On this week in Dersingham, King’s Lynn, RAF Marham, Swaffham and West Lynn: November 15-21, 2014
In our weekly On This Week feature, we look back through the pages of old editions of the Lynn News…
More than £150,000 is set to be invested into the newly-expanded Coasthopper bus service between Lynn and Hunstanton which has started operating this week. Norfolk Green bosses made the announcement when they launched the improved route in Lynn’s Tuesday Market Place. Two new buses, costing around £100,000 in total, are to be introduced on to the route and a further £60,000 will be spent refitting the route’s existing fleet of 12 vehicles in time for next season’s summer season. The Coasthopper service now runs on a half-hour rather than an hourly basis, with the additional journeys running through the village of Heacham instead of stopping near the traffic lights on the edge of the village.
Police blocked off a Dersingham junction after gallons of water flooded into homes. Residents heard a “boom” as the water main burst on Station Road at around 6.45am. Three fire crews pumped water from the road on to the adjacent recreation ground, but unfortunately three homes in Station Road were flooded. Anglian Water engineers were on the scene by 8am and were able to stem the flow of water, but the road had to be closed while repairs were undertaken.
Air crews made an emotional return to their families and loved ones, who were waiting at RAF Marham after completing their final deployment in Afghanistan. Number 31 Squadron was the final squadron to be deployed to Afghanistan and had been supporting Operation Herrick. During their time in Afghanistan, the Tornado Force provided Close Air Support to the UK and Coalition Forces deterring enemy forces , along with providing vital information using reconnaissance pods.
A political row has broken out after figures showed the number of cancelled operations at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital has soared by more than 20 per cent this year. Statistics published by NHS England show that a total of 313 elective operations have been cancelled at the QEH in the period from January to September; this is up by 58, about 23 per cent, on the same period in 2013. Local Labour politicians said the Government was out of touch with the pressures the NHS was facing on the ground, but North West Norfolk MP, Henry Bellingham, defended the Government’s record on health and had kept a pledge to increase funding for the NHS.
A petition calling for improved safety measures on Clenchwarton Road in West Lynn, close to the Poppyfields housing estate has been signed by almost 250 people. Demands for additional safety measures have intensified after a teenage girl was injured in a collision with a car last month. The divisional county councillor, Alexandra Kemp, says action should have been taken after local residents had voiced concerns about road safety in the area even before planning permission was granted for Poppyfields in 2004.
There were Second World War rations on offer for the 120 guests at a true Night to Remember held at Swaffham Assembly Rooms, organised by Swaffham and District Lions. The meal included spam and egg sandwiches, a ration-sized portion of cheese and a single chocolate on a spoon, prepared by the Lions’ Ladies. The In Accord Trio, born-again Andrews Sisters and a host of individual entertainers brought song, verse and words to the evening.
County council officials have warned it is likely to be many years before a new long-term waste management solution comes into force in Norfolk, following the axing of the Lynn incinerator contract. The authority has already agreed a deal to send some of its waste to the Great Blakenham incinerator in Suffolk. A waste advisory group has been established to examine future alternatives and a report says that planning for the period from 2016 to 2020 and then beyond would have to start next year. A conference examining potential alternatives is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2015.
Keith ‘Buster’ Chapman, boss of Lynn Stars speedway club, has been elected to the management committee of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association. He was nominated during the BSPA’s annual meeting, held over three days in Warwickshire, and was praised for the work he had done for the Lynn club over the last decade.
The Norfolk charity, Nelson’s Journey, which works with children who have experienced the death of a loved one, has received more than 80 referrals from West Norfolk this year – the highest number for any district in the county. And for more than 30 bereaved children Christmas has come early, as more than £450 has been donated to buy tickets for the youngsters to see the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at Lynn Corn Exchange.
