Hollywood actor Johnny Depp was turned away from the Fox and Goose in Fressingfield, because he had not booked a table.

National newspaper reports that the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN star turned up at the Fox and Goose public house at Fressingfield, Suffolk, but was turned away as there were no tables.

There are also reports that Johnny 'Jack Sparrow' is looking for a house in the area . . .

. . . well we've just put up a new bird box at the end of our garden!

This town has inspired some of Britain's greatest writers and now a new book is telling Great Yarmouth's extraordinary story.

Author Frank Meeres has invested the knowledge acquired during a decade as the borough's archivist into The History of Great Yarmouth.

From the arrival of the first fishing huts to Scroby Sands windfarm, the book details more than a millennium of amazing change.

“Next year is the 800th anniversary of the town receiving its Royal Charter so I thought now was a good time to get a history of the borough into print,” said Mr Meeres.

“I suppose I have been researching the book for the last 10 years in my job and it took two to three years to write.”

“There were still discoveries I made while writing it that surprised me, perhaps the biggest of all was the number of people who died in the Great Plague of 1665. The town's population was recorded as falling by 25pc during the summer of that year in the parish registers.”

“Ports like Yarmouth were particularly vulnerable to outbreaks of disease with the number of strangers coming in and most of the local plague outbreaks started in the town.”

“There was always the threat from the nature too - Yarmouth was built on a narrow spit of sand and the boundary between the sea and land has always been fragile. Dickens memorably wrote that it was mixed up like toast and water in David Copperfield.”

Fishing and then trade was the basis of the Yarmouth's prosperity and by the Middle Ages the town was one of the richest in England.

Robinson Crusoe author, Daniel Defoe, was full of praise for the port in his book A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain.

When the writer visited Yarmouth in the 1720s he was stunned by the number of boats in the harbour describing how it was possible to walk across the river on a “floating bridge” of ships.

Until the arrival of the railway in the Victorian era it was easier to transport goods by sea than land and Yarmouth had close trading links with the Low Countries.

There was a strong Dutch influence in the town with the large numbers fisherman and tradesman from Holland,” added Mr Meeres.

“Their influence was reflected in the architecture, such as Dutch gables of the Fisherman's Hospital and the Norfolk dialect.”

“Now the outer harbour will restore that historical link and provide greater prosperity to the borough.”

It was the Georgian fashion for taking the waves that first brought the bright and breezy pleasures of the English seaside to town.

From the first few bathers the succeeding decades saw Yarmouth slowly develop into the popular tourist resort it remains to this day.

“Tourism was given an enormous boost by the arrival of railway, which enabled working class families to start visiting the town,” explained Mr Meeres.

“The peak period for visitors was probably from 1900 until the second world war, but Yarmouth still remains enormously popular - the Pleasure Beach is one of the top five visited tourist attractions in the country.

“Perhaps, as concern grows over the environment, the era of cheap flights will come to an end and more people look to reduce their carbon footprint by taking holidays closer to home.”

“I think Yarmouth has been very successful at preserving its heritage despite all the change it has seen. The town wall is one of the ten best preserved in the country and the Tolhouse is the oldest domestic building in Britain.

“Yarmouth has seen rapid expansion and periods of decline, but the town has always been able to pick itself up and start again.”

The rare Scarce Emerald Damselfly has been found in Suffolk following the expansion of a wildlife site.

The insect, believed to have been extinct in the early 1980s, has been found thriving in the restored Market Weston Fen, near Thetford.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust, which manages the fen, said the 47-acre expansion of the site led to discovery. Populations of the rare damselfly have previously been found to exist in Essex, Norfolk and Kent.

Market Weston Fen, along the river Little Ouse is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. Steve Aylward, of the trust, said: "Market Weston Fen has undergone a huge amount of restoration over the years and we are now beginning to reap the rewards - we are delighted that new species has turned up."


It is usually found within the dense vegetation of shallow pools and drainage channels. On the coastal and estuarine marshes in Kent and Essex populations also use the borrow dykes, as well as ditches and marsh pools. Lakes or ponds that are near the end of their natural cycle, supporting dense vegetation, are particularly suitable and breeding sites always appear to be well vegetated with submerged and emergent vegetation.

The Scarce Emerald Damselfly can also be found in seasonal water bodies, which may be subject to a temporary drying out period at the height of summer.

If two together are sitting on a privy …

Well there’s a phrase I don’t expect you thought you’d see in this blog!

It comes from a book that has been published recently, the proceeds from which are being donated to three charities of which the BRPS is one.

The book is ‘Daniel of Beccles - Urbanus Magnus The Book of the Civilized Man’. Based on a translation of a 12th century document setting out protocols, manners and morals for society.

The line in my title comes from this excerpt ….

“… Eventually, it would be time for the inferior to wait on the lord as he went to bed.

” … When he sits on the privy in the usual way, take in your hands hay or straw, pick up two bigs wads of hay in your fingers and press them well together. You should prepare to give them to your patron when he wants them. Let the wads be given to him as you stand, not bending the knee. If two together are sitting on a privy, one should not get up while the other is emptying himself. (1266-79)”

The book covers a whole host of issues, and much of the content is as relevant now as it was then. You can read most of the foreword to the book by clicking the link below to continue this post.

To give you a taster, the foreword reads as follows:

“Whatever the motive, whether snobbery, etiquette, social acceptability, custom, parental guidance or simple courtesy, sensitivity, or awareness of the other how to behave has ever been at the centre of society. Manners and morals have reflected as well as created civilisations and social classes. What people do and how they do it has been at the heart of human life and indicative of the powers and relationships within it. In the 12th century, political power was not only with the monarch but also the church. The latter possessed huge lands, was the main provider of education, and ecclesiastics were often holders of high secular office. Society reflected these facts.

“It is possible that Urbanus Magnus was written both for novices as well as boys and men seeking to be accepted in higher society. It seems to want an ordered society knowing good manners and Christian morals and acting by them. A postscript asks that Daniel of Beccles enjoy the joy of heaven: secular and religious combined.

” … What is certain is that Urbanus Magnus is a ’stonking good poem’ fascinating to historians, scholars, the curious, and very relevant to us today. There is sound advice as to how we should behave let alone those of nine centuries ago.

” In this book we have a ‘feast of fat things’. Help yourself and be sufficiently intrigued …. to continue the hunt for the man and the manners of Daniel of Beccles. I am sure he did not ‘excavate his nostrils by twisting his fingers’.


“Receive gifts from great men with gratitude”

“While food is hidden in your mouth, let your tongue not minister to words”

“Sitting at table as a guest, you should not put your elbows on the table”

You can buy the book, which would make a great fun Christmas gift, by calling or emailing The Gazette Bookshop, gazettebookshop@hotmail.com, 01502 712688.

All profits are to be donated to three charities of which BRPS is one.

Clocks should be going forward, not back, to save lives on UK roads

The Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association (LARSOA) says that this weekend's move to put the clocks back will cost over 100 lives on UK roads between now and April.

At 1am this Sunday (28 th October) the clocks will be turned back one hour plunging the country into darkness during the afternoon and evening rush hour.

LARSOA is campaigning to move time forward throughout the year so there is an extra hour of daylight during the afternoon in winter months.

This move would save lives, reduce the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and cut average household energy bills.

LARSOA spokespeople will be available during the week for interviews on the issue. For interview bids please contact Chris Taylor on 07949 287 356.

Road casualty figures released earlier this year showed an alarming increase in deaths among child pedestrians and child cyclists in 2006 and LARSOA fears that figure may continue to rise as we approach the most dangerous time of the year for vulnerable road users.

The Association says research proves many lives could be saved and injuries prevented by allowing an extra hour of daylight at the time of day when many people are returning home from school and work.

David Frost from LARSOA explains: "There could be as many as 104 fewer deaths each year. The figures also show that there would around 450 fewer serious injuries on the roads.

"By introducing the system of Double British Summertime, the government could go a long way to hitting its target of reducing deaths and serious injuries on the roads by 40% by 2010.

"Extra daylight on winter afternoons would protect the most vulnerable road users, cyclists and pedestrians such as children returning home from school and the elderly, who are often afraid of being out after dark."

"We can't ignore the fact that last year 169 children died on the roads and the combined numbers of those killed and seriously injured was 3,294 - that's nine children seriously hurt or killed for during every single day of the year."

In effect the UK time would remain at GMT plus one hour and in the spring the clocks would go forward one hour taking us to GMT plus two hours during the summer. The call from LARSOA on safety grounds also has green credentials.

It has been backed up by a new report from Elizabeth Garnsey, a reader in engineering and business at Cambridge University's Institute for Manufacturing, which has looked at the energy savings that could be created by moving to Double British Summertime.

Her report found that the darker evenings cause domestic consumers to use 5% extra electricity, which generates millions of tones of carbon dioxide. It also found that the NHS would save £200million a year in treating injuries associated with daytime darkness.

LARSOA is also promoting the other benefits of Double British Summertime including health benefits and energy saving measures. David adds: "An extended outdoor leisure time when there are relatively few daylight hours would give more people time to take exercise and help the government in its campaign to reduce obesity.

"If the government wants to cut obesity, particularly among young people, where the rates are growing rapidly, then it needs to consider ensuring they have time to pursue outdoor sports after school hours. "There would also be considerable savings in energy costs as consumption would be reduced because of the extra daylight hour.

For further information please contact Chris Taylor on 01287 610404 or 07949 287 356.

Marketing for Your Sports Club or Organisation

Sports clubs/organisations are facing strong challenges in order to survive and grow in an increasingly competitive and demanding market. How to attract new members and retain the existing ones, become a hub of the community, grow sponsorship revenue, increase media coverage, benefit from new technology, introduce new revenue streams…

Whether you are a sports club, leisure club, sports facility, out of school club or holiday play scheme, marketing can help YOU.



Active Norfolk have developed a sports specific marketing toolkit which will provide you with advice and guidance on:

• Writing your marketing and communications plan
• Writing a press release to promote your club/publicise and event/promote a success story
• Producing publications and leaflets
• Publicity and promotion for your club/organisation
• Planning and event and producing event material
• Your brand
• Dealing with the media
• Plus much more!

The marketing toolkit is available now and is completely free of charge. To download your copy of the marketing toolkit visit www.activenorfolk.org/marketing or for a printed version email: info@activenorfolk.org with your name and full postal address.

Marketing Clinics
Marketing Clinics are a new idea developed to support of the marketing toolkit. Do you require additional support with a specific marketing problem? Need to attract new members? Promote a sports festival? Attract commercial sponsorship?

Marketing clinics will be available in the near future. If you are interested in attending a marketing clinic please email Vicki Hall, our Marketing and Communications Officer, vicki.hall@activenorfolk.org and let her know where and when you would like these clinics held. If we receive enough interest, sessions will be planned and the details released shortly.

Marketing for Your Club and Writing for the Web Courses
These courses have been introduced as part of the new and improved club and coach development programme. They have been designed as a practical, interactive workshop to give you the skills and confidence needed to successfully promote your sports club/ organisation. Visit www.activenorfolk.org/courses for more details.

Active Norfolk
The Turner Road Centre, Turner Road, Norwich, NR2 4HB
Email: info@activenorfolk.org | Tel: 01603 727885 | Fax: 01603 760448

LIGHT UP
Have you noticed that many drivers are reluctant to put their dipped headlights on in poor visibility? Years ago drivers were afraid to use too many electrical items on their cars because it could cause battery problems. Those days have gone. The modern car suffers no problems like this.


A good rule of thumb, if you need your windscreen wipers on you also need your headlights on.
Always aim to see and be seen.
Other road users may not have eyesight as good as yours.

In poor conditions keep looking in your mirrors.
The driver who has no lights on could be attempting to over take you.

In foggy weather, use your fog-lights but remember if you leave them on after the weather has cleared you could cause problems for other drivers.

If you leave your rear fog lights on they can mask the visibility of brake lights and lead to unnecessary braking by following drivers.

By 2012 an 'European Initiative' vehicles will have lights on all the time!

But until then don't be dim - light up.


SPEED LIMIT - NOT A TARGET
The biggest part of modern life is to use our road network. It is vital we can do this safely and efficiently. Much has been said recently of the high number of drivers speeding in our villages.

These are rural areas. They can be surrounded by roads with 60 mph limits, but remember the village itself will have pedestrians, cyclists, junctions and many slower moving vehicles.

When approaching the village the speed will be reduced perhaps gradually from 60 mph to 50 mph or 40 mph. Then down to 30 mph when entering the village.

Always look well ahead, search to the horizon and when you see the speed limit sign you should reduce the speed and be at 30 mph and lower by the time you reach the sign.

This will make you feel you are crawling along but remember at 30 mph you are covering 44 feet every second (this is about 3 car lengths). Just remember if you hit a pedestrian at this speed, he or she can be severely injured and possible killed.

Always keep a check on your speedometer.

Even if the drive 'feels' too slow, do not exceed limits. Modern cars are very smooth, faster and quite and make you feel as comfortable as sitting in your own front room.

Control your speed.

Around the country we are meeting company drivers where as many as 8 out of 10 have points on their licenses through speeding fines.

Keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front is very important.
Use the 2 - second rule.
When a driver of the vehicle in front passes a static sign if you then said 'only a fool breaks the two second rule' and as you are still saying the sentence you pass the sign you would be travelling too close.
This is the minimum distance.
In wet weather at least double the distance.
In icy road conditions you would need to be at least 10 times the distance.

Distance of lamp posts close together means 30 mph, until you see a sign otherwise but remember the limit could be lower - 20 mph.

Speed limits are not targets.
Remember 20's plenty when kids are about - but may even be too fast.

A child is killed on the road almost every other day.
There's no need to speed, you won't get there quicker. Exceeding the speed limit makes no difference to your arrival time.

The time it takes to complete a journey is determined much more by your average speed during the whole journey, rather than the maximum speed you achieve for part of it. This is especially true in urban areas, where you are always having to slow down for junctions, traffic lights and other road users.

The faster you drive the sharper you have to brake. This uses much more fuel, brake wear and makes your driving more expensive.

Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear.

The safe rule is: never to get closer than the overall stopping distance.

Remember as you travel along, large trucks can need up to three times as long to stop as a car.

Remember when you are following vehicles in front, a driver two cars in front starts to brake. Their foot comes off the accelerator to the brake pedal, it takes a fifth of a second for the brake lights to light up after the switch has been closed by the pedal (this is a vehicle with standard bulbs).

Remember if you are travelling at 70 mph this is an extra 6 metres of travel before you get the chance to even begin thinking what is happening.

When this braking wave comes down the line it can cause so many rear shunts, but of help is now on the way, the new type of rear lamp uses light emitting diodes (led's). These have no delay and very soon will be phased into common use on new cars.

Holidays Afloat,
The Misery Guts On Holiday

We’ve dismissed the cruise as an idea, but Ma’am will inevitably still have it lodged at the back of her mind, and she will twig that you don’t need to go on liners the size of a small town. You can have your own boat and cruise the waterways of Great Britain for a week.

If it sounds attractive, it’s because you are letting your heart rule your brain. The last boating holiday I took was on a four-berth cabin cruiser on the Norfolk Broads in 1969. The only thing I can properly recall about it was receiving an official reprimand from the river police for doing 7mph in a 5mph zone. I was speeding. Speeding! At 7mph! One in the eye for Lewis Hamilton, huh?

You must do some soul-searching here. Have you ever driven a boat? Have you ever been on a sailing yacht? If the answer to both questions is no, then use the brochures as novelty toilet paper.

Boats come in three distinct types: sailing boats, cabin cruisers, narrow boats. (I know there are other types, but you're not likely to borrow a trawler or an oil tanker for a week, are you?)

A sailing boat needs wind to drive and if there is no wind, you’re up sh*t creek … or whatever creek the map tells you it is. That’s when you dig out the paddles and drum and drive Ma’am to exhaustion as she rows you back to Oulton Broad.

On the other hand, don’t rely on the weather forecast. If Michael Fish’s non-event, 1987 hurricane decides to pay us a second visit, you’ll whistle along the rivers like you’re determined to break the world water speed record. You’ll shoot through the port of Lowestoft so fast that you’ll be half way to Rotterdam before Air Sea Rescue can catch you.

As with driving on the roads, there are rules to sailing the rivers, but they’re not always reliable. That 30000 ton coaster coming straight for you needs room and time to make a turn, and before you can say, “it’s all right, luv, sail has right of way over power,” he’ll slice you in two.

Do you know a spinnaker from a spanker, a mains’l from a Genoa? I thought not. They’re sails. They drive the boat, but here’s the rub, they only drive it in the same direction as the wind blows. And it’s no use telling Ma’am that you can’t go to Norwich because the wind is blowing you towards the open sea. There is a specialised technique for sailing against the wind (I should know, I’ve been doing it since the day I got married) called tacking, and if you don’t know how to tack, book your boat one way only and get used to the attractions of Great Yarmouth which is as far as you can go in a south-westerly wind.

Enough of sail, what about cabin cruisers? Remember what was said about caravans? Well a cabin cruiser is nothing more than a caravan with a keel added and the wheels removed. You’d think that because the wheels have been nicked, someone must have left it parked in Liverpool overnight, but no, this time it’s deliberate.

Someone has also fitted an engine to this caravan, so you don’t need to worry about hoisting the mains’l. Trouble is, while they may have installed an engine, there are no brakes.

This is often used by Physics tutors as a demonstration of the law of conservation of angular momentum.

It works like this: the Empress stands on the front of the boat, ready to jump off and moor. You drive towards the quayside frantically looking for the handbrake. You can’t find it, boat hits dock, Ma’am is thrown off by the force of the impact and gets a dunking in the Yare.

It is also used by English language tutors as a demonstration of Anglo-Saxon. You may not have heard some of the names she will call you when she gets out of the water.

Another difference between the boat and caravan or car is that it will not stay put. Left to its own devices it has a tendency to float off down the river. You get back from the pub, p****d out of your brains on rough cider and wander the pathways, swearing blind that you parked the boat right here, where the big gap is. It is the last you will ever see of your luggage. The boat will be found three days later near Potter Heigham Bridge, with your pork pies in the fridge and leaving the local constabulary trying to work out what happened to the crew of this latter-day Mary Celeste.

What did you do wrong? You forgot to anchor the boat to the bank, didn’t you? You should have tied the painter to the dockside. (If you’re looking for any gags such as the painter’s only crime was only putting a coat of cheap creosote on next door’s fence, forget it. I’m way better than that.)

The difficulties associated with a cabin cruiser apply to a narrow boat too, but when you get on one of these things, you’ll learn why they’re called narrow. There’s so little space in them that if She Who Must Be Obeyed turns round too quickly, you’ll have to duck before her bubs knock you flat.

Narrow boats traditionally tour the canals, not rivers. Imagine that; a peaceful holiday calling at such exotic locations as London, Northampton, Leicester. Does life get any better than this? The Grand Union canal even has spurs that go to Slough and Bishops Stortford. Wow. If you’re really daring, you could try the Leeds-Liverpool canal, passing Bradford, Keighley, Burnley, Blackburn, Preston and Wigan. I don’t know how I hold myself back.

If you were to buy one of these tubs, it would set you back something like 40 grand, second hand. That’s getting on for £1000 per foot of the boat’s length. Now that you know this, you can understand why the owners rent them out at anything up to £1200 per week. They’re determined to recoup their investment as quickly as possible, and from your wallet, so put a stop on it immediately.

If talking about the cost doesn’t work, let Her Indoors know about the problems of a canal boat holiday. The boats travel slower than your average road roller and they don’t have a steering wheel. Instead they have a tiller. This is a long handle. You push it one way to turn left, the other to turn right, but the real skill is holding it dead centre to keep the boat moving in a straight line. Why is it a skill? Because traditionally, British canals are full of old prams, dustbins, iron bedrails and abandoned cars, all of which tend to knock the rudder to one side or other as you tootle along at three miles an hour.

Then there are hills to consider. Chugging away in a 44 tonne, 1972 ERF, when you come to a hill, you just drop a gear and hit the accelerator. Water doesn’t work like that. It’s gravitationally operated, which means it travels downhill and try as you might, you won’t make it over the Pennines in a souped-up barge. So there are locks to negotiate. When you enter a lock, someone has to get off the boat to operate it. Since Ma’am can’t drive the thing, she will have to do all that work, winding handles, pushing gates open and shut again. By the time she’s done a week of that, she’ll have lost three stones and be fitter than an Olympic sprinter. She’ll also have biceps like an Olympic weightlifter, so you’d better watch your tongue.

There are certain areas that are common to all boating holidays.

Sex on board is no different to sex anywhere else . . . to you and your erstwhile. But it is different for everyone else. You tend to rock the boat, which causes a slight swell on the river, and rocks everybody else’s boat too. Before you get to “GERONIMO!” half the riverbank is demanding that you either pack it in or invite them in. If you’re really on form, you could give rise to a tsunami the likes of which Reedham and Acle have not seen since the Luftwaffe bombed the sugar beet factory at Cantley in the mistaken belief that the silos were gasometers.

Like a real cruise on a real ship, a boating holiday will mean a different village and different pub every night. But don’t imagine you can tie up for free. The landlords of all these riverside joints, not content with charging outrageous prices for a pint of mild and a scotch egg, soon latched onto the possibility of charging despicable mooring fees and what do you get for your money? The chance to tie your boat to a bit of tatty riverbank so that when you come back, blathered out of your brains, you can slip on the mud and take an earlier bath than you’d planned.

In conclusion, then, boating may be an experience, but like extracting your own teeth, it’s one you should try to avoid.

from:
http://dw-miseryguts.blogspot.com

Hallowe’en – Spooky Times in Norfolk

Norfolk’s attractions have laid on a great collection of spooky and scary fun events to mark Hallowe’en.

It is also a great time to enjoy the autumn colours and fresh air in the Norfolk countryside.

Go for a walk at Blickling, Felbrigg and Sheringham Parks (National Trust), Foxley Wood (Norfolk Wildlife Trust), Holkham Park and Wolterton Park. Or take a stroll on the vast expanse of Holkham Beach, made famous by Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love and featured in ITV’s Kingdom, starring Stephen Fry.

Norfolk’s Hallowe’en events:

Monday, October 22 to Sunday, October 28,
• BeWILDerwood near Hoveton, 10am to 5.30pm – 'A magical force will be lurking in the woods' mask making, costume crafting and other children’s activities in this ‘curious’ tree house adventure park. Tel 01603 783900, www.beWILDerwood.co.uk

Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26,
• Felbrigg Hall (National Trust), near Cromer, 11am to 4pm, Hallowe’en trail in the grounds, tel 01263 837444, www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Saturday October 27,
• Blickling Hall (National Trust), near Aylsham, Saturday, 6pm to 8.30pm, ‘spooktacular’ spooky story telling, children’s fancy dress competition and ghoulish happenings in the hall – entry by timed ticket tel 01263 738030

Saturday October 27,
• BeWILDerwood, Saturday, Hallowe’en Lantern Journey, a procession through the Treacherous Trail and into the nocturnal world of BeWILDerwood.

Sunday, October 28,
• Sheringham Park (National Trust), Upper Sheringham, 2.30pm to 4pm and 4.30pm to 6pm, Hallowe’en story telling. Tel 01263 820550

Wednesday, October 31,
• Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, South Walsham 6pm to 8pm, Hallowe’en Spooky Trail with fireworks, ghostly monks, Vikings and the spirits of the ancient King and Queen Oaks, tel 01603 270449, www.fairhavengarden.co.uk

Wednesday, October 31,
• Deepdale Farm, Burnham Deepdale, 6pm – join a ghost hunt to find the spirits of long-departed smugglers and poachers, tel 01485 210256, www.deepdalefarm.co.uk

For information on hundreds of other events and activities and accommodation see www.visitnorfolk.co.uk, or contact Norwich Tourist Information Centre, tel 01603 727927.

Crispian Emberson, Norfolk Tourism Director said: "Autumn is a wonderful season in Norfolk, with great woodland walks and beaches to explore. But there is also plenty of fun to be had in the woods at Hallowe’en making it a very spooky time to visit the county."

Bridge Street Pumpkin Night
31st October, 2007
6.00 to 9.30pm

In 2004 a young farmer with a passion for pumpkin growing realised that he had cultivated a large number of excess pumpkins. Gathering his friends together and arming themselves with assorted deadly weapons, they set out to carve the pumpkins into fantastical shapes and donated them to 16th-century Bridge Street in Bungay.

Each house had a lighted pumpkin placed outside on the evening of 31st October (Halloween) for people to come and enjoy. From this light-hearted concept the Bridge St Feasts and Festivals association was born and Pumpkin Night this year will have its 4th birthday. As trick-or-treating younger children in other parts of the town had been pelted with eggs by older louts in previous years it was decided to close the road to traffic enabling children (both young and old) a secure environment to enjoy a few hours of innocent fun. No entrance fee will be charged as it is simply a social and community venture. We encourage visitors to dress up in clothes suitable for the occasion and prizes will be given for the most original costumes and trick-o- treats. In 2006 the oldest ‘child’ was 86 years and the youngest a few weeks old.

There will be Face Painting by the Mini Monsters Creepy Crawly Roadshow from 6 - 7.30 and the highlight of the evening at 8pm a performance of the Michael Jackson Thriller Zombie Dance down Bridge Street. The Chequers Pub as usual will offer hospitality for the older witch and wizard. Children are also invited to enter their own carved pumpkins on the night to be judged by the Wicked Witch.

Look also at the shop windows in town as there will be a prize for the best Halloween Window in the Sponsor a Pumpkin competition. ‘This is an event for everyone’ said Deirdre Shepherd one of the organisers ‘and is for the whole of the community of Bungay and beyond and we look forward to seeing you on this spookiest of nights.’ So put the date in your diary and come and enjoy some community fun.

Gill Hodgson (G.R.H.), Artist



























Title - Lavender Sky triptych in plaster and paint
produced for the Buckenham Galleries End of Year Show

'My Blog is about my life and work as an artist – I was an Art & Design student in 1980, graduating in interior design 1984, thereafter embarked into the commercial world of architecture and interior design. It wasn’t until my time in Australia 1999 – 2000 that my talents as a designer moved to that of an artist, successfully exhibiting in various shows and galleries in Melbourne. Returning to England, I settled back into interior design but discovered a new medium to excite me as an artist, Plaster and Paint. My technique is a contemporary use of plaster, similar to pargetting of old, creating a highly textured finish, exploring all types of subject matter from landscapes, figurative to abstract. The success of my artwork has drawn me away from the interior design world and further into the Arts. Since 2003 I have exhibited in various shows and galleries in Suffolk and Essex.'

Contact: grhartist@hotmail.co.uk

grhartist.blogspot.com

Over recent weeks hundreds of dead crayfish have been seen in the lower River Waveney between Outney Common near Bungay and Beccles. Crayfish plague or another disease is supected as the cause.

Dead crayfish were first noticed by a local farmer in the middle of September and later by anglers. Unfortunately the Environment Agency were not informed until early October when samples were taken and sent for analysis.

The CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science) lab in Weymouth are analysing the animals to see if they are infected with the highly virulent fungal disease Aphanomyces astaci, commonly known as crayfish plague. Results are expected on Monday October 22nd.

The animals affected are Turkish crayfish – an alien invasive species, which has died in its hundreds over the past few weeks.

However, if the disease spreads to other river systems, the rare native white-clawed crayfish could also be affected and crayfish plague has already wiped out many populations of this species.


The Environment Agency is alerting all anglers, canoeist and other river users to the potential presence of this disease and asking that, as a precaution, they thoroughly clean their equipment before using it in any other waters to stop this disease from spreading once again.

Crayfish in the Waveney belong to a non-native or alien species called Turkish or narrow-clawed crayfish which originates from eastern Europe and western Asia, originally imported to supply the restaurant trade. In common with other European species, this is susceptible to crayfish plague.


Recent surveys showed a dense population in the Waveney present from Flixton to Oulton Broad. The presence of this large species can cause problems such as burrowing into banks, taking anglers bait and preying on river invertebrates and fish eggs. So a thinning or loss of this species from the Waveney is not a problem in itself. However, there is great concern that the plague could spread to other river systems.

This virulent disease has wiped out many populations of our native white-clawed crayfish in England and Wales. Alien crayfish species from America, notably signal crayfish, carry the disease but are not susceptible to it. It is spread by affected crayfish or, more commonly, equipment such as fishing nets, boats etc being transferred from infected waters.

White-clawed crayfish were formerly widespread but have been wiped out from many rivers and now exist in increasingly isolated populations. There is so much concern for the future that it has been designated a Biodiversity Action Plan species as part of the UK’s response to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and protected by EU legislation (Habitats Directive). Norfolk rivers such as the Wensum, Yare and Stiffkey contain some of the last populations in East Anglia.

The Environment Agency is strongly advising that anyone using equipment in the river take recommended precautions before using the same equipment in any other river system. The stretch of river to be considered potentially affected is anywhere downstream of Homersfield, including Oulton Broad.

American Travel Agents Discover Norwich and Norfolk’s Uniqueness

Fifteen American travel agents were in Norfolk from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 October to visit some of the county’s key heritage destinations, including HM The Queen’s Sandringham House and Norwich Cathedral, during a weekend ‘fam’ trip following British Heritage Tours’ first ‘Selling The Uniqueness of Britain’ conference.

American Airlines’ Stansted service from JFK, which begins on October 28 along with existing MAXjet and Eos Airlines’ flights are increasing accessibility to Norfolk for the US market. British Heritage Tours has announced that it’s second ‘‘Selling the Uniqueness of Britain’ conference will be in Norwich next October.


Paull Tickner, British Heritage Tours Managing Director said: “As far as American agents are concerned, Norfolk is genuinely an undiscovered destination. But it has a fantastic heritage and gardens product ideally suited for specialist American tours. The new services into Stansted will make Norwich and the wider county much more accessible, so we have decided to base our second ‘Selling the Uniqueness of Britain’ conference in Norwich next October.”

The Norfolk 'fam' trip included visits to HM the Queen’s Sandringham House and Estate, Houghton Hall, home of the Marquis of Cholmondley, Holkham Hall home of the Earls of Leicester and the ancient village of Walsingham, an important medieval and modern pilgrimage site. The agents also completed a walking tour of Norwich’s medieval streets with visits to the Norman Cathedral and historic market, which has been on the same site for nearly 1,000 years.

Celia Baca, a travel agent from Orange County, California said: “British Heritage Tours’ conference was first class. My head is swimming with new information. I already have three new itineraries worked out. It was my first visit to Norfolk. I cannot believe we are allowed into the Queen’s home at Sandringham. It was wonderful experience. My clients will love to come here along with the county's other great historic houses and gardens and Norwich with its fabulous history.”

Clare Packer, Head of Marketing, VisitNorwich who co-ordinated the Norfolk 'fam' trip with British Heritage Tours and Norfolk Tourism said: “VisitNorwich and Norfolk Tourism have been working closely with British Heritage Tours for the last two years to raise the profile of the county in the United Sates. Our initial work was based around the Jamestown 400 celebrations. This 'fam' trip and the announcement that Paull Tickner is going to bring his conference to Norwich is great news for the city and county. I am sure that we are going to see a marked increase in the numbers of specialist American tours.”

Crispian Emberson, Director, Norfolk Tourism: “I am delighted that Paull Tickner and the American travel agents had such a successful visit to Norfolk. We have a superb heritage product with excellent links to America’s founding fathers and of course the US Army 8th Air Force in World War II. Norwich will be great base for British Heritage Tours’ next conference when we will have an even better opportunity to showcase the best of city and county.”