Around ten years ago, Martin James made a complete career change, took some inspiration from sightings of a big black cat in Reepham, and started producing an award-winning range of real ales

H

ear the names Comet, Chinook and Endeavour and you may immediately think of an aircraft, a helicopter and a ship respectively - but they also refer to different varieties of hops used in the production of fine ales by Panther Brewery from a brewery tucked away in a corner of an industrial estate in Reepham.

Owner Martin James oversees the production of some 100,000 bottles and casks every year which are sent

(and enjoyed) across Norfolk and Cambridgeshire - and are building a loyal following and a strong reputation.

“Our Golden Panther is a refreshing ale using American hops that give a citrus flavour to be enjoyed all year round,” he says, “while Red Panther has a clean and toasty taste with crisp hoppy finish - or you can try our Black Panther, which is a smooth rich porter with a fuller flavour.”

Including seasonal and special releases there are 15 different awardwinning beers in the range that have

underpinned the success of Panther Brewery. It was a different story ten years ago, however.

“I was facing redundancy from my job as Technical Officer with Tate & Lyle in London and was asking myself whether I really wanted to be doing it anyway,” says Martin. “Redundancy can be depressing, but it can also provide the perfect opportunity for a complete career change - to get out there and do something different.”

Around the same time, a fullyequipped brewery unit in Reepham had

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ceased trading; the beer had stopped flowing and orders had been cancelled.

It was all the incentive Martin needed to give up his daily commute to London and work close to the Reepham home he shares with his wife Diane and two sons.

“Since I was in my teens I’ve always been interested in brewing so I took a gamble and turned my hobby of 30plus years into a business,” he says.

“It wasn’t much of a gamble, though, because all I could see were the positives.”

With a view to reviving the old brewery, Martin approached the local council and purchased the building which had stood empty for a year.

“All the equipment was still there but it took a month to steam clean the ceiling and walls!” he says. “It was actually quite a challenge to bring it back into a hygienic working order.”

In 2011 the building was ready for production again, but it still needed an attention-grabbing and memorable name. Inspired by the many reported sightings of a huge black cat prowling through the village and the outlying countryside, it became Panther

TOP: For the last ten years, Panther Brewery has been producing a delicious range of carefully-crafted and award-winning ales

Brewery.

“I like to think our hand-crafted ale has a lot in common with this beautiful animal - it’s deliciously balanced, has

lots of poise, and a very sleek finish,” says Martin. “We observed that in France and Germany there’s a growing demand for an alcohol-free ale with

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“Our handcrafted ale its deliciously balanced, has lots of poise, and a very sleek finish...” the taste of a ‘proper’ beer. This is also the trend in the UK and we wanted to create a real ale with all the traditional flavours and aromas but without the alcohol content. We’ve now perfected Hopsta - a distinctly hoppy craft ale with a low ABV that’s uniquely full in flavour.”

During tours of the brewery, Martin is understandably proud of his state-ofthe-art equipment.

“Peter Austin is the founder of Ringwood Brewery and the co-founder of the Society of Independent Brewers, and he was responsible for the design,” he says. “We’re also grateful for Norfolk County Council’s assistance in gaining an EU Rural Development Grant for the partial funding of an automated bottling machine.”

In addition to sourcing local suppliers and using up to 90% local ingredients, Panther Brewery believes in supporting community causes.

“The brewery’s sales manager Danny Holdom and I worked together on Paws for Thought, a 4.3% golden ale that launched in February 2018,” says Martin. “We developed it for Nelson’s Journey, a local charity that works with children and young people experiencing the loss of someone close to them. We wanted to brew a beer suitable for

ABOVE: Martin James with a small selection of the 100,000 bottles and casks his brewery (below) produces in a year

this special cause, so it’s a refreshing, orangey ale using Mandarina Bavaria hops - and the name suited both the charity and our Panther theme.”

Just a few weeks later, Panther Brewery was invited by the organisers of Norwich City of Ale to join forces with Cromer-based brewery Poppyland in the production of Kett’s Oak. “This was a very special ‘barley wine’ style ale for the Norfolk SEN network,” says Martin, “which is a charity that does a lot of good work in assisting parents of children with special educational needs.”

Last July, Panther Brewery was shortlisted for a prestigious Rural Business Award in the Best Food or Drink Business in the East category and won LuxLife magazine’s Food & Drink Award.

“It’s been a very good few years for us, and our seasonal beer Summer Daze sold really well throughout last year’s hot summer,” says Martin. “We’ve received excellent support from the local community and Broadland District Council, and that’s enabled us to take on a part-time apprentice. And since the installation of our larger-scale bottling line, we’re now looking at international markets as far afield as Germany and the Far East.”

So it sounds as though some of the best beers in Norfolk will soon be enjoyed everywhere from Berlin to Bangkok!

To keep up with Martin and his latest brews, please visit the website at www.pantherbrewery.co.uk

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Supporting the local food industry with fresh ideas From food storage and distribution to retail stores and commercial kitchens, the 4 Way Group offers a professional range of services...

R

efrigeration is hugely important for the catering industry and is central to our enjoyment of healthy and safe food, and the 4 Way Group has many years’ experience in the design, supply, installation, maintenance and repair of commercial refrigeration systems - from national restaurant and supermarket chains to local hotels, holiday camps and golf clubs. And it’s a professional service backed up by a fully-qualified team of mobile engineers on call 24 hours a day.

“Virtually all commercial kitchens today are largely based around refrigeration - from fridges and freezers

Steve Short

to prep stations and gastronorms,” says Steve Simpson of the 4 Way Group.

“All chefs naturally demand the very freshest ingredients from their suppliers - and that simply wouldn’t be possible without some degree of refrigeration.”

In Downham Market, Accent Fresh has been supplying the freshest produce across the whole of East Anglia for almost 20 years, and the 4 Way Group has helped the local wholesaler maintain its leading position in the local food industry.

“Given the nature of our work, maintaining the correct temperatures in our storage facilities is absolutely critical for our business,” says Managing Director Steve Short. “Any breakdown or drop in performance could have a massive impact on us, which means that for maintenance and servicing we need a company that’s local, totally reliable and very quick to respond.”

The 4 Way Group has recently completed a major project at Accent Fresh, supplying a high quality refrigeration system to new cold store and holding areas - and continues to fulfil the company’s ongoing maintenance and service needs.

“Regular servicing and preventative maintenance is crucial for our operations and the 4 Way Group offer exactly the kinds of professional standards we need,” says Steve Short.

“They’re also very good at identifying issues before they arise, and if we do ever have a problem they’re always here within a few hours.”

If you’d like to talk to the 4 Way Group about commercial refrigeration and the available servicing options, please contact Steve Simpson and his team using the details below - for a professional service and a local company that’s full of fresh ideas.

t 01553 767878 w www.4waygroup.co.uk e sales@4waygroup.co.uk Recognised and accredited throughout the industry:

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ABOVE: This famous picture is regularly described as featuring a group of Welsh witches engaged in some kind of nefarious activity over a cup of tea. Far from depicting some ‘toil and trouble’ it was taken around 1920, and is actually a photograph taken of some members of the Hospital of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in Castle Rising.

A storm in a teacup – and an eggshell Broken eggshells and dead amphibians may not sound particularly important from a 21st-century perspective, but for the old fishing community of King’s Lynn they could be a matter of life or death...

T

he close-knit North End fishing community of King’s Lynn had a distinct character of its own, and with its people depending almost entirely on the local fishing industry from the 18th century, it developed a of maritime-related superstitions.

For example, it was considered unlucky to carry money at sea, to whistle on a boat, to say ‘rabbit’ or ‘pig’ on board, or to leave a broom on deck

– and woe betide anyone who turned the hatch covers over.

Back in the cottages of the North End, another long-established practice involved the careful smashing of eggshells into tiny pieces – a widespread tradition that can be traced back at least to the 1500s and was even taken to America by emigrants in the 1840s.

The idea behind it was to prevent witches using any unbroken eggshells

as makeshift vessels to wreak havoc, creating heavy storms and causing ships to sink. Today it may seem a rather charming and quaint idea, but 400 years ago it resulted in the trial and execution of a woman from King’s Lynn – although it was the eggs themselves rather than the shells that were at the centre of the story.

In 1563 the Act Against Conjurations, Enchantments and Witchcrafts was passed, and a took a more lenient

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Using toads for magical purposes was a local pastime that lasted well into the 20th century... view of minor acts of witchcraft. If you made a dog fall over or disturbed your neighbours’ sleep you’d now be looking at a prison sentence rather than a bonfire or a noose, but the death penalty remained in place for those convicted of more serious offences.

And such was the fate of Mother Gabley (her first name is unknown) who became the first person in Norfolk to be condemned under the new act.

On the face of it, her crime was a serious one – causing the deaths of 13 sailors west of the harbour at Wellsnext-the-Sea, including the local men Robert Archer, Oliver Cobb, William Barret, Henry Gouldsmith and Richard Dye. However, the unfortunate woman hadn’t drilled holes in the ship’s keel or set fire to the sails – all she’d done was boil some eggs in cold water and stir them rapidly. Which was alleged to have raised a storm off the north Norfolk coast.

Today it seems almost impossible to accept the accusation as being credible, but the 16th century was a very different world. Indeed, the relevant page of the parish register of Wells-next-the-Sea (March 1583) notes that the “deaths were brought to pass by the detestable workings of an execrable witch of King’s Lynn whose name was Mother Gabley by the boiling, or rather labouring, of certain eggs in a pail full of cold water.”

Despite having done little more than prepare a rather frugal dinner, Mother Gabley was hanged in the centre of King’s Lynn (almost certainly in the Tuesday Market Place) in 1583, but the nature of her ‘crime’ was still being discussed over 300 years later.

In 1902, in answer to a question about the type of magic Mother Gabley used, the editor of Folklore (volume XIII, issue 4) answered that “the rite was evidently one of sympathetic magic, raiding [sic] a storm at sea by simulating

PICTURES: A 16th century woodcut of a witch (top), probably showing a couple of toads (and a fearsome cat) and an illustration at the start of ‘witchfinder’ Matthew Hopkins’ book.

Interestingly, the cat? beside the woman on the left is called Holt.

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PICTURES: A 16th century woodcut of some alleged witches (above) with a toad at the foot of the man on the right, and (below left) the page from the parish register of Wlls-next-the-Sea detailing the case of Mother Gabley

one in a pail.”

Mother Gabley isn’t a unique case, of course. From Katharine Smythe in 1575 to Ursula Skippon in 1679, at least 35 women in Norfolk were executed for witchcraft – and a third of them met their fate in the single year of 1645.

It was a dangerous time to believe in the efficacy of folk remedies, especially if they involved the convoluted acquisition, preparation and employment of dead toads. As late as 1901, the Eastern Counties Magazine was reporting on the practices of ‘Toad Witches’, whose power came from carrying a decomposing amphibian in their cleavage.

Admittedly, the power was only used to make adulterous husbands walk home backwards from the house of their mistress and to prevent milk turning into butter, but it was a serious undertaking. Not least for the toads.

“You ketch a hopping toad and carry that in your bosom till that’s rotted right away to the back-boon,” explained experienced toadwoman Tilly Baldry. “Then you take and hold that over running water at midnight till the Devil he come to you and pull you over the water... and then you be a witch and you kin dew all mander of badness to people.”

Normal for Norfolk, anyone?

Using toads for magical purposes was a local pastime that lasted well into the 20th century, as described by Albert Love in a work published in 1966.

For maximum effect, the best toads were found in the area around Great Yarmouth (particularly Fritton) from where they were taken home, killed, and placed on a whitethorn bush for 24 hours to dry out.

“Then we bury the toad in an ant-hill and it’s there for a full month, until the moon is at the full,” Albert said. “Then you get it out and it’s only a skeleton.

You take it down to a running stream when the moon is at the full and watch it carefully, particular not to take your eyes off it. There’s a certain bone, a little crotch-bone it is, which leaves the rest of the skeleton and floats uphill against the stream.”

This bone was then taken home, baked, crushed into powder, and placed in a box for future use – particularly for when the toadman/ woman in question needed to see in the dark or was dealing with horses, a common activity in rural Norfolk.

The remains of the unfortunate toads could be used to calm horses, stop them running away, get them to suddenly change direction, and even tame wild ones if you happened to come across one.

Such abilities didn’t come without risk, however.

In 2012, marine biologist and writer Nigel Pennick published The Toadman – a very limited edition book bound in the skin of Australian Cane toads and described as “a stunning object d’art and the last word on toad magic.”

In discussing the history and cultural impact of ‘toadmanry’ Pennick observed that people engaged in the practice should be careful, as they were often “driven to insanity by exercise of these powers... a violent death is to be expected.”

Which would come as no surprise to Mother Gabley, who’d been sentenced to death 400 years previously after she decided it would be nice to have some boiled eggs for dinner.

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Royal connections and military heroes Dedicated to the saints Peter and Paul, the beautiful church of West Newton sits on the royal estate of Sandringham, and features a memorial to one of WWI’s most enduring mysteries...

W

hat better way to commemorate the men of the village who lost their lives in the First World War than by carving their names into the lych gate to the church that had been such a major part of their world?

Commanding a superior view across the fields and woods of the Sandringham Estate where many of these men had worked is the church of St. Peter and St. Paul. Seated on a grassy mound overlooking the village of West Newton, home to the men of the Sandringham Unit of the Royal Norfolk Regiment lost in the Gallipoli campaign at Suvla - the famous ‘lost battalion’ - it gives a feeling of stability in an ever-

changing world. Yet this charming little church hasn’t been without its own changes over the centuries.

Built in medieval times, it flourished into the 15th century with the addition of a porch and aisles, and in the following years, slabs with brass inlays demonstrating prosperity were assembled near the tower and font.

But all this was to change, and by the middle of the 19th century St. Peter and St. Paul was sadly described as being “of melancholy appearance and in an almost hopeless state of neglect and dilapidation.”

Many of the churches in northwest Norfolk were in a similar state of disrepair, but the Prince of Wales’ patronage at this time may well have

saved the church of West Newton from further distress. Victorian restoration brought a modern roof, pews to replace the original high-backed box pews, and floor slabs around the elegant white font where past rectors of the parish are remembered - but there is little opulence here.

Following Queen Victoria’s purchase of the estate in 1862 as a wedding gift for the Prince of Wales, work started on restoring the 14th-century tower of solid carrstone, which was prominent from every corner of the village. The church was then almost completely rebuilt in 1880 by architect Arthur Blomfield, who was working on St. Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham at the time.

PICTURES: The beautiful church at West Newton is full of history, and is the final place HRH the Queen visits (shown below arriving at the church in February last year) before leaving Norfolk after her Christmas break at Sandringham

Internally, the nave’s clear glass cottage-style windows are an attractive feature of Arthur Blomfield’s design - and with their views over the fields they add a welcoming atmosphere that seems just right for a country village church.

At the time of much of the restoration work, the organ (with pipes completely filling the north transept) was presented

by Queen Victoria - while the oak chancel stalls were gifted by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh New brasses consisting of a cross and candlesticks were received from the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany, while Lord Colville donated an alms dish.

This was a genuinely collective effort - the pulpit was gifted by the household of the Prince of Wales, the new pews were provided by the parishioners themselves, and a lovely reredos of mosaic panels depicting wheat and vines was given to the church by Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.

Even the architect joined in. Arthur Blomfield gave the church its lectern,

an elaborate wooden tower with ‘Search the Scriptures’ carved on one side and ‘My Words Shall Not Pass Away’ on the other.

The WWI memorial window by the famous stained glass artist Karl Parsons in 1920 is perfect in this intimate setting that holds these brave men in such high esteem. The centrepiece of Captain Frank Beck of the Sandringham Company of the Royal Norfolk Regiment is flanked on either side by the crest of the Norfolk Regiment and the hell that was Suvla Bay in 1915 - and features the inscription “To the Glory of God and in proud and loving memory of Captain Frank Beck MVO and his men. They gave their lives for King and Country on August the twelfth nineteen hundred and fifteen.”

Respected by King George V and his mother Queen Alexandra, Captain Beck, who was land agent on the Sandringham Estate, knew every man of the Sandringham Company by name - and had known many of them since their childhood. They were gardeners, gamekeepers, farm labourers and household servants, and this loss of so many local men hit the village very hard, drawing the sympathy of Queen Alexandra for the families.

Captain Beck’s widow, local girl Mary Plumpton Wilson (who died in 1938) is also remembered by a brass plaque close

to the church entrance. A memorial on the north wall is to the men of the village killed at the Battle of Inkerman during the Crimean War in 1854.

In 1907 a clock face was added to each side of the 14th-century tower as a memorial to Canon Frederick Hervey, who was rector of the church for 29 years - and was also domestic chaplain to the King.

The church of St. Peter and St. Paul has always been rather special to Queen Elizabeth II who, since her succession in 1952, has made it the final visit of her Christmas holiday in Norfolk. The event is usually combined with a special prize-giving ceremony for choristers and children of the local primary school at the village hall on the first Sunday in February.

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Get your floors in perfect condition for spring...

There’s no better time to treat your stone and tiled floors to the professional services of Xtraclean and give them an early spring clean

F

or most of the year we tend to take our floors for granted, walking all over them and only giving them a cursory brush or mop once in a while. There comes a time, however, when that’s simly not good enough.

Though they look fantastic when they’re first laid, hard floors, ceramic tiles and natural stone all have a tendency to attract dust and debris, and everyday foot traffic from friends, family and pets only serves to work it into the floor’s contours and grout lines.

That’s when you need to call on the amazing cleaning services of Martin King and his Swaffham-based team at Xtraclean. The good news is that all it takes to bring your floors back to their very best and give them an ‘as new’ look (in less than a day!) is a phone call to Xtraclean.

“If your stone or tiled floor has been fitted professionally it deserves an equally expert approach to cleaning,” says Martin. “For over 25 years we’ve been restoring floors all over Norfolk – using the most advanced and powerful cleaning system currently available in the UK.” Xtraclean’s highly skilled, trained and experienced technicians offer a reliable, fully-insured and friendly service (they’ll even move your furniture for you!) and following an initial survey and test of your floor they’ll get to work – breaking down ingrained dirt and loosening surface soiling.

“Our state-of-the-art turbo ‘clean and capture’ system pressure cleans the floor using its own water supply,” says Martin, “and it even captures all the waste in the process – means you have with no mess and no fuss.”

Moreover, Xtraclean doesn’t use

harmful chemicals or procedures such as grinding and resurfacing, which can actually damage the floor – and the results are truly spectacular.

“These aren’t the easiest surfaces in the world to clean,” says Martin, “but our powerful system and professionalgrade products can bring even heavily-soiled floors back to their very best. And we can usually do it all in a single visit!”

And Xtraclean can help you ‘lock in’ those good looks and keep them for even longer, thanks to a professional range of specialist sealing products.

“To be honest, you have to see the results to believe them,” says Martin.

“Just ask our customers – they can hardly believe it’s the same floor!”

Get your floors back to their best today by contacting Xtraclean using the details below for extra-professional cleaning and an extra-special service.

Unit 3, Jack Boddy Way, Swaffham PE37 7HJ Tel: 01760 337762 Web: www.xtraclean.co.uk E-mail: sales@xtraclean.co.uk KLmagazine February 2020

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s’

Repair K Brown Auto ce n si d ge n a Cars have ch 5... opening in 199

...but their fantastic service remains the same!

Celebrating 25 years of outstanding service...

Discover how K Brown Auto Repairs has reached a major milestone based on superb technical expertise and unrivalled customer care

B

ack in 1995, the most popular car on the road was the Ford Escort, petrol was only 51p a litre, and you could buy the brand new Land Rover 90 for less than £15,000. Local motorists were also treated to a completely new approach to car servicing, thanks to Keith and Tamsin Brown.

“We wanted to offer drivers and their families the best of both worlds,” says Tamsin, as K Brown Auto Repairs prepares to celebrate 25 years in business.

“We wanted to provide outstanding levels of technical expertise and very high standards of work - but we also wanted to provide a family-friendly atmosphere and a totally open and honest approach to pricing.”

It’s a formula that proved instantly

K Brown Auto Repairs

popular - and continues to do so today. Tamsin still has the very first invoice from the company’s very first customer, and they’re still a customer to this day - along with their wife, children and in-laws. In fact, the number of loyal customers who’ve been treating their cars to K Brown Auto Repairs for the last 25 years runs into the hundreds.

From the welcoming reception staff to the personable and friendly mechanics themselves, K Brown Auto Repairs gives you the confidence to talk about your car in your own language - and the reassurance that it’s in very good hands indeed. Of course, although cars have changed enormously since 1995 their drivers still have the same requirements - for fast and efficient servicing, for

realistic and transparent costs, and for clear and regular communication.

“One of the biggest changes we’ve seen has been in the growing use of computers in cars, both in the way they work and in the way they’re serviced,” says Tamsin. “We’ve kept pace with that by investing in new technology and staff training programmes to ensure our customers (and their cars!) receive the very best service.”

From full MOTs and major repair work to complex diagnosis and ECU code management, your car is always in safe and experienced hands with the friendly team at K Brown Auto Repairs - and that’s always been a reason to celebrate!

King’s Lynn Simon Scotland Road, Hardwick Ind Est Tel: 01553 763763 Hunstanton 12 King’s Lynn Road Tel: 01485 533786 www.kbrownautoskingslynn.co.uk Find us on Facebook

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Above - Amanda Kenny, who worked tirelessly as manager of the charity

is a place for its clients to socialise as well as get advice and support

Care and support for the hearing-impaired There are about 9 million people in the UK who are deaf or hard of hearing, and it’s the third most common disability in the world.

KL magazine looks at the work of the West Norfolk Deaf Association

D

o you know someone who has a hearing aid but doesn’t wear it because they “can’t get on with it”? It’s estimated that 1 in every 7 hearing aids issued ends up stashed away in a drawer and is never used. One organisation looking to change that is the West Norfolk Deaf Association (WNDA).

WNDA are a charity who do extraordinary work to support deaf and hard-of-hearing people across the entire borough of west Norfolk.

The services WNDA provides include a hearing support service that helps people make the most out of their hearing aids; a tinnitus support group; social and learning opportunities and advocacy and translation for those whose first language is British Sign

Language; a children’s club; and short BSL courses for people who wish to communicate with deaf people.

“We support 2,523 hard-ofhearing clients and we have about 50 profoundly deaf clients – overall that’s about 2,600 people who rely on WNDA for one reason or another,” says Dr Philip Koopowitz, chairman of the trustees at the charity.

WNDA evolved after the King’s Lynn Deaf Club broke away from the Norwich Deaf Association, and the members formed their own committee and began fundraising. In around 1998/99, under the chairmanship of Margaret Tate, WNDA’s current premises in Railway Road in King’s Lynn were bought with a grant from the National Lottery. Under the management of Pete Weston and then

Amanda Kenny, the scope and range of WNDA’s service grew at a huge rate.

Amanda became involved with the charity when her son Oliver was born profoundly deaf. She learnt to sign and started to volunteer as treasurer of WNDA, before becoming manager.

“Amanda sadly died in July 2019 aged just 59,” says Philip. “She’s greatly missed by everyone who knew her – she was often described as the ‘face’ of WNDA, and we’re incredibly grateful for all her tireless work. She was the driving force behind a big renovation of our premises in 2011 which resulted in a visit from the Queen, which was a real testament to how dedicated she was.”

Amanda’s sister Sarah continues the family’s links to the charity – after joining as a volunteer for the children’s group she began to work for the charity

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The risk of dementia increases with the level of hearing loss… so it’s really crucial that people have a working hearing aid when they gained funding to run a children’s club.

“Although the vast majority of our clients are aged over 65, we work with a significant number of people under the age of 35,” says Philip. “Children and young people who are born deaf have different needs from people whose hearing has deteriorated with age, and we do our best to support everyone.”

As well as the Breakout children’s club that runs activity days over the school holidays, a recent renovation of WNDA’s premises has created a comfortably-furnished, modern multifunction area for their teenage clients, and a garden that was officially opened last summer with a visit from the Norfolk charity Miniature Donkeys for Wellbeing.

“We secured a grant from Health Lottery East which has helped pay for the recent renovations to our building, and will fund a deaf community worker,” says Philip. “We currently run weekly coffee mornings and

ABOVE: A visit from the Mini Donkeys for Wellbeing at the WNDA garden’s grand opening

monthly social nights at our centre, but we want to do more of these. The renovations included a false ceiling and insulation for our big meeting room which makes it a lot better acoustically for our clients, and better as a venue for hire. Hiring out our room, along with our charity shop and bookshop in Downham Market, is an important source of revenue for us, and helps us keep doing the work we do.”

WNDA’s hearing aid support service is a huge part of their work: their volunteers offer help and advice with using, cleaning and maintaining hearing aids to anyone who pops into their headquarters on weekday mornings.

They also run monthly drop-in centres at GP surgeries across west Norfolk, looking after about 850 people

– they visit over 100 people in 25 residential homes, providing essential support to elderly people who couldn’t otherwise access their help.

“The link between hearing loss and dementia can’t be overstressed. Hearing loss isn’t just losing your hearing – it’s also something that completely isolates you from the community and can lead to depression,” explains Philip. “The risk of dementia increases with the level of hearing loss. For those with the highest level, the risk can be up to five times higher, so it’s really crucial that people have a working hearing aid. We also train staff within the care homes so they know when and how to change hearing aid batteries.”

WNDA is run by a board of trustees, a small group of paid staff, and a group of volunteers.

“Our volunteers are wonderful, we really couldn’t do it without them,” says Philip. “If you’re interested in getting involved do talk to us – we’ll have a role to suit your skills whatever they are. Don’t worry if you’ve never even seen a hearing aid before, we can train you – all you need is patience to fix small fiddly things!”

If you’d like to make a donation to support the work of WNDA, or find out more about volunteering to work with them, you can do so by visiting www. wnda.org.uk

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Animalmatters Our monthly look at the issues concerning you and your pets with our Clinical at London Road & Hollies Vets...

Director

Jennifer Sinclair

Smallbites Book in for a free of charge Nurse dental check to get your pet’s dental and oral health assessed.

Our nurses can advise you on home dental treatment that can help to prevent and reduce the amount of dental disease your pet may have in his or her life, as well as demonstrating how to clean your pet’s teeth.

Brushing away that bad breath...

A

lthough we haven’t had snow (yet!), it is still pretty cold outside. With the dark evenings, and dreary days, what better way to spend some spare time than to snuggle up with your pet?

But have you been put off by your pet’s bad breath? This could be one of the first signs of dental disease.

Our pets are very good at hiding signs of dental and gum disease, as naturally they can be quite stoic with pain, but also their instinctual hunger drive tends to outweigh any pain and discomfort they are experiencing in their mouths.

Therefore, we can see pets with quite severe dental disease that have not gone off their food.

Dental disease progresses from the build-up of a clear film of bacteria, called plaque, which hardens and builds up to form tartar (also known as calculus). Tartar is a yellow or brown colour and is very difficult to remove from the teeth without scaling the teeth under general anaesthetic. The build-up of plaque and tartar can lead to gum disease due to the consistent presence of bacteria next to the gums, leading

to gum recession, gingivitis (redness, pain and even bleeding gums), and abscess formation. It is often difficult to fully assess the gums on a conscious patient, as gum disease will cause the gum to start loosening from the surface of the tooth, leading to the formation of pockets down the side of the tooth.

This then becomes the perfect trap for more bacteria and further problems.

These pockets can only be assessed using a dental probe to measure the depth of the attachment to the tooth. If the depth is too great, then irreversible detachment from the tooth will lead to the tooth needing to be extracted.

SIGNS OF TOOTH AND GUM DISEASE: • Yellow/brown plaque and tartar present • Angry, red gums that may even bleed • Changes in eating habits or food preferences • Increased licking or dribbling • Bad breath • Changes in general behaviour • Decreased grooming and therefore changes to the coat

LONDON ROAD Hospital Walk, King’s Lynn • 01553 773168 HOLLIES Paradise Road, Downham Market • 01366 386655

With the use of dental x-rays, we can now assess the health of each tooth from crown to root, and are able to provide a more thorough treatment plan for pets by assessing each tooth’s viability.

Due to the size and number of roots in our pets’ teeth, extracting teeth is not as simple as wiggling them loose, and often becomes a surgical procedure, with the gums being stitched closed after the removal of a tooth. This helps to increase the speed of healing by not leaving large empty sockets behind.

Most pets will need some sort of dental care in their lives, whether this is home dental care or dental surgery.

However, it isn’t just cats and dogs we need to be worried about - our small pets also need regular dental checks to ensure their teeth are in the best condition, otherwise we can see severe decline in their health.

info@londonroadvets.co.uk www.londonroadvets.co.uk

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ABOVE: Skating on the river at the Garden House in January 1963. Two of the most famous names in Fen skating (opposite) were William “Gutta Percha” See and his brother-in-law (and main rival on the ice) “Turkey” Smart (pictures from Cambridgeshire Archives)

Revisiting the golden age of Fen skating Over winter in the mid-19th century, the Fens were home to one of the area’s most exciting and popular sports. Alison Gifford traces the history of fen skating and its colourful characters...

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t’s hard to imagine now, but for many years the rivers and washes of the Fens froze hard every winter, and skaters would take to the ice for pleasure and competition. Skating over the frozen flooded fields and meadows was an eagerly-awaited part of Fenland life and a big part of the region’s heritage.

When ice-skating competitions were held huge crowds travelled to watch, and during the 1890s Fen skating produced some of the world’s fastest speed skaters. There were skating families with legendary skaters such as William ‘Turkey’ Smart from Welney, his sons George ‘Flying Fish’ and James Smart, his brother-in-law William ‘Gutta Percha’ See, and his son ‘young

Gutty.’ A huge amount village rivalry existed, and the village of Southery on the River Great Ouse was home to a large number of skating families - the exotically-named Larman Register was a champion skater as was his brother Robert and three of his nephews. A story is told how a group of Southery skaters challenged some railwaymen to a race from Littleport to Queen Adelaide, where the river runs alongside the railway and the skaters beat the train to the finish line.

The National Skating Association was set up in Cambridge in 1879 and took the top Fen skaters to the Netherlands, where they had a brief moment of international glory with James Smart becoming Britain’s only ever world

champion speed skater.

As a recreation, as a means of transport and as a spectator sport, skating in the Fens was popular with people from all walks of life - but racing was the preserve of workers, most of them agricultural labourers.

When it was freezing, skating matches were held in towns and villages all over the Fens. In these local matches men would compete for prizes of money, clothing or food, and during severe winters joints of meat would be hung outside the village pubs to be won as skating prizes. The winners of local matches were invited to take part in the grand or championship matches when skaters from across the Fens would compete for cash prizes in front

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ABOVE: Fen skating attracted some of the sport’s biggst names including (right) Charles J Tebbutt, pictured here skating at Littleport in January 1893 (pictures from Cambridgeshire Archives)

The hardy Fenmen were professionals who raced for money and took it very seriously... of bumper crowds.

A small-scale ice age existed from the middle ages until about 1850, and the British Isles were covered in snow and ice over winter, which was perfect for outdoor winter pursuits particularly ice skating.

But very different types of skating emerged. For the better-off it was the more refined pastime of figure skating, but for agricultural workers of the Fens it was competitive speed skating - and the faster the better.

Originally the Fens were vast swathes of marshy land that froze during the harsh winters of the time - the shallow water caused ice to form more quickly and more regularly than it did on flowing water. The need to earn money during the winter meant the frozen water wasn’t a disaster for the labourer’s income but an opportunity.

This was no gentleman’s sport, however. The hardy Fenmen were professionals who raced on the ice for

money and for them it was a job they took very seriously - the prizes could be enormous.

In 1912, newspapers reported “the weather was brilliant and the ice splendid for the Littleport Skating Club’s 50-guinea challenge cup” 50 guineas equating to £52 and 10 shillings at a time when the average labourer’s wage was about 11 shillings a week.

Substantial betting added to the thrill of the race with the chance of a welcome winter windfall.

It’s not known when the first skating matches started, but regular mentions of racing on the ice were reported in local newspapers from 1814. From then on racing and betting on Fen races were reported nationally. But as more of the Fens were drained, the nature of the newly-formed ground reduced the possibility of finding suitable locations to run a race of 1½ miles (or longer) in a straight line or around an oval track - so the system of “out and home” races evolved, and became uniquely associated with Fen racing.

This was completely different to the river speed skating of Scandinavian countries. The course would be marked with posts or barrels around which the competitors would turn for the home run. The art of turning at speed was a distinguishing feature of Fen racing. Usually

the finishing post was a man standing on a barrel and holding a broom upright in the air!

In 1902, the professional championship was won for the first time by an outsider - the Wigan lamplighter Joseph Bates. The days when Fenland agricultural labourers were masters of the ice were numbered, although the last three professional titles before 1914 were all won by Fenmen.

There were no official matches during the first World War, and Turkey Smart died in 1919, having lost five of his grandsons in the war, a whole generation of future fen skaters.

A series of mild winters followed, resulting in an interval of 15 years without any championships.

The last championships were held in the winter of 1996-97, and even today local enthusiasts put on their skates when ice forms - but the golden days that saw thousands of people flocking to the ice-covered washes are long gone.

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The Mayor’s Business Awards are presented at a glittering ceremony held at King’s Lynn’s Cor n Exchange. This year’s event will be on Friday 6 March.

The host of the 2019 awards ceremony David Blackmore

ABOVE: Cllr Nick Daubney, then Mayor of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, celebrates with the winners of the 2019 awards

Celebrating the best of business in west Norfolk For over 30 years, the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk has celebrated the outstanding success of local companies and this year’s Mayor’s Business Awards are more exciting than ever...

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he best of the best local businesses and businesspeople will be recognised at the prestigious Mayor’s Business Awards black-tie gala dinner on Friday 6th March and, as we look forward to the event, we’re looking back at the history of the awards and discovering which businesses have made it to this year’s shortlist of nominations.

The Mayor’s Business Awards were established in 1989 by former mayor Cllr Les Daubney. Then known as The Mayor’s Awards for Business Achievement, they were designed to be a public acknowledgement of outstanding business success and recognition of the contribution that

local businesses make to the economy of west Norfolk.

Over the years, the tradition of celebrating local business success has continued to grow. The award categories have changed, the criteria have changed, but what’s remained constant is the fact that local businesses continue to rise to the challenges they face, have harnessed new ways of working, developed innovative ideas and have continued to succeed. The awards are run in association with the Lynn News.

Borough mayor Cllr Geoff Hipperson will be helping judge the Mayor’s Business of the Year Award, and is excited by what he’s seen at businesses in the borough.

“Over the last few months I’ve had the pleasure of visiting a number of different organisations, and while some are new ventures, some of them are very well established,” he says. “Happily, many are confident that the business sector is thriving and are looking confidently towards the future. I’m really pleased we can recognise the magnificent examples of talent that exist in our west Norfolk businesses.

I look forward to celebrating local success at the event in March - this ceremony is one of the highlights of the civic year.”

Ten awards will be handed out during the evening. The categories and nominations are:

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CUSTOMER CARE (sponsored by Mercedes Benz of King’s Lynn) The nominations are Castle Acre Stores, Cooper and Elms Ltd and the Majestic Cinema INDEPENDENT RETAILER The nominations are Castle Acre Stores, Cooper and Elms Ltd and The Warehouse Antiques & Collectables LEISURE & TOURISM The nominations are True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum, The Crown Inn Gayton and the Majestic Cinema APPRENTICE OR TRAINEE OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Carter Accommodation) The nominations are Callum Holden of Sibelco, Jemima Clayton of Consort Medical and Tom Campey of Thornham Deli

KING’S LYNN CHAMPION (sponsored by Discover King’s Lynn) The King’s Lynn Business Improvement Board (BID) will award a levy-paying business with the trophy if they can display active involvement in the town centre and working with other local businesses.

The nominations are Brittons Estate Agents and The Bodyshop MAYOR’S BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (sponsored by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk) The final and biggest award of the evening is awarded to a business that can show strong growth, a commitment to the community and a great strategy and vision for the next few years.

The nominations are Jordan Fitness, Optima Metal Services Ltd and Snap-on Diagnostics

PICTURES: Shortlisted for the Mayor’s Business of the Year award are Jordan Fitness (above), Optima Metal Services Ltd and Snap-on Diagnostics (below)

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Mars) The nominations are Helen Ferri Wilson of Maze Media Group, Nancy Barnard of Maze Media Group, and Zach Stanford of Palm Paper Ltd SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Mapus-Smith and Lemmon LLP) The nominations are Cooper and Elms Ltd, Jark (KL), and Klimatech Ltd BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Brown & Co) The nominations are Nicola Bray of Maze Media), Janie Thompson of Thornham Deli and Simon Heraghty of SHO BUSINESS INNOVATION (sponsored by Metcalfe, Copeman and Pettefar Solicitors) The nominations are Ashton Shaw, This is Fuller and WhataHoot Ltd

“These awards really do showcase the best of west Norfolk businesses, and without their contribution the local economy would suffer,” says Cllr Graham Middleton, Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Cabinet Member for Business Development.

“Small businesses account for three fifths of employment in the UK and around half the turnover in the UK private sector. We’re proud of our local businesses and this is the best way to

thank them and acknowledge them for their efforts.”

Winners of the Mayor’s Business Awards, in association with the Lynn News, will be announced at a black-tie gala dinner on Friday 6th March. The event is sold out with over 250 guests attending the Alive Corn Exchange, King’s Lynn, and will be compered by journalist and TV presenter David Blackmore.

The winners will join a hall of fame

that includes last year’s winners Merxin Ltd, a medical supply company, double-award-winning Captain Fawcett’s Emporium, a men’s grooming business, South Lynn company WeType Ltd, the Princess Theatre and Norfolk Delicatessen both in Hunstanton.

Entries for next year’s awards will open in late autumn. If you run or know a business that deserves recognition, please keep an eye out for the entry forms.

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Award-winning film technology in your home As the Oscars are about to be announced, there’s no better time to discover how Core Technology Projects can bring the magic of the movies to your home with your very own bespoke cinema...

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ou don’t have to go to Hollywood this month to enjoy the very best the silver screen has to offer - actually, you don’t even have to go to the cinema to experience incredible big-screen action, fully-immersive sound and luxurious seats.

From their base and demonstration suite in King’s Lynn, Core Technology Projects can design and build your ultimate home theatre - complete with full 4K UHD resolution on screens up to 4m wide, full Dolby ATMOS surround sound, and completely automated and easy-touse controls.

“It’s the perfect way to transform

an unused room or a spare bedroom, and our cinema rooms can be as personalised as you want,” says managing director Jim Garrett. “There’s a huge range of different lighting options and seating arrangements to choose from - and we’ll manage the whole project from the initial 3D designs to the final fitting and commissioning of the system.”

The face of home entertainment has never looked (or sounded) better, and the future promises to be even more exciting as Jim and his team prepare to visit this year’s ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) exhibition in Amsterdam later this month.

“It’s the biggest show in the world for new audiovisual products and

technology, and it features the very latest advances in sound and vision,” says Jim. “We’re really looking forward to seeing the next generation of home cinemas, and we’ll be incorporating the best ideas into all our new projects.”

If there ever comes a time when there’s an Academy Award for the Best Home Cinema Specialist, there’s no doubt Core Technology Projects will be going on stage to collect it.

If you want to take your viewing pleasure to the next level, visit Core Technology Projects’ showroom in King’s Lynn or contact us using the details below and discover how easy it is to enjoy all the thrills of the cinema in the comfort of your own home.

1 APS House, Oldmedow Road, Hardwick Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn PE30 4JJ Tel: 01553 776413 Web: www.coretechnologyprojects.co.uk E-mail: enquiries@coretechnologyprojects.co.uk KLmagazine February 2020

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TOP: ‘Standing Room Only’ BELOW: ‘Gas Mark 4 – Bookends.’

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ABOVE: A trained ceramicist, Terri currently works on large-scale figurative paintings in oils at her home studio in Norfolk

Raising questions and challenging perceptions Described as psychologically challenging and provocative, the striking paintings of local artist Terri Broughton are about to be featured in a long-awaited exhibition at the Norfolk Painting School

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erri Broughton is a Norfolk painter who once ran away to join the circus and then became a head teacher at the King’s Lynn Academy.

She’s now exhibiting a series of hard-hitting and thought-provoking contemporary paintings at the Norfolk Painting School in Fakenham from 25th-28th March and 1st-4th April.

She has recently completed an intensive oil painting diploma at the internationally-acclaimed school under the critical eye of course director Martin Kinnear, who’s acknowledged as one of Britain’s most exciting and accomplished contemporary painters.

Terri is a storyteller, using images

rather than words to convey intriguing personal stories. While the viewer is invited to speculate on the meaning behind her large, graphic works, she has cleverly stopped short of giving the viewer the whole story on a plate.

Instead, she deepens the mystery.

Her images have an ambiguity that leaves scope for viewers to speculate about their meaning.

Her oil paintings, which can be challenging, are already attracting the attention of collectors who see the investment potential of a rising contemporary artist. Her series of paintings of children wearing gas masks are a case in point. The masks are both protection from the toxic outside world

and could also be perceived as an isolation unit, preventing the children from truly engaging in the real world.

She leaves it to the viewer to decide.

Each painting is deeply personal, reflecting a traumatic childhood following the death of both parents when she was just seven years old.

Terri and her sisters were then split up, placed with succession of foster families, and were only reunited in adulthood.

Terri is deeply interested in the human condition, particularly by the way in which the stories we tell ourselves give shape to our lives - and how those internal narratives can often inhibit our true potential.

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“Terri is deeply interested in the human condition, particularly by the way in which the stories we tell ourselves give shape to our lives” Despite her difficult childhood, Terri has forged two successful careers, one in education and another running the transformational life-coaching company Terri Broughton Associates.

She has a first-class honours degree in ceramics and has spent much of her life championing arts in schools both here in the UK and in Kenya and Nepal.

Indeed, she was awarded a Tate Modern prize for her Masters Degree The Identity Project, in which she pioneered the questioning and challenging of first year A-level Art students in Britain about their limiting self-beliefs and values which were inhibiting their creative potential.

“The students became very interested in what made other artists produce their work,” she sais, “and art history became far more interesting for them.”

It was a project that turned art education on its head, and has since been incorporated into the National Curriculum for all year groups.

It’s these core questions that lie at the heart of Terri’s current painting practice, opening the door to an exploration of life.

Now for the first time, she’s stepped into the limelight with her own paintings, which pose deep psychological questions about memory that challenge peoples’ perceptions.

Her oil paintings reflect a lifetime of stories.

Terri comes from a long line of professional painters, illustrators and

graphic designers, and as a young adult would often dream of having such a career. She later worked as an art therapist before moving into education, running arts faculties and latterly, as a head teacher at King’s Lynn Academy.

Along the way she gained several highlevel qualifications for coaching both students and adults, with a further qualification as a trainer of NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP), before launching her own practice offering private consultancy in education as well as a transformational life coaching and mentoring for everyone from all walks of life.

“I’ve always wanted to be a painter, but was always told “you’re not a painter, your father was a painter” and that put-down weighed me down like a heavy overcoat,” she says. “It’s taken me decades to shake it off. It was philosopher Sydney Banks who said “if the only thing people learned was not to be afraid of their experience, that alone would change the world” - and I realised the only reason I decided I couldn’t paint was because I believed that criticism all those years ago. It completely changed my world, and it just wasn’t true!

“My paintings are large, figurative and have been called psychologically challenging. They invite the viewer to engage and explore the stories we all tell ourselves to make sense of our own lives.”

For more details and information on Terri and her work, please visit the website at www.terribroughtonart. co.uk or see her Facebook page at Terri Broughton Artist

TOP RIGHT: ‘Kikazaru, Iwazaru and Mizars’ BOTTOM LEFT: Terri with ‘Chasing Rainbows’ 112

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Michael Middleton’s

WildWestNorfolk

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rs Middleton has often told me that it’s unlucky to turn the page of a calendar before the end of the month (it’s a long-established and well-proven superstition in this part of Norfolk, she says) but I must admit to having taken a sneaky look at the calendar a week ago to see what February had in store for us. Slightly disappointed with the regimental schedule of chores and household duties (is there really any need to put “feed the cat” on a calendar?) I took the opportunity to do a bit of research and the risk of adding my own entries.

To cut a long story short, I was blessed with an embarrassment of riches, because February is pretty much awash with significant dates.

Not only is it Raynaud’s Awareness Month and LGBT History Month, the first week of February is also National Storytelling Week, and the very first day of the month is both Dignity Action Day and DeChox 2020, which encourages us to give up chocolate for a month - a pretty easy ask after the vast amount we accumulated (and consumed) over Christmas.

Having spent the previous day avoiding anything cocoa-based (in a dignified way), Sunday 2nd February is World Wetlands Day and you’d be well advised to make the most of enjoying your nearest low-lying area and building up your energy, because Monday marks the beginning of Sign2Sing Week, Tinnitus Awareness Week, Children’s Mental Health Week, National Apprenticeship Week, and

Schools Football Week. If that all sounds a bit too much for you, the good news is that it’s also National Sickie Day. Having spent the second half of the week commemorating World Cancer Day, World Nutella Day and Time to Talk Day, you may be ready to take a break from all these celebrations - but please note that Friday 7th February is Wear Red Day, NSPCC Number Day, and Send a Card to a Friend Day. The weekend does offer some welcome respite in the form of National Pizza Day on Saturday, although you should note that Sunday 9th is Toothache Day - so keep an eye on those hard-baked sourdough crusts.

Assuming you’re not waiting for an emergency appointment at the dentist, the second week of February is Student Volunteering Week - and also includes Safer Internet Day, the World Day of the Sick, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Care Day 2020, International Book Giving Day, and Singles Awareness Day. Monday 17th February kicks off with Random Acts of Kindness Day (the avoidance of which Mrs Middleton has risen to an art form) followed swiftly by National Love Your Pet Day - and the weekend sees both World Thinking Day and the start of Real Bread Week.

The next week opens with You Can Care Week, and Monday 24th February is also start of Fairtrade Fortnight - which starts on the day before the beginning of Eating Disorders Awareness Week and the celebration of World Spay Day. Although I don’t think many cats or dogs will be in a rush to

celebrate that one. And just because it’s a leap year, don’t think that this month’s extra day has got a free pass, because Saturday 29th February is Rare Disease Day. Mrs Middleton wasn’t too impressed with her amended calendar - which gave me ample opportunity to do some thinking in the dog house.

The whole point of these ‘special’ days and weeks is (or at least was) to raise awareness about important issues and hopefully bring us together in building a better future - and I’m not sure that posting a selfie of yourself eating a pizza does that.

There are now so many fake, futile and frivolous ‘celebration’ days that they’ve actually become counterproductive. Given the choice between French Bread Day, International Fragrance Day, International Day of Forests and World Down Syndrome Day, what do you imagine most people will be doing?

Engaging with a serious issue that affects millions of people around the world - or buying a load of baguettes?

If I could make a suggestion before the start of National Bed Month, it’s that we stop giving in to what some marketing executive thought would be a good way of shifting a few towels (National Towel Day is 25th May) and start thinking about ways of sparking real social change.

I do know one thing for sure, however. We probably won’t be celebrating Husband Appreciation Day on April 18th this year.

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