see more videos via our BlogPod

Anthea Foster, Norfolk National Gardens Scheme county organiser scooped the Tourism “Peoples Award, Unsung Hero” at the EDP, Tourism in Norfolk Awards Dinner on the 20th November 2009, hosted by Carol Bundock at the Holiday Inn North, Norwich.

The award is for an individual whose commitment is above and beyond the normal role. Anthea is the county organiser for the National Gardens Scheme which raises funds for many nursing, caring and gardening charities including the National Trust careership. Anthea is one of many county organisers for the NGS across England and Wales. Together they promote the opening of private and commercial gardens raising funds for the charities of the scheme.

Anthea is the backbone of the NGS in Norfolk her commitment over the last sixteen years has raised the profile of Norfolk open gardens whilst raising money. Anthea can often be found delivering leaflets, posters or yellow signs, overseeing gardens or recruiting new owners. She supports her team and garden owners located all over the county. Little do people know the garden owner at Lexham Hall snowdrop walks, often on the gate, helps coordinate the whole of the county’s open gardens for the National Gardens Scheme.

Anthea Foster said “It is an honour to receive this award. It is true recognition of the contribution that the National Gardens Scheme in Norfolk has made over the years to raise the profile of the “Open Gardens” while raising funds for worthwhile charities. It also recognises all those who have also donated their time - the volunteers in the county team and those who open their gardens. The Norfolk NGS believes that a great community spirit across the county has been achieved which also plays a significant role in the Tourism industry. It has raised the profile of the great horticultural product of Norfolk, private and commercial gardens, its nurseries, designers and accommodation. With two other gardens award winners, Pensthorpe and Fairhaven, and Hoveton Hall a finalist, it demonstrates garden visiting is a major attraction in the Norfolk tourism industry. Thank you to everyone who has helped achieve this and for the prestige of winning this award.”

NGS Press Office Annette Bowler collected the award on behalf of Anthea Foster at the Tourism Awards. The award will be presented to Anthea at the launch of the 2010 Norfolk NGS Brochure launch in February. In will then have pride of place in the Lexham Hall tea room for the snowdrop walk and for all other garden visitors to view.

If you were one of the “Norfolk Open Garden” visitors this summer please continue your support in 2010 or open your garden for the NGS! For more information visit www.norfolkgardens.org

The Upstairs Gallery at Beccles has done it again! Scooping the award for best small attraction for the second year running, following their recent award for Business Brain of Britain, the celebrations at the gallery this week are plenty.

The news came just a few weeks after winning the award for Business Brain of Britain, sponsored by Heart radio and AVIVA!

Awards are judges on certain achievements, visitor enjoyment, core values, and are visited by a judging team to ascertain the criteria and standard is kept.

The Lowestoft Journal and The Beccles & Bungay Journal teamed up Waveney Tourism Forum for the 4th Annual Waveney Sunrise Coast Tourism Awards. The awards recognise and praise the efforts and innovations of the local tourism industry in Waveney

Waveney Tourism said “Each year we see attractions and accommodation providers developing their product to benefit customers and improve the visitor experience of the area. The Sunrise Coast Tourism Awards recognise those achievements by the industry”.

This year categories included:

Best Bed & Breakfast
Best Hotel
Best Holiday Park
Best Large Attraction
Best Small Attraction
Best Heritage Venue

The judging panel is made up from members of the Waveney Tourism Forum and the Lowestoft Journal. Other winners at this years conference event were Africa Alive - Best Large Attraction, The Upstairs gallery - Best small attraction, Beccles Church tower - Best Heritage Venue, Catherine House - Best Bed and Breakfast and Heathland Holiday Park for Best Holiday Park, the winning Hotel was Victoria hotel at Lowestoft.

Michelle from the Upstairs Gallery says 'This is an immense celebration for our town to be recognised as one of the best places to visit and stay. I am so proud of Beccles acheivements, the community here works very hard to work together for everyone's enjoyment. With a 15 roomed arts gallery, we do a lot of work for artists with the media, and for sales across the UK, all voluntary. A lot of hard work is done by volunteers in the town, and its nice to be recognised for those efforts. Congratulation to Beccles Church Tower and Catherine House! What a scoop for Beccles Businesses!!'

The show now on at the Upstairs gallery is the final showcase of the year, and what a huge event it is, SUFFOLK OPEN STUDIOS WINTER SHOW showcases the talents of artists across Suffolk, at one venue. With a huge selection of gifts, jewellery, ceramics, sculpture and artwork, this is the BIG SHOW!

Why not come along and see why we are one of the most popular venues for Artwork in East Anglia! Keep updated on our website for news and events EVERY MONTH www.theupstairsgallery.co.uk

see more videos via our BlogPod

Earsham Mill
Earsham Mill dates from Saxon times and adjoins ancient earthworks. It was a brick built mill with a pantile roof. Earsham and Elllingham are the only two mills on the Waveney that are officially in Norfolk.

The mill was rebuilt by R.H. Clarke on the existing site in 1862. It was fitted with 12 pairs of stones powered by a waterwheel and a steam engine. A roller plant manufactured by Whitman & Binyon was installed in 1893. At this time, flour from Earsham was being sent to Newcastle by water transport.



c.1824 Thomas Clarke made a will in which he made mention of his wife Ann and also stated that a further 30 years of his 60 year lease from the Duke of Norfolk was still yet to run. This means the lease was granted c.1784 and was possibly taken out by Thomas' father, Wiliam Clarke. Thomas Clarke died in 1834.

It would appear that sometime between 1845 and 1860 Richard and Charlotte Narburgh left for the USA, without their children. A Richard and Charlotte Narburgh show up in the Illinois census of 1860 and as their ages tie in it seems probable that it was the same couple. However, they presumably returned to England as they do not appear in any later surveys.

..I have definite evidence concerning their son Thomas (my great grandfather) who incidentally started a racing paper called the "Pink - un" which later became the "Sporting Life" that still survives. Thomas lived to age 90, and I can remember being taken to his home in Elstree to meet him when I was 5. I am now 81, and a US citizen, having emigrated here 40 years ago.
John Narburgh - 26th August 2004

News from the past . . .

To be let by Tender
for 4 or 6 years from Christmas next
EARSHAM WATER MILL
Situate within One Mile of the Town of Bungay
The Mill will be Let with the Water-wheel, Pit wheels, three pairs of Stones, Flour mill and all the going gears and machinery as now in the mill, with Dwelling House, Stables, Granaries and Outbuildings and with 8 acres excellant Meadow Land including Garden and Yards.
Tenders sealed up to be delivered at the office of William HARTCUP Esq. Solicitor, Bungay on or before Thursday 20th instant, who will give further information.
The proprietor will not be bound to take the highest offer or accept any of the tenders.
Dated December 4, 1855 - Norfolk Chronicle - 8th December 1855

Thomas Jeckyll, Architect and Designer, 1827-81
Jeckyll built a water mill and connecting cottage at Earsham for the Duke of Norfolk ....1862 ..... The contractors James Maxim Smith and Lewis Bull won the tender for this commission on an estimate of £1,069 with an additional £454.1.5 for the necessary machinery. The three-story mill composed of brick and cement had a small, attached four-bedroom house. The mill still stands today but in a poor condition, and the cottage has been demolished. - Susan Weber Soros & Catherine Arbuthnott - Yale University Press 2003


The steam engine house is to the left of the mill on the above photo but there is also an auxiliary drive belt attached to a pulley on the right hand side of the mill and is obviously being powered by some sort of engine hidden from view.

James Thurston was miller in the mid 1850s. He was born c.1802-05 in South Elmham and married Sarah Fairhead. They had some 15 children, one of whom was possibly George Thurston who was a miller's apprentice in 1841 living in South Elmham, before moving to Mundham by 1861.


Charles Marston purchased the mill in 1900.
He was born in Bungay_Mill House in 1882 and apparently grew up learning every branch of his business as if it was his hobby. He also owned a 3 sack plant at Harleston and the watermill at Bungay, which for a short period was used as a roller mill. However, the mill burnt down in 1902 but by 1923 it was being used as a grist mill.

The plant was remodelled in 1904 and thereafter ran 24 hours per day. It's capacity by now was 3½ sacks per hour. Power for the new plant was supplied by a turbine and coal gas.

The Miller Challenge Cup 1923
British Wheat Flour

Class A 1st Prize - Charles Marston of Bungay
Class C 1st Prize - Charles Marston of Bungay

For more history about these mills and many others, please visit - www.norfolkmills.co.uk

Wendy Shaw and Kate Litchfield have been painting together since 2003. Exploring the relationship between artmaking and spirituality they paint together on the same canvas in silent meditation. For them art and spirituality are interwoven. Colour, mark, line and form are an outward and visible expression of an inner movement and landscape.

They work in watercolour, gouache and pastel on handmade paper and their love of colour is evident in the images. There are no boundaries on the shared surface...the artists' brush marks and colours weave together forming abstract images that are beyond words. They paint silently and intuitively until the spiritual meditation comes to completion.

Biblical texts, beauty and brokenness are a source of their work

Kate and Wendy began Burning Bush Creative Arts in 2003, and have now developed a creative contemplative art space at Burning Bush Barn, Rockland St Mary, Norwich for exploration of spirituality through art meditation, interactive installation, discovery and play.

The project is supported by the Diocese of Norwich and rooted in the Christian faith –but it is open to all who seek a deeper exploration of who we are and the creative world in which we live and relate.

The East Suffolk Railway connected Beccles with Ipswich and opened in 1859, incorporating parts of the earlier Halesworth, Beccles and Haddiscoe, and the Lowestoft and Beccles Railways. The Waveney Valley Railway from Tivetshall on the Ipswich to Norwich mainline reached Beccles in 1863 making the town an important junction on the expanding network. However, by 1966 the Waveney Valley Railway had closed, together with the line to Haddiscoe north across the River Waveney because it had become too expensive to maintain.

Beccles Marsh was given to the people of the town in 1584 by Queen Elizabeth I by granting a charter, now depicted on the Town Sign to commemorate the event. The Town Council, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the Broads Authority maintain the marsh as a haven for wildlife and have provided waymarked trails of up to 4 miles and this walk incorporates a route all the way around the marsh, although various alternatives are available if preferred.
Walk Route

From the station walk straight into the town centre along Station Road, Beccles past interesting Victorian houses and the Martyrs Memorial Church where a plaque on the front describes the burning of three men on 21st May 1556 for their beliefs. Continue on across Newgate Street and along Market Street to reach New Market. This area was developed in the 13th century by the Abbot of Bury to cater for growing trade, the quaint little shops stand on the sites of the original 17th century wooden stalls. Turn right along The Walk past the red brick octagonal shaped Town Hall, built in 1765 and standing on the site of the original medieval Market Cross. Continue on to the Tower of St. Michael's Church, housing a peal of 10 bells and built separately away from the dangerous cliff at the rear of the church. A guide book describing the church is well worth obtaining if you are entering and is available within for £1.50.


Continue straight on down Salt Gate and past the end of the Old Market Place, probably the original Anglo Saxon site of Fairs and Markets. Walk along Northgate noting several plaques on the walls describing various buildings, including the house of Adrian Bell, writer and father of Martin Bell the former war correspondent. Also note the Scores, access lanes to the staithes or quays on the river where goods of all kinds were loaded and unloaded. Cross Bridge Street and walk on along Fen Lane to reach The Quay. Information about the history of the town, river and the surrounding area is available at the Broads Authority Information Centre to the left. Bear right and cross the water of the yacht station via the footbridge, turning left along the quayside path on the other side. At the end of the Tarmac path turn right along the bank of the River Waveney and under the bridge carrying the A146 Beccles by-pass. Just before passing under the bridge there is a map on the fencing showing a plan of the marshes and the routes of the trails.

Walk on past Beccles Sailing Club where there is a junction of the paths and the point where the red walk turns right off the main walk. Continue along the riverside, now on a grassy path on the bank, following the path for some considerable way until you reach another path junction giving access again to the red walk.


The main walk continues straight on along the riverside embankment. This section of path is also part of the Angles Way, a 77 mile path from Great Yarmouth to Knettishall Heath Country Park following the valleys of the River Waveney and Little Ouse. The next feature you will come across is the pumping station, used to regulate the water level in the dykes of the fen and, a little further on, the site of the old swing bridge that once carried the railway over the river. The railway from Beccles to Great Yarmouth was built across the fen and river in 1854 but proved to be expensive to maintain and was eventually closed in the 1960s, the bed of the track across the marsh is now used for access.


The riverside path eventually reaches a yellow topped waymark post at the end of the maintained trail at a right turn down the embankment away from the river. Follow the path as it meanders through the fen and between the trees, following the Worlingham Wall marking the eastern boundary of the marsh separating the Beccles level from Worlingham.

Follow the path at a right turn over a footbridge and then straight on to the right of a dyke, along a willow tree lined track. At the end of a long straight and a junction of tracks turn left and then follow round to the right at the next junction, heading for the farm buildings ahead. At the farm, at a junction of the tracks, turn left past the cattle pens, now walking on the former bed of the old marsh railway through the trees.


After passing through a gateway at the pits there is another board with information about the marsh and the trails. Turn right under the height barrier on the grassy track to reach another gate with a stile at the side and leading out to a small car parking area. Walk along the waste site access road and turn right past the allotments to the next bend where the track turns sharply right. There is another Marsh Trail information board here close to the bend.

Turn left on the path alongside the fence and up a few steps to the main A146 road. Cross with care and walk down the steps at the other side past the Fen Lane car park to reach Fen Lane. Turn left and follow Pound Road round the bend to reach the red brick Pound at the junction with Common Lane North. This circular structure was once used to contain stray animals found on the Common and was restored in 1982 by the Town Council and the Beccles Society.

Walk along Common Lane North and right along George Westwood Way to return to the start of the walk at Beccles Station.

Source and credits: www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com
Beccles Railway Station is served by National Express East Anglia (Train Operating Company), who operate services between Ipswich and Lowestoft – East Suffolk Line.

UK BBC Children In Need 2009 Official Single Song Peter Kay.

Don't just watch - donate as it's all to raise money for BBC Children in Need and continue helping disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

To donate go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/donate

To donate go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/donate

Don't just watch - donate as it's all to raise money for BBC Children in Need and continue helping disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

We have always tried to control Drink Driving but a new bigger problem has arisen in the use of Drugs and at the same time being in charge of a lethal weapon YES a MOTOR VEHICLE . . .

It has been stated that 1 in 10 young male drivers admit to DRUG DRIVING Anyone will face a £5000 fine and 6 months in Prison caught Drug Driving The Police are able to SPOT signs of severely dilated or constricted pupils

It is estimated 1 in 5 DRIVERS and RIDERS killed in road accidents have been impaired by taking drugs we must also see a breathalyser type of drug testing device, rather than the police looking in the eyes and getting drivers to put their finger on the nose, or standing on one foot.

A basic Field Impairment Test is not really the proper way, the police can of course take the driver to the police station for a blood test

The British Government have dragged their heels bringing in a proper testing device but the Germans have already bought in Saliva Wipes to catch drivers.

This is a big problem on our roads today and we must bring in education to drivers but at the same time bring in the enforcement to back it up.

We must also control the taking of presciption drugs, read the box or double check with your GP.

ANTIHISTAMINES
Used for FLU and HAYFEVER may affect reaction times and cause drowsiness if it says dont operate heavy machinery it means not getting behind wheel of car.

Drug driving is the same penalties as drink driving. BUT you could be driven by a driver with drugs in their system rather than be over a drink drive limit.

Refusing to take tests for drug driving is the same offence as failure to provide a breath test for drinking.

Don't forget a police officer can say you are unfit to drive, arrest you and take you to the police station for further tests, ie blood or urine, they will not need you to sober up to do this

If you know someone is on drugs DON'T LET THEM DRIVE

CANNABIS
Will distort your perception of time and distance while driving other vehicles will seem closer you will struggle to do two things at once for instance change gears.

COCAINE
Leads to aggressive over confident high speed driving.

AMPHETAMINES
Hard to co-ordinate and make drivers not react to hazards.

ECSTASY
Give drivers blurred vision and poor judgements and can lead to extra anxiety.


10 PEOPLE DIE and 50 SERIOUSLY INJURED in Drink Drive crashes every WEEK

DON'T MIX WORK WITH DRINK OR DRUGS

If any Company Directors or Managers have read this write up please remember to make sure your company has a Drink and Drug policy in place.

THE POLICY
Through Health and Safety at Work we are committed in reducing risks which our staff may face on the UK roads during their working day. ALL our staff must be aware and take part.

If your ability to WORK and DRIVE is UNSAFE due to taking Alcohol, Drugs, or Medicines, you will face SERIOUS DISCIPLINARY ACTION.

Everybody must comply to the Companies Driving Policy and our Code of Conduct. This also includes when driving in your own time . . .

One of the best Adverts a Company can have is the professional way drivers are driving their Sign Written Vehicles. IT'S THE SIGN OF DRIVING THE COMPANY FORWARD

RSPB events on the Suffolk coast
November 2009 - March 2010
minsmere@rspb.org.uk

All of the events below are at RSPB Minsmere nature reserve, Westleton, unless otherwise stated


Events November 2009 to March 2010
click here for more details

November
Sat 21 – Binocular and telescope demo: 10 am – 4 pm
Sun 22 – Binocular and telescope demo: 10 am – 4 pm
Wed 25 - Winter wander: 10 am
Thurs 26 – Winter wildfowl at Minsmere: 9.30 am
Thurs 26 - Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings: 11 am
Sat 28 - Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am

December
Wed 2 - Winter wander: 10 am
Thurs 3 - Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings: 11 am
Sat 5 – A Minsmere Christmas stocking: 10 am – 3 pm
Sat 5 - Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings: 11 am
Sun 6 – A Minsmere Christmas stocking: 10 am – 3 pm
Thurs 10 – Winter wildfowl at North Warren: 9.30 am
Thurs 10 - Winter wander: 10 am
Thurs 10 - Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings: 11 am
Sat 12 – Digiscoping demo: 10 am – 4 pm
Sun 13 - Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Wed 16 – Winter wildfowl at Minsmere: 9.30 am
Thurs 17 - Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings: 11 am
Fri 18 - Winter wander: 10 am
Sat 19 - Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings: 11 am
Mon 21 - Winter wander: 10 am
Sun 27 - Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Wed 30 - Winter wander: 10 am

January
Sat 2 - Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings: 11 am
Thu 7 - Winter wander: 10 am
Wed 13 – Winter wildfowl at Minsmere: 9.30 am
Fri 15 – Winter wildfowl at North Warren: 9.30 am
Sat 16 - Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Fri 22 - Winter wander: 10 am
Sun 31 - Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Sun 31 – Winter wildfowl at North Warren: 9.30 am

February
Mon 1 – Winter wander: 10 am
Tues 2 – Winter wildfowl at Minsmere: 9.30 am
Sat 6 - Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings: 11 am
Wed 10 – Winter wander: 10 am
Sat 13 – Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Thu 18 – Winter wander: 10 am
Fri 19 – Birdwatching for beginners: 9.30 am
Thu 25 – Winter wander: 10 am
Fri 26 – Winter wildfowl at Minsmere: 9.30 am
Sun 28 – Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am

March
Wed 3 - Discovering Minsmere: 9.30 am
Sat 6 - Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings: 11 am
Wed 10 - Discovering Minsmere: 9.30 am
Sat 13 - Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Thu 18 - Discovering Minsmere: 9.30 am
Sun 21 - Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Fri 26 - Discovering Minsmere: 9.30 am
Sun 28 - Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am

Visiting arrangements at Minsmere

Entry charges to the reserve:
adult £5,
child £1.50 (under 5s free),
families £10(two adults and up to four children),
concession £3.
Free for RSPB and Wildlife Explorer members.
Your entry fee will be refunded if you become a member on the day of your visit.

Opening times
Nature trails and hides open daily.

From 1 February to 31 October:
Visitor centre open from 9 am to 5 pm.
Shop open 10 am to 5 pm.
Tearoom open 10 am to 4.30 pm, with last orders 15 minutes before closing.
Hot food served 11.30 am to 2.30 pm.

From 1 November to 31 January:
Visitor centre open 9 am to 4 pm
Shop and tearoom open 10 am to 4 pm.
Reserve and all facilities closed 25 and 26 December.

Facilities at Minsmere
Access to the visitor centre is free. At the reception desk, you can hire binoculars or borrow a free children’s Explorer Backpack and Discovery Trail booklet. You can also find out more about the reserve and the RSPB. The shop stocks a wide range of books, outdoor clothing, gifts, binoculars and telescopes. You can enjoy a light meal or snack in the tearoom. There are toilets, with baby changing facilities, and a large car park beside the visitor centre.

A permit is needed for the two nature trails, which are each about 1.5 miles long. Two of the eight birdwatching hides are accessed via steps, and two via the beach. The rest of the hides and trails are accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs. A free trail guide is available from reception. Sorry, no dogs on the nature trails, but they are welcome around the visitor centre and car park, where there is a limited amount of shaded parking.

DEAR ALL,

I am a newly published local author, Philip Copland, and have written a book about the Battle of Britain.

The book has recently been published in the USA...by Publish America and should be available in the U.K. at the end of November [certainly Amazon should have it by then].

An East Anglian and now living back near Beccles, I first started my early teaching at Hawkinge Primary School [my classroom was on the edge of the airfield at that time in the village hall..].

I became more and more fascinated with what 11Group of the Royal Air Force had done during Summer1940..seeing off a growing armada of Luftwaffe intruders during the great battle [Possibly the most important battle of the 20th Century].

I explain this in my book ''KEEP FAR OUR FOES''

In July, 1909, Louis Bleriot flew the first frail aircraft across the English Channel from France, to land near Dover. Within a mere 30 years, two major European nations had produced dangerous and fast warplanes!

I HOPE THAT MANY READERS WILL WANT TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN COPY

Please phone if you wish to know more about it, the book will cost $19.95...which is about £14.99

Also now available at Amazon.co.uk

Phil Copland 01502 575358

"No not really a Blot on the Landscape, just the remains of an old civilisation."