On this week in Hunstanton, King's Lynn and Tottenhill: October 15 – 21, 1978
In his weekly ‘On This Week’ column, Chris Hornby looks back at events that occurred from October 15 – 21, 1978...
The keys to the Maltings, West Norfolk Council’s new single-person living accommodation, have been handed over. And despite some criticisms of high rents, most of the prospective tenants at the official opening seemed impressed with the standard of the homes. The Maltings are in Nelson Street, Lynn, and contain 18 flats and bed-sitters, with most of them overlooking the Millfleet Creek. Rents range from £15.24 a week for a bed-sit up to £19.71 for the most expensive flat; the cheapest flat is £17.71. Rates are included in the rents.
Champagne flowed during celebrations to mark the opening of the new Lynn premises of John Brundle (Motors) Ltd. The new Toyota showrooms and workshops are on Railway Road, with the premises having been completely redesigned to give the Tottenhill-based company a centre in Lynn. There was also a civic send-off given by the Mayor and Mayoress of Lynn, Mr and Mrs Bob Fraulo, who cut the ribbon to open the showrooms.
Linnets captain Mick Wright reached the milestone of 1,000 club appearances in the Southern League fixture at Banbury on Saturday. Wright’s first appearance was in 1961 and he has scored 96 goals. Although Lynn lost 2-1, there was champagne after the game and Banbury presented him with an inscribed tankard.
Building is about to start to double the Bespak factory space in Lynn, at a cost of £1.25million and the project could create 100 new jobs. The development is a mark of success for the firm which manufactures aerosol valves and moved to the town from London only three years ago. The contract for the work has been won by Messrs R. G. Carter (King’s Lynn) Ltd.
Lynn’s King Edward VII school is advertising for girls to join its sixth form next year. The headmaster, Richard Greaves, says female applicants will be very welcome. The school, established as a grammar school in the reign of Henry VIII, was for boys only until this September when the first girls were allowed into the sixth form. At the start of the next academic year, however, the first form intake will be drawn from both sexes. Mr Greaves added: “We think it would be a good idea to have a number of older girls at the same time, as monitors or prefects who could take the new girls under their wings a little.”
In the event of a nuclear attack two thirds of the population of Breckland would survive to find their lives protected by the work of a new council officer. Breckland Council has decided to appoint a full-time emergency officer to make sure the district is fully prepared for a nuclear attack or natural disaster.
The number of letters being posted in the Lynn area is on the decrease, despite a national trend upwards compared with last year. This has puzzled the Post Office, which is making efforts to find out why Lynn should be different to other towns of a similar size. The number of parcels, however, is on the increase. Changes are to be made at Lynn’s head post office in Baxter’s Plain to cut down on queues waiting for service, including the opening of an inquiry desk.
A purpose-built bus costing £17,000 was presented to the Sandcastle home for handicapped children at Hunstanton, enabling the children to go out on trips together from now on. Previously the home only had a 12-seater mini-bus which was not designed for the special needs of handicapped people. Numerous groups and organisations have helped raise the money since the Friends of the Sandcastle committee took up the project.
Widow Mrs Marjorie Massen had a warm welcome to Lynn when she moved into the town last week. As Lynn’s newest resident – she had been in her Burney Road council house for only a day – she heard she had won the top prize of £1,000 in the West Norfolk lottery. After the draw had been made, council officials had to trace Mrs Massen from her old home in Terrington St Clement, the village where she had lived for 23 years.
