All-night raves at King’s Lynn nightclub, a newly appointed Miss Downham Market and pit bull terriers banned in 1991
In our regular On This Week column, we look back to May 22-28, 1991…
Radical law changes regarding pit bull terriers look set to cause heartache and headaches for all connected with the dogs. This week, the Home Secretary, Kenneth Baker, announced that breeding and ownership of the dogs is to be banned; imports of the animals, which have been branded “devil dogs”, have already been stopped. North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham said to cull all pit bulls was “against the spirit of British law – it could cause considerable heartache for people who treat these dogs as companions.” He favoured muzzling of all dangerous dogs in public and added: “If they are neutered, some of their aggressive instincts may be lost and they could then die out slowly.”
Young would-be sailors have been warned to stay away from the lakes at Lynnsport for their own safety. The warning came after firefighters were called out to rescue a boy, thought to be around nine years old, who was stranded 50 feet from the bank on a small mud island in one of the lakes after his home-made raft had sunk. Firefighters stretched a ladder out to him, and he returned to safety, shocked and frightened. The incident happened in the early evening as fire crews were returning to Lynn from a fatal road accident at Clenchwarton.
Nostalgia was the keyword for a gathering of vintage tractors, engines, cars and cycles in the grounds of Stradsett Hall. Many people camped overnight to take part in the fifth annual rally organised by the East Anglia group of the National Vintage Tractor and Engine Club. About 1,800 spectators attended to watch the mobile exhibits in the main ring parade, to inspect the static engines and to join in the fun and camaraderie. Profits from the weekend were to go to Riding for the Disabled at Wallington Hall, near Downham.
Police and council officials are deciding whether to allow an all-night party planned for Champs Nightclub, Lynn, to go ahead. Leaflets have been distributed advertising the “Pulse” party due to take place between 9pm on May 31 and 7am the following day. Tickets are priced at £9 each with a £1 “booking fee”. The leaflets advertise “6k of pucka bass sound system, visual effects and backdrop, mind-bending strobe system, multi dance levels and platforms, chill-out area and gallons of smoke.” A similar party for Lynn’s Corn Exchange was recently cancelled on police advice.
Quiz buffs from Lynn’s Live and Let Live pub hit the airwaves when they took part in Radio 1’s Double Top competition. Landlady Mrs Wendy Cartnell said: “They found it a bit nerve-wracking and while they didn’t win they came very close to it.” When the team went for the bull question they were asked when Prince Charles was born. Half the team were shouting the right year of 1948 with the rest going for 1949 – and unfortunately they chose the wrong answer. Paul Wright, Joanne Wilson, Marcus Rust, Andy Gray and Wilbur Wilson made up the team with another Paul Wright speaking live on radio.
This year for the first time thousands of visitors from around the world will get the chance to see parts of the Sandringham Estate other tourists have never reached. There is a new scenic Sandringham tractor and trailer tour costing just £1.50 for adults and reduced prices for the elderly and children, with a 45-minute ride around the house and gardens, followed by a drive down country lanes, along tracks signposted “Private” and on the two-and-a-half-mile nature trail. Passengers will also be given a commentary along the way by the driver.
The newly-appointed Miss Downham Market 1991 is seventeen-year-old Zoe Evans, who was persuaded to enter the Lynn News-sponsored contest by her mother and a neighbour. She is a keen student of fashion – appropriately as she works at In Style Fashions in Downham High Street. Accompanying Zoe on her many engagements during Downham Festival Week will be the two runners-up, Lara Richardson and Linda Mattinson.
New routes for the proposed Walpole Highway and Tilney High End A47 by-pass have been put forward by residents who have objected to the Department of Transport’s original scheme. Four alternative routes which differ from the Department’s scheme will be thrown into the melting pot when the by-pass public inquiry starts at Wisbech in mid-June. All four of the new suggested routes differ slightly from the original plan.
