On This Week: Second World War Mosquito aircraft which crashed was found and 50th-anniversary celebrations
In our weekly Memory Lane feature, we take a look back at what was hitting the headlines this time 10 years ago as well as a picture of a sponsored cycle ride from 1994…
West Norfolk Council is wasting nearly £4 million because of overstaffing, weak management and low productivity, it has been claimed. A report by external consultants Knox D’Arcy, costing £50,000, was given to members of the cabinet scrutiny committee and it said that between 51 per cent and 77 per cent of work time was lost on unofficial “tea breaks” and other stoppages, and that seven to eight per cent of the council’s 900-strong workforce would have to be axed to achieve savings. Although some councillors were sceptical of the figures and wanted to see more details, council leader John Dobson thought the Knox D’Arcy figures were “robust and broadly correct”.
Sandringham’s Royal Estate has again come under fire for shooting too close to residential homes after a pet cat was “deliberately” blasted at close range. Four-year-old Buster was found lying under a bush at the bottom of his garden in Great Bircham with life-threatening injuries. After spending £1,200 on a vet’s bill, his owner discovered that Buster’s elbow was completely shattered and his body riddled with 19 shotgun pellets.
A Second World War Mosquito aircraft which crashed in The Wash has been found, still containing its two crew members. The plane, which crashed shortly before the end of the war, was discovered this week by Lynn’s deputy harbourmaster Captain Paul Bailey. Royal Navy divers from Portsmouth have since been on the scene to check the plane. A spokesman for the eastern region defence office said that because the bodies of the two crewmen were still in the plane it would be treated as a war grave.
Downham’s town centre enhancements have won a national design award, beating off stiff competition from more than 100 councils. Jenny Groom, chairman of the Regeneration Partnership, is to receive the Local Government News Street Design Award for Pedestrian Environment 2004 in a presentation taking place in the new town square – an area which, this time last year, locals were likening to a Beirut bomb site. Now the improvements are receiving recognition for quality of the enhancements and improvements to the local environment.
Around 400 people a year in West Norfolk suffer from strokes, which can leave the victim with a terrifying list of potential disabilities. It is the biggest killer in the UK after cancer and heart disease, but it receives just a fraction of the publicity. This year, Borough Mayor Paul Brandon has teamed up with the Lynn News to raise money for the West Raynham ward, which is the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s stroke unit. He points out it has not had a major funding boost since it was built 20 years ago and the day room and two side rooms are looking tired.
Lynn could soon have a new women’s fashion and accessory shop, if plans to convert a town store receive permission. Monsoon Accessorize Ltd, which owns countrywide chains Monsoon and Accessorize, has applied to the Borough Council for permission to install a new shop front at 73 High Street. The address currently still has the electrical retailer Dixons’ shop front and the imminent closure of Dixons was reported by the Lynn News in April. There are more than 145 Monsoon shops across the country and 155 Accessorize shops.
Jonathan Chapman, son of team boss Buster Chapman, has been appointed as the new co-team manager of the Lynn ‘Money Centre’ Stars speedway team. He is the youngest ever team manager in British speedway history at only 24-years-old. Jonathan will be sharing the role with Buster at the Stars’ home meetings and will be covering some of the away meetings by himself. Buster said: “I had to bring someone else in to help me with the team as I am extremely busy with the stadium and all the other events we run here.”
A special 50th anniversary celebration is being held for M.E. Ayres and Sons, solid fuel merchants and haulage contractors, of Bircham Road, Stanhoe. Family, friends and business associates will be attending the celebration in a marquee at the company’s premises. Right from the early 1950s the company has always been a family business and it was started by Mr Michael Ayres, with strong support from his father and brother in the early days; today the principals are Michael’s sons Gary and Stephen.