It Takes Two - Norwich 20 Group Artists Collaborate will be staged at St Margaret’s Church, St Benedicts, Norwich from Tuesday, May 11th to Saturday, May 22nd, open daily 10am to 6pm, free admission.

We are looking for volunteers to help with the Active Norfolk Corporate Games on Friday 18th June. Volunteers will be needed all day and roles will include keeping scores, marshaling and helping with the smooth running of the activities throughout the day. Volunteers will receive lunch, a t-shirt and a certificate.

If you are interested, please email shelley.starkings@activenorfolk.org and request a registration form

For more information about the Active Norfolk Corporate Games, click here



Men and women with disabilities will be able to try several sporting activities at the event which is being organised by Active Norfolk and delivered in partnership with Football in the Community (FITC).

It is FREE to enter and is open to individuals with disabilities over the age of 16. Click here for details

The Norfolk Working Well Conference will give attendees a chance to hear the economic case for investing in health and wellbeing initiatives and encourage them to implement the ideas within their own organisations to improve the health and wellbeing of their staff.

The event has been arranged by NHS Norfolk in partnership with the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and will take place on Tuesday, May 11 2010 at Open, on Bank Plain in Norwich between 9am-1.30pm.

Sheila Childerhouse, NHS Norfolk’s Chair will open the conference, before it is chaired by Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. The conference will also include a keynote speech from the National Director for Health and Work, Dame Carol Black.

Over 100 organisations are expected to be represented at the event from a mixture of both public and private backgrounds, some to exhibit their ideas and some to discuss how they may be able to implement the initiatives themselves.

Business representatives will be able to explore how the introduction of similar initiatives and policies could benefit their own organisations by potentially reducing staff sickness, staff turnover, recruitment costs and stress – but increasing staff morale, productivity and loyalty.

Around 22 stands will be on display from a range of organisations to promote initiatives for a variety of aspects regarding health and wellbeing, such as ideas to help people stop smoking, become more active, eat well at work and maintain positive mental health.

Representatives from NHS Norfolk will be promoting programmes offered by the organisation, which was recently awarded ‘Fit for Business’ status for its efforts to implement and promote initiatives and policies to improve the wellbeing of its staff.

Catering for the conference is being provided by The Joy of Food (a project hosted by NHS Norfolk) which has trained a number of individuals to work alongside the project team to feed the delegates some of the Joy of Food’s speciality dishes, all of which represent the key elements of a balanced diet.

Justine Hottinger, joint-organiser of the event and NHS Norfolk’s Health Improvement Specialist for the Workplace, said: “I have been working closely with NHS Norfolk management to implement a number of policies and initiatives which encourage our members of staff to take suitable breaks, be active, eat well and generally lead a healthier lifestyle in and out of work.

“This can really help to increase productivity in the workplace, make staff feel like a valuable resource and ultimately benefit the organisation they work for by increasing efficiency and reducing staff sickness.

“At the Norfolk Working Well conference, we will demonstrate to Norfolk businesses that investment in the wellbeing of staff can reap significant rewards. For example, by helping staff manage their stress levels and stay healthy generally, businesses can reduce the number of staff absences which tend to cost businesses significantly over the course of a year.”

The conference is for Norfolk businesses and free of charge, though booking is required. For more information about the Norfolk Working Well event or information about how to book, go to: www.workplacehealth.biz

Kingfisher

Kingfishers are birds of the three families Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers).

Characteristics
There are about 90 species of kingfisher. All are small unmistakable bright blue and orange birds, they have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Habitat
Kingfishers live in both woodland and wetland habitats. Kingfishers that live near water hunt small fish by diving. They also eat crayfish, frogs, and insects. Wood kingfishers eat reptiles.

Kingfishers of all three families beat their prey to death, either by whipping it against a tree or by dropping it on a stone.

They are able to see well both in air and under water. To do this, their eyes have evolved an egg-shaped lens able to focus in the two different environments.

Behaviour
They fly rapidly, low over water, and hunt fish from riverside perches, occasionally hovering above the water's surface. They are vulnerable to hard winters and habitat degradation through pollution.

They are widespread, especially in central and southern England, becoming less common further north but they are currently increasing in their range in Scotland. Kingfishers are found by still or slow flowing water such as lakes, canals and rivers in lowland areas.

In winter, some individuals move to estuaries and the coast. Occasionally they may visit garden ponds if of a suitable size.
B.A.B.


www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife

With many magnificent gardens open this year, the National Gardens Scheme in Norfolk is enticing visitors to plan a garden day out and venture further afield to benefit from gardens within easy reach of each other, opening on the same day. Garden enthusiasts are encouraged to down tools and enjoy the results of others hard work and sit and enjoy the views and peace in these wonderful gardens. Gardens surrounding halls and farmhouses and small ones in towns and villages, can all be found to provide that garden day out of ones choice.

Lexham Hall and Narborough Hall, both set in parkland, open on Sunday 16th May. With a splendid show of spring colour, including wisterias trained on walls and arches and spring flowering clematis, they are only 10 miles apart. Both gardens, although very different in layout, have extensive walks along the River Nar, woodland, topiary and walled gardens.

One of the first new gardens to open is 5 Batterby Green, Hempton, a cottage garden packed with plants opening the same day as Derwen, Whissonsett Road, Colkirk on Sunday 23rd May. With six NGS gardens open this week-end, there is a challenge for the keen visitor to see how many they can enjoy, starting at 11 o’clock in the morning!

Chelsea Award winning garden designer Clare Agnew opens the garden at Oulton Hall (featured on the front cover of 2010 Norfolk NGS Garden Guide) on Sunday 30th May. A short journey to the north coast will provide the opportunity of visiting a new open garden. Warborough House is a seven acre garden on a steep chalk slope, surrounding a nineteen century house (not open) with views across the Stiffkey valley and to the coast.

NGS County Organiser Anthea Foster said “If your garden choice is large and formal, small and quirky or just the wow factor of interest, plan a NGS garden day out in Norfolk this year. Throughout the open garden season a combination of gardens can be enjoyed at a relatively low price. A chance to down your garden tools and admire the hard work of another gardener. With seventy five gardens and fourteen new gardens this year, several varied garden days out can be planned. Sit back and enjoy the view in a private show garden while helping raise funds for the charities of the National Gardens Scheme".

If your garden is of high quality, character and at least forty-five minutes interest Contact County Organiser Fiona Black to discuss opening your garden. Tel 01692 650247

For more garden day out ideas visit your local Tourist information, garden centre, nursery or open garden to pick up a Norfolk NGS Garden Guide or visit www.norfolkgardens.org.

A new MEND course has started in Norfolk, encouraging children and their families to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do-it) is a free service for 7 to 13-year-olds which is funded by NHS Norfolk, and delivered by Football in the Community. (FITC)

It is being held Cromer Junior School for two hours each Wednesday evening. Each session consists of an hour covering nutrition followed by an hour of fun-based exercise. A parent or guardian must attend with the child, and courses must be pre-booked.

MEND is also being held at Attleborough Junior School every Monday evening. Planning is underway to take it to other venues throughout Norfolk.

Toby Nickerson, MEND Co-ordinator at Football In The Community, said: "Children and their families are able to learn about exercise and nutrition which in turn helps to build their confidence and self-esteem. The MEND programme is designed to aid changes that help make an incredible difference to children’s and their families' lives. It’s great to see the children grow in confidence throughout the ten weeks of the course."

“We are really keen for more children from the Attleborough and Cromer area to the forthcoming sessions. However, we will be looking to run more MEND programmes as the year progresses at venues in King's Lynn, Norwich, Thetford and Wymondham among others."

The MEND programme is the UK’s largest healthy lifestyle programme for children and their parents or carers. It aims to support children and families who would like to attend a more specialised weight management programme.

Toby said: "This free programme has a family-centred approach and is a great way of getting everybody eating healthier and being more active together.

"We can’t do this without the support of parents. They have found the sessions a great way of spending time with their children, learning new games and ways that all the family can become healthier in general. Parents who have been involved in the sessions have also seen a reduction in their weight and waist circumference, which we know is a really important factor in maintaining health and extending the life expectancy of the whole family."

Toby has recently been appointed as FITC/NHS Norfolk MEND co-ordinator. He will plan, prepare, recruit and deliver all MEND programmes in NHS Norfolk's area.

He worked part-time for FITC whilst studying for a degree in sports and exercise science at Northampton University. He has been with FITC full time for three years, starting work originally as a community coach delivering activities from school games lessons, after-school clubs and soccer schools, to progressing into his new role as FITC/NHS Norfolk MEND Co-ordinator.

Hannah Critten, NHS Norfolk's Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives Co-ordinator said: "MEND is an enjoyable way for children to get more active, learn about eating well and build confidence in order to support positive behaviour change. It also gives them the opportunity to have fun with their families too.

"Research shows there are more than 55,000 overweight children in Norfolk. Children who are overweight are more likely to continue to be overweight as adults - which then puts them at risk of conditions including diabetes and heart disease.

"Toby's appointment shows the importance that NHS Norfolk and FITC place on the MEND courses, and we would encourage everyone to take part."

To sign up for MEND call Toby on 01603 761122,
email tobynickerson@ncfc-canaries.co.uk, or visit www.fitc.org.uk

Roll on May 6th and let us get this election over and done with.

Everyone must be getting fed up listening to all Parties making promises we know it is impossible for them to keep while at the same time they condemn everything the other parties are proposing.

It wouldn’t be quite so bad if it was only the politicians and their loyal followers, but it isn’t. A large number of people will vote following the guidance given by the media.

The days are gone when they just reported the news. Now, any bad news is made out to be worse than it is while good news invariably has ‘what if’ built in before listeners have had time to assess any of the facts.

It is obvious that in the wrong hands the media has the power to bring down almost anybody or group if they choose to do so.

The Government introduced the Lottery. Under control it could be fun for everyone and a boost for small charities, many of whom still struggle and have to depend on donations for their survival.

Look what has happened. Society has now been educated to have what they want when they want it regardless of their financial position. Consequently people use borrowed money for gambling just as they do for anything else.

Who can blame them? They are repeatedly reminded that their turn will come and ‘IT COULD BE YOU!’

There is now no need to leave your armchair to gamble. You can use your phone, computer or television or even just ask someone to buy you tickets when they do the shopping.

We are being told how badly off the majority of people are and how much more they will suffer if they vote for the wrong party: - Recent events showed some who could barely afford to go abroad for a holiday!?? They were stranded and broke.

When it is announced how much is waiting to be won on a lottery roll-over it makes you wonder how much was invested in it before the costs and charitable donations etc. were deducted.

Perhaps the recent report confirming the rich are continuing to get richer and the poor poorer at a rapid rate will give everyone a clearer indication of what is happening.

Did You Know?

Before we had radios, televisions and computers, when people used their own judgement without the influence of the media there was far less discontent and dissent.

In the past everything was more localised and everyone was content with much less than they have today. Whenever things were not easily come by the human race was always able to show initiative and find a substitute or alternative. Now we seem to have reached a stage where we have become dependant on modern technology.

We all use it even though many of us don’t understand how it works. Our attention is drawn to it only when something breaks down. None of it is infallible and much is very easily put out of action, even by natural phenomenon.

A good example is the chaos caused by the ash from the volcano in Iceland, they are still counting the cost. Then we frequently have the effect of thunderstorms and heavy snowfalls. Such conditions soon bring a realisation that man is a very long way from ruling the world.

The current election campaign seems to have highlighted, not only the terrible mess this country is in but also the dilemmas facing the whole world. Nothing can change until we put our own house in order and plan long term.

‘Our own house’ is to be taken literally. We have to restore the family unit before we can successfully sort out any of our social problems. That is where children find the seeds for the role of being human and acquire qualities such as good manners, discipline, respect, loyalty, honesty, how to live with others in the community and many more. Not forgetting, when things go wrong the home has to be the families first refuge at all times.

A good place for any Government to start would be to make it more profitable for couples to be married rather than live together as partners.

Then make it easy for at least one parent to be with their offspring at all times until the age of five. That would allow them to bond and the child to get the best from those early years when they could learn so much before being introduced to the stress of academic schooling. It would give them a chance to have fun as they became familiar with the ways of life.

Which party is prepared to make such a promise in their manifesto??

valley lad - [EIGHTY-ONE]

During this last week I have been doing several sessions of driver training involving very busy Motorways, and one Question has come up a lot during the briefing, on how much todays drivers really know about our Motorway networks?

It is the sign now seen a lot on the grass verge along side the carriageway.

It has a blue background ( of course all motorway signs are Blue ) rectangular in shape, portrait style, with yellow writing...

The writing for example says...



So this sign means if you witness a accident or your car has broken down, you can tell the Emergency Services exactly where you are or near.

The middle letter could be A or B because this tells you which direction you are travelling.

On the M25 A is in Clockwise direction and B is Anticlockwise.

The numbers below ( 43 .8 for example ) tells you how many kilometres you are from the Junction 1 on the M25.

One driver I was with thought it was the number he needed to be on to get best reception on his car radio!!


Another problem on our roads is the amount of roadworks taking place, again the motorways I was using this week seemed to have the most, yes they were working during daylight hours and many many drivers were not slowing down, where the road workers were working, one place where there were no average speed cameras, but warning signs on the overhead gantry's to slow down did not seem to be very effective.

These road workers are taking high risks, perhaps drivers should change places, and for instance imagine they are sitting at the office desk with fast traffic moving past them!!

Perhaps a good way to remember what the word SLOW means:


Keep within the speed limits is for everybody's safety, get in correct lane, always keep alert, leave plenty of distance from the vehicle in front...


Motorways have hard shoulders, and yes these can be a dangerous place to be,dont forget you only stop on the hard shoulder in an EMERGENCY...

If you have to use them pull onto the hard shoulder as near to the left as possible, if it is dark keep your sidelights on, and hazard lights...

Leave the vehicle by the left hand doors ( this includes all passengers as well ) leave animals in the vehicle to prevent any running onto the carriageway.

Keep all children under control, don't attempt any repairs to the vehicle.

The Emergency telephones on the Motorway are one mile apart, and signs at the rear of the hard shoulder will tell you where the nearest direction they are.

When using the telephone keep facing towards the oncoming traffic, the use of the phone which is linked to police control is free of charge.

In preference it is best to use the motorway phone rather than a mobile as the operator will be able to locate your position easier, and help can be with you early.


Remember about 50 people a year are killed or seriously injured in hard shoulder accidents. Our Motorways should be the safest places for drivers to drive on, with all the traffic going in same direction, no on coming traffic, yes we need to watch slip roads entering and leaving where many drivers can get side-swiped.

But most of all lets keep to a safe travelling distance from vehicle in front ... a minimum of 2 seconds in real good conditions, BUT in adverse weather we must all double the distance in order to pull up safely...

Hales Towermill

Hales towermill was built of red brick in the early 1800s and was 5 storeys high, standing on a mound next to the mill house.The mill had 4 patent double shuttered sails that were struck by rack & pinion, one pair having 8 bays of 3 shutters and one pair having 9 bays of 3 shutters. The boat shaped cap had a petticoat, a gallery and an 8 bladed fan. The tower had 2 ground floor doors.


By 1981, all that remained was a single storey, partly ivy covered, brick base with no roof, containing fallen beams. A new housing estate was being constructed nearby.


By 2005, the single storey brick base still stood in the farmyard, which itself remained as an oasis within the new housing estate.

News from the past . . .

HALES
To be Sold by Auction
(Under a power of Sale to the Mortgagee)
By Mr. John Culley on Thursday 29 May 1834 at 4 o'c at the Kings Head, Bungay.
Lot 2.

Consists of an excellent Brick Tower Windmill, Miller's Cottage & Outbuidings & a Dwelling house occupied as a Beer House together with one Acre of Land situate at Hales in the county of Norfolk.

The Mill & Premises & part of the Land are under Lease to -- Fuller & another & the Beer House & remaining part of the Land are in the occupation of -- Crisp as Tenent from year to year.

All Freehold. Outgoings Land Tax 4s. per annum.

Apply to Mr. Steward, Solr. or the Auctioneer, St. Andrews, Norwich.
– Norfolk Chronicle - 24th May 1834

J. M. Goff
Sale 5 October 1863
Horses, Carts & other effects of James Hood, miller, deceased.
– Norfolk Chronicle - 3rd October 1863

Situations Vacant
TO JOURNEYMAN MILLERS
Wanted, a Man to work a Windmill. Must be steady.
Apply to James R. Hood, Hales Mill, Loddon, Norfolk.
– Norfolk News - 11th & 18th October 1873

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

NHS Norfolk is urging people across the county to plan for their healthcare this bank holiday.

If you have a health concern that needs attention from your GP, make sure you book an appointment at your surgery before the bank holiday weekend, so that your condition is dealt with before the weekend break.

Remember also to pick up any prescription medication you may need before the weekend. Pharmacies can help with health queries you may have during the weekend, and can provide you with advice about over-the-counter medicines - such those to treat coughs and colds.

Ian Small, Deputy Head of Prescribing and Medicines Management at NHS Norfolk, said: "For minor health problems, it is advisable to contact your local pharmacist before your GP. They can offer advice and provide medicines to treat a wide range of conditions, and will refer you to your GP if necessary."

Dr Bryan Heap, Medical Director at NHS Norfolk, added: "If you need an appointment with your GP before the bank holiday, it is important to book it this week. The Out of Hours service is for urgent problems only."

Pharmacy opening times can be found on the NHS Choices website www.nhs.uk, or you can call NHS Direct for details of pharmacy services available in your area on 0845 46 47.

Several hundred people will take to the water this Sunday 9th May as the fifth East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival in aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) returns to Oulton Broad at Nicholas Everitt Park in Lowestoft. More than 30 crews will race the thirty foot brightly painted Chinese dragon boats three at a time over a 200m course alongside Nicholas Everitt Park, watched by several thousand spectators.

Crews representing businesses and organisations from all over East Anglia (see attached list) will be taking to the water to ‘race the dragon’ in an effort to win the coveted Festival trophy. Festival media partner, BBC Suffolk, will be one of the crews dipping their toes in the water for the first time this year with presenters, Rob Dunger, Mark Murphy, Lesley Dolphin and Steph Mack all swapping microphones for paddles! Trophies will be presented by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices to the top three crews, the team that raises the most money for EACH, the best placed mixed crew and the ‘best dressed’ crew.

There is a fantastic incentive this year which should encourage the teams to raise even more money for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices as the crew that raises the most will be awarded use of the gym and spa plus lunch at the Marriott Sprowston Manor in Norwich.

Carl Brooks, Corporate Fundraiser for EACH comments: “The majority of EACH’s costs are not for specialist equipment but for delivering the specialist one-to-one nursing care and support so vital to local children and their families. Such intensive, personal care does not come cheap so fundraising and the goodwill of the public are therefore vital. That is why we are delighted to be the Dragon Boat Festival’s official charity once again and that so many teams have signed up to take part”.

Carol Lester, Director of Festival organisers, Gable Events added “After the fantastic weather we had last year, we are expecting another large audience to come on the day to soak up the atmosphere and cheer on the teams. We have received great support this year from BBC Suffolk, The Lowestoft Journal and Waveney District Council and we are sure that the teams and spectators alike will enjoy a superb day out this Sunday”.


As well as races every 10 minutes throughout the day between 10am and 4pm, there will be plenty of family entertainment on the bank including an inflatable climbing wall, rodeo bull, human demolition and fun fair rides. In keeping with the Chinese history of dragon boat racing, the Wing Chun Kung Fu group will be performing a colourful lion dance at 12 noon and 2pm and students from the Lowestoft based Venue of Performing Arts will be performing three shows during the day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain there will also be a Flypast at around lunchtime from a Dakota of the Memorial Flight.

You can also find out more about the work of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and meet the presenters and crew from BBC Suffolk. The Everitt Park café will be serving a wide range of food and refreshments and mobile caterers will be bringing a hog roast, crepes, coffee, smoothies, wraps and toasted sandwiches. Satalight Photography will be capturing all the memorable moments and making them available for purchase on the day.

Entrance to the Festival is free to spectators and there is plenty of parking available off Marsh Road (which will be clearly signposted), courtesy of Broadview Caravan Site with all proceeds going to EACH. ‘Pay and display’ parking is also available at Nicholas Everitt Park.

For more information on the Dragon Boat Festival contact Gable Events on 01780 470718 or visit the Festival website at www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/eastanglia.


Teams: