North Lynn Community Trust, Downham Market Tesco plans, Mayor's Awards, Southery surgery, Heacham postman and Hunstanton theatre in 1999, plus North Wootton Beavers in 1988
Our weekly Memory Lane column looks back to February 26–March 4, 1999 and February 1988...
North End and North Lynn Community Trust has submitted plans to convert the former St Augustine’s Sports and Social Club into a Healthy Living Centre. Under the proposals, the 8,000 sq ft building off Columbia Way will house a doctors’ surgery, a health promotion clinic, art and craft studios, a welfare rights worker, a community café, a nursery, play school, an adventure play area – and possibly even an NHS dentist. North Lynn has one of the worst health records in the whole of West Norfolk, but the Trust manager, Lin Twell, warned that the project was only in the very early stages.
Tesco has now submitted a detailed planning application for its new supermarket at Downham, showing the building at the Priory Road end of the former borough council offices’ site. This runs against the hopes of Downham Town Council and the Chamber of Trade that the car park would be near the road and the almost 28,000 sq ft store at the southern end, near the trees. Local planning officers, however, consider that a new store at the Priory Road end would better integrate with buildings in the town centre, and that the application was therefore likely to be looked at favourably.
Seventeen companies were hoping to lift prizes in the Lynn News-backed Mayor’s Awards for Business Achievement, held at Lynn Town Hall. Carter Cabin Hire took first place in the section for businesses with up to 100 employees; Foster Refrigeration (UK) was winner in the large firms’ category; an award for staff training went to Campbell’s Grocery Products; and Kitchens Etc won in the section for service and retail companies with up to 20 employees.
More than £2,000 has been raised by people in Southery to equip the planned doctor’s surgery at the village hall, which suffered extensive damage in a recent fire.
Thousands of pounds’ worth of damage was caused by the blaze, believed to have been started maliciously, but a fire door installed just days before saved the extension from serious damage and that is where the new surgery will be housed.
Heacham postman Mark Cobley has been accepted to appear as a contestant on popular TV game show Blankety Blank, hosted by Lily Savage. Mr Cobley, who lives in Hunstanton, will be travelling to the BBC Television Centre in London next month for the recording of the show. Contestants get a Blankety Blank cheque book and pen, which are silver plated and worth £300, regardless of whether they win or not.
Hunstanton’s Princess Theatre enjoyed its largest pantomime attendance yet with Sleeping Beauty. The show, which ran from December 12 to January 10 has been described as a “huge success” by West Norfolk Council, which runs the venue. Some 14,322 adults and children watched Keith ‘Appy Hopkins – in his tenth show at the theatre – and the rest of the cast over the festive period. Extending the run by 11 performances to 46 helped boost the numbers and on average there were 311 people at each show.
Schoolboy international table tennis player Adam Brewer, of Gaywood, scooped the Sportsman of the Year Award at the 32nd Lynn News’ Sports Awards held at Lynnsport. Sportswoman of the Year was Sil Mei Li of South Wootton, who became Lynn’s first female gymnast to represent Great Britain. Pelicans men’s first hockey team won the team of the year category; Graham Rogerson bagged the services to sport award for his many years of hard work with Lynn Table Tennis Association; basketball’s Jenny Clarke was named the coach of the year and Greg Bassett took the courage in sport award.
Askhil’s Newsagents at Terrington St Clement has won a prestigious gold award for its service and knowledge of the National Lottery. The award is only presented to some six per cent of lottery retailers. Other local winners were Gordon’s News in Necton, Paul’s Newsagents in Hunstanton, and Clarkes Newsagents in Downham.
West Norfolk were narrowly defeat in the final of Norfolk Rugby’s under 19s competition, going down by 17 points to 13 against Norwich. The club is hoping to go one step further in the under 14 final which is against Wymondham, while the under 15s side has a semi-final date against North Walsham.
Rumours that North Creake’s village stores is closing at Easter, abruptly cutting off a vital service for the elderly and those without cars, has been denied by the owners. But the rumour swept through the village so strongly that Alan and Doreen Crisp were forced to put a notice of denial in the shop window. The business, which includes a four-bedroom house, is on the market at £125,000 and the couple are hoping it will be sold as a going concern.
