On this week in King's Lynn, Downham Market, Hunstanton and Terrington St Clement: November 19-25, 1980

We look back through the pages on the Lynn News from November 19-25, 1980.

Stow Hall hospital is to be axed by the Norfolk Area Health Authority – despite claims by a top surgeon that such a move could create huge waiting lists for some operations. The decision to close the 40-bed post operative hospital was taken at a meeting of NAHA, with members saying the move would save around £200,000 a year in running costs. Staff at the hospital will be given the opportunity to take early redundancy or move to other posts in West Norfolk. Patients who would normally have gone to Stow after operations at Lynn will now remain in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, but consultant Mr Paul Sergeant, who has fought to keep Stow open, said: “This will cause some very major problems and some people are now going to have to wait years for simple operations.”

Railmen fear that New Year cuts in services on the Lynn line could eventually lead to its closure. The threat of another “Beeching”, already lined up for the Southern Region, could mean further services are to be axed. The Lynn region is already understood to be under-manned by about 20 per cent with nearly twenty vacancies; these are not being filled and the work is done by railmen working overtime.

Downham’s long-awaited supermarket complex next to the Hollies car park came a step nearer following the town council’s approval of a chance of access to the new development. During an extra-ordinary meeting, the council discussed the latest plan, which could provide 120 jobs in the town, and heard how the architects had sought to overcome the loss of parking facilities and a proposed change to the Hollies access. The architects said they wanted to get the project right for the community as a whole and pointed out the council owned two sites which could provide extra parking space in that part of the town.

A large audience gathered at Lynn Town Hall to hear Doctor Jonathan Miller, the television director and presenter, speaking about his work. Dr Miller was appearing at the request of the local committee of Action Research for the crippled child and the organisers hope that more than £700 will be raised for funds. Dr Miller concentrated on his recent work for TV – he has directed 12 Shakespeare plays to be shown over the next two years – and his treatment of material.

Lynn Chamber of Trade and Commerce president, Mr John Brundle, is making a bid for Euro-cash to be made available for the £750,000 scheme to redevelop the town’s corn exchange. Present plans for the redevelopment include a multi-purpose conference and reception hall which would be available for the community for a wide range of uses. West Norfolk Council, owners of the building, will also look at detailed plans for a two-storey project.

Moving home always has its problems – especially if you have 187 children. But there were no difficulties when the pupils of Terrington St Clement Junior School moved into new premises – the former high school next door in Churchgate Way. Headmaster Tony Taylor said the children now had their own gymnasium, a library, television and music room, and art and craft room. Next to move will be pupils from the infants’ school, at present next to the main A17 road, whose new home will be the former junior school.

Work on the new £75,000 centre at St John’s Church in Lynn is on schedule for the opening and dedication in early December. Built within the actual church building, the centre – likely to be named the Good News Centre – contains a main hall, kitchen, lounge, wash room and side room to be used mainly for church functions and meetings.

Lynn Cabin Club chairman Clifford Prior scooped a lion’s share of sea angling’s richest match when he won a mammoth £1,823 at the Forward Chemicals World Beach Championships fished at Blackpool. His haul of four codling weighed in at 8 lb 14ozs. He was joined by fellow club members Ray Ruff, Terry Carlton and Mike Hornigold in making the long journey and the quartet picked up further prizes which took the party’s total winnings to a bumper £2,230.

Although the Hunstanton Recovery Home is to close at the end of the year, there are hopes that Norfolk County Council will take up an option to buy the building from East Anglian Regional Health Authority. Local campaigners say if that happened the building could be used as a convalescent home for elderly people which would save money in the long run.