This week I just thought I would make you all aware on what can really go wrong when insuring your car, years ago you stayed with the same insurance company, and many would have a Agent call at the door to collect payment, and he was on hand to give you a cover note, when changing the car…

Nowadays we do not see or have cover notes, perhaps so we cannot take advantage of a months cover then disappear to another insurance company.

Well at the end of August my son changed his vehicle, and same old story swapped insurers because we all seek better deals, he told them a start date for the insurance to commence, but nearer the time rang them to bring the date four days earlier, that's ok they said but by doing that it will be cheaper (wow unusual) so we will refund you money back into your account (yes he had paid the full amount in one payment.) your Certificate will be with you in 15 days time, but you are covered from now…

But now sixteen days later he received a letter in the post from the insurance company making him aware he had no insurance cover on the car…

A quick phone call to them asking what was going on they told him the Girl in the office had refunded all the the money back to his account rather than just  a small amount, this now made the insurance void.

What a terrible thing to happen, driving about with no insurance when its not your fault, and not a telephone call or text message but a letter taking three days to arrive…

During the time on the phone and asking for the Manager to complain too telling them of their very poor service, the Manager then gave a £125 discount (yes another one)

So as a warning check that the insurance company are on top of their job, don't rely on computer booking, and any refunds check with your bank they have received monies, and not wait for your bank statements.

By the way, anyone refunding all your premium back into the account by mistake and leaving drivers without proper cover is not a sack-able offence!!!

It would be very wrong of me to mention this insurance companies name but please all be aware of mistakes that can develop, and it really is More Than my jobs worth...

There will be a short ceremony at 5.30pm at the front of Hellesdon Hospital where the flag will be raised to. Maggie Wheeler, Chair of the Trust will be representing the Trust’s support for the local Rainbows group.

Following the ceremony the group of five- seven year old Rainbows will sing songs and play guiding games on the grass outside the Trust.

The Rainbows meet on a weekly basis at Hellesdon Community Centre and will be taking part in the girlguiding event ‘Vision’ on 20th October 2010, at 20.10pm (2010 2010 2010).

All Rainbows, Brownies and Guides across the UK will renew their promises on this special date and time to celebrate 100 years of girlguiding.

With the help of co-star Victoria Scott they met members of the seaside resorts’ Life Guard Service and the actor couldn't resist taking Snow White for a paddle!


Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs runs at the town’s Marina Theatre from December 11 through until January 4.

Stefan who will play the dashing prince will be joined on stage by Hi De Hi favourite Nikki Kelly and comedy star Mike McClean.


Before returning to star in panto, Stefan who has appeared in Hollyoaks, the Bill and Dancing On Ice is set to join the cast of Eastenders.

For more information or to book seats please call the Marina Box Office on 01502 533200.

Deepdale Backpackers & Camping, on the beautiful north Norfolk coast, has been awarded the Gold Award from the David Bellamy Conservation Awards.

These awards are highly sought after by holiday parks in the UK. The parks that take part in the scheme are all regularly assessed by the scheme’s team of local wildlife experts. The assessors look at the steps parks are taking to:


David Bellamy uses the assessors’ reports (and any comments received from members of the public) to make his awards each year. Three levels of excellence can be achieved: Gold, Silver and Bronze.


“So pleased to get this Gold award from the David Bellamy conservation scheme. We’ve continued the commitment to the environment, which we inherited when we took on Deepdale Backpackers & Camping two seasons ago. This conservation award sits alongside our Gold from the Green Tourism Business scheme and our 4 star rating from Quality in Tourism. They show Deepdale not only has a commitment to quality, but also to looking after this magical part of the world.” said Louise Smith, Managing Director.

Education is also a big factor in the assessment and Deepdale works hard to give as much educational information as possible to anyone who comes to visit, and even for those who don’t. Over the last twelve months Deepdale has also been used as a case study for students studying a GCSE award in Leisure and Tourism. They also work with the University of East Anglia and their environmental studies course in a similar way.

Here at Deepdale we believe very strongly that we don't inherit the World; we borrow it from our children... At Deepdale we intend to look after it until we return it.

What's most important to you when it comes to enjoying your food? Most people would no doubt immediately answer 'taste' but what about smell or appearance, the way it feels or the noise it makes when you munch it? These are senses we all take for granted but if we want to enjoy our food to the full, perhaps we need to learn how to appreciate them more. This year's Aylsham Food Festival is offering youngsters an interactive way of encouraging them to use all their five senses when eating and enjoying food.

The Taste Adventure is an initiative created by the Slow Food organisation, an international movement that seeks to provide an antidote to today's fast food culture. There are a number of branches of Slow Food across the UK and 'foodie town' Aylsham is proud to be one of these. Each year, Slow Food Aylsham organises a 3-day Food Festival which for 2010 will include The Taste Adventure.


On the morning of Saturday 2nd October, Aylsham Town Hall will be welcoming children, up to 12 years old and accompanied by an adult, to take part in The Taste Adventure where they will be invited to visit the five Sense Zones: Seeing, Touchy, Noisy, Smelly and Tasty. For each zone there is a tabletop activity which will bring the sense to life and enable the children to explore the use of that sense in relation to food. In the Touchy zone, for example, the children will be asked to reach inside a series of boxes and feel the contents. Through touch, they will be asked to identify foods that have different textures.

There will be a Taste Adventure Passport for each child to mark down their answers for each of the five zones, with prizes for the most accurate.

Entry for The Taste Adventure is completely free - just turn up any time between 10am and 2pm - but only children with an accompanying adult will be able to take part.


The 2010 Aylsham Food Festival starts on Friday 1st October with an evening buffet dinner at Aylsham High School, prepared and served by Hospitality and Catering students. Tickets for this sumptuous meal, costing just £18.50 per person will be available throughout September at Salad Days fruit & veg stall in Aylsham Market Place. In addition to The Taste Adventure, Saturday 2nd will also see an extended farmers market in the Market Place and Kids Cooking Workshops at the High School, run in association with the lottery-funded 'Let's Get Cooking' campaign. Invitations to participate in the workshops will be circulated via the Town's primary schools.

Rounding off the Festival will be Sunday's Big Slow Breakfast in the Town Hall. This ever popular event is bound to sell out quickly so don't delay in getting your tickets - again available from Salad Days throughout September and costing just 5 for adults and £3 for children under 12.

Now in its fifth year, Aylsham Food Festival sets out to promote local food and its associated businesses. Coinciding with British Food Fortnight and the Norfolk Food Festival, it has gone from strength to strength and is an important event on Aylsham's foodie calendar. There are more details at www.slowfoodaylsham.org.uk

Former Norwich City goalkeeper Bryan Gunn will officially open Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Trust’s new Wymondham headquarters for its South Norfolk teams.

Gateway House is a purpose-built base for community teams covering child and family, adult and older peoples’ services in South Norfolk. The aim is to create a centre of excellence for mental health in this area.

Bryan Gunn – who played 473 games for the Canaries and more recently had a short spell as manager – will open Gateway House on Monday, September 20. Members of the public are welcome to drop in between 2.00pm and 7.30pm to view the innovative new base and learn more about mental health services in South Norfolk.

Bryan’s speech at 2.30pm will put the spotlight on mental health discrimination and stigma by reflecting on the tragic suicide of German goalkeeper Robert Enke, who suffered in silence with depression before ending his life. Bryan will be encouraging football fans, young and old, to reach out if they find themselves in mental distress.


Bryan Gunn said: “I’m delighted to help the Trust open Gateway House. It will be important to those seeking help and access to mental health services. And it has an exciting future working to improve mental health and wellbeing for South Norfolk.


“We all need to challenge the discrimination and stigma surrounding mental illness. I would urge anyone who has concerns about their own mental health to seek help, there is nothing to be ashamed or worried about. We are fortunate that Norfolk and Waveney runs top-class mental health facilities. Gateway House will help the Trust continue to make mental health services even better.”

The open event is an opportunity to visit the building and meet mental health professionals who will be showcasing the services they provide in South Norfolk. Free seminars will run throughout the afternoon beginning with ‘Helping young people with ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome enter adulthood’ at 3.30pm, followed by ‘Person-centred Dementia Care’ at 4.30pm, ‘An insight into recovery work’ at 5.30pm, and finally ‘Anxiety and Depression’ at 6.30pm. Guided tours will be running between 4pm-7pm.

The move to Gateway House will reorganise how teams work, improving the service to GPs and service users. There will be a single point of contact for all inquiries and referrals, and a duty practitioner on site to answer urgent calls. A dedicated clinical administration team will support clinical processes and help smooth service users’ care pathways. There will be increased opportunity for teams to combine resources, training, clinical advice and experience to respond to changing health needs in the local community. The building will be equipped with state-of-the-art ICT equipment and resources to support excellent communication, and enable flexible working.

Trust chief executive Aidan Thomas said: “This is an important new building for the Trust, where new ways of working will be pioneered. It is designed to better support staff to deliver excellent mental health services meeting the needs of the local community. We will be watching Gateway House closely to continue improving the care we provide across Norfolk and Waveney. We are working to ensure staff have the best resources and facilities where teams can work together. We also want to support staff to deliver care in more comfortable and socially inclusive settings for service users.”

The new building has an ‘excellent’ rating under the tough green guidelines introduced this year by the NHS. It is being constructed specifically for the Trust, which has committed to leasing it for the next 20 years. Some old South locations are being given up by the Trust completely, but others will be retained and used for different purposes. Suitable alternative arrangements will be put in place locally at the few locations where treatment currently takes place on site. Managers are working with their teams to identify consultation rooms for hire within various towns and villages, to ensure people will be seen closer to home within a more socially inclusive setting.

Gateway House is the first Trust property to achieve its target of an ‘Excellent’ rating from the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), which measures environmental impact and performance. This is now an NHS requirement for new build projects. The new Wymondham facility is a major landmark in the Trust’s drive to gain leading green credentials in line with its new environmental strategy launched in December 2009. The building has been eco-efficiently designed to reduce the Trust’s carbon footprint, and energy savings will reduce running costs over the years.


For more information and to book to attend the event contact
E: laura.marshall@nwmhp.nhs.uk
T: 01603 421344

Details can also be found on the Trust’s website www.nwmhft.nhs.uk

Deepdale Backpackers & Camping and Dalegate Market at Deepdale Farm, Burnham Deepdale look forward to welcoming spectators and the media on Thursday 16th September to view the Tour of Britain cycle race.

The views of the race from Dalegate Market will be excellent, as the riders head through Brancaster Staithe, through Burnham Deepdale and then up and over the hill to Burnham Market, the first King of the Mountain stage of the race.

Tidings in a race like this are always a little vague, so spectators have to be patient. With facilities like Deepdale Cafe and the outside seating, Dalegate Market is an excellent place to sit, relax and enjoy the spectacle.

There is excellent accommodation at Deepdale Backpackers & Camping for spectators wishing to stay locally, including private ensuite rooms, dorm beds, camping, tipis and yurts.

The Tour of Britain will be the biggest sporting event to visit Norfolk, so locals and visitors will be taking the time to watch this fast moving spectacle.

request from Sheena Mann

I wonder whether you could help me at all?

I am desperately searching for my father who I believe moved to the Great Yarmouth area a few years ago.

I have tried searching for him myself with no luck and have also asked The Salvation Army to assist, but still with no success.

Details as follows:

My dad is called MICHAEL ROBERT HARVEY (but known as MICK to his friends).

Date of birth 09/01/1947 and he has a partner (I am unsure if they are married) called MARGARET.

They lived in a place called Steeple Bumpstead, near Haverhill in Suffolk for around 30 years before moving on, I believe around 2005/2006.

Since he and my mum split up (when I was aged 7yrs) I had spoken and met with him a couple of times but over time I simply lost touch with him for various reasons. Since having little ones it had made me realise the importance of having my dad in my life and for him to be part of my children's lives whom he has never met.

My dad always worked as a freelance plasterer and I believe he also did other work in the building industry and he could still be possible working somewhere.

I always remember he had a tattoo of a black 'panther' on one of his arms. He is a sociable man and has a fantastic sense of humour.

Any information would be greatly received, please email me.

Kind regards,


Sheena Mann
Mildenhall, Suffolk
sheenamann@btconnect.com

The time is coming of so many Hi-Tech systems fitted in our cars, there are many questions being asked of how really important it is to fit a Tyre Pressure Monitoring safety kit.

This is going to be a compulsory fitting to all new cars as from November 2011 this is under European Union.

At the present time this is offered as an option by many manufacturers, to a cost of about £250, but is it really needed, surely drivers should be doing this on their weekly maintenance check?

The price of vehicles would rise because when you replaced a tyre the system needs to be reset and new valve sensors fitted.

Don't forget as drivers we must check tyre pressures manually and have a good look round the tyres because a tell tale indicator on the dashboard will not show up any cuts or bulges.

Also don't forget as from February 2011 all new cars will have LED running lights fitted as standard.

Electronic Stability Control will also be a compulsory fitting from November 2011, this will cost over £450 extra to the new car price.

This I must admit is important and a real help to road safety, watch this space more to come on this hint shortly.

These items are being introduce to reduce road deaths by half throughout Europe in the next 10 years.

Talking About the Weather.
It’s strange we never seem to get the forecast weather when we expect it. Why does it so often rain just when the hay and corn is ready to be brought in, the sun comes out just as you arrive home after a day by the sea or the children are starting their school holidays.

In this country, the weather seems to be one of the main topics of conversation. Whenever we meet a friend or acquaintance the first words spoken invariably refer to the temperature or elements. In our daily newspapers and with every news bulletin on radio and TV we are told what to expect and advised if we should put on our raincoats and wellies or an extra woolly when we leave the house. There are times when we are told not to venture out at all unless it is absolutely necessary. Have you ever wondered how we would greet people and start a conversation if our weather was as predictable as it is in some parts of the world? 

Did You Know?
Not so long ago, in confined spaces like a train or bus, offering a cigarette by handing a packet round to your companions was a popular way to break the ice and start a conversation. Today, it would be more likely to get you severely reprimanded or thrown out of the carriage. In those days people didn’t talk so much about the weather as they do now, their lives didn’t seem to be so affected by it. However, there is no doubt that there has always been comments made about the constant need for a good celery rain, a steady shower to bring on the peas and beans or a thunderstorm to clear the air.
Of course, no one had to travel nearly as much as they do now. Anywhere they had to go daily they went on foot. There were no cars to be got out in the snow and taken onto icy roads. When the wintry weather prevailed horse drawn snowploughs were used to push aside the loose snow on the roads and leave a flattened surface. The horses that had to work in those conditions had nails put in their hoofs to give them a better grip and prevent them slipping.

At such times, farm workers who were unable to get on the fields turned to all the jobs about the farm they rarely had time to do. When they were outside and it started to rain they often threw a sack around their shoulders and just carried on. Many of them with livestock to attend to had no other choice.

Many country folk had their own ways of forecasting the weather. After a rare trip to the seaside it was not unusual for some to have a bunch of seaweed hanging outside the back door. Most people, like the fishermen, were very aware of the phases of the moon and direction of the wind. A red sky at sunset would indicate a fine but blustery day to follow. If the red sky was at dawn it was said to be a warning to all at sea.
Almost every family had a way of telling what to expect not only in the next day or two but also for the forthcoming seasons. These conjectures were handed down from generation to generation. Observation like:

-- How early and plentiful were the snowdrops and certain spring flowers? Was there an abundance of mistletoe on the old oak at the bottom of the garden? How high in the trees are the rooks nesting this year?  

-- Then there were many sayings such as ‘Rain before seven, clear up before eleven’!  

-- These forecasts were never proven to be accurate but nevertheless that is all they had to go by and many used them as a guide. 

Perhaps that was no worse than today’s followers of Astrology who regularly read their birth sign and expect the events of their day to follow accordingly.

Very few of us like to sit in dead silence on a train or somewhere like a Doctor’s surgery. Some pretend to read what are often outdated magazines and cast their gaze around from time to time to see who else is there. Occasionally, their eyes meet someone else’s and they both look away quickly. This problem has now been solved in many waiting areas by the installation of music or a TV. It is interesting to note that many of those who greet each other at the Doctor’s surgery often do so by asking, ‘Are you all right?’  -- Perhaps a lengthy response keeps the conversation away from the weather.

Our weather, as we all know, is very changeable but does that excuse us for never being ready and able to manage when we get extreme conditions. Some other countries, where the elements are much more severe, seem to carry on with very little disruption. You would think a country like ours, situated in a position susceptible to unusual meteorological extremes, would have learned to be ready for the unexpected.

Yet with all the modern technology to forewarn and help us when we are faced with such conditions we rarely find ourselves able to ensure normal services. Nor do we seem capable of adapting to cope with any sudden extreme weather as our forefathers did.   

valley lad - [EIGHTY-FOUR]

Norwich Sound & Vision 2010 is taking place for the first time on 16-18th September 2010. The event will comprise of a conference featuring expert speakers from the music, film, TV and games industries. There will also be live music, film screenings and other interactive performances. Ever heard of the music and film conference called SXSW in Austin, Texas? Well, think of S&V as a taster... in Norwich.

Norwich is always bursting at the seams with new music and film (to name but a few art forms); there’s something in the water that makes this place a breeding ground for unusual creativity. We’re lucky to have a unique community playing host to a plethora of multi-media based artistry, so why not have a convention based at the heart of it?

S&V will provide a platform for those of you who are involved (or would like to be) with the multi-media channels mentioned above. If you come along you’ll get the opportunity to listen, engage and perhaps mosey around with labels, promoters, press, internet media peeps and artists who are coming to Norwich.

If learning how to get your music licensed in film/TV is your bag or even how to get your band out on the touring and festival circuit, then I guess we’ll see you on the 18th September. Those are just a couple of the subjects that will be open to discussion with our delectable roster of panellists from across the music/radio/film/multi-media industry.

You never know, you may even forge new partnerships (stranger things have happened). Ultimately, this is about learning something new and being inspired!

If you’re hungry to know more about putting your art out there or perhaps might be a tad frustrated with the lack of tools you have to get your ‘thing’ off the ground, we hope to give you something to get your teeth into. Come and meet like-minded individuals, bands/musicians, record labels, filmmakers, designers, writers and anyone with an interest in multi-media industries. Those of you that just want to learn something new - embrace your inner mind’s sponge, be inspired and have a fantastic time on us.


Highlights

• Where are the opportunities for new music to be played on the radio? (feat. panel including programme organiser Ed Baxter from Resonance FM, London, 18th Sept @ Norwich Arts Centre)

• How to get your band out on the touring and festival circuit (feat. Panel including Rob Chalice from Coda Agency who promote Camera Obscura, Friendly Fires, Gang Gang Dance, Kelis and Yo La Tengo to name a few @ NAC)

• Sync or Sink – How to get your music licensed to Film, TV, Ads and Video Games (feat. panel including Andrea Von Foerster from Firestarter Music who recently worked as a music supervisor on 500 Days of Summer @ NAC)

• Pulled Apart By Horses with support from Bearsuit (17th Sept @ NAC) TBC

• Serena Maneesh with support from Sennen (16th Sept @ NAC)


Tickets and venue

• Norwich Sound & Vision 2010 will be hosted between the Norwich Arts Centre and The Forum.

• Check out www.norwichsoundandvision.co.uk for usual lowdown

• You can find us on www.facebook.com (‘Norwich Sound & Vision Convention’), come and be our friend – we won’t bite.

• Conference tickets will be sold for the day at £35 (full price) or £25 at concession (Members of AIM, BPI, MMF or MPA or in full-time education)

• S&V gig tickets can be bought separately to the conference tickets. Please visit
www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk for more info

• You can purchase your tickets from UEA box office by calling (01603) 660352 or booking online at www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk