Village People South Norwich Late Spring 14 by Village People Magazines Ltd

Late Spring 2014

HOMES • GARDENS • OUT & ABOUT • JOBS & MONEY • HEALTH • LOCAL SERVICES

WIN

ee s to s t e K c ti e

in Katherins Jenk

ticketS

to East Anglian Game & Country Fair on offer

explore

Norfolk’s churches

Suffolk’s artists

open their doors

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The Two Worlds of Charlie F Bumper Village Notice Board Practical guide to planning permission

Remembering WW1 heroes

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Local book & restaurant reviews Easter feats, eats and treats Interview with Gareth Malone

The independent magazine for South Norwich village people

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contents LATE SPRING 2014

out and about

8 12 15 18 21 22

Good News from our region Latest film reviews Norfolk’s ecclesiastical heritage Suffolk’s artists open their doors The two worlds of Charlie F Ladies who lunch visit Waitrose cafe in Wymondham 23 National deaf awareness week 24 Village Notice Board

home and Garden

29 Garden Jottings from Ken 30 Easter feats, eats and treats 33 WIN family tickets to the East Anglian Game and Country Fair 34 Delicious asparagus risotto recipe 36 / 62 Puzzles 39 Baked Cromer crab recipe from the head chef at Relish 40 Tortoises as pets 43 A practical guide to planning permission

44 A day in the life of a locksmith 47 The effects of the First World War on one Suffolk village 50 Introducing diggers & dibblers garden club of Forncett 53 Mums the word visit Turkuaz in Diss 54 WIN tickets to see Katherine Jenkins 57 Ancient oriental astrology 58 On your plot – April showers

shopping

60 Book reviews, local titles

are you looking for a particular product or service? Check out our Local Business Directory on pages 86 & 87!

heath and Beauty

65 In good health 67 Calling all men over 45 68 Norfolk barn becomes a unique centre for creativity 71 Heath Q&A 73 Tips for fussing eating

Jobs, money and Business

75 Clinical negligence 77 Fed up with your bank? 79 A walk of contrasts at Southwold

services

81 Car badge snobbery 82 Interview with Gareth Malone 85 Great recommendations for local businesses 86 Find a local business or service 87 Thinking of advertising? “Special offer”

Be L BUY OCAL, l Supp ocal o rt l bu ocal sines commses in our unity

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Welcome I do like round numbers. And how does a big round 50,000 sound to you? I like it for lots of reasons but mainly as we’ve just reached the enormous milestone of ordering 50,000 copies of the issue you have in your hand. Well done us! I’m thrilled to say that we deliver Village People by Royal Mail to more homes in Norfolk and Lily and Florence celebrating 50,00 0 copies! Suffolk than ANY other magazine. And following ongoing requests from local ‘town folk’ who are not lucky enough to receive their own copy delivered by the postman, we now have a good number of our fabulous magazine stands in Diss, Attleborough, Wymondham, Harleston and Thetford, the latest addition is in Waitrose in Wymondham. Check it out! I love this time of year with the best weather ahead of us. We’re bursting at the seams with a bumper Village Notice Board inside and we are delighted to be offering one lucky reader the chance to win two tickets to see Katherine Jenkins live in Thetford Forest in July. And how about winning a family ticket to this year’s East Anglian Game and Country Fair? But be quick, the closing date for this free giveaway is 16th April. Packed full with so much local editorial, too much to mention individually, you’ll just have to read from cover to cover so you don’t miss anything! Your feedback is always welcome so if there’s anything you’d like to see in your magazine, do please get in touch and let me know. Read, enjoy & keep your copy handy over the next two months until we are back at the start of June. Mmm strawberries and Wimbledon! Lily Goulder editor@village-people.info 01284 788623

WIN Concert tickets to see Katherine Jenkins and Family Tickets to the East Anglian Game and Country Fair

Lily

advertise with us! Reliably delivered by Royal Mail, reaching 50,000 homes each issue. Three editions of Village People provide unrivalled coverage of South Norfolk and North Suffolk, reaching more homes than ANY other local magazine. For more information, call our friendly team on 01284 788623 or send an email to office@village-people.info Late Spring 2014

Late Spring

Late Spring 2014

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SERVICES L SERVICES HOMES TH • LOCAL • GARDENS • OUT • HEALTH • LOCA & MONEY • HEAL & ABOUT • JOBS & MONEY • HEALTH ABOUT • JOBS • LOCAL SERVICE ENS • OUT & HOMESS• GARD

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Visit our Facebook page

Local book & restaura nt reviews Easter feats, eats and treats

Villagepeoplemagazines

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s restaurant review Local book & eats and treats Easter feats, e Gareth Malon Interview with

Visit our website to find out more www.village-people.info

Good News from our reGion poppY calls!

each ride for life

walking boots Dust off your saddle or clean up your ay 11th May at Sund on Life for to join the EACH Ride Santon Downham in Thetford Forest. road cycle rides You can take part in forest walks, off ent length differ be will or road cycle rides. There ies. abilit all suit to trails y or why You can enter as an individual, as a famil s together– it not get a group of friends or colleague a race so just really is the more the merrier! It’s not surroundings tiful beau the enjoy take your time and of Thetford Forest. shments There will be stalls and well-earned refre all. for making it a great day out uk/rideforlife To enter online visit www.each.org. ber of the mem a to k spea to 67 6667 3 or call 0195 fundraising team.

Having trouble with small household repairs or minor adaptations around your home? The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Calls service may be able to help.

Poppy Calls offers a trusted, secure, high quality service which helps members of the Armed Forces community live independent lives and stay in their own homes longer in old age. The initiative is offered to beneficiaries who qualify for assistance from The Royal British Legion, which includes those who have served in the Armed Forces and their widows or dependents. The service is FREE to those beneficiaries who are in receipt of a means tested benefit, or aged 75 or over. To find out more about the service call 0800 032 0306 and they may be able to help you too!

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did You Know what damaGe a car wash is doinG to Your car? There’s no doubt that putting your car through the car wash is a quick and convenient way to get rid of dirt. But if you value your paintwork then you might want to think twice before putting your car through another one. Unlike when you use a hand car wash, the fabric used to remove the dirt is not washed out, and this fabric is then rotated against your car’s paintwork at a high speed which can drive grit and dirt into your paintwork, leaving the circular scratches that you often see on cars. Harsh chemicals are often used which can lead to any protective coating that is on your paintwork to be removed, leaving it vulnerable. At Pemberton valeting and hand car wash on London Road in Harleston, they only use high-end shampoos and waxes and soft cloths to ensure that your car’s paintwork is never jeopardised and you leave with a shiny clean car and the knowledge that your paintwork was in safe and professional hands.

This year, Adullam’s Cave is celebrating 10 years in their shop next to Stowmarket Railway Station. But a lot of people don’t realise that the second-hand shop also supports projects around the world as well as our local community. Last year they completed a five year project to wire, equip and connect a school in a remote mountainous region of Kenya to the electricity supply. Since July 2013 Adullam’s Cave has helped a 4-year-old Kenyan boy with crippling spina bifida by providing the funds for an operation in Uganda, accommodation, food and clothing as well as special shoes and aftercare. The shop has raised over £2,000 for this one project alone. The shop also provides cows and goats for needy families, supports projects in India, Romania, London and projects in other parts of Africa and Asia. Shoppers at Adullam’s Cave not only pick up some bargains – vintage, retro, modern furniture and household goods and clothing, new gifts and more – they are also giving a helping hand to those least able to help themselves! You can call the shop on 01449 770082 or visit their Facebook page for more information.

For more information, visit www.pembertoncars.co.uk

if You have some Good news to share email us at editor@village-people.info

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ART UNEQUALLED EXHIBTION Following the success of Art Unequalled in Ely for the last three years, Sally Dunham is proud to be launching an additional three day event at the beautiful Atheneaum in the centre of Bury St Edmunds this early May bank holiday (3rd, 4th and 5th May 2014). Art Unequalled was set up by local sculptor Sally in 2011 to bring together makers of high quality Art and Craft to showcase direct to the public. A defining feature of the show is that all work must be handmade by the artist presenting the work. You will find a fantastic collection of handmade work including paintings, mono and limited edition prints, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, mixed media, wood jewellery, glass and photography. There will be something for everyone and a warm welcome awaits. Further information can be found at www. artunequalled.co.uk or don’t hesitate to contact Sally on 07850 286566

norwich sunBlinds supports Quidenham hospice Norwich Sunblinds are a local company who have decided to give something back to the community. They’ve promised to contribute £1 for every blind and pair of curtains sold this year to local charities. Each month they will be supporting a different local charity. The staff are looking forward to finding out how many blinds/curtains have been sold each day to contribute towards the charity. Norwich Sunblinds were particularly keen to support the EACH hospice in Quidenham, Norfolk, as they do an amazing job of caring for local children and supporting their families at an unimaginably diﬃcult time. Gary Cook from EACH said: “It is great that a Norfolkbased company have raised funds to support local children and families when they need it most it really shows how the community can all work together.”

local Kids’ teams wanted to BrinG BacK oranGes at half-time

d on Kids’ teams in East Anglia are being calle half-time back bring to me sche a to up sign to is calling oranges to kids’ football. The project try to sign for children’s teams around the coun olate a pledge to replace sweets, crisps, choc with a and biscuits during the half-time break k. snac of e choic hier healt into They will receive vouchers for fruit, entry kit and other draws and competitions for football on how the equipment, as well as regular updates project is developing.

half-time Many teams will also receive their own ainers for cont bag, cool a g udin –incl pack r starte the for on mati infor and sides home and away sign up to team. If your child’s team would like jaffa.com this free scheme, visit www.halftime

villaGe vill villaG e people maGaZine supports local charities We’ve been a big part of the local community now for six years and we’re thrilled to get the chance to give something back. Village People Magazine has teamed up with Waitrose in Wymondham to support a different local charity each issue. Waitrose have a great reputation for supporting the local community with their popular Community Matters scheme and we are proud to be able to help. Watch this space for details of who we will be supporting first. What’s more, this means that Village People Magazine will be available to pick up in Waitrose Wymondham throughout 2014, so local people who live in the town can enjoy a copy as well as the 45,000 village families who receive a copy from the postman. Are there any local charities which are close to your heart? If so, let us know by sending an email to editor@village-people.info and we’ll add them to our list to support.

if You have some Good news to share email us at editor@village-people.info

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Latest Film Releases This issue, our resident film buff, Ian Kemsley from Suffolk, previews three new releases

The Amazing Spider Spi Man 2 I watched the first of these on a Blu-ray disc I got free with my Sony player a while ago and was pleasantly surprised. I am not a fan of the original Tobey Maguire films - heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an unconvincing vincing and rather miserable screen presence, and the films were only redeemed by Kirsten Dunst as the love interest Mary Jane. In the new films Peter Parker is played by Brit Andrew Garfield, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an amusing and much more engaging actor, carrying the part with ease. Emma Stone returns as Gwen Stacy, the alternative love interest, and Jamie Foxx stars as villain Electro. Directed again by the perfectly named Marc Webb, this should be an entertaining comic book night out. For fellow soundtrack nuts the only bad news is that James Horner (of Titanic fame), who wrote a lovely score for the first film, has been replaced by Hans Zimmer, whose music is much more formulaic. Release: 18 April

Now this is a risky venture. The last Godzilla movie from Roland Emmerich of Independence Day fame - bombed completely in 1998. It could not decide whether its monster was to be pitied or feared, and was hampered by very unconvincing leads who simply could not carry the movie (Matthew Broderick and Maria Pitillo) despite the excellent look of the film. This time round director Gareth Edwards, whose only previous feature was the unusual Monsters in 2010, takes the helm, and will be relying on Aaron Taylor-Johnson of Kick Ass and Anna Karenina fame and Elizabeth Olsen to hold our interest. Able support comes in the form of Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe and Juliette Binoche. Just like the last one this could go either way.

X Men - Days of Future Past Now this one tries to have its cake and eat it, mixing the casts of both the original trilogy and recent prequel First Class in a time-travel laced plot. The reason it might work is that original director Bryan Singer has returned to take control. He knows this universe backwards (which could prove useful), and though he needs a hit himself after the lukewarm Jack The Giant Slayer and weak Superman Returns, he is more than capable of turning out a strong story. I like the edge that runs through the X Men movies - fear of the different - which resonates in the real world. And with a cast that includes the lovely Jennifer Lawrence, the unmatched Michael Fassbender, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, this is sure to be an entertaining hit (so much so that the next film has already been announced).

Release: 23 May

Godzilla

Release: 16 M

Out & About

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Norfolk’s Ecclesiastical Heritage

this issue, Glynn Burrows of norfolk tours guides us through the rich history of norfolk’s churches.

he fantastic thing about this area is that there are so many villages and small towns. Generally speaking, there’s a village within three miles of anywhere in Norfolk and Suffolk. Each of these settlements, no matter how small, will often have a church and some will have more than one.

Parish churches are just one part of our religious heritage. In medieval times, we had a large number of monastic houses, abbeys, priories and cathedrals. Some of these magnificent buildings were demolished when Henry VIII split from Rome but many survive in part, due to their continued use as parish churches and cathedrals. Henry VIII destroyed a lot of the buildings associated with the monks, priors and abbots but his men often left the church itself standing. When we visit some of these ruins, it is very diﬃcult to imagine how these beautiful buildings could have been destroyed so wantonly. When one visits the city of Norwich, the sheer volume of medieval buildings is awe-inspiring; obviously we have the castle and the magnificent cathedral but have you noticed how many churches there are? There often three or four within a

st. edmund, egmere

st mary, appleton

hundred yards of where you are standing!

if we want! (In the past, it was the practice to do this walk barefoot.)

The city churches are many and varied, from tiny Saxon and Norman buildings with round towers to magnificent, lofty, medieval examples, showing the craftsmanship of the mason at its best. There are so many churches that some are now used for other purposes, like Norwich Arts Centre.

The best thing about this area is the number of opportunities to stop and look at ancient buildings every few miles. Within Norfolk, there are around 700 churches. Some have been rebuilt and some have been “renovated” but hundreds of fantastic examples remain. If you are a fan of architecture, art, building methods, carpentry, masonry, glass, bell-founding or carving, there’s enough to keep you busy for years!

The cathedral, which was started in 1096, took several generations to complete. Its priory was partially destroyed in the 16th century but the cathedral church and some other buildings remain from when it was later rebuilt. Although what we see today is spectacular, it is only a fraction of what was once here. A day of quiet relaxation at one of the most important shrines in England is definitely something not to be missed. Walsingham has been a place of pilgrimage for nearly a thousand years and has been visited by many of the most important people in history. It is quite inspiring to walk in their footsteps as we walk the holy mile but unlike them, we can wear our shoes

Glynn Burrows is the owner of Norfolk Tours. Discover more fascinating local history or book a tour at www.norfolk-tours.co.uk

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Out & About

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The recipe of trip advisor

ove it or hate it, Trip Advisor can send shivers down the spine of anyone working in the hospitality industry when the email pops into their inbox titled ‘Review Alert’.

Often this feeling is not their fear of having provided bad customer service, an inadequate dish or cleanliness of the establishment, it comes from whether the review will be from a reliable source and will be a fair, honest opinion of an experience.

I have spoken to reviewers and restaurant owners to ask how they feel about the site. I was horrified to hear of how one restaurant owner was being blackmailed by a reviewer and how another business had paid a marketing company to ensure they rated number one in their area using fake five starred reviews. So the lack of reliability can come from either side of the table! My only advice to customers can be: if you are a dissatisfied with an experience do not be typically British

and nod your head politely on the way out. Speak to the staff to resolve the situation or perhaps send an email when you get home. And to restaurant owners: Customer service is a vital ingredient of success so if your staff are well-trained they should be able to identify when the customer is not happy before they leave and can deal with the issue immediately. Respond to reviews and remember potential customers are reading your responses. If a review hurts it’s because you care!

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Suffolk’s Artists

ver 130 Suffolk artists will be opening their studios to the public over the weekends of June 2014 as part of the Suffolk Open Studios initiative. Spanning a huge range of art, including oils, watercolours, acrylics, photography, textiles, ceramics, jewellery, glassware, sculpture, 2D and 3D mixed media, printmaking, mosaics and much more, the Open Studios event grows bigger each year with more artists participating and more members of the public visiting the studios. Chairman of Suffolk Open Studios Tom Lund-Lack, who will also be exhibiting his own artwork at his

residential art and activity centre ArtActiv at Thornham Magna, is passionate about the idea behind the initiative. “Art should be accessible,” he says. “This is a great opportunity for people to meet the artists, ask them questions about their inspiration and choice of medium. It’s welcoming, friendly and not at all pretentious. The whole point is that artists want people to come and visit them – artists welcome the chance to share their work with a wider audience.” Suffolk Open Studios has been running since 1993 and has grown from a group of around 15 local artists in the Snape and Aldeburgh area. The network now covers the whole of Suffolk. As Suffolk Open Studios covers such a big area, visitors are encouraged to use the guidebook and website in advance to check routes and opening hours, and to make a day of it, planning a route to visit a range of studios and a local pub or café for lunch.

Tom says, “It’s a fun day out, and an opportunity to learn something new. There’s no pressure to buy, though many artists will have items available for sale or to commission if requested. Don’t be embarrassed to walk out of a studio with nothing in your hand, but with something in your head.”

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The Suffolk Open Studios committee is also keen to attract new artists to join. Tom says, “Creating art whether visual or written is usually a lonely experience with only one’s own company to keep and judgement to fall back on. Being part of an open studio network can perhaps give artists a sense of belonging and of

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open their doors being part of a group of like-minded individuals.” All members are given exposure via the Open Studios website, which also publicises upcoming exhibitions, and they have the option of participation in the Open Studios event. Unlike some regional Open Studio operations, Suffolk’s invites members to join without a committee selection process. Again, Tom is keen to stress the inclusivity of the scheme: “As artists we are often our own harshest critic. We don’t put potential members through a rigorous selection process – if they consider their work to be of a high enough standard, that’s fine by us. Art is a small word that means different thing to different people. It’s subjective, so we don’t try to judge.”

Heron by Chris Deacon

In the lead up to the Open Studios event, some artists will be participating in Art About Town, whereby they collaborate with friendly local shops, cafes and restaurants to exhibit work to help promote their work. Keep an eye out for artwork in towns near you, from 19-31 May 2014. As usual Suffolk Open Studios will be publishing a free colour directory of all exhibiting artists, which includes details on where they are located and when they will be open. This is the essential guide for all art lovers. There is no need to book when a studio is open, outside of those times it would be prudent to book a visit.

Squall, Tom Lund-Lack

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Out & About

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BOX OFFICE: (01603) 63 00 00

Mon 14 – Wed 16 Apr SCOOBY-DOO The Mystery of the Pyramid – hilarious family fun £5.50 - £22.50 Sat 19 Apr PAUL CARRACK Renowned singer songwriter £6.50 - £28.50 Sun 20 April BRITTEN SINFONIA Bach St John Passion £6.50 - £26 Mon 21 – Wed 23 Apr TAP FACTORY Stomp meets Tap Dogs £5.50 - £23.50

Fri 25 – Sun 27 Apr ENGLISH TOURING OPERA Britten’s Paul Bunyan, Tippett’s King Priam, Mozart’s The Magic Flute £6.50 - £35

Tues 6 – Sat 10 May THE TWO WORLDS OF CHARLIE F Darkly comic and uplifting view of war and injury £5.50 - £23

Sun 11 May Tues 29 Apr–Sat 3 May ROBERT CRAY DIAL M FOR MURDER Blues guitarist Christopher Timothy £6.50 - £29.50 stars in stylish thriller £6.50 - £25 Tues 13 – Sat 17 May A MIDSUMMER Thur 1 – Sat 3 May NIGHT’S DREAM PRIVATE PEACEFUL Northern Ballet with Touching adaptation enchanting dance of Michael Morpurgo’s adaptation story £6.50 – £36.50 £5.50 - £15 Sun 4 May YVONNE SCHOOL OF DANCE Talented local young people £5.50 - £17

Sun 18 – Mon 19 May CIRCA: S Stunning contemporary circus £6.50 - £26.50

Wed 21 May HUGH MASEKELA Legendary trumpet player £6.50 - £26.50 Thur 22 May TOUMANI DIABATE World music star £6.50 - £25 Sat 24 May MICHAEL CLARK COMPANY Iconoclastic contemporary dance £5.50 - £23 Sun 25 May HALFWAY TO PARADISE Billy Fury tribute £5.50 - £21 Tues 27 – Sat 31 May BETTY BLUE EYES Witty musical comedy £6.50 - £25

Book online: www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk THEATRE STREET, NORWICH NR2 1RL

Scooby Doo!

Wed 2 – Sat 12 Apr CATS Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit musical £6.50 - £39.50

The Two Worlds of Charlie F

As the nation turns its attention to the centenary of the outbreak of World War I, this fier fiercely compelling play aims to show the physical and mental cost of war. The Two Worlds of Charlie F follows soldiers injured in modern warfare and the long-term impact of adapting to life back in the UK after a major injury on the battlefield.

he whole story behind the production began when its executive producer Alice Driver visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where many military personnel go for treatment immediately after returning from combat. She said: “I met some patients there and what really struck me was one soldier saying when you become injured, you become very vulnerable. You lose your sense of self, you lose your identity and fundamentally, you lose your purpose and your voice.”

Alice thought this may be something she could help with, coming up with the idea of finding out more about the soldier’s experiences, writing a play about it and asking former military personnel to star in it. It sounds a bit ambitious but Alice was determined. She remembered: “This was about boosting confidence, boosting self-esteem and giving these people a voice.” The unusual storyline and dual purpose of the show struck a chord with both the theatre and the military. One of the big supporters was actor Ray Winstone, who joined forces with Alice to help recruit military personnel to star in the production. It is the first time that the MoD has used theatre to aid rehabilitation and Alice says it’s been working: “The process of story-sharing and sitting around telling their stories not just to a psychiatrist or counsellor but with an end goal of putting on a play was very therapeutic. By sharing their stories with other like-minded people who understood what they were going though, an incredible healing process happened. A new military company was formed and people moved away from this dark place feeling hopeful, optimistic and had been given a voice.”

include Norwich Theatre Royal on Ma May 6-10. Cassidy Little, who plays Charlie F, is no stranger to the stage. Before joining the Royal Marines, he went to a performing arts school in America and even had a spell as a stand-up comedian. But while serving on his second tour in Afghanistan back in 2011, his life changed for ever. He lost a leg – and a couple of friends – in an IED explosion. While he was recovering, he met a captain who had been part of the Two Worlds of Charlie F and he was inspired to get involved himself. Cassidy believes that this ground-breaking project works on two levels as another way of helping the cast come to terms with what has happened to them while also giving the audience an insight into the aftermath of conﬂict. But there are plenty of uplifting moments to make you smile too in this powerful play which shows the depth and the power of everyone’s ability to deal with lifechanging diﬃculties and come out the other side.

Five-star reviews and a very positive reaction followed, so now the show is going on a UK tour which will

The Two Worlds of Charlie F runs from Tuesday 6th May to Saturday 10th May

Tickets are available from the Box Office on 01603 630 000 or Book Online

www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk 21

Ladies Who Lunch

WAITROSE CAFE, WYMONDHAM Norwich Rd, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18 0SH • 01953 607772. 8:00 am – 9:00 pm

‘A supermarket’ I hear you say: has she gone bonkers? Well, no: my aim is to go anywhere and everywhere, posh and (shall we say) less posh; regardless of cost or status, and anyway I have a rock solid excuse.

he day and companion for lunch were booked; we just had the location to decide. Then I got a letter from the NHS saying I was wanted for a mammo-thing in a mobile clinic, situated… you guessed it… in Waitrose’s car park. So there you have it. I generally have my free coffee* when I shop, but deny myself anything else so I was keen to try out their food. Half an hour later – duly squashed – we joined the queue, and peered at the menu board. In large letters it gave the item and the price, between these two bits of information something smaller was written; probably of no consequence, I thought. My companion of high cholesterol chose a caesar salad. My own reckless choice was lasagne with salad garnish. We selected a sumptuous tart each for dessert and I had my coffee while my companion ordered tea. We collected cutlery from the selfservice and took our number ﬂag to a table in a far distant corner. The coffee shop was busy, and a bit noisy, but not suﬃcient to bother us.

BOTTOM LINE

Caesar salad

£4.50

Lasagne

£5.95

Lemon tart

£1.80

Bakewell tart

£1.70

Pot of tea

£1.55

Coffee

£1.85*

TOTAL

£17.35

My companion’s tea came in a sweet double-decker pot which served to keep the cup warm. I had been warned that the lasagne had a waiting time of 20 minutes, but it was sooner than that when a smiling waitress came looking for us. I have to say, I have never had such a good lasagne anywhere except my own. It was rich and meaty with none of that thickened gravy sometimes used to pad things out. It was an absolute delight. The salad garnish was plentiful and varied, although the winter tomatoes were a little sharp. My friend’s salad contained a generous portion of chicken, croutons and a little pot of mayonnaise.

The dessert tarts were big and delicious. The lemon one was sharp and lemony (we swapped tasters) and the bakewell tart was suitably jammy. Letting it all digest, I returned my attention to the menu board, and deciphered the smaller text. Between my ‘lasagne with garnish’ and the price, it helpfully told me that it contained 710 calories. YIKES and double yikes! Thank goodness the place wasn’t licensed; my black coffee mitigated the damage somewhat. I shall go there again, definitely – paying attention to the small print next time. Needless to say, parking and access are excellent, as are the toilets. It’s all very clean and the staff are always friendly and smiling. And you can do your shopping afterwards. *If you apply for a ‘My Waitrose’ card (free and doesn’t commit you to anything) you not only get one free coffee or tea per visit, but with a large enough spend in the shop you may qualify for a free newspaper – and they have started offering The Times.

The Forgetful Ear the month of may is home to national deaf awareness week, and it’s a good chance to take a closer look at a neglected but vitally important impor issue in health care – yo your hearing.

id you know that you hear with your brain, not your ears, and that hearing loss can lead to the loss of certain pitches and sounds in your vocabulary, ultimately leading to the loss of certain words? “This is a case of what is termed ‘forgetful ears’. It might come as a surprise that this can be caused by hearing loss, but hearing loss is a reality that has many overlooked consequences,” explains Karen Finch, Managing Director of The Hearing Care Centre. “Just as in many cases our eyes slowly deteriorate as we age, making it diﬃcult to read small print, so our ears gradually lose their ability to hear sounds,” says Karen. “At The Hearing Care Centre we’ve been working for some time educating people, to overcome their reluctance to have their hearing checked but the longer you leave a hearing loss, the lazier the ears become!” “If a hearing loss is identified, we often have to help overcome the resistance to wearing hearing aids,” she says, “because sadly, some people feel it’s an admission that they are getting old! This is so far away from the truth as in fact hearing aids keep you young, they keep you involved in conversation with friends and loved ones.” In the past, hearing instruments did tend to be bulky and obtrusive but new technology has brought solutions to this problem: “There are in excess of 300 different hearing instruments available,” says Karen,

ng aid

ft) ﬁtting a heari

Karen finch (le

“and some so small they fit completely inside your ear so that they cannot be seen”. So back to Deaf Awareness Week (5th-11th May 2014) – it’s a national campaign that seeks to raise awareness on the importance of hearing. Figures show that we have approximately 10 million hearing impaired people in the UK; that’s 1 in 6 of the total population! Karen’s final words of advice are: “Take the opportunity to look after yourself and those you love by having your hearing checked; take positive steps to actively protect the precious sense that allows you to hear your world - your hearing”. To book a hearing test call 0800 0962637 or visit www.hearingcarecentre.co.uk

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Village Notice Board new Buckenham

EASTER WEE

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art exhibition

Friday 18th Ap ril 7.30 pm – 10 pm 19th, 20th & 21 st April 10 am – 4.30 pm New Buckenha m Village Hall ALL PICTURES ARE FoR SALE Proceeds to Ne w Buckenham Village Hall and St. Martin’s Church

& EATON CRINGLEFORD AL L SOCIETY ANNU HORTICULTURA PLANT SALE

EFORD MAY AT CRINGL SATURDAY 17TH AD RO S LD IE S OAKF PLAYING FIELD FFEES CO D AN AS TE FROM 9AM E PAVILION WITH CAKE IN TH

C ringleford & Het he rsett Monday 28 F lo w er C lub th April Dem onstration by Libby Ferris of Nor wich th May Dem onstration by Moira Neville – ‘Poe tic Licence’ 7.30 pm at H ethersett Villa ge Hall, Back Lane, H ethersett NR9 3JJ

Monday 19

East Anglia

The Angel Roofs of

Hall Blo Norton Village 7.30pm Sat 26th April 7 for l Rimmer th slides by Michae An evening talk wi s ble nib d ne an £7.50 inc. glass of wi

14 May, Wednesda y, 2-4pm

NEW Trainee C hoco lat ier W or ksho p

Get started making your own chocola tes from scratch. Learn how to make a cream ga nache, pipe your own truﬄe s, and temper choc olate for dipping. This wo rkshop is much mo re about watching and learni ng. £75 per head

r Militaria fai

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25th 10 til 2 Sunday May 2.50 Admission £

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Fancy a wander around just come along for tea & cake… …

There will be nu merous residen ts in Ashwellth having a garage orpe /table top sale in their front ga as well as othe rden rs with stalls at the Village Hall. along and stock Come up/grab a barg ain. Maps and refre shments availa ble at the Village Hall throughout the morning

The Silver Dollar ub Country Music Cl

IP22 4LE nmark Street, Diss, The Park Hotel, De Int George Mc osh Sunday 20 April Longshot Railroaders Sunday 4 May Boxcar Kelly and the y Ma 18 Sunday pm 7.30pm until 10.30 Doors 7pm. Music embers £6 n-M No £5 ers mb , Me n & Teresa Stannard n please contact Joh For further informatio or on 01603 433918 ers mb Me e itte 9 643381 Comm (Chairman) on 0137 eux ver De er Pet Maureen and

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May 24, 25,

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in in Country, 6 1AN April, Dumpl ngham, NR1 Monday 21 re ill Lane, W ni Village Hall, M ent by The Barhoppers Entertainm til 5pm - £5 Music 2pm un r Doors 1pm. d licensed ba tea, coffee an t , ac ts nt en co m sh se ea Light refre formation pl 3918 For further in 43 3 60 01 sa John & Tere Pulham Market Me

morial Hall

C raft Fayre & Makers Mar ke t Sat 10

th May 11 to 4 Stalls £6 - £12 To book contact: Jill Callaghan on 01379 676295 Refreshments, raﬄ e, bar from 12 In aid of Memorial Hall new tables fund

Longs Farm 5 artists @ t in an in an art even

collaborate iaeval farmhouse empty med – 5 pm h May 11 am 3rd, 4th & 5t er three days

ov n takes place ceramics, The exhibitio ge, sculpture, lla co , gs tin in pa portunity es op ur od at fe go a and ographs. It’s ot ph r studios d ei an th s of e prints, glas ork in advanc w t’s tis ar n e pe Studios. to see th rt of Suffolk O in June as pa ne, en op g in be , Millway La Longs Farm 21 4BN IP s, is D , ve Palgra

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The all singing

songcycle

all cycling male

voice quartet St Mary’s Church Hinderclay Saturday 26th Ap ril 7.30pm Essex’s answer to the King’s Sin gers sing music from Bach to The Be atles Tickets: £7 (incl. interval refresh ments) From: Jean 0137 9 898149, Linda 01379 898512 Barbara 01379 , 898111 SongCycle are: Brian Lynn, Richa rd Baker, Nick Rayner, Sa m Adams

Jazz Q uartet

urch Breckles

m Fri 30th May 7.30p ents hm res ref es Tickets £15 includ

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ne bar open 7pm Licenses beer & wi h funds Proceeds for churc

Inter-club di

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mpetition w ith Buxton Cam era Club 20th May Tibenham Co mmunity Hal l NR16 1PU Members fre e, non-mem bers £3 More info w ww.bdcam eraclub.co.u k

SAT 3RD M VILLAGE HALL RICKINGHALL ildren £1 accompanied ch Admission £4, d societies an rs de tra s from our access Raﬄe with prize ed ailable & disabl Refreshments av 643045 9 37 01 930 188472 or net k. Enquiries to 07 ol uff es on llvh. www.rickingha

Daf fodil C raft & C ountry Fayr e

at Langley School, Loddon Sunday May 11th, 10am - 4pm Free parking Entrance: £3 Adult s and £2 children Come and see: Int ernational Air Displa y Pilot, Mark Jefferies; Live Music with Bands from EPIC; Attractions for the Kids; Classic Ca rs; Steam Engines; Cra ft and Food Stalls; Woodland Walk an d more!

St Margaret’s Ch

Bunwell & D is

EL RAILWAY SHO W R ICK INGHALL MOD m AY - 10am - 4p

rict Branch Stradbroke & Dist sh Legion iti of The Royal Br orate 70th

commem Present a concert to D. Day Landings e th of ary Annivers ary World nd ge Le e with th ham Shantymen Renowned Shering 0pm hool (IP21 5JN) 7.3 Stradbroke High Sc £5 ssion Sat 31 May – admi , Post Oﬃce Stores 14 84 79 6 98 01 Tickets tchers Stradbroke Bu lfe Horham or Ro

theatre eastern

Pal m W ine and Satnougltes

Thursday, 24th April Village Hall, 7.3 0pm (doors op en 7pm) Bar and ice crea ms 01953 681491 Tickets from Ga rboldisham Po st Office

Garboldisham

Knit and Natter group in Long Stratton at r New Knit and Natte use Coffee Shop The Tudor Bake Ho ay of each month 2nd and 4th Mond m from 2pm to 4p ility, any craft All welcome, any ab

BLO’ NOR YARD SALETON S

saturday 3 m ay 9.00am – 1.0 2014 0pm

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ROUP HOPTON ART GTION IB H ANNUAL EX ODIST CHAPEL METH 3RD MAY at HOPTON 10 – 4 S AND CARDS SALE OF PAINTING refreshments Tea & homemade VIDIYAL TRUST PROCEEDS TO THE

C harity Fun Day

At The White Lodg

e, London Road, Att leborough Monday 26th Ma y (Bank Holiday) 12 noon until 7p m Live music, art and craft stalls, bouncy castle, and lots of rides, stalls an d activities for the family Free entry, all in aid of Parkinson’s chari ty

ry Park Radio Dia April

Bingo Nigh eway Bowls Club 16th Diss Caus t Club Quiz Nigh 30th Diss Cue

May

BC] b: Quiz Night [T 29th Italian Jo l va sti Fe ge in ss Fr 30th & 31st Di

List your local event for FREE on our Village Notice Board Email details to Lily at editor@village-people.info

It’s

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Garden Jottings from Ken

ow about opening your garden to the public? Or maybe having it photographed for a prestigious glossy lifestyle magazine? Is it up to standard, would it impress the viewer? Would you get delighted ‘oohs & aahs’, or disappointed ‘ahs & ohs’! Think about it, it’s your garden, would you dare let them see in or not?

leaves, perennial tops, last season’s bedding etc. Edge & sweep paths & patios, now look at shrubs, trees & climbers to decide if any pruning is necessary, imagine all of last year’s growth added on top again & cut back accordingly, do deciduous shrubs now & evergreens later once the danger of heavy frost has passed, you may have to sacrifice some of the ﬂowers on early spring bloomers, but these would have been finished by deadline day anyway.

You don’t have to have a show garden, but you should have a garden to show, at least to family & friends, your own tranquil space to relax in & enjoy, that’s neat, tidy & welcoming, a garden to be just a little bit proud of. Whatever state your garden’s in, nothing focuses the mind like a deadline, so use your imagination & conjure up a function that will take place in your garden, a royal visit, a wedding, a big party, or just a private alfresco meal, then set a date (maybe around the end of June, giving you 3 months to prepare, & the rest of the summer to enjoy.) Write it on the calendar & tell somebody (or better still everybody) that on this day your garden will be looking great, & you’ll prove it with a photograph or maybe allow them to visit & see for themselves. Top tip - Plant up a couple of stylish pots to stand outside your door & keep them looking good - every time you step outside to tend them, you’ll be encouraged to do something else in your garden! Begin by looking outside at what you’ve got already & consider what you realistically wish to have. If your garden is established there may not be major changes to be carried out, but improvements can certainly be made, however, if all or part of your garden is in need of updating the task may seem a bit daunting - don’t panic, one step at a time! Start with a good all round tidy-up, if it’s stored rubbish get rid of it, then remove any dead material, old

Now it’s time for the exciting stage by making your plan a reality, perhaps creating new borders, preparing a veg plot, adding some height with an ornamental tree (or two), & of course getting creative with some fresh planting! A visit to The Garden Enclosure will provide all you need to transform your garden, from practical necessities such as pots, quality composts, tools & ornaments, to inspiring plants of all kinds, including traditional favourites plus beautiful newcomers that will grace your plot now & for years to come, all at excellent prices (such as 3 clematis for £10, or 3 perennials for just £5), & if you need some planting suggestions just ask. With a little bit of effort your garden will look so wonderful you may just want to show it off !

Cheers, Ken

from The Garden Enclosure at Banham

helping to make your garden better!

INDEPENDENT PLANT CENTRE & GARDEN SHOP 01953 888043 www.gardenenclosure.co.uk

Open through out Inspiring plant selections, plant sourcing and garden advice, Bank H oliday gardening and floristry sundries, pet supplies, gifts… and more! W eekends Find us at Banham Zoo, NR16 2HE - outside Zoo ticket kiosks

Open Thursday to Monday 9.30am to 5pm (10.00am to 4pm Nov to Feb)

Easter feats, eats and treats during april and may the winter chills fade and everything is fresh, green, vibrant and full of promise for the summer ahead. Jon tyler shows us what to look for as nature comes alive this spring.

pril is the heart of spring; when the sun shines it seems that the whole natural world has suddenly remembered that it is late for a very important occasion, frantically rushing about trying to be ready in time.

At this time the adder, our only venomous snake, becomes more active, having woken from a hibernation slumber that can last up to 5 months. Its reputation as deadly foe is unfair as adders are timid creatures that only bite when grabbed, stepped on or pestered. You’ve got the best chance of seeing these shy reptiles in April before the undergrowth hides the ground; look for them basking in sunny spots in woods and heaths.

you listen very carefully you might just make out the high pitched whine of their wings beating in a blur, too fast to see. You’ll see them looking snug in a fuzzy warm ﬂuff of brown fur which reminds us that April can still have its share of frosty nights and chilly mornings.

April is also the month for the St George’s mushroom, named after St George’s Day (23rd April), which is one of only a handful of fungi appearing in the spring months. These large and robust fungi have broadly domed caps, cream / buff coloured gills, thick ﬂesh and a sweet ﬂoury smell often described as mealy. Usually appearing in rings on grassland and in woodland glades, they are a good edible species provided that your identification skills are up to the job.

While April might have one of its days remembered in the name of a mushroom; by contrast the whole month of May lends its name to one of our tree species. The Hawthorn tree, whose leaves appear in March and April, finally erupts into full sweet and sour scented blooms sometime in May and is so much associated with this month that it is still often referred to as simply May or the May tree. Often thought of as a short-lived shrub hawthorns can reach the ripe old age of 700 years or more. Unlike the hawthorn that bears ﬂowers after its leaves; many deciduous trees ﬂower first and come into leaf afterward. May is the month when a number of trees display fresh new foliage. Surprisingly several of these, including birch and beech, are edible when young, making an interesting addition in salads. As leaf-based treats go, they don’t get much better than beech leaf noyau, which is an alcoholic infusion of young beech leaves, gin or vodka and sugar. Ideal served chilled over ice on hot afternoons in late May.

If you get really lucky you could see the amazing ‘Adder Duel’ where two males fight it out in a wresting test of strength.

Also keep your eyes peeled for one of our most fascinating, yet easily over looked insects. The aptly named bee-fly is a real spring specialist; look for them sun bathing at the base of tree trunks or on sheltered banks especially where spring flowers gather. As the name suggests they appear to be a curious mix of bumble bee and hoverfly with a long proboscis, a tube-like feeding device for sipping flower nectar. They are amazing aeronauts, able to hover almost stationary in the air; if

Find out more about Jon’s outdoor activities at www.wildforwoods.co.uk

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Competition

WIN FAMILY TICKETS TO THE EAST ANGLIAN GAME AND COUNTRY FAIR!

he 2014 East Anglian Game & Country Fair will take place on Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th April, at The Norfolk Showground, Norwich. Village People Magazine is giving away 10 family tickets to the fair, each worth £40!

There really is something for everyone at the fair. There is a fantastic line-up in the Main and Countryside Arenas, including the West Norfolk Hunt, Norfolk Fire Horse Rescue Demonstration, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Ferret Racing, Fly Fishing, Lurcher Displays, Gun Dog demonstrations and much more.

To win a family ticket to the show

(which includes 2 adults and 3 children) simply send us an email with your name, address and daytime phone number to competition@village-people.info You’ll have to be quick – we need your entries by Wednesday 16th April and the winners will be drawn at random the next day. Usual Village People rules apply. Tickets are available now online at www.ukgamefair.co.uk

All you keen shoppers will enjoy the Norwich Original Fleamarket, which offers a great selection of stands selling vintage and retro goods plus over 300 shopping stands with a wide variety of products from fashion and footwear to gun makers, eco products, fishing products and home improvements. Children of all ages will be able to meet several animals as well as having a go at bush craft and survival skills in the forestry area. Dogs on leads are welcome as there is plenty for them to do at the show!

asparagus, watercress and pan roasted cherry tomato risotto British asparagus takes time to grow to its full ﬂavour and because there need be no waste it is great value for money. enjoy the British asparagus season while keeping an eye on your wallet with this delicious dish that serves four for under £10

What you need: Serves 4 Cost per person £1.93 Preparation 15 minutes Cook 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil 4 shallots ﬁnely chopped 2 garlic cloves sliced 2 bundles of British asparagus trimmed and cut into 3cm lengths 100g red and yellow cherry tomatoes cut in half 200g riso Gallo risotto rice 1 small glass of white wine 1 ltr hot chicken or vegetable stock 2 bunches of watercress roughly chopped 50g lightly salted butter, cut into cubes 50g grated parmesan salt and cracked black pepper

1. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then add the shallots and garlic. Sweat for 10 minutes until the shallots and garlic turn translucent without any colour. 2. While the shallots and garlic are cooking, heat a medium sized frying pan, add the rest of the oil. When the oil stars to smoke add the asparagus and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, cook for about 30 seconds or until the tomatoes start to wilt slightly, then remove from the heat and set aside. 3. By now the onions should be ready, stir in the rice and keep cooking and stirring until the rice has also turned translucent, then add the wine and simmer until it has reduced by half. 4. Now start to add the hot stock, stirring the rice every now and then. Keep adding the stock a little at a time until the rice is cooked with a slight bite to it. About 20 minutes. 5. When the rice is cooked, stir in the watercress, asparagus and tomatoes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and half of the parmesan, season with salt and pepper. 6. Serve in warm bowls, sprinkled with the rest of the parmesan. For more delicious recipes to make the most of one of our most iconic seasonal crops, British asparagus, visit www.british-asparagus.co.uk

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Baked

Cromer Crab

Jeremy parke, head chef at relish in newton flotman, is passionate about local ingredients. this issue, he shows us how to make Baked cromer crab. We are so lucky to have this wonderful ingredient right here in Norfolk and it is just coming into season, so make the most of it! Try to forget your preferences for white or brown meat as both play an important part in the dish: the white meat for texture and the brown meat for flavour. A simple dressed crab during the summer is delicious and light but for something a little more indulgent try baked Cromer crab.

What you need:

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Serves 4

Ingredients : 2 Cromer crabs 2 spring onions 1 tsp butter

1. Fry the onions in butter until they are translucent, add the wine and then add the cheddar and melt down 2. Pour in the cream and reduce until thick, add the mustard and all of the crab meat and heat through 3. Spoon into individual serving dishes, top with breadcrumbs and parmesan then place in the oven for 5 minutes or under the grill until the top is golden 4. Serve with a few with a few mixed leaves and fresh bread

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

100g cheddar Breadcrumbs Parmesan

Tortoises as Pets

espite their hardy appearance with their great big shells, a tortoise is actually a delicate little creature, injuring easily without the correct care. That aside, with the correct handling they make an unusual but interesting pet for adults and older children. They’re generally problem-free with the right habitat and diet, with their food being one of the most important factors to keeping them healthy. They have a natural diet of weeds and herbs although there are

some processed foods on the market that would also supplement their diet. They predominantly need high fibre, low protein and low sugar foods. Lettuce, fruit and vegetables are great treats and always lots of water is required as tortoises produce high amounts of urine.

years old make sure that you are prepared for such a long-term responsibility. Make sure if you buy a tortoise that it comes with oﬃcial paperwork as these animals are protected under the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species.

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AtoPractical Guide planning permission

o, are you thinking about an extension or building a place of your own? The first thought you will have (after the misty-eyed daydreams have dispersed!) is: Do I need planning permission?

There has been much talk about relaxation of planning rules, and making it simpler for homeowners to build or extend. Is this true? Well, in some circumstances, yes. Here are a few things working in your favour: 1. Permitted development (PD) PD allows you to create a really good sized extension without all of the hassle of a planning application, and is probably the best way of extending ground ﬂoor accommodation on a budget. It is effectively an automatic granting of planning title without the need to apply, but there are a few rules to follow. The extension must use materials similar in appearance to the main house and you can’t extend beyond the front of your house. But, assuming the property does not lie within a conservation area, site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and is not listed it is a relatively simple process. The size limit on a single storey PD extension has been increased from 4m from the rear wall of the house to a whopping 8m on a detached property, or from 3-6m on an attached property, subject to a consultation with your neighbours. A word of warning, these new size limits only apply until 30th May 2016. Consult the planners to make sure that your property has not had PD rights removed. It is also a good idea to apply in advance to the planners for a Lawful Development Certificate for properties altered under PD. This can help by proving that the work was undertaken legally if you ever need to sell your home.

2. Householder applications For an extension that requires planning permission, it is possible to submit a householder planning application, which is of reduced scale and cost. Although it is possible to do this yourself, we recommend seeking advice from a qualified person, who holds membership of a professional body such as CIAT, RICS, or RIBA before you make the application, as mistakes can be expensive. Beware of unregulated designers offering cheap plans, they are not generally insured and can make costly mistakes. Always seek references of work undertaken in the past. 3. Government policy The much maligned Joint Core Strategy for Norfolk, which is not yet in full effect due to legal challenge, does promise benefits for those wishing to develop new build properties outside previously defined village “envelopes”. What this means is that an application that was likely to be rejected may be considered more favourably. The bright future for increased development In summary there have been changes to planning policy which are of benefit to the developer. If the government has any chance of meeting its target of building 240,000 new homes per year, the constraints of current planning policy will almost certainly be reviewed and relaxed. This is great news for developers, and the construction sector of the economy. Ultimately the homeowner stands to gain the most. If you are in any doubt please contact a qualified practitioner, or your Local Authority planning department. You can find out more online at www.planningportal.gov.uk. With thanks to Solam Sizer MCIAT MFPWS DipArch, owner of SA Architectural services.

435

A day in the life

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t’s the day before Christmas Eve and I always try to keep space in the diary for those last-minute mishaps... Sure enough, someone’s in need of a locksmith, fast! They’ve lost the key to the dresser where the twelve-piece Denby service and considerable selection of alcoholic beverages are stored out of reach of the grandchildren. It’s a sizeable dresser with two unusual 1920s mortice locks of rare proportions. Now somewhere in my toolbox is a home-made practice key... sure enough, it fits perfectly!

I head home, but within a couple of minutes I receive a call from a customer in Stansted on his way to his holiday cottage. His brother-in-law’s already at the address but can’t get in, and dog and children are waiting impatiently outside. I’m pleased to see all the locks are British Standard - very secure but tricky from my point of view, as I’m always determined not to damage a door in the process of gaining entry. Wait a minute, though... here are the patio doors round the back with a key clearly visible in the lock! This is an easy call-out after all; the door’s open before the dog even starts to bark. The Christmas season’s really started now; the evening sets in and there’s serious panic as an old rectory wine cellar won’t open! Tables are sumptuously laid for fifty guests for a dinner party which starts at 7 pm! It’s some cellar, with an assortment of three locks on the door only two of which are prepared to open... Time for some seriously professional skills... What makes this job so incredibly rewarding is the expression on people’s faces when the doors, cabinets and cellars all open for easy access to a host of necessities, delights and treasures!

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we will rememBer them

local historian and professional genealogist, sarah doig, explores the effect of the first world war on one suffolk village

his year marks the centenary of the start of the First World War. Alongside the national and regional commemorations taking place, many towns and villages across the country are turning their attention to the effect this war had on their own communities. Most parishes in East Anglia have a lasting memorial to their own war dead. And on the wall in the nave of the tiny church of St Mary, Thornham Parva in Suffolk, is a plaque listing the names of the eleven men of the parish and its neighbour, Thornham Magna, who bravely went to war and never returned. The effect of so many war fatalities on such a small, close-knit agricultural population must have been devastating. I found Claude Hubbard on the 1911 census living with his family in Thornham Magna. His father was the village blacksmith and the 15 year old Claude was employed as a gamekeeper’s assistant, probably on the estate at nearby Thornham Hall. Following the outbreak of the war three and a half years later, Claude enlisted in the Suffolk Regiment with many other young men from these rural communities. Like many of the rank and file who died in conﬂict, we know little of the exact circumstances of Private Claude Hubbard’s death in May 1916. And it is almost certain that his grieving parents were never able to visit their only son’s grave, since he is buried in Cairo War Memorial y, alongside manyy of his comrades. Cemetery,

It is diﬃcult to imagine what it must have been like to be a boy on the brink of manhood, eager to do his bit for the war but equally horrified by the news of the death of local men like Claude. Victor and Claude would have known each other well as boys and probably played together: Victor was just three years younger than Claude. Victor was still at school at the time of the 1911 census and his father, Robert, was a gamekeeper (and therefore therefor ef e probably had been efor Claude’s boss). Victor enlisted as a Private at Bury St Edmunds and was assigned to the 7th Battalion of the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment). During his active service vice in France he fought in the Battle of Bapaume and the First Battle of Arras. He died in April 1918, possibly defending the village of Harbonnieres. bonnieres Victor now lies in the Heath Cemetery at Harbonnieres. Each name on the numerous war memorials in our towns and villages has a story to tell both about the tragic circumstances of the young man’s death and the effect it had on the community he left behind. Next time you walk past your local memorial, stop and take a look at the names on it. “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them”. If you would like to discover more about the history of your family or house then Sarah can help. Give her a call on 01379 890215 or visit www.ancestral-heritage.co.uk to find out more.

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Broadhurst Road, Eaton Rise £300,000

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Mallow Way, Wymondham £190,000

Dragonﬂy Lane, Cringleford £225,000

Jaguar Road, Norwich £219,950

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St Lawrence Drive, Cringleford £495,000

Brentwood, Eaton £299,950

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Riverview Cottage, Bawburgh £199,950

Ketts Close, Hethersett £169,950

Lobelia Lane, Cringleford £310,000

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Introducing the Diggers & Dibblers Garden club of forncett

Keen on gardening and all things green and growing? (except caterpillars, of course). do you know all the latin names for all your ﬂowers? neither do we.

ounded in 2006 the Diggers and Dibblers Garden Club began with a dozen like-minded people who love to talk about pretty much anything - and do a bit of gardening. We now have a membership of enthusiastic green fingered people who don’t take it too seriously.

Our Christmas Quiz and Chips with fish and chips attracts all sorts of table decorations and dressing up, but it’s not obligatory.

We meet monthly on the second Tuesday at Forncett Village Hall, and generally have a talk or demonstration by an invited guest speaker, followed by refreshments* and a chance to chat. We are friendly, and new members are soon made welcome. Sometimes the speaker brings plants for sale, so we jostle to secure the best examples. We have a ‘bring and buy’ table where members can sell any surplus items such as fruit and veg, books, gardening gloves, seeds and cuttings. Each midsummer we have a trip out in a vintage coach to a garden that is not generally open to the public. Here we have a chance to wander round and study the garden or just sit and enjoy the view. This is followed by an extensive buffet supper. This summer we will be going to Henstead Exotic Garden.

The midsummer trip with delicious buffet supper is always a popular event.

Weather permitting; the feast in a member’s garden is a lovely bring-andshare evening treat.

When it comes to the show, NHS standard is not expected, but we try our hardest.

Also in the summer one of our members opens his or her garden one evening, and we gather again to enjoy the plants and talk about the garden with the owner. This time we all bring some food to share. At Christmas we have a quiz night with fish and chips brought in halfway through. The decorating of tables has become a hotly contested pursuit, and some members go to great lengths to be judged most imaginative. Others just sit back and enjoy the evening. Each autumn we have a show or an evening of Gardeners’ Question Time fun with an invited panel of speakers. This year we have Charlotte Philcox, Ian Roofe and Martyn Davey. It should be a good evening’s entertainment. Membership costs £8 per year, and £1 when you attend (for the refreshments and raﬄe). The coach trip is charged extra. We produce a monthly newsletter. If you want to give us a try, come as a day member for £2 which is deductible from the annual fee if you should sign up.

For further details you can phone Sarah House 01953 788460 Su Leavesley 01953 789752

*Occasionally someone provides home-made cake!

After the buffet supper and the tour of the garden what better ending than watching the sun go down?

This year’s ’s programme:

all Tuesday unless otherwise stated. 8th April: ‘The making of Dale Farm Garden’, Graham Watts. 13th May: ‘Hedging for all’, Terry Rands 10th June: Feast in a member’s garden – 6.30 start 24th June: Evening trip to Henstead Exotic Garden (Vintage Coach) £28 8th July: TBA 12th August: AGM (10 minutes at most) followed by ‘show and tell’ by members; and a buffet with wine. Saturday 13th September: Gardeners’ Question Time 14th October: ‘Propagation from scratch’, Charlotte Philcox 11th November: ‘Naturalistic gardening’, Tim Fuller of Plantsman’s Preference Saturday 6th December: Quiz and chips.

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Carrie Barrett lives in Blo Norton, near Diss, right on the Suffolk/Norfolk border, with her husband and two children Maisie (10) and Olly (6). She has been dining out and about in our area for many years, seeking out restaurants that offer great value, quality and above all else are child friendly. If you would like Carrie to visit a particular pub or restaurant just get in touch with us at Village People and we’ll ask her to visit.

hen a family member marked their milestone birthday, we were invited to join them for dinner at Turkuaz in Diss.

As we were taking the children with us, I thought this would be a great opportunity to do a review for Village People Magazine! From the outside the restaurant looks deceptively small, but we were in a group of 12 people including children and yet there was plenty of room for us and other guests. This restaurant is perfect for families as it is open 7 days a week from 5pm, suiting those with young children who like to eat earlier.

The staff were very attentive and bought out more bread for us as the children were dipping speedily into the hummus and leaving the adults with the crumbs! All the wine on offer is Turkish which was unfamiliar to me but the waitress made a suggestion based on the wines that we usually drink and the result was surprisingly good. We certainly got through our fair share! I would definitely recommend this restaurant and we will be going back again soon. If you fancy something different from the usual offerings of Chinese, Indian or Italian, then give this lovely little restaurant a try.

The menu is extensive, authentic and traditionally Turkish. There are lots of choices and the meze style suits children or those with smaller appetites. There is something on the menu for everyone’s taste, whether you are a carnivore or herbivore! The children loved this style of eating and we opted for the set meze, which included hot and cold starters such as hummus, taramasalata, breads, prawns, falafel and borek. The starters were followed by your choice of mixed grill platter or a vegetarian option. This was £24.50 per person. We felt that there would be enough even if we didn’t order anything for the children because we could share between us. This was indeed the case and the kids just loved tucking in and trying everything! The food was plentiful and wellpresented and while we preferred some dishes to others, it gave us a great opportunity to sample all that is Turkish! At the end of the meal there is a dessert menu, but huge fruit platters with pineapple, apple, strawberries and kiwi were bought out for us all which was such a pleasant surprise. No-one even needed to order dessert!

Win tickets to see Katherine Jenkins live in Thetford Forest!

uperstar diva, Katherine Jenkins OBE has announced a special concert this summer, appearing in Thetford Forest as part of the Forestry Commission’s Forest Live concert calendar. Katherine Jenkins is the world’s most prolific classical crossover artist. In 2003 she signed the biggest-ever recording contract for a classical artist and has since become the premiere ambassador of bringing classical music to a mainstream audience. Her stratospheric rise made Katherine the fastest-selling mezzo-soprano ever. To date, Katherine has released nine studio albums, all of which have sold in excess of seven million copies and gone platinum around the world. She has received numerous awards for her recordings, including two Classical BRITS for the coveted Album of the Year Award. Due to international demand, Katherine spends much of her time touring the world. In 2013 alone she toured South Africa, the US, China, Japan, Abu Dhabi, and also continental Europe, cementing her position as one of the UK’s greatest musical exports. Her most recent accolade is receiving an OBE in the 2014 New Year Honours List for services to music and charity, in particular, her work with the armed forces. Forest Live is an independent programme organised

by the Forestry Commission, bringing music to new audiences without commercial branding or sponsorship. Income generated from ticket sales is spent on improving the local forests for both people and wildlife. The concert will include a selection of Katherine’s favourite works as well as classic proms repertoire. Katherine Jenkins, with the National Symphony Orchestra, will be performing on Saturday 12 July in Thetford Forest, near Brandon.

To win a pair of tickets to this fabulous concert just answer this simple question: Where was Katherine born? A England B Wales C Scotland Send your answer along with your name, address and daytime phone number to competition@village-people.info before Friday 30th May Tickets and further information is available from the Forestry Commission box oﬃce on 03000 680400 or buy online at www.forestry.gov.uk/music

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FOR A MODERN LIFE To discover your Ki Star and for more information about Ki Astrology please visit: www.freeflow-fengshui.com Below is your 9 Star Ki forecast for April and May.

9 Fire Star April could be a challenging month where changes on an internal and external level are likely to occur. Don’t push against these necessary shifts, but be strong and true to yourself. Importantly, keep active and determined and your efforts will surely pay off in May. 8 Earth Star There’s a lot to be

said for being grateful for what we have. April brings you joy and celebration and a more socially oriented attitude. Focus on the good in your life, allowing any negative thoughts to be replaced with positive ones, where May will see you benefit greatly from this new mindset.

7 Metal Star You’re in the control seat in April, with a renewed sense of clarity and focus. Expect a windfall of one description or another as this month relates to prosperity. May provides some serious down-time and although urging you to celebrate your victories it can leave you being out of pocket if you don’t budget your outgoings. 6 Metal Star

It’s important to remain grounded in April, so it’s not a time for house or oﬃce moves. You may experience extreme shifts of both ups and downs, so ride these waves

in confidence that May will bring a settled and stronger place for you to make any important decisions.

5 Earth Star

Keep going with any developments and projects initiated during the past month. Don’t change tack, even if you feel you can. During May make a note to yourself to take time-out and allow yourself space to relax and bring your energies back to ground level.

4 Wood Star Expect a creative surge in all you do over the next couple of months. You will have an abundance of ideas and a forward thinking attitude, so make the most of this upward and highly inﬂuential energy. Be patient however, as those around you may not be feeling so positive and upbeat. 3 Wood Star

April is the calm before the storm so prepare yourself, clean your slate and tie up any loose ends, as May will bring you a positive, upbeat and more outgoing energy. Opportunities will begin to present themselves to you providing you stay still long enough to notice.

2 Earth Star

April is all about what lies within you not what’s

outside. You may feel unusually out of touch and uninvolved socially. Use this time wisely to plan ahead and prepare, nurture yourself and build up your energy reserves. Spiritual practice and patience is advisable while taking extra care of your health during this time.

1 Water Star

It’s a romantic start to the autumn season for you, as April brings passion and illumination to your table. It’s a great month for being noticed and putting in for that deserved promotion. In May, the focus is on you; don’t neglect what should come first. Keep warm and hydrated at all times.

To discover your Ki Star and for more information about Ki Astrology please visit: www.freeflow-fengshui.com. Full in-depth 2014 forecasts are available for only £6.79. David Walters DIP. CHIRO Follow me on: @fengshuiflow

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On Your OnYour

PLOT APRIL SHOWERS

FRESH ASPARAGUS It’s wonderful to see the ﬁrst ﬁrst fresh, local asparagus appear for sale this month and if you’ve a bit of space spare on your plot now’s the time to plant this gourmet crop. Buy one year old crowns and plant them immediately into well drained soil. You should be able to take a small harvest next year and they’ll carry on cropping for up to 20 years!

PUMPKIN GROWING SEASON Pumpkins need a long growing season to ripen well so now is the time to start them off. The seeds are huge so it’s easy to sow just one to each pot. I’d sow at least 3 plants and keep your young plant inside until all risk of frost has passed. When it comes time to plant the pumpkin out it will like lots of nutrients in the soil. Dig out a large hole and put in lots of well-rotted compost. They’ll bloom with wonderfully exotic looking, huge yellow flflowers owers and it’s wise to consider removing the growing tip once three fruit have set as this will give a better chance for larger, riper pumpkins. Support the growing fruits on a bed of straw to avoid them dropping off or becoming mushy.

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PROTECTING AGAINST THE WEATHER

Now is the time for April showers and with the weather warming up all the time and some gentle rain you’ll soon be seeing lots of changes on your veggie plot. It’s a time when any indoor space, be it greenhouse, cold frame, or just window sills, is likely to be ﬁlling rapidly with young seedlings. If you are thinking of planting some of your seedlings out then don’t forget to harden them

off first. You can move the pots outside each morning, bringing them in at night to gradually acclimatise them to the change. Do remember too that late frosts can still happen in April, damaging plants that are unprotected. Watch the weather forecast and if there’s any danger of frost then use fleece or cloches to protect plants where necessary.

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On the subject of cloches, save any empty plastic bottles that you may have. Cut the bottom off and you are left with a wonderful mini cloche to protect seedlings that are recently planted out. Push the plastic down into the soil firmly and it will keep off not only some of the chill but also any slugs that may have their eye on tasty young leaves.

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Don’t Hurry Me I’m Suffolk Charlie Haylock Countryside Books Paperback 9781846743146 £7.95

Fred Rolfe was the “King of the Norfolk Poachers”. From the time when, as a child, he went to prison and the treadmill for snaring a rabbit, he lived “agin the law”. He describes his experiences with the many tough and fascinating characters struggling to survive in an era of rural hardship. He wrote this book in his old age and this is a new edition, in high quality paperback.

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Mary Tighe is best known for her fine poem “Psyche; or, The Legend of Love” and for her sonnets. Her writing inﬂuenced Felicia Hemans, Thomas Moore, John Keats, Byron, Shelley and Christina Rossetti among many others. Her work was well known in the nineteenth century and her poetry has recently begun to appear in anthologies. Her novel, Selena, was published in 2012. Mary died of T.B in 1810 and this is her timely biography.

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Lowestoft Within n Living Memory Ian G. Robb History Press Paperback 9780752462783 £12.99

iew your region from a different

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This current volume has been compiled through years of research and highlights the vibrant shipping scene all along the North Norfolk coast in the 19th century. This was a time when tiny ports such as Blakeney or Brancaster thrived on exporting wheat and barley and importing coal, timber and other commodities. Before the building of local railways, places such as Bacton or Cromer, which had no harbour, used their beaches as landing places for cargo. This is a valuable reference tool for local, maritime and family historians.

Once a town famed for fishing, shipbuilding, its coachworks and numerous other factories, Lowestoft was transformed after the war and despite redevelopment in the 1960s and the relief road in the 1970s, nothing could prepare the people for the demise of many of its industries in the 80s and 90s. Well-known local author and historian Ian Robb charts the changes that have taken place in this valuable addition to the Britain in Old Photographs series.

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BBC Radio Norfolk’s “Should the Team Think?”, a zany panel game celebrating a whole host of family favourites, is the main inspiration behind this vibrant volume of endearing wit and whimsy. Master of mirth, Keith Skipper, has been tickling Norfolk’s funny bone as broadcaster, writer and raconteur for over half a century. Here he pulls together many colourful strands that make up the county’s most precious commodity – wholesome squit.

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hypnotherapy can help you We all feel stressed at times, but if we are stressed more often than we are relaxed, it’s time to redress the balance. Hypnosis is known to be one of the best therapies for relaxation - it can reduce stress and help people to learn to look after themselves. Hypnotherapy can also help to lower blood pressure, lessen pain, diminish emotional upset, increase confidence, improve energy and aid sleep. Our responses to what happens to us determines whether we have a happy, balanced life, or whether we are continually anxious, stressed and worried. Hypnotherapy can help to change those responses for a happier, more balanced outlook.

In good

Hypnotic trance enables the therapist to access the subconscious mind while the conscious mind is relaxed. The subconscious (around 89% of the mind) holds the ‘blueprint’ for our behaviour, created subconsciously from our experiences of life. Basically, the therapist ‘reprograms’ the mind to take on new positive behaviours through suggestion directly to the subconscious.

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Now is a good time to start training forthat summer beach body! James Gale from the Fit Club in Wymondham gives us his top tips for dropping body fat and getting lean so you’ll be confident on the beach when the sun starts to shine.

1. Training- you will need some type of resistance training in your program, like squats, deadlifts, bench press, bent over rows etc. 2. Circuit workouts are also an important part of a fat loss program. This will get you using your whole body and working every major muscle group whilst increasing your heart rate for a greater calorie burn. 3. Interval training is also one of the best and most simple ways to burn fat fast! An example of interval training would be 30 seconds walking followed by

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Calling all men over 45! Are you making too many toilet trips? We spoke to Trish Stephenson from the Natural Food Store in Norwich about prostate problems and how important it is to get any problems checked by the doctor. As a man gets older the prostate gradually enlarges. This is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and can cause a number of bladder problems. Ask yourself: • Do you have frequent night time bathroom trips? • A weak stream passing urine? inate? • Sudden frequent urges to urinate? • Dribbling after urination? • Incomplete voiding of the bladder? Unfortunately studies show that men are just not too good at getting health problems checked, but don’t put up with prostate problems! Get it checked at the doctors.

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Trish recommends that making lifestyle changes can really help. She says: “Studies show that eating four or more vegetables daily reduces the risk of BPH by a staggering 32%. Eat foods rich in the zinc, like shell fish, pumpkin seeds, pecan nuts, pine nuts, or take a zinc supplement daily. Cut down on alcohol, which reduces your zinc levels and reduce your intake of refined sugars and fatty foods. Increase the essential fatty acids by eating those nuts and seeds and eat more broccoli, cauliﬂower, cabbage, kale and onions. In Europe, doctors routinely prescribe the herb Saw Palmetto to safely and effectively treat these symptoms. In the UK it is not available on prescription but easily found in good health food shops. The Swiss company Bioforce probably make the best product - a pure one-a-day easy to take capsule.” For more information, visit Trish at the Natural Food Store on Exchange Street in Norwich or call 01603 613228

For more information, call or visit us online:

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achieve your own successful practice 67

refreshinG waters

Norfolk barn becomes a unique centre for creativity Norfolk journalist, Sandie Shirley, spotlights the inspiring stories of men and women from the region and beyond that have seen them reach for victory. For more stories visit: www.refreshingwaters.co.uk

Norfolk barn has become the only centre of its kind in the UK to explore and extend the boundaries of divine creativity.

Revd Wendy Shaw, co-founder, co-ordinator and sojourner with God, has tapped into the mysteries of spiritual art to help launch the Burning Bush Barn at Rockland St Mary from a restored stable. With its lofty white minimal space, the sanctuary of quiet, unhindered expression and contemplation is both healing and aﬃrming explains Wendy who believes God wants to be actively creative through his people. “I hope the barn is a ready place to respond, rediscover and uncover the gospel through creative experience,” says Wendy. The Church of England priest, a painter who sews and sculpts, is seeing the spiritual freedom that comes with making and creating. She also believes in seeking God’s provision for the projects and programmes that ﬂow out of the barn which, in itself, enlarges the creative process. This pioneering ministry maintains a passion for creative use of liturgy and The Sacraments liturgy within art meditations yet the off-beat agenda somehow provides an open door for every genre and age. It includes prayer painting, breakfast meetings and contemplative sculpture and interactive installations.

Wendy’s creative ability was encouraged and released at secondary school. Today she works with diverse materials – machined fabrics, silken threads, clay, vibrant acrylics and even black soot and ashes as her passion for art and faith has placed her on new spiritual ground. Some attendees at the regular breakfast meetings are Christians, others are not and some are unsure but it doesn’t matter. All have a deep need to live a creative life, explains Wendy, who hosts the early morning sessions for weavers, sewers, painters, doodlers and sculptors to kick-start their day with fresh insight and shared support to strengthen community and friendships. “It is spirituality and creativity with a capital ‘S’ and ‘C’ where art making is about making sense of our lives and not about making a great picture,” insists Wendy, who opened the centre with co-partner, Kate Litchfield, who is also a counsellor, at the end of 2009. They began hosting workshops in South Walsham but demand out-stripped availability. As the partnership continued, the ensuing vision for the Burning Bush Barn came when Wendy’s husband, Revd John Shaw – Priest of the Rockland Benefice - was moved to his present location. The run-down stable alongside their home provided a potential base. With permission and a major financial contribution from the Diocese of Norwich together with trust funds and personal donations, the vision became a reality.

Wendy once engaged with profoundly deaf children and has a passion for non- verbal visual communication. “As a priest I now help make faith visible and tangible for people who for, whatever reason, are unable to hear the word of God and are deaf to his love because sometimes we need to see His word as well as hear it.” With this in mind has come the labour of love to birth the Burning Bush - a bridge between the church and the arts that fosters the unexpected. www.burningbushbarn. blogspot.com

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Q&A HEALTH Natural solutions for your health problems Q:

Ever since I can remember I have always suffered from hay fever. Are there any natural remedies you would suggest?

Trish Stephenson from the Natural Food Store, Exchange Street, Norwich says:

You’re not alone! For nearly 15% of the population, spring and summer are not just about warmer weather, but also the unpleasant symptoms of hay fever. Hay fever is usually an allergy to pollen released by grasses, flowers and trees in spring and summer. Pollen causes cells to release histamine and other chemicals, resulting in a runny, itchy nose, blocked sinuses, sneezing, redness and watering of the eyes, and/or a sore, itchy throat. Fortunately, preventative measures should help to keep that hay fever at bay. Firstly, don’t be an early bird! Pollen counts tend to peak between 5am and 10am, so limiting outdoor activity during the morning hours can help keep your allergies to a minimum. Also, check prevailing winds and pollen counts and remember that wind dried clothes can become pollen catchers. Hanging clothes inside will keep them pollen free.

Taking a Homeopathic Mixed Pollen pill daily will greatly increase your resistance to these pollens and go a very long way to keeping you hay fever free. As far as diet is concerned, vitamin C supplements and especially Nature’s Aid Quercetin Complex greatly helps as they both have antihistamine activity. Likewise, vitamin B can help relieve blocked sinuses and ease any related stress! Try to avoid all dairy foods and reduce the amount of wheat that you consume as these two foods act to increase the amount of mucus congestion in the body. Finally, herbal remedies can be very effective. Luffa Complex from Bioforce is a combination of seven tropical plants known to prevent and alleviate the symptoms of hay fever and similar allergies. Luffa is used to combat sneezing plus both blocked and runny noses. Like Nature’s Aid Quercitin Complex it’s useful for reducing irritation of the eyes.

Good news for Mums and Dads too the Homeopathic Pollen remedy is safe for the youngest child and Luffa Complex is also suitable for children over the age of two.

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Tips for fussy eating

At some point in their lives children develop fussy eating habits, some are mild and last only a few weeks and for others it can develop into something a little more severe.

ood refusal or fussy eating habits can be frustrating for both parents and their children, but there are plenty of things you can try to make meal times a little less stressful. Remember the golden rule Children will never purposefully starve themselves. If you are finding meal times a constant battle, simply take their food away and tell them they will be offered no other food, including pudding, until the next meal or snack time. Keep food real As good as hidden vegetable recipes can be, if this is your child’s only source of vegetable intake they will not be used to the different textures, colours or shapes of individual vegetables and will think of them as foreign foods. The earlier babies are introduced to wide range foods in their true form the better. For older children reward charts can be helpful in getting them to try new foods.

nutritional benefit to your child and given as snacks can suppress a small person’s appetite enough to disrupt mealtimes, keep these foods to a minimum and don’t use them for bribery. Reduce the juice Offering juice before mealtimes can reduce or suppress a child’s appetite, offer water between meals and give juice with or after meals Get them involved Kids love being involved in cooking and are more likely to eat meals they have helped to prepare. Be inventive and create shapes and

faces on their plate with their food. Teach them about where their food comes from and how specific foods can benefit them i.e.

“this chicken will help your muscles grow and you will be really good at running/riding your bike.” You could create a family competition whereby you have rewards or prizes if you try a new food every week. Get them moving Children tend to be less fussy eaters and have a good meal if they have run off loads of energy and are genuinely hungry. Lead by example Kids learn most of their eating habits from their parents, if you are dealing with a fussy eater then look at how the whole family eats, it may be time for a family change, such as eating together and trying new foods together.

Reduce the junk Remember that crisps, chocolates, sweets and biscuits offer no

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Why should the NHS pay compensation

for Clinical Negligence?

hen you take a car to a mechanic you expect the work to be done to a certain standard. If the brakes are replaced, and on the way home they failed causing you to have an accident, you would probably not think twice about making a claim against the mechanic. So why is it that many of us are sensitive about suing a hospital or a doctor? Is it because we still put doctors on a pedestal? Perhaps we feel squeamish claiming compensation from what is, effectively, taxpayers’ money? We often hear people discussing the so-called ‘compensation culture’ and the fact that compensation settlements are too high. The fact is, however, that purely compensatory payments within the UK are extremely low. For example a young girl, Amy, suffers a severe brain injury as a result of medical negligence. In successfully suing the hospital she is likely to be awarded approximately £250,000 in terms of the purely

compensatory award for her injury, for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity that she has suffered, and will suffer for the remainder of her life, as a result of her brain injury. Effectively, it compensates Amy for the fact that she will never lead an independent life. However, in reality, Amy’s award for compensation is likely to reach millions of pounds. Her claim needs to include the cost of private care for the remainder of her life, therapies, aids and equipment to allow her to live as independently as possible. Lest we forget, Amy would not have had this brain injury at all but for the hospital’s negligence and, where there has been a failure of care, the law quite properly provides a right to damages. For help and advice, call Ben Ward at Ashton KCJ on 01603 703070, or email ben.ward@ashtonkcj.co.uk.

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Smart Money Secrets fed up with your bank and want to ﬁnd a better current account?

By Andrew Hagger independent personal finance analyst from www.moneycomms.co.uk

ith the new Current Account Switch Service running smoothly there’s even less of an excuse to move your bank account if you’re fed up with your current provider. Although each bank and building society has its own tariff and rate details clearly displayed in marketing literature, working out which account is best can be a big headache. There is not one account that works out as the top choice for everybody, it’s more about weighing up the individual elements of an account that are most important to you. For some a low cost overdraft will be the priority, while for others interest on credit balances or a debit card offering low cost transactions abroad will be key.

I’ve carried out some research to try and establish which accounts are strongest in each of the different areas. If it’s a cheap overdraft that’s most important, then take a look at First Direct (first £250 interest free), The FlexAccount from Nationwide Building Society or the Post Oﬃce. For those seeking interest on credit balances or reward for their custom, then for balances of £2000 or less consider Halifax Reward which pays you £5 each month as long as you stay in the black. Lloyds (Vantage) and Santander 123 are tops for credit balances of £3,000 plus, with Santander the market leader for £5,000 or more – paying a very competitive 3% gross up to balances of £20,000. If you’re seeking a cheap debit card for use overseas then Norwich & Peterborough Building Society

offers this facility for free worldwide whilst Nationwide Building Society is much cheaper than the main banks in this area. Picking the wrong bank when it comes to debit card costs abroad can cost far more than you’d imagine. Your two week summer holiday could easily see you shelling out an extra £50 or more in charges – for many of us that will more than outweigh the total interest you’ll earn on your bank account in a whole year. Yet for some of us, all we really ask is for the ability to talk to a human being at a UK call centre 24/7 and to receive a consistently good level of customer service. Current top performers for service continue to be First Direct and The Co-operative bank.

The decision to switch is not something people will undertake lightly or on a regular basis, so it’s important to do your homework and pick an account that reflects the way you run your finances –and don’t make your decision based on short term introductory offers.

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carCarreviews Badge Snobbery

By Tim Barnes-Clay, Motoring Journalist twitter @carwriteups www.carwriteups.co.uk

N 1 MARCH 2014 the 14 registration plates were available for all new cars. Many of us secretly hanker for the latest gleaming plate because we like to show we’re driving what’s ‘up-to-theminute’ in terms of automotive technology and style. But, in my opinion, we should try and steer well clear of badge snobbery. What exactly is this kind of superficial behaviour all about though? Personally, I think it’s usually exhibited by people who haven’t got a clue about cars, yet they splash out on the biggest engine size and most expensive model in the line-up, just so everyone at the country club knows that they’re minted. In reality, I bet half the people at that club couldn’t give a fig about their fellow club members’ motors. And for those of us in the know, we’ve cottoned on to the fact that you can pay a lot more for a virtually identical car these days. It’s just a case of a different emblem stuck on the grille or boot lid and maybe a slight difference inside the cabin. Take the new SEAT Leon for example. It’s a bona fide member

of the Volkswagen Group, and it’s made up of the same bits and pieces that go into the Audi A3, VW Golf and Skoda Octavia. It just doesn’t have, say, the four silver rings the perceived ‘upmarket’ Audi has. Indeed, you could argue that SEAT generally has better style than its pricier VW Group cousins. The fresh Leon is an all-rounder and is undoubtedly the most handsome of the gang thanks to its razor-sharp looks. To contradict myself for a moment, badge snobbery could possibly be defensible if the gap between SEAT and Skoda in the 2013 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey was anything to go by. Even though they share the vast majority of their parts, SEAT dropped down to 27th out of 32, with Skoda climbing up to number two. Lack of reliability is one of reasons given for the below

par score, but rationally, all those mutual motorized parts mean the latest Leon will probably prove to be just as trustworthy as its brethren in the long run. Seeing as the Leon is up to 10 per cent cheaper than the Golf and you get all the hottest accessories and equipment, you’d be hard pressed to argue it isn’t brilliant value for money. If you’re happy to say ‘yes’ to an interior that’s indisputably less notable than the Golf’s, the Leon offers much of the same for significantly less wedge. The entrylevel 1.2 TSI SE five door petrol, for example, costs £15,850, which is £1,580 less than the equivalent five door VW Golf which has an on the road price of £17,430. Still, I guess it isn’t always about getting the biggest bang-for-yourbuck, as Ian Donaldson, chairman of the Midland Group of Motoring Writers (MGMW), sums up nicely. “Thank goodness, for the car manufacturers, that we buy the car we want, not the one we need,” he says. “That would have us all driving something cheap and simple. Instead, most of us go for something that makes us feel good. And don’t the car makers know it!” he adds. “It’s the same with everything from the brand of lager you drink to the label on your jeans.”

Home Malone

He’s as British as they come, and after opening up the world to a brand of choral cordiality, Gareth Malone is back in Blighty doing what he does best.

V personality, chart-topper and OBE Gareth Malone is the national face of choir singing, single-handedly making cool a whole genre in the eyes of a previously indifferent public. His BBC series The Choir and its subsequent spin-offs have been the best of the new breed of TV reality shows in recent years, with Malone as choirmasterin-chief coaxing emotional and cathartic singing out of the uninitiated, uninterested and (quite often) undervalued. But alongside his commendable work helping others his series Military Wives not only highlighted the plight of soldiers’ widows, but scored a number one single with Wherever You Are - it has made an unlikely star of the 38-year-old from Bournemouth. So much so that, on the back of his album Voices, where he and a carefullyselected choir reinvented a selection of modern classics, Malone is heading out on tour this spring. “It is a new step, but it is a logical one - I am, after all, a musician,” he says. “I love performing live. I have done lots of TV, but the bit where I go and do the performance at the end, that was the part I’d really relish. So I am looking forward to going out there and playing live, building a rapport with the audience and having a good time doing what I love to do. Playing live is such a special thing. With a choir, it is much better live than a recording. Hearing those voices in a room is infinitely better than hearing them on a CD player.”

Promising a night of new, contemporary and classical pieces, Malone will offer a show that is fun, upbeat and big on audience participation, and acknowledges that the size of some of the venues (many boasting capacities of 2,000+) is recognition of the impact that he has in bringing choir to the masses. “It’s been incredible how successful The Choir has been and how much attitudes to singing - and singing in choirs - has changed. It seems like a normal thing to do now, and I think this has, in part, been due to having a programme about it on BBC2, and the huge impact that offered. Ten years ago, we couldn’t have done an evening of choir music at these venues.” Of course, choir singing still has some way to go. And Malone believes he knows why. “It’s too closely linked to the church, and that puts people off. But we’re looking at continuing to reinvent the idea of what a choir is. People sing at football matches or at karaoke and that’s okay, but the idea of singing in a choir is somehow not and that’s ridiculous really. It’s an artificial distinction.” Malone has specialised in cajoling people to sing, often against their better instinct. Does everybody have the potential to be a good singer? “Most people have got a voice and can make a contribution and improve; most people are better than they think they are. It’s very rare that someone has got no ability to sing whatsoever. We’re not all going to be Beyoncé, but we can all give it a go.”

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The success of Military Wives, Malone says, has been his greatest achievement. “It was wonderful and in terms of national impact the best thing I’ve done. Sometimes, you can affect the life of one person in a seemingly small way and that can be powerful. And that’s the great power of music; it goes beyond words. People who hadn’t even seen the series found out about it. It was life-changing for them and for me. It was going well before, but that changed my whole life really.” So much so that, alongside his musical prowess, Malone is now seen as something of a sex symbol. What does he think about that? “It’s a bit strange,” he laughs. “For years and years, working in music, being a student, generally huﬃng around, I was routinely ignored by women. And you grow up a bit, grow into yourself and get on TV, people look at you in a different way. I think it is revenge of the geeks. We are finally reclaiming what is rightfully ours!”

Information and tickets from garethmalone.com/tour. Their debut album Voices is out now.

Gareth Malone gives his first UK tour in May and June 2014 joined by his new choir Gareth Malone’s Voices.

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ACCOUNTANTS Kerry Butcher Bradford House Accountancy Certax Accountancy APPLIANCE REPAIRS Norfolk Appliances Adrian Dawes ANIMAL SERVICES PAWS Consultancy ARCHITECTURE N J Myhill Architecture Andrew P R Love Architecture SA Architectural Services BATHROOMS AHM Installations Coopers Bathrooms and Heating Ltd BEDS Sound Sleep Beds BOAT COVERS Classic Covers BUILDING AND ROOFING Osborn and Kent Construction Ltd Kevin George Building Services PAC Roofing Peter Cole General Builder Ivan Hurren Cooks Building Services Ltd Glenn Wilson Ltd Pat’s Fascia & Handyman Service Goodall Builders DSP Supplies CARE AND MOBILITY Prestige Nursing Mobility Superstore Ltd Saffron Housing Contact Care The Nightingale Centre All Hallows Healthcare Trust Flagship Telecare Personal Alarm COMPUTERS, WEB DESIGN & BROADBAND Philippa Green Web Design Bailiwick IT Teknik Computers CLEANING Home-maid Ovenclean Blitz Cleaned Conserv-a-clean

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