Turnstone: Hunstanton writer John Maiden discusses beach huts and pantomimes
In his weekly column, Hunstanton writer John Maiden discusses the town’s upcoming pantomime performance and beach hut drama…
It would appear that West Norfolk Council is determined to sell as many of my home town's crown jewels as possible before local government is reorganised.
Not content with disposing of large sections of land in Hunstanton, which used to be home to our fantastic railway station, the council has announced its intention to sell off part of Heacham North Beach, currently leased to beach hut owners.
My advice to anyone adversely affected by this decision would be to find out how and when West Norfolk Council came to own the freehold of the land it now intends to sell.
It would surely be worth asking Heacham Parish Council to search its records for any restrictive covenants imposed on the land by previous owners.
Based on its track record as far as The Green and Pier at Hunstanton are concerned, West Norfolk Council is continuing to ignore the restrictive covenant imposed in 1955 by the le Strange Estate, which prohibits the erection of any permanent structures other than the modest entrance to a pier, which was demolished following a storm in January 1978...
Not a lot of people know this, but for me, the panto season began on September 15 at the Princess Theatre, when I was only too pleased to accept the invitation from Marketing Manager Anna Hallard to meet members of the team that will bring Aladdin to Hunstanton from December 6 to January 4 this Christmas.
Just as children enjoy opening the windows of their Advent calendars, I would like to reveal a little more about members of this year's panto team now and again in the run-up to December 6, which everyone knows is the feast of St Nicholas!
The first thing that struck me when I saw this year's press pack was the wealth of experience cast members have had between them, from the youngest dancer to this year's panto director, Keith Simmons.
He has written 154 pantomimes, directed 134, and performed in 56.
A prolific song and comedy writer, Keith has created material for some of the biggest names in the business, including Sir Ken Dodd, Nicholas Parsons, Sir Norman Wisdom, Gary Wilmot, and for 17 years, Brian Conley's TV shows and BBC's 'We've Got Your Number'.
All very impressive, but the most notable thing, as far as I was concerned, just happened to be the fact that Keith was able to produce a copy of a poster advertising the last time he topped the bill at the Princess.
This was with his brother Alan, in 'The Simmons Brothers Laughter Party' way back in 1993! Under Keith's direction, Aladdin looks certain to bring lots of laughter to the Princess.
Unfortunately, it will be towards the end of a year that has been punctuated by acts of extreme violence, indicating that certain nations seem to be preparing for another world war. We can only hope and pray for the best while being prepared for the worst.