Gaywood Park High School receptionist retires, King’s Lynn Queen Elizabeth Hospital debt, Marshland St James wind turbine, Mintlyn Crematorium, Clenchwarton traffic-calming, ‘Compo’ from BBC1 Last of the Summer Wine at Hunstanton, Thornham arts centre, King Edward VII School, Fakenham Town Assembly – 1985 and 2007 lookback
A look back to 1985 and 2007 with our weekly nostalgia feature...
A hectic career over 15 years in charge of reception duties at Gaywood Park High School came to an end for Eileen Ilett in April 1985.
She is pictured (centre) with her husband Peter and some of the colleagues who wished her a happy retirement. Eileen, of Elmhurst Drive, South Wootton, said she was “looking forward to all the things I haven’t had much time to do before, such as watercolour painting, gardening and knitting.” She received numerous gifts including a specially-baked cake. Photo: MLNF-852581
Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital is celebrating after saving enough money last year to start paying back its £11 million debt, although health bosses are warning the hard work is not over yet. More than 70 beds and two wards were axed to help achieve the savings. Chief executive Ruth May said the hospital was now running at a profit for the first time in around five years, adding that the next target was to save £6.5 million this financial year which would bring the debt down to just £3 million by the end of March 2008. Savings do not include money that could still be made from selling land at the front of the hospital.
Residents of Marshland St James are pulling together as a community to fight a massive wind turbine plan which they feel will swamp their village. Around 350 worried people attended a meeting at the village’s Jubilee Hall which had been arranged by the action group Fenland Landscape Against Turbines (FLAT). As well as signing up in support of FLAT’s campaign to stop the controversial £40 million scheme, those present at the meeting donated £700 to kick-start a fund to cover potential aspects such as legal costs.
Police have urged motorists to step up vehicle security after callous thieves targeted two cars parked at Mintlyn Crematorium. Both vehicles were left unattended for only 15 minutes on a Sunday afternoon and when the owners returned they found the cars had been broken into and a handbag stolen from each vehicle.
Controversial changes to Clenchwarton’s traffic-calming scheme have been criticised by residents concerned about the safety risks and noise vibrations it will cause. Two pairs of speed bumps are being removed by Norfolk County Council from the east end of Main Road and the remaining bumps are being lowered to help soften noise levels. Villagers and the Parish Council fear there will be an increase in the number of speeding vehicles through the village.
Champion fundraiser David Foulkes (65) dressed up as scruffy Compo, from BBC1 sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, for a sponsored walk through Hunstanton on Easter Sunday. His day, which included a free ride on the dodgems with Jenny Merritt dressed as Nora Batty, raised a bumper £418 for the Lynn News’ Hunstanton Lifeboat Appeal. The Old Coach House at Thornham has raised £450 from a successful charity fashion show at the pub, while the Wash and Tope Hotel in Hunstanton has donated £325 after hosting eight hours of live music on Easter Sunday.
West Norfolk planners have backed a plan to turn Thornham’s historic, but derelict, coal barn into an arts centre. After a site visit, members of the development control board went against planning officers’ and Environment Agency objections to approve the new role for the landmark building which overlooks the unspoilt village harbour.
The Linnets and Merthyr shared their second goalless draw of the season – but the point was enough for Lynn to definitely book their place in the BGB Southern League Premier Division play-offs [The Linnets went on to meet Maidenhead at home in the semi-final and lost 1-0; Maidenhead beat Team Bath by 1-0 in the final top gain promotion to the Conference South].
Two teams from Lynn’s King Edward VII School and one from Park High in Gaywood are rising to a nationwide challenge to develop teamwork and communication skills, by competing in the regional heats of the 2007 Kielder Challenge. Each team features eight 13 to 16-year-olds, four with physical, learning or sensory disabilities and four able-bodied, who will have to work together on problem-solving and team-building games.
The most significant outcome of Fakenham Town Assembly meeting was the successful applications for two referendums on controversial local issues. These concerned the possible loss of 13 beds at Cranmer House and the proposal to locate a travellers’ site on the outskirts of the town. Not far short of 100 people attended the meeting, far more than is usual for this annual review of council affairs. Many were clearly upset over the travellers’ issue and, at times, shouted down district council officers endeavouring to explain the background history. North Norfolk Council’s strategic director Steve Blatch said a long period of consultation had taken place, with the Fakenham site and one at Cromer the preferred locations, but no final decisions had yet been taken.
