Local News Stories (Suffolk & Norfolk) from 2019 to date

[boatbuilder]

Latest post of the previous page:

I wonder how long it will be before a few local budding 'Banksys' start to add to that artwork.

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Road to close between Reydon and Wangford for gas works

Motorists are being warned to expect delays as a busy road is set to be temporarily closed for gas works. Cadent will be carrying out works on the B1126 Wangford Road in east Suffolk. According to the Suffolk Roadworks map "delays are likely" as the work is carried between Reydon and Wangford. The urgent works are set to take place between Monday, July 31 and Friday, August 4.

It said the gas works will involve a "new service connection" being installed on the B1126 Wangford Road with traffic restrictions on Wangford Road, Reydon and Norfolk Road, Wangford. A diversion route of five miles (8.61km) will be in operation throughout the works. Travellers using BorderBus and First Eastern Counties Buses are being warned of the temporary closure. A BorderBus spokesman said: "Wangford Road between Reydon and Wangford will be closed from Monday, July 31 to Friday, August 4. "146, 524 and 99 buses will be unable to serve Wangford for the duration of the closure, however there will be a FREE Shuttle Bus operating between Wangford and Wrentham."

https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... gas-works/

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The town plagued by seagulls stealing chips and squawking down people’s phones

A seaside town is taking action to try and tackle the ‘vicious’ seagulls disturbing residents and tourists. Lowestoft in East Suffolk has seen an influx of the coastal birds after a ‘hotel’ for them was set up at its port, providing nests for up to 430 breeding pairs. The seagulls have been stealing chips and ice cream, swooping on passers-by, and even squawking so loudly it interrupts people on the phone.

Ashley Catchpole, 24, is a beach cleaner from the town. He said: ‘They’re cute in some ways – but when they go after food they really are vicious and quite horrible. ‘They’re very determined once they see food. The trouble is that some people feed them which makes it worse. When I sit down to eat my lunch they come really close and touch me. I don’t hit them I just tell them to go away and sometimes have to swing my hand down. ‘Even then sometimes they don’t clear off and I have to hide my food. They’re very loud as well. Sometimes you can be on the phone and you can’t hear anything because the seagulls interrupt you.’

Sam Faulkner, 35, from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, was visiting Lowestoft last week. He said his son’s ice cream almost got stolen by a bird on the first day of their holiday. Sam said: ‘I bought my son an ice cream and a seagull tried to swoop in and take it from my son’s hand. It flew away once I shouted but it kind of hovered near his head trying to get it. I can see why people don’t like them. I can imagine when it’s busy they’d be a problem. The woman working at the ice cream stand said that they’re a nuisance as they’re opportunists and hover around the food shops. There should probably be a sign telling people to watch out for them.’

Adam, another beach cleaner, thinks people who feed the gulls should be fined, as a deterrent. He said: ‘They should be looking for their own food out at sea not eating chips and ice cream. It’s not good for their health. It’s not just holidaymakers that feed them, it’s some locals as well. It means they keep coming back for more which makes the problem worse. I think if someone feeds the seagulls they should get fined. That might help the problem.’

https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/31/town-pla ... DFNbUwjtTk

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New community archives facility to be unveiled in Lowestoft

A new community-led archives facility is set to be officially launched next month. With the strapline of 'Keeping local history local' the Lowestoft & District Independent Archive (LADIA) organisation is set to be unveiled on the first day of Heritage Open Days this year. LADIA - incorporating the Save Our Record Office group, who campaigned against Suffolk County Council's decision to move historic archives from Lowestoft Record Office to Ipswich - will launch the new community-led archives facility in Lowestoft at noon on Friday, September 8.

A spokesman said: "The Lowestoft & District Independent Archive (LADIA) is a charitable trust formed and governed by six local history enthusiasts to preserve the local history of north east Suffolk within the area to which it relates, with the help and support of many others." LADIA will launch at its new base - the Grit Arts and Heritage Centre on Old Nelson Street in Lowestoft - next month. The spokesman added: "This is the official public launch of an exciting and brand new community-led archives facility, with an exhibition featuring local archives and history material supplied by the group trustees and the Jack Rose Old Lowestoft Society. Meet the creators and trustees of this brand new community-based local independent archives facility and sample an exhibition showcasing the importance of localism and retention of documents in the area they have most relevance to."

https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... lowestoft/

[boatbuilder]

Nayland: The cemetery where iron crosses mark people with disabilities


Each cross is a reminder of a patient once cared for by a hospital that looked after people with disabilities

n a small village cemetery, 34 tiny iron crosses poke up through the soil. Many are twisted and a few are missing completely. On some, the nameplates are visible. On others, they are not.

Each cross is a reminder of a patient once cared for by a hospital that looked after people with disabilities in Nayland - a village that sits between Sudbury in Suffolk and Colchester in Essex.

Most of the patients at the long defunct Jane Walker Hospital, says Tom Weston, a former nurse there, were left and forgotten by their families. "Ninety per cent were not visited, easily," he says. "The staff, the maintenance men, the drivers and the cleaners - they became their family."

He tells of one man who, before being sent to Jane Walker, was a teenage farm worker. He had learning difficulties and once told Mr Weston how he used to be whipped by the foreman. On one occasion, Mr Weston says, the teenager got hold of the whip and "gave the foreman a good hiding".

"That's how he ended up in care," Mr Weston says. "They were given labels like being aggressive. They weren't."

Mr Weston, now 71 and still working as a nurse, spent nine years at Jane Walker after leaving the Royal Air Force. Hired in 1977, he fondly remembers it as "a special place at a special point in time". He tells of group picnics at Thetford Forest, days out at the beach and endless activities at the hospital itself.

With seven wards, the Jane Walker Hospital had between 150 and 200 patient-residents at any one time. "It was ahead of its time in being person-centred, and everybody who went on from Jane Walker took those values with them," says Mr Weston. "All those things I learned at Jane Walker - I still use today."

The hospital, originally established by Dr Jane Walker as a tuberculosis sanitorium, closed in 1991.

"It was a sad day for many when the hospital closed," Mr Weston says.

Some patients were sent to a psychiatric hospital on the other side of the county, while others went to live in a new complex at Walker Close in Ipswich.

The BBC has not been able to make contact with any former residents or their families to hear their memories of the institution.

Fazilet Hadi, head of policy at Disability Rights UK, says while Jane Walker Hospital may have been "one of the good places", the wider system of the time saw people with disabilities institutionalised. "A lot of families just wanted people with disabilities out of the way," she says. "They were very often placed in rural locations."

She says the closure of the Jane Walker Hospital was in line with a general shift during the late 1980s and 1990s from institutional to community care.

"We have made progress," says Ms Hadi, "but there is still some way to go. "It is still hard for some people to think that having a disability is not in some way a deficit rather than a difference."

Today, the former Jane Walker Hospital grounds are privately owned. And yet the poor state of the iron crosses, originally funded by The Hospital League of Friends, has triggered an unexpected revival of interest in the hospital and its patients, and a rekindling of friendships among former staff.

"We've all been getting back in touch," says Mr Weston. "Some of the staff back then were just boys and girls and now we're grandparents - and they are still as lovely as they were back then."

John Milbank was one of the first male members of nursing staff when he was hired in 1972 as a nursing assistant. He was still working there when it shut in 1991.

"There was something very special about this place," says Mr Milbank, who met his wife and fellow nurse Vyndia there. "The patients needed a great deal of care, but one of the things that always struck me was how patients often cared for those who needed more support than they did. I found that profound."

Like Mr Milbank, Shirley Mansfield met her husband-to-be, the nursing officer John Mansfield, at the Jane Walker Hospital. Mrs Mansfield, a nursing assistant, said: "It was lovely, it was a community all of its own and we loved the residents. They were wonderful days."

Steven Free, whose wife was a nurse at Jane Walker, often visits Nayland Cemetery to pay respects to his mother, whose grave is in a plot beyond the small iron crosses.

"I noticed the crosses were in a pretty dire state. A lot of the names you can't see any more," he says. "I've walked past them many times and just thought, 'How sad is that?'"

He decided to write a poem about the crosses which, with the help of his friend and fellow musician Steve Macbeth, was turned into a song called My Iron Cross. [link to YouTube]

"I thought we could highlight this by putting this out there and it has got a warm reception," Mr Free says.

Since the song's release, an appeal has been launched towards some form of permanent memorial to the Jane Walker residents, buried in Nayland and in the nearby village of Wiston. More than £2,000 has already been raised.

Those involved are still debating exactly how those buried there would be best remembered. While some are keen to see the crosses repaired, others are not so sure.

"I like the fact the crosses are a bit battered and bruised," says Mr Weston, adding their condition reflected the experiences some of the residents had in their lives. "We need recognition of their names and the fact that they were here and were loved - at the moment they are just anonymous crosses."

Article with images on BBC Suffolk

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Gorleston Punch and Judy shows return for summer season

Free Punch and Judy shows have returned to Gorleston for the summer season. The shows are being performed by local performer Daniel Hanton every Sunday until September 3. Shows are at 12pm and 1.30pm. The performances are supported by the Pavilion Theatre and the Gorleston Bandstand and will run alongside the Sunday bandstand concerts. All Punch and Judy shows are weather permitting.

https://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/ ... er-season/

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Speedboats race along Oulton Broad in Suffolk in 1948

Speedboats large and small powered along the Broads at Oulton in Suffolk during the summer of 1948. Boats that were outboard, with a motor on the outside, and inboard, a motor on the inside, were captured competing against one another in archive BBC footage from the time. The top speed of the day was just 33mph (53km/h).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englan ... k-66412578

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Have fun with Lego and celebrate Lowestoft this summer

Colourful beach huts and a giant wind turbine are just some of a coastal town's most recognisable landmarks. And now people are being urged to get creative in celebrating Lowestoft this summer - by shaping some scaled-down replicas of the town's best known structures. Visitors to Lowestoft Library will be able to have a go at shaping some of the town's historic buildings from Lego bricks. The library on Clapham Road South will host twice-weekly opportunities for visitors as a total of 10 creative building sessions - using Lego bricks - will take centre stage. They are being funded through Lowestoft’s Heritage Action Zones and Suffolk Archives – a Suffolk County Council service – throughout the school holidays.

Free sessions are being held by Suffolk Archives at Lowestoft Library every Saturday, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, and by Suffolk Libraries at Lowestoft Library every Thursday, from 10.30am to noon, from now until the end of August. Additional sessions will be held at East Point Pavilion from 11am to 4pm on September 9, September 10, September 16 and September 17 for Heritage Open Days. The project marks completion of the five-year North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) and London Road, Lowestoft High Street HAZ schemes, and aims to encourage local people to commemorate the town’s historically important and recognisable structures.

https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... ft-summer/

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Susan Calman's Channel 5 programme filmed in Suffolk

A new Channel 5 programme that was filmed in Suffolk will air later this month. The episode which features Susan Calman explores holiday destinations across Suffolk. One of the destinations is Thorpeness, where the TV presenter and comedian explores an intriguing holiday let and, while boating on a lake in the centre of the village, learns about the local landowner’s efforts to turn the area into a purpose-built holiday resort.

But the main thrust of Susan’s trip is Southwold. Unfortunately, viewing the stunning coastline from the sea proves to be more uncomfortable than she imagined, so she moves on to Walberswick. The episode is expected to air at 8pm on Friday, August 18.

https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... d-suffolk/

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Felixstowe's big wheel erected on promenade

A new feature can be seen on a coastal resort's promenade after a Ferris wheel was erected. The temporary attraction, opposite Mannings Amusements in Felixstowe, Suffolk, stands at more than 34.5m (113ft) tall. Once open later this month, it will be able to hold 144 people, with six in each of its 24 gondolas. Tourism organisation Visit Felixstowe said it was a "great feature" for the town. East Suffolk Council approved plans for the observation wheel on Sea Road in June. At the time, it said it would provide an "additional attraction to the tourism offer at the resort, helping to support the wider economy".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-66432209

Would be nice for Lowestoft to have something like that. All ages would love it, and would be a big draw for the town tourism. We have the Royal Green that could be host.

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Massive glass panels set to be installed at Norwich Castle

A spectacular glass atrium, which will provide Norwich Castle visitors with clear views of the historic structure, is set to be installed this weekend. Massive glass panels are set to be lifted into place on Sunday, as part of a significant revamp of the city’s 900-year-old Norman landmark. The installation will mean visitors to the museum will get clear views of the Keep’s beautiful East façade and Bigod Tower, from inside the museum, for the first time in 50 years. The large open area will also be filled with new shops, a café/restaurant and an educational space. Structural glass fins, which the larger panels will sit on, have already been installed.

While the majority of the remaining work is expected to be completed this weekend, the work is weather dependent and could be postponed. The installation is part of a major £15m redevelopment of the castle called Royal Palace Reborn, which will restore the castle's keep to how it looked in its 12th century heyday. The revamp project is due to be completed next year.

https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/movies/mass ... 00093.html

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Lowestoft’s 'rich history' features in new High Street films

Rare archive photos and fascinating stories behind a coastal town's historic high street are set to feature in a new collaboration. High Street Histories - a new ten-part series of films exploring Lowestoft's historic high street - will launch today (Wednesday, August 16) as the first episode is published. The short films - featuring conversations between Lowestoft historian Ivan Bunn and writer Dean Parkin - showcase buildings, past and present, on the town's High Street.

Allowing "all ages to find out more about the stories behind Lowestoft’s historic high street", the new series is a partnership collaboration between Historic England’s Heritage Schools programme, the North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone, Poetry People and Mr Bunn. Published online throughout August and September, the first episode features the 'Top End of the Street' - sharing the history of Arnold House, tales of the surrounding buildings and the effects of wartime bombing, before rediscovering a row of long-lost houses and shops from 1897.

https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... eet-films/

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Wimpy fast food restaurant opens in Lowestoft in Suffolk

A branch of fast-food restaurant Wimpy has opened in Lowestoft today, six years after it left the town's high street. For new owner Raj Bhangal, it marks the end of a long-held plan to bring the famous brand back to the seaside town after a break of six years. Mr Bhanjal, who owns other Wimpys in King's Lynn and Colchester, said: "I have always felt Wimpy belonged in Lowestoft, this is such a great town and the restaurant is in an excellent location. It’s been a lot of work and I have been delighted to welcome Wimpy fans – both old and new – through the door once again to enjoy our fabulous food."

The investment has seen a major renovation of the store, with a completely new kitchen and dining area which seats up to 90 people. Open seven days a week, the restaurant has brought almost 30 jobs to the town, and is serving up classics such as its "Wimpy Hamburger" and "Smoky BBQ" quarterpounder.

https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... t-suffolk/

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First Bus issues leave Norwich hospital nurses late for work

The unreliability of city buses is causing added frustration for hospital staff, as some have to wait for colleagues to arrive before they can leave.

Judi, a nurse from Catton, travels on the 21 from home and then changes at Anglia Square to ride the 11 or 11A, all provided by First. However, she often finds that the buses do not reflect the timetable or what is on the mobile app. She said: “It has become a regular problem, lots of my colleagues are finding the same thing – and many of us get there [to the bus stop] much earlier than we should have to, to avoid being late.” On Friday (August 18) this happened to Judi again, when the First app told her there were multiple 11s on the way to Anglia Square so she waited for them. She said: “The app was counting down to the buses arriving, but none of them ever did. It was just gone 6pm, so me and a couple of other nurses decided to walk to Red Lion Street to get the 26, but that also didn’t come. We ended up getting an 11 from the top of St Stephens but I was already late for work. My colleagues are understanding, but it sometimes means that on the late shift, someone will have to start completely alone while they wait for me so it’s not fair.”

Chris Speed, operations director at First Eastern Counties, said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused due to bus journeys running late or being missed. "We have been experiencing traffic congestion at the peak times of the day in parts of the city centre along with some road closures that have had an impact on reliability. We are monitoring the situation and will make any relevant adjustments to bus times if the circumstance should continue.”

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/23 ... late-work/

I have had many similar experiences over the past few weeks and months. Both the X2/X22 and also the X1/1A buses either arrive late or just never turn up. This occurs both in Lowestoft and also in Norwich. I have been advised - unofficially of course - that this is down to a combination of roadworks for the delays, and lack of drivers for the cancellations. It has caused a fair amount of issues, especially when needing to catch a connecting bus, to the point where I now try to catch the bus due before the one I want, just in case.

[boatbuilder]

Earlier this week I booked an eye-test in town and rather than go by car, I decided to travel into Lowestoft on Wednesday afternoon on the X2 - the first time I have been on a bus for probably well over seven years. On Tuesday I downloaded the First Bus app and determined that the bus I would go for would be the 2-pm one from the Co-op on Ashburnham way in Carlton Colville, as my eye-test with Vision Express was at 2:50-pm, so this would give me about half-an-hour to spare when I got into town.

At about 1-pm on the Wednesday I looked at the app and there was no bus showing up for 2-pm. The app showed the 1-pm X2 had just left the stop, followed by another X2 due at 1-30pm. There was also an X2 showing on the app which indicated it was likely to arrive at my stop at 2-30pm. Consequently I decided I would have to go for the 1:30-pm one which would leave me with a full hour to lose when I got into town, something I didn't particularly want to have to do. At about 1:20-pm I made my way to the bus stop which is just a few minutes away and when I arrived at the stop I looked again at the app and guess what? The app then showed another X2 due to arrive at about 2-pm. Then, believe it or not, a few minutes later that 2-pm bus had vanished from the app!!! I got my 1:30-pm bus, which was five minutes late, but never bothered to check again if that 'phantom 2-pm bus' ever re-appeared.

I now have to decide if I should use the bus again when I go to collect my glasses when they're ready, or take the car.

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Norwich to receive 50 new street maps as part of revamp

New "visitor-friendly" signs are being installed across Norwich as part of a £92,000 scheme to make it easier for tourists to explore the city. More than 50 locations in Norwich have been selected for the revamp project which will see the "miniliths" erected to help newcomers navigate the most popular destinations. With two maps on both sides, the signs are tall and thin and contain detailed information about areas within a three-minute walking radius. They also show where the person is located in the wider area and in relation to eight "wayfinding" districts, which cover the Creative Quarter, the Cathedral Quarter, the King Street Quarter, Business District, Riverside, Chapelfield, Norwich Lanes and the Castle and Market Place district.

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/23 ... rt-revamp/

I wish Lowestoft had had these installed, instead of those silly pink signs.