FineCity Magazine December 2014

Issue 37 December 2014

Theatre Royal Chief Executive

Peter Wilson MBE

talks about his amazing career

judy foster visits ‘the living Neverland’ Thorpeness to discover its Peter Pan connection steve browning offers some points of interest for anyone wanting to explore the city’s stained glass

FINEplaces FINEpeople FINEarts

PLUS

The World’s greatest: the events coming to Norfolk in the 2015 Festival

FINELIVING

NORWICH

20

Issue 37 December 2014

Theatre Royal Chief Executive talks about his amazing career

42

FINE places

FINEPLACES

FINEARTS

PLUS

The World’s greatest: the events coming to Norfolk in the 2015 Festival

FINELIVING

FINE people

48

STEVE BROWNING offers some points of interest for anyone wanting to explore the city’s stained glass

FINEPEOPLE

NORWICH

Issue 37

66 FINE arts

JUDY FOSTER visits ‘the living Neverland’ Thorpeness to discover its Peter Pan connection

PETER WILSON MBE

Your community magazine Cover image by Daniel Tink @ScenicNorfolk www.scenicnorfolk.co.uk FineCity Magazine would like to thank all those who have contributed to this issue. This includes but is not limited to: Pete Goodrum, Stephen Browning, Daniel Tink, Judy Foster and Tony Cooper.

FINE living

29.07.2014

Editor Jonathan Horswell Jonathan@FineCity.co.uk

“We LOVE our new advert featured in @finecitymag!”

Leathes Prior Solicitors @leathesprior

“Thank you @finecitymag for your continued support guys :) Looking forward to seeing us in the next edition too!”

Sinsins Boutique

“@finecitymag Thanks for your help, nice to be in a quality magazine” Michael & Brian from November Keys Novel

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© FineCity Magazine Disclaimer: No part of this magazine may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, either wholly or in part, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Publisher. Every effort is taken to ensure that the contents of this magazine are accurate, but the Publisher can not assume any responsibility for errors or omissions.

Whilst reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements the Publisher will not accept any resulting unsatisfactory transactions.

They will, however, immediately investigate any written complaints. The Publishers reserve the right to amend such submissions and cannot accept responsibility for any loss.

2014 December | 03

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Tree to Remember Carol Care, reassurance and support... Concerts and Services ...when you need it most

George Bush, 93 Oak St 01603 764157 St Stephens Square 01603 625495 321c Aylsham Road 01603 483060

We’re available 24 hours a day eastofengland.coop/funerals

Dates for the Co-Op Tree to Remember Carol Services and Concerts We are holding Tree to Remember Carol Services and Concerts across the region, to celebrate the special memory of those who cannot be with us this Christmas.

Wednesday 3rd December, 7pm Sir Bobby Robson Suite, Ipswich Town Football Club, Portman Road, Ipswich Led by Civil Celebrant Tina Hayward, featuring the RAF Honington Band and special guests.

To book your free place call 01473 257242 Wednesday 10th December, 7pm St Peter Mancroft Church, The Chantry, Chantry Road, Norwich Led by Canon Peter Nokes featuring the Norfolk Brass and Norwich Community Choir, with

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elcome to Sinsins Boutique of Love - East Anglia’s only independent Boutique of erotic gifts for discerning lovers and dreamers, couples and admirers, sweethearts and adventurers.

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With decorum & integrity, Sinsins caters for the sensual, passionate, sexual and romantic side of your love life - and a visit to our little boutique nestled in the heart of Norwich Lanes is a must!

the Homily by the Bishop of Lynn.

To book your free place call 01603 625495 Thursday 11th December, 7pm The John Peel Centre for Creative Arts, Church Walk, Stowmarket Led by Civil Celebrant Lynn Banham – featuring the Co-op Singers accompanied by the Co-op Waterfront Music School Pianist.

To book your free place call 01449 612765 Friday 12th December, 7pm The Chapel, 89 Wimpole Road, Colchester Led by Civil Celebrant Alan Wright – featuring the Colchester Military Wives Choir.

To book your free place call 01206 793492

Expect fairy lights, bunting with vintage melodies plus a fabulous selection of hand picked gifts to choose from.

Sinsins is proud to be only the third retail store in the UK (after Harmony and Selfridges in London) to be stockists of Yes for Lov - a glorious range of heartfelt gifts for lovers and soulmates, simply perfect for weddings, anniversaries, romantic getaways and birthdays.

- LONG LIVE LOVE -

www.FineCity.co.uk

2014 December | 05

Listing info: Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th December 10am – 4pm Dragon Hall’s Medieval Christmas Market.

Annual medieval themed Christmas market with costumed traders from around the UK and Europe. Live music, licensed bar and refreshments.

Dragon Hall, King St Norwich (01603 663922) £2.50, Under16’s £1, Under 5’s free www.dragonhall.org Proceeds from all events at Dragon Hall help towards the upkeep of this wonderful building.

Dragon Hall’s Medieval Christmas Market One of Norfolk’s Christmas’ signature shopping events returns You know Christmas really is just round the corner when it’s time for Dragon Hall’s shopping treat, The Medieval Christmas Market.

Decorated for the season, there are few more festive buildings in Norfolk than Dragon Hall.

The annual spectacular, season defining market is now an eagerly anticipated signature event of Norfolk’s Christmas with the ancient hall tastefully decorated in traditional seasonal splendor, augmented by traditionally decorated trees.

Beneath the magnificent crown post roof and throughout 06 | December 2014

the unique medieval trading hall (built in 1430) traders from all over the UK and as far afield as northern Europe will be in period costume. Their stalls stock original and unusual gifts, from historical reproductions in wood, iron and glass to individual handcrafted textiles, jewellery, toys and ceramics, perfect gifts for friends and family. Exquisite Christmas decorations, candles and cards, together with locally produced Christmas wreathes and cakes, wines and ales will help to make this an extra special festive season.

Over 2 days all the family can step back in time for a unique Christmas shopping experience and escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre, forgetting that it’s just 3 minutes walk away.

Musicians in period costume will also be performing throughout the both days In the Middle Ages people celebrated the Yule festival with joyful singing, music, games, feasting and the exchange of gifts, it signified the coming of light at the winter solstice into the dark winter days, and with it the promise of new life.

Fairs were held and attracted foreign merchants from distant lands, strolling minstrels, performing tumblers, acrobats and showmen. At Dragon Hall, Norwich’s much-loved unique link to the Middle Ages, you can now relive this colourful experience.

In the courtyard garden a marquee will house a fully licensed bar featuring local Norfolk ales alongside the opportunity to enjoy mulled wine and delicious seasonal food inspired by German Christmas markets. www.FineCity.co.uk

Live-in Care, The Real Alternative to a Care Home Getting older sometimes means that a person needs to be cared for twenty four hours a day. Such care can be provided in a care home or in a person’s own home Given the choice, many people would prefer to be cared for in their own home and Able Community Care has enabled thousands of people to exercise this choice. Our experience has shown that having a regular rota of experienced carers in your own home is often a much happier alternative than moving into a care home.

Able Community Care provides live-in carers whose role is to provide domestic, personal and social care tailored to each individual’s needs and wishes.

Each live-in carer lives in a person’s

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home for a fortnight providing a safe, secure and reliable care package. Able Community Care’s objective is to establish two or three liked carers who return on a rotational basis in order to provide a continuous service with as little disruption as possible.

Every person receiving care from Able Community Care has their own Care Manager and the company overnight and weekend ‘on call’ system is run by our staff and not contracted out.

Able Community Care also provides live-in ‘home from hospital’ cover, respite care and

holiday companions. Services are available in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and varying holiday destinations.

Able Community Care’s website www.uk-care.com provides comprehensive information, including many moving and heartfelt client comments. There is also an option to sign up for their free email Newsflash, written by the MD. Angela Gifford each week, to keep up to date with the latest care information and news which may affect yourself or your family.

Angela Gifford formed Able Community Care in 1980

and as Managing Director she continues to benefit this successful company with her long experience of the care sector. Angela is highly regarded as an expert in the field of home care and also consults at an international level on the subject.

For a free information pack please don’t hesitate to contact Able Community Care on 01603 764567 or email Ablemg@aol.com. Alternatively you can visit Able’s website for more information at: www.uk-care.com.

2014 December | 07

Holt Festival Next year’s festival will take place from Sunday 19th to Sunday 26th July Holt Festival is an award winning annual feast of the arts taking place in the charming North Norfolk Georgian country town in the last week of July that has quickly become one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the Norfolk calendar.

It is also increasingly bringing visitors into the area.

Since its inception in 2009 the festival has featured an international array of music, drama, visual art, literature dance, comedy, free street entertainment, kids shows and workshops, taking over the whole town bringing the streets and venues alive with activity.

The Festival has also presented opportunities to see some of the most hotly tipped Edinburgh Festival shows before they head

north. In 2014 it gave Norfolk audiences the chance to see curious directive’s Pioneer which went on to win a Fringe First Award in the Scottish capital.

There are also lots of free events for children and families, an internationally acclaimed Art Prize and outdoor events that bring a blaze of colour and activity to the streets of the town Previous highlights include names of the calibre of Alan Bennett, Melvyn Bragg, 10CC, The Stranglers, Stephen Fry and Michael Palin. The 2015 event is still being programmed by new artistic Director Charles Pugh who promises that the first names will be announced soon.

Full details will appear at www.holtfestival.org

Winters audio Many values change over the years.

The value of music, however, renews with each generation Music reaches the very dept of our being with an inspiring, sensual influence on our awareness of life. Living with music means living with passion, beauty and style.

At Winters Audio, we are all about music, not just the sound, it is about how closely we can get the listener to the music, to musicians, to the emotions that music is supposed to relay to us, like it does during live concerts.�

We have comprehensive product lines from all featured brands are 08 | December 2014

available for you to experience at your own pace, and with each demonstration structured to take into account your wishes and requirements, we ensure that the experience is one tailormade for educated decision and emotional involvement.

Winters Audio, Thursford, Norfolk. Call 01328 878313 or visit www.wintersaudio.co.uk Please note, demonstration by appointment only. www.FineCity.co.uk

Charity number 1062760

East Anglian Brass Band Association P R E S E N T S

Leyland Band

Leyland Band to Perform in Norwich On Sunday 10th May 2015, the East Anglian Brass Band Association is proud to present its 77th Annual Gala concert

Christmas Discount

£1.00 off every ticket ordered before 31st December 2014 (quote FCDec14)

Sunday 10th May 2015 St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich 6:30pm Box Office 01473 626986 administration@ebba7.freeserve.co.uk

In 2015 the Association welcomes the famous Leyland Band, who are currently ranked 12th in the world, to St.Andrew’s Hall, Norwich. For over sixty years the Leyland Band has been performing quality entertainment across the United Kingdom and abroad.

Leyland has won the “Brass In Concert Championships” five times which reinforces the band’s first class reputation on the concert platform. The band’s repertoire is extensive and broad to appeal to all tastes.

The concert commences at 6.30pm. Tickets costing £14.00, £16.00 and £18.00 are now on sale. See the advert in this magazine for details of Christmas discounts.

For more information and tickets email either the Association Chairman christine@scwade.eclipse. co.uk or the Association Secretary administration@ eabba7.freeserve.co.uk or telephone the Association Secretary on 01473 626986.

Fairy Tales and Legends It’s pantomime season for the Norwich Writers Circle Panto’ season’s here again.

It’s set me thinking of the entries to the competition set by Lynne Mortimer at the start of the year. (How quick times gets behind us, hey?)

Members were asked to write a final scene, including characterisation, topicality for the grown-ups, and conclusions which brought curtains down on happy ever afters. Pacing was as important as the gags and slapstick. So we had a lot to fit into a small number of words.

We had a number of entries enough to fill a whole evening of Lynn’s adjudication, ham acting and lots of laughs. No one tires of the old chestnuts like Mustafa Leikh, arch evil baddie and leader of the Forty Thieves.

Christmas is also a time for reminiscence and nostalgia. It’s a long time since we had “Ali Baba” or “Babes in the Wood” performed in Norwich, which is www.FineCity.co.uk

a shame, especially as the latter is our local legend.

Who out there remembers when Benny from “Crossroads” performed in “Robinson Crusoe” and we were all excited by the new 3D technology that took us into the ocean depths, tropical fish swimming in the space between our eyes and the big screen?

Kids today, we are told, have little attention for the length of a show we once enjoyed; they cannot take in an actual story and so much of the time these days is given over to comedy and singsong. This may be true, but I for one don’t believe it. Besides, let’s not forget that pantomimes are traditionally as much for mums, dads and grandparents as for children.

Have a lovely time whichever one you’re going to this year, if you are.

Séan Hindle, Deputy Chairman.

2014 December | 09

Darts World Champions Return to Norwich for the BetVision Norwich Charity Darts Masters 2015 A host of former World Champion darts stars have signed up for the first BetVision Norwich Charity Darts Masters to be held at Norwich City Football Club on Saturday 27th June 2015 The event itself will be held in the Norfolk Suite providing a fantastic location for a very prestigious event.

The event is being organised and promoted by Lord Russell Baker of Little Moulton who is looking to fundraise for the ‘Lord Baker Community Fund’ managed by The Norfolk Community Foundation. The main aim of the ‘Lord Baker Community Fund’ is to promote health and wellbeing; tackle disadvantage; support local solutions to meet local needs; promote community cohesion; develop sustainable and supportive communities and to deliver grant-making and charity support for the current fund beneficiaries that include East Anglia Children’s Hospices (EACH), Star Throwers Cancer Care & Support, Chapel Road School for Severely Disabled Children and Norfolk Community Foundation, who will also create a Community Grant programme which will be advertised and local community groups will be invited to apply for grants up to £1,000.

The World dart stars attending on the evening are Eric Bristow MBE (5 x World Champion; John Lowe (3 x World Champion); Peter Manley (former World No.1 and 3 x World Finalist) and from Suffolk - the youngest ever World darts champion, Keith Deller.

The event offers everyone on the night a chance to play at least one of these former World champions and master darts players. In addition there will be a small competition with the darts masters consisting of two semi-finals and a Final on the night – playing for the Norwich Charity Darts Masters Trophy.

It is envisaged that this event and competition will become an annual event in Norwich for many years. The trophy itself has been donated by David Willimott 10 | December 2014

from Carmichaels Dart Mart in Magdalen Street, Norwich. David Willimott is the former Suffolk darts champion and has had the privilege to play these players on many occasions. In fact a score card still hangs in Carmichaels Dart Mart when John Lowe played David some years ago; David Willimott will be attending on the evening as a special guest.

John Lowe said, “Eric Bristow, Keith Deller, Peter Manley and myself will by playing at the Norwich City Football Club in aid of the Norfolk Community Foundation and other local charities’. It will be a great night, for me it will be a reunion with friends made over many years.

I first visited Norwich in the late 70’s and I have to say if ever I was to move from my beloved Chesterfield, Norwich would have been my first choice, not because they have a church for every day of the year and just as many pubs, but because I made friends that became everlasting friends”.

John Lowe added, “The 27th June 2015 will have a great line up, but for me it will be the Norwich Big Reunion, see you there my friends”.

Lord Baker said, “This is going to be a massive night and one that should put Norwich and Norfolk back where they belong, in the ‘Premiership’ of Darts. We are hoping to raise much needed funds to support local charities and community projects through the ‘Lord Baker Community Fund’, and I am expecting this event to become an annual community fundraising event for years to come, with various darts masters and former World champions attending each year”.

Lord Baker added, “The Norwich Charity Darts Masters Trophy will hopefully become a prestigious trophy too, and over the years will bear the names of many World

darts stars making the trophy a potential fundraising auction item too in the years to come”.

Graham Tuttle, Chief Executive of the Norfolk Community Foundation said, “The first Norwich Masters Dart Event will be a great event on the Norfolk calendar next year and the Norfolk Community Foundation is really pleased to be working with Lord Baker in such an innovative fundraising event for local charities and community groups across Norfolk”.

Steven Ho from Star Throwers said, “We are very grateful that Lord Baker is supporting Star Throwers again with this fantastic darts fundraiser. Russell organised a darts evening in May which was itself a fantastic evening but this one is looking like it will be even bigger and better! Russell’s continued fundraising means a great deal to our charity as it will help us to continue to provide advice and support to cancer patients and their loved ones”.

Laura Carver from EACH said, “We are delighted to be one of the beneficiaries of Lord Baker’s fundraising events and thank him sincerely for his fantastic efforts in helping to ensure we can continue caring for children and young people with life threatening or life limiting conditions and supporting their families in the community.

Lord Baker’s fundraising efforts are truly inspirational and we urge the public to support his events. They really are enjoyable occasions and what’s more, help to raise much needed funds for local charities”.

The BetVision Norwich Darts Masters 2015 is expected to be a sell-out with the VIP tickets already SOLD-OUT. Standard tickets for the evening are still available and these will make ideal Christmas presents for all those darts enthusiasts, so fill your loved one’s stocking this Christmas by

visiting the On-line Ticket site – ncfdarts.eventbrite.co.uk This is your chance to give a special gift to those in your life and the chance of a lifetime to meet and possibly play one of the World’s most iconic darts stars in history - everyone on the night will have the chance to buy raffle tickets with the lucky winners able to play either Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Keith Deller or Peter Manley. So bring your darts!

For further information about the ‘Lord Baker Community Fund’ please visit the Norfolk Community Foundation web site www.norfolkfoundation. com/funds/the-lord-bakercommunity-fund

Norfolk Community Foundation is an independent registered charity and part of a national movement of community foundations that undertakes strategic grant making, facilitates philanthropy and contributes to social change in the local area.

Star Throwers runs a Cancer Care Centre in Wymondham. They are open from Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm to anyone who feels they or their loved ones will benefit (please call first on 01953 423304) www.starthrowers.org.uk EACH support children, young people and their families with the challenges that having a life-threatening condition can often bring.

Services may be provided in the family home, the community or the hospice www.each.org.uk Chapel Road School for severely disabled children is a supportive, challenging and happy learning environment. All individuals are respected and encouraged to reach their full potential. www. chapelroad.norfolk.sch.uk

www.FineCity.co.uk

Posh Plants

topiary, plants, shrubs and trees to hire or buy

Posh Plants provides a professional and creative approach to the art and science of garden design.

Sue Huckle is the inspiration behind many great gardens and offers a professional and creative approach to the art and science of garden design.

Sue is a six times award winner at the Sandringham Flower Show and is passionate about her work ... loving, living and breathing plants, design and all things to do with the natural world.

07703 347014 email: sue@poshplants.com website: www.poshplants.com

Posh Plants, Seven Acres Nursery, Common Road, East Tuddenham, NR20 3NF

Autumn inspiration!

A design project to be tackled this autumn is a planting scheme for a large lake in the grounds of a private house.

The brief is to provide privacy and give some seasonal colour variation During the initial stages of designing a garden of any size I always find it useful to wander around other gardens. Its good to see how plant combinations and spacings work, but as much as anything its a chance to just take a couple of hours to clear my head, relax and take in my surroundings. Then, begin with a large, clean sheet of white paper!

The garden I had in mind was at Marks Hall near Colchester.

I first visited several years ago when some new areas had been designed and planted, so I was keen to see not only how it had matured, but also how it worked as a waterside garden. I was also hoping to glean some ideas for my new project!

I was not disappointed.

The Birkett Long Millennium www.FineCity.co.uk

Walk covers an area of one and a half acres and skirts one side of the lake. The site was completely overgrown after sixty years of neglect and the task of redesign and planting was undertaken during the winter of 1999/2000.

Sponsored by a local law firm Birkett Long, the millennium was marked and the result will be enjoyed and appreciated by many for years to come.

Viewed from across the lake the red stems of the cornus alba “Siberica” and the white stems of the birch trees Betula utilis var jacquemontii are perfectly reflected in the calm water.

Carp measuring at least two feet followed as I walked along the bank…great big dark fish, heavy yet so agile in their own watery world, gulping at dancing flies.

Walking through the planting I could appreciate the design from another aspect. Up close the detail of bark and colour of stems and leaves reflects every facet of autumn.

The stems of the dogwood planted alongside the white stemmed birch with the occasional craggy barked Acer griseum are a planting success.

They contrast and yet they compliment each other.

The silver light touch of Miscanthus sinensis “Kleine Fontane” against a clear blue autumn sky is just beautiful.

This garden has inspired me.

I can’t really explain it, but I know a good garden will fill my soul, as will a good book or song.

I left Marks Hall filled with ideas and ready to begin the new project ahead.

Now…where’s my pencil!

Sue Huckle 07703 347014 www.poshplants.com email:sue@poshplants.com Design, topiary, hire, nursery.

Posh Plants, Seven Acres Nursery, Common Road, East Tuddenham, NR20 3NF

2014 December | 11

The Hazards of a Homemade Will A Will is probably the most important document you will ever have drawn up so why do it yourself rather than instructing a solicitor?

It is probably safe to assume that many people who choose the homemade route do it to save money but little do they realise that it may cost their family a great deal of money when a lawyer has to sort things out after their death.

If you decide to write your own Will, it is like entering a busy traffic junction, one where Wills and estate law, property law, tax law and family law all meet.

It may be possible to get through this junction without an accident but why not leave the driving to someone else – an expert.

Common problems with homemade Wills include:

independent adults who must be present at the same time.

If they sign at different times the Will is invalid. If someone who may benefit from the Will acts as a witness this could compromise their inheritance.

• The Will is lost!

Ann-Marie Matthews, Head of the Private Client department at Nicholsons Solicitors warns “I have seen DIY Wills leaving gifts to the wrong people, Wills without executors, Wills where the estate has only partially been distributed, and others that make no sense as the person making it has used unsuitable precedents taken off the Internet.”

• For a Will to be legally binding If you instruct a lawyer to it must be signed by the person it and witnessed two Newmaking Will Adverts2.qxp_Layout 1 25/03/2014by 13:32 Page 2 draw up your Will you will meet

a legally qualified person who listens to what you want and advises on how your wishes can be carried out.

It is important that your Will is stored safely and can be found easily. Your lawyer will store the Will for you free of charge in a strong room or safe and some will send you reminders to review your Will to make sure it is up to date.

Be careful when it comes to cheap Will writers as they are often not legally qualified and they may make an annual storage charge which could cost you several hundred pounds.

We advise you not to cut corners when making a Will as this may lead to high legal costs or an invalid Will which could mean your assets being left to those you don’t wish to benefit.

If you would like help or advice about making a Will or any other legal matter, do not hesitate to contact AnnMarie Matthews at Nicholson Solicitors on telephone number 01603 478567 or email amatthews@nicholsonslaw.com ann-marie matthews

If you need a will, Nicholsons make it easy...

Making a Will is the only way to protect your family and assets for the future.

Nicholsons specialise in Will writing, inheritance tax planning, Powers of Attorney and property trusts.

We pride ourselves on making the whole process as easy as possible either by meeting in our office or visiting you in the comfort of your own home.

If you are interested in discussing a Will or any other legal matter contact Ann-Marie Matthews on 01603 478567 or email amatthews@nicholsonslaw.com

Nicholsons Solicitors LLP, 97 Yarmouth Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR7 0HF

SPECIA L OFFER with this simple w advert ill fo or pair fo r £95* r £135*

Tel: 01603 478567 Email: info@nicholsonslaw.com www.nicholsonslaw.com

* Excluding VAT

12 | December 2014

www.FineCity.co.uk

www.FineCity.co.uk

2014 December | 13

For your chance to win a FREE advert in FineCity visit our Facebook page

Violet Flame Beauty

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DispatchMagazine

@FineCityMag

QUALIFIED BEAUTY THERAPIST

OPI Manicure • OPI Pedicure • Waxing Eyelash and Brow Tinting • Bridal Make Up Dermalogica Facials • OPI Gel Nails

Christmas Offers & Gift Vouchers available

07747103934 13 St Giles Street, Norwich, NR2 1JL

Violet Flame Beauty Award-winning Beauty Therapist Samantha Woodbine launches her own business Violet flame beauty is a beauty salon set in the heart of Norwich City centre, offering a variety of professional beauty treatments at affordable prices.

Samantha qualified at The Jackie Hamilton Beauty School as a Beauty therapist, with a level 2 diploma to do make up for all occasions. This includes bridal, fashion shows, photo shoots and more. She also specialises in facial and body waxing, as well as offering eyelash and brow tints. Finally she can provide dermalogica facials, which include mask treatments and massage; OPI manicure and OPI pedicures.

Samantha exmplains a little more about her business: “our aim is to make you

feel as comfortable as possible.

I remember not wanting to go to a beauty salon as I always felt a little awkward and slightly out of place.

So I decided when I qualified I would offer a relaxed and down to earth atmosphere for clients when they came to the salon.

Walk in appointments are available. Opening hours are 10-5 Tuesday to Saturday but if you would like to arrange an appointment out of hours available please get in touch as I am willing to be flexible on times.

Thank you for taking them time to read this information and we hope to see you soon!”

13 St. Giles Street, Norwich, NR2 1JL. Call 07747103934

The Waffle House The Christmas menu on offer from Firday 5th December STARTERS (Both starters without waffle unles requested) Curried cauliflower and split lentil soup with fresh minted yoghurt £5.25 Roquefort, wild rocket and caramelised pear salad with walnut pesto £5.95

mains

Contact Telephone: 01603 612790 www.wafflehouse.co.uk We can only take bookings for tables of 6 or more.

No bookings taken before 7:30pm on Saturdays.

Opening Hours Monday to Saturday: 10am - 10pm Sunday: 10am - 9pm 39 St Giles Street, Norwich, NR2 1JN

14 | December 2014

Priced large/small Locally sourced free-range chicken with a red wine, aged balsamic and thyme gravy, served with sautéed swede £10.50/£9.50 Locally sourced beef, braised in a rich stout, button mushroom and shallot gravy, served with parsnip crisps £10.50/£9.50 Pan fried Prosciutto wrapped cod fillet with a creamed courgette sauce and a sticky cherry tomato chutney £11.95/£10.95

Butternut squash, pecan, sage and ricotta filo strudel served with roasted tomato and honey sauce £9.85/£8.85

desserts Priced large/small Winter Eton mess with a spiced fruit compote, meringue, hazlenut cream and toasted nuts £6.25/£5.25 Fresh baked figs with Madagasgan vanilla mascarpone, maple drizzle and candied pecan nuts £6.25/£5.25 Handmade Belgian white chocolate cheesecake with ginger and cinnamonspiced clementines (without waffle). £5.95 Please see the regular menu for further options and our table cards for mulled wine and guest beers.Service not included. www.FineCity.co.uk

Gymboree Norwich is Open!

We are delighted to announce that Gymboree Norwich have opened their doors at Notcutts Garden Centre Gymboree are the global leaders in fun, developmental classes for children from birth to 5 years of age.

Gymboree’s new Norwich site is located in a fantastic, outstandingly equipped space which will provide parents, grandparents and carers with an excellent destination to entertain and educate their little ones. It will provide Norwich and surrounding areas with a first class facility, expertly designed to guide the physical and cognitive development of young children during their earliest, precious years. www.FineCity.co.uk

Gymboree Norwich is owned and operated by Wendy and Denis Canning, teachers of some 30 years combined experience.

Experience gained in Primary schools in England, Australia, Dubai and Japan. In the opinion of Wendy Canning “Gymboree is a fantastically fun way to assist little ones in ensuring they have every opportunity to explore their abilities and to provide parents and carers with support and professional guidance in nurturing their children through their first stages of development.

We first encountered Gymboree as parents and we were so

impressed with the quality of the educational content and so thrilled with the enjoyment that we and our children got from the classes that we decided to open our own franchise location.”

At our amazing new site we will initially be offering Sensory Baby Play classes for pre-mobile infants, Play and Learn classes for mobile babies all the way up to 5 years of age and incredible themed birthday parties at the weekends. Over the next few months we will also add our fantastic music and art classes.

We will be open from 9:30am to 5.00pm Monday to Saturday

and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday. We will run a range of classes each day with timetabled open gym sessions (free play) every day too.

Gymboree classes are an incredibly fun, relaxed way to help with the development of all little ones under 5 and we are immensely pleased and proud to be able to bring them to the good people of Norwich.

For more information please contact Denis and Wendy Canning on 01603 250585 or email norwich@gymboree-uk.com 2014 December | 15

Dozen Artisan Bakery Dozen was set up in 2008 by Tom Harding’s friend and his wife, Steven and Hannah Winter, when they moved back to Norwich from Perth, Australia Tom started working for them three month safter Dozen opened, and he bought the business in April 2011. His assistant baker Laurence Carroll has been baking with Dozen for the last 18 months; Tom’s mother works in the shop, and local students are employed to work behind the shop counter.

The bakers at Dozen make everything by hand, on the premises, using good quality, fresh, organic ingredients, and tries to source as many of these locally as possible. They strive to make their produce the best that they can, and their loyal customer base means a lot to them. They also try to maintain a good balance between keeping the regular, tried-and-tested products

16 | December 2014

alongside new, more seasonal items. They have an open-plan bakery with large windows so the public can see everything being made – there are no secrets, and nowhere to hide!

Dozen makes a range of yeasted breads and sourdoughs, croissants, tarts, cakes, biscuits, and sausage rolls, which are definitely the most popular item.

Legendary chef Albert Roux sampled one, then asked to take a boxful home with him!

Dozen also has a delicatessen displayselling cheeses, chutneys, drinks, jams, fruit cheeses, and seasonal items. The deli section is mostly stocked by The Cheese Truckle, and Dozen also supports cottageindustry suppliers, selling honey produced by a local

beekeeper, and free-range eggs from a local hen-keeper.

Dozen’s suppliers include Marriages’ Flour, whose product is excellent and who are very supportive of what Dozen is trying to achieve.

Marriages’ are also always on hand for any advice in relation to product or business.

Nuts and seeds come from Rainbow Whole Foods, an ethical local company with sound credentials, and the meat and vegetables used in Dozen’s products come from a butcher and a greengrocer

whose businesses are on the same road as Dozen.

All these suppliers were chosen because they are local, and because their products have integrity, something which Dozen is keen to endorse.

Dozen aims for consistently high standards using fresh, local, organic produce, and their advice would be to always listen to your customers.

Dozen Artizan Bakery, 107 Gloucester Street, Norwich NR2 2DY. Call 01603 764 798 or visit dozenbakery.co.uk.

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The Partea Hut Times together, memories forever

The Partea Hut Menus available from the Partea Hut Afternoon tea (Min 10 - max 40 guests) £8.50 per adult / £7.50 per child A Selection of teatime sandwiches, cakes, savouries, scones & pastries. Add juice; milkshake or smoothies to quench little thirsts then simply pop the kettle on for a lovely cup of tea or coffee.

Weddings & large parties Welcome to The Partea Hut in Drayton, Norwich where we specialise in home baked afternoon tea style party food.

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We package it all up and bring it to your chosen venue on the day of the party - delivery is free within a 20 mile radius of Drayton. If you need us to, we can help you set out the food and then it’s over to you to host the best little tea party ever.

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Learning Made Easy Qualified Education Ltd are all about learning. Based in the heart of Norwich, they provide a fresh and dynamic approach to vocational education and training, aiming to be flexible and responsive to the needs of workplaces and learners The company has grown dramaticallysince opening its doors on MagdalenStreet in 2013. The team have worked with over 200 successful learners in the Norfolk and Suffolk areas, with 25% of learners returning to study two or more qualifications.

In a recent survey, learners quoted the friendly, supportive and relaxed atmosphere as one of the main reasons for their own success, with over 30% gaining employment or receiving a promotion as a direct result of their qualifications.

Company Background Centre Director, Georgina Sexton, began her career as a teacher after completing her 18 | December 2014

post-graduate study at the University of Sheffield. Fuelled by a love of stationary and the smell of whiteboard markers, Georgina embarked on a teaching and learning journey which crossed three continents.

After spending two years immersed in the language and culture of Japan, she settled down in the fine city of Norwich.

Her career then became focused on further education and, as she began working with adult learners and raising her own family of enthusiastic boys, she quickly realised the obstacles and challenges that can stand in the way of those returning to learning. Georgina set up Qualified Education, aiming

(More than 40 guests) £9.50 per adult / £8.50 per child A Selection of teatime sandwiches, cakes, savouries, scones & pastries plus an assortment of petits fours.

Garden Partea For children (min order 10) £8.50 per child Take it all into the garden with our individual picnic parcels.They contain the same choices as the Afternoon Tea but are individually wrapped and tied in a spotty

to create a supportive, flexible and relaxed environment where learners can enjoy learning and progress in their chosen career.

Qualified Education have a reputation for quality, support and success. The highly qualified and knowledgeable team currently work with over 50 primary and secondary schools, several large well-known organisations in the Norfolk and Suffolk areas, and partner with City & Guilds, Highfield ABC, and Training Qualifications UK to deliver vocational qualifications and training. New for 2014-15 The 2014-15 academic year is full of exciting developments as Qualified Education expands and delivers new qualifications to meet the needs of individuals and workplaces.

Building on its already successful vocational QCF qualifications, which focus on Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools (aimed at teaching assistants) and Health and Social

cloth which serves as a napkin to keep sticky fingers clean.

Simply cakes To cut yourself from £12.00 Why not choose a cake or two to serve to any guests accompanying children at a Partea or just give yourself a treat as all our cakes are available to order without a Partea package.

Pop-Up Café Visit The Partea Hut on Wednesdays between 10.30am and 2.30pm at The Pavillion, Drayton High Road, Drayton.

Pop in for a quick cuppa and cake on your travels, meet up with family and friends or hold a meeting with work colleagues.

We cater for everybody, so whatever the occasion come and give us a try.

Care, the Qualified Education team is looking forward to the challenge of working with core compliance subjects to help support the needs of businesses and individuals.

The new qualifications include first aid (including Paediatric First Aid and First Aid at Work), food safety, fire safety and conflict management training.

Come and meet us – and see what we’re all about!

Visit our website to view our full range of qualifications at: www.qualified. education, dropGeorgina an email on georgina@qualified-education. co.uk, find us on Facebook, or join the conversation on Twitter.

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From Norwich International Airport to…Taiwan December and January - Autumn and Winter have been with us for a while and it is now that most folk take out the holiday brochures. It feels good to think about the sun and summer. TV adverts will try hard to get us to make a booking. So, if you are thinking about somewhere slightly unusual, how about…Taiwan?

Words and photography: Stephen Browning

20 | December 2014

Where?

Taiwan. Formerly called Formosa or ‘beautiful island’, it is situated in East Asia. It has a population of about 23 and a third million.

Is it something to do with China and do I need a visa?

No, it is a completely separate country and you don’t need a visa at the time of writing.

It was under Japanese control until their defeat in 1945 and it has been a multi-party democracy with universal suffrage since the early 1990s.

America is Taiwan’s main ally.

I heard Norwich has a special connection. Is this right?

Indeed, it is. UEA is very much a favourite place for students to

come for higher education.

There are lots of students wandering around the town wearing UEA tops and a good few of these are from Taiwan.

How has this come about?

It started a couple of decades ago when the British Council put on an exhibition about Norwich in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. One friend of mine, who is now an eminent professor back in Taiwan, was so struck by the beauty of the city, especially the Cathedral, that he resolved to come here to do his Doctorate in Linguistics.

He has been back every year since and encourages his students to do likewise.

Taiwanese students contribute hugely to the local economy. www.FineCity.co.uk

FINEPLACES

Steven Browning Writer @returningperson

A literate country by the sounds of it?

Yes, it is only just behind the UK in the number of new books per capita which it releases each year. The UK is way ahead of the rest of the world.

What’s the climate like?

Amazing, especially viewed from the middle of our winter. The first thing you will experience is a warm flush of semi-tropical air as you step out of the air-conditioned airport building. OK, it DOES rain and can be cold but not very often. If you go for several weeks, one jumper will suffice but you probably won’t even wear it.

And the countryside?

The cities?

Now you’re really talking. It is www.FineCity.co.uk

breathtakingly beautiful from the mountains of southern Taiwan – you can stay with a local family very cheaply and not feel at all like a tourist – to the natural beaches of Kenting and you will be entranced. The cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung - pronounced ‘Cow-shung’, although I have never come across any official in a British airport who can say it correctly, preferring to mutter ‘ er, you’re destination’ instead – have that indefinable ‘buzz’ only found in the world’s great cosmopolitan conurbations.

The food?

Ah, now you’ve hit one of the main reasons I try to stay for at least six weeks at a time.

Bubble tea – tea with tapioca pieces; Taiwanese Ice Cream –

an eight inch wheel of sweet ice that whirls away in front of a cutter which deposits whispers of the ice cream onto your plate; hundreds of different types of mushrooms – there is a chain of restaurants which serve nothing but mushrooms for starters, main course and puddings; probably thousands of types of noodles that you won’t ever find in England; steamed bread – so juicy and chewy; soya products for vegetarians that actually taste nice; egg-fried rice made like it should be served with fresh ginger strips; fried ice-cream; hand-made vegetarian dumplings with soy sauce; crispy pancakes with fresh vegetables and plum sauce; pineapple cake; malted beer and kumquat liqueur - Oh my, I had better stop…..

OK. But it sounds very expensive.

Quite the reverse. You can, if you like, pay a lot in the fancy citycentre restaurants. But you don’t have to at all. It is customary in Taiwan for house to be built where the ground floor is a shop.

Some people do indeed just turn these spaces into another sitting room but a great many try their hand at a business and the easiest type to try is a food shop or family-run restaurant.

These are incredibly cheap by our standards – there are several that I and my Taiwanese friends go to where you can have an evening feast for maybe the equivalent of £3. Of course, you have to be a little adventurous at first and go up to someone who is cooking, which is all over the  2014 December | 21

FINEPLACES

place, and ask if they serve food to hungry visitors. You’ll most like get a most enthusiastic welcome and they will be genuinely very pleased if you come back again another time. Try not to leave anything, though. I was once on my way home towards the airport when my Taiwanese host took me for a last bite in the country.

Unfortunately I wasn’t really hungry. It was only afterwards that I learned that the lady doing the cooking had been upset because she thought that I did not like her food. I go there all the time now as we have cleared up any misunderstanding and become firm friends.

The language?

It is always a good idea to learn at least a few words of Taiwanese 22 | December 2014

Hokkien – spoken by the majority of Taiwanese – or Mandarin. It is only polite to say ‘hello’ – ‘Nihao’ – when you meet a new person. However, you will find that everyone is so friendly and wanting to try to practise their English on you that you can become very lazy and get by, at least in major centres, entirely in English. When I first went over to write books about learning English – which is what I do there, by the way – it was twenty years ago and there were not very many Westerners, at least in the secondary towns. It became a very pleasant game to get to the corner shop (almost always a 7-11) and back without meeting a group of children or students who wanted to have a chat! ‘How are you? Are you English? American? How do you like Taiwan?’

Any idiosyncracies?

We are very reserved in the west so it can be a bit of a shock to be asked by someone you have just met ‘ How old are you? How old do you think I am? How much money do you earn?’ It’s just the open culture and lovely when you get used to it. Local signs are also sometimes much more poetic than ours – for instance, the one outside the main railway terminus at Kaohsiung which reads ‘Kiss and Ride’ rather than ‘Drop off for passengers only’.

How do you get about?

Taiwan is a land of scooters.

Everyone’s got one, even if they also own a nice car. You will often see a whole family on the back of a lambretta. The big cities have superb underground systems and

taxis are cheap. Buses are a bit of a lottery. Some drivers see traffic lights as optional so you need to be on your toes, especially when crossing the road.

What else would you recommend to do on a visit?

Major bookshops are like palaces with a massive section devoted to the learning of English. You will find people sitting all over the stairs, floors and ledges reading the books. You must also go see – and smell! – the many Night Markets which sell everything from roast snake to cinnamon waffles.

Major cities have department stores, some 21 stories high, that make our English ones look like corner shops. You will also want to see some Daoist and Buddhist Temples of which there www.FineCity.co.uk

FINEPLACES

are hundreds, each one you see seeming even more intricate and beautiful than the last. You will hear religious ceremonies, gongs and drums all through the night. There are many religious processions and lots of monks and nuns. Beware, however, as some that you see requesting alms, especially at busy place like shopping centres and railway stations, are not always genuine.

I personally have never worked out how to tell for sure so when I want to give alms I go direct to a temple.

To avoid?

Dogs, which run wild and are often abandoned. They can naturally be aggressive if protecting their young or territory.

You can hear them howling in the www.FineCity.co.uk

night sometimes. Noise pollution is unavoidable as there is a big problem with trucks driving slowly up and down the neighbourhood blasting out adverts for everything from politicians to new restaurants. The national press - The Taipei Times is a good English-language read before and during your stay and can be accessed online – has recently raised this issue, so maybe there will be some change.

How to travel?

You can go direct from Norwich International Airport. The best route is undoubtedly NorwichAmsterdam-Hong Kong-Taiwan.

Amsterdam and Hong Kong are very comfortable airports with easy chairs and ‘full length ‘seats where you can stretch out

while waiting your connection.

Amsterdam offers very expensive computers with wi-fi but in Hong Kong they are both free which helps while away the time.

You can also go NorwichAmsterdam-Bangkok-Taiwan or Norwich-Amsterdam-Xiamen (China) – Taiwan and often you will find the cheaper flights offered with these connections.

How to book?

If you book via the internet you will save hundreds of pounds over a High Street Travel Agent.

Try Opodo.com or Expedia.com.

The trick is to take a look about 3 weeks or a month before travel, type in NorwichAmsterdam- Hong Kong- Taipei (or Kaohsiung) and track the costs of flights over several days

to see if they vary. You should not have to pay more than £750£800 economy return. Business Class is about double (but you will only arrive about four feet in advance of the economy section just behind the curtain at your back). Beware – a journey from Norwich to Tawain can be anything from 18 hours in total to over 55 hours! The longest and cheapest flights will flash up first but, unless you can take a 20 plus hour stop-over in an airport, check all the details well before purchasing! I usually try to have a flight of about 22-24 hours in total as this means a stop in Amsterdam and Hong Kong of about 2 and a half hours which is just right to get everything done and have a cup of tea.

I wish you a very happy trip! ❏ 2014 December | 23

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Our glorious heritage:

Steven Browning Writer @returningperson

stained glass Steve Browning offers some points of interest for anyone wanting to explore the city’s stained glass. He answers some of the most common questions surrounding this pastime

W

hen I was 14 my history teacher at Kings Lynn Grammar School dragged my class, kicking and screaming, to a dusty old church in the middle of a field near Castle Rising. I remember going inside when suddenly silence broke out, which was a remarkable thing because my fellow schoolmates were a noisy and excitable lot at the best of times. The sun was shining strongly through a stained glass window depicting Mary www.FineCity.co.uk

and Jesus. There was a tree just outside the window through which the light poured in and which made the beautiful colours – gold, blue, red and green – flicker on the opposite wall.

Everyone just stood and gawped at it. I looked at our teacher, Mr Stenson, and I have never seen a bigger grin on any face in my life.

Well, from that moment I have been hooked on stained glass.

Later, when I became a teacher, I would often remember this visit.

It made me realise that learning by

‘experiencing, being there, doing it’ was a million times better than learning by ‘being told it’. Mr Stenson was a great teacher and is happily still with us, probably beavering away on his book ‘The Definitive Guide to Norfolk Churches’ which he was working on all those years ago and which will someday see the light of day, I hope. It will undoubtedly be the last word on the subject ( another of his sayings was ‘nothing good ever comes of rushing, boys, so slow down and think’).

Here are a few questions and notes I hope will be of interest to anyone wanting to explore the city’s glorious stained glass and maybe take up a rewarding ( and free! ) hobby that may last a lifetime. It can become very

addictive and it helps if your partner is also of the same mind as you could find that it becomes impossible to go past any church without looking inside. Speaking for myself, it just can’t be done.

So what is stained glass?

Stained glass is so called because medieval craftsmen began to use silver oxide to paint on clear glass. This ‘stained’ the glass and it meant that great detail could be put onto the panels – no longer were the pictures reliant on coloured glass only. If you look at some the faces in the pictures in this article, you will see that they have been painted. Coloured glass was known to the Egyptians but this discovery led to a golden age in the 15th and 16th centuries.  2014 December | 25

FINEPLACES

How is it made?

Plain glass is made by mixing together sand, soda, lime, potash and lead.

Coloured glass is made by adding metallic oxides such as copper or iron, crushed to a powder, to the mix. For example, gold oxide produces the glowing and unique ruby red so beloved of craftsmen throughout the years. This glass is called ‘pot metal glass’ and is often very dark in hue. To make it lighter, a section of clear glass can be dipped into this pot metal glass and the result is clear glass with a thin layer of colour on the outside. Light can travel though this quite easily. This is known as ‘flash glass’. Many windows utilise both types of glass.

Why was there so much of it about in medieval times?

Most people could not read or write and stained glass panels were used to tell stories. As is the case today in the more modern versions of media like films and TV, there is a great deal of scary stuff and gore with stonings, crucifixions and 26 | December 2014

all manner of knights slaying evil-looking dragons and other nasty creatures.

Faith was not for the fainthearted - a favourite panel of mine is in St Peter Mancroft where an angel is holding a pair of tongs in which is a redhot coal. This is being offered to a Christian supplicant. The idea is, presumably, that the supplicant should have faith and take the coal in order to be able to purify his speech.

In the Anglican Cathedral there is a more modern stained glass with several panels depicting the trenches of the Somme from the First World War. Where can I see it in Norwich?

Any church is worth looking into for there is often a gem of a window or fragment inside. Sadly many churches are locked up now as a protection from vandals but often these contain incredible surprises and it is well worth checking when they will be open – you can do this easily online www.norwich-churches.org St Peter Mancroft has a quite fabulous selection of exquisite glass.

“Any church is worth looking into for there is often a gem of a window or fragment inside” www.FineCity.co.uk

FINEPLACES

The jewel is of course the Anglican Cathedral. This has examples of glass from early medieval times to the present.

Is it all old or are there some more modern examples?

The Roman Catholic Cathedral was built in the early 20th century. The glass is extremely rich with a great quantity of cobalt blue colour as well as rich ruby red. This is the work of two famous glass makers of the time, John Hardman and Co and Clayton and Bell. In 1943 a bomb exploded across the road and shattered some pieces. It was decided to take all the stained glass out and put it into safe storage. After the war, the same two firms put it all back to the original designs.

Anything really new?

Yes, there is, in the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Three new windows by John McLean on the left side of the Nave as you walk around are quite spectacular. They flood the cathedral with coloured light and it is quite exhilarating to walk www.FineCity.co.uk

through the yellow, orange and mauve beams. John McLean says that there is no hidden message in this work – he wants us all to enjoy the colour in the same uncomplicated way we enjoy singing or dancing.

Conclusion?

We are fortunate in that stained glass dates from early medieval times right up to the present, and Norwich has examples of it all. â??

Stephen Browning is the author of 35 books worldwide.

His best known in Norwich are probably the series of books on our city and county which he has co-authored with top photographer, Daniel Tink. In Asia he has produced a series of books on language learning for young adults and business-people.

He has twice won awards from the Government of Taiwan for this work.

He splits his year between Norwich, Hong Kong and Taiwan. For more information please go to www.facebook. com/stevebrowningbooks.

2014 December | 27

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FINEPLACES

Thorpeness

THE LIVING NEVERLAND

judy foster

Norwich Theatre Royal communications officer Judy Foster visited the village of Thorpeness to check out its historic Peter Pan connection and to see if its reputation as the ‘living Neverland’ for the young and the young-atheart still holds good

www.FineCity.co.uk

ll children, except one, grow up.” So wrote author JM Barrie – and that one exception was his best loved children’s character, Peter Pan. The tale of Peter’s adventures in Neverland still has an enduring appeal today, as demonstrated by its current run as the Christmas panto at Norwich Theatre Royal, on stage until January 18.

Perhaps adults enjoy panto as much as children do for the very notion it conjures up of carefree childhood – especially when the frenetic demands of modern-day adulthood leave many feeling slightly beleaguered.

A brief respite from those stresses was just what wealthy Edwardian landowner Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie had in mind over 100 years ago when he began to transform a small Suffolk fishing hamlet between Aldeburgh and Sizewell into the carefully-designed holiday destination of Thorpeness.

He appreciated the value of ‘time out’ – and from around 1910 onwards began work on an upmarket village where middle-class London families could stay in picture-perfect mock Tudor country cottages nestling around a boating Meare, away from the hustle and bustle of more commercialised Victorian resorts.

Thorpeness was a destination often visited by JM Barrie, a friend of the Ogilvie family, and his tale of Peter Pan inspired the naming of islands and play areas on the Meare, turning it into a children’s paradise.  2014 December | 29

thorpeness golf club

FINEPLACES

view from the 18th fairway

Thorpeness is unlike any other holiday destination I’ve ever been to.

It has unusual buildings that make your eyes pop in dis-belief, activities your granny would have happily enjoyed as a child, and an atmosphere of old-fashioned charm where time, if not standing still, seems to run at a slower pace.

This quintessentially English village, which recently celebrated its centenary, is straight out of a 1930s children’s storybook. You really wouldn’t be surprised to encounter the Famous Five roaring round the corner on their bikes, off on one of their exploits, or the Walker children from Swallows and Amazons setting out on a boating adventure.

In addition to the stunning lake (more about that later), there’s a country club with tennis courts, a golf course laid out in 1922 by famous course designer James Braid, a boathouse and tearoom that must have one of the best vistas anywhere, plus a wide expanse of unspoiled shingle beach and miles of stunning coastal walks through an area of outstanding natural beauty, with wildlife-rich wetlands and ancient heathlands to explore.

If you want to press the pause button on the modern world for a while, and fresh air and the big outdoors is your thing, then Thorpeness has it in spades, whether you’re on a day trip or a longer break. It can perhaps claim to be the very first model holiday village, pre-dating Portmeirion in North Wales, and is certainly a world away from traditional seaside resorts or current-day theme parks – you won’t find fast food outlets, games arcades or urban commercialisation here. Things are a little more sedate.

We started our day’s visit at the art deco Thorpeness Golf Club and Hotel which is so chilled out, I could happily have slumped into one of the lounge sofas to relax with a coffee and the newspapers, and roamed no further.

The clubhouse stands above the village and boasts a superb view of the Meare. Its beautiful wood-panelled bar, adjoining patio bar and terrace serves a good range of meals, while its restaurant overlooks the beautifully manicured 3rd tee. Both are open to the public and 30 | December 2014

“The approach on the 18th must be one of the most picturesque of any fairway” serve fresh local produce throughout the day, including afternoon teas – the venison burger in the bar was particularly tasty.

Most parts of the golf club are also dog-friendly and it was a welcome surprise to be able to take our spaniel, Tilly, into the patio bar.

The Golf Club is a private members’ club but also offers a range of golfing breaks and holidays for visiting guests, with hotel accommodation of 36 bedrooms available for online booking at www.thorpeness.co.uk We were told the par-70, 18-hole golf course is a favourite with visiting players as its underlying sandy soil means it doesn’t suffer water-logging in wet weather, making it playable when other courses aren’t.

The approach on the 18th as you head for the clubhouse must be one of the most picturesque of any fairway with its view of two of the village’s most iconic buildings – the windmill, which was moved from nearby Aldringham in 1923, and one of the country’s most famous follies, the House in the Clouds. Available for private holiday lets (www.houseintheclouds.co.uk), this was originally a water tower ingeniously disguised as a cottage, floating above the trees and overlooking the golf course and the Meare.

Over 40 self-catering apartments and holiday cottages are available around the village, at the Country Club or by the beach, and can be booked via www.aldeburghbayholidays.co.uk. www.FineCity.co.uk

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regatta race, circa 1930

The Country Club was built in 1912 in the centre of the village as a place for socialising, games and sporting activities for visiting families. It has now expanded into a wedding and party venue but still offers those traditional pursuits with tennis courts and a swimming pool. www.thorpenesscountryclub.co.uk The Dolphin Inn in the centre of the village also has en-suite rooms and a restaurant with dishes made from locally sourced or homegrown produce – and it runs the village store with a deli counter and fresh-baked breads and pastries. See www.thorpenessdolphin.com Our leisurely walk around Thorpeness revealed yet more quirky buildings, including the original Jacobean and Tudor Revival style holiday cottages which were owned by the Ogilvies and their wellheeled friends, a row of almshouses, a library, the timber-clad boathouse with its clock tower and tearooms, and Ogilvie Hall which has recently been converted into more accommodation.

A few sympathetically-designed modern buildings seem to have started to creep in – bringing additional facilities for the visitors who flock to the village during the summer - but we didn’t feel they encroached on or detracted from the overall feel.

The pulsing heart at the centre of Thorpeness is undoubtedly the Meare. A shallow 40-acre lake, it was dug by hand over one winter between 1912-1913 and, with child safety uppermost in mind, is no more than three-feet deep anywhere.

As a family friend of the Ogilivies, JM Barrie visited Thorpeness on many occasions and the Meare drew inspiration from his Peter Pan story with its islands and inlets given names such as Pirates’ Lair, Wendy’s House, Crocodile Island, Peter Pan’s Island and the Fort (other place names come from Treasure Island and the Water Babies).

We were lent our rowing boat by the Golf Club, but a wide range of boats can be hired at the boathouse, including dinghies, rowing boats, punts, sailing boats, canoes and kayaks. Some of the older wooden 

meare boathouse, circa 1930

the meare, circa 1930

Thorpeness tennis courts, circa 1930

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2014 December | 31

judy foster

judy foster

FINEPLACES

thorpeness golf club

view from thorpeness tea rooms

wendy’s house

rowing and sailing boats date back to 1913 and were named by the local workmen who dug the lake.

The Meare is open every day from 8.30am until 5.30pm from the start of the Easter holidays through to the end of the October half term - details at www.thorpenessmeare.co.uk There is even a Regatta in August with boat races during the day and a Son et Lumière parade of decorated boats at night followed by fireworks. The Meare is drained during the winter months and cleaned out.

We spent a calming hour boating (relaxing for me but probably less so for my son at the oars) making our way round the pretty inlets and channels – the views from the water are stunning and for one used to motorboats on the Norfolk Broads, it was particularly peaceful – just the occasionally whoop of joy from other boat users.

With the theatre’s up-coming Peter Pan panto in mind, we hunted out Crocodile Island, Wendy’s House and other related place names. I could easily imagine what fun it is for children to dip into this make-believe world.

After our adventure, we stopped off at the Meare Shop and Tea Room for a well-earned cream tea and scrumptious cakes – and even spotted fish finger sandwiches on the menu…truly a children’s paradise!

Across the road, one of the village’s new buildings also offers a tea shop and (something for the adults) a packed emporium full of interesting antiques and crafts – well worth a browse.

Part of the village’s great charm is it has barely changed much 32 | December 2014

boats on the meare

since its original conception, partly due to its remaining under the tight control of successive generations of Olgivies. When the grandson of its founder died on the golf course in 1972, parts of the estate had to be sold to pay death duties – and it could have meant the end of the ‘living Neverland’ dream. Thankfully it didn’t.

It might not be to everyone’s taste but if you are brave enough to leave the laptop and mobile phone at home, then this is a place to come to stop the world for a while and recharge your batteries. Not only will your youngsters experience the kind of old-fashioned freedom to play and roam in safety that is increasingly difficult to find anywhere these days, but you’ll also reconnect with your own inner child.

Thorpeness still retains its air of other-worldliness – it is a very special place - a true Neverland. ❏ Dip into the world of Neverland by booking tickets for Peter Pan at Norwich Theatre Royal. The panto is on stage until Sunday, January 18, 2015. Tickets cost from £5.50 to £21 and can be booked online at www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk or at the box office on 01603 630000. There are also discounts for Over-60s, Under-18s and Groups. Under-threes free. Signed performances on Saturday January 17 at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Audio-described performances on Sunday January 11 at 1pm and Friday January 16 at 6.30pm. Relaxed performance especially suited for those with autism on Wednesday January 14 at 5.30pm. www.FineCity.co.uk

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Potters Resort Coast Road Hopton-on-Sea Norfolk NR31 9BX www.pottersholidays.com Terms and conditions apply. ‘FINE CITY’ must be quoted at time of booking. Offers shown are for new bookings only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Prices shown are based on bungalow accommodation, bungalow plus and hotel supplements apply. Potters Leisure Ltd reserves the right to amend of withdraw the offer at any time. For full terms and conditions visit www.pottersholidays.com/bookingterms-conditions *Drinks inclusive from 6pm until close of bars, exclusions apply + These breaks do not feature “the most wonderful time of the year”

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Christkindlesmarkt Norwich-based travel writer, Tony Cooper, jets off to Nuremberg for a good rummage round their Christmas market

H

ollywood may be nicknamed Tinseltown but the delightful German city of Nuremberg is credited in creating the stuff called ‘tinsel’ in the first place way back in the 16th century. Tinsel the name of which derives from the Old French word ‘estincele’ meaning ‘sparkle’ - was originally made from extruded strands of silver but because silver tarnished so quickly other shiny metals were substituted such as pewter, a tin alloy, but today it’s mostly produced in aluminium and, of course, ‘sparkles’ the world over! Tinsel was originally used for adorning sculptures rather than Christmas trees but was later added to Christmas trees to enhance the flickering of the candles on them. I discovered all

34 | December 2014

this out by visiting Nuremberg’s world-famous Christmas market (Christkindlesmarkt) travelling all the way there by train from good old Norwich.

But mention Nuremberg to anyone and what readily springs to mind are the war trials of the Nazi party’s hierarchy. However, the history of this well-loved and attractive city etches deeper than the Nazi era and from an historical point of view Nuremberg was the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire until it became part of the kingdom of Bavaria in 1806. But to locals the area’s often referred to as Franconia. Get it right! I didn’t and I was duly reminded.

However, never let the association of the Nazis ever put you off visiting Nuremberg.

It’s a lovely place and a bustling

city in the truest sense of the word with a host of restaurants to suit all pockets and to fill all stomachs coupled with a lively quality shopping district to send a girl mad while culturally speaking it has the lot from opera to the symphony and practically everything else in between. What more could one wish for?

Musically speaking, I like to associate Nuremberg with the greatest of all 19th-century German romantic composers Richard Wagner who used the city as the setting for one of his most famous operas, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Occupying a unique place in Wagner’s repertoire, the scenario surrounds the 16th-century Nuremberg cobbler-poet, Hans Sachs, the opera’s hero and a leading member of the guild of Meistersingers.

But if Wagner’s one of the mostfamous composers associated with Nuremberg, Johann Pachelbel - one of the world’s most-famous baroque composers

- was born here in September 1653. He died at the age of 52 in March 1706 and is buried locally at St Rochus’ cemetery.

Organist at St Sebaldus’ Church, Pachelbel - who composed a large body of sacred and secular music - brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. His contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque period and his music influenced many other south German composers such as Johann Jakob Froberger as well as the great Italian masters, Girolamo Frescobaldi and Alessandro Poglietti.

During his lifetime Pachelbel’s music enjoyed enormous popularity and today he’s best known for the Canon in D as well as the Chaconne in F minor, the Toccata in E minor for organ and the Hexachordum Apollinis, a set of keyboard variations comprising six arias on an original theme  www.FineCity.co.uk

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www.FineCity.co.uk

2014 December | 35

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“The big seasonal attraction in Nuremberg, of course, is the famous Christkindlesmarkt which draws well over two million visitors each year.” composed seven years before his death. The work’s generally regarded as one of the pinnacles of Pachelbel’s career.

But music aside, one of Nuremberg’s favourite all-yearround attractions has to be the ‘tactile’ ring appropriately named The Nuremberg Ring. But it’s nothing to do with Wagner. This ring promises good luck to those who climb the trio of steps to touch it as opposed to Wagner’s 17-hour Ring cycle which ends in total disaster. You’ll find it welded in the decorative iron fence surrounding the Beautiful Fountain (Schöner Brunnen) in the market square, one of the loveliest and most perfectly laid-out squares to be found in all of Germany.

The fountain was erected around 1385 but has subsequently been replaced by a replica version while the original is kept in safe custody in the city’s Germanisches Nationalmuseum, one of Germany’s largest museums of cultural history. Other exhibits include works by such 36 | December 2014

famous artists as Albrecht Dürer (a famous son of Nuremberg), the Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and the German Expressionist painter/ printmaker Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, one of the founders of Die Brücke (The Bridge), a key artists’ group which led to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-century art.

The big seasonal attraction in Nuremberg, of course, is the famous Christkindlesmarkt which draws well over two million visitors each year. I was proud to be one of them! It’s an experience I’ll never forget. And as far as Christmas markets go (and I’ve jaunted round a few over the years) I count Nuremberg market leader. No pun intended!

On this visit I got the chance to meet the Christkind who gets the Christmas holiday season underway in a grand and festive way by making a balcony appearance on the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) overlooking the market square which is jam-packed by thousands upon

thousands of well-wishers all eager to capture the scene on camera for the family album.

The Old Town (Aldstadt) is throbbing with townsfolk and festively decked out like no other with the air permeated by tempting smells of mulled wine, sweet roasted almonds and Nuremberg sausages which creates an unforgettable atmosphere.

The Christkindlesmarkt lies right at the heart of the city and pulses at night when all of the lights are ablaze reaching for the stars. It paints a pretty picture, believe me! Families are wellcatered for, too, and can enjoy the Children’s Christmas Market (Kinderweihnacht) where historic steam-powered merry-go-rounds are there for a small fare.

And talking of stars, Nuremberg contributed much to the science of astronomy in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Stargazers such as Johannes Mueller of Königsberg, for instance, built an astronomical

observatory in the city in 1471 and published many important astronomical charts while Albrecht Dürer mapped the stars of the northern and southern hemispheres in 1515. He also produced the first printed star charts and also published Stabiussche Weltkarte, the first perspective drawing of the terrestrial globe.

Being a motor-racing fan I diverted away from all the festivities and enjoyed a sporty trip round the Norisring, not to be confused with Germany’s famous Nürburgring situated near Norwich’s twin city of Koblenz.

A street circuit constructed on the former Nazi party’s rally grounds, one of its biggest events is the Norisringrennen held annually in July. It’s one of the highlights of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series and fans here can get closer to the action than what is ever possible on any modern-day race-track.

But tragedy struck the Norisring in 1971 when the popular www.FineCity.co.uk

FINEPLACES

Mexican racing driver Pedro Rodriguez crashed his Ferrari 512 into a bridge wall just before the Schöller tribune and burst into flames. Following the accident, the track layout was altered in order to reduce corner speeds. A memorial plaque was inaugurated at the site of the crash in 2006.

The track also claimed the life of Hungarian F3 driver Csaba Kesjár in 1988, a young blood of just 26 years of age.

But what puts Nuremberg on the world map, culinary speaking, is the famous Nürnberger bratwurst, a grilled sausage which is shorter and thinner than other bratwurst sausages.

I managed to demolish a dozen (with a dish of sauerkraut and a couple of pints of the best) in no time at all at Nuremberg’s historic sausage kitchen, BratwurstGlöcklein. And another culinary speciality is Lebkuchen (similar to gingerbread) first produced by Franconian monks in the 13th century. They’re a delicacy of Nuremberg, a city I’ve fallen in www.FineCity.co.uk

love with. What more can I say apart from Auf wiedersehen! ❏ Tony Cooper travelled to London with Abellio Greater Anglia (www. abelliogreateranglia.com) then Voyages-sncf.com looked after all his ticketing arrangements from London (St Pancras) to Brussels (Midi) travelling on Eurostar to connect with Deutsche Bahn’s hi-speed intercity express service from Brussels to Nuremberg via Frankfurt.

Return fares in standard class start at £325 or you can buy an InterRail Global Pass for five days of travel in a ten-day period within 29 countries starting from £224 (adult) in standard class. All prices are per person and subject to availability. For bookings visit www.voyages-sncf.com or call 0844 848 5848. Personal callers are welcome at the Voyagessncf Travel Centre, 193 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EU. 2014 December | 37

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Flight To View The Northern Lights Omega Holidays hosted a very special flight to view the Northern Lights from Norwich International on Friday 21st November During the experience passengers took a journey through a star studded sky, and heard about folklore legends in a quest to see one of the most spectacular natural phenomena known to man… The Northern Lights.

Guest astronomers guided the passengers on a voyage of exploration and discovery through the winter night sky to view natures very own spectacular light show from the aircraft.

The flight has proven to be extremely popular, with Omega Holidays already making plans to repeat the flight during 2015.

Dino Toouli, Head of Trade Sales at Omega Holidays

38 | December 2014

commented “.It’s great to see such a strong demand for our Northern Lights flight from Norwich. This is probably the best and cheapest ways to experience the lights, above the clouds at 30,000 feet!” Toouli added, “The Norwich flight has been one of our best performing flights and I see no reason why we won’t be doing more flights next year.”

Andrew Bell, Chief Executive of Norwich International Airport, said “It is fantastic to be able to offer this excursion for the first time from Norwich International and we are delighted that it has proved popular. Our objective is to provide an ever increasing

range of destinations and products to the travelers in our region. The addition of this special flight compliments the services we currently offer.

Following the success of this flight we are hopeful that Omega Holidays will build on this and introduce further options for local travelers in 2015.”

Discover your smile at Norwich International 2015 is forecast to be another busy summer for Thomson at Norwich International Airport with the introduction of a new weekly service to Menorca every Saturday May to October, bringing their total number of seats on sale to circa 36,000, an increase of 11% on prior year.

Norwich International Airport is delighted to be included within the new Thomson ‘discover your 2015 campaign which has recently been unveiled and tells the story of a well-loved bear called Miles who has been

ground down by everyday life, before he is whisked away on a Thomson Holiday. From this week Miles is bringing a smile to Norwich International passengers and visitors alike with new artwork adorning the front of the main terminal entrance.

Andrew Bell, CEO of Norwich International commented, “We are proud to be working closely with Thomson to promote their holidays from our airport.

The addition of Menorca to Thomson Holidays product range from Norwich International and such prominent branding is most welcome and further demonstrates the strength of the growth in charter flights. We are certain this popular destination which is already selling well and ‘Miles the bear’ will prove a hit with our customers. The image of Miles will make a great backdrop to family photographs depicting the start of a holiday from their local airport and we actively encourage our passengers to share these with us”.

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Medieval gatehouse, Pentney Abbey Estate

Launch of Historic Monument as New Wedding Venue in Norfolk A historically prestigious and important scheduled ancient monument in Pentney, North Norfolk has recently been launched as an exclusive wedding venue Set in beautiful unspoilt countryside equidistant from King’s Lynn and Swaffham, the Pentney Abbey Estate covers almost 35 acres. Standing majestically within the grounds is a fully restored 14th century medieval gatehouse, which has been licensed for wedding ceremonies, offering a backdrop of grandeur and historic charm for brides and grooms who want somewhere extraordinary to celebrate their big day.

Aside from the spectacular gatehouse, which is the main focal point for pre and post wedding ceremony celebrations, 40 | December 2014

couples are also able to hire a designated marquee site, a self-contained bridal suite, 2 self-catering cottages both sleeping 4 people each, a medieval banqueting hall, a large function room and a secluded caravan site should guests wish to bring their own accommodation. If couples wish to make a grand entrance or exit on the day there is also a designated helicopter landing area within the grounds.

Wedding packages include the options to hire all or part of the estate for either one or three days. For those couples who

would like a hand organising their big day, Pentney Abbey has teamed up with one of the most respected wedding and event organisers in Norfolk to ensure that every aspect of the wedding is taken care of, from invitations to food and entertainment, to carriages at midnight. Exclusivity is assured at Pentney, which makes it an ideal spot for couples who are seeking a private and secluded location combining history, glamour and romance.

Owners of Pentney Abbey Estate Howard and Dita comment: “The restoration of

the estate and gatehouse has been a real labour of love.

We are delighted to be able to share this wonderful historic monument with others.

Pentney Abbey really does have the wow factor that couples are looking for offering the bride and groom the opportunity to hold their wedding ceremony and reception in one location. We are anticipating a significant amount of interest from brides across the UK and are now taking wedding bookings for 2015 onwards. We would urge brides to contact us early to secure their preferred date.

Hire of the gatehouse, marquee site and gardens start at £3000. For more information and to arrange a private tour of the venue please contact Dita or Howard on 01760 339969 or email info@pentneyabbey.com or visit www.pentneyabbey.com www.FineCity.co.uk

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Interview: Pete Goodrum

Peter Wilson MBE

We’re upstairs in the Theatre Royal, and Peter Wilson has already given a TV interview today. It’s mid-morning but there’s no sense of the Theatre being closed, or empty. It’s light and airy, and the box office downstairs is busy.

It’s how he likes it. Alive. Coffee poured, we talk...

42 | December 2014

pete goodrum Writer, broadcaster @petegoodrum

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Helen Maybanks

FINEPeople

P

eter Wilson was born in 1951 in Golders Green.

Up to the age of seven he went to Primary School there, but then came a move. To America.

‘My mother was American, and we moved to Washington DC’. I suggest that it must have been an upheaval. ‘Not at all’, he says. ‘I was seven. It was fun’.

In the first of many anecdotes he moves on to tell me that, as a child in USA, he auditioned for a part in the film version of Lord of The Flies to be directed by Peter Brook. Beaming, he says, ‘I didn’t get the part. They said I couldn’t fake an English accent!’

But surely this was an early sign that ‘show business’ was in his genes? Not really it appears. His grandmother acted and ‘everybody in the family sang’ but that’s as far as it goes.

He certainly sang, as a chorister in Washington Cathedral, and loves choral music to this day.

His father had been working in the World Bank but a change of boss meant a change of job, leading to the family coming back to England.

A teacher in America, who he remembers fondly, had made him learn a poem by heart every week, and the skill came in good stead when he was sent to a school to ‘cram’ Latin and French. ‘They didn’t teach those in the USA’.

Suitably ‘crammed’ he went to Westminster to study Maths, Physics and Chemistry at A Level and, after switching to English, won a scholarship to Oxford.

There he read English and graduated ‘around 1972 I think’. Peter is not concerned much with dates. When referring to his professional life he can be very precise, but on personal dates he places less importance. ‘Life’, he says, ‘should be lived like an Italian driver. Only ever looking forwards. Never back’.

The next step was to be the Law, and he got a Scholarship to Lincoln’s Inn. The traditions bemused him including that of ‘eating

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Lord of the Flies

dinners’. This phrase is not the literal and simple matter of consuming a meal but rather an integral part of becoming enmeshed in the legal profession. He was still trying to understand it when he was offered a job at the Welsh Drama Company in Cardiff. His first assignment was as Assistant Director on ‘Sap’ a Gwyn Thomas play about World War One. ‘Frankly, as Assistant Director I was the one person with absolutely nothing to do’ is his comment on this post. What he did do though was study the acting of the lead player, Keith Baxter.

‘It was fascinating. He had a lot of long speeches to make and they would vary from night to night in how he delivered them. What was interesting was that if he did one quicker than usual, the next one would be slower, so no matter how much his speed of speaking changed the overall timing always came out the same’. It was a lesson in working with actors, and indeed for life. ‘Everybody has their own speed, and it varies as much as how they look’.

He moved on, to the Bush Theatre in Shepherd’s Bush. ‘In those days, in a company like that, you did everything. Designing the posters, recording the sound tapes, bookings, front of house.

Everything’. He remembers it with affection, in particular presenting early work by Stephen Poliakoff.

At Oxford he’d met Mel Smith and, reintroduced, and together with writer Richard Sparks, they put on a revue in Edinburgh, and ‘bumped in’ to Rowan Atkinson.

This group would meet again but before that Peter did various acting jobs and became Associate Director of a theatre company in Basingstoke. It was the late 1970s and a time of change. The town was growing as a result of the London overspill and as a result, ‘the theatre became important. It was social gathering place for a myriad of people who in reality had no other reason to congregate together’. It made him think about the social importance of the theatre and its place in the community. ‘It made me ask myself what it was we were doing. And what difference can we make?’  2014 December | 43

FINEPeople

The Ring Cycle

It’s remained a guiding principle.

By 1978 he was working a twelve week stint with Rowan Atkinson at The Hampstead Theatre in a revue called ‘Beyond a Joke’.

It contained the now legendary ‘Schoolmaster’ sketch. Written

by Sparks it was performed by Atkinson. Standing in his gown like a traditional school master he calls out the names on the register.

The names themselves, and the timing with which they are delivered make for high comedy. It was a catalyst for Atkinson’s stardom. Peter Wilson can still perform it. He does, sat in front of me. From memory he recites, ‘Ainsley. Babcock. Bland. Carthorse. Dint. Ellsworth-Beast Major.

Ellsworth-Beast Minor. Fiat. German.

Hemoglobin. Have-a-nut. Jones, M.Jones, N.Kosygin. Loud-Haylark.

Mattock. Nancyboy-Potter.

Nibble. Come on, settle down.

Orifice. Plectrum…’

He does it very well.

Rowan Atkinson comes in for serious comment. ‘He is quite simply one of the greatest clowns ever. Not in the circus clown sense, but in the line of Chaplin’. ‘Beyond a Joke’ may have helped Rowan Atkinson become a star, but it made Peter Wilson decide he didn’t want to be an actor. He switched to management.

After marrying, and a spell in Australia, he returned to England to work as Associate Director at the Lyric Hammersmith from 1980.

He loved it. You can see it in his face. Hear it in his voice. There will be lots of times in our conversation when his enthusiasm, and drive, will shine through, but at this point in his reminiscences he’s plainly revelling in very happy memories.

It’s understandable. He worked as assistant director to Michael Blakemore for the first production of Michael Frayn’s ‘Noises Off’,

which starred Patricia Routledge, Paul Eddington, and Nicky Henson and opened to ecstatic reviews in 1982.

In 1983 he co-directed, with Peter James, a production of Charley’s Aunt starring Griff Rhys Jones. The decision not to act was reversed temporarily at this point. In a story worthy of any collection of theatrical anecdotes, Rhys Jones was taken ill with Hepatitis, a few weeks in to the West End run. The part was to go to Mel Smith. Peter played it himself, part time, whilst coaching Smith to take it on full time.

Ben Kingsley and his wife had come to Peter with a one man show.

It zoomed into public focus when a couple of days after it opened, Kingsley won the Oscar for Ghandi.

1983 found Mr. Wilson setting up his own company, for which he secured £50,000 funding from the Business Expansion Scheme. There followed ‘five or six years producing quite small shows all over England’.

His children had been born in 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989. Life had changed and he ‘wanted to work on a bigger canvas’.

One of the projects was ‘Winnie’ the musical based on the life of Winston Churchill. (He sings the opening song for me). Written

by Robin Hardy, and starring (no relation) Robert Hardy it was not a huge success.

A seriously successful name in the theatre was about to call however. H. M. Tennent Ltd appointed him as General Manager. This theatrical production company dated back to 1936 when impresario and songwriter Harry Tennent joined forces with ‘Binkie’ Beaumont in offices on the top floor of the old Globe Theatre. In 1980 the equally legendary Harry Saltzman (of James Bond films fame) had purchased H.M. Tennent Ltd and become its chairman.

Peter was reporting to Saltzman when the company was producing

“The Wagner Ring Cycle was a vital moment for us. Staging it here made us big players”

44 | December 2014

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FINEPeople a musical based on the life of Martin Luther King Jnr. It was called ‘King’. Saltzman had become concerned that the Royal Family held the copyright to the title and, delivering an excellent imitation of his boss, Peter tells me the story of his needing diplomacy above and beyond the call of duty to explain that in a world where there was a band called Queen, and an artist called Prince, the worries were not only unfounded but less than timely given that the show’s title of ‘King’ was on posters and buses all over all London. He goes on to say that, despite the heavy promotion the show was not a major success.

January 1989 however would bring success. Approached by Robin Herford who had produced it in Scarborough, and Stephen Mallatratt who had adapted it from Susan Hill’s novel, Peter Wilson took on and produced The Woman In Black. From its run at The Lyric, and on to the Strand (now the Ivor Novello) and the Playhouse theatres, the show became the massive success we know today.

It was around this time, with the children very much in mind, that the idea of moving out of London began to form in Peter’s mind. At least it was an idea to live outside, because he was considering commuting to the capital from Downham Market. And that’s when the Norwich Theatre Royal job came up. He joined in 1992.

His first four or five years at The Theatre Royal were, he admits, ‘rather anxious’. There was a demonstrable gap between income and expenditure and he was told that he’d never bridge it.

But to Peter a theatre is a total enterprise. His involvement doesn’t stop at the stage door, or on the stage itself. He immerses himself in all of it, to make all of it work. For example, key amongst his strategies for survival was to re-imagine the Friends of The Theatre Royal scheme. He’s forthright in acknowledging the commitment of the trustees too, and cites James Cleminson, Simon MacFarlane and

Peter de Bunsen as crucial to the development of the theatre.

When I ask him for highlights of the job so far, interestingly he chooses a moment that, like his management style, embraces both culture and commerce. ‘The Wagner Ring Cycle in 1997 was a vital moment for us’ he says. ‘Staging it here made us big players’.

The five years after 1997 were times of consolidation, but he remembers the then Chairman of the Trustees reminding him that the Trust is essentially an educational charity. ‘He reminded me that the theatre must acknowledge that, and deliver an educational benefit.

I saw what he meant. We worked on that. And it worked’ he says.

By 2003 a long running VAT case was finally resolved and, delivering a substantial rebate, it proved a tipping point. Work could be carried out on the Theatre. By 2007 the Theatre Royal was refurbished to become the place we know today.

‘My proudest achievement’ he says, and I wait for the grand theatrical anecdote, ‘is to have trebled the number of toilets in this theatre’. He’s not joking. It’s not irony. Because he sees the whole theatre, as a living, breathing facility he sees that adequate toilets, spaced throughout the building, are part of what makes a customer’s visit more comfortable, more pleasing. And make them more likely to buy merchandise.

‘We sell around 400,000 tickets a year. If every one of those people spends another pound while they’re here, even 

Woman In Black

www.FineCity.co.uk

2014 December | 45

FINEPeople

peter wilson mbe

after we’ve allowed for costs, there’s a quarter of a million pounds worth of additional income coming in to this building’.

There is another of those slight pauses for consideration.

‘That income brings stability. And that stability creates ability. The opportunity to take more risks on the stage’.

He warms to the theme of stability. ‘We attract, and have, the best staff. Stability means they can do their jobs with a sense of security.

There is no reason now to assume that The Theatre Royal will ever have to contemplate closing’.

On commercial matters we talk of 2003 and the Theatre Royal taking on the management of the Playhouse. Apart from it being what he insists is ‘The finest small theatre in the country’ Peter is also very proud of its autonomy. ‘It has nothing of the Theatre Royal fingerprint on it’ he says.

And the Theatre Royal itself is, he explains, part of the Touring Partnership, a powerful grouping of provincial theatres that between them sell 5 million tickets a year.

I deflect him, momentarily, to talk of his life outside the theatre. He loves playing tennis but when pushed for other interests eventually, and smiling, he says ‘chopping logs’. He loves Norwich he says, ‘more than I did at first’. He lives in West Norfolk, but his role means he’s in the city, and the theatre, a lot.

Talking with Peter Wilson has been nothing short of vastly enjoyable and hugely enlightening. This is a man with our city’s prized Theatre Royal in his heart, and in his head. His approach to it is, as I’ve already established, entirely holistic.

This is a man who has earned the credentials to name drop at a jaw dropping level. But he doesn’t. Famous names simply appear in his 46 | December 2014

anecdotes like characters coming on to a stage. They play their part, and exit, as the overall story of this impressive career is related with grace and humour.

And most of all he’s demonstrated, time and again, just how involved he is now with this theatre. At every level.

Indeed, as I leave him, the Chief Executive of The Theatre Royal is carrying our empty coffee cups down the stairs. It occurs to me that in amongst all of the anecdotes and events he’s covered he’s never once mentioned his being awarded the MBE, or that he’s now a Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk.

It’s strange how that policy of his about not looking back can be selective. Shared achievements, other people’s talents, honesty about the less than successful ventures, they it seems can all be looked back on. But singlehanded Peter Wilson achievements, his skills and downright courage in the theatre, they somehow get glossed over.

Because there’s something else he didn’t mention either. He’s told me, with understandable pleasure and chronological accuracy, that he produced The Woman in Black. It’s a matter of theatrical history that, to take this tiny idea from Scarborough and back it, having read the script but not seen the play, was an act of far sighted intuition and courage. But he never mentioned that such was his commitment he mortgaged his house to keep it going.

These significant biographical details didn’t find their into the joyous stream of reminiscence that’s filled this morning’s meeting with Peter Wilson. That would have involved putting himself in the spotlight. And in his head there are far more amusing and exciting things and people to do with the Theatre Royal than Peter Wilson. Let me assure you dear readers, I doubt there are. ❏ www.FineCity.co.uk

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pop to the co-op P.S. From luxurious chocolate to handmade mince pies, look out for our range of Sourced Locally products at your local store.

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Justin Nicholas

The World’s greatest

come to

Norfolk 2015 for

Festival

First tickets go on sale for May’s international feast of arts

48 | December 2014

www.FineCity.co.uk

FINEARTS across the world and it is a real coup to be bringing them to the Festival with a World Premiere.

And if one World Premiere wasn’t enough, we continue our unique relationship with Circa, one of the world’s greatest contemporary circus companies, with a brand new show created for us by their Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz, working with his pick of the finest circus artists that he has worked with over the last decade.”

“Jeff Koons work combines kitsch and commerce, his exhibition will draw the attention of the international visual art community to Norfolk, and Hofesh Schechter Company bring their fiercely uncompromising contemporary dance to the Festival for the first time. Sam Green creates a life affirming live-cinema event with his Guinness Book of Recordsinspired documentary The Measure of All Things, which he narrates from the stage with live accompaniment from yMusic.

The film celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of human beings

and the planet we inhabit. Opera legend Sir John Tomlinson joins the Festival Chorus and one of the country’s truly great ensembles, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, to deliver a fantastic rendition of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, under the baton of David Parry. There is more to announce next year, and these shows give a strong sense of what to expect next May.” The 2015 Norfolk & Norwich Festival runs from 8 – 24 May. The full line up will be revealed in late February.

Wolf’s Child is a brand new creation from acclaimed theatre makers WildWorks, co-produced

by Norfolk & Norwich Festival.

Throughout the Festival, audiences will be taken on an immersive journey deep into the dark woods of North Norfolk’s Felbrigg Hall. As day turns to dusk they will encounter a world of shape-shifting animals and humans. An original landscape theatre commission this

extraordinary grown-up fairytale will be the theatrical experience of the Festival.

‘One of the outstanding theatrical events not only of this year, but of the decade’ Susannah Clapp, The Observer on WildWorks’ The Passion.

(Felbrigg Hall Tuesday 5 – Saturday 23 May) Festival favourites and one of the world’s greatest contemporary circus companies Circa create What Will Have Been a new commission for Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Extreme acrobatics meet extreme beauty in the World Premiere of a groundbreaking new show in The Adnams Spiegeltent.

Accompanied by a spine-tingling electronic soundtrack and Bach’s immortal Partita for Violin No.2 performed live, Circa’s finest artists create a show infused with tender humanity and savage physicality. ‘extraordinarily moving’ ***** The Observer on Circa’s Opus.

(The Adnams Spiegeltent Wednesday 13 – Saturday 23 May) 

GABRIELE ZUCCA

Norfolk & Norwich Festival has announced the first highlights for the 2015 Festival. Landscape theatre, contemporary circus, music, dance, visual art and ‘live’ cinema all feature in a selection that brings some of the greatest artists in the world to the county as part of one of the biggest international arts festivals in the country.

“These early announcements give a flavour of the full programme of shows and events that we will be revealing in February” says Norfolk & Norwich Festival Artistic Director William Galinsky. “This year’s major Festival commission is a brand new piece of landscape theatre called Wolf’s Child, created specially for the woods at Felbrigg Hall by one of the UK’s most exciting site-specific theatre companies, WildWorks. They have created iconic productions

Hofesh Political Mother

www.FineCity.co.uk

2014 December | 49

FINEARTS

“One of the outstanding theatrical events not only of this year, but of the decade” Susannah Clapp, The Observer on WildWorks’ The Passion

50 | December 2014

www.FineCity.co.uk

FINEARTS American artist Jeff Koons is widely regarded as one of the most important, influential and controversial artists of our time. Renowned for playful and provocative work ranging from monumental public sculptures to Lady Gaga record sleeves, his Norwich exhibition will include a selection of works in a variety of media to showcase his originality and remarkably diverse creativity.

(Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery Saturday 9 May – Sunday 24 May) The Festival Chorus is joined by one of the UK’s most renowned orchestras, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, which has spent many weeks at the top of the classical CD chart. Alongside them Sir John Tomlinson, one of the great singers of our time, leads

a glorious array of vocal talent in the irresistible blend of Romantic lyricism and vivid melodrama that is Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

(St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich Sunday 17 May) Taraf de Haïdouks perform riotous Romanian folk with an unrivalled warmth, enthusiasm and eccentricity. Encompassing members aged from 20 to 80 the world’s greatest gypsy group display clattering virtuosity and passionate gypsy rasp to steal your breath away. ‘Wonderful entertainers and one of the planet’s great live acts’ The Independent (Norwich Theatre Royal Sunday 17 May) Oscar nominated film-maker Sam Green’s live-cinema performance The Measure of All Things had

Listings info Tuesday 5 – Saturday 23 May 7.45pm (not Sundays) £20 (£15 previews Tuesday 5 – Thursday 7 May) Woldf’s Child World Premiere An immersive journey deep into a world of shape-shifting animals and humans, created in the dark woods of Felbrigg Hall Co-produced by Norfolk & Norwich Festival and WildWorks in partnership with the National Trust.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival at Felbrigg Hall, Felbrigg Norfolk NR11 8PR

Saturday 9 – Sunday 24 May 10am-4.30pm, Sundays 1pm - 4.30pm £6 (concessions £5, child 4-18yrs £4) ARTIST ROOMS: JEFF KOONS Exhibition of work in a variety of media from one of the most important, influential and controversial artists of our time. The exhibition runs until Sunday 6 September Artist Rooms on tour is a partnership with arts council england and the art fund, making available the Artist Rooms collection to galleries throughout the UK. Norfolk & Norwich Festival at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery NR1 3JU

www.FineCity.co.uk

its debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Green narrates this documentary on stage with live music from New York’s yMusic who combine classical music with the spirit of rock and pop.

The Measure of All Things, loosely inspired by the Guinness Book of Records, weaves together a series of portraits of record-breaking people, places and things to create a poignant meditation on fate, time and the outer contours of the human experience.

(Norwich Theatre Royal Thursday 21 May) Hofesh Shechter Company have performed in many of the world’s leading dance venues and now bring its critically acclaimed work Political Mother to Norwich.

Brimming with emotional and gritty complexity, pulsating live

Friday 15 – Saturday 23 May (not Tuesday 19 May), 7.30pm £20 (+ preview 13 Wednesday May £15) CIRCA: WHAT WILL HAVE BEEN World Premiere One of the world’s greatest contemporary circus companies create a new show infused with tender humanity and savage physicality.

A Norfolk & Norwich Festival commission.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival at The Adnams Spiegeltent Chapelfield Gardens Norwich NR2 1TN

Sunday 17 May, 8pm £37 - £7 BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, FESTIVAL CHORUS David Parry, conductor; Sir John Tomlinson, bass; Robert Murray, tenor; Catherine Wyn-Rogers, mezzo-soprano; Jeni Bern, soprano; Mendelssohn Elijah.

One of the UK’s most renowned orchestras, the Festival Chorus and one of the great singers of our time leading a glorious array of vocal talent in Mendelssohn’s irresistible blend of Romantic lyricism and vivid melodrama Supported by the Festival’s Ensemble and Producers.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival at St Andrews Hall, Saint Andrews St, Norwich NR3 1AU

music, extraordinary ensemble sequences and cinematic editing, Political Mother is a dance experience like no other.

‘Part dance show, part heavyrock gig, Hofesh Shechter’s first ever full-length work is an audio-visual marvel’ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Mark Monahan, The Telegraph (Norwich Theatre Royal Saturday 23 May) Full information on all Norfolk & Norwich Festival events at www.nnfestival.org.uk Tickets for these shows are on sale now Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2015 will run from 8 – 24 May. Box Office 01603 766400, online www.nnfestival.org. uk or in person at Norwich Theatre Royal Box Office.

Sunday 17 May 8pm £25 - £7 TARAF DE HAÏDOUKS Riotous Romanian folk from the world’s greatest gypsy group.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival at Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatre St NR2 1RL

Thursday 21 May 8pm £18 - £7 SAM GREEN & yMUSIC: THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS Live-cinema performance from Oscar-nominated filmmaker with live score from New York ensemble.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival at Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatre St NR2 1RL

Saturday 23 May 8pm £20 - £7 HOFESH SHECKTER COMPANY: POLITICAL MOTHER Pulsating live music, extraordinary ensemble sequences and cinematic editing create a dance experience like no other.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival at Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatre St NR2 1RL

Norfolk & Norwich Festival Box Office 01603 766400.

Online: www.nnfestival.org.uk Book in person at Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatre St NR2 1RL

2014 December | 51

FINEARTS

Storm Fine Arts Christmas Promotion Storm Fine Arts are offering a 10% discount on all pieces right up until Christmas Day This Christmas at Storm Fine Arts we invite everybody to celebrate Christmas with us!

To raise spirits we are offering a 10% discount on all pieces on our website. On top of that, every week from now until Christmas Day, one customer will be picked to receive a discount of £250 on any piece!

We have a fantastic selection of Pop, Urban, Abstract and Street Art, Sculptures, Pottery and Memorabilia all with a great discount. Ranging from Graffiti based art, through to Photorealistic painting, Animals and Landscapes through to 52 | December 2014

decorative and minimalist art, there is something on offer for everybody.

Every Sunday, a list of the week’s customers will be generated and each person will put up for a chance to win a great prize. One customer will be chosen at random and given a discount of £250 to be used on any purchase, all in the spirit of Christmas!

Director, Jolyon Mason, said “This year we want to give something back and celebrate Christmas by saying thank you to our loyal customers, and also give a few people the

chance to win an early Christmas present! Christmas only comes once a year and it’s a great time to offer our thanks by rewarding our friends and family with gifts, so we thought we should do the same for our customers.”

Storm Fine Arts has been running for 16 years serving contemporary and popular tastes and will shortly be opening another website offering more traditional and classical work.

The gallery is based online and also caters for corporate and hospitality requirements. We also offer free valuation and investment strategy services.

Some of Our Artists Pure Evil Shepard Fairey Sir Terry Frost Martin Whatson Ben Allen Mr Brainwash Julian St Clair David Studwell Takashi Murkami China Mike Stephen Hall John Maltby Antonia Barclay Prefab77 Samuel Thomas Ben Eine

Web: www.StormFineArts.com Email: info@StormFineArts.com Twitter: StormFineArts Facebook: StormFineArts Google: StormfineartsUK Pinterest: stormfinearts www.FineCity.co.uk

FINEARTS

PETER PAN Setting the scene for a festive spectacular

W

hen the auditorium lights go down and the curtain goes up on Norwich Theatre Royal’s Peter Pan panto this Christmas, theatre-goers will be swept into a colourful makebelieve world of magical fun.

Helping to transport them there will be some stunning backdrops and clever stage settings from one of the UK’s leading suppliers of stage scenery - Scenic Projects based at Beccles.

Operating from three warehouses on the town’s airfield industrial estate and a studio at Brampton where the huge backcloths are painted, it will be the sixth year running that the company has supplied the set for the theatre’s annual panto – and some surprises have been promised.

54 | December 2014

“We love working with the Theatre Royal because it has done such a good in-house panto for many years,” said managing director Nick Garrod.

“We were told almost a year ago that this year’s production would be Peter Pan and since then have worked with producer Jane Walsh and director Richard Gauntlett to bring together what is always one of our biggest projects of the year.”

The company, founded in 1996, is very much a family affair – Nick and technical director Martin Wilson are business and life partners who started and own the company, while Martin’s brothers Stephen, Gerald and Peter all now work in the business.

Stephen is the art director and the creative mind behind the imaginative stage settings.

Gerald looks after the stock and Peter works in the sales department, while fellow director Jan Takman is responsible for the workshops and logistics.

“It began as a hobby initially,” Nick explained. “We were all involved with the Lowestoft Players from directing to scenery builders to performers, and we’ve got a love of panto because of our amateur theatre background.

“We saw an amateur production some years ago at the Theatre Royal and thought we could do better. We are now predominantly a supplier of scenery for amateur theatre companies, providing innovative and quality sets that give the feel of London shows and the West End, but compliment the way amateur companies work.”

For example, this year Scenic

Projects has produced a brand new set for amateur productions of Sister Act and it will be hired out for 35 shows over 18 months, including to the Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society who are performing on the Norwich stage from January 26-31.

“Our biggest headache is always achieving flexibility because each venue has different dimensions and requirements from what is essentially the same set. We aim to design for a medium-sized theatre stage, but with scenery that can be condensed or expanded.”

While they are the industry’s leading amateur theatrical specialists supplying 450 shows a year, Nick said 20 per cent of the company’s business is now panto. “We have 40 pantos out this year – it really doesn’t stop – www.FineCity.co.uk

Working on the Peter Pan show cloth

FINEARTS

Art director Stephen Wilson with the Neverland island back cloth

Chimneys ready for the London rooftops scene

and we are taking pantos for next year’s season already.”

The Theatre Royal’s panto, he said, always requires a little “thinking outside the box” and once again a non-standard set has been ordered.

“We always need to be flexible for the Theatre Royal because they can have some whacky ideas,” Nick said such as last year’s water butt scene when Richard Gauntlett, as Buttons, was drenched with water in every show.

Art director Stephen starts off by assembling lots of different ideas which come together in a computer-aided design. “Having a clever brief from the outset helps and we have to be mindful to build in safety too. But it is still basically timber, canvas, paint and some metal engineering,” he said.  www.FineCity.co.uk

The workshop at Scenic Projects

2014 December | 55

FINEARTS

Listings Info Peter Pan, Thursday 18 December 2014Sunday 18 January 2015.

Tickets £5.50-£21.

Discounts for Over-60s, Under-18s and Groups.

Under-threes free.

Signed performances on Saturday 17 January at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

Audio-described performances on Sunday 11 January at 1pm and Friday 16 January at 6.30pm. Relaxed performance especially suited for those with autism on Wednesday 14 January at 5.30pm.

Box Office 01603 630000. For more info or to book online visit theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

The Darling children’s bedroom

The company’s warehouse holds over 3,000 backcloths and 200 show sets, many of which are rotated out during the year to shows all over the UK and some abroad.

Stephen said: “There are some really popular titles out there, so the challenge is always how to get a different slant. Last year, Norwich Theatre Royal decided to base its Cinderella in a Victorian town by the sea – so that required some research in order to make sure the scenery had that kind of feel.”

This year some surprises are once again promised, although still currently being kept under wraps. Some of the Peter Pan staging will be adapted from scenery already in stock, such as the Darling children’s nursery which comes from an 56 | December 2014

earlier production created for Salford’s Lowry Theatre.

Other scenes will be newlycreated specifically for the show and staff are currently busy painting new backdrop cloths, building chimneys, customizing the Lost Boys’ cave and adapting Captain Hook’s pirate ship.

When the Theatre Royal’s scenery is complete, it will be flat packed and loaded onto the company’s own fleet of articulated lorries for transportation up to Norwich, where the theatre’s own technical crew will swing into action to fit everything onto the stage and ensure it is all in working order.

“We’re really pleased with how it is all coming together,” Nick said, “and I’m sure it will be a truly magical production for Norwich Theatre Royal.” ❏ www.FineCity.co.uk

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FINEARTS One Man’s Nightmare – Another Man’s Fortune Peter James’ Dead Simple at the Theatre Royal January 20-24, 2015 TV’s Holby City nurse Chrissie Williams, actress Tina Hobley, finds herself caught up in a life and death web of deceit and treachery when Dead Simple, from the pen of international bestselling crime novelist Peter James, opens at Norwich Theatre Royal from January 20-24 in 2015.

All-star casting just announced for the stage adaptation of one of the author’s most famous and popular books to-date sees the popular soap actress joined by Jamie Lomas and Gray O’Brien.

In addition to her 12 years in BBC 1’s Holby City, Tina Hobley has also appeared in

Coronation Street and Harbour Lights and was seen earlier this year in Celebrity Master Chef.

She currently presents the prime time Sunday morning programme on Smooth FM. Award-winning TV heartthrob Jamie Lomas has starred for the last year in EastEnders as the murderous Jake Stone and before that played bad boy Warren Fox for five years in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks.

Gray O’Brien is an awardwinning star of Coronation Street, TV series Titanic, Peak Practice and Casualty, as well as Sleuth in the West End, and will

Tina Hobley

peter james

play the famous Detective Roy Grace in this gripping, chilling, thriller which is directed by Olivier Award winner Ian Talbot.

Peter James has sold over 15 million books of his Roy Grace series, and has been published in 36 languages. His critically-acclaimed hit premiere stage production of The Perfect Murder played to Norwich Theatre Royal audiences in January this year and starred Les Dennis and Claire Goose.

Now his work will return to the stage in 2015 with the adaptation of Dead Simple, a gripping tale jamie lomas in which the central character Michael

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Harrison thinks he has it all a great career, good friends and a beautiful fiancée.

But when his stag night prank goes horribly wrong, Michael finds himself alone, buried alive and staring death in the face.

As time runs out and the terror grows, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace tries to solve his mysterious disappearance, but begins to fear that Michael will never be found in time.

With clever twists and turns aplenty, this thrilling crime play will keep audiences on the edge of their seat and guessing to the very end.

Peter James’ Dead Simple, Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 January, 2015, at 7.30pm, and Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets £6.50-£25.50. Discounts for Friends, Corporate Club, Over60s, Under-18s and Groups.

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A huge range of Divans, Mattresses, Bed Frames & Accessories In Stock and ready for Free Next Day Delivery.*

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2014 December | 59

FINEARTS

Box Office

Prelude Records 01603 628319. Further info from Roger Rowe rrowe@paston.co.uk

Norfolk & Norwich Chamber Music

2015 French Weekend Parisian pianist François-Frédéric Guy and his colleagues return to Norwich in 2015

I

n March 2009 the Parisian pianist FrançoisFrédéric Guy gave a remarkable series of 10 concerts performing the complete Beethoven sonatas.

In the process he created many friends in the city and we are delighted that he has agreed to return to Norwich with a group of his Parisian colleagues to present a weekend of French chamber music ranging from the traditional post-romanticism of Cesar Franck, Saint-Saens, Faure and Chausson through the remarkable period of impressionism led by Debussy and Ravel and on to Les Six represented by Poulenc and Auric. It is a truly remarkable period of musical history.

François-Frédéric brings with him the outstanding Albanian violinist, Tedi Pavrami who whose musical education has been based in Paris and the long established and highly regarded Quatuor Parisii.

François-Frédéric Guy will be in discussion with Roger Rowe at 6.30pm on Saturday 24th January

• Milhaud: String Quartet No.4, Op.46.

• Sunday 25th January 2015, 3:00pm.

• Chausson: Quelques Dances, Op.26.

• Franck: Violin Sonata in A major.

• Chausson: Concert for piano, violin and string quartet in D major, Op.21.

Saturday 7th February, 7:30pm

Cristina Ortiz, piano. The outstanding Brazilian famed for her Chopin performances.

• Chopin.

• Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op.61.

• Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.35.

• Barcarolle, Op.60.

• Sonata No.3 in B minor, Op.58.

Saturday 7th March, 7:30pm

Petrof Trio from Prague, the leading Prague piano trio making a rare UK appearance.

• Fibich: Piano Trio in F minor.

• Beethoven: Piano Trio in D major, Op.70, No.1 “Ghost”.

• Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op.49.

Sunday 22nd March, 3:00pm

Worshipful Company of Musicians The Prince’s Prize.

Joseph Shiner (Prince’s Prize winner), clarinet with Frederick Brown, piano. Benjamin Baker (Audience Prize winner), violin with Erdem Misirioglu, piano.

• Schumann: Three Romances, Op.94.

• Arthur Benjamin: Le Tombeau de Ravel: ‘Valse-Caprices’.

• Ysaye: Sonata No.4.

• Schubert: Violin Sonata in A major, D.574.

Saturday 25th April, 7:30pm

Sunday 26th April 2015, 3:00pm.

Borodin Quartet 70th Anniversary Weekend Borodin Quartet Ludmila Berlinskaia, piano. This famous and long established Russian string quartet return to celebrate their 70th anniversary.

• Borodin Quartet.

• Shostakovich: Quartet No.2 in A major, Op.68.

• Beethoven: Quartet in C sharp minor, Op.131.

• Sunday 26th April 2015, 3:00pm.

• Borodin Quartet with Ludmila Berlinskaia.

• Borodin: String Quartet No.2 in D major.

• Shostakovich: Quartet No.1 in C major, Op.49.

• Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G minor, Op.57.

Saturday 24th January, 7:30pm

Sunday 25th January, 11:30am & 3:00pm.

Tedi Papavrami François-Frédéric Guy Parisii Quartet.

• Ravel: Violin Sonata in G major.

• Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op.10.

• Franck: Piano Quintet in F minor.

• Sunday 25th January 2015, 11:30am.

• Around the Groupe des Six. • Poulenc: 8 Nocturnes for piano.

• Auric: Sonata for solo violin and piano.

60 | December 2014

www.FineCity.co.uk

benjamin de diesbach

FINEARTS

François-Frédéric Guy

www.FineCity.co.uk

2014 December | 61

CELEBRATE NEW YEARS EVE AT CARROW ROAD

New Years Eve Ball

Big Fancy Dress Party

Wednesday 31st December

Wednesday 31st December

Your party will be welcomed with bubbly before being seated for a sumptuous, seasonal four-course meal.

Following dinner, The Sam Rose Sound will encourage your best moves of 2014 until the countdown arrives.

Fancy dress is optional but fully encouraged and our favourites will win prizes. Our fab DJ will be playing all your favourite cheesy tracks from the 60s, to current chart hits, so get ready to party like its 1999!

Top of the Terrace, 7pm until 2am

Norfolk Lounge, 8.30pm until 2am

(including an arrival drink and bubbly at midnight)

(Buy 9 tickets and get the 10th Free)

Tickets £75

Tickets £15

For more information or to book call 01603 218704 www.deliascanarycatering.com

2 main meals for just £12!

EVERY WEDNESDAY IN YELLOWS AMERICAN BAR & GRILL

Call 01603 218209

www.yellowsdiner.com yellows@canaries.co.uk Yellows American Bar & Grill, Norwich City Football Club, Carrow Road, Norwich, NR1 1JE. Terms and conditions apply, see www.deliascanarycatering.co.uk.

FINEARTS

What’s on at Maddermarket Some of the performances coming to the Maddermarket Theatre over Christmas

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol Wednesday 3rd December 7.30pm, tickets £12 (£10 concessions)

By John Longenbaugh. Directed

by Adam Morley, produced by Claire Bibby. Sponsored by Clarian Ltd. Literature’s favourite quirky detective is infused with the spirit of a crotchety Ebenezer Scrooge in this festive Victorian theatrical treat. After failed attempts by Dr. Watson to cheer Holmes into celebrating the holiday season, the unrepentant, ill-tempered detective is forced to deduce the facts and solve the most important mystery of his life – past, present and future.

Experience a magical mix of Dickens and Doyle. You won’t

want to miss this cheery, insightful and truly atmospheric journey with some of literature’s best. Suggested age: 8+ Audience and Reviewer Quotes: “Sherlock Holmes and the case of the Christmas Carol is simply breath-taking. The superb quality of the acting, backed up with an incredible array of technical sound and lighting and top notch Direction make this one a ‘must see’ show”.

“I cannot recommend this show highly enough.”

“I can only highly recommend that you give this show a visit yourself. It is a very enjoyable play, fantastic dialogue, a strong cast and some of the finest moments I have ever enjoyed in a theatre.”

Upbeat Beatles Thursday 4th December 7.30pm, all seats £17.50 The Upbeat Beatles have a brand new show! Whether you are a Beatles fanatic or simply a lover of good music don’t miss this!

Using projection and narrative, teamed with the pinpoint accurate music and vocals of the band, this show takes you on a “Magical History Tour”,

travelling through the ages of The Beatles’ relatively short yet amazing career.

The Upbeat Beatles recreate the sheer fun, excitement and magnetic power of The Fab Four and their unforgettable music, with their attention to detail and stunningly precise reproduction.

The Beatles were the band that shook the world, now let The Upbeat Beatles rock your night!

The Locrian Ensemble Friday 5th and Saturday 6th December 7.30pm, all seats £16.00 For almost two decades the Locrian Ensemble have played to capacity audiences at the Maddermarket, enjoying a truly special relationship with Maddermarket audiences.

Now, in their final costumed appearance they present their best-loved show, a musical celebration of the Spirit of Christmas. In a candlelit set, the Locrian Singers provide carol favourites, the ensemble perform carol medleys and seasonal surprises, and the evening is introduced by their cellist and musical director, Justin Pearson. A Festive Finale, not to be missed.  www.FineCity.co.uk

2014 December | 63

FINEARTS Albion Christmas Band Sunday 7th December 7.30Pm, all seats £17.00 For most people Christmas 2014 will bring with it the annual round of festivities, parties and pantomimes and all the hectic preparations. For the Albion Christmas Band it also signals the start of their annual xmas tour. The band’s inaugural appearance was 17 December 1999 – the first night of a six date tour. This year, the band that forms each year for its winter tour and then disbands until the next season will visit seventeen venues. The well-planned tour has ensured the band will visit all parts of the country for audiences to enjoy a taste of Christmas without the commercialism.

The band evolved from special Christmas shows by the last incarnation of the Albion Band.

On a suggestion from Simon Care, a previous Albion band member himself, Ashley ‘The Guv’nor’ Hutchings brought together two other previous Albion Band members to create an autonomous band to present a guided tour through the Christmas customs of Britain.

Performing a mixture of seasonal carols, spoken word, humorous readings and dance, the show is the antithesis of the Christmas special shows filling television

screens, reminding audiences of the simpler pleasures and values of a traditional Christmas.

The Albion Christmas Band features the combined talents of Simon Nicol (founder member of Fairport Convention) on acoustic guitar and vocals, Kellie While (Albion Band), acoustic guitar, vocals and percussion, Simon Care (Edward II), melodeons, and the Guv’nor himself, Ashley Hutchings, (founder of Fairport Convention, Albion Band, and Steeleye Span) on bass guitar and vocals.

New Year’s Eve Music Hall Wednesday 31st December 8.30pm, tickets £30.00 Must close Saturday presents Helen McDermott and Adrian Wright in New Year’s Eve Music Hall, with Susie Turner, John Knowles, Annette Jude and the Twiddly Bits.

See in the new year in style with this delightful gala evening of laughter and music starring the anglia tv legend Helen McDermott and Adrian Wright.

Tickets include a welcome

The Borrowers Wednesday 31st December 8.30pm - 2am Following the success of their last two Christmas shows, The Snow Queen and The Railway Children, the Maddermarket wanted to build on their reputation for offering quality original entertainment for the family and The Borrowers, written by Mary Norton in 1952 and adapted for the stage by Charles Way, was an obvious if elusive choice.

An adventurous, heartwarming Christmas treat for children aged 6+ and their bigger ‘human beans’, it is a wonderful 64 | December 2014

drink, buffet and a glass of bubbly to see in the new year!

Your evening line up: • 8.30pm, champagne reception.

• 9pm, start of show • 10pm until 11pm, buffet and bubbly.

• 11pm second half of show, including midnight celebration.

• 12.15am until 2am, meet the cast, dancing, socialising.

Suggested dress code: dinner jacket & evening wear.

story of the “tiny” Clock family, who live beneath the floorboards of a large Victorian house and “borrow” from the big people above to survive.

The one danger that lurks above our tiny family is being seen by the “human beans”, so when the boy staying in the house discovers their presence their lives change forever as they are forced to face the dangers of the giant outside world.

The Borrowers was a popular BBC series in the early 90’s and in 2011 a BBC Production starring Stephen Fry, Victoria Wood and Christopher Eccleston was equally successful. www.FineCity.co.uk

THE MADDERMARKET THEATRE’S CHRISTMAS PRODUCTION 2014

THEATRE

Friday 19 December Saturday 3 January st e g g i B The s a m t s i r h C e l t Lit n w o T n Show i

DIRECTED BY PETER SOWERBUTTS Maddermarket Theatre, St John’s Alley, Norwich NR2 1DR Box Office: 01603 620917 www.maddermarket.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure accuracy of detail in this brochure but errors and omissions can occur.

Kindly supported by:

Every effort is made to ensure accuracy of detail in this brochure but errors and omissions can occur.

Kindly supported by:

The John Jarrold Trust The John Jarrold Trust

Poster Image by John Stokes

by Mary Norton, adapted by Charles Way and with the kind permission of Walt deFaria

Hanging teapots and canoe bookshelf in new travel store at John Lewis Norwich Moroccan teapots that hang from the ceiling and an old wooden canoe that has been converted into a bookshelf will be on show at Kuoni’s new store at John Lewis Norwich, opening on the 29th November These quirky design features are unique to the Norwich store and designed to attract customers, create a talking point and inspire people who are thinking about booking their next holiday abroad.

A team of five, friendly travel experts will be available to chat to customers about their holiday plans. They have first-hand knowledge of a huge range of destinations featured by Kuoni, such as the Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand, USA, Australia, the Caribbean, South America, 66 | December 2014

China, Italy and many more.

Derek Jones, Kuoni managing director, said: “We live and love travel and we want to bring that passion to life in John Lewis Norwich.

Amazing holidays can only be created if you have the right conversation at the start of the journey and that takes time.

We wanted to create an inspiring space for people to talk to our team – in an environment that triggers excitement about travel the moment you step inside.”

Gemma Brooks, store manager at Kuoni John Lewis Norwich said, “I am confident that we have a strong team of travel experts here in Norwich and we are all looking forward to sharing our knowledge and passion for travel with the local community. Whether it’s booking that special occasion, such as a honeymoon or big birthday or a tailored trip somewhere exotic, the team will be on hand to help” Richard Marks, Head of Branch John Lewis Norwich

said ‘’Norwich Partners are very much looking forward to the arrival of Kuoni in-store, who will introduce a new and exclusive offer to our customers and will also benefit people who are using our Gift List service to book their honeymoon. The new Kuoni will be located on the second floor next to our Furniture department and our Customer Support area will also be relocating to sit alongside Kuoni in it’s new area.’’

Kuoni’s full range of holidays are available to book at the store.

There are around 88 destinations to choose from along with a huge range of stay and cruise options, ski, villa and cultural short breaks.

Individual members of the team are available for appointments, ideal for anyone planning a special occasion or a more complex tailor-made itinerary. www.FineCity.co.uk

JHD INTERIORS LTD f I N E

I N T E R I O R

Bespoke Upholsterers

D E S I g N

& &CUrtain

makers

Visit our showroom: Unit 1 Tilia Court, Wendover Road, Rackheath Industrial Estate, Norwich, NR13 6SX & (Directions‌. turn left into Tilia Court at end of Stratstans premises)

Telephone 01603 722385 | Email jhdinteriors@btinternet.com Website www.jhdinteriors.co.uk

FINELIVING

Bespoke Interior Design About Salt Interior Design...

S

alt Interiors is a small, friendly design company established by Holly Pagani and based in Norfolk. Holly is an experienced Interior Designer having trained and worked in the London interior design scene for 3 years before moving to Norwich in 2003.

She approaches each new project with a fresh mind and will bring versatility, passion and individuality to each one to ensure your interior design is just what you hoped for.

Based in Norwich, Norfolk, Salt Interiors can offer a tailor made interior design service to meet your individual needs and

requirements, whether it is a single blind to a full design project.

From traditional to contemporary style, family homes or commercial properties, Salt Interior Design can supply wallpapers, curtain poles and fabrics from leading suppliers, as well as offering a curtain and blind making service. She can also source and supply furniture and lighting to complement and advise on paint schemes.

Holly works throughout Norfolk, Suffolk and beyond and is always happy to help and advise on your interior design project.

“Holly’s Design ethos is one of attentiveness. She believes there is no need to be over the

For All Your Interior Design Needs Let Salt Interior Design Help You Create A Space To Love

email: info@saltinteriors.co.uk call: 07714 321987 www.saltinteriors.co.uk 68 | December 2014

top and self-indulgent in her designs, preferring instead to listen to the client and interpret their brief as closely as possible whilst introducing products and materials only available to designers” East Magazine

interior design

Each project is undertaken with a fresh approach because we know every client has a unique set of needs.

We will work with you so that you can be confident that the finished project will truly show your own tastes and personality.

A gorgeous home should be a reflection of your character. We will help you achieve this by assessing the space and listening to your requirements - our goal is to help you realise your dreams.

You can be assured that each design project will be unique and personal to you.

Previous projects have included interiors for country homes and London townhouses, Restaurants, Showhomes and a Boutique Hotel. We have access to some of the leading names in Interior Design such as Colefax & Fowler, Osborne & Little, Zoffany, Paint & Paper Library and GP&J Baker.

Our services range from consultations for colour schemes to a full design service including dressing and accessorising a finished space.

We work with a select list of trusted professionals and craftsmen to carry out that challenge. We also provide a comprehensive curtain and blind service with our vast library of fabrics and materials.

Let Salt Interior Design help you create a space to love.

home staging

We are also able to help you prepare your home for selling.

This involves an appraisal of the property which will help you highlight its best features and reorganise the areas which need change. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut when you are

living somewhere for a while and it often takes a fresh eye to see what can be changed. It may just be a case of de-cluttering or a simple rearrangement of furniture.

Depending on your budget and needs,we will do our best to maximise its potential. We would advise you to do this prior to the Agents taking photos, but it is never too late to add selling appeal and increase the chances of a quick sale.

commercial

Our Commercial projects range from property development schemes, hotels, restaurants and bars to offices and reception areas. Our commitment is to creativity, quality and attention to detail, running projects efficiently and to budget. We can specify and supply the materials, furnishings, fixtures and fittings that are appropriate for your project design and budget.

Transforming spaces into interiors that make a lasting impression to its users is our ultimate aim and one which we hope to provide using equal measures of creativity and technical excellence. A ‘hands on’ approach to each design ensures every project is as practical and cost effective as it is inspirational and individual. ❏ Contact Holly on 07714 321987 or email her on info@saltinteriors.co.uk www.FineCity.co.uk

FINELIVING Mustard Art In the run up to Christmas, Mustard extends its opening hours for all those hungry shoppers!

Throughout December Mustard will be open till 7pm every Thursday, and will also be open on Sunday 7th, 14th and 21st December from10am-4pm.

The cafe has a range of gifts available during this time, which are well worth a look.

As an art cafe, all the works of art on display are for sale and these make wonderful gifts. The art on display ranges from original pieces, and prints to sculpture.

Visit the website at: www.mustardcoffeebar.com or go the Facebook page and hit LIKE! You can also follow us on Twitter @mustardnorwich

artwork by Charlotte Vogel, Anna Martin & Lewis Lenton

Gecko sculptures from ÂŁ30.00

www.FineCity.co.uk

2014 December | 69

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FINELIVING

Grays Fitted Furniture Modern approach, traditional values

kitchens Your kitchen is a key part of your home. Of course it needs to be practical and beautiful, with the latest innovations in storage and food preparation, but also it needs to fit your lifestyle. Whether you use your kitchen for socializing, entertaining or family time together, Grays will take care to find out what you really want to make your kitchen exactly what you need.

Whatever the style of your property or your personal taste Grays have the solution. Whether you like a very modern, sleek design or are looking for a more traditional style we have a massive range of wood, painted wood, acrylic-faced and vinyl wrapped doors to suit.

breasts and alcoves are no problem. We can utilize the latest storage products and techniques to make amazing spaces out of the most difficult of places.

With a Grays bedroom you can reflect your own style with a comprehensive choice of colours and finishes in both hinged and sliding door systems. Whether it is a bold contemporary look you are after or a more traditional style, you can mix colours or finishes to create a totally unique look.

Behind closed doors is where more Grays magic happens with individual storage created to contain the things you own in the most practical effective way possible.

Our designers can plan and build storage tailored to your individual needs creating a clean, streamlined look. We also have trained fitters and contractors to carry out: • All plumbing requirements.

• Repairs to walls and ceilings.

• Electrical work, including lighting, to meet the latest safety regulations.

• Tiling and flooring to your specification.

We deal with a range of respected and well known suppliers to provide you with products to suit your tastes and budget including: • Aqualisa • Ideal Standard • Just Trays • Kudos • Roca • Roman • Thomas Dudley • Tavistock Although we do not currently have display bathrooms in our

showroom we welcome you to come in and talk with us about your project and to look at some examples of rooms we have created. We also have brochures to assist with ideas and choices.

Studies In today’s society, a study plays an important role in day-to-day life; more people are working from home, the internet is expanding, and life is still hectic.

Grays can provide you with the perfect study; whether you run your own business and need a bespoke study to work from, or if you just want it as a computer base for entertainment.

From a traditional study library, to a modern workstation in the corner of a lounge, we can adapt the room to suit you. ❏ To discuss your ideas, or to find out more, contact Grays on 01603 860 694

Grays. Modern approach, traditional values Call us 01603 860 694

Kitchens

Bedrooms A bedroom is more than just a place to sleep. It needs to be a calm relaxing sanctuary but it also needs work hard with clever storage solutions. You may even need it to be flexible enough to serve other purposes such as home office. At Grays we can create a beautiful, practical bedroom that reflects your personal style and fits your way of life.

We can design and build you a bedroom that is totally bespoke.

Our cupboards are hand-built to individual specifications. Whatever the shape of your bedroom, we have the solution to make it work for you. Awkward angles, chimney www.FineCity.co.uk

As always Grays excellent service comes as standard, with a free design and planning service and complete project management. You can be sure you will be getting a quality product, installed by trained fitters and all project managed by the Grays designers who will provide you with a point of contact to make the whole process as enjoyable as possible.

Bathrooms If you’re looking to update your bathroom, en-suite or cloakroom then Grays have the complete service to create a beautiful, functional and relaxing space.

Bedrooms

Bathrooms

At Grays we know how important your home is to you and that new kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or study is a major purchase. We take our responsibilities to our customers seriously.

www.graysfittedfurniture.co.uk

2014 December | 71

FINELIVING

Don’t have a cold Christmas Six million households cut back on heat while help goes unclaimed

R

ising energy costs mean the majority of us are reluctant to turn on the heating as the cold snap comes in as fears that we cannot afford our energy bills afflict four in 10 households.

Around six million households across England plan to cut back on heating their home this winter due to the worry about the rising cost of fuel.

Yet at the same time millions of pounds worth of help is being left unclaimed under Warm Front, the Government’s scheme to help the poorest households in England to make their homes warmer and cut their energy bills.

Across England only 11,766 people applied to Warm Front between April and July last year - a huge fall compared to the 133,034 applications received 72 | December 2014

in the whole of the year before.

The Government is introducing changes that will make more people and families with children, who are living on low incomes, eligible for the scheme.

As the eligibility criteria for help under the Warm Front scheme widens, you may be able to get help this year even if you have been turned down before.

As this is the last year of Warm Front, Consumer Focus, Citizens Advice, Age UK and the National Children’s Bureau are joining forces to promote the scheme to make sure that as many vulnerable people and families as possible get this help as the heating and insulation improvements Warm Front offers could help thousands of households to stay warm and well and save up to £600 off their energy bills each year.

Jonathan Stearn, Programme Director at Consumer Focus, says: “A cold home can damage your health. So it’s very worrying that high energy prices are leading so many people to cut back on their heating.

“We want to make sure that as many people as possible are helped to cut their bills and stay warm and well through the Warm Front scheme this year.

We would urge anyone struggling with their bills to find out if they can claim free help.’

Gillian Guy, CAB chief executive, adds: “We’re really worried people are struggling with their fuel bills because they live in homes that hemorrhage heat. Yet there is lots of help out there to make your home warmer - especially if you are on a low income. Your local CAB can help you apply for a Warm Front

grant and Citizens Advice will be helping people save money on their energy bills during Big Energy Saving Week.”

Rachel Monaghan, Senior Development Officer for Health and Well-being at the National Children’s Bureau, says some families with children will have to make the choice whether to heat or eat this winter.

She comments: “We know many families are struggling to cope with rising fuel bills and are having to cut back on other essentials like food. We also know that growing up in a cold and damp home can have a real effect on children’s health, learning and enjoyment of life.

“The Warm Front scheme can help cut bills and keep families warm and healthy, so we urge anyone worried about their fuel bills to find out as soon as they can if they are eligible to receive support.”

Warm Front offers measures worth up to £3,500 (£6,000 if you need oil central heating).

These measures are free to most people who receive help from the scheme and can make a big difference to their health and financial well-being, in particular in affording other bills and saving for emergencies. People can find out if they can get free by visiting their local Citizens Advice Bureau or Age UK. Alternatively look at switching your energy provider tosomeone like The Utility Warehouse, who guarantees they will save you money when you switch all your services to them, or they will give you back Double the Difference.

It’s a bold statement, but Utility Warehouse do win the Consumer Magazine Which? recommendations time and time again, and more and more people are switching to them. ❏ The local Utility Warehouse representative for this area is: Jonathan who you can contact on 07802 690589.

They offer a FREE home assessment, so it really is worth spending just 10 minutes to see how much you can reduce your bills by each month. Utility Warehouse says they save the average household around £60.00 EVERY month! www.FineCity.co.uk

Our curtains and blinds have a luxurious ďŹ nish, conveying the highest levels of quality and style.

Call to arrange your free home visit.

01603 615945

8 St. Benedicts Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 4AG

01953 455415

Haverscroft Industrial Estate, Attleborough, Norfolk NR17 1YE

www.norwichsunblinds.co.uk

spice January - Quidenham Ho

March - Remembering Ryan

February Star Throw ers

Journey April - Nelson’s

May - MS-UK

July - PACT

June - Norfolk & N or

August - N CF

wich Association fo r the Blind

C Power C

hairs FC

September - Age Concern October - East Ang

e lian Air Ambulanc

We are very grateful for the support of our customers – with this in mind we decided to give back to the community, by supporting a different local charity each month; contributing £1 for every blind and pair of curtains sold this year.

Pictured here are the charities we have supported so far this year.

In November we will be supporting BREAK and December the Benjamin Foundation.

We wish them all every success, and commend them on the brilliant work that they do!

FINELIVING

Sound Sleep Like proper nutrition, a balanced diet and exercise, sleep plays a vital role in keeping our bodies healthy and happy. We need a good night’s sleep to ensure we are feeling fit, thinking sharply and to generally give us the appetite and enthusiasm to make the most of everyday living

W

hat most people don’t realise is that poor sleep and fatigue are the biggest issues that affect millions of people worldwide.

When sleep deprivation mounts up, people start feeling tired during the day time which affects our ability to make decisions and helps us make mistakes, have shorter tempers and can make us have slower reflexes. With many of us driving on the roads, this can have devastating effects.

The number one key to a good night’s sleep is routine. Keeping regular hours and going to bed and getting up at the same time every day will help program the body to sleep better.

Research from all over the world, confirms that a comfortable, uninterrupted seven or eight hours sleep each night can help reduce stress, boost your mood, your physical and mental performance, cure a wide range of aches and pains as well as slowing down the aging process.

A lack of sleep suppresses your immune system making you more vulnerable to infections and metabolic and hormone changes which have the same effect on your body as ageing.

According to the University of British Columbia, the average 76 | December 2014

person that requires eight hours sleep per night, just losing one hour of sleep can lower your IQ by one point the following day.

Reduce this to a whole week of six hour nights could lose you 15 points. Sleep is important for the body and mind!

This time of year can be the most stressful time of year, Christmas is fast approaching, the mornings and dark and the nights even darker! With December being party season also, the late nights, copious amounts of alcohol and over indulging on food is likely to cause sleep disruption.

It is very important to keep that routine all year and even more so during the festive season. If you feel that you are not getting the rest you need, follow these tips and see how much better you feel.

Create a restful environment.

Keep you bedroom at a comfortable temperature and as quiet and dark as possible. Turn off that iPhone, vibrations and flashes through the night will disturb your you and in your subconscious you will think about that message you’ve just received.

Exercise. We all hate it, but regular exercise will help relieve the day’s stresses and strains. Consider taking a walk or going swimming.

Cut out stimulants. Tea, coffee and sugary drinks in the evening will interfere with you falling asleep. Try a nice herbal tea or a milky drink instead. Smoking also can take you longer to get to sleep, smokers tend to wake more often through the night.

Don’t over indulge. Too much food or alcohol before bed could disrupt your sleep.

Alcohol does help you pass out, but will no doubt interrupt your sleep during the night.

Relax. Turn off the television before bed and have some relaxation time. Read a book, have a warm bath or listen to some music. This could help relax you before bed. Remembering to turn off that phone!

Don’t worry. Easily said, but laying in bed worrying about jobs you need to do tomorrow will

11% thought that there might be any link between their bed and sleep. It is recommended that your bed should be change at least every seven years, this will ensure you maintain comfort and support every single night. If your bed feels uncomfortable before seven years, look to change it!

Did you know that your bed may have deteriorated by as much as 70% from it’s as new state after seven years? Research also showed that beds as little as six years old could offer significantly less support and comfort than a new one, thanks to wear and tear, not just from body weight and movement but from sweat and debris too.

A comfortable and supportive bed is important to assist in achieving those eight, uninterrupted hours.

“A comfortable and supportive bed is important to assist in achieving those eight uninterrupted hours” keep you awake, tossing and turning. Have you considered writing a list before bed, all your jobs are on paper and you can cross them off one by one giving you satisfaction.

Don’t sleep on an argument.

Conflicts are not conducive to putting you in the right frame of mind for sleep.

Comfortable Bed. One of the most important factors in a good night’s sleep is your bed. In Sleep Council research, 79% of people saw a direct link between the way they sleep and how they feel the next day. Astonishingly, only

At Sound Sleep, we are fully trained mattress specialists who are able to give you advice on which mattresses are suitable to your needs. We have over 100 beds on display in store and with all the latest mattress technology available we are best placed locally to help aid a good night’s sleep and hopefully make your dreams come true. ❏ Information and research provided by The Sleep Council. www.sleepcouncil.org.uk www.soundsleepbeds.co.uk www.FineCity.co.uk

Advice tailored for you and your family The Family Team at Leathes Prior will work with you to resolve your situation amicably and sensitively. Our experts will help you to decide which process suits your needs best and provide specialist advice in a dignified and professional manner.

Legal 500 2014: ‘Outstanding, ethical and excellent value for money’.

Divorce/Separation Financial Settlement Children Mediation Cohabitation Pre/Post-Nuptial Agreements

www.leathesprior.co.uk | 74 The Close Norwich NR1 4DR info@leathesprior.co.uk | 01603 610911

Love Christmas shopping even more Late nights and shopping are a match made in heaven.

We’re open ‘til 8pm throughout December (9pm on Thursdays).

Except Sundays 11am - 5pm