On this week: Lightning strikes in King’s Lynn Town Centre, German visitors come to town and drug crackdown in West Norfolk
In our regular On This Week column, we look back at the headlines from June 9-15, 1998, as well as a picture from a piano donation from the same year…
Shoppers were given an almighty shock in Lynn town centre after lightning struck in the High Street area. The strike, described by many as a huge orange flash, came to ground near the Hogshead pub, setting off store fire alarms and causing the Wilkinson shop to be evacuated for around half an hour. Within minutes, firefighters were investigating stores in the area to see if any damage had been done. A spokesman said: “Three fire engines went to the scene, but it seems there was no damage at all or any sign of where it came to earth. However, the scene was chaotic for a while with shoppers wondering what was going on.”
Norfolk has been awarded more than £500,000 of EU money to spend restoring the countryside in parts of Breckland and the Wensum Valley. Landowners will be asked to come up with ideas and schemes to make the most of the money. Tree and hedge planting is expected to make up the bulk of the new work, but copses, ponds, heaths and wetlands will all be included. The money is for Norfolk’s 5b Landscape Project will be spent in central Norfolk between Fakenham and Thetford, taking in Swaffham and the Brecklands.
An appeal for bone marrow donors met with a great response from West Norfolk people when more than 60 turned up at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The appeal by the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Clinic was part of the 50th anniversary of the NHS. Dr Bentley, regional secretary of the Stephanie Norton Group, a local organisation aimed at raising money for the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, said: “We had been hoping to entice an extra 50 people onto the national donor register, so for even more than that to turn up was a great success.”
Visitors from the German town of Emmerich received a warm welcome at an official lunch at Lynn Town Hall to mark the 20th anniversary of the town’s twinning agreement with Lynn. Forty guests from the town on the Rhine river were greeted at the town hall by the chairman of each twinning club and also Borough Mayor Dr Paul Richards in his full ceremonial dress, including the King John sword. Members of the Lynn twinning club are already making plans to visit Emmerich next Whitsun.
Campbell’s at Lynn has made a £2,000 contribution to the Festival Too melting pot to help provide free family entertainment in town at the end of July and early August. The Festival Too committee is now on its final push towards the £40,000 fundraising target for this year’s programme. Big names already lined up include Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, Edwin Starr, Mungo Jerry, Marmalade, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, and radio personalities such as Tony Blackburn and David Hamilton.
A surprise raid on a West Norfolk farm this week signalled a crackdown on illegal gangmasters. A multi-agency team swooped on a Wissington farm as part of a Government drive to eradicate unscrupulous gangmasters who exploit their employees and the benefits system. Following the raid, around 80 people are now under investigation for illegally claiming benefits or for working as illegal immigrants. It is estimated that the swoop has saved the taxpayer about £100,000. The crackdown was part of Operation Gangmaster, which was launched by the Government this week.
West Norfolk Council cashiers have been given a pat on the back from their customers. The revenue services division of the council carried out a survey to gauge customer satisfaction with their operation at the Lynn offices where cashiers process around 350,000 transactions a year, taking payments of council tax, rents, business rates and various charges. A poll of 150 callers was taken over five different days of the week to ensure that a cross-section of the public was represented. The only criticism was a suggestion that the area needed redecorating and better lighting.
Fishing boats preparing for the cockle season are giving a colourful and bustling air to Lynn’s Fisher Fleet. But sadly, indications are that yet again the harvest will be a poor one. Fish merchant Mr John Williamson, of Helploeg and Lynn Shrimpers, said the cockle season would probably only last a month and continue the trend of recent years in its poor quality. He blames a combination of factors, including mild winters, quotas, overfishing, dredging and factory closures, resulting in less protein and nitrates being discharged into The Wash.
