A domestic gas boiler that produces electricity? That's one of the things that visitors will find at the p&h east plumbing and heating exhibition in Norwich on 7 October. The not-for-profit exhibition, organised by the Norfolk Branch of national educational charity the Chartered Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineering, takes place in the Business Suite at Norwich City FC's Carrow Road stadium from 3.00 to 8.30pm and entry is free.

Exhibitors will include many top names from the plumbing and heating industry, including boiler manufacturer Baxi who will display their Ecogen micro-CHP (combined heat and power) appliance that as well as producing hot water and heat for the home, can also generate up to 1kW of electricity.

Also on hand to demonstrate the latest technology in their specialist fields will be household names like Worcester Bosch, Stelrad, Danfoss, Vaillant and Anglian Water among a list of over 20 exhibitors.

p&h east is aimed primarily at those who work in or have a professional interest in the plumbing and heating industry but members of the general public will also be welcome. There are more details, including a full list of exhibitors, at the dedicated website http://pandheast.webplus.net

North Norfolk Coastal Path (all distances are approximate)

Monday 11th October – Wells next-the-sea to Stiffkey 3.2 miles
Meet at Stearmans Yard car park, Wells-next-the-Sea, finish at Green Way car park, Stiffkey.
Tuesday 12th October – Stiffkey to Blakeney 4.3 miles
Meet at Green Way car park, Stiffkey, finish at the quayside Blakeney.
Wednesday 13th October – Blakeney to Salthouse 5.8 miles
Meet at Harbour car park, Blakeney, finish at village green, Salthouse
Thursday 14th October – Salthouse to Sheringham 5.3 Miles
Meet at the car park on the green in front of “Cookies”, Salthouse, finish at the new information centre on the sea front, Sheringham.
Friday 15th October – Sheringham to Cromer 5.5 Miles
Meet at Car Park Cliff Road, Sheringham, finish The Meadow, near Meadow car park, Cromer.

Weavers’ Way Walk (all distances are approximate)

Monday 11th October Berney Arms Station along Breydon Water to Great Yarmouth 5.6 miles
Travel by train from Gt Yarmouth to Berney Arms. The train leaves Great Yarmouth Station at 14.12, tickets from the station £2.
Tuesday 12th October Acle Bridge (Grid Ref TG414116) to Potter Heigham (Grid Ref. TG420185) 6.5 miles or Acle Bridge to Thurne (Grid Ref. TG403158) 3.5 miles.
Wednesday 13th October Stalham car park by the library
(Grid Ref. TG368253) to Bengate Weavers’ Way car park (Grid Ref. TG306275) 5 miles.
Thursday 14th October North Walsham Station Road Weavers’ Way car park (Grid Ref. TG275300) to Blickling Hall (Grid Ref. TG177285) 7.75 miles.
Friday 15th October Sustead (near Felbrigg) by the village hall/village sign (Grid Ref.TG187370) to Cromer, TBC 5.5 miles.

All walks start at 10am except the Berney Arms – Gt Yarmouth walk on 11th October which will meet at 14.00 at Gt Yarmouth Railway Station.


For further information please contact Ian Bell on 01603 421576 or visit www.nwmhft.nhs.uk

Norfolk's NHS has kept serious infections within hospitals at an all time low, according to a report just out.

Doctors and nurses within the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn (QEHKL) and at community hospitals run by the NHS community healthcare provider NCH&C across Norfolk work hard to keep bugs and viruses out of their wards.

Inevitably some infections do spread - hospitals are full of ill people who have lower immunity - but infection control teams have managed to cut the number of cases of MRSA and Clostridium Difficile compared to previous years.

And they have tough new targets set to keep the numbers heading downwards.

The information is contained in the Director of Infection Prevention & Control's Annual Report for 2009/10 which is being presented to the Board of NHS Norfolk when it meets this week. The meeting is open to the public. It takes place from 2pm on Wednesday September 29 at the John Jarrold Suite of the Sportspark in Norwich.

NHS Norfolk's acting Director of Infection Prevention and Control, Jonathan Williams, said: "2009-10 can be seen as a successful year for NHS Norfolk in managing Infection Prevention and Control.


"However we are absolutely determined not to let up the pressure. We want to see further reductions in MRSA, C-Diff and other infections which enter our hospitals so they are as safe as they can possibly be for our patients."

The number of C-Diff cases across NNUH, QEHKL and NCH&C hospitals totalled 331 compared to 395 the previous year.

Clostridium Difficile is the most important cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea. It is present in the gut of up to 3% of healthy adults and 66% of infants. It rarely causes problems in people who are healthy because it is kept in check by the normal bacterial population of the intestine but when certain antibiotics disturb the balance, C-Diff can multiply rapidly and produce toxins which cause illness.

A C-Diff project set up by NHS Norfolk early in 2009/10 ad identified a number of ways in which C-Diff could be tackled including greater awareness among clinicians of the best therapies and antibiotics to use.

NNUH and QEHKL also continue to carry out the Saving Lives Programme which places a huge emphasis on hand hygiene and infection control. NCH&C implements the non-acute version called "Essential Steps".

There were 27 cases of MRSA in the NHS Norfolk area in 2009/10 compared to 26 in 2008/09. Some people carry MRSA on their skin or in their nostrils quite harmlessly. They don’t know that they carry MRSA because they have no symptoms and it does not harm them. However it can be more serious for more vulnerable patients, causing infections on the skin, in wounds, bones, lungs and the blood.

Every time a patient is diagnosed with MRSA there is a full review of how they acquired it to identify how it can be prevented.

There is a huge emphasis on minimising the use of antibiotics to ensure they remain effective when they are most needed.

A further challenge in 2009/10, according to the report, was posed by repeated outbreaks of Norovirus in both acute and community hospitals.

Norovirus is commonly known as the "Winter Vomiting bug". It is rarely life threatening but can be immensely debilitating and causes significant disruption because beds are taken up and staff can easily catch it. This is why people who have been in contact with sufferers - or who are sufferers themselves - are urged not to visit hospitals or other healthcare settings for 48 hours after they feel better.

Mr Williams said: "Infection control is a major priority at our acute and community hospitals but visitors to hospitals play an important role too by washing their hands or even staying away if they believe they are unwell. We have another winter approaching which is when many of the viruses like to spread so vigilance by us all is critical."

The report also points out the huge success in managing Swine Flu in Norfolk last year.

NHS Norfolk worked with the entire "health system" across the county:

- 45 "Antiviral Collection Points" were set up.
- 25,000 antivirals were issued to patients who were suspected of having swine flu.
- More than 100,000 at-risk patients were vaccinated.

Mr Williams commented: "The overall response particularly in managing the complex communication and media enquiries, was exemplary and the lessons learned from this experience will be invaluable for the future"

We have had to wait for Her Majesty's Railway Inspector to inspect and approve the loop, which was completed at Thuxton, Norfolk late last week.

The MNR has never invested so much effort and capital in such an event before.

In addition, the new passing loop at Thuxton, to be used for the first time in anger at the Gala, has received no public funding and has been afforded [just!] out of MNR funds and donations.

Estimated cost is c.£50K and almost all of the hundreds of manhours have been willingly donated.



From Friday 24th to Sunday 26th September the Mid-Norfolk Railway will proudly present a special Golden Jubilee celebration event, with up to 11 visiting locomotives, representing the differing versions evolving from the original design. D67xx locomotives commenced service on the Liverpool Street to Norwich services in December 1960.

We hope to include locomotives from Direct Rail Services and West Coast Railways, as well as a number of preserved examples. [All locomotives are subject to availability and serviceability.]


The weekend of the event will also see the launch of the MNR's passing loop at Thuxton enabling two-train running for the first time. An intensive service of hourly departures timetabled from each end of the line, should be operating from c.8am through to c.8pm.

A cavalcade of locomotives will pass through Dereham Station; this will be followed by a naming of one of the engines.

Photographers may wish to have a look at some suggested locations for shots and are reminded of the hazards of lineside photography and to read our guidelines of good conduct which are included.

For further technical information, e-mail james.steward@mnr.org.uk non technical queries should be directed to info@mnr.org.uk


Further details may be found on our website www.mnr.org.uk.
Telephone: 01362 690633 Fax: 698487

NHS Norfolk is encouraging people of all ages to take part in National Walking Day on Sunday 26 September.

The new Walk4Life website has details of walks taking place across the country over the coming weeks, plus links to organisations that arrange walks.

NHS Norfolk supports Walk4Life, and is particularly keen to encourage people to take part in the Thetford Nunnery Lake Walk on Sunday.

The walk begins at 11am and will cover 2.3 miles. Participants are asked to meet at the riverside kiosk on School Lane car park.

Lucy Macleod, Consultant in Public Health at NHS Norfolk, said: "Keeping active can benefit your long-term health, whatever your age, and walking is a great way to increase your amount of activity each day.


"As well as being particularly beneficial to your cardiovascular health, it can also help you relax and unwind.


"Becoming more active can help lessen the chances of serious health complications such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer when you are older. NHS Norfolk is pleased to support the Walk4Life initiative, and we hope that as many people as possible will choose to take part in National Walking Day."

Nick Clarke, Physical Activity and Health Co-ordinator for Active Norfolk, said: "Just 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, such a brisk walking at least five days a week, can have many health benefits.


"We are happy to support National Walking Day and would encourage people to continue to be more active in the future too. It's easy to incorporate more walking into your life, being out in the fresh air can give you a psychological boost, and it need cost nothing too."

National Walking Day takes place on Sunday 26 September and is being supported by the Walk4Life campaign. For details on Walk4Life, visit www.walk4life.info

For details about Active Norfolk, call 01603 697011 or visit www.activenorfolk.org

The Your Health section of the NHS Norfolk website has information on all aspects of healthy living - from eating well, being active and how to get support to stop smoking, to what is important in maintaining and managing your own health. Visit www.norfolk.nhs.uk to find out more.

For information about healthy eating projects and those designed to get you more active, call the NHS Norfolk Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 0800 587 4132

I loved the River End. My memory of it was that it was huge, with hundreds of steps and 15,000 people crammed into it each week. It was nowhere near that size of course, but it was intimate. No away supporters, just Canary fans, mainly men, and jam packed in, shoulder to shoulder. I remember the excitement on the approach to the turnstiles, and that they had a special one for 'Women And Boys' - admission 50p. The steps up the back were hard work to climb. The stewards never managed to keep the aisles clear. And the River Enders were a no nonsense lot - not there to sing, not there to go for a half time cuppa or pint, not there to take any notice of the hooligans. They were there to be judge and jury on proceedings. And blimey, could they moan when things went wrong!




Our defence was pretty good too.......... Machin, Sullivan, Ryan, Jones, Powell, Bond junior, the manager's son, and behind them all, the mighty Kevin Keelan. I never hide the fact that Kevin Keelan was, and still is, my all time Norwich City hero. He was a hard, strong willed, simply superb goalkeeper, who devoted himself to the club for so many years. I wonder now, all these years later, if he was actually the reason why I eventually chose the River End to view matches from. I almost felt as if I was in goal with him sometimes! I remember one week taking my young nephew with me to the match, as a one-off. He was 10 years old, the same age as I was when I first went to Carrow Road and there was no way he could see from ten steps back, so I sent him to the front, telling him to ask people if they would let him through. Because he was so small, I couldn't see him after a while and started to worry, especially as he was a pretty adventurous kid. But a while later I spotted him okay. He had climbed up onto the metal fence at the front, and was sitting just to the side of Keelan's left post ! Late in the game a shot went wide and Keelan went behind the goal to retrieve the ball. And he smiled and said hello to my nephew. I couldn't believe it. My flaming nephew............ who knew nothing about football, was only there because I took him, and he got a nod and a smile from Kevin Keelan, who was my hero not his !! And to put the tin hat on it, the game was on Match Of The Day that night (something else that seemed to happen more often under Bondie's stewardship) and we caught the moment on TV.



Credit to:
aitch www.canaryseventyninety.blogspot.com

Evocative images by award-winning Cromer-based photographer David Morris are on show this month at the King of Hearts Centre, Norwich.

David, who was named Professional Photographer of the Year in 2009 for his image of a Cotswolds coffin maker, this year won the reportage section of the Black and White Photographer of the Year competition.

Entitled The Last of it, his winning image featured Cotswolds brothers Peter and Ian Sabbiston, whom he captured on camera as they were shearing their sheep for the last time after realising they could no longer make a living as sheep farmers.

Also on show as part of the exhibition will be land and seascapes from Norfolk, and images captured on David's travels abroad, including a body of work entitled Bar Life, featuring portraits and interior studies of bars, pool halls and cafes.

The exhibition runs at the King of Hearts Centre, 7-15 Fye Bridge Street, Norwich, NR3 1LJ until November 9. To see more work by David Morris, visit www.davidmorrisphotographer.com

This short, silent film captures one of Britain's minor little railways: the Leek and Manifold Light Railway on the Staffordshire Moorlands. The railway opened in 1907, linking the villages of Waterhouses and Hulme End, and was built mainly for agricultural traffic, with a passenger service being a secondary consideration. Its route went through beautiful countryside in Staffordshire, and it is unfortunate that the intertitles state it as being shot in Derbyshire!

In 1934 the entire line was closed by the North Staffordshire Railway. There is little in the way of recorded film material of this quaint little train, so this gem gives an invaluable insight into the railway. (Stuart Smith, Midlands Railway Centre)

The planners are now considering the planning application for Norwich Backpackers, the proposed use for the derelict Ferry Boat Inn on King St, Norwich. The public are welcome to have their say and the team behind the plans hope as many people as possible will have a look at the application and give the council feedback (Application No: 10/01471/F)

The Ferry Boat Inn closed 4 years ago after an interesting history as a pub. The infamous music venue had great cellars for real ale and a wide range of customers. However the lack of sound insulation in the music room was never likely to endear the pub to the growing number of local residents on either side of the river. Greene King looked at redeveloping the site as a restaurant pub and other people considered purchasing the site to build flats.

"The first time I saw the property, it didn't grab me. The buildings were in a terrible state and I just didn't see the potential." said Jason Borthwick. "The site grew on me though, and I really began to see the opportunities. When I sat down with maps and could see the river connection, the proximity to the city, to travel links and the huge range of services on the doorstep, the site just cried out to become a Backpackers hostel."


The plan is to create an eco-friendly 150-200 bed Backpackers hostel, with private ensuite rooms, family rooms and dorm rooms for international backpackers and independent travellers visiting Norwich. This will be housed in a new warehouse style building where the car park currently is. The old music room will become canoe hire, cycle hire and a cafe overlooking the river. The old pub building will become a real ale appreciation bar and shop.

Jason has worked with Tom Cringle of Millgate Design to develop the plans for the site. They’ve designed an eco-friendly building that is functional for backpackers and fits with the warehouse style that has traditionally dominated the river. The major change is that Norwich Backpackers is designed to face the river rather than the road.


The developers are Alister and Jason Borthwick, the father and son team behind the hugely successful Deepdale Backpackers & Camping in Burnham Deepdale on the north Norfolk coast. They had been looking for a property to buy in Norwich for a year or two.

"We felt it was important to consider diversifying away from the family farm and into Norwich. The two sites will compliment each other, we have a track record with sustainable sympathetic development and we hope our investment will act as a catalyst for the backpacker market in Norfolk and the East of England." said Alister Borthwick.

"Finding the right property in Norwich was a slow process. We would never have guessed there was half a million square feet of empty office space in the city centre. So little of it is for sale, just for rent, and much of it has been empty for years earning no rent. It's owned by pension funds and trust funds who see it as an asset, with no plans to release for sale. We looked at old pubs, workshops, shops and more. The Ferry Boat Inn was the first place that had space to work with and the river access was a huge selling point."

Jason continues, "The grade 2 listed pub is a bonus to us. It seems to have put off potential developers as the site is far from simple to develop sympathetically. However it gives a wonderful sense of history. Having a licensed pub at a backpackers hostel will always go down well with the visitors."

The Borthwick's are really pleased with the interest in Norwich Backpackers. Jason personally delivered a letter to every house and business on King St, introducing themselves and their plans. Likewise to the flats and houses surrounding the site, the businesses on Riverside and many other organisations around the City. The website gets excellent readership, the Facebook page has over 200 fans and the Twitter account has 400 followers and the Google group almost 100 members. Jason continues to offer presentations on their ideas, having already presented to the Norwich Society and the Broads Tourism Forum amongst others.

"We are happy to hear from people, their thoughts about our ideas and hopefully for them to be involved with Norwich Backpackers in some way. There should be about 30 jobs created, 4 business tenants will be on the site and the hostel will work with a huge range of other businesses including travel companies, restaurants, activities, attractions."

The planners have been generally positive towards the idea of a backpackers hostel in the city. The Borthwicks have discussed the idea with Norwich City Council over the past year or so as they considered other properties. They hope that their planning application for 191 King St is received well and that planning is a relatively painless step on the road to Norwich's first Backpackers hostel.

Public comments about the plans for Norwich Backpackers can be made online at: planning.norwich.gov.uk Application No: 10/01471/F
More information about Norwich Backpackers can be found at: www.norwichbackpackers.co.uk

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.